May 28, 2014 New Moon in Gemini, Squares Neptune in Pisces While Venus Takes No Bull

Tarot's card for Lady Moon from
"Wizard's Tarot"© by Corrine Kenner
and John J. Blumen

May’s New Moon takes place in quick-witted Gemini this month.  A Gemini Moon is typically a party goer’s moon, however there are other factors this month that have astrologers predicting some twists and turns.  The New Moon of May 28th squares Neptune in Pisces.  As you may recall, a square is an aspect, or angle of ninety degrees between planets.  Squares are challenging aspects that combine the strongest, and in some cases trickiest influences of the celestial bodies involved.

Neptune, the ruling planet for Pisces, is exalted (particularly high-functioning and powerful) in this sign. Neptune is the planet dreamers and its stock in trade is illusion and intuition; two things it has in common with the Moon. Many astrologers state that the squaring of the New Moon and Neptune will make it difficult for us to see past our own dreams and that we’ll be prone to self-delusion when it comes to making informed decisions – more so if we have Neptune, Gemini or Pisces prominently in our birth charts.  

Gemini, on the other hand, is ruled by Mercury and deals in mental acuity and communication.  People born under this sign love to collect knowledge and to be well informed.  However, under the Moon’s influence Gemini’s behavior becomes erratic, making us flipflop our thoughts and emotions with lightening speed. We strive to be agreeable to others – so much so that we surrender our self-expression, or in the worse case, our self-respect in order to belong.  

Tarot’s card association for Pisces is #18, The Moon.  One

Pisces' tarot card, #18, The Moon
from "Wizard's Tarot"© by John J. Blumen
and Corrine Kenner

meaning for this card is to be lost in illusion or in one’s own fear.  The Moon’s tarot card, #2, The High Priestess, represents the subconscious and intuition. It’s easy to understand why astrologers would make the leap that we should guard against self-delusion and pipe-dreaming during this New Moon.  Still, there is more to consider than simply the illusions that surround both Neptune and the Moon.  Neptune in Pisces also brings us great spirituality and creativity.  Use these gifts. Spend time in contemplation during the next few days.  Write down the ideas that occur to you.  All of them. They will give you something to consider more deeply and revise during June’s Mercury Retrograde.

Venus takes up residence in Taurus on the 28th as well.  The goddess of love is both practical and secure when she is bull riding.  Although well-grounded by Taurus’ earth energy, Venus still operates on instinct to create a loving, passion-filled environment during this transit.  Remember too that her practicality also extends into creative endeavors.  Draw on her stability if you find yourself uncertain of your direction or mired in illusions caused by your own anxiety during this New Moon phase.  Work with written communications and keep your expectations of yourself reasonable.  Doing so will ensure you a positive start to the upcoming lunar cycle.

LADY ORACLE

Full Frost Moon in Taurus, November 17th - “Opposites Attract”

November’s Full Frost Moon occurs at 25 degrees and 26

The Hierophant, is tarot's card for Taurus
from "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©
by Ciro Marchetti

minutes of Taurus this year.  I like the name, Frost Moon, which refers to the time of year when the first frost is likely to occur.  The alternate name for November’s Full Moon is, Beaver Moon.  I never use that name, because we’re all Oregon Duck fans in this house.  Don’t get me started on the Stanford game.  

Full Moons happen when the Sun is in direct opposition to the Moon.  This month we have two signs involved that are also directly opposite one another on the wheel of the Zodiac – Scorpio and Taurus.  Scorpio lives in the eighth house along with our sexual energy, our ability to redefine ourselves, our resources and death.  Taurus resides in the second house where we find our earning potential, our self-esteem and our possessions.  

