Pisces Full Moon - 25 August - 3:05am (AEST)

The sun and moon have only just moved signs when they come into a direct opposition to play out this full moon.  The sun moved into Virgo on 23 August at 3:27pm (AEST) and the moon will move into Pisces just two hours before it shows full.

By its very nature a full moon is about oppositions - sun opposite moon - and in this case Virgo opposite Pisces.  Let's explore the conflict this might present.

Consider this:
A wife comes home from a long day at work to find her holidaying husband on the couch watching cricket and "veging out" - stubby bottles strewn all over the lounge floor, pizza boxes jammed into the back of the couch.
The wifes' reaction is one aspect of Virgo - the husband's nonchalance is one feature of Pisces.

Consider this:
You are working towards a deadline - you have one hour to complete five hours of work.  It's not going to happen BUT it has to be done and done perfectly.  Every cell in your body is on full alert.  You are flying around the office when the phone rings and your best friend, totally oblivious to your situation, sounding calm and peaceful, suggests a quick cup of coffee in the downstairs cafe.  Consider the conflict that arises in you.

Hopefully now we have an idea of how this full moon might manifest.  As always look to the houses in your natal chart that incorporates the axis of 2 degrees Virgo/Pisces.  There you will find what on the one hand will turn out to be a pressure point and what on the other hand will present you with a quiet cup of coffee while you ponder life.

If the two degrees Virgo/Pisces axis is across the seven/one axis in your chart then you will probably relate to the first scenario and if the two degrees Virgo/Pisces axis is across the five/eleven axis in your chart you will probably relate well to the second scenario.

A word on the sun who has now just moved into Virgo.  As you will have gathered from the above, while the sun is in the sign of the virgin most of us will put ourselves under pressure to perform.  We are no longer interested in having fun (that was while the sun was in Leo).  The thing is while we were being distracted by computer games or facebook, the in-tray continued to increase in height.  Now the day of reckoning has arrived and suddenly there is no time for fun or games - life has become a whole lot more serious while we attend to our duties.

Mars and Venus come together - Saturday 21 August

The glyph for Mars and Venus are probably the most two recognisable astrological symbols used in mainstream.  In astrology Mars stands for action, war, arrogance, argument, passion and raw sexual energy - among other things.  Venus on the other hand represents all things feminine - softness, alure, perfumes, dress, enticement - and yes, she does have a mischievous side.  John Gray, the author, made his millions writing about the coming together of these two prinicipally male and female signs.

If we take this one step further we can attribute Mars to the left brain - thought, logic, analytical, practical - and Venus to the right brain - intuitive, creative, design, the arts.  The conjunction of these two planets then can also represent the coming together of both sides of the brain - using our minds to come up with practical solutions through our creative thoughts.  It can also go one step further and denote factual belief vs spritual faith.

The fact is though that Mars and Venus co-join once a year so really this is not a huge astrological event - nothing like what we have been experiencing with the t-square.  But this particular conjunction belongs to a unique cycle of Mars and Venus and this point I will hand over to Robert Blaschke - eminent American astrology - who has worked on the cycles of Mars and Venus.

Quoting directly from his article on the Mountain Astrologer blog site:
Over the next nine months, because of a six-week retrogression of Venus in October and November there will be three Venus-Mars conjunctions between now and May 2011.  These three alignments will fall in the signs of Libra, Scorpio and Taurus and are part of a recurring 77 month cycle.  They are also part of a longer 32 year cycle of Venus and Mars.

This cycle has been playing out like clockwork over the ages - Robert takes the cycle back to 1920.  BUT what is really interesting is that the cycle has gone out of alignment since the 1960's when we had the same players as our current t-square characters forming aspects in the heavens.  The cycle will not resume its uniformity until 2258 !!!!!  So in true evolutionary astrology style, I ask the question WHY.

Alexander Ruperti in his book, "Cycles of Becoming", is quoted on the Mars/Venus cycle: 
"a significant turning point in one's emotional life and provides an opportunity to change one's values (Venus) and to find a deeper spiritual significance to one's individual actions" (Mars).

