Things feeling a little, well, ahem, constipated? Forward progress a little stuck? Things a little frustrated? That would be the Mars/Saturn opposition in play.

Let’s look more closely at this.

So we know that fixed signs are, well, fixed. Rigid. Stubborn even.

In earth terms, Taurus is the rock, the mountain, the concrete that isn’t going anywhere no matter what happens.

When you need solidity, that’s a good thing.

Taurus also is about holding onto things, gathering them around you, keeping you secure in case the money runs out and the winter is cold and the snow is up past the doors.

Scorpio is the water at the bottom of the deepest ocean. It’s unaffected by tidal flows. Strange things live down there, hidden in the dark. Things that can see in the dark, things that know secrets and mysteries. Things that have strengths you can never possibly know.

When you need this, that’s a good thing.

The issue is that changing anything- even when it needs to be changed, can be difficult.

The rock can’t be moved unless it’s chipped away bit by bit. If you chip too much of it away, it no longer provides the same level of strength that it previously had.

Rather than moving the rock, the trick is learning to use it- leave it there and climb over it. The same applies to the creatures of the deep.

So, that’s Taurus and Scorpio.

Now to Mars and Saturn.

Mars is about energy, moving forward, going after what you desire.

Saturn is about restriction, boundaries, commitments, lines in the sand.

In opposition we have Mars wanting to go forward- stubbornly- in a bull at a gate fashion. Without deviation. Head down, nostrils flaring.

Saturn at the other end is blocking the way. Putting in rules, regulations, a few speedbumps. In Scorpio, he’s not moving either.

So what to do?

It’s simple, head down, bum up and work through it.

Progress is slow and frustrations are high. Compromises need to be made in order to satisfy both- and neither Taurus or Scorpio are into compromise.

This is where the Moon will help.

Moon in Capricorn is practical, and will help take the emotions out of things. This will help you do what needs to be done- step by step, piece by piece, inch by inch.

A little like rock climbing, really.

The Moon today is in Capricorn.

Regular readers will know that the Capricorn Moon is one of those periods each month where (for me) the blah blah blahs come very easily. It feels grey.

It should be a great time for getting work done, for getting down to business, for being practical, for dealing with money concerns, for exchanging business cards, for budgeting…but what I really want to be doing doesn’t fall into any of these categories.

It’s in the fighting against the spirit of the Moon that I have issues. I make it harder for myself by pushing through with creative targets when I’d have a much more effective day if I scheduled activities more in keeping with the mood.

I have issues with the Capricorn Moon mainly because I don’t have a good relationship with Saturn. I’ve spoken about this before as well.

This is why when I post about loving, say, the Sagittarius Moon, others may completely disagree with me. This is absolutely valid.

While the emotional weather forecast will affect us all in some way, it will impact us personally depending on:

• The placement of your natal Moon
• The aspects made by your natal Moon to other planets

This information will influence how you identify with the daily Moon and its ruler.

As an example, those of you out there fortunate enough to have Saturn well integrated into your charts (or at least better integrated than I do…which wouldn’t be hard…) may relish the productivity and progress that comes from a Capricorn Moon. It’s a very personal thing.

It’s a bit like I relished the Sun and heat on our recent trip to Thailand, where my husband preferred to stay close to the air conditioning.

Anyways, with the Sun, Mars and Venus in Taurus, today is an especially earthy day.

Supportive links to Mars, the Sun and then the monthly conjunction with Pluto will add oomph and focus to your efforts today. This is all one foot in front of the other, sustained effort, long term focus stuff, which means the potential for frustration when quick results aren’t attained will be high.

Slow down, keep your eye firmly on the goal and maintain your routine. As someone much wiser than me would have said, motivation will provide the spark to get you started, but habit and routine will finish the job.

Want to know more about emotional weather forecasting and how it applies to you?

Check out these posts:

Cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms

Mostly fine with scattered showers

I have no idea where credit belongs to for this- but whoever you are, thankyou!

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere (and my stats tell me that most of you are), you’ll be waking up to a Monday dominated by Capricorn.

