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Top 10 Astrology Blogs

Ok, this came through the other week, but I’ve been totally flat-chat with the day job and being away on a massive road trip without wi-fi that this has been the first opportunity to really pause and tell you about it. Although if you follow me on Facebook you’d already know because I did pop something up there when it happened.

Anyways, I’m in the Top 10 Australian Astrology Blogs and I’m stoked, so thanks Feedspot for putting this list together.

Check out the link in the sidebar for the other great blogs on the list.

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Pisces Full Moon

Pisces Full Moon 3 Pisces 12′

I’ve been feeling really sick of myself of late. Actually, I have been sick, but that’s another story. Before you worry – you were worried, weren’t you? – it’s just a head cold, but I’ve been so miserable with it that it very well could have been as serious as man flu. Anyways, I’m on the mend.

It doesn’t however, take away from my message – I’ve been feeling really sick of myself lately. I’ll tell you a little bit about why next time – now is about the Full Moon.

Because I don’t want to mess with what works and because the message is still pertinent, the below is what I wrote last year – with a few alterations. It’s about the rips in the surf. I think you probably call them riptides in the US? Whatever it is that you call them, you’ll know what I’m talking about – it’s when you stray too far outside the flags and get caught in an ocean current that wants to pull you further and further away from the shore.

Two years ago I was going with the rips towards our sea-change. Last year it was about floating with the current as things settled into place. This year it’s more about being caught in the current and being dragged away from what I want – making it harder to get back on course. Mostly though, it’s about accepting what’s not quite right or not quite ready and seeing which way the water flows. It’s about being kind (to myself), accepting of flaws (my own) and letting things find their own course – the way the water does.

You see, the thing with water is that it will fill whatever shape container you put it in – and it will find it’s own way through and out. No judgment, no criticism.

And the thing about rips is that If you get caught in one your instinct is to swim as hard as you can back to safety. The problem being, the ocean is stronger than you are and all you do is exhaust yourself and get nowhere.

To save from drowning in a rip they tell you to swim with it but parallel to the shore – the theory being that currents tend to be relatively narrow and you should pop out of it (fingers crossed). Alternatively, float or tread water to save energy. It’s the panic that takes you down.

The point is, this is a very Pisces Full Moon realisation – the struggle between panicking at the chaos and finding a point to float through is real indeed. Sure, there are times when you need to force and fight your way through – swim against the current. There are also times when it’s best to flip onto your back and look at the pretty shapes the clouds are making – metaphorically speaking, of course. This is one of the latter.

Sometimes when we get too stuck into the details we lose sight of the possibility. Or, to take it one step further, if we get hung up on the how we lose our “why”.

Like the time hubby wanted to buy a hedge trimmer at the local hardware emporium even though we didn’t have a hedge. ‘But it’s not about the hedge,’ he’d said.

And it wasn’t – it was about the possibility of the hedge. That’s what’s so great about those massive hardware stores – the possibility of the creation. Back then I suggested that maybe the tag-line for Bunnings should be something like “Building Australian dreams – one project at a time”. (Marketing departments: I’m ok if you want to use that…)

This one line is exactly what the Pisces Full Moon is about.

Building dreams – one piece at a time.

The Pisces Full Moon is where fantasy meets reality, where dreams become projects, where imagination is broken down. It’s about escapism and routine; empathy and practicality; chaos and order; disregard for detail, and attention to the finest of details.

Dreams are good, but to turn them into something that even approximates reality, you need a good dose of practicality – and that’s where Virgo comes in. Likewise, you can sometimes lose focus on the possibility if you’re stuck in the detail – and that’s where Pisces comes in.

The Virgo Sun reminds us that there is a long list of tasks that need to be completed, but under the Pisces Full Moon, we ask whether those tasks need to be completed now, or if they can wait. Doing faff all certainly reduces your anxiety and stress levels, but at the end of the day, you’ve achieved faff all. I could go on. The point about balance is that you have to keep adjusting or repositioning in order to achieve it. Pisces needs Virgo and Virgo needs Pisces.

Wherever Pisces and Virgo fall in your chart is where you’re looking at your balancing act now. I’d like for you to ask yourself these questions:

  • What are your dreams- especially in relation to that part of life? Can you learn anything from Virgo to help break down the tasks into something more manageable that could help you achieve those dreams?
  • Are you feeling chaotic and drowning under the stress of the everyday or the pursuit of perfection? Is there something you can learn from Pisces?
  • Is it possible to critically examine your to-do list and write “not now” beside anything?
  • Are you sabotaging your efforts by trying to do too much yourself? Or, are you sabotaging your efforts by doing too little and refusing to accept the consequences of your behaviour?
  • What about your why? Have you lost that in the detail of the how?

If, after doing this, it all seems too hard and you feel as though you’re going under, and don’t know where to start, why not try an old project management trick. Take your list (if you don’t have one, write one) and beside each task write: yes, no or not now….or today, tomorrow, later. Be honest – and not too hard on yourself. Then, take some time out – it doesn’t need to be long – to metaphorically float and look at the clouds.

This Full Moon forms a rather lovely earth trine and grand kite. I’m a tad partial to this aspect pattern – I have one in my natal chart – although mine is a water trine with earth signs making the kite. If ever you see a pattern repeating though, it’s worth noting.

Grand trines have so much inherent potential that it can sometimes be disappointing and wasted – the whole shoulda coulda woulda thing. Like on one of my tea towels – I have a thing about daggy tea towels – it goes:

Modern Art: I could do that.

Yeah, but you didn’t.

That’s what a grand trine is like. The energy is so “easy” that sometimes it doesn’t seem as though any effort is required – and if an effort isn’t required, does that make it, by definition, not worth it?

This Full Moon has none of the so-called nasties that have been present in the last few lunations. Plus, Mars is getting ready to finally turn around. Without all that drama it might all seem not worth pondering. But it is. Find your floating point and use it to ease through the current. After that concentrate on practicalities. You might be thrashing about trying to make up the ground you think that you’ve lost, but a little more patience is still required and the moving ahead (for now) needs to be slow and steady.

Doing it for yourself

Ok, by now you should know the drill, but if not, check out this post.

I’ve popped a solar guide below to keep things simple, but if you know where 3 Pisces 12’ falls in your chart, check that out.

As for what you can expect? By now you should also know what the general themes of each house are about, but if not – or if you’re new to this site (and welcome – it’s lovely to see you here) – you can always check out this post.

As for me?

This one is exactly trine Mars. Mars was also activated (by square) at the last Full Moon and eclipse and is currently receiving an opposition from Uranus. This is about what I’m hungry for and how I’m going to get that. I’ve had a few revelations over the last couple of days about what is really holding me back – and some of those truths (and flaws) I’m having difficulty accepting – not unusual given that my Mars is in Scorpio.

Ok, that’s enough about me – now it’s over to you…

  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces, this Full Moon falls in your 1st house- look also to the 7th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries, this Full Moon falls in your 12th house- look also to the 6th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus, this Full Moon falls in your 11th house- look also to the 5th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini, this Full Moon falls in your 10th house- look also to the 4th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer, this Full Moon falls in your 9th house- look also to the 3rd house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo, this Full Moon falls in your 8th house- look also to the 2nd house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo, this Full Moon falls in your 7th house- look also to the 1st house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra, this Full Moon falls in your 6th house- look also to the 12th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Scorpio, this Full Moon falls in your 5th house- look also to the 11th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius, this Full Moon falls in your 4th house- look also to the 10th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn, this Full Moon falls in your 3rd house- look also to the 9th house for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius, this Full Moon falls in your 2nd house- look also to the 8th house for balance.

Full Moon is exact at 9.56pm here on the East Coast of Australia, 7.56pm West Coast & South East Asia, 4.56am LA, and everywhere else some time in between that!

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Leo New Moon and Solar Eclipse

I’ve just got back from a two-week road trip covering over 3600 kms. If you’re interested, I’ve written about it over on my author site. We’ve travelled from the Sunshine Coast in South-East Queensland down to the Snowy Mountains in southern New South Wales and back again – a different way.

The primary purpose for the trip was to meet up with my brother and his family at a bush block in Eucumbene. Normally at this time of the year, there’s snow down there, but not this year, although the snow started as we were leaving – isn’t that always the way?

In any case, being in the outdoors with no cell phone reception is a fabulous way to recharge creatively. I came back with so many ideas – and one for a major new project that, in the interests of Mercury and Mars still being retrograde, I’ll mull over a tad more. It is, however, occupying way too much of my thinking time!

Leo, ruled by the Sun, is about ego, self-expression, creativity. It follows then, that the Leo New Moon is the most creative of new starts.

With Leo, though, the fear of potential exposure of someone standing up and pointing the finger and exposing you as a fraud is ever present. Wherever Leo is in your chart is where this matters. This is where it’s extra hard to risk a no to get a yes. Your challenge is to find heart, strength and courage without losing yourself in the process. The key here is not to lose sight of the things that make your heart sing.

The thing is, we’re all a work in progress as we go about creating the version of ourselves that we want to create. This is at the heart of Leo. Yet doing this, expressing this- our talents, passions, voice – all require you to take risks. And taking these risks requires a great big, brave heart.

Check out where this falls in your chart. It is that part of life where you are being asked to look for courage and strength but above all self-expression, generosity and creativity. It is where you are being asked to follow your heart and be who you are, not who you should be. There is a difference.

Think about this. Think about the things and people you have fun with. Have you forgotten how to play? When setting your intentions for this New Moon, consider these questions and set yourself a challenge – to do something fun, to play a little (or a lot)…because you want to…because you’re worth it.

Doing it for yourself…

If you’ve been reading along, you should know how to find where the New Moon is happening in your chart. If you’re new to this site (welcome), duck across and check out this post before you go any further.

The position you’re looking for is 18 Leo 42’…or thereabouts.

Now, let’s set our intentions. Think about the area of life you’re focusing on and set small achievable targets. Make sure that you do at least one thing towards this goal this month. If you’re unsure where to start, check out this post. One other thing, Jupiter is square this New Moon and Neptune is trine Jupiter. When you’re setting your intentions, make sure that they’re big ones – and that they align to your dreams.

  • How do the concerns of this house make you feel?
  • How would you like to feel about them?
  • What positive steps can you take over the next four weeks to minimise the gap between how you feel about this are and how you’d like to feel?

*****Write it down!!!!!!!!!!******

If you don’t have any idea about your birth time, or can’t be faffed working it out, you can follow the solar guide:

  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo, this New Moon will be in your 1st house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo, this New Moon will be in your 12th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra, this New Moon will be in your 11th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Scorpio, this New Moon will be in your 10th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius, this New Moon will be in your 9th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn, this New Moon will be in your 8th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius, this New Moon will be in your 7th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces, this New Moon will be in your 6th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries, this New Moon will be in your 5th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus, this New Moon will be in your 4th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini, this New Moon will be in your 3rd house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer this New Moon will be in your 2nd house.

As for me? Using whole signs (as I am these days) this New Moon falls in my 6thhouse. The intentions I’m setting are around my health and my heart. I am, however, being creative about that.

I do have some other creative projects on the go as well – don’t I always? – which I’m champing at the bit to get started on. How I’ll fit them in amongst everything else? I guess that’s where some healthy balance will need to come into it…and I’ve never been great with balance or moderation!

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Aquarius Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse Part 2

Aquarius Full Moon 4 Aquarius 45’

6.20am 28 July 2018 East Coast Australia

Let me tell you something about ants.

We know that they work together in order to transport that bread-crumb or piece of cheese from your picnic table to wherever they need to. What we didn’t know is how they worked together.

(Those of you who know a little about Aquarius can see where I’m heading with this- am I right?)

The ant who found that breadcrumb knows she (and most of the heavy lifting in the ant world is done by the females) can’t do what she needs to do on her own. That’s where the community comes in.

There’s no jockeying for top position under the spotlight when you’re an ant. Nor is there a specific hierarchy or pecking order that needs to be followed. Rather than just knowing what to do or following a leader, they actually display a mix of conforming and erratic behaviours.

Some ants go with the flow, others run around looking for a new path forward. Sometimes the direction changes markedly. The leadership changes seamlessly without argument or grandstanding. It’s a little like the ant equivalent of kids sport where everyone has the turn to be the captain. In kids sport, it’s supposed to help build individual courage within the structure of a team. I’m not sure what the purpose is in the ant world – other than to get that breadcrumb off your picnic blanket and to wherever it needs to go.

This all leads me (of course it does) to the Aquarius Full Moon. It’s that balance between the individual and the collective, between self-expression and the joining of like minds, between creativity and collaboration. It’s the point where you take what you’ve created and send it out into the world to meet your hopes and dreams.

The Full Moon in Aquarius is all about acknowledging all the bits and pieces that make us individual, yet also all the bits and pieces that we have to work with in order to co-exist in society. The Full Moon in Aquarius is that point where we acknowledge that we quite simply can’t do it alone.

Socially cohesive tribes who have common goals, watch each other’s backs and trust each other have an awful lot of advantages. It’s not just about ants. Just watch schools of fish wheeling and turning together, presenting a united front to the shark who sees them simply as entrée course. The individual is less important than the tribe. All of their differences are brought together to form the whole…yet each still continues (assuming they don’t end up as dinner, that is) to exist and express themselves as an individual – however it is that fish express themselves, I guess…

We are tribal and social beings. To exist we need others. To achieve our personal goals we need interaction with others – regardless of whether we like them, tolerate them, agree with them or can identify with them.

As individuals, we form that conglomerate that is humanity, and as humanity, we need to recognize that every individual plays a part and deserves to be treated as such.

I understand all of that, yet some of us are more social than others – and some of us are more comfortable in a group than others are. I fall into the latter category. I’m uncomfortable in groups, conferences send me into a panic and as for networking? Yeah, nah…I’m shocking at it. But in my game – indie publishing – I have to learn to get over those fears and reach out to people.

Wherever 4 Aquarius falls in your chart is where you need to be thinking about the balance between self-expression (or ego) and the collective. Given that both Leo and Aquarius are fixed signs, achieving this balance and breaking through to the next level is probably going to involve turning some preconceived idea or long-held belief on its head. That’s ok – it’s stepping outside the group and doing a little erratic running around that can help you find a new way forward.

You just need the courage to do so – and that’s your call – and that’s where Mars comes into this eclipse. As I wrote earlier today, Mars is conjunct this eclipse, and this eclipse feels all about that. Mars is conjunct the south node and the south node is all about conditioned and comfortable behaviour – even if that is no longer doing you good.

It’s like that old saying about insanity being doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The message is one that if your habits aren’t getting you what you want, don’t just talk about it, do something about it.

One last thing, because this is an eclipse, if there is something that needs to be exposed or realised, there’s a good chance that it will happen – or at least begin to happen. Just saying.

I wrote more about the other aspects to this eclipse earlier today. You can find that post here and more about eclipses here.

Check out April Elliot Kent’s Big Sky Astrology for some really cool information around timing eclipses and aspects to personal planets.

What might the eclipse mean by house and sign? Check out this post by Jessica from Moonkissd.

Also by Jessica, this fabulous post about timing and what could potentially happen. Love it.

Doing it for yourself…

By now you should know the drill – if not, check out this post for a refresher.

If you’re not sure where 4 Aquarius 45’ is for you, simply use the solar guide below, and refer back to Series 1 of the Toolbox for pointers on what each of the houses means.

Get the idea? Why not try it for yourself…

  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo, this Full Moon falls in your 7th house. Look to the 1st for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo, this Full Moon falls in your 6th house. Look to the 12th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra, this Full Moon falls in your 5th house. Look to the 11th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Scorpio, this Full Moon falls in your 4th house. Look to the 10th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius, this Full Moon falls in your 3rd house. Look to the 9th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn, this Full Moon falls in your 2nd house. Look to the 8th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius, this Full Moon falls in your 1st house. Look to the 7th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces, this Full Moon falls in your 12th house. Look to the 6th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries, this Full Moon falls in your 11th house. Look to the 5th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus, this Full Moon falls in your 10th house. Look to the 4th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini, this Full Moon falls in your 9th house. Look to the 3rd for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer this Full Moon falls in your 8th house. Look to the 2nd for balance.
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Aquarius Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse… Part 1

I live in a house dominated by Mars.

My husband is Scorpio (ruled by Mars and Pluto) with Mars also in Scorpio. My daughter has her Sun, Mars, Mercury and Saturn all in Mars-ruled Aries. As for me? I have Mars in Scorpio and Venus in Aries. To say that there have been rumblings of late would be an understatement indeed.

Mars, you see, is retrograde – and retrograde is not the mode of movement that Mars is comfortable with. The people most likely to feel frustrated, restrained, caged, held back, blocked, whatever, are those with Mars signatures in their charts – personal planets or points in Aries or Scorpio.

Normally I don’t have that much of an issue with this. My extreme Piscean-ness (if there is such a word) helps me navigate the seas when they get a tad stormy and it also helps during Mars retrograde periods that my Mars is natally retrograde. It’s an energy that I’m used to. On the upside, it means that I can temper (for want of a better word) some of the intensity of that seriously intense Scorpio Mars, but on the downside, I am often frustrated by my own delay to act or to assert myself.

Of late I’ve been conscious of anger around me. I can’t count the number of people who have said that they’re feeling it too. I’ve been angry a lot too – for no real valid reason. It’s a latent anger, one borne out of frustration, impatience, perceived claustrophobia.

There have been times where I’ve felt as though I am the proverbial fish in a bowl – able to see what’s outside but constantly banging against the walls unable to get out. I’ve felt myself snap and snip at people for no good reason. It’s not them – it’s me. Ok, it’s possibly a little bit of them, but mostly it’s me.

That’s where tomorrow’s eclipse and the current astro weather comes in. You see Mars is currently square my natal Mars, and Uranus is opposite it. There’s friction in the air – and plenty of it.

I had a full-on overdue meltdown yesterday, triggered by nothing in particular, but by plenty of things in general. It was as volcanic in nature as it’s possible for a Scorpio Mars can be.

Of course, it was over quickly – as these things with me usually are – but it did what a good storm often does after a hot day: it cleared the air. I suspect that it was also the eclipse “crisis” that needed to happen in order for things to change.

That’s the thing with planets in fixed signs – they are by nature change resistant. There’s nothing wrong with this attitude in itself – why change something that’s working? So you hang on and hold on and deliberate and hold off taking action until along comes a crisis and there’s no longer a choice but to take action. And that’s usually when things become super uncomfortable and painful. That’s when they blow skyhigh.

The crisis that occurs at a lunar eclipse is generally one that’s within you. That’s not to say that an external event hasn’t triggered it, but the realisation is coming from within.

This is, even more, the case this time around as we currently have five planets retrograde – Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Pluto, Neptune – with a sixth (Uranus) virtually stationary and retrograde by August 7. That’s an awful lot of energy turned inward.

Given that Mars is the planet being triggered for me at this eclipse I’m looking at the fears that are holding me back. Sure, I’m frustrated by external forces – I’m working longer hours, finances are tighter than they have been, I’m not selling enough books and yadda yadda yadda – but I can’t blame any of that. Nor can I blame anyone else – although I absolutely have tried to do just that. The source of my impatience and frustration and anger is actually within me. I’m the one that needs to take action.

To help myself understand it, I pulled out a previous Moonshadow* report.

“Mars describes what we do to ensure our survival. When we are angry, there’s always a reason: we feel blocked, hindered, under attack. As surely as though we were in a showdown at high noon, we fear for our survival. Steven Forrest says of Mars and the survival instinct that “you can be a hunter, or you can be prey.” If you find yourself feeling attacked or challenged by others during this cycle, perhaps the threat is real. Perhaps you are in “prey” mode, and you are being called upon to learn how to defend yourself. On the other hand, you may be attracting enmity because others sense the aggression or competitiveness you haven’t acknowledged within yourself. Make sure you are feeding Mars by “hunting” what is healthy and challenging for you – the right challenges, the right career – instead of allowing that energy to be diverted into anger and aggression.”

I’d suggest that with Mars sitting next to the Moon at this lunar eclipse this message is one that’s pertinent for many of us – especially those of us with Mars prominent in our charts. Further, Uranus is also square this point.

Normally when there’s a square involved there’s also tension and frustration – and yes, I’ve used that word, frustration, a lot in this post. Something happens which forces you into action…it’s an action that’s the result of something happening rather than a decision that you’ve made.

As for Mars and Uranus? Mars can help us get what we want, and Uranus can help us be who we need to be. When these planets are square, restlessness, rebellion against restrictions, and impulsiveness can occur. We rail against that which we feel (rightly or otherwise) is holding us back, slowing us down, blocking our way.

The danger is if we throw all our obligations out the window – the baby with the bathwater so to speak – and create our own little revolution…which might achieve precisely nothing – except to cause pain to those who might not deserve it.

That’s not to say that a revolution or a rebellion isn’t required – it might very well be. A better solution, though, is one of continuous change rather than sudden upheaval. If you really listen to what’s going on – both within and without yourself – you’ll be pointed to the direction of where this change is required. If you’re constantly feeling the knives in your back or the explosions happening around you it’s a pretty good sign that something has to give – and you’re the one who needs to instigate that.

It’s very easy to blame others or a situation, but far harder to look internally at where the root cause might really be.

Ok, I haven’t even talked about where this eclipse is falling – in Aquarius and Leo…but I’ll do that in part 2.

*If you want to order your own Moonshadow report, follow the link in the sidebar. In full disclosure, I do get a small percentage of every report ordered.

Not sure about eclipses or how to work with them? Check out this post.

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Eclipse Season

Eclipse season is with us again:

13/7/18 New Moon 20 Cancer 41′ Eclipse

28/7/18 Full Moon 4 Aquarius 45′ Eclipse

11/8/18 New Moon 18 Leo 42′ Eclipse

Note, these dates are for Australia – if you’re in the northern hemisphere it could be the day before, so keep an eye on the blog for times – if you’re into time, that is.

Solar eclipses occur at a New Moon. During a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking out the Sun for just a few short, dramatic moments. During a solar eclipse, you may feel like something is about to happen…and maybe it will.

Lunar eclipses occur at a Full Moon. The Moon passes behind the Earth and into its shadow. During a lunar eclipse, it could feel as though there’s something- an awareness maybe – taking place inside you that could be portentous.

The thing with eclipses is that often that the things that happen to, around or within you could have the ability to change the course of your life – although you may not recognise it as such at the time.

Regular readers will know that I tend to be a tad ambivalent around eclipses.

When I was first learning astrology, I saw eclipses as these mysterious and explosive events that could blow my personal universe off its self-important axis. That was until the first time I had a direct hit – well, close to it… that I was aware of, anyway.

It was March 2007 and the solar eclipse was at 28 Pisces – just 1 degree from my Moon. What happened? Nothing, not really.

Later that year the lunar eclipse fell just 1 degree shy of my Mercury, and another solar eclipse missed my descendant by, yes, you guessed it, 1 degree.

Since then, I’ve had eclipses very closely aspect key planets and chart points- mainly MC, ASC and DC – yet…nothing.

Looking back, plenty happened – plenty was happening – I just didn’t know it at the time. These were years when important issues were faced or changes occurred. Hindsight is a truly wonderful thing.

The thing is, eclipses are not necessarily something to be scared of. They can be invigorating, they can be momentous, they can be electrifying and unpredictable – a little like Uranus in nature, a little like Pluto in nature.

How do you interpret an eclipse?

In short, the eclipse takes on the theme of the planet being aspected and creates a crisis of sorts – and when I say crisis, please don’t think about this literally. Think about keywords associated with those planets to determine the nature of the “crisis”.

For example, eclipses in aspect to Venus will have something to do with relationship and values or your relationship to what you value or even how you are valued in the relationship. Eclipses in aspect to the Moon will be about your defences and emotional security – the whole breakdown and breakthrough theory. You know the thing – your walls come down in some way so that you can get closer to another. When the eclipse aspects Jupiter, the theme is one of faith and growth – where you need to grow and need to dream and need to take risks in order to do so. Likewise, any eclipse aspecting the Sun will raise issues of ego and self-expression.

The houses receiving the eclipse will give you an understanding of the area of life being affected, and the type of aspect can give an indication of the speed of “ease” with which the impact occurs – and when I say “ease”, I don’t mean “nice”, I mean, instead, speed or relative speed.

It’s also good to remember that eclipses are often not about immediate action, but something that does spark within a period of time after the eclipse occurs.

Finally, the more total the eclipse, the stronger the effects.

What could happen?

What will happen? Good news or bad? Not so easy to predict – in fact damn near impossible. Eclipses are wild cards, the jokers in the pack, and most astrologers have eclipse war stories. As Bernadette Brady writes in The Eagle and the Lark, “armed with (this) information, astrologers then delineate the effect of the eclipse as some type of random, possibly, but not necessarily stressful, event occurring in a particular area of the client’s life.”

Sometimes the stress seems like extraordinary busyness, sometimes chaos comes out of the blue, sometimes it’s good news from nowhere, and sometimes it seems like a whole lot of not much at all.

Sometimes the effects are subtle – sometimes they’re explosive. The eclipse that occurred a couple of days before my birthday in 2016 fell on my ASC, next to my Sun and opposite Pluto. I spent my birthday in bed with a massive dose of salmonella – talk about a Pluto purge. Plenty of other stuff happened – like really happened – and continued to happen. In one short month, every single previously stable structure in my life was rattled. Every. Single. One. Health, relationships, work, home, faith, friends, money.  It was a CRISIS in capital letters. I won’t bore you with the details, but in hindsight, it was all quite textbook in the way the transits built, were sparked, and continued to unfold. There were some big transits behind this including Pluto, Uranus and Saturn that were triggered into action. It really was the perfect storm, and because of that perfect storm, opportunities opened up that previously weren’t there. It was the events that began at that set of eclipses that resulted in us selling up and moving 1000kms north to the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.

2016 was a seriously crappy year, but because of that for the first time in I have no idea how long, I can say that I feel that we’re where we need to be. If the crises that occurred didn’t occur, we wouldn’t be here now – and that would be a tragedy.

Eclipses are Plutonian in nature – the structures that collapse are those where the foundations are no longer strong or have decayed, or where space needs to be made for you to grow and expand. Following the breakdown comes the breakthrough and the rebuild.

Knowing this and understanding it does not, however, make light of or dismiss any pain that accompanies the events. It truly is only in hindsight that the meaning becomes clear – and even then, sometimes, even when there is growth there may be no meaning.

Saros Series

Eclipses run in cycles or family groups, called Saros Cycles. Each Saros Cycle has a beginning, an end and a middle- and can last for over a thousand years. Each cycle will repeat every 18 or so years- as will the themes associated with that cycle.

The series of eclipses (Saros Series 18South- SS18 South) that so knocked me around in March is associated with endings and partings. Indeed, each of the active years in this cycle of eclipses has been associated with partings for me – although the angst and pain of that separation have, as Bernadette Brady writes in The Eagle and the Lark been tempered by exciting new opportunities opening up. And open up they have – and will, I assume, continue to do so. At each eclipse, I’ll let you know what Saros Series is being triggered.

Now, some of these read in a frightening way. The key is to look at the part of the chart being triggered and apply the words to that part of your life. As an example, SS 2 New North talks about a breakdown in structures. If the eclipse is happening in the 11th, perhaps it’s a friendship that has run its course, a friend moving away, the collapse of a network.

Don’t forget, the effects of eclipses can be subtle as well as overt – sometimes you don’t even notice the collapse of whatever has gone – like when you walk past a vacant lot and can’t picture what used to be there. Please bear that in mind when interpreting what a particular eclipse could mean for you.

Saros Series for 2018 eclipses

With credit to The Eagle and the Lark

13/7/18 20 Cancer 41′

28/7/18 Full Moon 4 Aquarius 45′

SS 2 Old North

“This is a difficult eclipse family, as its members bring unfortunate news concerning friendships or relationships. You will be dealing with ideas of separation or the ending of a union. However, although the picture may look glum as the eclipse takes effect, the actual results are quite positive. You will quickly grasp what has to be done and fast action can bring good results. The theme of this eclipse is action concerning personal relationships.”

Last cycle of this series: July 2000

11/8/18 New Moon 18 Leo 42′

SS 2 New North

“If this family of eclipses affects a chart, the person will experience the sudden collapse of plans or lifestyles. Confusion may reign but the long-term effects are those of rebuilding and transformation. After the dust has settled, the rebuilding starts and the consequences of this reshaping will have far-reaching effects. This eclipse family changes a person’s direction through the sudden collapse of an existing structure.”

Last cycle of this series: July 2000

What’s next?

You can look at each eclipse as it comes up as a new or full moon (albeit one on steroids) in isolation. To begin to understand them, though, you need to look at the pattern, the upcoming cycle, the ones that have gone before and even the ones that occurred before you were born. And that’s where Big Sky Astrology’s report comes in. The Moonshadow report is personalised to you, and will talk about the aspects being made by eclipses this year and next, the eclipses that have been and the planets that are being aspected – and what it all means for you…as well as some other bits and pieces about eclipses.

If you’re interested, click on the link in the sidebar* on the website. I purchase one every two years and refer to them each eclipse season and again at the start of the year when I’m mapping my transits…

More information, please…

Bernadette Brady’s book The Eagle and the Lark is a brilliant resource. It’s where I go for information on each Saros Series. It’s the only place I’ve found that lists each and the meanings. If you know of other resources, please share!

Check out April Elliot Kent’s Big Sky Astrology for some really cool information around timing eclipses and aspects to personal planets.

What might the eclipse mean by house and sign? Check out this post by Jessica from Moonkissd.

Also by Jessica, this fabulous post about timing and what could potentially happen. Love it.

If you’re really technically minded, you could also find this link interesting…

This article, originally posted in The Mountain Astrologer, is also worth a read.

*In the interests of full disclosure, I get a small cut from sales of the report stemming from this website…

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Cancer New Moon – and Solar Eclipse

Cancer New Moon and Solar Eclipse at 20 Cancer 41’

In case you’re not aware, the first of three eclipses over the next month is almost upon us. This one is in Cancer and, with Pluto sitting exactly opposite it, looks set to pack one almighty emotional punch. Now, before you all run off screaming into the night, that doesn’t necessarily equal “bad”. For the lowdown on eclipses and the nature of them, duck over and have a look at this post. Better yet, order your own personalised eclipse report from April Elliott Kent*. The link is here.

Under the Cancer Moon it is easy to dwell on the past, to hang on to an idea, a theory, a relationship, a fear, a habit long past its use by date – in fact often until it resembles something like what used to be zucchinis that you found lurking in the bottom of your fridge veggie drawer. You hold onto what you know, treasuring the memories of how it once was – or how you hoped that it would be.

And that’s all perfectly understandable – not the manky zucchinis, but the hanging on bit. What we know, the stuff in our past, the stuff from our families, whether it is good or bad, it’s comfortable. These things represent the boundaries of our comfort zone. We find ourselves clinging to them, too afraid to let go.

Yet, in order to continue to grow, to flourish, we have to let go. We have to step outside the things that make us feel comfortable and let go on our own terms. It’s about being guided by instinct, not fear.

Cancer New Moons tend to bring with them issues of mother, home, family and self- nutrition (and that doesn’t have to mean the fridge and chocolate variety) to the forefront.

Cancer New Moons are also about self-care – how we tend to look after others before looking after our own needs. Like in airline security when they tell you to fit your own mask first. It’s something we forget. It’s something we as mothers forget – and not just those of us who are mothers in the literal sense of the word, but those of us who are mothering something, anything within us or without us.

Wherever Cancer is in your chart is the area of life that is for you ruled by the Moon. It’s where you look for comfort and nurturing…and self-nurturing.

Solar eclipses are like magnified New Moons, so take all of this and multiply it.

This eclipse falls into the Saros Series 2 Old North. With the lunar eclipse on July 27, it’s the second last occurrence in a series that has been popping up every 18 years or so since 1910. The last time this cycle came around was in July 2000 at 10 Cancer and 24 Capricorn. The next – and last time – will be in 2036.

According to Bernadette Brady’s “The Eagle And The Lark”:

“This is a difficult eclipse family…You will be dealing with ideas of separation or the ending of a union. However, although the picture may look glum as the eclipse takes effect, the actual results are quite positive. You will quickly grasp what has to be done and fast action can bring good results. The theme of this eclipse is action concerning personal relationships.”

Doing it for yourself…

If you’ve been reading along, you should know how to find where the New Moon is happening in your chart. If you’re new to this site (welcome), duck across and check out this post before you go any further.

It’s at about this time that I share the aspects this eclipse is making to my chart and what my intentions are. To be honest, this is a tad like a chain reaction of aspects and I haven’t yet got through it to come to any meaningful intentions. I’m about to duck over to Big Sky Astrology to check out April’s cheat sheets for some ideas.

The aspects to my chart?

  • Trine the Sun (exact)
  • Sextile Pluto (orb 1 deg)
  • Square Venus (orb 1 deg)
  • Sextile Uranus (orb 2 deg)
  • Trine Neptune (orb 4 deg)
  • Conjunct Jupiter (orb 4 deg)
  • Trine the Ascendant (orb 4 deg)

The eclipse is also likely to act as a trigger to the following longer transits which are currently exact to within half a degree:

  • Pluto sextile Sun
  • Pluto trine Pluto
  • Pluto square Venus
  • Neptune conjunct Ascendant

As for you? The position you’re looking for is 20 Cancer 41’…or thereabouts.

Now, let’s set our intentions. Think about the area of life you’re focusing on and set small achievable targets. Make sure that you do at least one thing towards this goal this month. If you’re unsure where to start, check out this post.

  • How do the concerns of this house make you feel?
  • How would you like to feel about them?
  • What positive steps can you take over the next four weeks to minimise the gap between how you feel about this are and how you’d like to feel?
  • Are there any core needs that you’re over-looking? If you’re comfort eating, look at what you’re trying to avoid looking at…just saying…

*****Write it down!!!!!!!!!!******

If you don’t have any idea about your birth time, or can’t be faffed working it out, you can follow the solar guide below. Of course, if you already know which house Cancer is in for you, jump straight to there.

  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer, this New Moon will be in your 1st house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo, this New Moon will be in your 12th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo, this New Moon will be in your 11th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra, this New Moon will be in your 10th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Scorpio, this New Moon will be in your 9th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius, this New Moon will be in your 8th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn, this New Moon will be in your 7th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius, this New Moon will be in your 6th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces, this New Moon will be in your 5th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries, this New Moon will be in your 4th house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus, this New Moon will be in your 3rd house.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini, this New Moon will be in your 2nd house.

Cancer New Moon, July 13, 12.48pm (or thereabouts), EST…if you’re in the northern hemisphere, this will be July 12 for you or very early July 13 – depending on your timezone.

* I receive a small percentage of every Moonshadow report ordered…

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Capricorn Full Moon

January seems such a long time ago. All that hope of the new year bundled into the resolutions that everyone says that they don’t make. Speaking of which, that always amazes me – so many people I speak to say they don’t make resolutions, yet still, it’s a thing. Who would have thought it?

Anyways, if you did set resolutions or goals or intentions or whatever you want to call them back in January, the Capricorn Full Moon is the halfway point – like a mid-year performance review, in corporate speak.

The thing about full moons is that we can see more than what we could at the new moon – more has been exposed. That’s both a good and a bad thing. We can see how far we’ve come – and how far we’ve still to go. We can also see where our plan needs to be tweaked and stretched. It’s a time for taking stock.

Given that Saturn is right beside this full moon, it’s also time to get serious – if you haven’t been up until now. That means taking a good hard look at yourself and what you’ve been doing – or not doing – and accept ownership and the consequences of those actions…or inactions.

Saturn and I have had these conversations before. They usually end with Saturn reminding me that I can control my reactions and actions. We’ve just finished one of these discussions – Saturn and me.

I set myself some pretty steep targets this year and so far am a way off them. Of course, I’m blaming the day job. After all, I can only manage to do two things – write novels and work – in amongst the usual family and life responsibilities.

Quit whining, Saturn says. You need your day job – where else is the money going to come from? It will come from book sales, I say. Well, it won’t while ever you do nothing about marketing, he says. I don’t have time to market, write and work, I wail in response.

Saturn knows that wishful thinking isn’t enough. He knows that I need a clear plan, a practical plan that involves determination and willpower. He thinks I can do more by working smarter. He thinks I’m scattering my energies and that I’m not using my resources effectively. I suspect that he’s probably right. Sure, I have a busy day job, but really, how much do I want to make my living as a writer? That much, I tell him.

Well then, says Saturn. Do something about it. Did you really need to watch that re-run of Midsomer Murders last night when you could have been writing? Did you really need to loll about in bed on Sunday morning when you could have been out for a walk? I thought you said you wanted to get healthy this year. Healthy heart, isn’t that what you said? Then Saturn looks at me and says your decisions, your consequences.

As much as I like to think I can slip through the holes in the net, Saturn sees right through me – and he sees right through you too…although maybe you’ve been more responsible than I have. I like to think that you have.

The Capricorn Full Moon each year is your annual reminder to look at just how effectively you’re managing your resources and how you’re really working towards what it is that you want. It’s a perfect time to ask questions such as:

  • What has to give at home for career ambitions to be realized?
  • What balance do you have between the public you and the private you?
  • Have you put the same effort into both parts of your life, or does one eclipse the other?
  • Have you effectively managed your available resources? What about your emotional resources?
  • Who is supporting you? Do you really need to do it all?
  • Have you been prioritizing work over self-care?
  • Have you been serious about your vocation and what you want to achieve?
  • Are there goals that you’ve fallen short on, goals you haven’t stretched yourself enough on, goals you’ve given up on, goals that aren’t really authentically you, goals that don’t make your heart sing?
  • Are the sacrifices out-weighing the perceived rewards?
  • Are the goals you’re working towards yours, or are they someone else’s?
  • Is the need for public respect outweighing your need for self-respect?
  • Are you comfort eating (or drinking) and using that as an excuse not to pursue your goals?

Be honest – there are no right or wrong answers here, and no judgement – we all have different values and make our decisions based on these.

If you want, treat this Full Moon as a personal performance review – you should check-in on your goals regularly – but only if you’re prepared to do something to change those results and only if you mean it. This isn’t so much about being hard on yourself as giving yourself a little tough love – the for your own good type of tough love.

Another thing, Jupiter is trine the Sun and Uranus the Moon in this Full Moon chart. Don’t be too hard on yourself at this mid-year review, but do check in on whether you’re stretching yourself enough (Jupiter) and also whether you’re being true to yourself (Uranus). These guys are there to help you out, so use them.

Doing it for yourself…

By now you should know the drill – if not, check out this post for a refresher.

The point you’re looking for is 6 Capricorn 28’…or thereabouts.

If you’re not sure where this is for you, simply use the solar guide below, and refer back to Series 1 of the Toolbox for pointers on what each of the houses means.

What do I mean when I tell you to look to the opposite house for balance? The Full Moon is about looking at where you’re compromising or over-compensating. Consider how you’re balancing your personal resources, ambitions, goals in that part of your life.

In my chart, this falls in the 11th house. For me it’s about balancing my hopes, dreams and future rewards for the work I do (11th house stuff) against creativity, play and identity security issues (5thhouse). The 11th is also friends and networks.

From an aspect viewpoint, this Full Moon is sextile my Mercury (6 Pisces). Although most of the action (for want of a better term) this time around will be in the 11thhouse, given that the Moon natally rules the 5thfor me, and Mercury rules the 4thand the 7ththis is where the outcomes will be. I’m knee deep in the middle of procrastinating in the first draft of book 6. I’ve looked at my writing schedule for the rest of the year and am getting serious.

Get the idea? Why not try it for yourself…

The Full Moon at 6 Capricorn 28’ will fall on June 28…or very late on June 27…depending on where you live.

  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer, this Full Moon falls in your 7th house. Look to the 1st for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo, this Full Moon falls in your 6th house. Look to the 12th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo, this Full Moon falls in your 5th house. Look to the 11th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra, this Full Moon falls in your 4th house. Look to the 10th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Scorpio, this Full Moon falls in your 3rd house. Look to the 9th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius, this Full Moon falls in your 2nd house. Look to the 8th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn, this Full Moon falls in your 1st house. Look to the 7th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius, this Full Moon falls in your 12th house. Look to the 6th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces, this Full Moon falls in your 11th house. Look to the 5th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries, this Full Moon falls in your 10th house. Look to the 4th for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus, this Full Moon falls in your 9th house. Look to the 3rd for balance.
  • If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini this Full Moon falls in your 8th house. Look to the 2nd for balance.