Saturn Semi-Square Pluto, November 27, 2014 – “The Semi-Sweet Life”

The World - tarot's card for Saturn.
From "The Wizard's Tarot"© by
Corrine Kennerand John J. Blumen

Squares are a challenging aspect of ninety degrees between two, or more planets.  Keep in mind that the term,’challenging,’ is a euphemism for, “That’s going to suck.”

Semi-squares, thought of as carrying weaker square energy, are an aspect of forty-five degrees between two planets that causes us more irritation than the bust through, or bust out energy of the traditional square pattern.

On Thursday, November 27th, Saturn goes semi-square with Pluto. Though this isn’t the most idyllic cosmic influence, it does have some pluses.  Saturn is the teaching planet and its lessons come in the form of challenges. Pluto in the planet of transformation, or re-birth.  A Saturn/Pluto semi-square asks us to resolve the conflict within ourselves between duty or, our sense of obligation, and our need to determine our own course in life.

Saturn is the responsible planet – sort of a cosmic hall monitor who wants us to be disciplined and somewhat regimented.  Pluto, on the other hand, likes soul-stirring change that transforms who we are and what we believe.  Saturn is currently in Scorpio, a sign of transformation that is co-ruled by Pluto.  This ups the ante on the Saturn/Pluto semi-square’s influence. Resolution is a requirement of this configuration, but that resolution has to transformative.

The trick with this particular semi-square’s energy is to

Judgement, Pluto's tarot card, from
"Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©
by Ciro Marchetti

acknowledge the frustrations you feel and handle them with patience and persistence.  What does that mean?  Foremost it means that there’s no need to force-feed your philosophies down everyone’s throat, particularly at the Thanksgiving Day table and at the top of your lungs. Remember that your challenge from Saturn during this semi-square is to resolve your feelings of conflict between other people’s version of you and your version of yourself.  You can accomplish this with quiet strength and persistence. Where you owe others respect and need to exercise patience with them, you also owe yourself the type of life you want. 

Also consider that all this transformative energy and challenge from Saturn will stir up some waves from the notorious Uranus/Pluto square (transformative and revolutionary societal change).  This is one of the reasons to let patience and courtesy be your mantra during family gatherings this weekend – more so than normally. When we resolve our inner conflicts our life moves forward at an astonishing pace.  Your life is yours to use as you choose.  It is your responsibility and this is the ultimate lesson from Saturn in Scorpio.  Become who you want to be.  Reach for your goals and dreams because achieving them or not is totally up to you.

LADY ORACLE


Catch Linda Becker and I this Friday, November 28th (yes, Black Friday!) at 8:30 a.m. PST on "The Moment Is Now" on blogtalk radio. this week we're talking about "Gifts of the Spirit." Tune in!

January 1, 2014 - New Moon in Capricorn - “Understated Excellence”

The High Priestess is the Moon's
tarot card. This sassy depiction from
"Steampunk Tarot"© by Barbara
Moore and Aly Fell

New Year’s is traditionally a time to cast away the old, the things that no longer serve us. Auspiciously, our New Moon in Capricorn (10 degrees and 57 minutes) occurs at 3:14 a.m. PST on January 1, 2014, and brings with it, a chance for all of us to calmly and completely dedicate ourselves to our own success.  Capricorn’s energy is focused and determined.  It is goal oriented energy with no fanfare. ( See blog on Capricorn – “When the Zodiac Gets Your Goat” ) Results is what matters now. Head down, persistent – New Moon in Capricorn wants us to get moving up the mountain.  

