Mercury in Retrograde, October 4, 2014 - October 24, 2014 – “A Solo Act, But No Headliner”

The Shaman, or Magician is Mercury's
card. This depiction from "The Wildwood
Tarot"© by Mark Ryan, John Matthews
and Will Worthington

Mercury in Scorpio had mind like a scalpel.  It makes clean incisions to expose hidden thoughts and agendas.  A Mercury/Scorpio mind loves to investigate the inner workings of a process, human, or bureaucratic. It’s a mindset with a notoriously short fuse, but is balanced by brilliant insights that are capable of transforming any situation according to intention.  The people most strongly influenced by this transit are people born under the signs of Scorpio, Gemini, or Virgo (the last two planets are ruled by Mercury), and those who have Mercury in Scorpio predominantly in their birth chart. (See Blog: “Mercury Retrograde, Tarot and You," for tips on dealing with the great mangler of communications and timetables)

I told you all that to tell you this: Mercury Retrograde begins on October 4th in the sign of Scorpio.  Luckily, this Mercury Retrograde doesn’t remain in testy Scorpio, but slip-slides back to Libra on October 10th.  We get to breath a sigh of semi-relief then because Libra is a much less volatile position for Mercury and we already have more than enough combustable energy to go around this month.  Mercury in Libra is a balanced mind that analyzes all sides of an issue as it continually looks for the perfect solution.  Nothing is ever perfectly balanced, but that doesn’t keep Mercury in Libra from trying.  If we follow Mercury Retrograde’s sacred rules, (re-visit, re-analyze, re-work) rules that are second nature to Mercury in Libra, we will have a relatively unobstructed path this month. Of course, we still have to traverse the rest of October’s volcanic terrain, don’t we?

October 8th we also have the Moon conjunct Uranus in fifteen

Fiery Aires rules Uranus and stirs
up the energy between the Moon and
Uranus on the 8th. Depiction from
"The Wildwood Tarot"©

degrees of Aires. This is part of the ongoing September/October Grand Fire Trine between Uranus in Aires, Jupiter in Leo and Mars in Sagittarius.  This is a massive amount of fire, or wand energy to handle.  It’s also a highly creative and industrious energy as well, and should nicely counter-balance much of MR’s impact.  However, remember to channel that fiery trine power, or risk being caught by an energetic ‘sneaker wave.’  

October is month for the intrepid, astrologically speaking.  What we seek, we are bound to find, good or bad, but never indifferent.  This weekend I’ll be looking at FullMoon in Aires, coupled with trine forces and garnished with – wouldn’t you just know it – a full lunar eclipse.  Plot your course, dust off your surf boards and prepare to shoot the energetic curl for this one, folks!

LADY ORACLE

All decks featured available for sale through "Lady Oracle Tarot"©

Typecasting – Sorting Our Astrological Planets to Type

In the field of astrology all planetary bodies are sorted by type. There are the inner

planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars.  Although the Sun is a star and the Moon, our satellite, they are considered planetary bodies in astrology.  There are also outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.  

Inner planets all have one feature in common.  It takes them less than two years to complete their respective orbits.  Yes, we orbit the Sun, but remember that astrology is what’s happening in the Heavens from Earth’s perspective.  Inner planets are also called ‘personal planets.’  Their influence over us is much different from the outer bank of planets simply because inner planets bebop through our signs much more frequently.

Their are two types of outer planets as well: Transitional planets and generational planets.  Jupiter and Saturn are transitional bodies, while Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are generational.  Jupiter, the planet of optimism, success, and generosity; i.e. the Santa Claus Planet, completes its orbit roughly every twelve years. This confident giant transits signs at the rate of one per year and astrologers look here for our opportunities to develop and become successful. Saturn, on the other hand, takes approximately twenty-nine and a half years to circle the Zodiac.  Saturn is where our lifetime achievement award is housed.  While Jupiter offers a closeup of our opportunities, Saturn shows us what we’ve accomplished and the lessons we’ve learned along the way.  Saturn is about rules, responsibilities, self-discipline and lasting achievement.  It’s also about the journey towards our goals and how we overcome obstacles to gain self-respect and security.

