Author: Amelia Shea

“We have this way of talking, and we have another.
Apart from what we wish or what we fear may happen,
We are alive with other life, as clear stones
take form in the mountain.” Rumi

On Tuesday Venus, the goddess of love and pleasure leaves the fiery sign of Sagittarius and enters the Saturn-ruled sign of Capricorn.  Venus is  Capricorn is  a lover of tradition, responsibility, commitment and hard work.

On Tuesday  Mercury in Sagittarius will move up to a  square to Saturn in Pisces.  And on Friday, Saturn, now transiting the sign of Pisces, will station and start moving direct once again – this time at 12 degrees of Pisces.

This week bodes well for planning, organizing and perseverance. Alot can be accomplished under this starry sky with Saturn’s influence.

In the old texts Saturn was associated with melancholy and so moods can be low under these aspects. . With Mercury square Saturn excess worry can be about. It’s a good time to see where limitations – perhaps some that are unnecessary – are present in our lives.

Issues that come up this week may be related to issues that arise during the upcoming  Mercury retrograde period which runs from November 25 to December 15.

The Full Moon is Friday – shortly after Saturn stations direct. The Sun, at 24 degrees of Scorpio – the sign of transformation, rebirth and complexity will oppose the Moon in Taurus, the sign of  sensuality, practicality and the tangible.

The Full Moon will align with Uranus – the planet of surprises and the unexpected. This is a freedom loving planetary pair. It can bring tension and excitement to the mix which can result in new perspectives and revelations. It’s best to stay open and receptive to change under this influence.

And right on the horizon, on the 19th, Pluto will enter the sign of Aquarius for the long haul – through 2044.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A sword used in many battles, is now in a museum.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

“Sometimes life is so surprising there’s nothing to do but live.” Emily Dickinson

“Last night as I lay sleeping.
I dreamt – marvelous error-
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said along which secret aqueduct,
oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?

Last night as I lay sleeping,
I dreampt-marvelous error-
That I had a beehive
Here in my heart
And the golden bees
We’re making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.” Anthonio Machado

The week starts off with Mars in a beneficial trine to Neptune. This is a lovely alignment – with both in water signs. Under this influence creative ideas can flourish and it’s a good time for spiritual growth.

Venus is forming a square to Saturn. This is a down to earth alignment bringing good time to take care of business and for organization in general.

Mercury is moving up to an opposition to the planet of surprises, Uranus. There can be snafus with electronics and travel under this influence, so extra patience will be helpful. It’s wise to take extra caution when driving as there is an erratic side to this alignment and people can take sudden unexpected actions.

This alignment can be hard on the nervous system so it would be beneficial to provide some extra down time throughout the week.

Halloween is on Thursday this week and the veils are thin between the worlds. Mercury will be in a harmonious partnership with Neptune making this a great day for the imagination and for dreams. A good time for expressing emotions.

The New Moon in Scorpio is on Friday November 1 at 9 degrees of Scorpio.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A jewelry shop filled with the most magnificent jewels.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“Hopes and dreams which  can no longer  be fulfilled in their original form  may need to be blessed and released, as the energy invested in them may be soon be needed elsewhere.” Melanie Reinhard.

“Though my soul may set in darkness,
It will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly
to be fearful of the night.” Galileo

As the beginning of the week this week Venus in Sagittarius is aligning in harmony with the Lunar Nodes. This creates a significant threshold time to raise awareness about any guidance that surfaces related to self esteem, relationships, finances and what we value. The North Node points the way forward destiny – wise and the South Node indicates what needs to be let go of or released on our  evolutionary path.

Mercury in Scorpio is making a harmonious alignment with Saturn in Pisces early this week also. This brings a serious, down-to earth quality to thinking and to speech. It is a good time for planning, serious conversations and getting to the bottom of things.

The Sun is moving up to a challenging aspect to Pluto.The Sun is in late Libra now and Pluto in late Capricorn. The sign of Libra favors harmony and peace – sometimes at any price – whereas Pluto likes exposing dark and hidden things. This combination is exacerbated by a square from Mars in Cancer. This alignment has been in effect since last week. Tempers can be short, there can be more impatience and irritability as a result.

It is a high energy alignment and progress can be made with projects – just watch for overdoing.