Avoid the term, ‘New Year’s Resolution.’  Our culture likes to imbue those words with the presumption of failure before you even get started.  Instead, you’ll do much better to compile a list of goals – not too many – and the steps necessary to accomplish each one of them by year’s end.  Break your steps down into specifics.  On this day I will do such and such.  Goals must be real, measurable, attainable and specific to you to achieve success.  Motivation is what’s necessary to kickstart the energy of January 1st’s New Moon in Capricorn.  Your task is to discover what motivates you.  I always recommend working with tarot’s Wand energy. ( See blog – “Lights, Camera, Action” ) 

Mercury and Pluto are conjunct (same place, same time) New

Pluto's tarot association in
Judgment - another thought-provoking
image from "Steampunk Tarot"© by
Barbara Moore and Aly Fell

Moon in Capricorn, thus setting the stage for swift change – not necessarily a bad thing.  Mercury works well in Capricorn.  This planet governs communication and intellect.  There will be little space for random thoughts, or flights of fancy in early January.  Mercury is at its analytical best here, on task, but also cautious. That’s a a good blend.  New Moon in Capricorn gifts us not only with focus and determination, but also with self-discipline and rationality.  Don’t let Pluto’s reputation for swift and unsettling change concern you unduly at this time.  Pluto’s energy can be your best friend.  Again, ride that wave on top and in front.  Granted, if you don’t control changes, they will control you, but you know the drill.  It’s nothing you can’t handle by using Capricorn’s skill set.

Some astrologer’s suggest approaching New Year’s Eve with caution.  That’s good advice anytime.  Remember that Capricorn carries a VERY focused energy and as such, can keep us from seeing past the end of our own nose.  During the craziness that ensues while celebrating the end of the year – particularly when alcohol is involved – it’s more necessary than ever to be mindful of what’s happening around you.  Stay present in the moment and avoid situations that put you in the path of someone else’s chaos.  Know where you are, who you are with and stay in control.  Okay, that’s my yearly mother hen lecture, but it does apply particularly to this year end energy pattern.

The World, is the card for Capricorn's
ruling planet, Saturn.  Perfect image of
challenges met with Capricorn's focus and skill
from "Wizard's Tarot"© by John J. Blumen and
Corrine Kenner

New Moon in Capricorn on January 1st is a gift.  It’s like being handed a pen and paper by the Universe and being told to place your order for the coming year.  Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, because if the Universe can't inspire you to move on your own It will surely force you to do so.  Get organized, get focused and get heading up that mountain. The view from the top is great!

LADY ORACLE

November 3, 2013, New Moon in Scorpio With a Solar Eclipse – “Sugar Rush”

#13 - Transfiguration, from Corrine Kenner
and John J. Blumen's "Wizard's Tarot"©
Scorpio's card and the theme for
early November

There comes a point when there’s simply too much of a good thing.  This is true in astrology as well as in leftover Halloween candy and both can leave us groggy and feeling as if we’ve been on a three day bender.  We have Mercury Retrograde conjunct Sun, Saturn, and North Node in Scorpio.  These guys form a yod featuring Uranus in Aries at the apex. (See Blog: “Yod Nod”) The double fudge layer on all of this is that Uranus is also directly square Pluto on November 1st. However, the cherry that tops this rich and gooey mound of transformative energy is a New Moon in Scorpio with a hybrid, total solar eclipse chaser.  Sugar overload.

If you’re nervous about Scorpio’s energy, then perhaps it’s a good time to make a three day pilgrimage to a cloistered abbey.  If, however, you are ready to shake loose the status quo and step across the lines of regimentation that have been chaffing you for the past several months (if not a couple of years) take a deep breath, square your shoulders and step into the supped up transformative energy flow that is the best of Scorpio. 

The North Node represents the path of our personal growth –

Choi Roma's "Dreaming Way Tarot"©
presents The Fool, card for Uranus.
The Fool is ready for anything and puts his
faith in both providence and himself.

our future.  It offers us challenges that are meant to teach and inspire us. It’s a place where you learn to stand tall, gaining confidence with each stride.  When housed in Scorpio, North Node invites us to dive into the deeper mysteries of life and use our inborn talents to empower us and transform our lives.  The North Node clearly works well with Saturn, who’s mission is also to teach by issuing us challenges we can win.  

