Monday, July 30, 2018

Saturn and the Nature of Authority, Part 1

Hello everyone! With Saturn away on one of his retrograde business trips, I figured I'd take a moment to talk about one of the most interesting parts of his personality. 

One of my mentees, Bonnie Jean, asked me about Saturn and the idea of "authority" and it's a great question.

So we know that Saturn's job is to provide boundaries, restrictions, and structure to our lives. He also rules managers as a whole at all levels, and the idea of "authority" in many ways. Saturn represents our relationship with our parents, who are our first "authority" figures.

As we grow up, we all have our struggles with authority, and as transiting Saturn makes hard aspects to our natal Saturn position, we can see that play out in our lives. Approximately every seven years, there's a period of struggle. 


At 7-8 years old, we're pushing back against our parents and their authority. At 15 or so we're doing that again, but the battle is even more intense as Saturn opposes our natal Saturn position. At 21-22, we're breaking away from the authority of our parents as this is the traditional age that many of us finish our undergraduate degrees, wanting total autonomy over our own lives. We don't get it right away necessarily, either. 

By the time we hit 28-29, we have our first Saturn return--a conjunction between our natal Saturn position and transiting Saturn--and that's when many of us decide to "grow up", be more responsible, or "settle down", whatever that form takes for you.

What I find interesting is that many of my clients are between 26 and 32 years old, right around the time of that Saturn return. No surprise to me at all...this can be a challenging time.

Each Saturn return is like an exam. How well have you been following Saturn's lessons? For me, by the time you hit your first Saturn return, you need to take steps to make your life solid and stable with some boundaries and a general plan. 

You don't have to be a complete success, and you don't have to be financially well-off, either. But if you've paid attention to old man Saturn's many "lessons", you'll be in a decent position. If you haven't...well, you might spend a good portion of the next 28-29 years trying to figure it out.

So the authority you get from Saturn at your first Saturn return gives you the ability to structure your own life as you see fit. At this point you have chosen the obligations--there's another Saturn word!--that define your world: Partner, partners or single; rent or own; and your career situation, to name just a few.


As an aside, Bonnie Jean mentioned that Saturn would likely have a thing or two to say when he returns, and I'm almost positive she's right on that score. Hopefully, he'll be whatever passes for "pleased" in his world. 

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Tara's Lunar Eclipse Forecast!

Lunar Eclipse / Full Moon

July 27, 2018

4:20pm, Washington, DC

Here in the nation’s capital, we will experience the full Moon at approximately 4:20 pm, but no one in the USA will be able to see it. At the time of the eclipse, Sagittarius is on the horizon, making Jupiter ruler of this eclipse chart. The Sun will be at 4 Leo and the Moon will be at 4 Aquarius.

With the Ascendant and the Sun occupying fire signs, and the Sun and Moon in fixed signs this chart will bring more than its fair share of the summer heat as well as feelings of persistence or stubbornness associated with how the energy plays out. With the luminaries in masculine signs of elemental fire and air, there will be a need for people to project their ideas outward to share with others.

Oppositions require adjustment to handle the opposing energies. During the full Moon our emotions run high and often times our emotions spill over. Eclipses act like super charged full Moons presenting more of a kick than a regular full Moon.

At the time of this month’s full Moon, the planet Mars is conjunct the Moon in the air sign of Aquarius. With air signs, there is a tendency for cerebral thought provoking behavior. Aquarius in general is known for obscurity and unusual behavior. With Mars the planet of passions, anger, and desire in Aquarius it creates a dubious mix of the unknown meeting a need to share the information. 


When we look deeper into the chart and add in Mars retrograde, it’s easy to see why the partnership of the Moon and Mars could cause alarming and unusual behavior from people who struggle contain their emotions.

Speaking of Mars, he’s known as the lesser malefic in astrology as he causes a bit of disruption wherever he goes. The bully of the zodiac has been putting on a show for several weeks, and he adds a layer of depth to this lunar eclipse. Mars very much enjoys the rise of passions meeting action to further his agenda as our personal Special Forces team.

Mars is getting some assistance with his goals, semi-sextile Saturn in Capricorn and square Uranus in Taurus. The relationships that Mars shares with the outer planets of hard work and discord will indeed add a layer of tension to the overflowing of emotions available during the full Moon.

Here in the eastern US, the eclipse will occur across the 2nd and 8th house axis. With the Moon, Mars and south node conjunction in the 2nd house, it focuses our emotions on our personal environment and security, our pleasures, and our personal possessions. The presence of the south node here suggests there is something to be released.