Our spiritual path has been highlighted for many months now.  The call from the universe to connect to our spirituality has been strong and relentless.  Here is just another example of that calling.

Mercury goes retrograde - 20 August - 5:58am (AEST)

Here we are again at this point in Mercury's cycle where he will appear to be moving backwards in the heavens until 15 September.  In the past we have had all the warnings about backing up your computer, double checking any paperwork or contracts you might need to sign under this influence but this time I would like to present another scenario - consider this:

A child is bought up in a non English speaking home.  The child goes to school and soon learns that their language/their words don't elicit the same response as when they are at home.  Say an Arabic child asks a Australian child to come over to this house after school to play - in Arabic - and the Australian child just stands looking a that the boy perplexed.  For some of us this is quite a common scenario.  Either we come from a non-english speaking family and have had to learn the language or we have a natal mercury retrograde.  This could mean several things, one of them is that you may have grown up with a common response to your verbal input into conversations as either being rejected or misunderstood.  After a while you don't bother gving your opinion because, in tyring to explain your point of view, you end up sounding even more confusing.  I think most of us have been in that situation - people just don't get where we are coming from.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the crux of mercury retrograde !!! :-)

Be mindful over the next few weeks that what we say, or write, might not be understood.  Check in with the person you are communicating with as to whether they have heard you correctly - especially if you are giving instructions or relaying important information.

Mercury retrograde joins another five planets also currently moving in reverse.  As mentioned before, the backwards movement of a planet means that its energies are directed inwards - it's time to review, revise and rethink.  Mercury will be retrograde in the sign of Virgo.  Which ever house is ruled by that sign will give you the indication of the area of life that needs reviewing, revision and rethinking.

One last thing about our communication planet.  Saturday's federal election will be held under the influence of this Mercury retrograde.  Some of you may recall the American election between Bush and Gore in November 2000 which came down to a handful of votes.  The USA Supreme Court ended up getting involved in the final outcome.  That may give us a clue as to what might happen on Saturday night.  Further clues to this election outcome are posted on Ed Tamplin's site - http://www.edtamplin.com/weekly horoscopes.htm

Uranus in reverse heads into Pisces - 14 August - 1:37pm

Consider this:  a couple are driving along the highway looking for a place to camp.  They are filled with a spirit of adventure as they head out of the big smoke for their first ever holiday in ages and now they have reached a point where they need to find somewhere to pitch tent for the night.  The light is fading but nothing is presenting itself as a real option.  Then the woman says what about that place we saw a couple of k's back.  Not much argument from the male - he thinks "let's check it out".  He turns the car around and they head back to the remembered site.  Perfect.  They end up staying for awhile.

This is a little like our friend Uranus.  He was off on his big adventure - having moved into Aries back on the 28 May - it was systems go.  He was progressing well along the highway of excitement when the light starting fading - Uranus stationary retrograde 5 July - and then realised he needed to go back down the highway to find somewhere to pitch tent - Uranus retrograde 7 July.  Uranus has now set up camp and is ready for its first real taste of holiday mood as it sits back in Pisces land for awhile.  Uranus will not be ready to move from this idyllic spot until 4 December.

As some of us will know - when we go on holidays, it takes us a little while to wind down.  (This was Uranus retrograde but still in Aries).  Then we can take a good long look around us and start to appreciated the surroundings and teach ourselves to relax.  Once we do that we can start to think of things other than what the boss is demanding of us, what needs fixing around the house, the ironing pile, the dirty dishes.  Life takes on a new dimension.  (Have you noticed how much easier it is to do the dishes when you are on holidays?)