New Moons start a new cycle and there is no cycle stronger than one beginning with a an eclipse.  Eclipses are planetary reboots and we will feel the effects of the reboot for about six months.  In addition, this particular eclipse is a rare ‘hybrid’ type that starts out as an annular eclipse (ring of fire) before transforming into a total eclipse where the Moon’s shadow fully sweeps across the Earth.  Again, here we see the pivotal theme of the stars: Transformation.  The power in this eclipse asks us to seize the moment and use the best parts of Scorpio’s energy – their innate resourcefulness, focus, passion and drive –  to take control of our destiny.

#20, Judgement, from "Steampunk Tarot"©
by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell carries
a two-fold message - Decision and Rebirth

Uranus, that whirling dervish a sweeping, societal change, squares Pluto (one of Scorpio’s ruling planets - See blog: "Sun In Scorpio, The House that Passion Built" ) the transformer.  Total Optimus Prime here. At this point the Zodiac it’s almost on planetary overload in terms of transformative energy.  For this reason, as I’ve stated before, Mercury Retrograde is your best friend.  Review, revise, renew and decide.  That’s your assignment.  You don’t get an extension because the dog ate your homework.  Get busy.  If the astrological energy for the next few days is a little overwhelming at times, cut back on your activity.  Practice quieting your mind through meditation, music and activities that require simple motor skills.   Let go of the past and look towards the future.  Release resentments and claim your life as your journey, not your parent’s, not your lover’s, not your sister’s and not even your neighbor’s cat’s journey.  Yours – unparalleled and unequaled. It’s time to rise and shine.

LADY ORACLE

Here's a link to my guest spot on Blog Talk Radio's "The Moment" for their Halloween show :)  Yay!  This is an terrific show designed to make you think, make you question and mostly, make you evolve.  Wednesday evenings at 8 p.m PST. Check it out!

Sun in Scorpio, October 23rd to November 22nd - “The House That Passion Built”

Everyone who likes astrology has favorite and least favorite

#16, The Tower - ruling card for Mars,
one of Scorpio's ruling planets by
Ciro Marchetti - "Legacy of the Divine  Tarot"©

signs.  Scorpio is top of my list of favorites.  Good thing too.  It’s my birth sign.  Being our own fan may very well be a Scorpion trait.  We do nothing in half measures.  We’ve been called a complex, broody sign that turns lethal in an instant. Frankly, it takes longer than an instant.  We are fiercely loyal, highly motivated, but we can hold a grudge like none other.  

Scorpio rules the eighth house of the Zodiac which stores the energy of birth, death, transformation and sex. Busy place.  It’s also the home of shared resources.  Rather a volatile home for the resources of a planet, mind you.  Scorpio is a water sign in the fixed modality.  That means that our emotions run deep, as does our intuition and our spirituality. As a fixed sign, our traits are constant and reliable. We carry yin, or feminine energy as seen by our intuitive and transformative skills.

'Seasons don't fear the reaper' - neither does Scorpio
#13 Death (Transformation) is their ruling card.
By Ciro Marchetti
from "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©

The world is black and white to a Scorpion. There is no gray area – fifty shades, or otherwise.  We learned our moral lessons as children and took their simple truths to heart. What often seems like a simple matter of bending a rule, or manipulating a situation to some, poses a huge, moral dilemma for Scorpio.  We talk a glib game, but 

right is right and we prefer a more mystical, or intuitive approach to persuade others.  Think of it as wearing feathery, bedroom mules as opposed to combat boots.

We are intense, highly motivated creatures – determined folk, 

Pluto's ruling card, #20, Judgement
by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell from
"Steampunk Tarot" ©

who are not quitters.  Our love of secrets and the mysterious comes from the primal forces ruled by the eighth house. Scorpio is blessed with two, count ‘em, two, ruling planets:  Mars, the warrior planet, who carries physical energy and courage, and Pluto, who carries the ability to deconstruct, regenerate and transform. (That’s right. One of my ruling planets has the same powers as Dr. Who.)  We are resourceful and independent, loyal and passionate.  Still, with all these marvelous attributes, why are we so often considered the bad kids of the Zodiac?  Perhaps it’s because we can also be jealous, obsessive, unyielding and vindictive.  Okay, so who doesn’t have their faults?

