Inspiredastrology Weblog

Steamy. Sexy. Hot and bothered. That’s Venus on top of Pluto.

Innuendos? You bet!

But when Venus and Pluto get together, and on the last degree of Sagittarius, which is where Pluto will until almost midnight (1/25/08), we are finally ready to let go of heavy relationship issues– the kind that keep you separated from true intimacy. The hidden issues, the kind you never speak about, the secret sensitivities that lurk deep inside and still rule your life, even if you consciously don’t think so. And while Venus is conjunct Pluto, your relationship issues may not be obvious. But if you’re “lucky”, or willing to be wise, the last degree of Sagittarius just might have a gift for you….

It’s almost time to get to work! If you want it, make it real. Be honest. Fantasies won’t work long-term. And right now, you can re-define your relationship to relationship. Step by step.

Step 1 — other people are NOT you. Having some healthy curiosity about The Other can make EVERY relationship more fun and less need-based. YOU have gifts to bring to every relationship. What are they? Don’t repress them by only looking for what YOU can GET. That makes it harder to actually receive anything, because you’re always looking for what more you can get, never really digesting what you’re getting, never looking for what you can give.

If you can’t give, you probably have a hard time accepting, because that puts you in a vulnerable position. You’ve already admitted you’re interested, and now it’s either a shared feeling or an opportunity for a power play. Who’s more interested, who’s in the better position, who’s the alphadog.

Conflicts will come up in any relationship, but if you see conflict as an opportunity to assert your power OVER, you miss out on an opportunity to turn a misunderstanding into a deeper understanding.

This is the wisdom of the last degree of Sagittarius.

in Love&Light,
Lauren

ArtCharts] Inspired Astrology Newsletter

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[ArtCharts] Inspired Astrology Newsletter: New Moon edition: feel better NOW!

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New Moon: Sunday, December 9 @ 12:40 pm est
The Sun and Moon are conjunct in Sagittarius [17 Sagittarius 16]

Feel better now!

The New Moon in Sagittarius occurs every year when the Sun and Moon conjunct in Sagittarius. This is the yearly time of renewed optimism and spiritual seeking. Jupiter rules Sagittarius. And with ruler Jupiter conjunct Pluto, it’s time for a soul journey that lifts your spirit with penetrating depth. It’s time to be inspired by what is most profound; to purify and regenerate.

This isn’t just another New Moon. The ruler Jupiter conjunct Pluto tells us this is a major shift in perspective and understanding. This is a time to see the world from the perspective of your higher self. Instead of finding little things to criticize (which lowers your vibration), elevate the mood. Give your spirit the space it needs to soar. Let yourself feel forgiveness, appreciation, and gratitude, and let those feelings extend to generosity; allow everyone to achieve and feel their best. As Jupiter and Pluto conjunct at the New Moon, you can do it!

In Sagittarius, you naturally find the best in everything and everyone. Profound spiritual progress can be made using humor. It’s not as silly as it sounds. Recent research has shown that laughter actually makes chemical changes in our bodies, starting with our energetic body. Laughter is a signal to our immune system that all is well. And our bodies respond INSTANTLY. What if it’s not so much what you’re doing but how you FEEL? What if it’s not about judging but about feeling better? Gathering with friends and family, traveling, reading, and education can help to elevate your spirit.

Going to parties and gatherings can make you feel good, and that’s the point. To feel better. And not just for a few minutes or hours. Sharing good cheer and inspiration can change your mood and improve your health, as well as help you to attract abundance. Abundance doesn’t have to be in the form of money. It can be. But abundance can be whatever YOU feel is abundance. And the best part about having abundance– it gives you more to share. And that creates more abundance. This New Moon can be the start of a new cycle of abundance. And all you need to start it is to feel good. That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, or giddy. Just find the next thought that makes you feel better instead of worse. And then the next, and on it goes. If you start to feel discouraged, think of anything or anyone that makes you happy. Let your body feel that happiness and watch how much better you start to feel.

This Sagittarius New Moon can uncover a revelation that can give you a powerful AHA! moment that can change your life. Maybe not today. But in the future and for many years to come.

The role of Saturn-Uranus
As the Sun and Moon conjunct, forming the New Moon, they are at the focal point of a T-Square that includes Saturn and Uranus. This means they square Uranus in one direction and Saturn in the other (see the latest blog post: Mercury-Saturn-Uranus: doing the SQUARE dance). And Mercury, approaching a conjunction to the Sun (Monday, December 17), is also part of the T-Square. Besides making the weather an issue that can effect travel this holiday season, the T-square can also stimulate your personal interest in whatever subjects you enjoy and make you more of an independent thinker. But how do you communicate your original or unusual ideas? Do you feel defensive and become rebellious when others aren’t up to speed? Do you trip over your racing thoughts, act too impulsively, and scatter your energy?