Uranus back in Pisces is about relaxing and reviewing life since 28 May.  Its also about remembering what life was like while Uranus travelled through Pisces (March 2003 - May 2010).  Uranus is about breaking the rules, breaking out of the mould.  In Pisces it was about finding the spiritual higher ground, finding new ways to fit a spiritual meaning into our lives.  If we think of the previous journey of Uranus through its home territory of Aquarius (January 1996 - March 2003), we had major breakthroughs in all areas of technology especially the internet.  By the time Uranus moved on into Pisces there were very few homes without a computer and all those computers were linked to the world wide web.  It is that sort of innovation and change that is referred to here when we consider spirituality.
Since March 2003 the world has become increasingly dissatisfied with "stuff" - many of us are looking at ways to slow down, relax, get away from the daily grind of pressure and stress.  We all want time to just sit and relax, do nothing.  So now we are back to where we started.  Lets find some time in our busy lives to join that couple as they sit around the campfire "chewing the fat".

Leo New Moon - Tuesday 10 August - 1:08pm (AEST)

New moons are the beginning a new lunar cycle and can be celebrated just like a new solar cycle which is our birthday on a personal level or new year on 1 January for the mundane calendar.  Just as we make a special occasion of our birthdays and the new year so too we can observe certain rituals around the time of the new moon.  Mostly these rituals have to do with putting our hopes and wishes out to the universe and we usually take the theme for those aspirations from the nature of the current new moon.
If we return to the myth which best describes the Leo archetype we are reminded of the Celtic Perceval who set off in search of the Holy Grail.  Along the way he met with many demons and dragons, he was beset with trails and tribulations but he also found some friends and allies and in the end found his Holy Grail, which was an understanding of his true self and his mission in life.  Leo is about the search for self - what are our gifts and talents - how are we special - how can we contribute our uniqueness to the community.
Changes abound with this new moon.  We have just recently worked through the massive t-square energy of Uranus & Jupiter who lay opposite Saturn & Mars and all four were in tight square aspect to Pluto.  Venus has now entered the foray.  She currently sits in her home territory of Libra (as of Saturday 7 August) and has taken the place of Mars in the tight t-square angles.  Venus in Libra talks to diplomacy, balancing opposites, mediation and justice.  This is a very different energy to the gung-ho attitude of Mars. 
Back on 30 July we had the last of the exact Uranus/Saturn oppositions.  At that time it was suggested that we need to cast our vote - remain with our old ways (Saturn) or move on and try something new, different and hopefully exciting (Uranus).  Our votes should be in on that issue.  Once our ballots were cast Mars came along and enforced action around that decision.  Now that Venus sits in Mars' spot we have the chance to work with our decisions using her qualities of tact and negotiation to bring about what we would like to change (that is if you voted for change!!!!).  Since 7 August we have had Venus help us to manage our decisions with gentleness and decorum.  With the onset of the new moon Venus will be exactly square to Pluto and once again we will faced with the possible consequences of change - consequences that include possible upheaval and mayhem (Pluto is not gentle).
As previously suggested these changes are determined for you by the houses in your natal chart.  Look to the house that is ruled by Leo to know where the power of this new moon is originating and to the house that is ruled by Libra to know where you are needing to find your new self.  The greatest pressure will come from the house that is ruled by Capricorn.  If you would like to know where these houses are for you and what all of the above might mean, then please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me and I can send you a short interpretation.

Decision time

So how have you been feeling lately - and by lately I mean in the last week or so.  How many of you have rung in "sick", how many of you have secretly made plans to toss the whole lot in and start again, how many of you have muttered away at the injustice of a system that ties us to jobs we hate - caught in a vicious cycle of paying astronomically high rents and mortgages to banks and landlords that continue to post profits that would keep us in clover for the rest of our lives.
My guess is most of us would have been involved in a rebellion of some sort - internally or externally. 

The reason for this was the powerful Aquarius full moon which aligned itself so closely with the cardinal t-square that has been discussed for the last few months on this posting.  We had a slight reprieve from our inner sense of mutiny while the moon moved on through Pisces but now the "fun" begins again.