The notorious Saturn Return occurs about every thirty years

for each of us as Saturn returns to our birth sign.  During Saturn Return we are offered special challenges that are meant to move our lives forward and help us attain the things we yearn for whether we’ve admitted their existence or not.  Saturn Returns are pivot points in our lives.  We can make extraordinary advancements and set off in entirely new directions during its influence.

Generational planets are the slowest moving planets of all

and because their transits are so lengthy, their influence colors an entire generation.  Uranus take eighty-four years to complete an orbit – Neptune, 165 years.  Pluto is the winner for being last.  Its orbit takes 248 years.  Uranus transits at the rate of seven years per sign.  Neptune takes thirteen and three-quarters years to move from sign to sign, but Pluto takes an astounding twenty and two-thirds years to cross each sign.  Pluto’s influence in a particular sign is felt from cradle to adulthood, while Neptune’s reach only extends to adolescence.  Uranus carries a more rhythmic cycle of a seven year transit per sign.  Perhaps that’s the origins of the term, ‘seven year itch.’ After all, Uranus is the planet originality and unexpected change.  While Uranus challenges authority, Neptune relates to the mystical and Pluto assists in our transformation.

Astrology is a vast and complex system for analyzing the positions of heavenly bodies and the patterns of their influence on our lives.  Just when you think you’ve gotten a handle on what it really means, you turn the page in a book and discover a whole other level that has to be considered – but then again, that’s life, isn’t it?

LADY ORACLE

Full Cold Moon in Gemini, December 17, 2013 - “Party in the House”

# 6 The Lovers, is tarot's association for
Gemini.  This depiction is from Ciro Marchetti's
"Legacy of the divine Tarot"©

December’s Full Cold Moon in Gemini should be called, “The Party Moon.”  Sociable Gemini joins party hound Sagittarius and the wild rumpus begins.  Okay, maybe not that wild, but this month’s Full Cold Moon (No need to explain that name, is there?) is everything fun, frolicking and social.  

Gemini is an air sign in the

Mercury's tarot card, #1, The Magician
from "Wizard's Tarot"© by
Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen

mutable (changeable) modality. This simply means that because the sign of Gemini falls at the end of a season rather than at the beginning, (cardinal) or in the middle (fixed), some of its traits shift with the changing astral and seasonal influences.  Our Twins govern the third house of the Zodiac where we keep our knowledge, our habitat (neighborhood) and the relationships we don’t choose, like siblings, or neighbors. The third house, and therefore Gemini, are ruled by the planet Mercury, governor of intellect and communication.  All this makes next week the optimum time to network and socialize.  Your ideas will be easier to convey to others and in turn, other people will have an easier time envisioning how your concept works for their world.

Sun in Sagittarius opposes Moon in Gemini, creating this

#14, Temperance represents
Sagittarius - from Barbara Moore and
Aly Fell's "Steampunk Tarot"©

month’s Full Cold Moon.  Sagittarius and Gemini love a good party and they help us naturally gravitate to where the action is.  While both of these signs enjoy the continual stimulation of new events, Gemini holds a duality that can cause its quick laughter and quicker wit to turn dark in the blink of an eye.  Luckily, Sagittarius prevents The Twins from indulging in too much emotional analysis, or too many mood swings.

We have Uranus in Aires turning stationary direct on the 17th as well.  Stationary refers to the illusion that a planet remains in place before it appears to reverse its orbit.  Prior to retrograde we have ‘stationary retrograde’ and when the planet turns direct again we have, ‘stationary direct.’  Uranus works well with Mercury’s thought process, making us ask the deeper questions (which Sagittarius likes).  You can expect a couple of ‘a-ha’ moments before the end of the month.  Consider it partying with a purpose.  