The Sun moves into the sign of Scorpio on Tuesday. Here in the Northern Hemisphere it is a time of increasing darkness.  The sign of Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, the Lord of Transformation, thus making this period – to the Winter Solstice- a good time for working on personal evolution, transformation and  letting go.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”An old owl perched high up in a tree.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost…” William Stafford

There’s plenty of fiery energy this week with Mars in Cancer making squares to the Sun and to the Full Moon on Thursday. It’s great for taking action.

Along with the get-up-and -go energy  comes a caution-irritability and tempers can run high and it can be an accident prone time if care isn’t used when moving around.

This Full Moon is conjunct the asteroid of the Wounded Healer, Chiron.  Chiron governs  the lifelong process of wounding and healing. Chiron also governs fragmentation.

In Peruvian shamanism, the belief is that when traumatic events occur, part of the soul fragments off. There is a soul retrieval ritual they perform which has to do with calling back the fragmented piece and restoring wholeness to the person.

There is an old  saying that the influence of  Full Moon is,”Three days coming and three days going.” It’s wise to raise awareness during this time about any intuitions that surface about restoring a sense of wholeness. One of the ways to do this, as Melanie Reinhart suggests, is to “listen to the whispers of your soul.”

The Full Moon Thursday October 17 is at 24 degrees of Aries at 7:26 AM EDT.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,” A woman possessed of more gifts than she can hold.”

 

“The sense of balance  maintains the right relationship between lightness and gravity, this is what it means to be a human being on the Earth, beneath the sky.”Robert Sardello

One of the significant transits of 2024 is the Jupiter/Saturn square and one of the important dates in that transit is this week on October 9 when Jupiter will station retrograde.

The planet Jupiter has to do with expanding our horizons – both outwardly in terms of travel and exploration and inwardly in terms of study and spiritual or religious growth.

The retrograde period will last through early February 2025.

There can be a feeling of tension or conflict when these two planets align as Jupiter governs expansion and Saturn values  contraction.  There can be restlessness too, and  a sense of indecision.

It’s always wise to take your time when these two are together and to keep to the moderate path.

The retrograde period provides a good time to entertain broad options for the future but keep in mind the plans may change over time with the retrograde.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “Three fledglings in a nest high up in a tree.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“Sychronicity is the coming together of inner and outer events in a way that cannot be explained  by cause and effect  and that is meaningful to the observer.” Carl Jung

I have a friend who has a consignment business in an antique shop in Vermont. Recently she posted a photo of a pair of well worn men’s Frye boots with a strap and gold buckle. Motorcycle boots, she called them. She explained that the boots – a classic-  were not for sale – she had sold them to man in the North Carolina  who had purchased them out of nostalgia.. He had owned a pair  like them some forty years ago.

When he received the boots he was surprised to look inside and see  his signature – which he had signed there years ago. His original boots had been mysteriously returned to him.

There is something about this story – the return  of something meaningful or the synchronicity and mystery of the event that reminded me of a Tarot Card reading.

Tarot readings are correlated with synchronicity and put us in touch with the magic and mystery of life. Perceptions can emerge in a reading which lead to solutions and a more expansive way of thinking.

The man who received his  boots in the mail must have experienced something like this as well – the mystery and  magic of life sometimes brought to us by synchronicity.

On the Astrology front, yesterday’s Solar Eclipse in LIbra was conjunct the planet of thought and communication – Mercury. There can be new thoughts and perceptions which emerge  during this Moon cycle which lead to new directions.

There can be new perspectives and connections in relationships as well.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A professor peering over his glasses at his students.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

“Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen:
reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in.
This is how we are going to live for a long time: not always.
for every gardener knows that after the digging, after the planting,
after the long season of tending and growth, the harvest comes.” Marge Percy

Recently I was reading a post by Eric Francis- an astrologer and invstigative reporter -and he  was discussing the ancestral influences that can be seen in the charts of families through the generations. He wrote, ‘In families there are no new stories.”

This was a slight exaggeration of course. When looking at the charts of families through time, though,  you can often see both the gifts and the challenges that come down through the family lines. I thought of this today when I was looking at the chart for the upcoming Solar Eclipse on Wednesday October 2.