Earlier this morning (Saturday 31 July) - 6:11am (AEST) the moon moved into Aries.  A few minutes later it made an exact conjunction to Uranus and then an hour later an exact oppostion to Saturn.  Whenever the moon hits an "outer" planet, most of us will connect to the energy of that planet on some level.  So when the moon hits our Uranus/Saturn opposition, which has been in play since 4 November 2008, we are once again reminded of this tug of war going on in the heavens between these two heavy weights.  Planetary postings has spoken of the Uranus/Saturn opposition on a number of occasions.  This is a calling to make a choice between Uranus (new, inventive, unique, sometimes bizarre) and Saturn (traditional, tested and true, conventional, time honoured habits).  The day this opposition first came into effect was the day of Barack Obama's election.  In this situation we had the conventional John McCain and the new kid on the block Obama.
The houses in our charts that are currently playing host to this opposition are the areas of life in which we need to make those same decisions - old or new.  That decision has been on the plate since 4 November 2008 and this is our last chance to vote - the opposition comes out of play as of next week.

That's where today's moon comes into play.  A moon in Aries is a moon of action - it is fierce, it is courageous, it is a warrior, it wants an outcome and most of all it wants to be a winner.  Sometime over the weekend we will be reminded of the choice in our life.  The reminder may be subtle - a thought that comes while you are in the shower or on the loo (isn't that where we do our best thinking!!), some one may say something that triggers an internal process, or we read something - whatever it is, we can be assured that if you are indeed tuned into the inner vibrations you will find yourself in warrior mode this weekend - on a war path to reclaim some of your life back for yourself.

But wait there's more - oh yes this energy isn't done with you yet   Yesterday (Friday 30 July at 9:16am) Mars moved into Libra and currently sits exact with Saturn.  Mars is not happy in Libra - in fact it is most rebellious here.  Libra asks for compromise, harmony, balance - Libra wants all things to be "nice".  There is nothing "nice" about Mars - Mars thrives on war, on argument, on confrontation.  So if the moon doesn't activate a decision on a subtle level, Mars will ensure an outcome by bringing out the big guns.

The desision I am referring to all along here is whether you are prepared to make changes in your life or go along with the way things have been for the last few years.  Again this will all depend on your birth chart.  If you want to know what this looks like for you, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me and I can send you a personal update on the current powerful, transforming energies that are shaking the earth.

A fellow astrologer posted this quote on Facebook:  Man, I see in Fight Club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see it squandered. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables – slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars, but we won't. We're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fight_Club_film

Aquarius Full Moon - July 26 - 11:37am (AEST)

Our last full moon in Capricorn and our new moon in Cancer were both powerful moons as they were both involved in eclipses.  The heavens have been gearing up for some time now towards the upcoming powerful t-square and with the onset of this full moon we indeed have the first experience of that t-square which astrologers have been writing umpteen articles about for well over two decades. (The t-sqaure refers to the currently placement of Uranus at 00 Aries opposing Saturn at 00 Libra and both squaring to Pluto at 03 Capricorn).

This t-square is equivalent in many ways to the energies that bought about the great depression and the build up to WWII.  What makes this particular t-square even more potent though, is that the planets this time are all in the very early stages of the cardinal signs, meaning the energy is far more directed and action orientated rather than the earlier t-square when the planets were in the middle stages of the cardinal signs.

Eminent evolutionary astrologer, Steven Forrest (my teacher and mentor) has filmed a short dialogue on this dynamic t-square.  It is a short video clip giving simple and clear interpretations of what lies ahead.  The message is filled with hope and humour   Take a moment to watch this, if you can, it will certainly give you a good understanding of what we might expect.

vimeo.com/12093101

So where does our full moon fit into the above.  One of the most quoted expressions in relation to Uranus (ruler of Aquarius) is "expect the unexpected".  As a race of peoples we are entering uncharted waters or to paraphrase Stek Trek, "we are boldly going where no human has gone before".  Aquarius steps outside the square and looks in.  Because it does not involve itself in everyday life, it has the ability to see life from a different perspective.  And this is really the message of this full moon.  Stand outside the square, take that helicopter ride up and look at your life from above.  Disassociate yourself from the intrigue and passion of the mundane and take an uneffected view of your world.  It will serve you greatly through the times to come.

Two planets forward, one planet back.