#10 The Wheel shows us Jupiter's
generous nature in the "Steampunk Tarot"©
 depiction

Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, continues to exert its expansive influence for the Full Moon.  The Santa Claus planet goes sesquiquadrate  (a rather touchy aspect of 135 degrees and quite a mouthful) with Neptune on the 17th .  Although this is a lesser aspect than a trine, or sextile, it still introduces the element of dreams and wishes into the Full Moon fix.  Holiday magic. Neptune is the planet of dreams and dreamers.  Jupiter may drop some unexpected sugarplums in your lap this season.  Just be careful not to let a mistletoe moment go to your head.

This is a fun, high-energy moon that helps us manifest the goals we set in motion at the beginning of this month.  Consider December’s Full Moon a holiday gift from the Universe.  Enjoy!

LADY ORACLE

Co-hosting The Moment radio show with the always wonderful, Marion Douglas today at noon, PST!  Here's a link to the show and you can listen anytime!

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August 6, 2013, New Moon In Leo - “A Roar of Confidence ”

#8, Strength is tarot's ruling card for Leo
from Barbara Moore and Aly Fells
"Steampunk Tarot"©

Our New Moon at 14 degrees Leo arrives at 2:51 p.m., PDT, on Tuesday, August 6th.  New Moons set the emotional tempo for the upcoming lunar cycle and likewise, they give us all a chance for a fresh start.  This New Moon, as the Zodiac sign implies, comes with a bit of a bite.  Which is good in this case.  As the harmonious flow of the Grand Water Trine recedes into memory, our assessment of our lives, as well as ourselves, has taken a turn towards self-doubt.  (see blog on August's Astrology Trends) However, this month’s leonine New Moon offers us a healthy boost to our confidence while Mars in Cancer nudges us into action and Jupiter in Cancer urges us to sing out. The Lion’s natural confidence asks you to reflect on all the positive things about yourself during the New Moon.  Learn to appreciate your talents and add this information to your storehouse to combat moments of self-doubt.  

#10, The Wheel of Fortune, Jupiter's ruling card
from Barbara Moore and Aly Fell's
"Steampunk Tarot"©

The 6th is your chance to set the tone for your interactions during the rest of this month.  Mercury moves into Leo on the 8th while we’re all still feeling the effects of the New Moon.  Mercury in Leo gives us a chance to open up ours lines for strong and clear communications.  Resist any temptation to roar your requests or opinions.  Confidence doesn’t naturally include a boastful swagger.  Confidence comes from understanding and accepting what makes you tick.  True confidence requires that you be genuinely grateful for your talents and a little humbled by your accomplishments, because you recognize that there are an amazing group of people in your life who help you make everything possible. Lead with sincerity and follow up with compassion and this month’s New Moon will set the tone for a successful August. 

LADY ORACLE

HELPFUL RELATED BLOGS : 

Dark of the Moon

http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/04/i-feel-dark-moon-rising-meditation-with.html

Helpful Crystals 

http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/04/crystals-every-person-needs-part-2.html

"Steampunk Tarot"© Available For Sale Through My Tarot Store!  Fabulous Deck - Deep and Crystal Clear for Readings!

Buy Today!

Astrology Trends for August 2013 - “I Think I Can, I Think I Can”

Jupiter's ruling card, #10
Wheel of Fortune romShadowscapes Tarot©
by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and  Barbara Moore

Remember the “Little Engine That Could?”  If not, it’s important that you do. The first days of August leading up to the New Moon in Leo may have all of us doubting our own power and potential.  While Santa Claus Jupiter remains in Cancer, offering both optimism and expansion of our world, the planets, Mercury and Mars also in Cancer move to block by amplifying our inner critic.  Mercury wants to know if we’re sympathetic enough.  Mars wants to know if we have the staying power to succeed in our goals.  On the upside, Leo’s natural swagger will be a little easier to control.  However, the true lesson of these three planets in Cancer is to believe in yourself.  You are important and are here in this place and time by design, not as the butt of some great cosmic joke.  Everything you need to make a difference in this life is already inside you.

