Inspiredastrology Weblog

[Saturn stations Direct on May 2, 2008]
[Jupiter stations Retrograde on May 9, 2008]

The 2 planets that symbolize society– beyond our immediate family or neighborhood –are Jupiter and Saturn. They occupy the part of the solar system that is still visible, yet beyond the Earth. They are beyond the asteroid belt and before the outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto that represent our collective consciousness in astrology.

Together, Jupiter and Saturn represent society, the culture we all live in. Jupiter represents our enthusiasm for expansion, while Saturn represents constriction and discipline. Their interaction shows the influences we experience as a society.

Both planets have a central role in our lives. Jupiter helps us expand and grow, while Saturn says just how much and how fast.

Both planets are stationing (changing direction) in one week. Saturn made its Direct station on May 2. As Jupiter stations Retrograde (May 9), first there’s a rush of excitement (as Jupiter trines the Sun), then there’s a curb of enthusiasm. This can feel like the “fall to Earth.” Our expansion drives may have gone too far, for now, and Saturn Direct can help us align with whatever needs to be done so we can do it, step by step, even if that seems slow and boring to our higher self.

As a society, our direction can seem unclear. Looking back at all US Elections since 1840, the Democrats are represented by Saturn; the Republicans by Jupiter. How will this planetary seesaw effect the political landscape of the next 4 1/2 months?

Saturn stationing Direct doesn’t mean the Democrats will decide their nominee immediately. It will happen slowly and it will be something many people will be watching very closely. As Saturn starts moving forward, it barely moves for the first month, staying at the same degree Virgo until May 23.

Jupiter Retrograde can find people wishing for a return of the “good ol’ days”, ya’ know, back when you could afford gas and housing. Meanwhile, the political situation seems to be going nowhere fast as these two planetary giants switch motion within a week of each other. And Mercury isn’t far from a Retrograde station (and enters its Retrograde shadow zone on May 11), so decisions are overloaded with details and information.

If you have a prominent Saturn or Jupiter or if these Retrogrades are contacting something in your chart, you may feel that you are focusing in one direction and losing ground in another. You may feel like you’re in the middle of a career dance as you slowly shift gears.

Saturn is moving direct (forward) in Virgo. If you want your career to move ahead, even at a time when your enthusiasm seems inflated and dreams seem like more trouble than they’re worth, you can still succeed. But you may need to make some adjustments. Reading the fine print is important and can’t be skipped over lightly now. There is important detailed information that can work to help you, but you have to pay attention to hear it and concentrate to digest it.

This is a good time to get back in touch with your values and priorities. They are not the same for all of us, and they change over time. So what are your current priorities? You can save yourself considerable time and stress if you define and act on your top priorities. Then you can take advantage of opportunities that further your goals, while letting go of what does not further your current needs. This doesn’t mean forgetting all else. You can plan for a lesser priority by taking care of more important business first.

This direction switch can help, if you are willing to slow down and think about why you like the smell of roses, what are the active ingredients that make roses smell so good, and the health benefits of roses.

Saturn is stationing Direct. And it happens between the Last Quarter and New Moon at . This is a time of releasing restrictions and making plans.

But how. What’s supposed to magically change?

Have you been holding on tight, to what you think you don’t have, can’t have, shouldn’t have, or need really bad.

When you release or see beyond what you have come to believe are your “natural” limitations or the line you’re “supposed to” see and stay behind, you can discover the world beyond your current boundaries.

But how do you actually DO that?

There’s a difference between being WILLING and KNOWING you can. If using your will makes you do something, use it. But if willing yourself to do something doesn’t seem to be working and seems to be draining your energy as you use every ounce of energy to will yourself, you can start to change by changing the words you use. Instead of saying “I WILL”, change that to an “I CAN” statement. Suggest to yourself that you CAN do something. This kind of statement gives you permission, and as Saturn stations Direct at 1 Virgo, it’s the perfect time to give yourself permission to move forward, as long as you can be disciplined and attentive to whole? Instead of seeing work as drudgery, how does the work you’re doing add to the greater benefit? Everything is just another task, until you put it all together, which is currently being symbolized by the Grand Trine that includes Saturn at the time of its Direct Station on May 2, 2008.

Besides seeing your own work as part of an integrated whole, it’s also time to assess how supported you feel — OR — if you don’t feel adequately supported, how can you join or connect with a support system that will help you to grow– realistically. Which talents of yours can add support to a larger organization?

Saturn stationing in Virgo is not the time to re-invent the wheel, but it can be the time to find out the exact rules. Get the directions and follow them.