The Moon will be in Capricorn in just a few minutes time. Given that Venus and Saturn have been exchanging pleasantries and business cards, this makes Monday a very good day to Get Things Done. Business things. Practical things. Things that need to be planned and goaled to within an inch of their existence. Things that need structures, rules and strategy to work. Things that aren’t helped by the distractions that usually mean things don’t get done.

There’s another aspect that’s coming up that will reinforce the Capricorn-ness of the Capricorn Moon and the Pluto-ness of the monthly Moon-Pluto conjunction…and that’s an inconjunct between Pluto and the Sun.

What’s that, I hear you ask? An inconjunct? I don’t talk about these a lot, but after experimenting somewhat with my own chart of late, I have new respect for this “minor” aspect (when two planets are 150 degrees- 5 signs- apart) that has the potential to cause some major disruption.

An Astro pal, Marc from Sydney Astrology School, likens the inconjunct (or quincunx- try saying that 3 times whilst under the influence!) to one of those plunger things or electric eels that plumbers use to clear blocked drains and pipes. It’s a separation, a letting go, a release- whether you are ready or not. Given that most of us are generally a tad unwilling to accept change when it comes our way, we usually are not ready for the clearance. But there it is.

This doesn’t mean that the release has to be stressful or unwelcome- how much of a relief is it when that manky drain is finally cleared? It just means that we may not consider ourselves ready for it.

As Saffy said to Edina in last weeks Absolutely Fabulous Olympic Special, “Mum, there are so many doors opening and you can only see the ones that are closed…” or something to that effect. You get the idea.

seriously…could I possibly resist?

The Moon often acts as a trigger, and I daresay that is exactly what will happen when La Luna hits 7ish degrees of Capricorn. Trigger that inconjunct, trigger the continuing square between Pluto and Uranus. Keep an eye out if you have planets or chart points at 7 degrees of the cardinal signs.

I was saying on the Facebook page this morning just how much trouble I have each month with the Capricorn Moon. Some other readers waded in with their views and the Moons that make their lives difficult.

With most planets in my chart aspecting the Moon natally, I guess I am fairly attuned to all things lunar- and the Moon is absolutely not comfortable within the dry environment of Saturn ruled Capricorn. Also, I’m not comfortable with Saturn- it isn’t an energy that is integrated well into my chart.

As a result, for these couple of days each month I find myself almost melancholic, definitely down and more inclined to see that glass as half empty rather than half full. And, given that I’m in head cold hell again, the danger is that I’ll stop looking for those little fist pump moments.

So this month I’m fighting back. No black (even though it is slimming), red lipstick, and determinedly uplifting music while I’m working. I’m gonna kick that grey mood back where it belongs.

What about you? Do you have a particular Moon phase that you feel really down during? What about one that you feel great for those few days each month?

Instamatic app. Lo-fi filter.

Sometimes your cravings lead you to where you need to be.

I have been craving a really spicy chicken laksa all week, so today gave into it. And because of that I got todays photo. Que?

The word of the day is “green” (hello, it’s St Patricks Day after all…) and I had been stumped. Looking around my desk all that is green is the ceremonial plastic bok choy (don’t ask) that I keep my pens in. Looking around the home there are a few green walls. Looking around the garden, after all this rain, it is green as far as your eye can see. But I wanted something not so obvious. The result is above- and all because I felt like laksa… which, if I had been focused on my goals I would not have given into.

The Moon in Capricorn is very much about focusing on your goals to achieve ambitions- and we have just 2 days per month to do it in?

In the next few hours the Moon will square Saturn, who happens to be the ruler of this Capricorn Moon. Saturn, as we know, is currently retrograde. So Saturn, who is normally exaggeratedly strong in Libra, is in reverse and re-visiting goals and strategies. The Moon, in detriment in Capricorn and heavily flavoured by this debilitated Saturn comes up hard against his ruler. Sometimes your ambitions may feel just too far away, too hard. I thought I wouldn’t have a problem dealing with all of these opponents I am playing simultaneously in my latest addiction Draw Something, but am now feeling overwhelmed when all 14 send through their drawings simultaneously for me to solve. Maybe I was aiming too high?

Moon square Saturn is never an easy few hours. That melancholia I mentioned earlier? Expect some of that. That negative self talk? That too. The good news? It’ll be gone by tomorrow. The really good news? This is a great time for some blinkers off assessment of targets and achievements. And the really great news? In another 9 hours the Moon will have moved into Aquarius and you can come up with some really left of centre way of achieving your ambitions.

Speaking of which, I’m off to hunt down some Guinness and raise it in a toast to the Oirish everywhere…

Instagram app with lo-fi filter

‘My phone is cactus.’ (Note: “cactus” is an old Aussie term to indicate something is “stuffed”, “had the carrot”, “spoiled” or, well, broken.)

Not what you want to hear in the middle of a Mercury retrograde.

‘And it’s out of warranty so Apple can’t just replace it.’

This just gets better.

‘Anyhow, they offered me a re-conditioned old phone pretty cheap until the end of my contract, so I took it. It looks pretty good doesn’t it?’

Bells were ringing in my head- Mercury retrograde is synonymous with phone problems and one of the things we are told not to do is buy a phone during this time.

‘So I said to the guy in the store, “this should just plug into my laptop and sync to all my music and apps and stuff?” and he swore it would be fine.’

Now I am guessing what is coming here. Mt friend has a pretty bad record with things doing what they are supposed to do- even during normal Mercury times. Last time, when he did the mega upgrade to OS5 on the iPhone, all hell broke loose as a result of a lost password to the work based profile and a subsequent 2 day lockout from the phone.

‘So, I plugged it in, press sync, entered my passwords and…everything was there. All I lost was some words with friends games.’

Wow- a Mercury Retrograde story with a happy ending…see, it doesn’t need to be all bad, the world doesn’t have to end and life as we know stop until Mercury turns back around.

Anyways, onto the skies…which are, on this early Saturday morning in Sydney grey and wet…again. TTM is working with her grandmother at the local agricultural show today at the Dog Obedience Trials, which means there is no rushing around to the usual Saturday morning activities for this Mum. Yay.

The Moon is in Capricorn, which could be why my trainer at the gym yesterday gave me a good solid talking to about goals and accountability. It is also why yesterday afternoon I spent a few hours in what can be termed melancholic musing and extreme doubt over the future. Am I kidding myself? Should I just give myself a kick up the bum and apply for that job a well meaning friend sent through the other day? I’m never going to make a living writing? I need to grow up and be mature about this?

It took my watery neighbour (who always has an instinct when things aren’t quite right) to turn up at the door with Friday afternoon liquid refreshments to bring some perspective and optimism back.

The Capricorn Moon is like that. It can be the best time of the month to set targets, goals and strategies. But it is also the time of the month when we are more likely to fall into glass half empty mentality and the general mood is one of dreich. Dreich? It’s an old Scots word to describe the weather (the Scots have more words for weather than most other races) when it is a combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable.

For me it is when I go from “how hard can it be?” to “it’s too hard”, when you go from absolute faith in the future and an intuition and inner knowing that everything will work out OK to everythings raining brown stuff on my parade and I may as well resign myself to it.

The Capricorn Moon gets me like that every month. Maybe it’s because I have a pretty crap Saturn. Maybe it’s because I am quite strongly influenced by the Moon and the Moon is in her detriment in Capricorn. Maybe it’s because in the 1^st half of her trek through the dry, grey and rocky landscape that is Capricorn, La Luna is bombarded with aspects from some pretty big planetary hitters. Or maybe it’s because at least once a month those doubts just naturally settle in.

My pre-occupation with practicality and money/security issues could also be a leftover of the grand earth trine that is now becoming weaker.

Whatever.

Anyway, the mood will prevail for most of the next day, although she is void of course for most of that time (meaning no major aspects are made to any planets). The next one will be a soft-ish sextile across to the Sun.

I’ve been a little slack uploading photos, so todays shot is actually the “cloud” word from a few days ago. It is another that I took from out at Fort Denison in the middle of Sydney Harbour.

Oh, and before I forget, I have a Facebook page up and running for the blog. If you are on Facebook ,come on over. It is simply under Jo Tracey Astrology. Aside from linking to the blog posts, I also pop other little tidbits up during the day. I’ll pop a widget linky think on the side bar once Mercury turns direct and once these annoying spambots and gutless, bollockless hackers settle down and run away to annoy someone else.