The New Moon is Leo arrives on August 6th (more on that later) and we’ll grab for our chance at a fresh start like the brass ring on a carousel.  On the 7th Jupiter opposes Pluto in Capricorn, activating the notorious Uranus Pluto Square (see blog, “September Full Harvest Moon - 2013” http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/09/septembers-full-harvest-moon-2012-7.html ) .  As a point of interest, the

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

last time Pluto was in Capricorn was in 1776.  Does that year ring a bell?  Yes, the pun was intended. You can stop groaning now. Mercury enters Leo on August 8th and we’ll all benefit from the gift of gab.  Watch the sales commissions soar. Those actually born with the Sun in Leo will become more like silver-tongued devils, but oh, so charming.

Venus' ruling card, #3, The Empress
RWCS Deck, US Games©

As the effects of the Grand Water Trine diminish, the Grand Trine between Jupiter, Saturn and Chiron (think tarot’s #5, the Hierophant) comes to the forefront, peaking on August 21st.  There’s tremendous healing energy here.  Whether you’re concerned with health of body, mind or soul, use this configuration’s energy to meditate and promote healing for yourself or loved ones.  The Sun enters Virgo on the 23rd, but more on that later.

Venus comes home to Libra, her ruling sign, on August 16th.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Air sign Libra brings Venus into her own by granting us the ability to create harmony and beauty around us.  We form and reform strong partnerships.  True romance is in the air – literally. Don’t be surprised if you see the proverbial stranger across a crowded room.

Other points of interest this month include a Full Moon in Aquarius - part deux, and the rocking and rolling Perseid Meteor Shower ( see blog on shower -  http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/08/perseid-meteor-showers-august-11th-to.html  ).    As you can see we’ve got great stuff coming this month.  Remember to utilize  this month’s energy patterns to create lasting, positive change in your life. Be patient and loving with yourself and with others.

LADY ORACLE


Buy great tarot decks at Lady Oracle Tarot!

Appendix - Full Flower Moon, May 24th/ 25th - Tarot Cards and Planetary Hook-Ups for Meditation and Contemplation

Here are some tarot card references for the planets and signs involved with tonight’s Full Flower Moon and penumbral eclipse.  As you know, we have lots of expansive energy swirling around us right now.  This is great stuff when properly channeled.  My personal picks for best energy to draw during meditations right now are: 

Jupiter in Gemini - always about amazing expansion and growth, but here with a nice sociable kicker

Saturn in Scorpio - okay, there are challenges, but this is also a very resourceful and insightful energy in use; 

Mars in Taurus - for perseverance (9 of Wands) and 

Mercury in Gemini - here we have home court advantage because Mercury rules Gemini and the wit is quick, light-hearted and very charming. 

The tarot cards for the major cosmic players are a snapshot life well-lived.  Check it out:

Moon - #2, The High Priestess - Intuition and unconscious thought, mystery

Mercury - #1, The Magician - Conscious, directed energy, focused intention 

                       (#1 and #2 - got some yin and yang right here)

Venus - #3, The Empress - Abundance, fruition, natural order and fertility

Jupiter - #10, Wheel of Fortune -  A turning point, fate takes a hand

Mars - #16, The Tower - Sudden and unexpected change, release

Saturn - #21, The World - Fulfillment, expansion and integration 

                                         (See! Great opportunity!)

Gemini - #6, The Lovers - Relationships and values

Sagittarius - #14, Temperance - Balance between your worlds, as well as the spiritual and the material          

Scorpio - #13, Death - Transformation, end of one cycle, beginning of another

Taurus - #5, Hierophant - Faith, identifying with a group belief, or spiritual value

As another point of interest, here are the signs we’ve discussed and there ruling planets:

Gemini - Mercury

Sagittarius - Jupiter      

Scorpio - Pluto and Mars

Taurus - Venus     

Now you not only have the framework, but the weft and the warp threads that make up the cosmic fabric.  Draw on the various energies around you during your mediations to balance yourself.  Watch for the cards patterns that appear in your readings.  Above all, enjoy your discoveries about yourself and your relationship to the world around you.