The Sun/Moon is also the midpoint of Saturn/Uranus (moving from Saturn to Uranus): how do you balance idealism with realism? Although you may be excited about future possibilities, not everyone will be in agreement and there could be controversy about new or revolutionary ideas, and some thinking can seem extremist. Conflict can be distracting and nerve-wracking enough to make you feel on edge. The opposition of Saturn and Uranus will be a defining theme of 2008.

On November 4, 2008 (at 8:21 am est), Election Day in the USA, Saturn and Uranus will exactly oppose. What happens the week before and after this Sagittarius New Moon can set the stage for the results of Election day. The Saturn-Uranus opposition shows that WILL is in conflict with REASON. Some of us would rather defy than change, while on the other extreme, others would rather CHANGE than be realistic. The goal is to create balanced, meaningful change based on real needs. We are likely to see a large split between those who want to hold on to the status quo and those who want change. Reform or conform is the question we may all need to ask ourselves in 2008. The challenge is to put facts before impulse. If you are clear within yourself, you can extend that to others. If you are filled with quickly changing impulses and uncertain about taking a chance, you can spread nervous energy, which can make it harder to feel free and peaceful within yourself.

The Quantum Grid
This is a time of dramatic, positive growth. It represents a major paradigm shift into a quantum world. With unified wave theory, we not only realize, we have scientific PROOF that we are all connected by energy grids, within our bodies, to each other, to planet Earth, and to the solar system and beyond. It’s what Stephen Hawking calls “the mind of God.” This is not dependent on how close you are. Just like we are living farther apart and connecting more easily, distance may not be as far as previously believed. I’m not a physicist (although I was a copyeditor for the American Institute of Physics), but there are many books and authors putting out ideas that prove that we are connected through our awareness. We CAN tune in and tune up.

More about Jupiter-Pluto: because it’s all about expansion
Jupiter conjuncts Pluto: December 11 @ 2:26 pm est
December has been billed (by astrologers I’ve read) as a culmination time. Yet, it is actually a time of new beginnings. All conjunctions are beginnings of new cycles. Like the New Moon, which happens when the Sun and Moon are in the same degree of the zodiac and starts a new cycle, the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction represents the beginning of a new cycle.

Jupiter is the storyteller of the zodiac. As Jupiter and Pluto conjunct, the underlying power of your stories can become obvious. What stories do you tell? Do you tell the truth, to yourself, to others? This conjunction can help you see how deeply those stories effect you as they color your beliefs and your potential.

The last time Jupiter and Pluto were conjunct on the Galactic Center (discovered in the 1960s) was in 1758. This Jupiter-Pluto conjunction is a major shift in perception. Our mass consciousness (represented by Pluto) is walking through a new doorway and will never be the same again. Yet, true to Pluto, this may not be the kind of growth or transformation that is immediately visible. Pluto hides, keeps secrets, and buries. Pluto composts, disintegrating what is used and transforming it into new life. Ultimately, Pluto is renewal; the phoenix rising from its ashes. But in true Jupiter style, this happens in the future. And meanwhile, whatever is being rebuilt may not be immediately obvious. This is a shift in belief systems and philosophy, and although it may be obvious to future-seekers, it may not manifest until Pluto, Jupiter, and the Sun enter Capricorn, the ultimate manifester. This promises to be a landmark Winter Solstice.

Historic and future tidbits
When Jupiter and Pluto made their last conjunction in 1758, the leaders of the coming revolutions in the US and France were being born, but the actual revolutions did not happen for another 18+ years. Major worldwide change was literally in its infancy. In 1758, neither Pluto nor the Galactic Center had been discovered, so this is the first Jupiter-Pluto conjunction ON the Galactic Center occurring WITH our awareness.

Each Jupiter-Pluto conjunction is in the subsequent sign. In recent history, there was a Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in late Leo in 1955-56. The next conjunction was in Virgo in 1968, then Libra in 1981, then Scorpio in 1994, now Sagittarius. The next Jupiter-Pluto conjunction is in Capricorn in 2020 and then Aquarius in 2045.