Death represents the transformative
power of Scorpio from "Legacy
of the Divine Tarot"© by Ciro Marchetti

While both signs are in the fixed modality and live in succedent houses (houses of fixed signs that are concerned with resources See blog: Houses of the Zodiac ) they are opposite in nature.  Scorpio is a water sign and its people favor the deeply mysterious, as well as self-improvement. Taurus is an earth sign whose denizens like their creature comforts and the finer things in life.  Taurians actually feel through their senses and unlike Scorps, are not moody and broody by nature. (See Blogs: Sun in Taurus and Sun in Scorpio )

All this opposition works incredibly well for us this month.  The

The High Priestess rules the Moon
from Rom Choi's "Dreaming Way Tarot"©

Moon is said to be exalted in Taurus which, simply put, means the Moon functions well in that sign.  Full Moons are about culmination and manifesting and November’s Full Moon in Taurus carries extreme power for bringing goals and dreams into reality.  Our Frost Moon’s intensity is supported by vast amounts of transformative energy, not only from the Sun and Saturn in Scorpio, but also via Pluto and Venus in Capricorn.  Neptune, direct and back in the game in Pisces, gives a powerful boost to our imaginations (See Blog: Neptune direct in Pisces).  Again, and repeat it with me, “What I perceive, I can achieve.”

The Sun for the Sun from
Ciro Marchetti's "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©

Dare to dream during this luxurious and transformative Full Frost Moon in Taurus.  Use the tarot cards associated with Taurus, the Moon, Scorpio and the Sun as focal points during meditation, or meditative journaling.  This is an optimum time to create your ‘exit strategy’ for 2013 – a list of things you’d really like to see manifest, or culminate before the end of December.  And remember that it’s never too early to start your 2014 wish list.

LADY ORACLE

Astrological Trends, July, 2013 - “Trine Time”

Saturn's ruling tarot card
#21, The World
Shadowscapes Tarot©

July started the month off with incendiaries – some of which had faulty guidance systems, but all in all, July’s roller coster arrival (Super Moon after shocks and Mercury Retrograde) was nothing we couldn’t handle with meditation, creative visualization and maybe a couple of glasses of wine if things felt too crazy.  Now we’re humming as the Grand Trine between Jupiter in Cancer, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio takes the center stage and becomes the major player for July’s astrological forecast.  

A trine is the most favorable aspect, or angle (120 degrees), between planets and certain other celestial bodies. A Grand Trine is a harmonious and continuous flow of energy between 3 planets.  Our natural inclination during a trine is to bask in the pleasant out-pouring of magnificent energy, however, astrologers warn that too many trines at once may be too much of a good thing, causing a somewhat sluggish mindset, or even outright laziness.  Go with the flow this month, particularly during Mercury Retrograde, but remember that there is fabulous energy from the Grand Trine that you can use to shift your life in the desired direction. 

All the signs in July’s Grand Trine are water signs.  All water signs are spiritual, intuitive and creative.  Water folk tend to view life from an emotional viewpoint rather than from facts and figures.  They are often romantic souls. The analogy used to compare them states that if Cancer is a lake, Scorpio is a river and Pisces is an ocean. Each of these signs has a direct affect on the planet within its house and what we’’ll all be feeling this month is the water signs’ influence.  

Jupiter (tarot’s #10, The Wheel of Fortune) in Cancer (tarot’s

Jupiter's ruling tarot card
#10, The Wheel of Fortune
Shadowscapes Tarot©

#7, The Chariot) is humorous, good-natured and good with money. Design a budget and stick to it.  The end of summer will find your cash crunch eased and who knows, you could solve a tricky money flow issue with the help of Jupiter, the Santa Claus planet.  The combination of Jupiter in Cancer also promotes emotional growth and healing which makes July the perfect month to let go of romantic fantasies and emotional attitudes we should have left behind long ago.  

Neptune (tarot’s #10, The Hanged Man) is the ruling planet for Pisces (tarot’s #18, The Moon) and is the “beautiful dreamer” of the Grand Trine.  Neptune is also in Retrograde which means that we are more likely to contemplate our

Neptune's tarot card
#12, The Hanged Man
Shadowscapes Tarot©

connection to one another and question our intention towards our fellow creatures. Who do we serve, ourselves or the whole?  You may recall that Pisces easily becomes lost in day dreams and illusion.  In July we’ll all battle this tendency trying hard to remain focused on the here and now instead of the seductive allure of ‘someday.’  The lesson here; change your focus, stay in the now and change your life.   