LADY ORACLE

Full Flower Moon, May 24th - 25th, 2013 - Adventure, Romance and a Penumbral Eclipse

The actual date for this month’s Full Moon changes according to your time zone.  In England the moon is full on May 25th at 4:27, GMT/UT (Greenwich Mean Time, or Universal Time) and in New York, it’s full at 12:24 a.m. EST, also on May 25th.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, however, our Flower Moon comes into full blossom at 9:24 p.m. on May 24th.  (Here's a link to the annual Portland Rose Festival - also 5/24/13! )

May’s Full Flower Moon occurs at 4 degrees and 8 minutes in Sagittarius and promises to be adventurous and fast-paced.  Sagittarius, like Gemini, is known for mental acuity, but depth wise, these signs are at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Sagittarius is a high-minded, intuitive sign.  Gemini likes their wisdom to be quick and amusing, but without much substance.  What both of these signs have in common, though, is an adventurous streak and lots of social energy.  It’s little wonder they are so powerful in opposition - Moon in Sagittarius and Sun in Gemini. Take time to brush up on your banter and your current events before this weekend.  Naps wouldn’t hurt either.

Lunar eclipses focus on relationships, the beginning and ending of cycles and on finding balance between extremes.  Intuitive Sagittarius may ask if your relationship is all you wish it to be, while liberated Gemini, playing host to Venus, may tell you to act on your flights of fancy. Emotions run high during the eclipse and Venus is both care-free and flirtatious under Gemini’s influence.  Sagittarius, who also appreciates visceral experience, seeks adventures that have less chance of blowing up in your face.  Strive to balance these polarities during the Flower Moon.  Also remember that an eclipse in extremely powerful two days before and three days after the actual event.

Jupiter and Mercury are visiting Gemini as well during this eclipse.  Mercury, the planet of communication gives us the chance to be open and honest with our friends and partners.  It also gifts us with a silver tongue, perfect for charming or persuading those around us.  Jupiter puts a capital ‘A’ in adventure, easing our way socially and intellectually in a variety of situations.    

May’s Full Flower Moon has something for everyone.  It has the chops for magnificent abundance work, adventure, social and romantic opportunities, with just a dash of perseverance from Mars in Taurus.  You could say that Saturn in Scorpio and the Uranus Pluto Square are waiting in the wings to throw the proverbial bucket of cold water on us, but I don’t think so.  Both of these configurations love portents and challenges, but when you think about it, all they are really asking us to do is stay present in the moment, to pay attention and be genuine.  If something feels hinkey, it probably is, so act accordingly and steer clear. that's good advice anytime.   Go out and have a wonderful Full Moon weekend.  Stay present in the moment and enjoy.

Here is a link to my Appendix (well...not mine, but and appendix for Full Flower Moon Tarot card references - planetary and sign. Check it out and enjoy!

LADY ORACLE

Lyrids Meteor Shower, April 21st -April 22nd - Lyre, Lyre - Sky on Fire

The constellation Lyra, is the radiant, or point of origin, for the Lyrids Meteor Shower.  Lyra, whose principle star is Vega, rises out of the northeastern part of the sky after 10:00 p.m.  The Lyrids shower runs from April 16th through the 25th, but the peak time for viewing will be during the pre-dawn hours of April 22nd, after the moon has set (Waxing Gibbous in Virgo at 91.2 % full).  This meteor shower is one of the more conservative displays we see in the meteor season, raining between ten to twenty meteors per hour.  However, according to astronomers, the Lyrids will sometimes surprise you with surges of up to one hundred meteors per hour.

According to myth, Orpheus, the son of Apollo and Calliope, was a musician.  His best known gig was playing lead lyre for Jason and the Argonauts.  His father, Apollo, gave Orpheus a lyre that’s sound was so pure and enticing, its music charmed everything - even the rocks in the field.  It also charmed a beautiful nymph named Eurydice, who fell in love with Orpheus and married him.  

