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Eyes Wide Open

Warning: This post is pure Astro, a bit technical…& loooooooong.

Last week we looked at how to find out where Saturn is transiting your chart. But what does that mean?

To illustrate, here’s another chart- Marion (not her real name, and birth details are blocked out by that lovely arrow, but she has given me permission to use her chart).

Saturn is currently transiting her 7th house and will continue to do so for much of the time he is in Scorpio.

Does this mean that I won’t have a relationship during this time?

Absabloodylutely not!

So what does it mean?

Saturn in the 7th is all about getting real about relationship and relationships- both personal and professional. Saturn in the 7th is about you confronting who you really are through your relationships with others. And this can be hard. Any disappointments of the heart received over this time should (between the tears and alcohol…is that just me?…be taken as a reinforcement of the Saturn lesson).

Even committed relationships will face tests during a Saturn 7th house transit. They will make it only through confronting reality. And that means that the partner receiving the Saturn transit needs to know who he or she really is in order to properly relate to a current or future partner. It also means looking at expectations with a mature eye.

New relationships might get serious- it isn’t unusual to see relationships go to the next step when one party is having a Saturn 7th house transit.

What else? Saturn transits through the 7th might mean that you commence a relationship with an older person, or someone with Capricornian tendencies such as maturity, responsibility and ambition, but it can also mean something as simple as you confronting your attitudes to what relationship is and making sure that they are real. Whatever new relationship comes into reality at this point will be important.

To do this you need to understand both the role of Saturn in your life and what your relationship needs are. Continue to look at relationships and what you think you need with anything less than eyes wide open and something great could pass you by.

I knew someone who prior to Saturn transiting the 7th was always (and I mean always) finding herself attracted to men that sub consciously she knew she couldn’t have or that she knew were wrong- married men, attached men, much younger men, much older men. Each time she would suffer the pain of unrequited love- and that is something that never stops hurting.

When Saturn came through her 7th something happened which made her realise that she was doing this deliberately- falling for men she knew she couldn’t have. Even though she wanted so much to be loved, she was even more scared of being left, or rejected, or being alone forever. At 43, she was hanging onto ideals she held in her early 20s.

The man she is now in a committed relationship has none of the characteristics of the men she previously fell for. And he was there all the time. She found him when she stopped waiting for someone to live with and started living with herself. She got real.

Relationships are definitely a concern to Marion- with her Moon and Venus in partnership loving Libra, she feels emotionally secure when in partnership.

While Saturn has been in Libra, the lesson for Marion has been to look at her patterns of relating from a Libra viewpoint. Once Saturn moves into Scorpio, this will, for Marion, become more serious. She is being asked to lift the curtains and look deeply into her own motivations, patterns, modus operandi around relationship. Truthfully, honestly and intensely.

Does this mean that love will pass her by for the next couple of years? Not necessarily. What it does mean is that she will treat any relationship seriously, and she will demand absolute integrity from partners- both personally and professionally. Issues of trust, power and control will be important. Events may occur and people may come into her life where she has to admit things to herself about the partners that she chooses and the motivations around those choices. Saturn lessons are difficult. They can also bring great reward.

Before looking at Marion’s transits, we should also look at her natal Saturn.

In Marion’s case, Saturn is in the 12th house. Behind the scenes she probably struggles with fears, guilt, loneliness and general insecurities. One of her biggest fears is being alone- and when she is alone her fears become more real.

Whilst her Libra Moon and 7th house Sun are looking for partnership, Saturns’ life lesson is to learn how to achieve things in solitude. This does not mean that her destiny is to be alone (seriously, if this were the case everyone with Saturn in the 12th would be alone), but to balance her need for partnership and still be comfortable within her own space. Every Saturn transit she experiences will have an element of this lesson.

Saturn rules the 10th and 11th houses (and the 12th as traditional ruler of Aquarius), so all Saturn transits to Marion’s chart will impact these areas of life.

Check out the Astro Basics tab at the top of the page for what each house represents.

 

But what does it mean?

I always use Bernadette Brady’s grid system to look at the impact of transits (check out her wonderful The Eagle and the Lark for more information on this).

The cause of whatever may happen is in the 1st row of the table- the location of both planets in the natal chart.

Where this action is occurring can be found in the house being transited.

The consequences or outcomes can be found in the bottom row of the grid- the areas of life ruled by these planets.

To illustrate this, let’s look at Marions’ chart. Saturn will conjunct her Scorpio Sun from Mid December. I checked with an ephemeris (a freebie is available on Astro.com- I use orbs of just 1 degree either side) and the timing for this will be around the following dates:

  • Mid December 2012- end January 2013 (exact 26/12/12- 9/1/13
  • mid March- mid May 2013 (exactish 18/4/13- 1/5/13) Rx
  • Mid September- early October 2013 (Exact 11/9/13-21/9/13):
Transiting Planet Natal Planet
Planet Saturn Conjunct Sun
Natal House Location 12 7
Transit House Location 7
Houses ruled by planet 10,11,12 (traditional ruler) 6

Because Saturn is in the 12th house, whatever happens this transit will have its causes in 12th and 7th house issues. In fact all transits made by Saturn to planets in Marions’ chart will have their origins in the 12th house and how she handles the issues of this house. Check out this post for more hints on the 12th house.