Saturn (tarot’s #21, World) is the most practical of the three planets.  Saturn likes analyzing people’s motivations and assigning them either asset or liability status – not in a cold-blooded way, but as a matter of practicality.  Do the people in your life help you be a better person, or do they hinder the process? While Saturn in Scorpio (tarot’s #13, Death) normally uses challenges to help us transform our world, here we see Saturn stabilizing the trine and helping us use its energy in our daily lives.

Factoids for the month: Our New Moon in Cancer in on July 8th.  The Grand Trine becomes exact of July 17th, so expect a little more magic that day.  Hum a lot.  Mercury goes direct on July 20th and is an exact square with Uranus.  Look for some breakthrough energy there. The full Moon in Aquarius is on July 22nd and we also have a meteor shower, the Delta Aquarids, later this month.  More on these later.  Enjoy!

LADY ORACLE

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Astrological Trends for June 2013 - Part 1, “Retro-Fitting”

High Priestess - Intuition, the subconscious

Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune in Pisces and Mercury in Cancer are all in retrograde this month and they are working in a positive way to retro-fit your life. We’ve had some intense, fiery Wand energy during April and May. If you got out in front of it and used its passion and enthusiasm to design the life you want, you probably feel like your running on empty right now. Hang in there because in June the Universe is giving you a chance to rest up and accomplish some easy re-do work.  

Neptune in Pisces will be in retrograde from June 7th to November 13th. Retrograde means that as Earth passes a planet during our own orbit an optical illusion occurs that makes the other planet (Neptune Saturn and Mercury this month) appear to be moving backwards. Mystical Neptune rules dreams, spirituality and illusion. During its retrograde cycle, our blinders come off.  We review our life choices and our spiritual connections.  Neptune retrograde is when we decide if we’re on the right track or not.  Meditations and dream states are richer during this time - the resulting information, more profound. Powerful psychic energy flows through us, but, we also run the risk of becoming overwhelmed.  Keep your home and yourself clear of negativity and energy vampires especially if Neptune in Pisces appears in your birth chart.  

Saturn in Scorpio has been in retrograde since February 18th.  It turns direct on July 8th.  We’ve experienced a period of challenges (that’s how Saturn teaches) but, we’ve also received the necessary information to overcome those challenges.  Come on, you know you have.  It’s your own fault if you haven’t acted on your new insights.  Saturn retrograde is an opportunity to work on your infrastructure.  Saturn rules our physical and psychological support systems.  During this retrograde, commit to yourself. No, not put yourself first.  Commit to reviewing and redefining your personal guidelines in a positive way. What projects (and you have taken on many) truly speak to your soul? Disentangle yourself from those that don’t.  Avoid over commitment (10 of Wands).  Retrogrades are about renewal, not overkill.

10 of Wand - Over-burdened

Our last retrograde player is good old Mercury in Cancer, June 26th to July 20th.  Naturally, the first thing we all think of are the messed up schedules, miscommunications and mechanical snafus that typify Mercury in retrograde.  Again, we some powerful energy from Neptune and Saturn that mitigates Mercury’s shadow side.  Also, Cancer makes Mercury highly empathic and intuitive. Use Neptune’s heightened clarity and Saturn’s rules of proper conduct to assist you in communicating accurately and effectively during Mercury retrograde and you may not even notice it - and smudge, smudge, smudge.

LADY ORACLE

Here's a link to Part two of June Astrological Forecast, the "Main Event"  clink link!

Part 2 of “ Astrological Trends for June 2013” looks at Venus in Cancer and our New Moon on June 8th.