This is a South Node Eclipse at 10 degrees of Libra. The South Node governs patterns from the past that can feel comfortable or familiar but have a weakening effect or keep us from where we need to be going. These kinds of patterns usually have a history in the family – just as some illnesses do,

The Moon’s Nodes are karmic in nature and govern the life path. The North Node – which indicates what directions needs to be taken -is in Aries – the fiery, action- oriented sign. This indicates the next thirty days or so provide a good cycle to take action to  clearly identify and move away from these types of patterns.

Mercury is also conjunct the Eclipse and this connection  is a heads – up to watch for old thinking patterns that lead in a discouraged direction or undermine the desired journey forward.

This Eclise is bringing into focus relationships of all kinds- personal, professional, friendship – and the theme of balance and fairness. It can be a time of endings for some relationships as well as a time of setting better boundaries and working towards creating a more equitable partnership in others.

The Sun and Moon in Libra will be squaring Mars  – this can give extra energy when it comes to getting work done and overcoming obstacles. It can be short tempered, however.

There are also planetary configurations that indicate a good time for socializing – among them,  Venus in Scorpio forming a harmonious trine to Mars in Cancer.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A blazing fireplace in a deserted home.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill.

 

 

 

“To go into the dark with a light, is to know the light,
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
And find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
And is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.” Wendell Berry

“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night,
fearful of the night.” Galileo

The Sun enters the sign of Libra on Sunday   9/22 ushering in the Autumn Equinox – a time of of growing darkness here in the northern hemisphere.

The Equinox is a time of balance and equilibrium illustrated by the equal time between day and night – making it a good time to restore and renew  balance and equilibrium.

The power at this time can be harnessed to effect new  beginnings and endings. Make some space for something new to enter your life.

We are in between eclipses now – the Lunar Eclipse in  Pisces on September 17 and the upcoming Solar Eclipse on October 2. The time between a Eclipses is a good time to reset habits or patterns you would like to change in your life.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Having an urgent task to complete, a man doesn’t look to any distractions.”

An Astrologer or Tarot Card reader should be a trusted ally on your life’s path.

 

“Don’t long for things, dear, create!” Dr Shirley Snow

“So hope for a great sea-change
On the far side of revenge
Believe a farther shore
Is reachable from here.
Believe in miracles
And cures and healing wells.” Seamus Heaney

The week starts off under the influence of the Lunar Eclipse on Tuesday 9/17 which occurs at  10:34 PM EDT at 25 degrees of Pisces.

This Eclipse has some very different elements to it- the  Moon will be conjunct the planet of dreams and the imagination, Neptune and squaring Jupiter, the planet of wisdom, pleasure and excess. This alignment bodes well for dreams and visions for the future with the awareness that the dreams may need to be tempered at some point.

It’s wise at this time to watch for overthinking and worrying with the Mercury/Saturn opposition  at play.

Neptune is associated with longing – longing for a different past, a different outcome etc. It’s better to tune into the optimistic. creative energy of this time.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A harvest Moon illuminates the sky.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, copy wood carry water.” Zen koa

One of the perks of being a practicing astrologer is that on occasion,  an astrologer on a book tour or trip to our area would contact me for a visit. One such time, Bruce Scofield, an astrologer and author  in western Mass., came to visit. He is the author of several books on hiking trails.He also is the person I refer when clients don’t  have a birth time or accurate birth time because he practices rectification – the art of determining a person’s birth time by analysing the dates of important events in their lives.

At this time though, he was exploring a new hiking trail in close  proximity to where we were living. His first words when entered our farmhouse out in the country were, “What are the systems in this house?” meaning what were the routines etc to get chores done.

This struck me as a very sixth house question – as the sixth house – ruled by the sign of Virgo – governs this area of life.

Through September 22  or so  there is a grand trine in earth as the  Sun in Virgo, Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus form this  dynamic alignment.

The earth signs have to do with making progress through organization, planning and commitment to long term success.
It is about setting goals and taking action. The mountain goat, symbol of Capricorn, does not get deterred by setbacks – she keeps going.

So this time frame creates a good opportunity to get back on track with commitments and intentions or to set new ones that are pragmatic in nature and backed by a solid commitment to the long term. A good time to set up new systems or make improvements to the current ones if necessary.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A woman is gaining secret knowledge from an ancient scroll she is reading.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill.