“Not-this” – Literally: “Need-fire” or “Necessity” – Esoteric: Constraint, Friction
Key Concepts: Need, resistance, constraint, conflict, drama, effort, necessity, urgency, hard work, need-fire, life lessons, creative friction, distress, force of growth, the consequence of past action, short term pain for long term gain
Psi: resistance, need, effort
Energy: necessity, coming forth into being, urgency
Mundane: doing what must be done, chores, hard work
Divinations: Resistance (leading to strength), recognition of örlög (ultimate law, primal truth), innovation, need-fire (self-reliance), personal development and life lessons, achievement through effort; or constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity, warnings, worry, guilt, moral cowardice, unfulfilled or unrecognized needs.
Governs:
Overcoming distress or negative örlög
Acceptance of the unchangeable
Development of magical will, the manipulation of wyrd
Understanding the dynamic force of “resistance” in the process of creating
The generation of creative energy for problem solving
Protection of one’s own needs
Recognition of personal need
Love magic; especially to obtain a lover
Meaning: The presence of the spear signifies arguments, negative events, and all manner of strife of an upsetting nature. However similar to the ‘Tower’ tarot card if next to a positive rune it could mean the end of an argument or quarrel. If with the rings it means the healing or renewal of a relationship. If there are military connections it could mean promotion. If illness is within the equation it means a speedy and successful recovery.
Meaning: The presence of the spear signifies arguments, negative events, and all manner of strife of an upsetting nature. However similar to the ‘Tower’ tarot card if next to a positive rune it could mean the end of an argument or quarrel. If with the rings it means the healing or renewal of a relationship. If there are military connections it could mean promotion. If illness is within the equation it means a speedy and successful recovery.
The Witches Divination Journal for Wednesday, March 14th (Part 2)
Tarot Card of the Day
Ten of Cups
The Ten of this suit traditionally signifies family and community, often showing a celebratory scene including many generations, crowned by a rainbow signifying the end of hard times.
See this vision — love and support extending in all directions — a huge emotional safety net for everyone.
The Emperor card has selected you to let you know that you sow seeds of better things and more fulfilling times ahead. Give yourself permission to reach out for more, especially if you are dissatisfied. You create a solid foundation, built on a sense of higher purpose. If your current relationship suffers from stress, today let tender actions reveal what you may be unable to put into words. Rebuild, from the ground up.
Your Daily Erotic Tarot
The Judgement
The Judgement card indicates that you’ve had some sexual hang-ups in the past, but you’re working toward getting over them. This is a period of transition, and although you’re doing the work, you may not be getting the exact results you desire. Forgive yourself for past missteps in order to take a sexual step forward today. Being afraid to express your true erotic self can even effect other areas of your life, so getting beyond your sexual inhibitions translates into a happier overall existence.
Your Daily Rune for Today
Hagalaz
“Hag-all-az” – Literally: “Hail” or “Hailstone” – Esoteric: Crisis or Radical Change
Key Concepts: hailstones, crisis and catastrophe, disruption, radical change, destructive elements of nature, severe weather, the uncontrollable, unavoidable unpleasantness, Jungian shadow, psychoanalysis, regression, acceptance of the unalterable
Psi: disruption, change, personal past
Energy: power beyond human ability to harness, perfect pattern, seed formation, objective confrontation, destructive natural forces, chaos
Mundane: bad weather, obstacles, surprises, shelter
Divinations: Change according to ideals, changes for the long-term good, controlled crisis, corrections, completion, inner harmony; or catastrophe, crisis, stagnation, loss of power, loss of property, short-term disappointment, victim-consciousness, obsession with the past, blame.
Governs:
Completeness and balance of power, integration of unconscious shadow elements
The inevitability of Fate, Wyrd, Orlog
Evolutionary progress and operations of becoming
The outworking of a perfect pattern
Protection through banishing or exorcising disharmonious patterns, protection
Awareness of the unconscious ideas for eventual processing
Causing discomfort in others by awakening their own subconscious ‘garbage’
Your Daily Influences for Wednesday, March 14
Tarot Influence
Six of Coins
Material gain, charity and justice are at the forefront. That which is earned will be given.
Astrological Influence
Gemini Reversed
Gemini reversed denotes vacillation. Decisions are not made, because all side of the issue pull with the same strength.
Element Influence
Air
Air denotes freedom and the ability to transcent the mundane. You may be, or may soon experience a spiritual or secular liberation.
Your Animal Spirit for Today
March 14, 2018
Frog
Frog Rivet! Something in your life needs cleansing, and frog is here to help. Frog is traditionally associated with rain—that powerful force of Nature that can flood, nurture, heal, or drown. If Frog appears in your reading, you’re being asked to examine what is stagnating in your life—then ask Frog to help you let it go. Need to cry? Jump in the shower and let Frog Medicine do its work.
The Words of Confucius
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
A Little Humor for Your Day
You Might be a Redneck Pagan If…
If any part of your invocation of the South Quarter includes any lines from any song by Lynard Skynard….
If chewing tobacco is considered a sacred herb…..
If part of your rite includes throwing shotgun shells on the fire….
If the bell on your alter was ever worn by an animal in a pasture….
If the cakes and wine are done with a bowie-knife, a can of Foster’s, and a Little Debbie…..
If they chose their High Priestess at a wet t-shirt contest….
If when your priestess says “Blessed Be” in circle, you respond with “YEEE-HAW!”…
If you believe a pentagram is a Western Union message to 5 people….
If you bought your chalice at the Piggly Wiggly…..
If you buy your incense and candles at Wal-Mart….
If you call the God and Goddess by hollerin’ “Hey, y’all! Watch me!”….
If you call the North Quarter, but what you call it is an inner court secret…..
If you can play the “Burning Times” on the banjo….
If you carry your ritual sword in your pickup’s gun rack…..
If you found out your familiar is an oppossum — and still ate it……..
If you have combined Maypole Dancing/ Tractor Pull/ Turkey Shoot for Beltane….
If you have cast a love spell on livestock….
If you have ever called the National Enquirer because you raised a potato that resembled the Willendorf Goddess….
If you’ve ever cancelled a coven meeting to watch Pay-Per-View wrestling on TV….
If you’ve ever written a spell on the back of a Denny’s menu…..
If you have ever refilled your chalice from a keg…..
If you invoke the spirits so that your beer lasts longer…..
If you pray nightly to the god of big tires…..
If you sacrifice BBQ and pork rinds on an alter made of old car hoods….
If you shoot guns into the air when the priestess says, “the circle is open but never unbroken”…
If you smoke Salem cigarettes for the historical significance….
If you think a “family tradition” is a dating club….
If you think the Wiccan Rede is good for making twig furniture….
If you worship the gods of cheap beer and Nascar….
If you’ve ever done a candle spell for your local high-school football team….
If you’ve ever harvested ritual herbs with a weed whacker…..
If you’ve ever meditated to “Dueling Banjos”…..
If you’ve reached the 3rd Degree but not the third grade……
If your God statue looks a little too much like Elvis Presley…..
If your Goddess picture says “Miss September” at the bottom……
If your Wand of Power is a cattle prod…..
If your altar cloth is a Confederate flag…..
If your altar cloth is vinyl……
If your altar cloth says “Holiday Inn” or “Howard Johnson’s”….
If your altar has a spit cup…..
If your altar pentacle is a photo of John Wayne’s star on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame”…..
If your annointing oil smells like Old Spice…..
If your athame is by Bowie…..
If your broom has 4 wheel drive and SC plates…..
If your ceremonial chalice says “Budweiser” on it….
If your ceremonial garb consists of cut-offs and a tube-top…..
If your circle dance contains the words “dosey-do”……
If your circle dance is a two-step….
If your coven chose its High Priest at a belching contest….
If your coven’s secret names for the God and Goddess are “Cooter” and “Sweet Cheeks”….
If your coven-stead is propped up on cinder blocks…..
If your craft name starts with “Bubba”……
If your familiar can point quail….
If your familiar keeps mice out of the granary…..
If your favorite Great Rite partner is your first, second, and third cousin….
If your backyard ritual libation is brewed in an illegal backyard still……
If your favorite painting of the Goddess does her hair like Rheba McEntire….
If your maiden sweeps the circle with a weed whacker….
If your most sacred altar items include a hubcap, a velvet painting, and a half-empty can of chaw…..
If your outdoor circle has defunct washing machines for quarter altars….
If your pantheon includes Yukon Jack, Jim Beam and the St. Pauli Girl…
If your ritual music has ever included Johnny Cash singing “Ring of Fire”….
If your robes are made out of denim with Harley Davidson patches…..
The Witches Daily Divination Journal for Monday, March 12
(Part 2)
Tarot Card of the Day
Four of Wands
This suit, most often called “Wands” and sometimes called “Rods” or “Staves,” represents initiative, ambition, drive and desire. This is the suit of enterprise and risk-taking.
A Four in this suit is the teamwork card, often symbolized by two couples who have come together to create something profitable and enduring. Quite likely, they will create a gift for the future — a business, hospital, theater or university. They represent the founding families of the future community that will grow around their inspiration. Teamwork is the key.
It takes time to build a grand vision; and other people of ambition and talent must be attracted to it for it to fulfill its potential. What we see here is the start-up group, the founding visionaries committing their energies to designing the blueprints and laying the groundwork. This partnership is the prototype for society or any grouping where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
This month’s cards encourage us to explore personal balance further, making sure our actions match the values we have claimed for living life. Self-examination is a constant necessity if we are to keep one side of the scale from tipping too far, throwing us off balance and off course. The cards pulled this month talk a lot about patterns and points of view. They suggest that an attitude of acceptance and patience encourages growth and keeps us discovering more of what life has to offer.
The World (reversed)
This card shows the four element symbols of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water in balance, creating space in the center for the fifth element, Aether. We saw this quincunx arrangement in our theme card, Justice, as well. It suggests the importance of giving equal attention to all vital parts of life. Additionally, to the alchemists it served as a symbol of the whole consisting of more than the sum of its parts, which is an apt illustration of the kind of achievement experienced in the World card. The brackets enclosing the quincunx show this set of knowledge fused as one, denoting the end of one cycle through the ongoing quest for self-knowledge. When the World appears reversed in a reading, as it is in our spread, it can signify stagnation and a lack of completion. It suggests that balance is not being achieved, which might simply be a natural progression from our work with the Seven of Cups last week. Prioritizing items in a list (last week’s exercise) means that focus may be given temporarily to one thing at the expense of others. This is natural and will sort itself out with time, but we may want to take a more active approach to encouraging that alignment. This month’s theme of Justice is very cerebral, and it might be helpful to take occasional breaks from all the time spent in our heads.
Exercise for The World: Head-Heart-Body-Spirit
If you are feeling stagnated or overly focused on one aspect of existence, take a few minutes to examine where attention is being placed. Spend some time in any underrepresented realms.
In your journal, make a list of ways you are currently caring for yourself in the following categories:
MENTAL
EMOTIONAL
PHYSICAL
SPIRITUAL
Is anything lacking? If so, how can you reconnect with that aspect of yourself?
While similar to classic Tarot’s Strength card, Lust goes a step further by suggesting we should enjoy the pleasures of exercising our strengths, sating our passions, and embracing that which allows one to express the majesty of their unique self. The lust this card indicates is not purely sexual, but at its most basic this lust is a primal desire to experience life to the fullest degree possible while taming our more beastly side. Lust implies that we not fight with our base instincts, but rather that we accept and manage and nourish them as an essential aspect of maintaining a balanced, complete self.
Your Weekly Influences for March 12
Tarot Influence
The Hanged Man Reversed
The reversed Hanged Man represents a preoccupation with the worldly and wasted energy. This is the card of false prophecy and time wasted.
Astrological Influence
Taurus
With The Bull comes strength, loyalty and determination
Element Influence
Fire Reversed
Fire reversed denotes calamity that may be on a catastrophic level. Prepare to deal with changes you do not want.
Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today
The Green Man
Where the Green Man appears the mystery and untamed energy of nature abounds. The Green Man indicates the presence of choices and powers that have not been muted by civilization. The Green Man represents the antithesis of technology and industrialization. He offers primal energies veiled in mystery and derived from the spirit of nature in its purest form.
As a daily card, The Green Man indicates you are in a place where you will be well served by exploring your place in the natural world. At the moment the wisdom that will serve you best cannot be found in books or on talk shows or extracted from today’s headlines. What’s called for is an affirmation of your place in the natural world.
Psychic Tip of the Day
March 12
UNCOVERED
You are confronted by a misunderstanding that you might have used to your advantage. Someone is not as forgiving this time. Are you discovering a new set of facts?
Witches Rune for the Day
The Blank Rune
Meaning: This is a rune of difficulty and negative influences will rule your life for a time, but as all difficulties are a learning experience it will lead to improved personal perspective and progress on your life’s path. Always consult the surrounding runes with this stone. If it lies with a positive stone, it indicates that the pain of this experience will lead to a beneficial change in circumstances.
Your Daily Elder Futhark Rune for Today
Save
Your Animal Spirit Guide for Today
Crack the Cookie
The Wisdom of Buddha
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
Your Earth Sky News for March 12: The science of fake news gets a boost
Scientists call for studies of fake news. Plus a word about so-called “chemtrails.”
A big and hopeful thing happened at the end of last week in the area of fake news. On March 9, 2018, the largest-yet study of fake news was published in Science. Accompanying it was a second article in Science, in which scientists called for:
… interdisciplinary research to reduce the spread of fake news and to address the underlying pathologies it has revealed.
Falsehood also diffused faster than the truth. The degree of novelty and the emotional reactions of recipients may be responsible for the differences observed.
They explained their study in its abstract:
We investigated the differential diffusion of all of the verified true and false news stories distributed on Twitter from 2006 to 2017. The data comprise ~126,000 stories tweeted by ~3 million people more than 4.5 million times. We classified news as true or false using information from six independent fact-checking organizations that exhibited 95 to 98% agreement on the classifications. Falsehood diffused significantly farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth in all categories of information, and the effects were more pronounced for false political news than for false news about terrorism, natural disasters, science, urban legends, or financial information. We found that false news was more novel than true news, which suggests that people were more likely to share novel information. Whereas false stories inspired fear, disgust, and surprise in replies, true stories inspired anticipation, sadness, joy, and trust. Contrary to conventional wisdom, robots accelerated the spread of true and false news at the same rate, implying that false news spreads more than the truth because humans, not robots, are more likely to spread it.
Meanwhile, in the second Science article – titled The Science of Fake News – David M. J. Lazer and 15 other social scientists and legal scholars called for more interdisciplinary study of fake news. More studies, and studies between disciplines, will be an important early step in understanding fake news, in helping people to learn to recognize it, and, hopefully, in helping to reduce it. Lazer is a professor of political science and computer and information science, and is co-director of Northeastern University’s NULab. He and his colleagues write that:
Internet platforms have become the most important enablers and primary conduits of fake news. It is inexpensive to create a website that has the trappings of a professional news organization. It has also been easy to monetize content through online ads and social media dissemination. The internet not only provides a medium for publishing fake news but offers tools to actively promote dissemination.
The group points out that, on the internet today, websites can operate relativity cheaply in contrast to in the past, where information had to be printed in monthly magazines or daily newspapers or, as in the particular case of EarthSky, for example, disseminated via radio. Some readers might not realize the extent to which small, privately owned websites like EarthSky can say … well … anything. If we at EarthSky wanted to say the moon is made of green cheese, we could. In the 20th century, that statement wouldn’t have flown. Saying it would have put us in the fringe group category. But in today’s anything-goes world of information overload, if we said it often enough, convincingly enough, with good charts and illustrations, with quotes from known historical figures saying it (taken out of context, naturally) – with glaring news headlines making outrageous claims that don’t really match reality (or even always match what’s being said in the article below the headline) – a portion of our audience might begin to believe it. Some portion of those believers might become devoted followers of our moon-as-green-cheese stories, in which case they’d spread our stories via their own social media outlets. We might become a moon-as-green-cheese community online, a place where, in our comments sections, people would suggest that non-believers should “wake up,” and see our (distorted) light.
People do form communities online around fake news. That’s because, as Lazer and his colleagues point out in their article:
Research also further demonstrates that people prefer information that confirms their preexisting attitudes (selective exposure), view information consistent with their preexisting beliefs as more persuasive than dissonant information (confirmation bias), and are inclined to accept information that pleases them (desirability bias). Prior partisan and ideological beliefs might prevent acceptance of fact checking of a given fake news story.
Search engines like Google helpfully promote people’s preferences. If you believed the moon was made of green cheese, say, and read articles on that subject, search engines like Google are programmed to show you more of the same, truth or falsehood notwithstanding.
A first step in future academic studies of fake news will be to define key terms. Lazer and colleagues’ Science article was discussed in a March 9 article in The Atlantic, titled Why It’s Okay to Call It “Fake News”. The Atlantic article primarily discussed the question of whether fake news or false news is the preferred term. As academic studies proceed, those sorts of terms will come to be defined.
Fake news itself will be clearly defined. Lazer’s article said:
We define “fake news” to be fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent. Fake-news outlets, in turn, lack the news media’s editorial norms and processes for ensuring the accuracy and credibility of information. Fake news overlaps with other information disorders, such as misinformation (false or misleading information) and disinformation (false information that is purposely spread to deceive people).
Lazer’s article very interestingly traces some of the history of media across the last century, saying:
Journalistic norms of objectivity and balance arose as a backlash among journalists against the widespread use of propaganda in World War I (particularly their own role in propagating it) and the rise of corporate public relations in the 1920s.
… Failures of the U.S. news media in the early 20th century led to the rise of journalistic norms and practices that, although imperfect, generally served us well by striving to provide objective, credible information. We must redesign our information ecosystem in the 21st century. This effort must be global in scope, as many countries, some of which have never developed a robust news ecosystem, face challenges around fake and real news that are more acute than in the United States. More broadly, we must answer a fundamental question: How can we create a news ecosystem and culture that values and promotes truth?
Most fake news stories center on politics, by the way, but science news has its fake stories, too, with the best-known one, probably, being the nefarious so-called “chemtrails.” You might know of people who believe that the ordinary contrails left by jet aircraft are these “chemtrails,” part of a vast, secret, global conspiracy to … what? The described purpose has morphed and changed over the years, but currently most “chemtrails” believers will tell you that Earth’s climate is being secretly and deliberately engineered (to make it hotter? colder? I’ve never been clear on why, and I’m not sure if all chemtrail-believers agree).
As with all good lies, the chemtrails conspiracy theory contains its grain of truth. There are indeed historical references to geoengineering and weather modification among scientists. Modern scientists continue to use the term geoengineering to describe the idea of deliberately altering Earth’s climate, in case global warming becomes so severe that nations agree on a need to implement drastic action.
And drastic, indeed, it would be. Earth’s climate is vast and complicated, with many feedbacks. All climate scientists known that any intentional program to alter Earth’s climate could be expected to have unintended consequences. However, as scientists tend to do, they discuss it. They study it. There was one small-scale geo-engineering experiment, via high-altitude balloon, announced last year. One of its lead scientists – David Keith at Harvard – told me by email today:
Nothing has happened yet. I think there’s about a 50/50 chance we end up flying this year.
Meanwhile, a 2016 survey of 78 atmospheric scientists overwhelmingly showed that the so-called “proof” for “chemtrails” is not proof at all.
I’m beginning to think that people who believe in things like “chemtrails” (and also “the moon landings were a hoax,” for example) are truly brainwashed, not in the sense of being forced to believe, but in the sense of having absorbed an overflow of false information. There’s an interesting film about this sort of brainwashing called The Brainwashing of My Dadby Jen Senko. I highly recommend it, if you’re interested in this phenomenon.
How to separate truth from fiction? Fake news is a powerful crisis of our time, and I’m glad scientists are calling for studies
Bottom line: Science publishes the largest-yet study of fake news and a call for more studies by 16 social scientists and legal scholars. Plus, a word about so-called “chemtrails.”
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. “Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers,” she says
Man said, “Goddess, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here, and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me.”
And the Goddess said, “No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever, who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be at times, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself.”
And the Goddess created a new animal to be a companion for Man. And it was a good animal. And the Goddess was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Man, and he wagged his tail a lot.
To read more of Kelly’s insight, please visit her website, www.KarmicTools.com
The Karmic Tools Weekly Forecast covers the current planetary transits which affect people in different ways and to various degrees of intensity. Take notice when it is a Personal planet (Sun / Moon / Mercury / Venus / Mars) interacting with a Social (Jupiter/Saturn) or Collective planet (Uranus / Neptune/Pluto). And pay extremely close attention when it is a Social planet interacting with a Collective planet because that means something *big* is brewing that will move large groups of people along their evolutionary paths. Tuning in to the energy and rhythm of the planets can serve as a useful *guide* as you move along your Individual Path. It also helps to understand your place within the context of the larger Social & Collective Story. Below, you will find out how these energies tend to manifest, as well as guidance and direction.
*NOTE* There are some days when there are NO CONTACTS (besides the Moon), please note that there are no missing entries, we just list the actual Activations of each week + the day they happen.
This energy is good for deep thinking rather than negotiating with others as it is more of a solitary energy making communications with others a little harder than usual. You may feel like people don’t understand what you’re trying to convey or that you’re coming across more negative than positive. This is not a good energy for business negotiations unless every detail is very clear to all involved. This energy makes you most critical of your Self, but it could trickle over onto others as well. Beware of a tendency toward apathy, pessimism and/or depression, that’s Saturn & Mercury, which makes it more mental than literal. Try to stay focused on all the blessings that you do have and all that you have accomplished instead of what’s still on the list of things to do (in life). This energy is not intended to make you feel bad about all the things left yet to do, but encourage you to begin the necessary steps and be okay with small measures of progress for now. This energy just makes you focus on the practical side of manifesting. Clear the mental & emotional debris, and begin to lay a new, clean, solid foundation beneath your goals and strategize about the details of bringing it to fruition.
This is a powerful combo, however, it has to be integrated and consciously expressed to yield the best results, otherwise, you may miss an opportunity for a major personal breakthrough. Mars gives you the courage and Uranus awakens new possibilities within. This is an easy alignment of your actions and your individual brilliance. You may even discover some new gift or talent that has been dormant for a while but is now beginning to come to life. This energy pushes you to try something new that liberates you in some way you that you may have previously felt daunted by in the past. Because of the easy angle too, this new evolution to the next level should not entail you having to annihilate any other aspect of your life, you will just intuitively know it is time to change. It won’t matter what others think or say either because the prompting for change comes from within so take advantage of this time to experiment. You never know where it will lead.