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Part III - Astrological Trends February 2013 - “Jump, Jive and Then You Wail”

“The Wail”

February gets the dubious honor of hosting the first Mercury Retrograde of 2013 in a water sign, Pisces.  In fact, all three Mercury Retrogrades for 2013 occur in water signs: Pisces, February 23rd to March 17th; Cancer, June 26th to July 20th and Scorpio, October 21st to November 10th.  What does this mean for us, other that a sharp rise in stock prices for both Mrs. Paul’s and Gorton’s?

The planet Mercury rules communications, mental acuity and speech. During retrograde, simple misunderstandings happen because of poor, or unreliable communication.  If you have a reputation for witty remarks (a little bit of tarot’s Knight of Swords here) you may find yourself feeling pretty dim witted.  We are told not to begin new ventures during a Mercury Retrograde, not to sign contracts, make major purchases, etc. (See my blog: “Mercury Retrograde, Tarot and You” for complete information)

Water signs deal with matters that lie below the surface of our lives - our spiritual connection to the Divine, our emotions and our intuition.  Mercury Retrograde in a water sign makes us feel as if we’re treading water in the middle of the ocean and our inner tube has just sprung a leak.  Little remarks can be blown completely out of proportion.  We have a sense of isolation and grounding ourselves becomes more difficult.  For these reasons some of our less than desirable traits float to the surface, making life more difficult than it needs to be. 

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces plays to our sensitivities and our emotions are easily exposed.  If you have issues around victimizing people or being a victim yourself, your triggers may be uber twitchy.  Pisces loves its secrets and there can be a slight tendency towards intrigues and self-deception.  Our lucky break comes from Neptune, Pisces ruling planet.  Neptune is visiting home turf.  The planet of creative dreamers lends stability to the undercurrents of a retrograde in Pisces.  Pisces is a sign of compassion and creativity.  Our creative drives will still be strong during retrograde and can best be utilized by reviewing and revamping (remember ‘r’ words) your projects.  As always, the key to a successful Mercury Retrograde is staying connected to your higher self.  Again, we receive a hand from Neptune.  Meditate, meditate, meditate.

Mercury Retrograde doesn’t have to make you hide in the closet.  Stay focused, positive and grounded.  Remember your ‘r’ words and in case of an emergency, buy yourself really good chocolate.

LADY ORACLE

Astrological Trends February 2013 - “Jump, Jive and Then You Wail” Part I

“The Jump”

February will be one long, magical, mystery tour.  Right out of the gate we have Mars conjunct (same place at the same time) Neptune in Pisces.  Can you say, “Daydream Believer?”  Mars gives action and focus to Neptune, planet of creative dreamers.  Our imaginations will be working overtime in February, but in a positive way.  Start that novel you’ve been talking about for years, dust off your easel, or create a dramatic re-do of a classic recipe.  The sky is literally the limit for those who choose to harness that Mars - Neptune energy. 

Mars also delivers high octane intuition this month that’s not only super charged, but extremely accurate as well.  Follow your gut and don’t over-think issues.  You do know the answers even if you haven’t heard the questions yet. The red planet directs us to engage in life with compassion and sensitivity right now, but know your limits.  Mars’ energy can make us take on not only our share of responsibility, but also take on some for other people as well.  That may be fine if you’re inspired to found a global social movement for instance, but it won’t work well in day to day relationships.  I see a 10 of Wands on that one.  Don’t let yourself become overburdened and overwhelmed because you believe you have to do it all.  Partners are there for a reason.

On February 5th, Mercury also enters Pisces, conjunct Mars and Neptune.  Mercury is a planet of communication with intuitive powers all its own.  In the presence of dreamy Neptune and sensitive Mars, we’re looking at a period of great inspiration.  It will be very easy to connect with the Divine during meditations.  In fact, the first two weeks is an excellent time to commit to regular meditation or yoga practice.  You will feel invigorated and renewed.  

In Part II, "The Jive," we will take a look at trines, yods and the New Moon - oh my!  In the meantime, check out Kathy Rose on YouTube.  She is one of my favorite sources for astrological trends.  She’s always positive and very interesting.

LADY ORACLE