Venus trines Pluto May 1, 2008 @ 3:44:34 AM EDT
Venus trines Saturn May 1, 2008 @ 6:19 34 PM EDT

There is a Grand Trine on May 1. It includes Venus — trine Pluto — trine Saturn.

This is the same as the Grand Trine of April 20– which instead of Venus, included the Sun and Mercury as the 3rd point of the triangle. (The trines are the darker blue lines, sextiles are lighter blue.) So this Grand Trine including Venus is a continuation of recent events, with a new theme.

The change of April to May this year is a special moment. The Moon in Pisces will create a quick Kite to the Grand Trine as the early Pisces Moon opposes Saturn (stationing Direct) in Virgo. The distance we feel, and any sense of lack and alienation can also be part of a greater spiritual awakening, a deeper look at ourselves and how we interact, how we give, what we expect, and what we get. It is our choice, whether to hold on tight to feeling bad or to begin a process of learning to relax, release, and center ourselves. Being responsible now means being centered, not overreacting emotionally, keeping it calm so you can think clearly at all times; looking beyond blaming others and accepting our responsibility/ability for things to flow smoothly.

With Venus as part of this Grand Trine to Saturn (as it stations Direct) and Pluto, you may find yourself working in a way that is focussed and concentrated, and possibly alone. It can be an ideal time to do creative work that draws on your inner self and accesses your deep intuitive creativity in a way that is disciplined, relaxed, and precise. Take your time.

The Grand Trine with Saturn stationing Direct comes at time when it is time to get serious about your talents. How ARE you going to market yourself? Exact, what are the steps? There’s no need it ALL alone, but you have to take the first step on your own– without blaming anyone else for the results. This may not be easy. If you are feeling and projecting hate, you will feel the hate coming back to you, very strong during this Grand Trine configuration– so strong it can be debilitating. However— you can consciously choose LOVE over hate, and breathe LOVE into the mix, sending and receiving more LOVE. What you send out, LOVE or HATE, is recirculating now.

This can be a good time for thinking seriously and practically about making major purchases or investments. The investments you make now are likely to be long-term and relatively safe, but you may have a strong yearning to beautify and improve things from the bottom up. If you’re not sure, a trusted professional may be able to guide you as you take things apart and put them back togeher, even better.

In relationships, this can be a time you want to get deeper, more seriously and spiritually. What is the purpose of your relationship? Is there a commitment, and if so, is it deep enough to bear the realities of living every day? What can you do to improve and understand your sexuality on a deeper level? This is a time you can re-generate a relationship. But the commitment has go both ways.

You can stretch it to call this a Kite to Neptune-North Node. A KITE occurs when one of the planets in a Grand Trine has a planet opposing it. The opposing planet then also sextiles (60 degrees) the other 2 planets in the Grand Trine. Neptune sextiles Venus and Pluto and opposes Saturn (or it did last year). This is a wide sextile (6 degrees) and out of sign because it’s separating and moving out of orb. Usually, aspects are between signs of the same element. However, the Moon passing through early Taurus on May 4th, the same day that the North Node and Neptune are conjunct, not only lengthens the time the KITE is in effect, it makes this KITE more influential, if subtly.

When an aspect is out of sign, it is a few degrees into the next or previous sign. Counting by degrees apart, it is a sextile aspect (60 degrees apart). Yet, the planets are not in the same element. In this case, the Grand Trine is in Earth. Neptune and the North Node are conjunct in Aquarius, an AIR sign (a perfect KITE would include a planet in WATER opposing one of the Earth sign planets). Out-of-sign aspects can make any aspect less potent. It can also give it more perspective which can give it a notable influence. Since Neptune rules oil and Venus carries the theme of money, we can see that the price of oil has the support (sextiles) to rise. So does everything Neptunian. Including people with strong Neptune placements in their charts.

This Kite is an old story. In this Grand Trine chart, the Kite is based on the separating opposition of Saturn to Neptune. It was exact from August 2006-June/July 2007. So this is old business reappearing. With the help of the Grand Trine, perhaps we can figure out more about sustainable business practices that benefit everyone. Or, we can find ourselves stuck in a rut that keeps going round and round.

Neptune is also conjunct North Node as the focal point of a KITE. If you have faith, you just might meet someone who upgrades and sustains your life in some crucial way. This is a time to delve into your spirituality, regardless of the price or lack of funding.

When the Sun and Mercury joined the Saturn-Pluto trine to create a Grand Trine, Mars was approaching an opposition to Jupiter. The Moon was Full. The energy was fast-paced, which can be challenging for an Earth Grand Trine that includes Saturn and Pluto, both slow and thorough movers. So you seem to spin your wheels, trying to make things happen, for real.

As Venus enters Taurus and joins the circle (the Sun and Mercury have moved past the Trine), it can be time to slow down and add some financial reality and clarity to your manifesting formula.

Feelings can get intense this week, especially if there’s something you deeply want and see someone else enjoying, while you feel denied the same pleasure or success. Or perhaps you feel a pang of jealousy when your loved one has any affectionate feelings for another.

Current Grand Trines do not make this an easy time to create change in your life. No matter how much you say you want change, the hold of the status quo is compelling. Even if you have complaints, you can be comfortable in your situation, or have more fear of change than of continuing, despite the parts you don’t like.

Limitations have a purpose, which is why we encounter them. And what makes us feel limited? Shame. Some shame is healthy. Most of it is toxic. And the result of too much shame is self-sabotaging patterns that keep you stuck. So every time something positive happens, somehow you ruin it. In astrology, psychological patterns are represented by patterns like Grand Trines, T-Squares, Grand Crosses. These patterns are compelling. They can keep us stuck in ruts that feel natural, yet we suppress our talents, our thoughts. Why are we afraid to spread our wings and show our beauty? Because many of us are afraid that we’re going to do something “stupid” that works against our best interests.

So what if that’s true? What if you shared and were rejected? What if you really do still have more work to do? What if you need more practice doing something you love? We may have to push ourselves further to get the results we envision. But that just means there’s still more of ourselves we can explore, more gifts we can develop, enjoy, and share. As long as you refuse to grow, you will keep repeating a pattern, no matter how much you complain about it. It’s not complaining that changes lives. The resistance you encounter is your unwillingness to change. WHY? Because change always involves some adjustment, which may not feel immediately familiar or comfortable. We’d rather be miserable with what we know than uncomfortable with what we don’t. We can make other choices.

If you’re serious about changing or improving anything, you will have to make a commitment you can stick to, and keep doing it. What can you do now to attract more of what you want? And if you get it, what will you do with it? Having an intention and a plan can help in your effort to attract your goals and success.

If you can visualize it, you can attract it! Even if that seems to be in slow motion for now.

Lauren Edmond
artcharts.com

If you read my series on Venus is Happy, that was last month when Venus was making lots of happy aspects. That’s not what’s happening this week. And it’s showing in the economy and the polls, and maybe in your life.

Venus, planet of attraction, is having a tough time. Venus started the week by squaring Saturn (1/7), and went on to square Vesta (1/9) and will square Uranus (1/12).

However, Venus is NOT ALONE!! She has SUPPORT through her commitments to LOVE and relationship. Venus is also conjunct Juno (1/7), putting Venus and Juno at the focal point of a T-Square, and highlighting the Saturn-Uranus opposition (which will be exact on Election Day in the USA). No wonder Hillary didn’t win in Kansas. Women are NOT favored this week! Not at all. And especially a woman known to the world as a famous wife as well as a strong woman on her own. That goes not only for Hillary, but for all strong, married women.

Yet, the conjunction of Venus to Juno shows that by having faith (Sagittarius) in relationship (Juno-Venus), you can prevail against challenges. And more surprises are coming…? Venus will square Uranus (politics) on Saturday, so no story is written in stone right now.

While the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction intensifies as it becomes exact, on an almost-unrelated front, good things are happening with love and money.

Venus, planet of love, money, and nice things, has been making helpful aspects, helping money and love flow. This week, Venus in Scorpio will trine Mars, currently Retrograde in Cancer. And they will both be sextile to Saturn. [Venus/Mars=Saturn]

This position of Venus suggests that despite feelings of undeniable passion, there can be resistance and inhibitions that make it difficult to attract money or affection. Instead of feeling unadorned and unloved, look into the issues you (and/or your partner) may have in relation to money and intimacy, either through tradition or dysfunction. How RECEPTIVE are you to taking love, and money? Since Venus and Mars are in WATER signs, it can be easier to feel the emotions that accompany your passions and work through any resistance. And since both Venus and Mars sextile Saturn, this is about the RESPECT you feel for the one you love. This is about looking beyond the sex symbols and into what lasts. This is about making a commitment to what you love.

in Love&Light,
Lauren

While Venus is making pleasant aspects and encouraging us to socialize and shop, we may also have inner doubts about our real-life progress and stability.

The Sun and Mercury, planets of inner centering and knowledge gathering, are square Saturn and Uranus from Thursday, December 6 [Mercury squares Saturn] href=”http://www.artcharts.com/aspects/mercury/sqUranus.html”>Mercury squares Uranus. The Sun squares Saturn on November 30 and Uranus on Friday, December 7. [Although the Sun-Saturn square was Friday, November 30, the energy carries over through the T-Square.]