And because nothing is ever perfect or complete, there’s more (almost) daily on the ArtCharts AstroBlog

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Next [Artcharts] Newsletter: Winter Solstice
Full Moon & Winter Solstice

[Special Edition Newsletter] 2008: a year of new beginnings

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SECTION 2. Using Astrology for Your Greatest Benefit
The conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto at the Galactic Center, along with the New Moon in nature-loving Sagittarius and Mercury in Sagittarius is a wake-up call to take care of our planet. Jupiter and Sagittarius in the horoscope represent nature and the great outdoors, mountaintops, eagles, and places that inspire awe. Sagittarius reminds us that we need to preserve the great diversity of wildlife and foliage that is threatened with extinction and bring them back from the brink. Mercury reminds us that we need to speak and write about our environment so that we educate and inform ourselves and each other. Each of us has a role we can play. And when we find it and work together, we can be powerful (always the intention of Pluto).

The Green Report gives you a chart reading that relates your inner nature to how you can best work with “outer” nature to heal and protect planet Earth. What plants and animals do you resonate with? How can you apply your natural talents to help maintain and preserve nature in your environment?

The Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Sagittarius gives hope for healing the environment. But we all need to do our part. If you have ideas for protecting a species, recycling, or avoiding disaster, it’s time to speak out. Joining with others (Pluto rules toxins and mass movements) could change the future direction of the planet. Even if you just start recycling now, you will have a positive impact on the planet.

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I greatly appreciate your purchases The exchange of energy keeps artcharts (me) online. Thank you all for being here!

in Love&Light,
Lauren

Here’s the basic scenario.

Major Aspect Time Line:
Mars sextile Saturn on October 8, 2007 (before the Mars Rx station)
Mars stationed Retrograde on November 15, 2007
Mars sextile Saturn (while Mars is Rx and Saturn is Direct) on December 8, 2007
Jupiter conjuncts Pluto on December 11, 2007
Jupiter enters Capricorn on December 18, 2007
North Node enters Aquarius on December 18, 2007
Saturn stations Retrograde on December 19, 2007
Mars enters Gemini on December 24, 2007
Mars opposes Jupiter on December , 2007
Mars opposes Pluto on January 2, 2008
Pluto enters Capricorn on January 25, 2008
Mars stations Direct on January 30, 2008

Mars is Retrograde in Cancer. During Retrograde stations, the Retrograde planet APPEARS, from the Earth, to be moving backwards. From the Sun’s perspective, all planets are always moving in one direction. But because the Earth is also in motion, the other planets appear to stop and start, depending how close or far they are from the Earth. So Mars is seeming to move backwards through Cancer. When Mars arrives at 0 degrees Cancer it will continue moving backwards and enter Gemini. But at the end of Gemini, 29 degrees 59 minutes. Mars will continue to move backwards into Gemini until it gets to 24 Gemini on January 30, 2008. Then it will appear to stand still for a few days until it starts slowly moving forward again.

The Sun doesn’t retrograde, yet the effect at the solstices is similar to a retrograde. As the Sun gets to its highest Northern declination, which is 23 degrees 26 minutes, or the Tropic of Cancer, it seems to sit there for ~ 12 days, which is the 12 days of Christmas, or the Solstice period. The same things happen at the beginning of Summer.

Mars Retrograde can be frustrating. Just when you’re SURE you can make quick progress, things slow down and may even come to a halt. Nothing is moving. But you HAVE to hurry and get there NOW!

You could “blame it on the holidays”. At this time of the year, there is more to do, more to plan, more to shop, more to clean, more to cook, more more more more more and that makes many of us NERVOUS because our minds are constantly racing to the future.

THIS holiday season features Mars Retrograde, Jupiter conjunct Pluto, both Jupiter and Pluto changing signs and moving from Sagittarius into Capricorn, Mars oppose Sun, Jupiter, and Pluto; that’s a lot of intense interaction. If you’re looking for the type-o’s or the wholes in the argument so you can refute it and be right, you may be missing the BIG picture and this is a very good time to look at the big picture.

Why?

Because the BIG picture will show you that you have a choice. And that choice can seem more vivid and clear in December.

You can let the planets rule you and react emotionally. Or– you can let Mars Retrograde teach you how to rise above your usual automatic reactions and live from your heart. The more consciously you can control you RESPONSES, the less of an effect negative emotions will have on you. The person with the worst behavior is the person in the most need. They may not let you get close enough to help them, but that’s because they are in so much pain they have disconnected from their heart.

Do you feel emotionally supported? Do you support others emotionally? When Mars is Retrograde in Cancer we may not feel the support that is all around us. And that lack can make us feel needy instead of strong.

Where do you live from? Your ego or your heart? If you live from your ego, you see YOU against THEM and respond in “kind”, which may not really be all that kind.

The people who are the most offensive and attack most readily are the ones who are the most defensive. And why is this such an issue now? Well,

If you read previous posts on Mars Retrograde, you’ll already know that this Mars Retrograde can get personal and physical.