Another key player in the powerful t-square forming in the heavens at the monent moves into place very early (1:57am AEST) on Thursday 22 July.  Saturn will track ahead into the sign of Libra.  The Lord of Karma checked out this sign at the very end of October last year and stayed around until the first week in April before deciding he had some more work to do in Virgo.  But as of Thursday, he will move in and forward through Libra, staying in that part of the zodiac until until October 2012.

What we will see with Saturn's movement into Libra is a commitment and a sense of duty and repsonsibility to creating balance and harmony in all aspects of life.  On a socio/political front we will see goverments and world agencies working on international treaties aimed at justice and peace.  At the same time there will be an emphasis on working towards equality for all mankind regardless of race, colour or creed.  On a personal level relationships will come to the fore.  People will be seeking commitment in relationships and those already in committed relationships will be wanting their partner to step up to the mark in regards to the expectations of that relationship.  The overall attention is on relationships but as always we need to go back to the house in our natal chart that is ruled by Libra.  If Libra rules your second house then you will be expected to have a committed relationship to your money - wise spending and personal budgeting maybe a theme for you for the next two and half years.  If Libra rules your fifth house you maybe asked to step up in your committed relationship to your children or you may actually have children.  Likewise if Saturn rules your eleventh house the committment is to groups or causes looking to better the lot of the disadvantaged or underprivileged.

The other forward movement is the sun who will leave Cancer behind and move on into Leo 23 July at 8:22am AEST.  The sun is in home territory in Leo - this is its favourite place in the zodiac and as such the energies are strong.  For those in the northern hemisphere the sun is at its strongest - it becomes a bit harder for us in the southern hemisphere to appreciate the dominance of the sun whilst it travels through its home sector.  We just need to remember those hot February days to know the power of the sun when it's in rulership.  Again we need to know the house in our natal charts that Leo rules to know the area of life we will shine in for the next month.

The planet heading backwards as of 22 July is Jupiter.  At the moment Jupiter is at 3 degrees Aries.  It will take until10 September before it is back in Pisces.  There it meets with Uranus once again (these two have been travelling together since the end of May).  With Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces and Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius, we once again have that strong signature of spiritual healing and renewal.  All four are retrograde, meaning the work is internal, it is personal and the effects will not be obvious until well after these four come out of retrogradation.  There is much inner work to be done by us all.

Chiron retreats back into Aquarius - 20 July

Planetary postings have been light on as of late and there is a very good reason for that - the planets haven't had a lot to say !!!

We have had the (approximate) monthly movement of Mercury (who is currently residing in Leo - met any loud mouths recently??) and Venus (currently travelling through Virgo - a combination that is reflected for me in the image of the nun) but other than that the planets have been holding their own.

As with life though, things are usually only quiet for a short time.  The usual cliche comes to mind at this point - this is the quiet before the storm and a storm there will be ......
Planetary postings will be flowing thick and fast over the next few weeks as we enter into some of the most powerful planetary aspects for decades.

But for now let's look at Chiron, our wounded healer.  He who brings wisdom through pain.  Chiron moved ever so slowly into Pisces this time three months ago.  He has been hovering over the entrance since then, not having moved from the 00 degree mark.  As of tomorrow he will return to Aquarius where he resided for the previous four and half years.  Chiron travelled much of his time through Aquarius with Jupiter and Neptune.  These three spoke of a spiritual revolution or awakening.  (Haven't seen any signs of that happening you say - well stay tuned for these planets are outer planets, they work on the collective and we all know how slow humans can be in learning some life lessons!!!).
When planets or heavenly bodies of note return to a previous sign, it is usually because we need to remember the lessons of that transit.  Chiron is going back to meet up with his buddy, Neptune.  Together they will remind us of that spiritual revolution and awakening that they were teaching us.  If we missed the signs then, let's tune in now - for now it is even more important that we tune into our spirituality.  Chiron and Neptune will team up until January 2011 so we have some time to find the spiritual side of ourselves and listen to the words of wisdom that come from that quiet place.

Total Solar Eclipse - Monday 12 July - 5:40am (AEST)

As most of us are gathering our senses on Monday morning, facing another week of work and routine, the universe will be busy putting together another astronomical phenomena - a total solar eclipse.  This eclipse, though, will only be seen by ships traversing the waters of the Pacific.  All the same we cannot avoid the facts and a solar eclipse, especially in astrological terms, is an event worthy of our full attention.