An injured Scorpion is a curious thing.  We will come back from adversity transformed and stronger than ever (Mars, the warrior and Pluto the regenerator).  We are not motivated to seek reprisals by vanity, or by consequence, as other signs can be.  We seek reprisals for moral reasons – even if those morals are personal to us and slightly askew at that.  Scorpio never forgets a kindness, nor do we forget an injustice.  Should you inadvertently hurt our feelings, of course we will overlook it a first, or even a second time, but God help you on the third.  

If you are a child of the Scorpion remember that you carry serious chops and you can’t take them lightly.  We have the uncanny ability to adapt at will, to bloom in the desert as well as in the rain forest.  We can choose to focus our energies on positive life changes and when we do the sky is the limit.

LADY ORACLE

6 of Wands - "You're Gonna Hear Me Roar!"

                                                         “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing 

                                                              through the fire Cause I am a champion 

                                                                  and you’re gonna hear me ROAR”

                              

                                                                                                                   by Dr. Luke and Bonnie McKee

The zen version of tarot's Six of Wands
OSHO Zen Tarot©, illustrations by Deva Padma
a superior deck and a must have!

In life we should all have our own theme music – nice, snappy, up tempo numbers that pull us out of the doldrums and gets us moving again.  The same should be true of tarot cards.  Take the Six of Wands from the OSHO Zen Tarot deck for example. (see: OSHO Zen Tarot blog) It’s a great theme card – sort of “Rocky” meets “Life of Pi” (without the “Yo,  Adrian,” or the 3.14).  Nothing says leadership, acclaim and victory like riding a tiger through streamers of confetti.  I like pairing up OSHO’s Six of Wands with Katy Perry’s song, “Roar.” It’s particularly useful during breakups, or worst yet, when you’ve let someone’s opinion of you (even your own) become your reality.  

Wands are elemental fire and represent action and creativity. 

Beyond Illusion or #20 Judgment
seeing past the illusion easily pulls us to our higher self
OSHO Zen Tarot© illustrated by Deva Padma

In Wands, you don’t sit back and imagine a pretty picture, you get out your easel and paint one.  The Six proclaims victory over the confusion and conflict depicted in the Five of Wands.  Six is the turning point of the suit where you’ve become strong enough in your sense of self to accept that your actions have consequences and that one of those consequences can be conflict. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” The Six tells us to triumph over our detractors, even if those detractors are ourselves.  The card tells us to lead and if other people follow, that’s great, but if they don’t, then we must continue to celebrate our triumph over our own insecurities and claim our place center stage in our own lives. Once we’ve learned this lesson, we are ready to move on to the Seven of Wands, defending our territory and holding on to our convictions. 

Celebration, or three of Cups
a truly wonderful depiction from
OSHO Zen Tarot© illustrated by
Deva Padma

We all get the blues from time to time and we all fall prey to listening to the negative downloads from the big cloudplayer in our head. It doesn’t take much of a funk to decide the glass is half empty and that not only does it have a hole in the bottom, but there’s a chip in the rim as well.  When this happens, don’t simply wait for things to get better.  Take a proactive stance.  Select a tarot card that’s image gets your mental and emotional juices flowing.  Use it as a focal point for a meditation or keep it handy to look at all day.  Select a theme song – something that is personally uplifting to you.  Make it your anthem. Play it fifteen times in a row if necessary until you not only feel the happiness and success portrayed by the song, but you become it as well.

LADY ORACLE

Thanks to Katy Perry for her inspiration check out her official "Roar" video on You Tube!

visit me at www.ladyoracle.net