As Saturn is transiting the 7th house, the events of this transit will occur in the area of Marions’ relationships- business and personal.

Saturn rules the 10th and 11th houses, so all transits made by Saturn to planets in Marions’ chart will result in changes in Marions’ work, her public standing, her hopes and dreams, her friendships. In this case, the Sun (the planet receiving the transit) rules Marion’s 6th house (Leo is on the cusp of the 6th), so this Saturn/Sun conjunction will also have an impact on 6th house issues- her normal work routines, her health habits.

Because the nature of this transit is a conjunction, the energy of Saturn will fuse with that of the Sun (see last weeks post).

Marion, if she wants to look at all of her Saturn transits, should do a similar grid for each of the planets Saturn is contacting over the next couple of years. I’ve jotted a couple of what I know is coming up for her:

Final Points:

  1. Saturn transits (indeed all transits) should never be looked at in isolation. Don’t just look at what the textbook says about Saturn transiting, say, Venus. Look at what that means to you. What houses will be impacted? What does each of the planets (both the transiting planet and the planet being transited) mean in the context of your chart? What relationship do you have with Saturn? Do Saturn concepts come easily to you or are you more challenged by these lessons? What does Saturn mean in your chart?
  2. Don’t just look at the bad stuff- in my humble opinion dire predictions tend to be self-fulfilling. Look also at the positive sides to any transit. Yes, good things can happen- even under a Saturn transit.
  3. Look at the nature of the aspect being made.
  4. Consider also what transits are being made to your chart by the other big hitters ie Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Don’t ignore the house that Jupiter is activating. Often a message or theme is being repeated.
  5. Try very hard not to see or hear or read what you want to see, hear or read- a limited or tunnel view is never helpful

 

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Don’t Go Breaking My Heart…

Yesterday I broke up…with my personal trainer.

I even said those words that I’ve always wanted to say to someone but never have- I’ve always been the dumpee not the dumper (awwwww). So yesterday, I said it:

“It’s not you, it’s me. The last two years have been fun, but I think we now want different things from the relationship.”

At this point I popped a soulful and serious look onto my face before continuing.

“So (insert heavy sigh) I think we need some space…oh, and the 6 months I pre-paid before I left work has run out…”

It’s ok, I’m ok, in fact, I think I’m moving on already. It’s not that we won’t see each other- I’ll still wave to him at 6.30 in the morning when I’m on the treadmill in all of my early morning just sleep-walked from the bed to the gym glamour. We may even catch up for the occasional random training session. But we both know it’s over. O.V.A.H.

I will be thinking about him over the next couple of days as my muscles recover from that final retaliatory tabata boxing and kettleball session. Ouchy do!

Under the Cancer Moon it is easy to dwell on the past, to hang on to an idea, a theory, a relationship, a habit long past its use by date- in fact often until it resembles something like what used to be zucchinis that I found lurking in the bottom of my fridge vegie drawer tonight.

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 go it on our own terms. Hence yesterdays break up.

This time last year retrenchments had just started in the partition job. Communication had been great, so we all knew where we stood, but the uncertainty was creeping in. People who for years had been complaining (loudly) about the Mother Ship and policies, treatment, slights etc (you know the drill) now started reminiscing about the good times.

Oh, you mean those good times when the client was giving us such a rough time that everyone was working 70 hour+ weeks, all leave was cancelled & there had been no pay rises for 5 years? Those good times?

Ummm yes, those good times. It was all shit for them to go through, incredibly stressful, but looking back, it was what they knew, what their history was. As crappy as those years were, it was comfortable because it was past. That’s what nostalgia is.

The Moon is now in the balsamic phase, so if ever there was a shot at letting go, it is now. And you know what? Tomorrows New Moon coincides with Mars opposing Uranus and the whole cardinal square thing, so you may not really have a choice in the matter.

Cancer New Moons always bring issues of mother, home, family and self- nutrition (and that doesn’t have to mean the fridge and chocolate variety) to the forefront. New Moons allow for a fresh burst of energy. I would suggest that at this New Moon you go with that energy- or the Universe will shift you in some other way.

As for me, I’m off to create some comfort-ish food (minus the manky zucchinis). It’s to get over the break-up, of course. Wednesday nights for us are home-made takeaway nights, and tonight is chicken parmagiana- just like you’d get in a Victorian country pub…without being in Victoria…or in the country.