Mars Retrograde in Moon-ruled Cancer can demonstrate how closely your thoughts are connected to your health. And this can realization give you an opportunity to detect any imbalance that exists in the energetic, or spiritual realm– BEFORE it manifests physical symptoms. The Moon and Cancer represent our physical bodies. And Mars Retrograde makes Mars, or hot, aggressive energy, more of a wild card. Actions just “come out of us” seemingly from NOWHERE, but really from our subconscious.

If you don’t know how to access your subconscious, this Mars Retrograde will provide opportunities to see it in action.

Astrologers will warn you and tell you not to do this or that during a Mars Retrograde. Which can make you want to try it out. But the point isn’t not to do what you feel you must. It’s to know how energy will be flowing so you CAN go with the flow, and not always struggle against it, which creates… more struggling. Mars Retrograde asks us to slow down.

Astronomically, Mars Retrograde means Mars is getting closer to the Earth, which makes its effects more localized as well. [Mars will be closest to the Earth when it opposes the Sun on December 24.] We FEEL Mars energy and if we react before we think, we can overreact, move too fast, and go the wrong way. Backwards.

But we all do it, so Mars Retrograde is the time to take care of your emotions. What’s your pattern of reaction? What makes you react, or overreact? Look at it, again.

Cancer is a WATER sign, so that a clue on how to use this part of Mars Retrograde for your benefit. How can you use WATER to heal? Take baths, drink more water. Do not let ourself get dehydrated or it could effect your mood and your health. Water is essential for calming and balance, even more so now.

The journey of Mars
This Mars Retrograde, like all others, starts right after Mars trines the Sun and ends right before Mars trines the Sun, again. The midpoint of the Retrograde is when Mars opposes the Sun, on December 24, 2007. At the Mars-Sun opposition, Mars is closest to the Earth.

The aspects that Mars makes, right before and during the Retrograde, help us to understand the message of this Retrograde period.

Mars, traveling backwards or Retrograde through the zodiac, will oppose the Sun on December 24 and the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction from December 26 (Mars opposes Jupiter) through January 2 (Mars opposes Pluto). 2008 promises to be a year CHARGED with TENSION. And the more we are attached to our ego’s need to be right— so we can seemingly hold onto power— the more this Retrograde period will have a negative effect on you. And if you can’t see it on an energy level, it can be physical– just so you pay attention.

Perhaps you are experiencing physical problems because you need to FEEL your body again. Do you MOVE? As you move, movement can work through energy blocks.

Instead of paying attention to our higher Self, we get caught up in the negative flow, thinking that is what we “have to” do to survive. But when we disregard our own creative power, it makes us easy victims for more negativity. The opposition of Mars to Sun-Jupiter-Pluto at this holiday season can make any underlying tension and conflict more obvious. If you need your family, friends, and neighbors to be always happy with everything you think and do, you can get caught up in chasing their approval and lose sight of your own creative power. And projecting resentment onto others is not going to make you more powerful, although it can make your creativity harder to reach. You’re not paying attention to your creativity or intuition, you keep making it harder to hear your own inner voice or guidance system.

And if you DON’T give yourself the right to STAND in your own creative power, you run the risk of manipulating others to give you the approval to own your own power. You’re asking others to let you love yourself. And they can never really do that. So you resent them and don’t do anything. Yet, doing it for yourself gives YOU your own power. It doesn’t take power away from others, although manipulating does.

And because life is a work in progress, there’s more to come….

in Love&Light,
Lauren

ps, if you benefit from the articles on this blog, please let me know by buying my absolute favorite gift - an Amazon gift certificate. My email is lauren@artcharts.com Click Here! Thanks

On November 6, Venus squares Pluto. And today, November 5, the Moon conjuncts Venus and squares Pluto and becomes the Balsamic Moon. Including the Moon in this square can have the effect of making it very PERSONAL. It may seem like a justified quick-fix, but does reacting to negativity really make you feel better?

Venus is in Virgo (27 Virgo as) and Pluto is at 27 Sagittarius 12. Astrology gives squares a bad image, and if you are reading a horoscope literally, squares show a stop or delay. But squares don’t stop there! They show where we feel CALLED to action, where we can’t just sit back and do nothing, where we feel we must act, regardless if we are successful or not.

This is Venus square Pluto from Advanced Forecast:
Hidden passions, fears, jealousies, longings, desires, or needs surface in you now and can stir up trouble in your closest relationships. You are prone to be compulsive or demanding in a close relationship, to be emotionally driven and to force things to a head in some emotionally-laden situation. Positively, a relationship can be deepened and reborn now, given new life by your willingness to reveal yourself completely to your loved one.