It’s not easy being the half-mortal child of a god. Just ask Percy Jackson. Orpheus and Eurydice’s happiness didn’t last. One day, while running from an ardent admirer (a common pastime for beautiful nymphs), Eurydice was bitten by a snake and died.  Orpheus in his grief followed her into the underworld and pleaded with Pluto for her return. Pluto agreed, with one condition.  Orpheus must lead his wife from the underworld, but never look back at her until they were above ground. You guessed it; for whatever reason, he looked back.  Later, after Orpheus’ death at the hands of crazed fans during a bacchanalia, Jupiter placed the magical lyre in the sky for all to see.

The cosmic debris responsible of the Lyrids display comes from the tail of Comet Thatcher.  This comet appears in our neighborhood every 415 years and we pass through its debris field every April.  Comet Thatcher was discovered on April 5, 1861, a week before the beginning of the American Civil War.  Its discovery clearly lent credence to the old superstition that the appearance of a comet preceded catastrophic events.

Meteor watching requires no protective eye gear.  All you need is a dark sky, a blanket and maybe a lawn chair.  It’s a natural spectacle, rated G, devoid of CGI and Dolby Sound.  More importantly, like starlight, meteor showers are free.

LADY ORACLE

The Sign of Pisces - February 19th Through March 21st

On February 19th, the Sun enters the sign of Pisces and will

remain there until March 21st.  People born under the sign of Pisces are water babies and filter much of their life experience and intuition through their emotions.  The sign of Pisces is symbolized by two fish.  There’s a reason for using two fish when one would do.  Cancer has one crab and Scorpio, one scorpion.  The sign of Pisces exists has a natural duality.  It is ruled by two planets, Jupiter and Neptune and people born under this sign exist in two worlds - the world of their reality and the world of their illusions.  Often, they get lost between the two worlds.  Some astrologers theorize that Pisces, being the last sign of the zodiac year, borrows traits from all the other signs.  Note that it is in the twelfth house of the zodiac that astrologers look for secrets and secrets are intricate to the make up of a Pisces.

  

#18, The Moon is the tarot association
for the sign of Pisces. From
Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen's
"Wizard's Tarot"©

Fish folk are the most mystically charged members of the zodiac.  They are both highly empathic and deeply spiritual.  On one hand, Piscesans give selflessly to friends and family - often too much and to your own detriment.  On the other hand, they guard their secrets within their emotional depths, sometimes making it difficult for non-fish people to understand their reasoning and motivations. When life become too difficult for them, Pisces retreats into silence - shutting down and shutting out the world.  They believe it’s easier that way.  Unfortunately, for these empathetic souls, their inward turns can too easily lead to depression, self-pity and lethargy. 

Pisces draw their impressive creative power from Neptune, the planet of dreamers.  They do very well in both visual and performance arts.  In tarot, the sign Pisces is ruled by the Major Arcana card, # 18, The Moon.  This card serves to remind them that while it is easy for them to get lost in the world of illusion, they can use their inner guides and intuition to return to them to their life path and get moving again.  Their tendency towards self-sacrifice and being easily stagnated also comes from Neptune whose tarot card is #12, The Hanged Man.  

#10, The Wheel of Fortune is
Jupiter's ruling card.  From US Games©

Jupiter, whose tarot card is #10, The Wheel of Fortune, offers Pisces the chance for growth and expansion of their real world.   Pisces, being highly intuitive, has the capacity to make their own luck.  It is when they are ungrounded (out of their tank?) that the Wheel takes a downward turn. If they follow tarot’s advise, stay on their path, don’t be distracted by the illusion and follow their intuition, they will be highly successful.

Neptune's tarot card, #12, The Hanged Man
from Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara
Moore's "Shadowscapes" ©

In relationships, fish folk do well with high-energy signs.  Fire signs are their opposite, but opposites attract. ( Aires, Leo, Sagittarius) Air signs also work. ( Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) Earth is not the natural state for Pisces.  These signs make it easy for them to surrender too much of themselves and their dreams. (Capricorn, Virgo and Taurus) Pisces must remember that they do not need to take second place to anyone.  As with everything in life, it is a matter of balance.  If you are fortunate enough to be in a relationship with highly imaginative, creative and compassionate Pisces, love them, care for them, but don’t drain their tank.  

LADY ORACLE