3/11 ~ Sun (core identity) ~sextile~ Pluto (transformation):
This is a healthy, positive, transformative energy. You will have access to energy that will help you change your current circumstance for the better and/or clear up an issue that has been challenging you for a while now. It’s great for purifying, cleaning & clearing your personal space, as well as organizing your life in general. You may have to examine the “big picture” to see where an adjustment, for the good of all involved, is necessary. If you’re not feeling up to working on outer issues, this also gives you the opportunity to do some introspective thinking and deep self-reflection. Superficial once-overs will not do, you must address the root cause for where you find yourself at this time in your life and decide if it is working for you or against you.
This energy can make you feel cool & detached with loved ones. It is time to ‘take stock’ of your relationships and really evaluate the level of balance between giving & receiving. Business or personal – relationships must have a balance of give & take. You may feel more aware of your true independence in life and start reevaluating the need for certain relationships in your life. This energy pushes you to dig for your own fortitude & determination to live according to your own values & priorities and corrections or adjustments may be necessary and fairly obvious at this time. You may feel lonely, depressed or disconnected but it’s just the Universe forcing you to question or assess your current relationships, how you interact with others and how you allow them to interact with you. It’s good to periodically evaluate even the strongest relationship and check the foundation. Don’t give in to (ego-based) fears, focusing on the lack & limitation or what is not working, but instead build on your strengths and honor the goodness you’ve created together, as well as in your Self. This is the best time to be alone and reflective because the insights you acquire through this process will help you in the future.
3/13 ~ Sun (source & essential Self) ~trine~ Jupiter (expansion):
This is a blessing of Source energy fueling your biggest dreams & visions for your life, this lifetime. You are encouraged to take advantage of the good *vibe* available when these two get together to expand your life’s direction in a big way. This activation is often blessings from previous dedication. You’ve been moving in a certain direction, and it’s like the Path is wider & deeper now, allowing you to connect some huge pieces of your personal Story *together* in a new way. It’s great for learning & exploring anything that will support your forward movement. Some may use the good vibe to veg-out and relax, which for some, may be best. However, if you are stepping up to new levels of your own consciousness, this energy totally supports you as you integrate it all. It is an enthusiastic, optimistic energy that will open doors for you, depending on your attitude. It will allow you to see the big picture and the next necessary step toward your goals at this time.
Although Jupiter has recently turned retrograde in Scorpio, thanks to the clarity of Venus’s fiery influence, we begin to see light at the end of all sorts of love tunnels.
We are inspired to explore our options or regain a wider perspective on personal desires and needs. In fact, it’s a week when you can just enjoy being more open about life and love, and stop taking things too personally.
ARIES
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, as long as you are also conscious that no-one can ever really live up to some of your higher expectations, not even yourself. Most of us spend a large portion of our waking life regretting things. But thanks to Venus, you are at last coming to terms with the present for what it is: a time for re-evaluation and positive ideas for honest loving.
TAURUS
It’s likely that any moments of romantic anticipation will make you feel alive, but more importantly, make you realise that you’re loveable and capable of loving. Although Jupiter may be retrograde in your opposite sign, it does give you a chance to calm any heated feelings, and reflect on what you have, rather than what you haven’t got. This is a week when things will change for the better and surprises arrive in the nicest possible way. Result? Any love in the air will be to stay for a very long time.
GEMINI
If you want new romance, or to bring back the sparkle to a current relationship, then it’s time to journey forth into new social venues or make a pact with your partner to go somewhere different. But it’s not the conscious decisions you make that will create the good times, it’s what you discover on route which will change your life for the better.
CANCER
It might seem that there are endless challenges in love’s current drama, but somehow you find a way to navigate it all with wisdom and awareness. There is, in fact, a positively enlightening chink in the planetary line-up. This week’s riddle is to think laterally: in fact, love can only be found by not looking for it at all.
LEO
You’ll not only be blessed with good company, but others will be blessed with your sparkling humour and genuine pleasure-loving spirit. What’s the down side? None, except in all that upswing you’ve got to come back down to earth. In fact, you are about to become a romantic animal. Enjoy the different avenues of love that you go down this week.
VIRGO
There’s a sense of power-tripping around your sign right now. And I don’t mean you’re about to become bossy or despotic. No, actually it’s more that someone has a seriously strong hold over you for a change, and just wants you to be closer to them. Surely it’s time to accept that two heads together may be better than one?
LIBRA
This week’s influence rebuilds romance and a little order. Someone values your opinion, someone is charmed by your goals, someone is amused by your quirky humour and it seems after all you’re in control of your life again. It could be three different someones (if only!), but when the law of attraction works in your favour – use it.
SCORPIO
Jupiter’s back-tracking influence in your sign gives you a chance to reflect, regroup, re-evaluate your love life. So, ask yourself the following: are you trying too hard to please, or are you demanding too much? Are you living by expectations which are your own, of those imposed on you by others? Think carefully and, rather than join the herd, remember, it’s the black sheep who usually makes the greatest impression.
SAGITTARIUS
This week gives you the opportunity to ask yourself, do you want more freedom? Do you want less routine, do you want to be more creative and produce offspring of the mind, body or just of the soul? If single, what does a cosy twosome really mean to you? Who is your ideal partner? Reflect carefully, and all will be revealed.
CAPRICORN
You’re finding it hard to know what is right and what is wrong. Did you promise the earth and now aren’t sure if this is the right kind of love for you? Are you simply there because it’s been easier to sit tight and assume all is well with the world, and anyway it’s too late to change anything? However complacent you feel, time to sort it out.
AQUARIUS
You experience a few tweaks of insecurity and you’re wondering if you can stand the problems around unfulfilled romance or a confusing relationship. To begin with this week, you may feel tense, but by the end of the week the tension disappears and love becomes beautiful again.
PISCES
What price your independence? At the end of the week, with a new moon in your own sign, a resurgence of self-love means you will be loved by one who truly adores you. Suggest to yourself that at least you can find harmony with one special person as long as they honour your need for a cool, laid-back lifestyle, but peppered with a sense of adventure.
“If you want to love, express hate. If you want to hate, express love.”
~ Strephon Kaplan Williams
I read the above quote in an Astrology book, in a section about having Pluto in the natal 12th House of Spirituality. Wowsers! I’ll admit I had to read the quote about a dozen times — even out loud — before I could process it. Initially it sounds ugly. Really ugly. I mean, is this psychologist actually suggesting that we hate?
Then I began to allow myself to think about this quote — to really “go there” and sit with the dark side of life. To sit with my own natal Venus-Pluto opposition. Kelly Clarkson sings about it these days when she belts “Will you love me? Even with my dark side?”
We all have one.
The trouble is, many of us are afraid to admit, let alone confront it.
The shadow side of planet Pluto
I posted the above quote on my Facebook page in a bit of an experimental fashion. I wanted to see how many people would have the same initial reaction I did — the “Ick, what is this nut job talking about?” reaction. Nearly everyone disagreed with the quote. Of course they did. It’s awful. It goes against everything we ever learned about our higher selves and unconditional love, right? The dude who declared this had to be some kind of nut job.
Not so fast.
The author of the book attempts to call our attention to Pluto and the shadow side of this crafty planet. Pluto is the planet of power and depth. It is our control factor in the birth chart, and it teaches us how to deal with (or attempt to hide from) the intense issues such as sex, death, power and transformation.
Pluto is the planet that rules the underworld, including the occult and crime. Pluto is the mafia. Pluto is the psychic medium. Pluto is the depth psychologist. Pluto is the rapist and the serial killer. Pluto is the healer. Yes, Pluto is ALL of these things. Not all of them were pretty to read, were they?
Well, Pluto is not meant to be pretty. It’s the simple truth. Our Pluto placement, by sign, house and aspect, is where we are meant to confront both our darkest energies and transcend them in order to evolve our soul in a most incredible way. In the extreme you can go the Hitler route, or you can go the Ghandi route. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle.
Love vs. hate
I think the reason why the quote above pushes so many buttons in our psyche is because we don’t want to examine the possibility that love and hate might really be two sides of the same coin. If you go deeply enough, hate is really nothing more than the feeling of rejection, vulnerability and sadness that comes from loving so deeply and losing that love or feeling wounded by the one you love. By the same token, love is not possible unless we can confront and redeem the darkest, most twisted forces inside of us.
Has anyone ever said “I hate you!” in an angry fit? I think we’ve all been there. Ah, my teenage children have both declared these words to me on separate occasions. Ouch. It hurts! And in that moment, the person means it. But what they really mean when they say this word “hate” is much deeper. They’re really saying: “I hate the fact that I love you so much it gives you power to hurt me and make me feel like I have no control.”
I remember the bitter years of my divorce. My ex-husband hated me so much he tried to destroy me. Why? The root of it all is love. He tried to destroy me and he expressed so much vengeance, bitterness and anger (dark side of Pluto) because in reality he was in extreme pain. He hated me because he loved me so much and that love was no longer possible for us to share. He couldn’t control that (Pluto) so the dark side emerged. It took me years to understand this, but once I did I became free from the hate I felt for him. The higher self always returns to understanding and compassion. To love.
Coming full circle into love
Can you see how, when someone feels hate they are really feeling the dark side of their Pluto? Can you see how, when you can honestly examine the deep root of that hate, surrender to it and free yourself from it, you are once again ready for love? Are you ready to embrace YOUR dark side?
Maybe this is what Williams meant by that quote. Consider it.
Hate, anger, control and resentment are merely gloves our psyche puts on to mask pain. It is only by honestly confronting this pain that we can ever come full circle and get back to the other side.
Aries
You won’t be set up, you won’t be asked along for a dinner date with mates to find little Miss or Mr Singleton waiting to share a dippy bread and camembert, you want all that goodness for yourself and what’s double dunking about? Friends mean well Aries, but the truth is you’re way too busy having a good time. And right there is when someone finds you. Just shine.
Taurus
If you can’t say something nice about your ex it may be better to say nothing at all, especially on your first date. Say what? Are you talking about how things didn’t go so well with someone who wants fun times with you? Or maybe you’re putting them off with a mopey-story of ten? A week to let it go Elsa, build a snowman, build a snowwoman, let them hear your woes.
Gemini
If it’s all too much for you it could be you need a little spa time, that’s whirlpools and mud treatments not loitering in your local shop, just to be clear. Get thee to a place of relaxation Gemini, come back feeling more inclined to let someone in your space, more room for their conversations and admiration of how soft your skin is.
Cancer
There’s very little you can do to convince someone that a dinner date would be a good idea, in fact let’s change that. Why would you try so hard with someone who clearly isn’t all that bothered? Don’t push it, there’s enough going on in the land of would be love links for someone to come to you. If it feels too much like hard work, it’s because it is.
Leo
As Venus tots up her air-miles you might be thinking of a break, somewhere with sun, sea, sand and someone to make your heart flutter? She would agree, a nice little break might help quench your thirst and nobody is talking cocktails. If you’re in stay at home mode, your daily commute offers eyes across a crowded carriage. Love is travelling, move with it.
Virgo
As the Sun continues to travel through your relationship sky, he’s meeting Pluto’s icy stare from your new love sky. That’s hardly heart-warming. Well… think of it as more of a question as he wonders if you see what everyone sees, if you see someone is into you and you’re still talking mundane stuff? Look again Virgo, someone is using any excuse to talk to you. Flirt a little.
Libra
If Mercury is communication, Venus is love and Uranus is unpredictability you have the full set working in your relationship sky and trying their best to bring out the spontaneous flirty-mcflirty in you. Don’t hold back Libra, give it some of your best one-liners, your brightest smile, your spontaneous ideas for fun in your lunch break?
Scorpio
I can’t tell if you’re feeling a little hot under the collar because someone who is just your type has made his or her feelings known, or you’re nervous about what happens next? Either way it’s simply about having a good time Scorpio, you can draw the line wherever you want and the move it if you feel like it. You may think it’s all in or nothing, not true. Set the pace.
Sagittarius
What can’t you say that you haven’t said? What can you do that you haven’t done? Is this where you give up? Seems someone hasn’t got the message Sagittarius, it’s not that they’re disinterested, they just don’t know that you are! Get super clear with message, shall we go for a coffee sometime beats so, what are you doing today? Get direct.
Capricorn
Things are changing, in the next few months you’re set to go from not a lot happening in your new love sky to being so busy you might have to introduce and queueing system. This then, is the time you use to ponder, to consider what it is you want in said relationship? Don’t be in a hurry, true love take a little longer to come around.
Aquarius
I had the most wonderful date with an Aquarius, we started at morning coffee and ended at dinner and all that time there was laughter and witty banter. I often wondered what was cancelled in that day to make it all happen, for my Aquarian to spend so much time with me? That’s how you know, nothing else matters and that’s what could come your way this week.
Pisces
If you’re surprised at who thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread you may want to butter him or her up, even if you’re still not sure they’re the one for you. Some folks are growers, some take time to reveal their hidden depths and this is one of those times Pisces. Don’t dismiss a hasty advance, it might just be nerves.
Talk is cheap but actions mean everything today. Knowing which direction you want to go in and not just following the crowds, can help you to improve both your personal and your professional life. Saturn helps you get hold of funds which you were about to give up on and you no longer have to rely on the person who has been using finances for emotional blackmail.
TAURUS (April 21st-May 21st)
As Thomas Edison once said, ‘many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up,’ and think my friends where we would have been without him! A fresh start with someone you have fallen out with can only work if you make a more conscious effort not to bring up the past.
GEMINI (May 22nd-June 21st)
There is a whole new feeling of power which is enveloping your life this week. This is giving you the knowledge that you can control where your life goes and how successful it becomes. Old friends re-enter your life for all the right reasons and invitations which come your way this week and indeed month, will provide many fun times.
CANCER (June 22nd-July 23rd)
Of course, you can’t get to the top without hard work. Why would you think you could? Don’t ask anyone to do your work for you this week, but prove to those around you why you are worth investing time, money and energy into. The need to spend some more time with someone you love could see you acting in a childish fashion.
LEO (July 24th-August 23rd)
You are expecting something to be a problem but it doesn’t have to be so. Knowing what you want and conveying your wishes to others is half the battle Leo. The Sun favours personal relationships. You should find it easier to talk to those you love and to get across what and who has really been making you unhappy.
VIRGO (August 24th-September 23rd)
Try to make more of an effort with family this week. You may not realise it, but many of your close ones have not been feeling as close to you as they would like. Any efforts you make to ensure they feel special is sure to pay back tenfold. Imagination you use over the coming days really will take you everywhere.
LIBRA (September 24th-October 23rd)
Someone you care for has disappointed you and you don’t seem to be too sure how to tackle the issues which have come up between you. Being honest and upfront and not using third parties to say how you feel, is the key my friend. Travel plans loom and should prove to be one of your most exciting trips for several years.
SCORPIO (October 24th-November 22nd)
If you genuinely want something this week, then don’t wait for it, but draw on the impatient qualities you are usually so famous for. This is one time when I am encouraging you to use the traits that close ones have put you down for. In fact, it can benefit both your home life and your financial security if you do.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23rd-December 21st)
You are not your resume, you are your work and you can prove this by social and work aspects mixing over the coming days. Try to keep your temper with family this week, as they may be going through things you are yet unaware of. Animals link to some of your most interesting friendship introductions for a very long time.
CAPRICORN (December 22nd-January 20th)
It is ok to take criticism seriously, but do not take it personally or you will lose focus on all that really needs to be done. Spending time with those who you know make you feel good about yourself plays a really important role in you making this week a constructive one. New faces with foreign names prove more than a little impressionable on you.
AQUARIUS (January 21st-February 19th)
The best way to tell a close one how you are feeling is just to tell them. You have spent far too much time worrying about all that was not in your control, when you should have been focusing on what can and will go right. Self belief is your biggest secret weapon. Joining forces with someone you used to work with can solve an unexpected professional problem.
PISCES (February 20th-March 20th)
Mars is making it hard for you to not feel a touch of the green-eyed monster. Try to stop looking at the past, but focus on the future. It is where your life is heading and where you can be a better version of yourself. Making money is easy if you do things by the book. Cutting corners this week can only ruin your bank balance and your reputation. Ring now for a look at the bigger picture.
Your Daily Horoscopes for Monday, March 11
Aries
Aries
You are in a particularly good position to make plans related to business and money now, dear Aries, but as the day advances, things turn around you. In fact, your judgment of what you truly value –or what is valuable — can be off with a Venus-Saturn square temporarily skewing your perceptions. A responsibility, critique, or obligation may surface, putting a damper on your enthusiasm for personal plans and activities, or it ties you down or holds you back. Obstacles present themselves, perhaps at just the wrong moment, but this is only a temporary setback and can absolutely be a blessing in disguise, as slowdowns related to challenging Saturn aspects so often are. Fortunately, you’re feeling emotionally empowered and strong overall, particularly with a Sun-Jupiter transit in the works.
Taurus
Taurus
There can be bonding moments with others in the first half of the day, dear Taurus, particularly through shared ideas and viewpoints. In fact, these things are more important to you than usual. There is some tendency for blocks in the natural flow of things as the day progresses, however, as your ruler, Venus, forms a square to Saturn. Under this influence, it can be all too easy for defensiveness to get the best of you. There may be some feelings of resentment of others who seem less interested or supportive. People may be wrapped up in their own problems and are not readily intuiting your needs. Look for the lesson if things are slowing down or not going as planned, after which focusing on what IS working in your life is appropriate.
Gemini
Gemini
The morning is strong for gaining a better understanding of your deeper feelings about a matter, dear Gemini. Your thinking is strategic, and this benefits you greatly, as planning can be useful now. Later today, we head towards a Venus-Saturn square, and there can be complications or blocks to your enthusiasm related to relationships. As much as you’re enjoying your friendships or projects, something or someone may be holding you back temporarily. Because you and others tend to be more self-protective now, it’s not an ideal time to grow a bond or express your feelings, but it is a signal to perhaps slow down and avoid pushing something that needs more time to evolve and develop on its own.
Cancer
Cancer
You’re in a strong place for considering the long view related to happiness goals and your relationships, dear Cancer. Networking efforts can have excellent results. Gunning for a cherished goal, dream, or cause may be in focus now, and it can be intensely rewarding. However, the day advances towards a Venus-Saturn square which can pull up obstacles or restrictions. Fears can be stimulated, particularly related to long-term goals, career, and partnership. Try not to expect negative responses from others, as this can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. A significant other may be disapproving or not quite sharing your enthusiasm for your plans. There is no need to accept others’ disapproval, but do a self-check, as sometimes a bit of criticism, as frustrating as it seems in the moment, can lead to useful adjustments.
Leo
Leo
This morning is strong for considering the long view related to work, reputation, career, or health, dear Leo. Making plans can be exciting and motivating now. You may have an ace up your sleeve today. There is a good, healthy focus on your work or services. As the day advances, though, a Venus-Saturn square comes into influence, and it can point to a block, reality check, criticism, or other break in the flow of your enthusiasm, mainly for personal interests, studies, or adventurous experiences. Avoid pushing things if they’re not developing at the speed you’d like right now, and be patient for best results. If you’re feeling unfulfilled or disillusioned, don’t allow these feelings to rule decisions, as they’re temporary. Duties and responsibilities to work or matters related to health tend to keep you grounded for the time being.
Virgo
Virgo
This morning is excellent for feeling a sense of purpose or deep enjoyment related to a project or pursuit, dear Virgo. Valuable insight into educational, promotional, publishing, work, or travel matters is possible now, as well. Bonding or vibing with someone on mental levels now can motivate you. As the day advances, a Venus-Saturn square comes into play. This can come in the form of blockage, a reality check, disapproval, or even self-defeating thoughts. Differences in tastes, styles, or attitudes with people close to you may seem more disruptive now, but they’re unlikely to be game changers. Confused signals in a relationship are possible until you sort out which of your feelings come from your instincts and which are merely fear-driven.
Libra
Libra
There is good, supportive energy in the first half of the day for research or an in-depth probe into your psyche. You can discover something valuable about your personal goals or deeper desires and motivations. You seem to instinctively know how to best use your resources. There is a sense that you know your next step regarding support. Long-term ventures designed to secure you down the road can be strong in your mind now. As the day progresses, your ruler, Venus, moves towards a square to Saturn, suggesting blockages or delays, whether these are literal or emotional. You can be especially sensitive to criticism and perceived slights. There could be someone who acts as a downer or who bursts your bubble about a relationship, but in all likelihood, it’s more about a need to slow down and get into better touch with your feelings.
Scorpio
Scorpio
You can be feeling empowered this morning, dear Scorpio, possibly as the result of a significant person in your life or new insight into a project. Talking about your plans with someone you trust can be rewarding. There can be some truly brilliant ideas building now. Even so, there is a hump to get over in the form of a Venus-Saturn square that comes into influence as the day progresses and into tomorrow. This can relate to a reality check, some disapproval, or perhaps some problems with overload and time restrictions. Try not to let any of this push you back. Watch how you express yourself, as you may be coming across in a self-effacing way that might lead to missed opportunities, or on the other side, a critical way that interferes with your chances of getting ahead.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
You are looking at the long view when it comes to your health, work, or money now, dear Sagittarius, and this helps you see these things from a different and useful perspective. Decisions this morning are good as a result of this depth of vision. It can come to you in a rush how to deal with a challenging situation and put it behind you. As the day advances, insecurities or frustrations can interfere with perceptions. There can be complications to giving or receiving love today or early tomorrow, but keep in mind that these may be self-imposed. Passion and creative energy may meet with some level of frustration or blockage. Obstacles may be financially-related on the surface of things, but they can also relate to emotional reservations or fears of unworthiness. Keep in mind that blocks are temporary, but there are also valuable lessons to absorb while you wait.
Capricorn
Capricorn
Creatively speaking, you’re in great form this morning, dear Capricorn. You’re in good shape for cultivating and enhancing connections through conversation. You may be excited about advancing a hobby or creative project. While there can be very supportive energy now, as the day progresses, you can be particularly sensitive with Saturn in your sign forming a square to Venus in a personal area of your solar chart. You can be touchy now, and you may read rejection when the situation is unlikely to be dire. Love is complicated, mainly because you’re in need of some self-nurturing. There are opportunities today, but some lousy timing or reservations seem to interfere. Do a self-check now, as it’s possible that you are limiting yourself through self-defeating attitudes. Otherwise, consider that it’s time to slow down and that it’s merely a checkpoint, not a permanent condition.
Aquarius
Aquarius
The morning is excellent for your vision regarding long-term projects, dear Aquarius, particularly those that help secure you in a significant way. You might see patterns or make insightful discoveries regarding the past, family or private life as well. The power of a good attitude or perspective on problems becomes obvious now. Decisions are well-backed in the morning, but lose quality as the day progresses. Later today, the Moon enters your sign and enlivens you. Even so, a Venus-Saturn square exact tomorrow morning comes into influence, and there may be a reality to face or a block/delay to deal with. You may feel excited about something, but you can be holding yourself back from sharing it. The need to censor yourself can overcome you now. Timing can be off as it’s hard to judge the value of things in your life just for the moment, and if it’s possible to do so, you may want to put off decisions.