The Sun and Mercury are at the focal point of a MUTABLE T-square. This means there is PRESSURE on each of us to be credible, authentic, and responsible– and make changes if we’re not. If you need credentials to do the work you know you want to do, this is the time to make plans and make it happen. To the extent that you doubt your own ability and commitment, it may be questioned by someone, whether it’s a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative, who can all point out just how impossible and challenging your goal really is. And this can, in turn, find you questioning yourself. ARE you goals realistic? What are your PLANS to fulfill them? Good wishes and inspiration are a great start, but if that’s your entire strategy, you are thinking more magically than realistically. And this can start to make you feel frustrated and very impatient if you’re not making progress or doing any of the things you feel CALLED to be doing in your life. The square from Saturn and Uranus to the Sun can create self-doubt, and the square from Mercury can make that doubt seem to come from everyone.

This configuration of Sun-Mercury with Saturn and Uranus can make us feel COMPELLED to do whatever we can to improve ourselves. In Sagittarius, it can seem there is NOTHING you can’t do and you can set your goals at a very high bar. Instead of dabbling, you may decide to pursue a focused course of education.

And if you haven’t considered it before, making a commitment to your future can be just what you need. How will bring out the best in yourself so that you SHINE?

The message in this configuration is to take the time to LISTEN. If it’s you doing all the talking, you may not be receiving information you need. This is a good time to consciously calm your racing mind. You may be 10 steps ahead of yourself, planning the next few weeks as well as thinking about BIG steps to take in the year ahead, so breathing and centering can do wonders to keep you on schedule without feeling hectic or overwhelmed. And as Jupiter and Pluto conjunct in late Sagittarius (before they both enter Capricorn over the next month and a half), this IS a time to think BIG.

This is the time to figure out what you can do to add your wisdom to your community, your environment. By encouraging others, you can lead the way as Mars sextiles Saturn on the Sagittarius New Moon. More on that in the next newsletter, coming this Sunday.

in Love&Light,
Lauren

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pps, 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

As Mars stations Retrograde and tempers have the potential to flare, there is a choice.

There is a strong connection between Mercury and Saturn.

As the Moon in Saturn-ruled Capricorn sextiles the Sun (on Thursday, Nov 15, the day Mars stations Rx), Mercury sextiles Saturn in Mercury-ruled Virgo. You CAN stay on course and be productive– IF you stay true to your commitments. Being impulsive won’t give you the freedom your urges may try to sell you on. But maintaining your truth, staying centered in your practice or commitment, can help you use your time and energy productively and joyfully.

Work can be fun. Even paying attention to details can flow easily. Concentrate. Get involved.

This is Mercury sextiles Saturn from the StarLight Solutions Forecast. It’s an excellent description, so i thought you’d enjoy it:
This is a good day for quiet thinking and work that entails intellectual or technical skill, craftsmanship, or careful attention to detail. Wrangling with practical problems and logistics, finding intelligent solutions and completing tasks and projects are favored. You meet deadlines on time and enjoy taking care of business. A library or quiet room where you can be alone and just do your work appeals to you now. This is also a fine time to take an examination, either written or oral.

in Love&Light,
Lauren

Monday morning, October 22, Gibbous Moon.

As the Pisces Moon contacts the current Venus-Saturn conjunction (by opposition), it’s possible to feel rejected and alienated. You can feel the critical judgment of others– and since Venus is involved, you may feel distant from someone near and dear. Maybe even yourself, as you imagine the thoughts of others and overreact accordingly. Pisces Moon is a time many of us “shoot ourselves in the foot” as we imagine insults and retaliate, just from the evidence in our imagination.

What to do?

If you can spend some quiet alone time, you can meditate yourself back into a happier state of well-being. Just closing your eyes and taking 1 deep breath can put your brainwaves in the alpha state. Then, as the Moon trines Mars and then conjuncts Uranus today, being active can get you out of the darkness and into a brighter state of mind. It’s time to take independent action, stand on your own 2 feet.

If you DO something just because you’re feeling restless, you could make an impulsive move that goes against the grain and takes you out of your flow. And disrupt others as well. Keep in mind, since the South Node is conjunct Saturn (with the Moon conjunct North Node, both opposing Venus and Saturn), what are YOU doing, feeling, thinking to create the feeling of rejection? Do you tell yourself stories about your past that haunt your present? Are you letting the negativity of others dwell in you? How are you trying to protect yourself from your intuitive KNOWING?