This is the interpretation of Venus squares Pluto from The Love Forecast:
A disharmonious aspect of transiting Venus to Pluto brings an increase of your sensuous vital energies. This means that your affections will be accentuated during the time of this astrological aspect. An increase of your personal energy level in principle is of neutral character, that is to say, neither harmonious nor disharmonious, since this depends a great deal on your will. A disharmonious astrological aspect, without a doubt, could incline you to express that energy in an unbalanced way or against your natural character. That is to say, your affectionate energy could have psychological manifestations of a disharmonious character, such as jealousy, excessive attachment to your loved one, or trying to impose your whims on your mate by more or less subtle methods. It is advisable to become aware of this and to control certain instinctive tendencies that now could emerge. Remember that happiness in your relationship, the integration with your loved one, and your personal accomplishment depends a great deal on the respect you have for yourself and each other. Avoid capricious, disrespectful or out of place reactions, and try to amend this kind of conduct and extreme attitudes, always cultivating a moderate and balanced behavior.

Desire is an innate and natural inclination in human beings and, if it is accompanied by emotions and higher thoughts, constitutes the basis for greater happiness and personal development. It is important that the desire always will be an instrument of the personality, and not the other way around, since in this case sooner or later dissatisfaction is produced. Thus, if you allow yourself to be controlled by the instinct of pleasure, you won’t have the ability to relax, to enjoy yourself and expand the relationship with your mate. Rather, a vacuum sensation exists upon channeling personal sensuous energies only toward physical pleasure.

You have to learn to relax, to take your time, and to give your sensuous appetites a creative impulse, which neither more nor less is the basis of total sexuality.

And this is Venus squares Pluto from The SkyLog Forecast:
When Venus gets hooked up with Pluto, the progress of love (Venus) depends utterly upon the profundity of your psychological understanding (Pluto). A season of secrets revealed is upon you, and not all of them are pleasant. At a time such as this, your optimal path lies in the direction of facing squarely the lacerations and abrasions of your own personal history and those of one about whom you care very much. Most challengingly, you need to make a mammoth effort to keep the two clearly separated.

Special to the searcher for Mercury on Pluto. Mercury is in Libra (through November 11) and therefore sextile Pluto in Sagittarius (60 degrees of separation). Mercury is moving very slowly (because it just stationed Direct and is barely moving forward yet) and approaching a sextile to Pluto on November 11.

From the Io Transit Forecast:
Transit MERCURY sextile natal Pluto

Watch for information and ideas related to self-control and willpower. They represent opportunities that may lead to improvement in mental health and physical fitness, an enhancement of organizational skills and effectiveness at work or at home, and help you attain greater levels of self-discipline. Such opportunities may not come automatically or appear in an obvious way, so you may have to go out and actively seek information or methods that will help you attain greater personal power. It may be in this very search that the opportunity you are looking for is to be found.

in Love&Light,
Lauren

ps, if you benefit from the articles on this blog, let me know by buying my absolute favorite gift - an Amazon gift certificate. My email is lauren@artcharts.com Click Here! Thanks

On this Sun-Saturn conjunction in Leo, you can feel responsible and strong, serious and professional.

Are you working towards a goal? Are you succeeding? If not, why not? This is a good time to get clear about goals. (Saturn will enter Virgo September 2)

When you encounter obstacles to goals it can mean: 1- you need to change your goal, or 2- you need to improve your skills and find more creative ways to overcome blocks and start generating strength and success, even if you’re not making big $, yet.

Get clear about your goal. Is it your goal, or is it something you think you “should” be doing. Should doesn’t give you much energy or inspiration and makes everything more difficult and complicated to achieve.

Write it down. That makes it clear, which makes it more likely to become real.

If you are truly on the wrong path, be open to finding a better solution. There is more than one way to reach a goal. If you are a panic about not fulfilling a goal, remember that being overwhelmed does not help your creative problem-solving ability.

If doors continue to close, take a break. Do something for YOU. Take a walk, do something that inspires you, ask the right people for support or assistance. Wait until something in your best interests presents itself, and it will– if you are open to it!

You have the power you need to create the life you want. Saturn is also trine Pluto, the aspect that saved the day for the financial markets last week. This is ultimate power and we each have it— IF we think we do!

in Love&Light,
Lauren

ps. I love giving and I am open to receiving! If you benefit from the free articles on this blog, let me know by buying my absolute favorite gift - an Amazon gift certificate. My email is lauren@artcharts.com Click Here! thanks