With the north node and the Sun in the 8th house of sex, death, taxes and shared resources, this full Moon is going to ask us what we need to be successful. This is a time for an honest assessment of our lives and how our personal behavior is affecting our ability to connect with others both financially as well as intimately.

This full Moon also creates a pattern known as a T-square. The planet Uranus is square to both the Sun and the Moon, creating the pattern. A T-square looks like a 3-legged table. As you know 3 legged tables aren’t stable; neither are T-squares.

In astrology we look to where the 4th leg of the table should be in order to see how to stabilize the situation; in this case, we’re talking about the fixed sign of Scorpio in the 12th house of what we hide or prefer to not deal with.

Scorpio is a water sign, and although very deep, handling issues with finesse is not the scorpion’s forte. If we’re brave enough to look for it, we could find what we have been hiding from ourselves and prevents us from moving forward. In short, this lunar eclipse provides the opportunity to release what no longer serves our highest good.

One other contributing factor in this eclipse chart is the Venus-Pluto trine. It can bring about passionate attachments, which cause us to wrestle with our self-control, our need to remain attached to what we enjoy, and transform into something far suited to our personal growth. It calls us to be a part of the collective consciousness and to be compassionate both with ourselves as well as with others. Fortunately, we are still experiencing the thought provoking depths of the Jupiter and Neptune trine as well.

This intense water trine produces a lot of creative energy that supports artistic endeavors of all kinds. Perhaps this art is part of the releasing? Draw, paint, sculpt, or write what’s inside your heart and unleash the magic within.

Until next month’s solar eclipse, Sky Watchers!

Brightest Blessings,

Tara
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Sunday, July 22, 2018

Eclipses with a Skeleton Crew

Moon: Sol, are you ready for us to do our eclipse dance together?

Sun: Yes, Luna. I absolutely am; three of them total over five weeks. But I'll also need a status report...seems like lots of folks are out and about. 

Moon: Yes, Sol, it's pretty quiet around here. I really like having everyone around but that won't happen for a while yet. It makes me a little sad. 

Sun: I understand, Luna. Could we go over it again to make sure I know what's coming? It's been a little hard for me to focus.

Moon: Of course, Sol! At the moment, Mars, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto are all on their respective retrograde trips. Mercury will be going out soon, much to the chagrin of many, I'm sure...

Sun: [chuckles] So few people get to see your goofy side, Luna.

Moon: [beams] It's true, Sol, and you know it. I don't need to tell everyone what I'm feeling, do I?

Sun: Fair enough, Luna. I thought Merc was on his way out soon. 

Moon: July 26th is when he's going. 

Sun: Seems like he just got back. 

Moon: That's a pretty common sentiment. [pause] Jupiter just got back, though. I'm guessing people are pretty happy about that since he was gone in March. 

Sun: He does bring the fun! When is everyone else coming back?

Moon: Well, Merc is going out soon. He'll be out...well, people are already starting to feel the effects of his absence, but technically he's not retrograde YET. He's away starting the 26th and then he'll be back by August 19. The effects could linger as far as late August, but you know he's never gone long. 

Sun: Honestly, my concern is Mars more than anyone else. When does he get back?

Moon: He's back on August 27th. His trips always last around 2 months. I don't think he can stand any more than that, Sol. You know how he is!

Sun: [chuckles] Luna, you know how to cut right to the heart of the matter. I know a lot of folks will be glad to have him back, too. Who else are we talking about?

Moon: The curmudgeon is back on September 6th, though some days I wish he could stay gone longer. 

Sun: You're not the only one to say that, I'm sure, Luna. No matter what you say, Luna, he thinks highly of YOU, though, even though you've called him impressively terrible names in private. 

Moon:  That's because I'm a professional, Sol. And Saturn doesn't think highly of ANYONE. I'm lucky enough to get his respect, and that will have to be enough.

Sun: Agreed. What about our outer planets?

Moon: Uranus is out until early January...moving into Taurus probably made him realize he should go have a look around and see what kind of madness he's wrought. Poor people!

Sun: I know you feel for them, Luna. But you know how he is. Come in, cause a revolution, move on. Repeat. What about Neptune?

Moon: He's floating around out there somewhere in the ether, but that's not saying much. He's back on November 24, and before that, Pluto returns on September 30. 

Sun: Hmmmmm. And not long after that Venus goes out on retrograde too, right? 

Moon: Correct. October 6 through November 14. Should make it interesting for those buying early Yule presents for loved ones. 

Sun: Indeed. Things are going to be nuts for a while. And I almost forgot that it's time for me to leave your sign of Cancer. Just a few more hours now...

Moon: [Sigh] Yes, that's true. I do love it when you're in Cancer, but you LOVE being in Leo so I know it will be a good time.