Pisces
Pisces
Energies active this morning continue to remind you of the need to focus rather than scatter your energies, dear Pisces. You have a comforting feeling that you’re learning a lot from your recent experiences. Later today, a Venus-Saturn square comes into influence and suggests some need to rein things in if you’re overdoing. There may be a social or emotional issue that nags at you and prevents you from expressing yourself freely. A disagreement related to values or respect is possible now, or you could experience a small reality check concerning a friend or finances. It’s important to get to a state of realism now, but keep in mind that with Saturn challenges, the first look at a situation can seem far glummer than it really is.
No matter what your age, you always remain youthful and playful. You are open to a wide range of ideas, and you have a real sense of the right words to say or write and the best way to present an idea. You would be excellent at promotion or advertising, and also make a warm and interesting friend who always seems to lend a hand or lift others’ spirits with words of encouragement. At times impatient with others, your warm heart wins in the end. Famous people born today: Liza Minnelli, Jack Kerouac, Barbara Feldon, James Taylor, Samm Levine, Darryl Strawberry.
Your Birthday Year Forecast:
With the Sun and Moon in harmony in your Solar Return chart, the year ahead should be satisfying and balanced overall. You are in comfortable demand and personally popular, and you are able to achieve a decent balance between work and play; personal and professional life. For the most part, you are on top of your game this year, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there is less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you!
The year ahead can be an ambitious time and a supportive period for reaching your goals. You might solve a long-standing problem, or capitalize upon a resource that was previously hidden.
This is an excellent year in which to advance projects revolving around communications – writing, speaking, selling, and so forth. Your reputation may be enhanced through word of mouth. Making new contacts through learning and mental pursuits figures strongly as well.
Jupiter forms a trine to your Sun until October, and you have a stronger than usual desire to improve, grow, and learn. This is a fortunate aspect that helps boost optimism and confidence, and you are able to attract fortunate circumstances into your life as a result. Problems are easier to resolve. Matters related to universities, higher education, religion, publishing, legal affairs, and/or foreign interests can be especially strong. It’s an excellent time to further your education. You are likely to enjoy a larger perspective on matters that keeps you from getting lost in details or overly frustrated by everyday stresses.
Mercury conjunct Venus in your Solar Return chart adds charm to the way you present your ideas this year, certainly helping to smooth over differences in your personal relationships. This influence also helps you to express yourself more creatively. Even so, their square to Saturn suggests some obstacles to overcome. Getting serious about love and money can be a theme this year. The need to buckle down with your finances or with certain pleasures may be necessary. The responsibilities of partnership, love, or friendship can be magnified this year.
Bursts of creativity and energy emerge at seemingly perfect times and help you to further your goals. Healthy risk-taking is likely again this year, as you are more able to spot an opportunity when you see one. You are progressive, growth-oriented, and ready to take the initiative when the moment feels right.
This is also a fine period for expanding your connections, contacts, creative pursuits, and romantic relationships. Relationships benefit from increased generosity and goodwill. You’re more inclined than usual to indulge, shop, socialize, and enjoy yourself this year. Whether it’s a hobby, person, or pursuit, this is a good time for discovering what makes you happy.
Pluto transits in harmony beginning in 2019, and you are determined, ready to make changes, and in a great position to get rid of bad habits. This is a year in which to get your life back on track, as you have the willpower to do so. Others are bound to recognize your leadership skills and talents, or, at the very least, your potential. You want your life path and your objectives to reflect what you’re really about. You benefit from being more decisive than usual, and your ability to concentrate and focus help you to achieve what you set out to do. A new project or goal begun this year has a good chance of being successful and long-lasting.
The year ahead can be an ambitious time and a supportive period for reaching your goals. This can be an inventive time of your life that’s good for breaking out of old patterns and making powerful changes. You receive plenty of cosmic support for making big improvements or lifestyle changes.
2018 is a Number Eight year for you. Ruled by Saturn. This is a year of power and accomplishment. Actively seeking to expand, taking educated risks, and moving forward are highlighted. This is a year of opportunity, particularly in the material and business world, and opportunities need to be seized. It’s generally not a year to find a new love partner, simply because the focus is on the material world and your place in the world. This is a problem-solving year in which you can expect real, tangible results. Advice – take action, plan ahead, seize opportunities.
2019 will be a Number Nine year for you. Ruled by Mars. This is a year of completion and transition. It is a time when we need to let go of things that no longer serve their purpose, and hold on to things that have a future. It is a time of cleaning out dead wood, not necessarily for new beginnings. It can be a time when a burden has been taken off your shoulders, and it can be a year of giving of yourself. Advice – let go of things that are holding you back, give of yourself and express your sympathetic, compassionate side.
A Venus-Saturn influence this morning points to the need to slow down or get past an obstacle, dear Aries. There may be a delay or block to contend with that throws a wrench in your plans. Personal freedom and responsibilities are in focus, and probably not mixing well. An obligation could emerge that ties you down or holds you back. However, as the day advances, you are in an excellent position for support, new insight into old problems, and private matters, in general. Benefits may come from a surprising or hidden source, and if it’s possible, this is a good time for a retreat or other refreshing change of pace. An intimate relationship or the pipeline to your deeper self might open up now.
Taurus
Taurus
With a Venus-Saturn square this morning, dear Taurus, watch for defensiveness or self-protectiveness that gets in the way of opportunities, particularly as the day promises much. It can be difficult to state what you need or want, and criticism or fear of criticism can wear you down a little. As the day advances, a Sun-Jupiter trine opens your heart and mind wide, and is particularly good for building up your confidence and faith in your relationships. Generosity is the key to social success right now. Be open and generous with your support and time for best results now. You’re looking forward now.
Gemini
Gemini
A Venus-Saturn square is active this morning, dear Gemini, and there may be some complications with relationships, and possibly finances or ownership matters as well. The desire to enjoy friendships and independence is active now, but something or someone may seem to hold you back or block you. However, this can also be a time for putting a dysfunctional part of your life behind you. As the day advances, you’re in particularly good shape for being with people as well as for gaining the inspiration to pursue your ambitions. Career matters can be especially fruitful now, and you may feel motivated about reaching a goal. Expressing optimism, warmth, and generosity is helpful for maximum benefit from a Sun-Jupiter aspect occurring now
.
Cancer
Cancer
Worries and concerns regarding career, long-term goals, life direction, and partnership may emerge this morning with a Venus-Saturn challenge, dear Cancer. Even if you’re positive with others, there may be some negative feedback, but this doesn’t have to be a problem if you aim to deal with it as maturely as possible. As the day advances, you’re in a great position to refresh or rejuvenate yourself through engaging and fun activities. A Sun-Jupiter trine encourages you to do things that advance your interests and support growth and improvement. It’s a potentially excellent day for creative inspiration, and you might revive a friendship or endeavor. Very warm and positive energy is with you for sharing viewpoints, spending time with others, creative expression, romance, and learning. Non-routine experiences tend to favor you most right now. Confidence and faith bring benefits and opportunities to you.
Leo
Leo
A Venus-Saturn square occurs this morning, dear Leo, and you can experience a feeling of being blocked or limited from pursuing your dreams and personal interests. This is a time for realism, and the more you resist this, the more uncomfortable this period may be! It’s briefly uncomfortable, but recognizing limits helps you make constructive changes. While there is somewhat serious energy with us this morning, today is potentially excellent for family connections or an intimate relationship. You’re thinking ahead and focused on growing, changing, and making improvements. There can be a feeling of restored or increased faith and optimism, and a general sense of harmony with the important people in your emotional life–or with yourself!
Virgo
Virgo
There may be some confused signals in a relationship this morning, dear Virgo, or there can be predicaments related to relationships or with projects. Differences in outlook or levels of commitment can be glaring. Look for ways to adjust expectations if this will get you to a better frame of mind. As the day advances, your optimism and enthusiasm build. It’s a time of increased hope and improved spirits, as well as excitement about a relationship or venture. You have the chance to enjoy people in your life more fully. Openness and generosity lead to new levels of understanding. You can experience a stronger sense of well-being which, in turn, inspires you to do your best.
Libra
Libra
There can be heightened sensitivity this morning, dear Libra, as Venus and Saturn perfect their square aspect. Family members or responsibilities to the home can feel burdensome or restricting, particularly when it comes to your relationships and social life. Toning something down now may lead to improvements in the long run. As the day advances, we benefit from a Sun-Jupiter trine that encourages positivity and optimism. Opportunities to grow your finances or career (or both) can emerge now. You’re taking a step in the right direction. You might learn something new about a health or work matter that puts you in a good mood, or you can see and feel forward progress in current projects. Cooperation on the job helps your outlook. It helps you to be clearer about your goals and to feel good about what you do and about your contributions.
Scorpio
Scorpio
Saturn’s influence on Venus casts a somewhat serious tone to this morning, dear Scorpio. This can be about disapproval, blockages, self-defeating attitudes, or time constraints, but whatever it is, there can be the need to redo or retry rather than move plans forward. Try to pay attention to how you express yourself, whether you’re not asking for enough or if you’re coming across as critical. It may be that you’re not giving yourself enough credit, and this is interfering with your ability to attract the resources you need. As the day advances, you benefit from an aspect between the Sun and Jupiter in your sign. You’re in particularly good shape for creative self-expression and relating well. You may be establishing trust with others. Something opens up for you, perhaps a new channel for expressing yourself, and this can feel empowering. A surge of enthusiasm brightens your day and your vision of the future.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
A Venus-Saturn influence this morning can find you holding back from enjoying yourself, dear Sagittarius. Whether this is due to the unresponsiveness of others around you or lack of resources, something’s coming up short, and you need to slow down. As the day advances, though, the Sun forms a lovely aspect with your ruler, Jupiter, and you’re in excellent shape for turning things around. While it remains an important time for centering yourself, you’re feeling much more confident about things. It’s a robust time for tapping into your intuition. Radiating an expectation of success with people you love does wonders for you now. Relaxing, recreational activities can appeal and can even be a little therapeutic now. Introspection does some wonderful good for you.
Capricorn
Capricorn
This morning, passions are strong, but love is complicated, dear Capricorn, especially since you are in need of some self-nurturing these days, which can seem to conflict with your personal ambitions at the moment. Giving up a pleasure to take care of an obligation or duty may not sound like fun now, but will benefit you in the long run. As the day advances, a Sun-Jupiter trine comes into influence and points to wonderful success with communications, networking, personal interests, and friendships. Conversations are generous, open, and meaningful. This is a time for thinking in bigger terms than your norm, particularly about long-term plans for happiness and your social life.
Aquarius
Aquarius
Venus forms a square to Saturn this morning, dear Aquarius, and this is a signal that slowing down is appropriate now, and is a better strategy than going all out. Even so, as the day advances, you can feel quite hungry to grow something, and you’ll find reliable cosmic support for doing so. While your inner critic can emerge early today, temporarily holding you back from expressing yourself or even enjoying what you’re doing, you come into your own as the day progresses. Money and work matters can improve. Others may be noticing your efforts, talents, or accomplishments. You may draw in the right people or resources to advance your goals. Widen your comfort zone, help others, and make the first move now.
Pisces
Pisces
It can be challenging to express your feelings this morning, dear Pisces, and perhaps even to
understand them as Venus and Saturn reach a square aspect. A project or pursuit may reach a block or a standstill, but there are likely workarounds. As the day advances, you find it easy to relax. The Sun in your sign harmonizes with Jupiter, and you are especially at ease with others (and yourself). There can be some wonderful opportunities to enjoy yourself. Educational, travel, and other mind-expanding activities can be in focus and can thrive, or opportunities for these things can present themselves. There is a strong desire to distinguish yourself from others, to take the high road, and to do right. You are holding yourself well and getting your message across powerfully now
Meaning: This is a rune of difficulty and negative influences will rule your life for a time, but as all difficulties are a learning experience it will lead to improved personal perspective and progress on your life’s path. Always consult the surrounding runes with this stone. If it lies with a positive stone, it indicates that the pain of this experience will lead to a beneficial change in circumstances.
“Not-this” – Literally: “Need-fire” or “Necessity” – Esoteric: Constraint, Friction
Key Concepts: Need, resistance, constraint, conflict, drama, effort, necessity, urgency, hard work, need-fire, life lessons, creative friction, distress, force of growth, the consequence of past action, short term pain for long term gain
Psi: resistance, need, effort
Energy: necessity, coming forth into being, urgency
Mundane: doing what must be done, chores, hard work
Divinations: Resistance (leading to strength), recognition of örlög (ultimate law, primal truth), innovation, need-fire (self-reliance), personal development and life lessons, achievement through effort; or constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity, warnings, worry, guilt, moral cowardice, unfulfilled or unrecognized needs.
Meaning: This rune symbolizes your friends and family and their influence upon you. Its meaning is usually derived from the other stones closest to it. This rune is also associated with travel. A journey abroad is indicated especially if the Sun rune is nearby, but a journey for someone close to you if the Moon stone is closest. If it is near to the Rings it foretells a holiday or long distance relationship.
Meaning: This is a rune of difficulty and negative influences will rule your life for a time, but as all difficulties are a learning experience it will lead to improved personal perspective and progress on your life’s path. Always consult the surrounding runes with this stone. If it lies with a positive stone, it indicates that the pain of this experience will lead to a beneficial change in circumstances.
To read more of Sarah’s insight, please visit her website, Astro-Awakenings
A Plea For Our Mother
Chiron enters Aries 17th April 2018, returns to Pisces 25th September 2018, then returns to Aries 18th Feb 2019
Uranus enters Taurus 15th May 2018, returns to Aries 6th November 2018, then returns to Taurus 6th March 2019
Eris, the dwarf planet first discovered in January 2005, has been taking her time to seep into the collective psyche, sometimes wilfully ignored due to her challenging message. She speaks of visceral matters such as violence and revenge. Eris will fight to the death if she must and is active in revolution, warfare and the objectification of the ‘other’ which enables humankind to oppress, exploit and kill, often with seeming impunity. She is the violent struggle for survival, the ‘kill or be killed’ aspect of Mother Nature and the sheer bloody-minded tenacity of life even in the direst of circumstances. Eris dishes out retribution for transgression of natural laws and seeks revenge for wounds inflicted. She is a powerful force of cosmic nature, reaching out to wake us up to our potential for both violent resistance and peaceful but unmitigated struggle. She suffers no fools, takes no prisoners and refuses to back-down in the face of even the greatest forces stacked against her.
We all have a bit of Eris in us, but whether we meet her face to face depends upon our capacity to accept the ‘darker’ sides of our nature: violent impulses, deep-seated hatred and yearnings for revenge. If we struggle to recognise that, given the right circumstances, we too can become the terrorist, the oppressor, the revolutionary who sees blood spilt as an acceptable price for freedom, we will project Eris onto the world around us, fearing ‘the other’ who threatens us with their dearth of moral boundaries and lack of humanity. Eris brings into sharp relief the temptation to only see others as the problem, to project our own wild rage or vengeful spirit onto ‘them out there’.
Despite her raw power Eris speaks also of victimhood: an experience which can catalyse the impulse to rise-up, reset the balance of power and reclaim lost ground. This is the primal reaction to a loss of liberty and self-determination. Eris straddles the powerlessness of being subject to someone else’s malice and the remedial power of revenge, only for that revenge to trigger on-going cycles of conflict. She wants her own back, but is powerless to avoid being subject once more to the same impulse in another. Through Eris we reach the point of acceptance that sometimes people simply do terrible things and we must finally walk away if we want any semblance of peace. But for all that, she will fight for the disenfranchised and strengthen our spirit to stand against those who abuse their position. And perhaps most important of all, she enables us to stand strong in defence of our precious Mother Earth who is subject to the greatest and most sustained attack of all.
When Chiron in Pisces aligned with Eris in Aries between February 2016 and April 2017, we were coaxed into a deeper appreciation of what it means to be nature becoming aware of itself. The primal instinct and vital force that fuels our existence is also that which kills for food or to protect its young. It is the destruction of an earthquake, the boiling lava of a volcano, the devastation of a hurricane and monsoon rains beyond the land’s capacity to cope. Mother Nature can be a fearsome warrior as much as she is our mother. We must be too, at times, to protect her from the excesses of humanity’s obsession with its own desires.
Chiron remains in Pisces for a while longer, joining Eris in Aries in April, returning to Pisces in September, then arriving in Aries proper in February 2019. Chiron in Pisces and Eris in Aries make unusual bed-fellows, with Chiron so deeply compassionate and Eris so ardently militant! But together they reflect two powerful forces in the human spirit: the will to survive no matter what and the movement towards dissolution of self and compassion for all beings. They affirm that we must come through this together, for there is no merit in one prospering on the back of another’s demise. We cannot be separated when it comes to the crunch. I am you, you are me, we are all this planet and we reap as we sow, if not now, eventually.
As Chiron straddles the boundary between the final sign of the zodiac (Pisces) and the first (Aries) throughout 2018, it exhorts us to step-up our protection of this beautiful planet and honour, not exploit, her bounty. It reminds us time is short but healing change can be swift if we’re prepared to take the plunge, gather our courage and resolve to live differently now, not once our backs are so flat against the wall we simply have no choice. Mother Earth has suffered shockingly as a result of human ignorance, denial and narcissism for way too long. She lies bleeding at our feet and still we look away. But no more. Once Uranus begins its entry into Taurus in May 2018, the extent of our planet’s unbridled rage and unbounded love will become apparent in equal measure. There’s already no going back, and by then moving forward with planet earth’s well-being front and centre will be an undeniable imperative. Whatever our personal challenges, our own private wounds and intimate struggles, we must attend to our relationship with our Mother first and foremost if we are ever to know true peace.
Romance fills the air after February 10 thanks to Venus moving into gentle, mystical Pisces. Until March 6, everyone will either be looking for their ultimate soul mate or holding on to the fairytale romance they already have. The magic heightens on February 21 when Venus and Neptune embrace, creating a hypnotic spell for all in matters of the heart. Will you be swept away?
A stunning Solar Eclipse in Aquarius on February 15 will be at a gorgeous link to Uranus, the lord or ruler of this Eclipse. This rare and favorable connection promises a new start in group-related or humanitarian endeavors, as well as the ability for you to finally begin pursuing that quirky aspiration you’ve held in your heart for way too long.
If you have any important action to take, wait until after the hazy energy of February 17 passes. Mars will square off with Neptune at this time, creating more confusion and mixed messages around action taken. This will prove frustrating not only for you, but for anyone else in your environment trying to get anything important off the ground. It’s a better idea to use this cycle for imaginative pursuits rather than anything connected to your major goals and ambitions. Sexual fantasies might also be more interesting than your sexual reality at this time, so if there’s a disappointing experience in bed, know that it’s only temporary.
The month comes to a close with some frustrating communication links. Mercury and Neptune align on February 25, and Mercury will square off with Mars on February 28. There might be a conversation you have with someone that misleads you during these days. If so, you may become quite angry and argumentative about it. In fact, your words will bite.
This is a day in which you may be itching to do, feel, or experience something new, dear Aries, with the Moon in your adventure sector approaching alignment with Mars. You might also feed a hunger for knowledge. Because you’re primarily focused on taking action, you may be learning through experience or meditating in motion now for best results. You find it more comfortable than usual to go after what you want today, and it’s likely that few people, if any, will interfere. In fact, a Sun-Mars connection suggests a very creative way of pursuing your desires now. You might get fired up about a belief or idea today. You’re a natural leader, making it an opportune time to take the initiative, and you’re in great shape for approaching friends. Brilliant ideas about new projects or ventures can come to mind now.
Taurus
Taurus
The Moon moves into your intimacy sector, dear Taurus, stimulating a need to look more deeply into matters, as well as to explore your feelings more intensely. Emotions can be inflamed but internalized as the Moon moves towards an alignment with Mars. It can be an exciting day on intimate or emotional levels, but also brilliant for ideas related to work, reputation, or career matters and long-term goals. It’s an excellent time for strategy related to these things and for maneuvers and plans that move you into a more favorable light or position with others. Today can also be a good time for productivity, research, and analysis. The need for more glamor, mystery, or emotional excitement in your life becomes obvious today. You may be more sensitive to imbalances of power, and you might quickly become fired up if you experience frustrating power dynamics.
Gemini
Gemini
The Moon moves into your partnership zone today, dear Gemini, and will spend a couple of days here. Mars is already here, and with this combination, there can be a noticeable increase in demands placed on you from other people or animated interactions and feelings in your relationships. A significant encounter might occur. Brilliant ideas are likely today, mainly related to higher education, belief systems, and publishing. Important players may seem to be holding power now, at the very least over your attention. Keep in mind that with your partnership zone highly activated, you can get a fuller picture of your issues if you take another’s point of view into account. Any conflict stirred now may be more about what you’re not accepting in yourself than about other people or outside circumstances. Although overly hasty or rash actions taken now might rebound on you, some healthy risk-taking might help you to break the routine and get you out of a rut. A Mercury-Uranus connection is excellent for networking, sharing ideas, stimulating conversations, and coming across useful information.
Cancer
Cancer
The Moon moves into your work and health sector today, dear Cancer, and you’re inclined to see life for its details and problems. With Mars in this sector of your solar chart already, you can quickly become charged up about these things, either to your advantage or disadvantage! This can be an especially productive time for work, health, and practical affairs if you’re poised to take action on the flaws, problems, and details that seem to be amiss. If you tame impulsiveness, acting on a health matter or pushing yourself just a little to improve your fitness efforts can be welcome now. For others, there can be a strong desire to become more organized and efficient. If you are feeling restless, pouring energy into little projects can help since you have an emotional need to keep busy or to accomplish something constructive. It’s also a powerful time for research and analysis. You’re in an excellent place for finding creative answers or solutions to problems now.
Leo
Leo
The Moon moves into your sector of fun and games today, dear Leo, and you’re likely to gravitate towards recreational or leisure activities. Or, you’re ready to find ways to mingle, create, and share. With Mars already in this sector, this can be an emotionally charged time, as the Moon and Mars act to fire up your passions in a mostly pleasant way in this area of your solar chart. If you find yourself frustrated or restless, it may be that you need a proper channel for expressing yourself. This combination, as well as a Sun-Mars quintile active today, increase your resourcefulness and confidence. Your instincts are great, but you’re also in a beautiful position to strategize and make plans. You react well to competition and may very well be the favored party now.
Virgo
Virgo
The Moon moves into your home and family sector today, dear Virgo, and eventually bumps into Mars there. This combination is emotionally exciting, stimulating you into action. Sometimes, it can prompt a bit of combativeness, particularly with those closest to you, but if channeled constructively, this extra energy can be highly useful. On an emotional level, you’re in great shape for insight into others’ motives and desires, even if they are doing their best to keep these things to themselves. You may be inclined to want to stick around the home or do familiar things, but you can also decide to pour energy into home-related projects or family activities. The desire to initiate a long-term project frequently emerges with the fourth house, where both Mars and the Moon are in your solar chart right now. On another level, you may be eager for support, nurture, or comfort, and you go out of your way to find these things. Or, you can feel particularly motivated to make personal improvements. Your senses are working overtime now. Ideas related to work and health coming to you today can be brilliant.
Libra
Libra
The Moon moves into your communications sector today, dear Libra. Mars is already in this area of your solar chart, stirring your enthusiasm or passion for learning and connecting, as well as for your ideas. As such, with Moon-Mars here, there can be a busy, buzzing theme to the day. It may be that you have many projects and activities that you are juggling now, or that you’re going all out with a particular project or personal interest. There can be more spontaneity in your communications, and this can be of great benefit, particularly if you need a bit of extra courage to get something off your chest. While this emotional transit might lead to impulsive moves and speech, you have a very strategic Sun-Mars connection helping you out in this regard today, and you’ll probably quickly figure out that pushing something won’t get you closer to achieving what you want. You might feel a special camaraderie with a partner or friend today, chiefly through shared interests or direct communications.
Scorpio
Scorpio
The Moon moves into your solar second house today, dear Scorpio, and you may be especially interested in attending to prized personal possessions or building up a project, business, or venture. Mars is already in this area of your chart, and with the Moon and Mars meeting here, a desire for taking action or starting something new can take hold. It may be that a money or ownership matter grabs your attention, and you need or want to handle it immediately, or take clear steps towards resolving a problem. There is some tendency to identify strongly with what you own, or there can be a sense that you need to prove yourself to someone, and conflicts may arise. However, you’re also very concerned about quick resolutions, and you’re in a great position to take care of business that you might avoid entirely on another day. While the Moon and Mars both incline towards impulsiveness, a Sun-Mars connection today can help you get very creative with your plans and strategies, helping you make the right moves. This can be a very resourceful time when you are inclined to make the most of what you have.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
The Moon moves into your sign today, dear Sagittarius, and your emotional needs come into sharper focus. With Mars already in Sagittarius and the Moon heading towards alignment with Mars, you can quickly become all fired up today! It can be easy to get a rise out of you, and you’re in a fabulous position for taking the initiative. It can be an emotionally brave or spunky day, although perhaps a little impatient at times as well. You have the self-confidence and backbone to go after what you want, and with a creative Sun-Mars connection active as well, you can choose to do so through direct communications most successfully now. Interference from others is unlikely with the kind of natural confidence you’re displaying. You are more resourceful and less demanding of people around you, and others respect your boundaries and independence.
Capricorn
Capricorn
The Moon moves into your soul sector today, dear Capricorn, and for today and the next couple of days, you’re likely to need to tie up loose ends and attend to your private life or process recent events before a new cycle begins. Mars is already in this area of your solar chart, and with Mars and the Moon building towards an alignment, a lot of your energy is channeled into private matters. Or, much is going on behind the scenes in your life. Your dreaming life and memories may be playing a stronger role than usual. Emotions are all fired up, and the need to take action can overcome you now. Finding ways to renew your energy and heal yourself can be most successful now.
Aquarius
Aquarius
The Moon moves into your social sector today, dear Aquarius, and you can experience a distinct need to decompress from professional demands or recent responsibilities. Mars is already in this sector of your solar chart, stimulating your inventive, innovative nature. Today, the itch to do something new and unusual or to get a project rolling is building. While you tend to be quite independent-minded today, group activities and cooperative efforts may very well help you achieve your goals more efficiently at the moment. You may be defending someone or a belief with enthusiasm and vigor. You might enjoy helping others now. It’s an excellent time for coming together with a partner, as well, or for teaming up to accomplish something worthwhile.
Aries
Aries
This is a day in which you may be itching to do, feel, or experience something new, dear Aries, with the Moon in your adventure sector approaching alignment with Mars. You might also feed a hunger for knowledge. Because you’re primarily focused on taking action, you may be learning through experience or meditating in motion now for best results. You find it more comfortable than usual to go after what you want today, and it’s likely that few people, if any, will interfere. In fact, a Sun-Mars connection suggests a very creative way of pursuing your desires now. You might get fired up about a belief or idea today. You’re a natural leader, making it an opportune time to take the initiative, and you’re in great shape for approaching friends. Brilliant ideas about new projects or ventures can come to mind now.
Taurus
Taurus
The Moon moves into your intimacy sector, dear Taurus, stimulating a need to look more deeply into matters, as well as to explore your feelings more intensely. Emotions can be inflamed but internalized as the Moon moves towards an alignment with Mars. It can be an exciting day on intimate or emotional levels, but also brilliant for ideas related to work, reputation, or career matters and long-term goals. It’s an excellent time for strategy related to these things and for maneuvers and plans that move you into a more favorable light or position with others. Today can also be a good time for productivity, research, and analysis. The need for more glamor, mystery, or emotional excitement in your life becomes obvious today. You may be more sensitive to imbalances of power, and you might quickly become fired up if you experience frustrating power dynamics.
Gemini
Gemini
The Moon moves into your partnership zone today, dear Gemini, and will spend a couple of days here. Mars is already here, and with this combination, there can be a noticeable increase in demands placed on you from other people or animated interactions and feelings in your relationships. A significant encounter might occur. Brilliant ideas are likely today, mainly related to higher education, belief systems, and publishing. Important players may seem to be holding power now, at the very least over your attention. Keep in mind that with your partnership zone highly activated, you can get a fuller picture of your issues if you take another’s point of view into account. Any conflict stirred now may be more about what you’re not accepting in yourself than about other people or outside circumstances. Although overly hasty or rash actions taken now might rebound on you, some healthy risk-taking might help you to break the routine and get you out of a rut. A Mercury-Uranus connection is excellent for networking, sharing ideas, stimulating conversations, and coming across useful information.
Cancer
Cancer
The Moon moves into your work and health sector today, dear Cancer, and you’re inclined to see life for its details and problems. With Mars in this sector of your solar chart already, you can quickly become charged up about these things, either to your advantage or disadvantage! This can be an especially productive time for work, health, and practical affairs if you’re poised to take action on the flaws, problems, and details that seem to be amiss. If you tame impulsiveness, acting on a health matter or pushing yourself just a little to improve your fitness efforts can be welcome now. For others, there can be a strong desire to become more organized and efficient. If you are feeling restless, pouring energy into little projects can help since you have an emotional need to keep busy or to accomplish something constructive. It’s also a powerful time for research and analysis. You’re in an excellent place for finding creative answers or solutions to problems now.
Leo
Leo
The Moon moves into your sector of fun and games today, dear Leo, and you’re likely to gravitate towards recreational or leisure activities. Or, you’re ready to find ways to mingle, create, and share. With Mars already in this sector, this can be an emotionally charged time, as the Moon and Mars act to fire up your passions in a mostly pleasant way in this area of your solar chart. If you find yourself frustrated or restless, it may be that you need a proper channel for expressing yourself. This combination, as well as a Sun-Mars quintile active today, increase your resourcefulness and confidence. Your instincts are great, but you’re also in a beautiful position to strategize and make plans. You react well to competition and may very well be the favored party now.
Virgo
Virgo
The Moon moves into your home and family sector today, dear Virgo, and eventually bumps into Mars there. This combination is emotionally exciting, stimulating you into action. Sometimes, it can prompt a bit of combativeness, particularly with those closest to you, but if channeled constructively, this extra energy can be highly useful. On an emotional level, you’re in great shape for insight into others’ motives and desires, even if they are doing their best to keep these things to themselves. You may be inclined to want to stick around the home or do familiar things, but you can also decide to pour energy into home-related projects or family activities. The desire to initiate a long-term project frequently emerges with the fourth house, where both Mars and the Moon are in your solar chart right now. On another level, you may be eager for support, nurture, or comfort, and you go out of your way to find these things. Or, you can feel particularly motivated to make personal improvements. Your senses are working overtime now. Ideas related to work and health coming to you today can be brilliant.
Libra
Libra
The Moon moves into your communications sector today, dear Libra. Mars is already in this area of your solar chart, stirring your enthusiasm or passion for learning and connecting, as well as for your ideas. As such, with Moon-Mars here, there can be a busy, buzzing theme to the day. It may be that you have many projects and activities that you are juggling now, or that you’re going all out with a particular project or personal interest. There can be more spontaneity in your communications, and this can be of great benefit, particularly if you need a bit of extra courage to get something off your chest. While this emotional transit might lead to impulsive moves and speech, you have a very strategic Sun-Mars connection helping you out in this regard today, and you’ll probably quickly figure out that pushing something won’t get you closer to achieving what you want. You might feel a special camaraderie with a partner or friend today, chiefly through shared interests or direct communications.
Scorpio
Scorpio
The Moon moves into your solar second house today, dear Scorpio, and you may be especially interested in attending to prized personal possessions or building up a project, business, or venture. Mars is already in this area of your chart, and with the Moon and Mars meeting here, a desire for taking action or starting something new can take hold. It may be that a money or ownership matter grabs your attention, and you need or want to handle it immediately, or take clear steps towards resolving a problem. There is some tendency to identify strongly with what you own, or there can be a sense that you need to prove yourself to someone, and conflicts may arise. However, you’re also very concerned about quick resolutions, and you’re in a great position to take care of business that you might avoid entirely on another day. While the Moon and Mars both incline towards impulsiveness, a Sun-Mars connection today can help you get very creative with your plans and strategies, helping you make the right moves. This can be a very resourceful time when you are inclined to make the most of what you have.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
The Moon moves into your sign today, dear Sagittarius, and your emotional needs come into sharper focus. With Mars already in Sagittarius and the Moon heading towards alignment with Mars, you can quickly become all fired up today! It can be easy to get a rise out of you, and you’re in a fabulous position for taking the initiative. It can be an emotionally brave or spunky day, although perhaps a little impatient at times as well. You have the self-confidence and backbone to go after what you want, and with a creative Sun-Mars connection active as well, you can choose to do so through direct communications most successfully now. Interference from others is unlikely with the kind of natural confidence you’re displaying. You are more resourceful and less demanding of people around you, and others respect your boundaries and independence.
Capricorn
Capricorn
The Moon moves into your soul sector today, dear Capricorn, and for today and the next couple of days, you’re likely to need to tie up loose ends and attend to your private life or process recent events before a new cycle begins. Mars is already in this area of your solar chart, and with Mars and the Moon building towards an alignment, a lot of your energy is channeled into private matters. Or, much is going on behind the scenes in your life. Your dreaming life and memories may be playing a stronger role than usual. Emotions are all fired up, and the need to take action can overcome you now. Finding ways to renew your energy and heal yourself can be most successful now.
Aquarius
Aquarius
The Moon moves into your social sector today, dear Aquarius, and you can experience a distinct need to decompress from professional demands or recent responsibilities. Mars is already in this sector of your solar chart, stimulating your inventive, innovative nature. Today, the itch to do something new and unusual or to get a project rolling is building. While you tend to be quite independent-minded today, group activities and cooperative efforts may very well help you achieve your goals more efficiently at the moment. You may be defending someone or a belief with enthusiasm and vigor. You might enjoy helping others now. It’s an excellent time for coming together with a partner, as well, or for teaming up to accomplish something worthwhile.
Pisces
Pisces
The Moon moves into your career and reputation sector today, dear Pisces, and you have business — or responsibility — on your mind. It eventually meets Mars, already in this sector, and this creates quite a charge, inspiring you to take action or make a mark. This is a day for feeling large and in charge! You can have a rush of desire to take action on your goals or to get important things done, and you’re likely to feel stronger for accomplishing something tangible right now. You’re focused on the long-term now. At this time of the lunar month, you could be feeling that all eyes are on you. You can’t seem to escape attention! This might give you a wake-up call to areas of your life in which you’ve been a little slack. For the most part, you can do quite well under pressure today. A Sun-Mars connection helps tame the impulsive and impatient qualities of Moon-Mars and puts you in a great position to strategize with confidence.
Pisces
Pisces
The Moon moves into your career and reputation sector today, dear Pisces, and you have business — or responsibility — on your mind. It eventually meets Mars, already in this sector, and this creates quite a charge, inspiring you to take action or make a mark. This is a day for feeling large and in charge! You can have a rush of desire to take action on your goals or to get important things done, and you’re likely to feel stronger for accomplishing something tangible right now. You’re focused on the long-term now. At this time of the lunar month, you could be feeling that all eyes are on you. You can’t seem to escape attention! This might give you a wake-up call to areas of your life in which you’ve been a little slack. For the most part, you can do quite well under pressure today. A Sun-Mars connection helps tame the impulsive and impatient qualities of Moon-Mars and puts you in a great position to strategize with confidence.
There is nothing modest about your ambitions, although you are generally patient enough to pursue your long-term goals. You also have the drive and spirit to achieve success. You are a responsible and respectable person who believes in being fair to all. You are confident and frank, but also friendly and tactful. Work is extremely important to you, and you have little patience for those who don’t do their fair share. You possess much stamina. Others can truly count on you! Famous people born today: James Dean, Seth Green, Lana Turner, Mary Steenburgen, Nick Nolte.
Your Birthday Year Forecast:
Your birthday occurs around a Third Quarter Moon this year, and you are reaching an important turning point in terms of personal growth. You may be more emotional this year, and should watch for unnecessary conflicts and making hasty decisions as a result. Otherwise, this is a year of greater understanding and a strong desire to take care of business. This should be a busy, dynamic period in your life.
Especially good energy is with you for debate or energetic mental work. You benefit from an active and clear mind this year. This can be a good year to eliminate wasteful activities. You may be involved in frequent lectures, debates, and discussions during the year. You can convey your ideas more powerfully than usual. You are quick to take the initiative and to put your thoughts into action. Adventuresome travel may be part of the picture. You may be more actively involved with young people.
You are willing to put in the effort for a mental interest or project, and you can feel pleasantly dedicated to your work or ideas. You are more able to focus on what you’re doing and communicating and are more inclined to notice and consider details.
This is a time when you feel confident and supported enough to pursue your desires. It’s a good period for making yourself feel more secure and safe, as well as for family or domestic activities. This is also a period when you more readily support or defend others.
You are seeking out equal, fair, and balanced relationships. There can be a stronger inclination towards togetherness and sharing, creating harmony, and sharing power now. You may gain an advantage in business or finances or by promoting harmony and beauty.
You’re in a particularly good position for social meetings and events this year. You’re inclined to happily embrace all that is new, unusual, and out-of-the-ordinary with regards to romantic involvements as well as financial undertakings. This could be a good year for financial undertakings involving electronics, technology, the internet, metaphysics, and the arts, as well as group activities. You have a taste for the offbeat this year, and this energy can bring sudden or unexpected romance into your life, perhaps a scenario that feels like love at first sight.
You have a stronger ability to direct your energies into meaningful activities. In some ways, you can be quite self-contained as you pursue passion projects.
This is an excellent period for enterprising endeavors and new interests. You’re drawn instinctively to certain projects that have long-term value. It can be an especially creative, tuned-in year for self-expression, not only verbally but through hobbies, games, or sports. Even so, you’re especially charming and diplomatic, investing much in your relationships. Optimism can run high, but be careful of blind optimism and extravagance.
2018 is a Number Three year for you. Ruled by Jupiter. This is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time when you find it natural and easy to enjoy life and other people. The focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for adventure than you are in other years. It’s likely to be a rather lighthearted year when opportunities for “play” time are greater than usual. It’s also a favorable year for expressing your creativity. Advice – reach out and connect but avoid scattering your energies.
2019 will be a Number Four year for you. Ruled by Uranus. This is a year of work and development. It’s “nose to the grindstone” time. It’s a time to pay special attention to practical matters, and it’s not a time to be lazy or especially gregarious. Sometimes, it can be a year that feels hard, monotonous and routine, and/or lonely. Positive new relationships are often not formed in a Four personal year. However, it can be a wonderful year for building, development, and laying a solid foundation for future successes. Advice – get yourself organized, work to build your resources, keep busy
Early today, there can be difficulty combining your needs for socializing and the demands of your responsibilities, dear Aries, as the Sun in your social sector clashes with Saturn in your career sector. Finding a balance may not be easy at the moment until you decide upon your real priorities. Watch also for falling back on detached communications when a more personal touch would be best. Connections with people with whom you share common goals or interests can be satisfying as the day advances. Positive body language, personal warmth, and willingness to take on challenges are winning themes now. You can feel inspired to do your best. Physical outlets for your energy and activities that keep you engaged and in motion can be especially appealing and satisfying today and tomorrow.
Taurus
Taurus
This morning, you may not be in the best position to push your agenda with a Sun-Saturn influence stirring up some resistance to change, dear Taurus. You may need to slow yourself down and look for errors in your approach before going forward, especially with business or long-term goals. As the day advances, there can be much passion behind the scenes today. You’re in a good position to take care of personal matters and for spending time with family, or you may find it particularly useful or satisfying to become engrossed in research, a book, movie, or anything that provides a nice escape. You may be especially protective of someone or something today. You are courageous when it comes to tackling difficult, complicated, or sensitive topics right now, and you can quite expertly solve a mystery.
Gemini
Gemini
This morning, a Sun-Saturn influence can stir up some stubbornness or resistance, dear Gemini, making it a less than ideal time for reaching an understanding. Consider a more direct approach to going after what you want now, as there is a tendency to worry so much that we make things more convoluted than they need be. As the day advances, your timing improves as confidence builds. A feeling that you can assert yourself without crossing boundaries affords you a good sense of freedom. Others tend to encourage your faith in yourself and your future now. Activities that invigorate you can be satisfying, and may very well involve cooperating with a team or partner which can save a lot of time and bring pleasure to your life to boot. Interactions are at once soothing and inspiring now. Relationships, studies, and conversations can feel good.
Cancer
Cancer
A Sun-Saturn minor challenge this morning can weigh down your interactions with others a little, dear Cancer. People may seem to be demanding a lot from you, making filling your own needs tricky. Avoid pushing things, slow down, and regain your composure. Try to put personal issues and emotions, which can too easily cloud your judgment today, aside so that you can take care of business. The day advances far more confidently, and you’re likely to enjoy a beautiful balance between dynamism and structure. You’re up to quickly resolving problems and facing challenges head-on now. This is a favorable time for releasing tension through physical activity, massage, exercise, or other endeavors that help free the flow of energy in your body as Mars and Ceres form a relationship in earthy houses of your solar chart today.
Leo
Leo
With your ruler, the Sun, in minor friction to Saturn this morning, you may experience frustrations over methods used to accomplish personal tasks, dear Leo. It can be all too easy to become annoyed over minor details. Let go of rigid expectations now for best results. The need to pay some homage to a partnership or partner may arise now as well. Natural confidence is with you as the day advances, with energetic Mars moving into a harmonious angle with Ceres in your sign. Others might especially enjoy your company, and it can be an excellent time for making connections or enhancing bonds. You might find yourself in the position of role model, caregiver, mentor, or facilitator today. Self-improvement efforts can be an active focus.
Virgo
Virgo
This morning, you may be focusing too intently on the physical or practical side of a problem, dear Virgo, when a more holistic approach would serve you better. This week, you may decide to reassess a particular service you provide for the sake of growing and improving on an emotional plane. A Sun-Saturn minor challenge can lead to mixed feelings and mixed messages, mainly due to distractions and divided attention. However, we move towards a Mars-Ceres aspect as the day advances that is wonderful for enhancing bonds and feeling satisfied with family or domestic support and activities. It’s also an ideal time for self-nurturing, and efforts to heal and renew yourself emotionally and physically are highly favored. Forgiveness now is a kindness to yourself, not only others. Creating a dynamic domestic environment that’s at once productive and engaging can be satisfying today and tomorrow.
Libra
Libra
This morning, home-related problems or personal responsibilities can weigh you down a little and prevent you from enjoying yourself to your full potential, dear Libra, as a Sun-Saturn aspect reminds you of your obligations. There may also be a question of whether a friendship or connection to a group is encouraging your growth, or you could feel a little hesitant about expressing an unpopular opinion. As the day advances, you feel less tied to the past and more naturally decisive, and this energy follows you into tomorrow. Confidence in your relationships and projects builds. Team or group activities and contributions can be satisfying. People in your life seem to encourage or inspire you to express yourself more confidently.
Scorpio
Scorpio
This morning, you can be feeling quite sensitive or uncertain about your plans or ideas, dear Scorpio, or you may encounter the need to go back over something and redo or fix errors. Take the time to rework before laying things out for others to critique. A Sun-Saturn challenge early today can pull up resistance to change and people, in general, are a little less open-minded, making it less than ideal for presenting your ideas or your case! As the day advances, problem-solving of the practical variety can be particularly favorable, and you can be quite determined and ambitious as your confidence builds. You may solve a financial or work problem creatively with this faith in yourself and willingness to take on a challenge.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
Your communications are particularly friendly and personal these days, dear Sagittarius, although this morning, you may crave a little extra peace or order that requires you to tune out distractions. You may be dealing with a situation in which others are slacking off while you’d rather they tend to business. Adjusting your manner may be necessary to get where you want to go now. For some, financial matters may weigh you down. As the day advances, though, you come into your own as Mars in your sign catches a beautiful aspect to Ceres. This can be an active, auspicious time for pursuing a course, interest, or connection. Others tend to help build your confidence through their support, particularly of your ideas or methods, and you are ready to take on virtually any challenge or problem. You’re willing to take the lead, especially if it helps someone out.
Capricorn
Capricorn
This morning, you may need to seek out more realistic and practical solutions to problems, dear Capricorn, and this can be a bit of a downer just for now. With enthusiasm waning, it might appear as if you need to put more effort into chores and tasks that you’d rather not take on. However, do your best not to over-identify with what seem to be slowdowns, failures, and errors. These have little to do with you personally, and more to do with life itself as it is currently demanding that you pay more attention to detail. This is particularly important for you in general since Saturn has been transiting your sign and will continue to do so for a couple more years. As the day advances, you’re less inclined to overthink things and more willing to take positive action. It’s a great time for reconnecting with your inner self. You’re likely to enjoy a nice balance of give-and-take as well as clear boundaries in your close relationships today and tomorrow.
Aquarius
Aquarius
This morning, you may be coming across in such a way that people are seeing you as stronger and less vulnerable than you are actually feeling, dear Aquarius, with the Sun in your sign in minor friction with Saturn. This can lead to some missteps and perhaps even hurt feelings. It’s quite temporary and simply requires some readjustment as you take a moment to look backward before going forward. The tendency to take on more than is necessary is with you now when sharing or delegating may be better for you. As the day advances, you tend to embrace activities rather than overthink things. It’s a good time for strengthening ties with friends and groups, or for working cooperatively towards common goals. Friends or associates can inspire you or encourage you to pursue your goals confidently, and you are filled with enterprising spirit.
Pisces
Pisces
This morning, energy is on the tricky side, dear Pisces, as the Sun and Saturn form an aspect that leaves you feeling divided between the need for personal space and obligations to others. You might also be holding back or trying to avoid tasks, and this doesn’t serve you well in the long run. You’re better off facing what you need to do. As the day advances, confidence builds naturally. We move towards an empowering Mars-Ceres aspect that falls in your work, health, and goals sectors. You’re ready to take charge. Ambition builds pleasantly, and you’re prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done. It can feel great to achieve and perform at your own pace right now. People tend to follow your lead or let you do your own thing.
FIZZLING OUT
If you have been in a relationship for a short time, someone might let out too much information and take the bloom off the rose. Can you keep a little mystery in your presentation?
This card is traditionally entitled The Page, but in some modern decks appears as a Princess. The traditional interpretation is about a messenger, an emissary or liaison between separate camps, charged with faithfully representing one side’s communications to the other. Because of this role, we do not think of this person as a servant, but rather as a diplomat, facilitating sensitive negotiations, often under difficult conditions.
This person is acting as the eyes and ears of her patron, and so she is sometimes referred to as The Watchman. Even kings are powerless if this messenger chooses to use her access to sensitive information for her own gain, as is implied by her other name, The Spy.
She could even be working as a double agent, playing both sides against each other to serve her own agenda. Her title is really camouflage in itself, serving as protective coloration so she can move among the people unrecognized, collecting information anonymously. Her vigilance often conceals an ulterior motive. She is a watcher who must herself be watched, because she dreams of someday taking matters into her own hands, preempting the plans of her employers.
This 7-card Tarot spread is a powerful tool to see where you’ve been and where you’re going on your personal journey. Here’s the layout and the positions for your very own yearly Tarot reading. This Year Ahead Tarot spread is actually extremely versatile — you can use it to get a deeper look at the new year, or anytime you want to look at long-term goals! Use the power of this Year Ahead Tarot reading to gain insight, get clarity, find resolution, and make a transformation! It’s time to reveal your year ahead!
7-Card Year-Ahead Tarot Spread Positions
Position 1: Your Sunset Card
Lessons from the previous year
This first card in the spread looks at what you’ve accomplished (or not) in the past year. For this card, focus on the past — but with an eye toward using that energy for the future. There is always something to be learned from the past, and it shapes who you are, so let this card take you back for a moment before we move forward.
Position 2: Your Horizon Card
What you can expect in the next year
What do you want to achieve in the next year? What are your biggest hopes and aspirations? Choose your second card, and focus your mind on what you’d like to see happen in your life — whether that’s finding a new relationship, tackling a new career goal, or even just spending more time relaxing. Search inside yourself to determine your highest purpose for the year.
Position 3: Your Obstacle Card
A challenge you’ll face this year
Let’s face it — everything worth having comes with challenges. The important thing is to face them with thoughtfulness and poise. This third Tarot card will give you a glimpse at the type of challenge you may encounter as you strive to achieve the objective you set with the Horizon card.
Position 4: Your Strength Card
How to harness your inner power
Now that you’ve seen your challenges, how are you going to resolve any issues that arise? Let the Tarot cards reveal that in this fourth position. What inner talents and strengths do you possess that can help you? What untapped energies exist that you can use this year? Let this Tarot card guide you and free you from doubt as you find the confidence to succeed.
Position 5: Your Advice Card
Lessons you learned last year
Now that you’ve looked back and determined where you want to go in the future, take a second to examine what you have learned so far. This lesson, whatever it is, will inform your next steps. What is this Tarot card telling you to do now? What happened last year that you want to avoid this year or what happened that you want to repeat? Ask yourself these types of questions as you look at the Tarot card to help yourself understand the lesson it’s trying to impart.
Position 6: Your Navigation Card
Guidance for the year ahead
This is the card you have been waiting for. Look at the Tarot card and ask, “What do I feel right now is the very best action for me to take?” The card’s character should help you focus your mind and your energy. You might want to write down your thoughts, or compile a list of the next steps you want to take on your journey. It’s hard sometimes to see how to reach large milestones, but life is full of small moments that we can use to our best advantage — if we take the time to plan and prepare ourselves now.
Position 7: Your Clarity Card
Your personal theme for the year
Even though you have examined the lessons of the past, chosen your aim, and even looked at how to reach it, you may still need to find clarity. In this case, maybe focus on the big picture — how does all of this fit into your overall life plan? What type of person are you hoping to become? What does this mean for your higher purpose? Use that energy to set your intention for the year to come, and tell yourself exactly what that is, say it out loud and imprint it in your heart and mind.
There you have it! A quick 7-card Tarot spread that will allow you to determine your heart’s desire and achieve your highest goals for the upcoming year.
Being secure in our identity allows us to approach the world with compassion and understanding instead of fear and aggression. Inner strength is often a more helpful resource for navigating the world than brute force. Our ability to apply this type of influence will be either needed or enhanced this month. We must pay close attention in interactions with others and confront our own negative internal dialogue should it attempt to instill self-doubt.
Your Love Tarot Card
The Devil
______________________________________________
Thursday, February 8th
Do you feel caught between the ‘Devil and the Deep Blue Sea?’ This card represents insight and ability to rise above and to surmount obstacles in the way of love. The chains that bind the couple on the Tarot card are loose and symbolic of the ability to slip away if they want to. In this light, they are self-imposed limitations. Break free today if this sounds like your situation.
Your Erotic Tarot Card
The Sun
_____________________________________________
Thursday, February 8th
The Sun card shows that you may be feeling a little exposed and vulnerable as parts of your sex life are illuminated, but there is also an overwhelming feeling of warmth and positivity. Once you get over those self-conscious feelings, a wave of self-confidence replaces your fears. No one is out of your reach when the Sun is shining down on you. Embrace your power and don’t be afraid to get naked both emotionally and physically!
Your Daily Influences for the Thursday, February 8th
Tarot Influence
The Seven of Wands
Courage will bring victory. Success seems certain
Astrological Influence
Capricorn
Capricorn denotes a drive to succeed through a pragmatic approach to life
Element Influence
Earth Reversed
Earth reversed denotes a lack of positive connection with the life spirit–a lost soul. If you are not careful you may miss much of what life has to offer you.
Energy: protective teaching force, the divine plan, Valkyries
Mundane: protection, safety, spirituality
Divinations: Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life, protection; or hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of the divine link, fear.
Governs:
Strengthening of hamingja (personal gravity, ‘luck’) and life force through courageous deeds
Mystical and religious communication with non-human sentient beings
Communication with other worlds, especially Asgard
Protection/defense
Receiving instruction on the magical potential of the runes
Banishing the fear of death
Your Animal Spirit for Thursday, February 8th
The Wisdom of Buddha
The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.
Now the waning moon has swept past Jupiter, and – on the mornings of February 9 to 11, 2018 – it’ll pass Mars and Saturn. You’ll find the planets in the southeast as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere (closer to due east from the Southern Hemisphere).
The king planet Jupiter is not shown on the chart at top, but you can see it in the photos below, or click back to this chart. And – in the early morning sky – you’ll find bright Jupiter to the west of Mars and Saturn.
Both Jupiter and Saturn outshine Mars at present. Jupiter, the brightest morning planet, shines about 17 times more brightly than Mars; and Saturn, the most distant world that you can easily see with the eye alone, shines a bit more than one and one-half times brighter than the red planet Mars in early February 2018. The moon will be closest to Saturn Sunday morning, February 11, by the way.
A bright red star – Antares, brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion – is also nearby.
The name Antares is derived from the ancient Greek term which roughly translates to like Ares, because the ruddy color of this red supergiant star mimics that of the red planet Mars (the Greek Ares or Roman Mars).
You’ll have an excellent chance to contrast the red star Antares with the red planet Mars in the February 2018 morning sky. It’s often said that stars tend to twinkle while planets shine more steadily. Look to see if this general rule holds true.
Also, notice the brightness of these two objects. They’re about equally bright now, but Mars might look brighter than Antares by February’s end. Mars is going to have a spectacular year in 2018. Start watching it now, and see it get brighter than Antares, or Saturn – or even Jupiter – by late July.
Keep an eye on Mars. It’s going to have a spectacular year in 2018, coming closer to us around late July 2018 than since 2003 … when it was closer than it had been for 60,000 years! Read more about Mars in 2018.
Mars will brighten considerably over the months ahead. It’ll match Saturn in brightness in a little over a month from now. Mars will go on to have a conjunction with Saturn on April 2, 2018.
By July 2018, Mars will exceed Jupiter in brightness!
The moon and the planets of the solar system are always found on or near the ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected onto the celestial sphere. That’s because the moon orbits the Earth, and the planets orbit the sun on nearly the same plane that Earth circles the sun.The change of the moon’s position from day to day is due to the moon’s orbital motion around Earth. The moon revolves around Earth in the same direction that Earth rotates on its axis: from west to east. On the average, the moon travels some 13 degrees per day in front of the constellations of the zodiac. For reference, the moon’s diameter spans 1/2 degree and your fist at an arm’s length approximates 10 degrees.
The moon always moves eastward (in the direction of sunrise) in front of the backdrop stars. Unlike the planets, the moon never goes in a retrograde (westward) direction in front of the stars of the zodiac.
Unlike the moon, the superior planets do move in a retrograde fashion (westward in front of the stars) for a few months each year, as Earth sweeps between them and the sun. You can watch the three planets now in the morning sky – Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – travel in retrograde later this year.
As Earth passes by these outer planets in our smaller and faster orbit, these worlds will appear to go westward in front of the stars. Around the middle of retrograde, a superior planet reaches opposition and shines at its brightest best in Earth’s sky.
We list the retrograde dates for you below. Note that the farther distant the planet, the longer the retrograde
Superior naked-eye planet retrogrades for 2018:
Jupiter (5th planet outward from sun)
Retrograde begins: March 9, 2018
Opposition: May 9, 2018
Retrograde ends: July 11, 2018
Saturn (6th planet outward from sun)
Retrograde begins: April 18, 2018
Opposition: June 27, 2018
Retrograde ends: September 6, 2018
Mars (4th planet outward from sun)
Retrograde begins: June 28, 2018
Opposition: July 27, 2018
Retrograde ends: August 28, 2018
Bottom line: Now the moon has moved past Jupiter in the predawn sky. You’ll find it moving past the planet Mars – toward Saturn – on the mornings of February 9 to 11, 2018.
Bruce McClure has served as lead writer for EarthSky’s popular Tonight pages since 2004. He’s a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also writes and hosts public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York.
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Explanation: On January 31, a leisurely lunar eclipse was enjoyed from all over the night side of planet Earth, the first of three consecutive total eclipses of the Moon. This dramatic time-lapse image followed the celestial performance for over three hours in a combined series of exposures from Hebei Province in Northern China. Fixed to a tripod, the camera records the Full Moon sliding through a clear night sky. Too bright just before and after the eclipse, the Moon’s bow tie-shapedtrail grows narrow and red during the darker total eclipse phase that lasted an hour and 16 minutes. In the distant background are the colorful trails of stars in concentric arcs above and below the celestial equator.
A Little Humor for Your Day
Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary – Prefers to remain anonymous
Day 752— My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I’m forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.
Day 761—-Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving in and out of their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, note must try at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair……must try doing this on their bed.
Day768—I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was given the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called (shampoo). What sick minds could invent such a liquid? My only consolation is the piece of the thumb still stuck between my teeth.
Day 771—There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary confinement throughout the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they called ” Beer”. More importantly I over heard that my confinement was due to my Power of Allergies. Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.
Day 774—I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half wit. The bird on-the-other-hand has got to be an informant he speaks with them on a regular basis. I am certain he is reporting on my every move. Due to his placement in a metal room his safety is assured. But, I can watch and I can wait. It is only a matter of time.
Love goes from surprisingly hot and unpredictable to sweet and sentimental, all in the same week! Venus will be at a gorgeous sextile to Uranus this Tuesday, promising that just when you think you know what’s going to happen in your love life, you’ll be thrown for a loop. Fortunately, it’ll be a happy event that makes your eyes wide and isn’t anything that’s too unsettling. Venus moves into dreamy Pisces on Saturday where she’ll remain until March 6. Love takes on a decidedly romantic turn at this point. We’ll all be interested in living the fairytale — even if we’re only kissing frogs.
Aries Horoscope MAR 21 – APR 19
If you’re single, you could easily meet someone online or through a dating app who completely electrifies you this Tuesday. Who cares if it’s a work day? You don’t want to waste the amazing energy of unexpected love vibes that are happening. Fit that lunch date in or meet up after work for cocktails — it’ll be well worth your time. After Saturday, Venus edges into your private 12th house where she’ll remain through March 6. If you’re in a relationship, you and your sweetie will crave extra time alone together. Spa retreat, anyone?
Taurus Horoscope APR 20 – MAY 20
You might be paying more attention to an unexpected career opportunity early in the week, leaving little time for romance. But don’t worry, love will be calling your name by the weekend! After Saturday, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to mingle with friends at events that truly bring you pleasure. If you’re in a relationship, then you and your sweetheart will enjoy all this time hanging out with your coupled friends. If you’re single, it’s possible that a romance between you and a pal will blossom or that you’ll be ready to meet your next love while you’re out and about. Prospects will be everywhere!
Gemini Horoscope MAY 21 – JUN 20
Spiritual wanderlust in your love life will not go unfulfilled this week. Your partner will explore new philosophical, religious, or metaphysical territory with you either through a workshop you attend, a book one of you is reading, or a conversation that takes an unexpected direction. After Saturday you’ll start to receive serious career support from your significant other. He or she might brag around town to everyone about how fabulous you are at what you do. You’ll be glowing! Single? It’s possible that someone with a high level of influence in your professional world has his or her eye on you. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked out on a date. Say yes!
Cancer Horoscope JUN 21 – JUL 22
Don’t be surprised if you benefit financially from your partner in some way. This is more likely if you’re living together or married since you’re probably already splitting the bills. Your sweetheart might give you happy news about a raise, bonus, or commission check that’s extra generous. If so, he or she will want to splurge on something nice for you. Single? A mystical and sentimental person who has a strong psychic connection to you might come into your world after Saturday. Trust your intuition on this one. He or she might be your next soul mate.
Leo Horoscope JUL 23 – AUG 22
An electrical current of excitement will run through your partner’s veins early in the week, prompting him or her to take the both of you out of any rut in your relationship. He or she wants to have a unique experience with you and this should be quite a sensational ride since you’ll be up for anything. As if that weren’t enough, you’ll be exploring the depths of your erotic connection in a more loving, open way after Saturday. Sharing your innermost fantasies and fears will bring you closer than ever.
Virgo Horoscope AUG 23 – SEP 22
You and your lover are enjoying switching things up in your relationship this week. It might only be your routine, such as where you go food shopping or what restaurant you dine at, but it might also have to do with your mutual fitness goals. One of you may suggest a different type of workout such as CrossFit or hiking instead of your usual couple’s jog. It’ll be more fun than you think! You might start to become much more serious about someone you’ve been casually dating after Saturday. This deepening of your heart can even lead to a decision to go exclusive or move in together. Wow!
Libra Horoscope SEP 23 – OCT 22
A jumpstart to your heart in the most surprising way is likely this week. If you’re in a relationship, your partner will do something to send those butterflies to your stomach in the way you felt when you first met. It’ll be nice to know that he or she still has this magical power over you! If you’re single, it’s possible to meet someone as you pursue an unusual creative endeavor or recreational activity this Tuesday. This person will have a sense of adventure and just the right amount of weirdness to turn you on! Venus moves into your work sector after Saturday, making it easy for you and your sweetheart to share space and chores around the house diplomatically. Yes, that means you won’t have to ask for your love to take out the garbage or pick up the dry cleaning. He or she will just do it.
Scorpio Horoscope OCT 23 – NOV 21
If you’ve been going through any rough patch in your love life, either feeling as if no one will ever want you again or struggling through a difficult situation with your current partner, then it’ll all change after Saturday. That’s because Venus, the planet of love and harmony, will move into your romance sector, helping you attract sweetness and light into your current relationship. At the same time, this will also bring supportive energy to attract new love if you’re single. This is a win-win transit no matter what your current romantic status. Enjoy it!
Sagittarius Horoscope NOV 22 – DEC 21
An unexpectedly shocking conversation with your lover will leave you feeling liberated, yet somehow more deeply in love than ever before. It’s likely that this dialogue will support your capacity to express your inner weirdo without being judged for it. In fact, you’ll feel freer to be yourself than ever before, possibly more than with anyone else before in your life. This is huge, Sagittarius, and it’s exactly the kind of stimulation that feeds your soul for romantic love to grow. Keep watering that plant because something magical is blooming.
Capricorn Horoscope DEC 22 – JAN 19
If you’ve been dating someone, there might be an unexpected twist in your relationship that makes you suddenly want to nest together. That’s right, you might spontaneously decide that it’s time to officially move in and share living space. This could be anything from a weekend arrangement to a more full-time situation, but whatever your personal details are, it will be a sudden and exciting move for both of you. Another possibility is that you’ll unexpectedly meet each other’s family in a context neither of you expected. Don’t worry, it’ll be a positive interaction, and you’ll end up grateful for the unconventionality of it all.
Aquarius Horoscope JAN 20 – FEB 18
You’ll have the edge of Venus moving through your sign until Saturday, so don’t waste the final days of this spectacular boost to your love life! Not only does Venus in Aquarius help you look and feel more beautiful, but she also helps you attract harmony in your current love life situation with greater ease. If you’re single, you’ll have an easier time meeting someone because you’re emanating love vibes without even trying. Pay close attention to what happens on Tuesday when Venus is at a gorgeous angle to Uranus. An unexpected conversation with a stranger can quickly turn into so much more.
Pisces Horoscope FEB 19 – MAR 20
There’s some kind of secret information about your love life that’s boosting your ego in the most fascinating way. Perhaps you’re indulging in a clandestine affair but that doesn’t have to be the case. You might quietly become engaged or even get married Las Vegas style! It’s equally possible that your lover is about to surprise you with a secret that will make your heart soar. Venus will move into your sign after Saturday, making you the “fairest of them all.” Enjoy the beauty queen status through March 6. If you’re single, make it work for you!
Aries
You’re no stranger to the game, it’s not your first rodeo, but someone is giving you the run around. That only serves to make him or her more interesting to you Aries, but is that a good thing? There’s really no way of telling, other than running around after them and seeing what happens when you eventually catch up. Or they let you catch them more likely?
Taurus
What you can’t see is the effort, the planning and the layers of body hugging elasticated underwear that goes into the way someone is presenting themselves, but then again, you’re not supposed to. What you’re supposed to see is wow! He or she is working it, and it’s all for your attention. Maybe show a little appreciation; you think?
Gemini
If a new squeeze is offering you the chance to review where you’re at, take it, listen to his or her assessment of the relationship and then give your state of the union address. No fake news thought Gem, tell it how you really see it and if that comes with some tough words, see it as a chance to clear the air for that’s exactly what it is.
Cancer
When you’re in the mood for some TLC who do you turn to? Is it your bestie, do you have a partner, maybe it’s the cat or how about a tub of funky-clunky ice-cream? An observant sort has noticed you’re a bit off and may offer nothing more than the extra coin you need for hideous machine-made coffee, but they’ noticed. Notice the noticey-sort.
Leo
It’s pretty full on in your relationship sky and now that Mars is in your new love sky too it’s Hubba-Hubba time! Playing it cool is good, too cool may not work, and what definitely won’t work is letting someone know how lucky they’d be to date you! Find the right temperature Leo, turn up the heat gradually and he or she won’t be able to resist. Is it hot in here?
Virgo
Girls just want to have fun, boys too, and that’s a good thing. No matter whether you’re looking for the love of your life or someone who loves life with no expectations this week could bring a happy, shiny face your way. Smiley may not be your preference on your daily commute, but for this face you’ll make an exception. Eye contact on public transport? Your outrageous!
Libra
When you have the chance to work with a lovely Venus you should do your best, especially as she’s leaving your new love sky next week! Take what she has to offer, the social invitations, the flirting, the hi when you least expect and flirt right back Libra. One week, from the 10th she’s rearranging your work schedules. Just saying.
Scorpio
What is going on with your love life Scorps? It’s on, it’s off, it’s bit meh and then it’s not what you were looking for, really miss him or her and isn’t it great to be on your own. Right there! That’s what’s not happening. Focus. In order to help you find what you’re looking for, first be clear about what you’re looking for. Take a breath, take a chair, a coffee and donut. Whatever.
Sagittarius
Mars is moving closer to zapping Uranus into life, so it might be time to get off your complacency and see what you can do to bring some life back to your ardour. Eat more greens. Or maybe it’s saying yes to those last-minute invitations, that sometimes-annoying change of plans or general ways you can shake up your routines. Meet more people.
Capricorn
Setting yourself free of the judgements of others isn’t something you need to deal with Capricorn, to be blunt about you don’t care what they think, that’s not a cavalier disregard for folks, it’s just the truth. That straightforward approach is what someone likes about you, really likes and he or she will be telling you that. A compliment holds more than you think.
Aquarius
Venus is in your sign for another week, then she’s off to look at what you’ve been spending your money on. If you’re looking for romance, clearly having Venus in your sign is a good thing Aquarius, she turns up the glamour for sure and with next week’s new Moon in your sign maybe it could be a glamorous night out with someone new?
Pisces
Sacred thing a relationship, we don’t stop to acknowledge that sometimes, but it’s a position of great trust to be in a relationship with someone and when it doesn’t work out, there’s a lot to process. This week may be about processing the old to make way for the new, taking a walk someone lovely, spending time saying farewell to the old to make way for the new?
Your Daily Horoscopes for the Monday, February 5th
Aries
Aries
Good intentions can be behind a promise made or a new endeavor, particularly with friends, but if plans are not well laid out, this may very well be a burden later on, dear Aries. Moods can swing today, and it may be useful to remember that the higher you go, the harder you fall. This is not about restricting happiness, but instead distinguishing between a whim and a genuine desire. Cultivate emotional self-control for the essential things. Otherwise, indulge yourself! There can be increased enthusiasm for a partnership or a relationship today. Even so, you’re not interested in connections that are restrictive or limiting, and you’ll go out of your way to make sure others afford you enough freedom to be yourself and do your own thing as the Moon in your partnership zone opposes independent Uranus in your sign
.
Taurus
Taurus
The inclination today may be to try to push a situation forward, dear Taurus, as you may be entertaining high expectations, or you could be tempted to make splashy, bold moves. However, conditions are such that overreaching and falling are more likely than usual today with Jupiter in your partnership zone challenging Juno at the top of your chart. Going a little overboard might be fun now, but for the critical things, it’s better to respect your usual boundaries. Clashes of goals with a partner may seem glaring today, and it may be time to consider ways to see eye to eye. While you’re enthusiastic about doing your share or making a dent in your “to do” list today, you can be wrestling with distractions and a bit of rebellion, too.
Gemini
Gemini
It can be tough taking others’ advice today, dear Gemini, so try to keep yourself in the position to manage your own resources. If you’re worried about getting advice you don’t want, you may decide to keep things quiet until you’re more confident about your plans, for example. The day’s energies make it rather difficult to gain understanding or to get a word in edgewise at times. Today is good for nurturing your desire to create, stand out for your unique qualities, or simply enjoying favorite pastimes with the Moon in your solar fifth house most of the day. Distractions and mixed feelings are highly likely now, but try not to let these things rule.
Cancer
Cancer
Your nesting urges are stronger than usual today with the Moon spending much of the day in your home and family sector, dear Cancer. While you want to settle in now, the sense that you need to make changes to your projects, business, relationship, or life path can lead to some anxious feelings. Remind yourself that taking things one step at a time will work better for you in the long run. There is some tendency to focus on the differences in your relationships rather than the things that bond you together. Part of you is seeking something light and another equally insistent part wants to go all in. Until you get in touch with your true needs, you may feel a bit on edge today. Taking the pressure off makes sense now.
Leo
Leo
Mediation may be in focus today, dear Leo, although a little tricky with a Juno-Jupiter square active in the first half of the day. There is a tendency to take differences of opinion or chosen methods a bit too personally. Some of you could experience conflicts between the demands of family and partnership under this influence. Keep expectations of others and yourself reasonable for best results. Going all out now is not necessarily going to improve your life, even if it feels that way at the moment. You may need to watch for impatience in your communications. However, you have every chance to resolve problems. People are drawn to you for your ideas and intelligence today, and you may even grow a bond through your choice of words and unique perspective.
Virgo
Virgo
There is a tendency to butt heads with others today, dear Virgo, over issues that don’t mean very much at the end of the day. Watch for taking a disagreement too far now. Clashes tend to be most prominent with someone you work with or with whom you pursue your routines and daily affairs. It’s a good time for connecting with the practical matters of your life with the Moon spending much of the day in your solar second house. Some indulgence may be precisely what you need now, but excesses should be avoided. Aim to get in touch with the actual source of any discontent you may experience today. Fortunately, a Moon-Venus angle reminds you of what’s to love about your work and routines.
Libra
Libra
The Moon is in your sign much of the day, dear Libra, and you tend to prioritize your emotional needs. There can be some frustration with family roles or a relationship if you feel pulled in many different directions, but it’s just fine to put your needs first today, with moderation, of course. As well, you’re in a great position to make changes and improvements through conflicts or tension emerging now. A square between Juno and Jupiter today echoes some of the themes of the recent Venus-Jupiter transit, making it especially important to avoid borrowing from your future through extravagance. What you crave today may not have much staying power. Keep expectations of others realistic, especially with matters of the heart. Clashing values and priorities are prominent now, but you can choose to focus on what’s working instead. The Moon’s trine to your ruler, Venus, helps this process.
Scorpio
Scorpio
Be kind to your mind and body today, dear Scorpio, by keeping expectations reasonable and by avoiding the tendency to go over the top. There is a tendency to clash with someone over differing values and priorities, but focusing on similarities may be the solution. Emotional judgment can be a little off, and moods can swing, but you’re in great shape for seeking out easy, restful, and healing moments and activities. This might involve forgiving past wrongdoings or throwing out an attitude that’s been working against you, which is a beautiful gift to yourself. This is a day for taking stock, staying in the background, and laying low.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
Benefits come from reaching out to others today with the Moon in your solar eleventh house much of the day, dear Sagittarius. For some of you, a friendship can blossom through a kind gesture or simple contact with the Moon’s harmony with Venus in your communications sector. You may be feeling quite happy and relaxed in a group setting or with associates. Take care with your social calendar or the taking on of new projects, as there is a tendency to go over the top this week, with good intentions. Watch especially for taking on too many side projects. Take promises made with a grain of salt, try to weed out gossip and fluff, but pay attention, as you could learn something useful now. Relationships suffer today when we play tit for tat or try to score intellectual points instead of considering all sides.
Capricorn
Capricorn
On both social and financial levels, be on the lookout for hidden costs today, dear Capricorn. There is a tendency to go big and ignore important details now. However, bigger isn’t always better, as you know well, and you might need to remind yourself of this today. The Moon spends much of the day at the top of your solar chart and harmonizes with Venus. You may be in a position to take the lead, to shine through meeting a responsibility, or simply to enjoy recent successes. You’re coming across well on professional or public levels. There can be some disruptions on the home front or some inner rebellion to deal with, but otherwise, it’s a fine time to take care of business.
Aquarius
Aquarius
You can find yourself rather hungry for experience and knowledge today as the Moon transits your adventure sector for much of the day, dear Aquarius. Excesses have a way of bringing about consequences going forward, however, and a major key to success is taming impulses to go overboard today as Jupiter forms a square to Juno in your sign, after doing the same with Venus in your sign just recently. Avoid turning to others to find your own happiness now, as may be the inclination under these influences, and aim to make it yourself. Watch also for taking on so much that you feel overwhelmed with things to do and confined by your own choices. Debates can turn into major events as we seem to be noticing what’s different more than what’s similar. Try to sidestep the temptation to do and say more, when keeping within reasonable boundaries is better for you.
Pisces
Pisces
We’re inclined to try to push something too soon today, dear Pisces, but because new endeavors tend to burn out quickly if they’re merely whims, it makes sense to second-guess yourself to make sure desires are real. If you’re feeling unusually good, you might be tempted to sign up for more than you can later deliver. You may be see-sawing between wanting some time to yourself and doing something new and brave, which can take up far too much of your time now! New insights into a partner, a relationship, or even your own behavior can arrive today if you’re looking for them as the Moon in your intimacy sector harmonizes with Venus in your soul sector. However, you can be a little commitment-shy just for now as the Moon opposes Uranus.
Life isn’t about finding yourself this month Aries, it’s about creating yourself. News from far away gives you reason to be glad you made the decisions you did at the end of the year. Someone has learnt a very painful but valuable lesson thanks to you. A new attraction makes your working life a little awkward. It would be worth your while trying to find the numbers or e mails of some old contacts just in case. You may not realise it, but you earnt friends in high places last year.
TAURUS (April 21st-May 21st)
Things may not go to plan this month, but you will get to see an alternative way of doing things. Don’t think things aren’t possible my friend, you know they are. When you reach the end of your rope, simply tie a knot in it and hang on. If you can stay positive towards those you are dealing with, especially between the 10th and 16th, all those you meet will help you. I can see you suffered from a lack of confidence, but if you can focus on what can be done rather than what can’t over the next few weeks, then the world really will be your oyster.
GEMINI (May 22nd-June 21st)
Be your own guide during February and think about how you want to spend your time leading up to Valentines Day. By allowing your heart to take the lead, you can make this one of your most romantic months in a very long time. A home ‘problem’ can and will disappear of its own accord if you give it more space. Your ruling planet Mercury often makes you a little pushier than you can afford to be. It would be worth your while slowing your pace, so you can enjoy life at a better pace and from a better view.
CANCER (June 22nd-July 23rd)
Jealousy is never a nice trait and yet its one which you can’t help feeling at the moment, isn’t it my friend? Try to use your time a little better this month. Arrange something for Valentine’s Day with the person you want to spend it with, not who friends are pressuring you to be with. A work problem mid month offers you the chance to shine. Don’t be afraid to pull old talents out of the bag. You think you turned your back on certain areas of your work, but 2018 would be the perfect time to bring them out and update them.
LEO (July 24th-August 23rd)
I know you’ve been hurt and I know you’re not sure if you can trust again. Trust me though when I tell you that you can. Younger faces give you back your mojo. Help you give them will earn you the respect which I know is so important to a fire sign such as you. Saturn and Mars make it hard for you to understand financial discussions. The truth is that you haven’t really been aware over the last few months of what your incomings and outgoings are. Working this out before the 10th will prove invaluable.
VIRGO (August 24th-September 23rd)
You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have. This is a really great month for you to work out the game plan for 2018 which you found impossible to sort out in the New Year. Don’t feel bad, but recognise that you have had a lot on your plate in recent months. The pressure lifts from the 14th though, when you get to see with clarity who’s on your side. You seem to be thinking more and more about someone you used to have feelings for. Try to realise and accept that you were too good for them then and you’re too good for them now.
LIBRA (September 24th-October 23rd)
A job opportunity which you thought had passed you by, can be open to you again if you let those around know you are interested. This is a month of major news and changes for key figures in your life, but it makes your day to day living an easier place to be with less responsibilities. Make sure your passport is in date my friend as I can see that the coming months are going to be offering your best opportunities for travel that you’ve ever had. You don’t want to miss out now do you?
SCORPIO (October 24th-November 22nd)
This is the month you finally realise you’re ready to make some major commitments. You find peace with your thoughts as they no longer sway from one extreme to the other, but they all make perfect sense now. Just don’t let a so-called friend unnerve you with their out of date opinions around the 10th. You know what you want out of life and you also recognise now when you are saying yes for the sake of it due to social pressures. Stand tall and remember that you’re a Scorpio!
SAGITTARIUS (November 23rd-December 21st)
Do you know you have the power of happiness in your hands? Why do you insist on looking back to the past? You learnt your lessons, now use them to make this the month you make that change which is in your heart but has to be relayed to your head. An old friend re enters your life and brings the laughter back. It has been a while since I have heard that hearty laugh which we associate with your sign, but I’m glad to see that it will be coming back in abundance and about time too.
CAPRICORN (December 22nd-January 20th)
I can see your feelings have been hurt. I also see that you will get through this. You of course can’t see the wood for the trees yet, but you can by the 2nd if you choose to sit in the driving seat instead of the back seat of your own life. Uranus makes you more perceptive than usual. Use the newfound power he gives you to feel your way to the right choices. Family seem to be placing unfair pressures on you from the 16th and it’s important you learn to talk not shout at them so that you can be seen by others as the bigger person. You can do this!
AQUARIUS (January 21st-February 19th)
How can you get through your problems Aquarius? Well, you start by doing what’s necessary, then you do what’s possible and before you know it you are doing the impossible. Don’t worry about what others think this February, but act from the view of what you think is right and wrong. It’s how you will be able to live with upcoming dramatic choices. An ex wants to say sorry, but you’re not sure you’re ready to accept it. Remember hearing these words does not mean you have to let them back in, it can simply be a case of giving you closure.
PISCES (February 20th-March 20th)
I know you have been feeling negative because of the lack of help you’ve been getting from friends and family. It’s fair to say that you’ve felt alone I know. Change your thoughts by the 12th and you can change your world. All you want can be yours if you can recognize the fact that you hold the power to make great things happen. Paperwork and the written word is more important than usual. You start to see that the future can be more special than you had dared dream. Ring now to hear how the past and present can be combined.
If You Were Born Today, February 5
You enjoy surprising people and whether you want to or not, you often remain a bit of an enigma to the people around you. You have a strongly intuitive side. Although you are actually quite accommodating and kind, you need to feel stirred and inspired in order to do something. You are following your own instincts and being true to your heart, and although it might seem like you are stubborn, you are also very original and honest. Famous people born today: Hank Aaron, Barbara Hershey, Christopher Guest, Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Your Birthday Year Forecast:
With the Sun and Moon in harmony in your Solar Return chart, the year ahead should be satisfying and balanced overall. You are in comfortable demand and personally popular, and you are able to achieve a decent balance between work and play; personal and professional life. For the most part, you are on top of your game this year, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there is less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you!
Especially good energy is with you for debate or energetic mental work. You benefit from an active and clear mind this year. This can be a good year to eliminate wasteful activities. You may be involved in frequent lectures, debates, and discussions during the year. You can convey your ideas more powerfully than usual. You are quick to take the initiative and to put your thoughts into action. Adventuresome travel may be part of the picture. You may be more actively involved with young people.
You are seeking out equal, fair, and balanced relationships. There can be a stronger inclination towards togetherness and sharing, creating harmony, and sharing power now. You may gain an advantage in business or finances or by promoting harmony and beauty.
You’re in a particularly good position for social meetings and events this year. You’re inclined to happily embrace all that is new, unusual, and out-of-the-ordinary with regards to romantic involvements as well as financial undertakings. This could be a good year for financial undertakings involving electronics, technology, the internet, metaphysics, and the arts, as well as group activities. You have a taste for the offbeat this year, and this energy can bring sudden or unexpected romance into your life, perhaps a scenario that feels like love at first sight.
You have a stronger ability to direct your energies into meaningful activities. In some ways, you can be quite self-contained as you pursue passion projects.
The Sun conjuncts the South Node in your Solar Return chart, indicating that you are likely to be dealing with karma in your personal relationships. You may be feeling hesitant about pursuing your goals or “taking” what you want from life at times. Relationships always mirror our own inner conflicts, but this year, you are bound to find particular meaning in your relationship dynamics in terms of your own life path.
Cooperation with others brings rewards this year. This is an excellent period for enterprising endeavors and new interests. You’re drawn instinctively to certain projects that have long-term value. It can be an especially creative, tuned-in year for self-expression, not only verbally but through hobbies, games, or sports. Even so, you’re especially charming and diplomatic, investing much in your relationships.
2018 is a Number Nine year for you. Ruled by Mars. This is a year of completion and transition. It is a time when we need to let go of things that no longer serve their purpose, and hold on to things that have a future. It is a time of cleaning out dead wood, not necessarily for new beginnings. It can be a time when a burden has been taken off your shoulders, and it can be a year of giving of yourself. Advice – let go of things that are holding you back, give of yourself and express your sympathetic, compassionate side.
2019 will be a Number One year for you. Ruled by the Sun. This is a year of action. The seeds you plant now, you will reap later. Others might find you less sociable, as you are busier than ever and you focus on your activities and your needs. Still, you are outgoing and your initiative is stronger than ever. Advice – Stand alone, take action, start fresh, express independence.
Both Mercury and Venus in your friendship and community sector form easygoing aspects today, dear Aries, and you can find yourself in a good position with a friend, network, associate, or regarding an enjoyable pursuit. Cultivating relationships, not only with friends and networks but also in partnership, can be as simple as trying something new together. A Venus-Uranus aspect can bring a pleasant element of surprise the mix. There is a good spirit of openness, adventure, and progress that becomes you. This can also be an active time for inventive new ideas, dreams, wishes, plans, and possibilities. Look to friends and group activities for opportunities to mingle with someone special. Inviting energy is with you for all things romantic and social, but also for shopping and finances. You are attracted to new-fangled, improved, and progressive objects, people, and ideas today! You’re in a good position for sound choices and hard work related to publishing and communications projects, as well. It may be a good time to talk shop with associates or to run business ideas by friends.
Taurus
Taurus
Your personality is more progressive and open than usual today, dear Taurus, and you may have a nice bounce in your step as you don’t feel weighed down by problems. This is the nature of Uranus as it looks to the future and is anxious to grow, improve, and move on. Your ruler, Venus, forms a pleasing aspect with Uranus today, and is presently at the top of your solar chart, benefiting your professional or public life. You are in the position to charm superiors, and perhaps a few people in your personal life as well. There can be an opportunity to draw upon your inner wisdom to solve a problem. You’re bringing inventiveness and unique insight to the day, and you may very well get credit for it. You’re not abandoning traditional ways that have served you well, but you’re trying out something new now, and it’s working for you! Financially, your ideas can be golden right now. You might thoroughly enjoy pouring concentrated energy into some research or a special project.
Gemini
Gemini
Experimenting with ideas can bring you opportunities now, dear Gemini, and so can networking. Learning, sharing, promoting, and publishing can be in good form today as Mercury and Venus, both in your sector of the higher mind, form harmonious aspects to Vesta and Uranus, respectively. You seem to intuitively know future trends, enabling inventive, timely ideas and solutions. New friendships are possible for some of you, and refreshing or renewing current connections can be in focus for others. In fact, this is one of the best times of the month for connecting and sharing. This can also be a time for putting substantial effort into your projects and making real progress. Intellectual exchanges are not only enjoyable, but they’re even fruitful now.
Cancer
Cancer
With a Venus-Uranus connection today, dear Cancer, people tend to move past problems more readily and embrace new attitudes. Take advantage of this for letting go of frustration or insecurity and trying something new, yourself. Negotiations can be successful. There can be a happy intimate connection, a financial advance, or a workplace or reputation improvement that puts a spring in your step. People on the job may be seeing and appreciating you for your unique input. Problems can be solved, not necessarily through great effort or focus, but through a general willingness to let things go and put things behind you. Some of you might enjoy surprise freedom from an obligation. However, with a Mercury-Vesta aspect also active today, you may very well enjoy pouring extra energy into organizing, working, or researching something important to you. You can be excited about finding solutions to problems or for making life a little better or more comfortable.
Leo
Leo
You’re in a great position to see things more clearly and comprehensively if you take a partner’s viewpoint into account today, dear Leo, as well as for advancing and growing a close relationship. It’s a promising time to consult with someone special in your life or to put your heads together to come up with inspiring ideas. What emerges in a partnership or friendship today can be very productive, and if not, at the least you feel you can move past problems. This is a good time for connecting with others who inspire you mentally, or there may be a mind-expanding experience today. Relationships are enlivened and refreshed with an especially open approach to one another or sharing different experiences and activities. You may be attracted to someone with an interesting mind or drawing people to you who appreciate your unique way of thinking.
Virgo
Virgo
This is an active period for work and health improvement, dear Virgo, with a strong showing in your solar sixth house. Today, Mercury and Venus in this sector connect well with Vesta and Uranus, respectively, facilitating tangible progress and a gently motivating spirit of looking forward and moving on. New methods and plans for self-improvement, work, wellness, or routines are exciting now. Solutions to problems are unlikely to be traditional ones, or they aren’t arrived at from a conservative mindset right now. Positive vibes while pursuing your daily routines or in your work are likely today, and to some extent this week, and quite possibly, social opportunities can emerge. You may have new ideas — or discover alternative methods — related to health, nutrition, the organization of your daily life, or fitness. Relationships benefit from an open, accepting approach to desires and needs, and cooperation comes naturally today.
Libra
Libra
Others are unlikely to turn you, or your plans, down today, dear Libra. You can make good headway in a creative or communications project, and studies are likely to go well, particularly if you apply yourself in a step-by-step, traditional manner. You are more focused and willing to put in the effort necessary to make substantial progress. At the same time, there is a cheerful spirit of growth to the day that feels good. Others are drawn to your quirkier, more unique qualities, which you’re happy to share. There can be lively exchanges with a love interest, friend, or child. You can turn around most any problem or boring situation with a fresh and fun approach. This can be a day of a surprise invite for some. In some way, you are breaking out of an old pattern now, and new approaches to people and projects in your life bring rewards today.
Scorpio
Scorpio
You’re in an excellent position for arriving at happy agreements with others today, dear Scorpio. A Venus-Uranus sextile adds a pleasant element of surprise and perhaps a bit of genius to your interactions. You instinctively know how to approach situations in the best way possible. Family, home, and work matters can move forward pleasantly, particularly if you are open to new ideas for improving your situation as well as trying out new and improved ways of relating and integrating. New or alternative methods of approaching health, domestic, and work matters are likely highly useful to you now, deserving a second look. Venus-Uranus is also helpful for getting over things or moving past grudges, insecurities, and resentment. Practically speaking, this is also a beautiful day for problem-solving. An organized, loyal, dedicated, and committed mindset helps you get through pretty much anything now.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
You’re in excellent form today both socially and practically, dear Sagittarius thanks to Venus-Uranus and Mercury-Vesta sextiles. Vesta in your sign suggests a stronger ability to concentrate and focus on what means the most to you. While the Moon points to some need to keep a low profile to catch up on rest (or healing) today, whatever you do now tends to work out for the best. This is a good day for romantic matters, learning, sharing, and connecting in general. You feel freer and more spontaneous as you interact with others, whether in person or through writing. There can be interesting things to learn from a sibling, classmate, child, or friend. There can be much enjoyment derived from learning endeavors. Updated technology or new gadgetry can open up a new channel of communication for you. Even the most casual of mingling can lead to good things. You’re making smart decisions and seeing your priorities. You are likely to give good advice and to be specially regarded as someone who knows what they’re doing or is committed and focused.
Capricorn
Capricorn
With openness to new ways of doing the routine, dear Capricorn, you can have some fun and make progress today. Both Mercury and Venus in your finances and values sector receive harmonious aspects, pointing to opportunities. It’s a good time for financial matters and even for shopping or acquiring new things. You might discover a fresh interest. Home improvement efforts can be successful now. You are a little more daring and willing to experiment with designs, ideas, and ways of relating to others. Practical, business, and financial affairs can benefit from some fresh thinking. Inventive solutions to problems are yours to discover. You can find yourself pleasantly committed to a money-making project or to enjoying and taking care of what you own.
Aquarius
Aquarius
This a potentially excellent day for personal plans and personal appeal, dear Aquarius, with both Mercury and Venus in your sign forming harmonious angles to Vesta and Uranus, respectively. Venus in your sign in harmony with your ruler, Uranus, increases your powers of attraction, mainly through your communications. People regard you well right now, appreciating your unique qualities more than usual. There can be good news received, but it’s also entirely possible that something you communicate, or how you deliver your message, is helping you achieve what you desire. Using the power of words to attract what you want or for furthering your interests and goals can work well for you now. As well, your thinking is especially sound. There can be minor social blunders or mild misunderstandings to sort through, but excellent opportunities for getting organized emerge now. You’re in a good position to speak with authority, focus on something important to you, and throw extra energy into a project you love.
Pisces
Pisces
Energies today are both practical and freeing, dear Pisces. Through interactions with others or pleasurable pastimes, you can let go of some inhibitions and enjoy yourself more thoroughly. This is a time for growing and improving situations, relationships, attitudes, and projects through a spirit of openness and with a progressive approach. With increased freedom and respect, relationships flourish now. However, good things may come instead as the result of moving past something, letting it go, and moving on with Uranus involved. This is a great day in a strong week for thinking and processing, as well. Sound energy is with you today for doing some solo or quiet work. Reorganize or sort through something that requires concentration, or pour extra energy into an enjoyable hobby, some research, or a pet project if possible.
ARIES
Working on joint projects and sharing ideas brings joy and inspiration this February. But keeping your options open would be a wise move. A lively solar eclipse on the 15th sparks the unusual and unexpected. There’s fresh information and points of view, and everything shuffles around into new patterns. Some of this relates back to last summer – what seemed like a well-mapped route then could now turn out to need some fine tuning. Maybe you develop a crush on one of your workmates, or maybe you have a vivid dream that beckons you to explore faraway cultures and landscapes. Basically, if you expect the unexpected you won’t be disappointed. After the 19th you’re mulling over what you really want in the weeks before your astrological year begins in March. Give yourself time, and don’t panic. Love, community, and friendship are massive themes for you this year. So why not make some space for things to unfold in their own way, and keep a wide open mind?
TAURUS
It’s always disappointing when others let you down. But flaky individuals can be weeded out now, and your precious energy can be channelled into projects and friendships that enrich your life instead. Shake-ups inevitably accompany a bright and buzzy solar eclipse mid-month. It activates your career zone, and poses questions about your place in the world, and your secret hopes and dreams. There’ll be one or two mysteries as well, and these will take time to unravel. This isn’t a passing phase, it’s part of an important longer-term reshaping of your life direction this year. Visionary moments blossom when Venus embraces dreamy Neptune between the 19th and 21st – you’re inspired by music, beauty, female friends and the magic of love itself. Where this leads you becomes clear towards the very end of February and beginning of March. Keep a close eye on your cash – especially online – but remain willing to consider all kinds of everything.
GEMINI
Enjoy the airy eccentricity of Mercury in Aquarius, and February’s Aquarian eclipse too. They stir your free spirit, and even if you’re stuck at home you’ll be dreaming of the far horizons from time to time. Some of those distant shores can be reached via your imagination, while exploring new ideas or studies can also feed your sense of adventure. A spot of musing is now essential, for 2018 is looking very different from the past few years. Saturn left your opposite sign, Sagittarius, in December, but it takes time to absorb all the lessons you’ve learned – particularly when it comes to your partnerships and long standing associations at work. There’s much to discuss. If something has ended, you should know that it had reached its limits and you are now free to move forwards, or choose to weigh up your options in your own time. Later this month you’ll have some fascinating encounters and conversations that refresh your ideas, or open the door for a valuable new friendship or love affair. Money could be in limited supply, but satisfaction and inspiration are abundantly available.
CANCER
The lunar eclipse at the end of January revealed a whole raft of things for you to think about. Perhaps you got diverted by financial matters, but your instincts tell you that there’s much more going on. Further food for thought arrives with a solar eclipse mid-month, which emphasises shared financial situations and also raises questions about the emotional and financial support you receive from others. What’s truly valuable may surprise you, as how you really feel about certain issues and associations emerges from your subconscious. Endings and new commitments are both brewing up in 2018, but you must do some serious thinking first. Beautiful creative, spiritual and romantic energy builds as the weeks pass – so try not to worry too much. Jupiter in Scorpio is firmly on your side this year, expanding a playful and creative side of yourself you’d almost forgotten – or even suppressed. You’ll attract luscious opportunities for love and self-expression once you allow yourself a little more imaginative freedom. Let go, and see what happens!
LEO
News from far-away places intrigues you, sparking your imagination and desire to learn more. Go your own way when you can, for others are in a restless mood and you may not be able to rely on them. Currently, as the Sun moves through your opposite sign of Aquarius, you’re inclined to look back over the months since your birthday. You are half way through your personal zodiac year – how’s it going? Questions about satisfaction and fulfilment arose in January, and now a crackling eclipse in Aquarius, plus Mars in flirty Sagittarius, stirs the pot still further. Perhaps you want to reassess your relationship, embrace a hot romance, or clear up some misunderstandings in a long-term professional partnership? Take it easy, and bear in mind that you won’t have all the facts, indeed – certain vital information may remain hidden until later in the spring. Travel, or learning about something that fascinates you, brings more joy than endlessly chewing over difficulties in your relationships. Clarity will arrive eventually. Meanwhile, zen is the word.
VIRGO
Partners or neighbours seem keen to renovate both homes and gardens this month. You may find this quite stressful, since you prefer to do things at your own speed. Ignore them if you can, and focus on those groups of friends you really enjoy spending time with. If you can throw some exercise into the mix, so much the better, for February’s vibrant solar eclipse spotlights your well-being. And part of feeling good is all about friendship and shared activities. Something you once enjoyed is on its way back into your life – and this could include a long-lost friend, lover, or acquaintance. When you stop to think about it, you’ll see patterns of the past resurfacing in both your social life and your romantic partnerships. With Saturn now in Capricorn, time and karma are making themselves visible to you – with news and events from mid-February onwards bringing chance encounters and communications. Yes, there’s much to ponder and probably some unfinished business to conclude. Stay flexible, and you’ll learn a lot.
LIBRA
Heart-warming surprises are on their way for many Librans. You could reignite the passion in your long standing relationship, or find someone new if you’re single. You may even be invited to create some new project with an old associate, or receive an intriguing offer from a former colleague. All of this is just the beginning, so why not enjoy feeling more creative or romantic and maybe even take a tiny risk or two? Preparation now will pay off later in the year. Just don’t be put off if something seems unconventional or unusual in some way. Cautiousness is wise when it comes to your home and any financial or property matters, but a more open-minded attitude and sense of curiosity is what you need when it comes to your personal and social life. You can then choose what feels right for you, try something different, and take off in a new direction in a few months’ time.
SCORPIO
Maybe you believe in karma, maybe you don’t. But you’ll be thinking about the phrase ‘what goes around comes around’ this February, for developments linked with your past are waiting to unfold. Now, this can be very good news as you benefit from all your hard work – which may sometimes have seemed like an endless, unrewarding slog. For many of you, it’s high time you reaped some fabulous rewards, and the potent ongoing link between upbeat Jupiter in Scorpio and powerful Pluto, your ruler, holds much promise now, and for the year ahead. What might need more attention is your family, friends, or romantic partner. And this is where you’ll see patterns and learn lessons that are rooted in past decisions. The solar eclipse mid February acts as a catalyst, throwing up all manner of questions about love and commitment for you to consider. What you’ve said or done in the past refuses to stay there, so you can expect to bump into people, or have conversations, that invite you to reassess. You may even get an apology from someone, or realise you should make amends yourself. All of this frees you to be yourself, and make the most of what life has to offer.
SAGITTARIUS
Mars in Sagittarius promises to boost your optimism and joie de vivre this February. Meanwhile, the Sun, Mercury, Venus plus a fizzy solar eclipse in Aquarius spark up all kinds of news, encounters, and your own urge to talk, write, and buzz about the place. If you want to promote yourself, spread the word on social media, or make new contacts – now’s a positive time. Your sexy, magnetic qualities sparkle brightly, especially while Venus is in Aquarius from 1st – 10th February. Friendship and love make you smile, of course, but can also bring inspiration and unusual opportunities to explore new places and ideas. You may be keen to increase your earnings, or in the mood to gamble. Be uncharacteristically sceptical, and get advice before plunging into any get-rich-quick schemes – particularly in the run-up to the new Moon and solar eclipse on the 15th. Illusions abound from the 10th until the end of February, and while you may delight in the company of a seductive stranger, parting with hard cash could quickly lead to disappointment. Focus instead on nurturing your own wonderful ideas, and keep your sense of humour brightly polished.
CAPRICORN
Much became clear to you in January, when the planets gathered in Capricorn and underlined your sense of purpose and identity. Now there’s a noticeable shift, and a restless atmosphere centred upon the lively solar eclipse on 15th February. It’s focused on your values and finances, and what matters most to you. Home and family are at the top of this list, with changes, developments or important discussions cropping up all month long. Perhaps some radical changes are needed, or you’re wondering about moving home? Others may have surprising news for you, or suggestions that will need careful thought. Conversations become less startling or spiky as the planets begin to gather in shape-shifting Pisces, beginning with lovely Venus on the 10th, followed by Sun and Mercury on the 18th. Each makes a supportive, productive link with your ruler, Saturn – making the second half of February the ideal time for you to say what you feel, or attract what you need. Pleasing news at the beginning of March is the result.
AQUARIUS
At some point this month your thoughts will be drawn back to last summer’s events. What happened, or began, then has a role to play in your present and future decisions. But, just as you can’t hurry love, you really can’t move things along quickly now. Indeed, pushing for others to make decisions or do what you want isn’t really a very good plan. February 15th’s solar eclipse in Aquarius is full of surprises, and these ripple out on either side to fill the month with lively moments. You may have to reconsider an important relationship or association, you may hear about an unlikely opportunity or chance to work in a new location. There’s a carousel in your mind, whirling around and around, sparkling with potential. While you may fear losing out if you don’t grab what’s on offer, you’ll do better to play it cool. The eclipse heralds change, but what’s really going on will take time to emerge. You may not know all the facts until April, or even later. Trust yourself and your instincts – 2018 is a pivotal year for you, and this is just the beginning.
PISCES
What emerges from your dreams is vitally important this February. You’re contemplating the past year, and looking forward to the start of your birthday month when the Sun enters Pisces on the 18th. So why not make time for yourself, and allow your amazing intuition, and those vivid dream images, to guide you? Wise advice and useful information is available, particularly when planets in Pisces connect with sensible Saturn around the 15th, 21st, and 24th of the month. Conversations or research offer wonderful insights, and these can lead you to attract good fortune, love, and admiration in March. All of this will take some will-power though, for feisty Mars is currently energising everything to do with your life direction and hopes for the future. There may be arguments with workmates, or partners who see things very differently from you. Hold tight. Planets in Pisces swoosh to your aid, and you’ll be able to charm the birds from the trees with seductive ease before the end of the month.
Tarot Card of the Day
Temperance
The Temperance card is a reference to the soul. Classically female, the woman or angel on the Temperance card is mixing up a blend of subtle energies for the evolution of the personality. One key to interpreting this card can be found in its title — a play on the process of tempering metals in a forge.
Metals must undergo extremes of temperature, folding, and pounding, but the end product is infinitely superior to impure ore mined from the earth. In this image, the soul volunteers the ego for a cleansing and healing experience, which may turn the personality inside-out, but which brings out the gold hidden within the heart.
Your Weekly Tarot Card
February 5-11: Eight of Pentacles (reversed)
One of the key times to draw upon our reserves of inner strength is when we are feeling a lack of ambition and focus. Especially for creative people, this lack can feel defeating. We must remember that force is still alive inside us; it’s just a matter of reconnecting with it. When our drive is weakened, it might also be worth considering how we got to this low point…
Sometimes we trap ourselves by taking on too much. We become exhausted and need extra time to recharge. This doesn’t mean that our ability to complete projects has permanently expired, and after a time of rest, it might be beneficial to examine work habits and see if a more moderate but steady pace can be implemented. The Eight of Pentacles, at its best, is a card of consistent diligence and effort rather than a situation of burning the candle at both ends.
At other times, our intense desire to succeed can lead to spinning our wheels. We crave the reassurance of recognition but become trapped by doubt that our work is good enough. If this fear is only in the mind, this month’s theme card, Strength, can help us be more reasonable. If we have received constructive criticism from others, now would be a good time to use relevant feedback to make improvements.
We may also become overwhelmed by too many ideas, tasks, or responsibilities, and in the jumble, lose sight of a way to approach any of them. Here’s an exercise to corral all the ideas:
Project planning for the reversed Eight of Pentacles
In many versions of this card, the eight Pentacles are illustrated in an orderly fashion, stacked neatly in rows, as this card shows, or even hung up on display around a workbench with a figure actively finishing another piece. YOU are the figure missing from this scene! These Pentacles represent the work you have accomplished and will continue to accomplish if you are able to keep working steadily.
Map it all out with a simple brainstorming exercise. This quick planning session will help you take stock of your creative work. For each major idea or project, brainstorm all the components (actions, materials, etc.) necessary to make it happen. Include everything you’ve already done, marking those items in a different color. Use this chart to visualize progress and confirm next steps.
Don’t consider yourself to be a “creative” person? Sure you are!! You might not be crafting abstract oil paintings in a studio, but you are crafting your life. Find the art in everything you do, and use it to enhance your existence.
REAL WORLD TIME
The chaos in the outside world could be bringing you two closer together. Is the relationship tension due to the economy as much as it is matters of the heart?
Do you feel caught between the ‘Devil and the Deep Blue Sea?’ This card represents insight and ability to rise above and to surmount obstacles in the way of love. The chains that bind the couple on the Tarot card are loose and symbolic of the ability to slip away if they want to. In this light, they are self-imposed limitations. Break free today if this sounds like your situation.
Your Erotic Tarot Card
The Sun
_____________________________________________
February 5, 2018
The Sun card shows that you may be feeling a little exposed and vulnerable as parts of your sex life are illuminated, but there is also an overwhelming feeling of warmth and positivity. Once you get over those self-conscious feelings, a wave of self-confidence replaces your fears. No one is out of your reach when the Sun is shining down on you. Embrace your power and don’t be afraid to get naked both emotionally and physically!
Your Weekly Influences for the Week of February 5, 2018
Tarot Influence
The Seven of Wands
Courage will bring victory. Success seems certain
Astrological Influence
Capricorn
Capricorn denotes a drive to succeed through a pragmatic approach to life
Element Influence
Earth Reversed
Earth reversed denotes a lack of positive connection with the life spirit–a lost soul. If you are not careful you may miss much of what life has to offer you.
Energy: protective teaching force, the divine plan, Valkyries
Mundane: protection, safety, spirituality
Divinations: Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life, protection; or hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of the divine link, fear.
Governs:
Strengthening of hamingja (personal gravity, ‘luck’) and life force through courageous deeds
Mystical and religious communication with non-human sentient beings
Communication with other worlds, especially Asgard
Protection/defense
Receiving instruction on the magical potential of the runes
Banishing the fear of death
Your Karmic Number for the Week of February 5, 2018
The number 4 means that you are building a strong foundation for your new ventures. Good job! Keep going – build the frame, put up the walls, roof, and seed the yard. It may not be an actual building you are working on, but the structure for your goals is becoming a reality. Taking the time, step by step, means that you have a foundation, protection, and beauty. Use strong people and resources so that you don’t have to rebuild from scratch. In time, you will have a sturdy place to call your own.
The Wisdom of Buddha
The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.
How to watch online this week as 2 newly discovered asteroids – 2018 CB and 2018 CC – sweep closer to Earth than the moon.
When an asteroid flew past at 10 times the moon’s distance on Super Bowl Sunday, generating much interest, I commented to others here at EarthSky on how potentially misleading such stories are. After all, asteroids sweep past Earth all the time. For example, today (February 5, 2018) we hear news of two newly discovered asteroids called 2018 CB and 2018 CC, which will come closer to us than the moon this week. The Super Bowl Sunday asteroid was a relatively large object; these two are likely small, because they’re newly discovered. The Virtual Telescope project has scheduled live, online coverage, to show them to you. More about that below.
Asteroid 2018 CC will be closest to Earth on February 6 at a distance of 0.5 lunar distances (~118,983 miles or 191,485 km). This is the 9th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year, 8th since January 15 and first this month. Its closest point to Earth will be at 20:45 UTC; translate UTC to your time. Its speed (relative to the Earth) of is ~6.5 miles per second (~10.5 km/s).
Asteroid 2018 CB will be closest to Earth on February 9 at a distance of 0.17 lunar-distances (~39,970 miles or 64,327 km). It will be the 10th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since 2018 began. Its closest point to Earth will be at 09:47 UTC; translate UTC to your time. Its speed relative to the Earth is about 5 miles per second (~8 km/s).
Online coverage. The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome will host live events for both asteroids, in partnership with Tenagra Observatories in the U.S. state of Arizona. Click here to go to Virtual Telescope Project.
There will be two live events for 2018 CC:
– From Arizona, the live streaming will start on February 6 2018 at 10:00 UTC.
– From Italy, the live streaming will start on February 6 2018 at 20:00 UTC, covering the closest approach.
There will be one live event for 2018 CB:
– From Italy, the live streaming will start on February 9, 2018 at 20:00 UTC.
Both asteroids were found just days ago by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, and both have been confirmed since then by other observatories.
This article will be updated as new information about these asteroids is obtained; for example, I haven’t yet seen an estimate of their size, but – again – because they were just discovered, it’s likely both are very small.
Bottom line: Information about two newly discovered asteroids – 2018 CB and 2018 CC – both of which will sweep within the moon’s distance to Earth in the second week of February 2018. Plus, how to watch online.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. “Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers,” she says.
The Moon today is in a Waning Gibbous Phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts roughly 7 days with the Moon’s illumination growing smaller each day until the Moon becomes a Last Quarter Moon with a illumination of 50%. The average Moon rise for this phase is between 9am and Midnight depending on the age of the phase. The moon rises later and later each night setting after sunrise in the morning. During this phase the Moon can also be seen in the early morning daylight hours on the western horizon.
PHASE DETAILS FOR – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018
Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 71%
Moon Age: 20.08 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 387,290.70 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,513,619.73 km
Creating order is the focus, not necessarily through tidying or organizing as was the case while the Moon was in Virgo, but rather through pleasing interactions with others and aesthetics in our environment. We tend to solve problems through diplomacy, and we are more able to put aside our own emotions in order to achieve the peace we crave. The tendency now is to avoid direct confrontations. Decisions do not come easily. Seeing both sides to any given situation is the main reason for hesitation. Fear of losing others’ approval is another.
The Moon in Libra generally favors the following activities: Relationship and partnership issues, activities involving teamwork and cooperation, activities that involve self-examination, activities related to beauty.
A Little Humor for Your Day
Till tomorrow, my sweets……
For All Your Magickal Needs, Think Magickal Necessities……
We are working our way back into the real world, but we’re not in too much of a hurry to get there today. The dreamy Pisces Moon invites us to while away the time in contemplation, meditation or fantasy. Nevertheless, we are coaxed into action when the moody Moon trines impatient Mars. Meanwhile, the progressive Aquarius Sun forms a creative alignment with moralistic Jupiter in shrewd Scorpio, encouraging us to put our high ideals to practical use.
Aries Horoscope MAR 21 – APR 19
Self-imposed limitations are fading away now, allowing you to see vistas that were previously hidden. Your optimism may be so strong that walls disappear before your eyes, widening your perspective. However, you may be in for a rude awakening if you slam into something outside of your range of perception. Your positive attitude works in your favor as long as you balance your subjective visions with objective reality. Reaching for the stars is best when you keep your feet planted solidly on the ground.
Taurus Horoscope APR 20 – MAY 20
It’s wonderful that people are so encouraging now, especially because you realize how much they believe in you. It seems as if everyone thinks you can do nearly anything you choose, but you might not always share their confidence. Sometimes, you wish they would take you off your pedestal, so you could exceed their expectations. Although your supporters inspire you to reach further, it would be nice, for once, to simply bask in the glow of accomplishment.
Gemini Horoscope MAY 21 – JUN 20
Your goals may be unrealistic today, but that won’t stop you from dreaming. Fortunately, you’re not required to turn every thought into reality; sometimes it’s healthy to imagine your life unfolding in perfection, according to your most colorful fantasies. The peace of mind you experience when lost in contemplation can increase your effectiveness in the real world. Focus less on arriving at an arbitrary destination than steadily progressing along your chosen path.
Cancer Horoscope JUN 21 – JUL 22
Expressing your gratitude has immediate positive consequences today as people catch your contagious enthusiasm. Choosing joy over doubt is a simple task if you consciously acknowledge the good in your life rather than focusing on the possible problems ahead. But your optimism won’t make the challenges go away. You still must do the work to overcome any negativity you encounter. Nevertheless, dwelling on things that might never come to pass is a waste of precious time. Robert Downey, Jr. said, “I’ve noticed that worrying is like praying for what you don’t want to happen.”
Leo Horoscope JUL 23 – AUG 22
You have a rare opportunity to broaden your horizons, but you may need to concentrate on domestic issues first. Although you’re inclined to fully engage the world and even modify it to conform to your expectations, you can’t effectively reach out now until your home and family life is in order. Social and global change originate within; start small and expand from there. Psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden wrote, “We must become what we wish to teach.”
Virgo Horoscope AUG 23 – SEP 22
You are known for your ability to narrow your focus in order to achieve a higher level of efficiency and perfection when engaged in any activity. However, reality is weaving a complex tapestry of interrelated events now, requiring you to open your mind wider so you can perceive the larger dynamics at work. You may need to confront your own resistance and fight your tendency to limit incoming data. Paradoxically, confusion is your friend because it forces you to let go of your previous assumptions, freeing your mind to see your world in a new light.
Libra Horoscope SEP 23 – OCT 22
Although you might be concerned that you’re not making intelligent use of your time today, productivity is a red herring which can distract you from what’s important now. Investing in your wellbeing is your top priority while the radiant Sun is illuminating joyful Jupiter in your 2nd House of Self-Esteem. Drop your guilt at the door. A Sunday well spent brings a week of contentment. Taking care of yourself is an act of love from which everyone benefits.
Scorpio Horoscope OCT 23 – NOV 21
You’re not one to be easily outwitted, especially if you sense that someone is purposefully trying to deceive you. But other people are not your biggest problem now; you are. You feel as if you’re so close to achieving your dreams that you could talk yourself into taking an unnecessary risk. You have worked very hard to obtain your current position. Don’t jeopardize your gains with an impulsive and likely foolish move made out of desperation. Bruce Lee said, “Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.”
Sagittarius Horoscope NOV 22 – DEC 21
People admire your extroverted nature and adventurous spirit, but your most significant growth now comes from an inner journey that is invisible to everyone else. The Sun is shining its life-affirming rays on expansive Jupiter in your 12th House of Spiritual Mystery. Your subconscious holds the secret keys to your destiny and you are being offered a chance to unlock the door leading to the wisdom you seek. However, there is no map that points the way to this metaphysical treasure. This path is for your footsteps alone.
Capricorn Horoscope DEC 22 – JAN 19
You may be the reluctant leader of your pack now, pushed to the front because no one else wanted the job. You might be called on to coordinate a social outing, even if your heart isn’t in it. Or, perhaps, your family members look to you for guidance on a domestic dispute. Although you naturally take responsibility seriously, you still could grow annoyed that you’re being put in this awkward position. Unfortunately, your feelings are less important today than the role you must play. Peter Drucker wrote, “Never mind your happiness; do your duty.”
Aquarius Horoscope JAN 20 – FEB 18
You can stand up tall and be proud of your life. It doesn’t matter how long the list of accomplishments is, what degrees come after your name, or how far you must still go to manifest your dreams. What counts is that you strive to find a spiritual meaning in your continuing struggle to be a kinder person and an all-around better human being. It means so much when your friends and relatives acknowledge your contribution to the world. Inspirational author Alice Hocker wrote, “Your greatness is not what you have, but in what you give.”
Pisces Horoscope FEB 19 – MAR 20
Your hopes are so firmly pinned to the future that you may struggle remaining in the present moment. The reflective Moon joins wounded Chiron in your compassionate sign today, encouraging you to help others with their pain as a way of ameliorating your own. It’s tempting to put your troubles into perspective by dreaming of a better time yet to come. However, the best strategy for improving your lot in life is as Ram Dass wrote, “Be here now.” Shift your thinking from potential to actual, from there to here, and from someday to immediately.
You are an exceptionally fair person, and others appreciate you for this trait. They know they can count on you to be objective and reasonable. You are charming, talented, and a little moody. Money and security are important to you, and you do appreciate all that is associated with the “good life”, but you are never one to ruthlessly pursue these things if it hurts other people. Inventive and original, you are frequently dreaming up new and creative ideas, most of which can be quite profitable. Famous people born today: Geena Davis, Christian Dior, Benny Hill, Paul Scofield, Telly Savalas, Ethan Allen, Stonewall Jackson, Placido Domingo.
Your Birthday Year Forecast:
With the Sun and Moon in a waxing semi-square at the time of your birthday this year, the period ahead is one of new initiatives and action. You possess quite a bit of energy, but you must be aware that emotions color much of what you do this year. It can be hard to be objective as a result.
This can be a year in which you experience important turning points, or you could begin new projects or goals that have a long-term impact on your life.
You crave and seek more freedom this year, and how you deal with this issue makes all the difference as to the overriding themes of this period of your life. If you recognize your need for changes in key areas of your life and adapt accordingly, this can be an exciting year of discovery. However, if you resist change and insist on keeping things status quo, you are bound to feel very restless, tense, and rebellious. Either way, making healthy changes should be the focus instead of change just for the sake of change. Spontaneity, not impulsiveness, is the key to success this year. Fortunately, you have a lot of cosmic support for this.
You’re particularly charming during this period of your life, and you’re particularly proud of your relationships. It’s a strong year for strengthening your connections with others, both partnerships and friendships.
There can be a stronger tendency toward, or desire for, commitment and deep involvement in your relationships — you’re taking love seriously. There can be a willingness to make sacrifices if it seems the best way to make improvements in relationships and with money matters. You can be quite particular in your taste and good with money and savings.
Mercury forms a sextile with Neptune in your Solar Return, and intuition runs high. You are more sensitive artistically, your imagination is stirred, and you have an increased appreciation for subtleties. You are inspired and could even inspire others with your words. Some of your hunches could be prophetic. You are thinking more creatively, and express yourself with more sensitivity, compassion, and warmth.
There may be a project, idea, or person that demands much of your attention or occupies much of your thoughts. It’s a strong year for any project or studies that require concentrated effort. You are especially resourceful.
You’re expressing and asserting yourself more naturally and confidently this year, which benefits all areas of life. Suppressed anger is more effectively released in creative ways. It is easier than ever to express your individuality in a manner that is true to you.
You can feel as if you’re beginning a new chapter of your life this year as you start fresh on some significant level. Your passions and enthusiasm run high in the period ahead, and you find it natural to channel this extra energy constructively. This is an excellent year for enterprising endeavors and new interests, even if there is also a strong focus on the past. You’re drawn instinctively to certain projects that have long-term value. It can be an especially creative, tuned-in year for self-expression, not only verbally but through hobbies, games, or sports.
2018 is a Number Six year for you. Ruled by Venus. This is a year of relative contentment. It’s a time when love is the easiest to attract, and partnerships formed under this vibration have a better chance for longevity. You are especially able to attract others–and material things as well–this year. This is a good year for establishing harmony in the family and the home. Advice – develop existing relationships, be positive and receptive because these kinds of energies help you to attract what you desire.
2019 will be a Number Seven year for you. Ruled by Neptune. This is a year of preparation, chance, and refinement. It is not a time of dramatic changes. Instead, it’s a year when reflection on the past is helpful, and when refinements to your life path should be made. It’s a good year to study, observe, research, and analyze. Unexpected twists to your life story and “chance” meetings are probable. Advice – take stock of your life in order to prepare for more exciting years to come, examine the past and plan for the future, get in touch with your deepest needs and uncover your personal power, don’t strain yourself or actively try to expand.
The luxury of humming dreamy tunes comes to a crashing crescendo when the Moon blasts into headstrong Aries at 1:26 am EST. It’s time to pay the piper if we drifted too far off course. The Moon’s square to karmic Saturn is a harsh reminder that we get what we deserve. Thankfully, Luna also forms supportive sextiles to the willful Sun and resourceful Venus, paving a path through the rugged landscape that makes it easier for us to find our way home.
Aries Horoscope MAR 21 – APR 19
Sometimes your impatience is so relentless that you go ahead with an action you know will create problems. However, your logic is not the captain of your ship now, and you might not be able to talk yourself into waiting. Although the Moon’s return to impetuous Aries can convince you to take a risk, her square to naysaying Saturn puts a damper on your plans, even before they are off the ground. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Taurus Horoscope APR 20 – MAY 20
You’re ready to slip into stealth mode today because you believe you can be more productive when you don’t have to explain every move you make throughout the day. In fact, your behavior might seem mysterious to those who can’t figure out why you’re not more forthcoming about your specific needs. You’re not trying to complicate anything, nor are you playing hard to get. In your mind, you’re simply willing to try nearly anything to accomplish more with less output of energy.
Gemini Horoscope MAY 21 – JUN 20
Yesterday’s reasons to turn down a social invitation might return as today’s justifications for saying yes. It’s confusing when reality can be perceived so differently in less than twenty-four hours, but the Moon’s shift into spontaneous Aries and your 11th House of Friends reminds you that your relationships are key to your happiness. Of course, you could get by on your own if you must, but it’s more fun if you can share life’s ups and downs with a community of like-minded people.
Cancer Horoscope JUN 21 – JUL 22
You are in the throes of a complex dilemma today as work-related opportunities require your response. Every cell in your body is screaming yes, but circumstances might not allow you to proceed at this time. Fortunately, patience is one of your secret weapons, so focus your energy on where you can be useful now and stop watching the clock. Thankfully, if it becomes a matter of who flinches first, your ability to wait for the right moment gives you the distinct advantage.
Leo Horoscope JUL 23 – AUG 22
You are just as impatient as the other fire signs, but your fixed nature can turn a frustrating situation in your favor now. Once you set your mind to accomplishing a goal, you are relentless in your pursuit until you reach your destination. Although you may run into one stop sign after another today, you’re not likely to become discouraged. You’re a pro at taking it all in stride because you understand that setbacks are not permanent; they are merely resting points on your way to success. Persistence is your ally when times are tough.
Virgo Horoscope AUG 23 – SEP 22
If you are involved in complicated negotiations with your coworkers now, it helps to know what motivates their actions. Luckily, you can see directly into someone’s soul today, enabling you to easily break through their normal defenses. However, you could accumulate bad karma if you use your current skill to gain unfair advantage. Enter every discussion with a clear goal in mind. Be forthright, state your intentions clearly, and don’t deviate from your chosen path. Hidden agendas and behind-the-scenes shenanigans will only come back to haunt you.
Libra Horoscope SEP 23 – OCT 22
You appreciate it when people are direct in their communication because it’s easier to respond when you already know how someone else feels. Nevertheless, you find it unacceptable when anyone comes on so strong that they don’t give you a chance to meet them on equal footing. In fact, you might withdraw from a discussion if the other person is too forceful for your taste. But don’t just disappear without an explanation. If you believe that your boundaries were not respected, make sure to say so in an appropriate manner. No one should mistake your kindness for weakness.
Scorpio Horoscope OCT 23 – NOV 21
Your work-related chores are well defined now, leaving little doubt about what is expected from you. Fortunately, you are confident that you can do your job in a timely manner. The self-willed Aries Moon is marching through your 6th House of Logistics, motivating you to shift into high gear in order to get traction and finish what you start. Once you know your role in the big scheme of things, you can figure out the rest on your own. If someone asks you, “What do you do?” Answer, “Whatever it takes.”
Sagittarius Horoscope NOV 22 – DEC 21
Hiding your optimism is a challenge today, but you don’t want to flaunt your confidence when others appear to be struggling. However, you’re not afraid to climb out on a limb and fully own your positive attitude now. Nevertheless, you still might annoy, or even shock, someone with your cavalier approach. It might seem as if you’re emotionally detached from the outcome of everything in the material world now, but that’s simply not the case. Every step on your journey is just as important as your destination.
Capricorn Horoscope DEC 22 – JAN 19
As competent as you are in the outer world, expanding your skillset in the inner world is a more complicated challenge. But you’re not one to take psychological exploration lightly; you might not even believe that it is your best defense against stress. Nevertheless, your serious nature pushes you into imaginative realms where magic is just as common as cause-and-effect. Khalil Gibran wrote, “Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.”
Aquarius Horoscope JAN 20 – FEB 18
You seem to be a conversation starter today and are unwilling to patiently wait for others to make the first move. You want all the facts you can get now because you believe knowledge is power. Don’t look for a signal that it’s okay to initiate a dialogue. Ask probing questions to start the ball rolling while the courageous Aries Moon is visiting your 3rd House of Information. You don’t need permission to begin when everyone expects you to take the lead.
Pisces Horoscope FEB 19 – MAR 20
You need a fully functioning social network today because the support of your friends can make all the difference in the world. But you can tell that there’s an emotional storm brewing and you want to know all the facts before you jump into a situation and find yourself in over your head. Thankfully, your greatest cosmic resource now is the reflective Moon’s presence in your 2nd House of Possessions, enabling you to accurately inventory what you have — both physical and metaphysical. Take a chance and reveal a secret to someone new. Nothing ventured; nothing gained.
The Strength Tarot card represents nature, which, however wild in its primal form, is tamed by our subtler, finer self — our feminine side, our inner self. The will and passion of our instinctive nature does not need to be broken, but refined and brought to consciousness, so that all levels of creation may come into harmony.
The feminine soul-force contains a persuasive power that can nurture and induce cooperation from others, stilling disruptive energies by harmonizing differences in the spirit of collective good will.
It’s time to start preparing for a new year! For our Tarot overview of 2018, I’ve chosen to read with Major Arcana cards only. This gives us one large idea — a clear theme — for each of the 12 months, that we can then explore in more detail as the year unfolds, using the wisdom of the full Tarot deck. From these 12 cards I’ve drawn for us, the overall theme of 2018 seems to be the shifting relationship with the self. This will be a year of reflecting on our values and how we want to act in the world, with the cards asking us to consider and reconsider who we are as the months progress. This looks to be a year of layers of discovery, each one bringing us closer to personal truths, if we are willing to do the work.
January Tarot Card: The Lovers
Inner harmony as the beginning of a balanced life
Our final spread of 2017 left us with the caring energy of the Queen of Cups and the proactivity of The Magician. As we enter the new year, it is with a stronger sense of self. The Lovers echoes that in its symbolic union of different aspects of our character and achievement of inner harmony. It is just as important to honor and maintain the relationship with the self as it is the relationships we have with others. Personal balance is also what makes us loving and reliable partners.
February Tarot card: Strength
Practicing compassion
Being secure in our identity allows us to approach the world with compassion and understanding instead of fear and aggression. Inner strength is often a more helpful resource for navigating the world than brute force. Our ability to apply this type of influence will be either needed or enhanced this month. We must pay close attention in interactions with others and confront our own negative internal dialogue should it attempt to instill self-doubt.
A hidden aspect of the past is revealed and is something that lets you tear down a wall that keeps you boxed in. What old memory fogs the mind and your emotions today? Let it go because it is to do easy now. The freedom turns into courageously liberated, wise, and realistic energy. If single, it eases a focus on desired outcomes. That allows someone to feel free to express warmth without pressure, and they will.
Your Erotic Card of the Day
The Star
The Star card shows that your sexual energy is burning bright, and the future looks extremely promising. There may be a few obstacles in the way of getting what you want, but you’re very confident in your sexual prowess so you welcome a little healthy competition. You’re determined to pursue a sexual conquest and make them yours, and the Star predicts that you have all the right moves to accomplish your lustful goals. Your ego actually works more in your favor than against your goals today.
Your Rune for Today
Nauthiz
“Not-this” – Literally: “Need-fire” or “Necessity” – Esoteric: Constraint, Friction
Key Concepts: Need, resistance, constraint, conflict, drama, effort, necessity, urgency, hard work, need-fire, life lessons, creative friction, distress, force of growth, the consequence of past action, short term pain for long term gain
Psi: resistance, need, effort
Energy: necessity, coming forth into being, urgency
Mundane: doing what must be done, chores, hard work
Divinations: Resistance (leading to strength), recognition of örlög (ultimate law, primal truth), innovation, need-fire (self-reliance), personal development and life lessons, achievement through effort; or constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity, warnings, worry, guilt, moral cowardice, unfulfilled or unrecognized needs.
Governs:
Overcoming distress or negative örlög
Acceptance of the unchangeable
Development of magical will, the manipulation of wyrd
Understanding the dynamic force of “resistance” in the process of creating
The generation of creative energy for problem solving
Protection of one’s own needs
Recognition of personal need
Love magic; especially to obtain a lover
Your Weekly Influences for January 21st
Tarot Influence
Queen of Swords
Often mournful from loss or infertility. Quick witted, gracious and kind but firm
Astrological Influence
Taurus Reversed
Taurus reversed represents unwarranted stubborness and impulsiveness.
Element Influence
Fire
Fire denotes the unleashing of raw energy and change. The status quo may be about to crumble, but will be replaced something better. Fire also provides light to those in the dark and warmth for a cold body and spirit.
Your Ancient Symbol Card for Today
The Dove
Throughout history the Dove has symbolized peace and innocence in nearly all cultures. Dove’s soft cooing and gentle nature bring a calmness to any situation. The Dove appears where peace has been attained or there is a need to bring events to a peaceful ending. It denotes a time to let lose of grievances and settle conflicts in a way that benefits all parties equally.
As a daily card, Dove suggests the need to put an end to conflict in your present life. The conflict may be yours or may be that of people close to you. Regardless of the parties involved, you have been called upon to bring the discord to an impartial end.
Your Mah Jong Tile for the Month of January
Bamboo 5
Symbol: Lotus Flower
The Lotus Flower tile represents birth or rebirth. On a spiritual level it may indicate you are about to reach new heights in your understanding of your place in the cosmos. Physically it may suggest a child is coming, or a new project is about to emerge. The Lotus Flower tile also speaks of regeneration, and may indicate a time of recovery from hardship—a new beginning.
Your Karmic Number for January 21st
You handle yourself with decorum when faced with adversity. Buddha would consider you equanimous right now, having received this number 11. You may have even been a spiritual leader in a past life. People will turn to you during a catastrophe or for guidance about their hectic lives. The guru role suits you. If you are already a counselor of some kind, rest assured that you are helping people even if you can’t see the results yet. Whatever tools you share are being taken seriously. If you feel some agitation, step back and breathe to regain your composure. In a small way, you are saving the world. No pressure!
The Wisdom of Buddha
He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes
Earth Sky News for January 21st: Star-hop from Orion to Planet 9
Above image of Planet 9’s path via WikipediaTonight, let the constellation Orion the Hunter show you the approximate position of the hypothetical Planet 9 in the starry sky. As of now, nobody has yet seen this hypothetical solar system planet, which, if it exists, is large and very distant. But – still, hypothetically speaking – there are reasons to believe it does exist, and so … the hunt is on.
The astronomer Scott S. Sheppard has said he guesses this planet might shine somewhere between 23rd and 25th magnitude, making this world about 6 to 40 million times fainter than the faintest celestial object visible to the unaided eye. Still, it’s fun to imagine the place in the sky where astronomers are searching for Planet 9. This is the place they think it’s most likely to be.
The sky chart at the top of this post shows that location. The chart, which is via Wikipedia, shows Planet 9‘s possible path across our sky, in front of the backdrop stars, from the years 1000 to 3000 AD.
Although this world, if it exits, is way beyond the range of our backyard telescopes, we can still star-hop from the constellation Orion to Planet 9’s possible location in the starry sky.
From around the world at this time of year, the constellation Orion climbs highest up for the night around mid-evening (9 to 10 p.m.) local time. From temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, Orion appears in the southern sky at mid-evening. From the equator, Orion appears high overhead, and from temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere, an “upside-down” Orion shines in the northern sky.
Some of you may know how to star-hop from Orion’s Belt to Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the Bull. If not, refer to the sky chart below. Once you’ve found Aldebaran, you’ve pretty much found the proposed location of Planet 9, which – again, if it exists, and if astronomers are right about its location in our solar system – lodges pretty much directly east of Orion’s Belt and directly south of the star Aldebaran.
Caltech astronomers first announced a hypothetical Planet 9 on January 20, 2016. What they called “solid theoretical evidence” exists for a giant planet – a 9th major planet in the outer solar system – moving in what they called a “bizarre, highly elongated orbit.” They nicknamed it Planet 9 then, and they said hoped other astronomers would search for it.
If it exists, the planet has a mass about 10 times that of Earth and orbits about 20 times farther from the sun on average than Neptune, which is currently the 8th major planet and which orbits the sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion km).
The astronomers say it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the sun.
Bottom line: Astronomers are searching for a hypothetical Planet 9 in the starry sky. You can use the constellation Orion to show you approximately where they’re looking.
Bruce McClure has served as lead writer for EarthSky’s popular Tonight pages since 2004. He’s a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also writes and hosts public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York.
In the 1980’s it was fashionable to be interested in the New Age. This is now a dreadful faux pas within the alternative scene, and in order to be accepted in the 1990’s metaphysical social set, one must have an interest in Witchcraft or Paganism. Of course, you don’t have to actually belong to a coven in order to be thought of as a Witch, you can bluff your way into being accepted as a fully fledged Witch simply by knowing a few terms and dressing accordingly. This brings us to…
Rule # 1: Image is Everything. After all, what’s the good of being a Witch if nobody knows you are one? You must therefore wear black at all times. If possible, stay out of the sun until you become really pale, as this makes the effect even better. For women (and adventurous males) dark eyeliner and black nail polish can enhance this look. Also wear crystals and cheap occult paraphernalia at all times, and make sure that these are as gaudy and bizarre as possible, as this can only help your image. Wearing a pentacle around your neck is an absolutely necessary accessory – the bigger the better! Capes and cloaks are optional around town – it depends on how much of a visual impact you want to make, but either of these are also crucial apparel at any ritual or gathering that you may attend.
Rule # 2: Name Dropping is Good. Every serious student of The Craft (and I’m talking here about the term for Witchcraft, not macrame) knows the name Gerald Gardner. This man revitalised Witchcraft in the mid 1900’s with his book about the true history of The Old Religion (some have called this book pure fiction, but only those picky few who like books to be based on facts). Real Witches however, never let historical accuracy get in the way of their spiritual path, so in conversations with other witches, quote his name as often as possible (in tones of awe) and you will always be rewarded with smiles of acceptance.
Rule # 3: Past Life Name Dropping is Even Better. Tell everyone about the past life memories that have been surfacing since you began studying the Black Arts. It is especially useful to remember a past lifetime as a Witch who was killed during the Inquisition, or at least recall a lifetime as a famous occultist. My past lives have included Aleister Crowley, Cagliostro, Mandrake the Magician, and most of the cast of “Bewitched”.
Rule # 4: Behave Strangely. Never forget why it was that you wanted to become a Witch – yes, so that you have an excuse for strange behaviour. Previously labelled eccentric behaviour patterns can now be accepted by others if they have a reason to explain it, even if that reason for howling at full moons while naked is simply, “He/she is a Witch, that’s normal for them evidently.” So, don’t let your friends down, behave strangely, you can get away with it now.
Rule # 5: Watch Occult Movies. Make sure that you watch the movie “Warlock” lots of times to perfect those soft landings after over-indulging with the flying ointments (read as mead and weed).
Rule # 6: Ready Yourself for Sex, Money and Power. Wasn’t this the other reason you were drawn to Witchcraft? In the past, adepts of the occult were known to possess charismatic, lusty and powerful personas – when people find out that you are a Witch, they may automatically assume (and therefore empower you) with these same qualities. This may sound pretty good, but unfortunately in today’s world, another group of people have become even more established within the realms of kinky sex sessions and unlimited power – yes, the politicians! Beware of this elitist group of power-brokers… they don’t want any competition to their manipulative monopoly over the gullible public – hence the laws against Witchcraft and divination that have remained unchanged for centuries. So, if calling yourself a High Priest doesn’t lead you to unlimited sex, money and power – or if it does, but you then find yourself as the target of political and legal harassment – you may have to put aside your cloak and broomstick and pick up a pin-stripe suit and a back-bench in Parliament. If you can’t beat them, try bribery, then if that doesn’t work… join them!
Rule # 7: Atmosphere is Essential. Your home must reflect your Witchy nature. Incense must burn continuously. It’s important that visitors see clouds of incense smoke billowing from a spluttering censer in the corner of your dim, dank and dusty home, so dismantle the smoke detectors and start collecting strange little bottles of exotic looking ingredients (use your imagination and label them with names like powdered bat’s eyes, or dried dragon’s gonads). And if you don’t like housework, you can explain that the layer of dust that covers your floors and furniture helps to neutralise the highly charged psychic energy that results from your magical spells, thereby protecting your home and possessions from electromagnetic disintegration.
Rule # 8: Be Patronising to Christians. In social discussions don’t forget to make plenty of derogatory remarks about fundamentalist Christians, but remember to save your most biting comments for other Witches that you don’t get along with.
Rule # 9: Brag About Your Psychic Powers. Any self-respecting Witch will tell you that after their initiation to Witchcraft, their psychic powers awakened and their tarot cards (which they always carry with them) are now much easier to read (they now get something right once in a while). They will also tell you that they can now sense energy fields (in other words, they don’t bump into things as often as they used to). Follow this example and brag about the rapid development of your psychic abilities since your initiation. If asked about your initiation ceremony, simply state that you were sworn to secrecy about it, then quickly change the subject by mentioning your newly awakened ability to detect Ley-lines, but try to remember that a Ley-line is not a queue for the after-ritual orgy!
Now you know how to pass yourself off as a real Witch, so place that broomstick in a conspicuous corner (one that is not clouded by too much incense smoke); pull on those black clothes; give everyone that you meet a sinister look – and your social status will improve overnight. If you do all of this successfully, you may even find yourself with enough adoring acolytes so that you can start your own coven! Good luck and Blessed Be!
You must be logged in to post a comment.