The eclipse is highlighting 19 degrees of Cancer - sun and moon conjunct on that spot.  So the archetype of Cancer will undergo some sort of transformation, just as the sun will be transformed by the effects of the eclipse.  Cancer holds the energies pertaining to home and family therefore all sorts of domestic issues will come under the spotlight.  Cancer also rules the emotional world, our memories and our inner space.  Much goes on inside our being.  We process most of our feelings, emotions and reactions in the safety of our inner sanctum.  This is a place where we all feel safe - just as we were in the womb (another symbol attached to the archetype of Cancer).  In the safety of this refuge we are able to work through our many emotions.  Some emotions will be pondered over long and hard, some will be dismissed outright and some will be stored for later processing.  Many though will be consigned to the back blocks and stored in the psyche.  They will be swept away, not always because those feeling states are too hard to think about but mostly because in this day and age we don't always have the time to sit with our inner selves and fully engage with the internal processes.

In ancient times, at the time of a solar eclipse, there was the belief that a great dragon swallowed the sun and the people prayed (some wailed, some fainted, some screamed with terror) that the dragon would release the sun so that life could return to normality.  The analogy holds today.  The moon (emotions) takes over the sun (ego) for a time - our ego is taken out of the picture and we are only left with our emotional being - just as the ancients were thrown into an emotional state as the light of sun slowly disappeared.

Having said all that Monday morning may well be a time when you are confronted with all sorts of feelings/emotions.  Some of those emotions will be familiar to you - some not.  Some of us maybe feeling more emotional than usual, some will find themselves tightening the armour so as not to allow any sign of "weakness".
This solar eclipse comes on the back of the powerful lunar eclipse of June 26.  Together these two eclipses are putting our inner world firmly in the box seat.  And yes there is a very good reason for that.  Astrologers have long been referring to the imminent changes that will come about on planet earth.  The strength and courage to work through these changes will come from within.  The spiritual realignment of planet earth (indeed our whole solar system) can only be be accessed on a personal level through the heart and pysche.

Uranus goes retrograde 7 July.

Those of us who have some astrology knowledge will know that making predictions when Uranus is in the picture is asking for trouble.  Uranus defies description and hates being labelled in any way.  So when it comes to his movement by transit only a fool would try and foretell an outcome. 

Uranus has been stationary at 00degrees Aries for the last three days (in fact it has been at this point since 28 May) and this morning (Wednesday 7 July) it went fully retrograde.  From a mundane point of view we have had some  time to get used to the new energy surrounding this planet of change and disruption.  Now that it has just gone retrograde we have the first chance to look at what those changes mean for us personally.  The changes I am referring to will depend on what house Uranus is currently moving through in your chart.  If Uranus is transitting your first house you probably have had some sort of change in your appearance, or you have had a opportunity to give your opinion on a matter which may have shocked your listeners.  If it is travelling through your tenth house there may have been disruptions in your career or if it is going through the second house you may had a win with your tattslotto numbers otherwise a considerable loss at the races (or both).

Now this is a true Uranus story with all his hallmarks traits - disruption, frustration, change, thinking outside the square, being prepared for any scenario. For me personally, these last three days with Uranus have proved to be a testing time with computers and the internet.  The last retrograde movement of Mercury, which is usually the time my PC comes under attack, was responsible for the current wave of PC problems.  Uranus is known as the higher octave of Mercury, so when it went stationary on Monday - meaning its energy focusses intensely for that short period of time before it moves on in either a backwards or forwards motion - it ensured that I needed to bring the PC to the repair store ASAP.  Unfortunately PCs and me do not have a good relationship and the PC will be returning to the repair store tomorrow for round two of repairs.  (This planetary posting is coming to you compliments of my sister's PC).   Further to that story, here in Geelong today, a workman tore up several underground cables which resulted in the whole CBD area of the city being without power and internet connection.  Both these two facitlities belong to the realm of our friend Uranus.