Yet— you can get an energy boost by doing something courageous, something out of the ordinary.

Personally, I’m taking my dogs and going on a hike. Could be the last warm day with beautiful fall color in the Northeast. This laptop is going plein air!

Have a great day!
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

Friday, October 19 (4:33 am edt) the Moon and Sun are exactly square, forming the First Quarter Moon.

The Moon is in Capricorn. The Sun is in Libra. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn; Libra is ruled by Venus. Again, we see Venus and Saturn making a connection.

So where are you? What have you learned that you can APPLY it effectively in the world to achieve goals? With Mercury Retrograde (at 5 Scorpio 36) at this First Quarter Moon, take the time to keep looking until you feel you’ve reached an honest assessment.

Saturn, ruler of the Capricorn Moon, has been conjunct Venus (ruler of the Libra Sun) in early Virgo and both Saturn and Venus are at the Mercury/Mars midpoint — and making helpful sextiles to both Mercury and Mars. Do not underestimate the value of a good plan to achieve your desires. You may be feeling lots of determined, positive energy, but to be effective, you need to know what to DO with it. Saturn’s energy is constricting, yet it guides by setting limits and creating boundaries so you can focus on what you WANT to do.

Before you can make decisions, you have to be clear. What DON’T you want? What DO you want?

Taking responsibility for your choices is daunting, but if you’re NOT willing to take responsibility for the choices you make, or aware that you have a choice, you can find yourself manipulating others to take responsibility for your decisions. It’s always someone else’s fault. Realizing the serious weight of responsibility can be overwhelming. Yet, if you don’t take it on, you can feel victimized because others are making the important decisions for you.

Making a commitment DOES restrict how much time and energy you can put into other things, yet by putting your attention on what you choose and select, Saturn’s restrictions can be opportunities to concentrate, make progress, get closer to a goal, all themes of Saturn energy.

While Mercury is Retrograde and exactly sextile Saturn at the First Quarter Moon, you may reflect on your goals and get clear about the steps you need to take to achieve them. Information may be hidden and hard to access, especially until the Sun-Mercury conjunction at 0 Scorpio (on Oct 23), but don’t let that stop you! After the Sun-Mercury conjunction (the “inferior” conjunction) you may be able to access deeper information than you have recently, IF you are ready to look behind the scenes, under the covers, and beyond what your ego wants you to acknowledge.

Message of the First Quarter Moon: this is THE perfect time to get organized. Sort it out, write it down, think it through, again. And if you’re still not sure, there’s something you’re missing, so do it again.

Once you know what to do, there can be opportunities to move ahead, but the strong Venus influence of this chart reminds us that it helps to be KIND. Being considerate can persuade even the most sensitive or difficult person.

But what’s the problem with pressing your point when you KNOW you are right? Aren’t you justified??! Yes, if you want to spend your energy holding on to being right.

Why do we need to be RIGHT? To prove our self-worth. When you need to be right to prove your self-worth, or for you ego’s sake, the message your are broadcasting — to yourself and others — is that you’re only worth something IF you are right. Feeling and believing that “you’re only worth something IF you are right” is a belief that leads to unhappiness and negative feelings about yourself that can radiate out and touch everyone and everything you contact. What if feeling worthless causes bad feelings– not because it’s true, but because it is NOT true. And spreading bad feelings makes it worse, and worse…. So why not spread good feelings, because you really ARE worthy. That would be a strong positive statement that would empower you, which also radiates and vibrates.

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

Continuing on with the Venus-Saturn conjunction theme, because the sky is not letting it drop…

Venus is quickly approaching the current Mercury-Mars trine by making a sextile to Mars and Retrograde Mercury (on Tuesday 10/16), while Retrograde Mercury and Mars form a perfect trine before dawn on Wednesday (10/17). With the Nodes, this forms a KITE formation, which is a Grand trine and a sextile to one of the points [Mars in Cancer trines North Node in Pisces trines Mercury in Scorpio and both Mars and Mercury sextile the Venus-SNode-Saturn conjunction in Virgo]. The KITE pattern is a symbol for supreme success. This is about figuring out the details for your greatest success.

You may see what you want, and you may want to go for it. Yet, making a decision can bring up endless details to figure out. If you allow that to change your mind or “awfulize” a situation until there is no way out, you can talk yourself into a negative spiral. This is about focusing on the positive by watching where you place your attention.

What about success and abundance challenges your beliefs about your routine and work?

How can you look at the feedback you’re receiving to turn things around in your favor?

If something is in your way, talk it out, write it out, journal it out– argue it out if you have to. And with the air cleared, you may be able to figure it out.

in Love&Light,
Lauren