The details:

New Moon at 26 Cancer. Oh wait, that’s conjunct my Jupiter in the 5th, so will set off all the other triney things in my chart. Cool.

For Sydney-siders and East Coast Aussies that’s Thursday 19/7 at 2.25pm. For those of you in WA & most of SE Asia, that’s 12.25pm, Kiwis 4.25 pm. Anyone in the US? The New Moon is exact at 9.25pm 18/7 and 0.25am 19/7 (depending on whether you’re on the West or East Coast), and English readers are in the middle at 4.25am on the 19th.

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something about Mercury retrograde

Mercury is retrograde until around 7th August- here’s one I prepared earlier, with some minor adjustments for the Leo thing…

Jab, straight, uppercut, duck, weave, hook, straight.

Easy enough instructions.

Shoulders down, back foot down, punch from the hip, core on, wrists strong… WTF?

This mornings training session was always going to be a sweat fest. That’s cool- after too many days of over consumption in the Hunter, I needed a good training session. Today though, my brain just couldn’t get the messages straight.

Mercury has slowed right down and is getting ready to turn retrograde and even my brain (which normally works at a Mercury retrograde pace) is having just a few problems with connecting the dots today.

I have this theory the fall out from Mercury retrogrades hits us because we need to slow down. Computer breakdowns, delays, mixed messages- they stop us in our tracks.

By making us vulnerable, by instigating meltdowns (of any description) we have no choice but to take a good long hard look at ourselves and our life styles. So instead, we build protective walls around us as we madly back up computers, triple check travel plans and appointments. We spend hours doing stuff that is really just basic common sense when you think about it.

We should be testing changes, we should be confirming appointments, we should be doing re words as a matter of course. We shouldn’t need a Mercury retrograde period to force ourselves into being just a tad vulnerable. Meltdowns can be messy, but also therapeutic.

So, that’s my theory, now for the practicalities.

Firstly, the basics regarding a Mercury retrograde period:

  • The planet isn’t really going backwards, it just appears that way from where we stand here on Earth
  • During any retrograde cycle of any planet we bring our attentions within. The energy of the planet is intensified, and that energy is brought within. In that case of Mercury that means how we think, how we transmit messages and how messages are communicated and understood around us
  • this is your signal to slow down, go within, review, revise, rewind. We review and revise in our head the nature of the area of life this retrograde is happening in for us. With our brains occupied in a different way we lose focus on what is happening around us- and that is when things, generally shitty things, happen.

We know all about the re words:

  • Take the time to recharge your batteries
  • Revise your goals
  • Review your bright ideas
  • Regain your faith in the future
  • Recommit to habits, goals, the things you need to recommit to
  • Reconnect with colleagues & friends you haven’t seen or spoken to for some time
  • Renew and refresh whatever is jaded and old
  • Revisit places, books, movies that mean something to you
  • Rest and relax

We know the type of things Mercury retrogrades can impact:

  • Appointment times
  • Travel times & arrangements
  • Computers, phones & other electronic devices
  • Getting to & from places
  • Contracts and other documents

And we know how to mitigate the possible damage:

  • Re-confirm appointments
  • Check & re-check your travel arrangements
  • Insure your luggage and tickets and make sure you have copies of all travel documents- preferably not in your bag
  • If travelling carry a spare toothbrush and change of clothes as carry on- just in case
  • Avoid mechanical problems, by making sure your car services are up to date
  • Back up computers
  • Avoid purchasing any major technology over this period
  • Avoid signing contracts, but if you have to, make sure you have read & re-read all the fine print
  • If you must commence a new project, do the scoping work carefully- and seriously people, we should be doing this anyway!
  • If you have any changes going “live” or being implemented, test, re-test, regression test, test the back out, test the install & test again. Test.

We even know the people most likely to be impacted by the retrograde cycle:

  • People with strong Mercury charts eg people with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Mercury in Mercury ruled signs ie Gemini or Virgo.
  • People with these planets in the 3rd house
  • People who have the Sun, Moon, Mercury or Ascendant in the sign which is receiving the retrograde
  • People who have planets or chart points at the position where Mercury stations- either to go retrograde or direct.

Essentially those who have a crappy Mercury (such as my own- the worst Mercury in history) tend (with some exceptions) to escape relatively lightly. Why? Because natally our Mercury operates in the same way as when it is retrograde- we review and revise and go into our own heads as part of a normal day. What happens during a Mercury retrograde is that everyone is now on our wave-length!

So, what makes a bad (and when I say bad I don’t mean evil bad, I mean that it works differently to the way Mercury is supposed to work…personally mine is crappy, but it suits me- if you know what I mean) Mercury?:

  • Mercury in Pisces (check)
  • Mercury in the 12th house (check)
  • Mercury tightly aspecting Neptune
  • Mercury retrograde natally (check)

This year all the Mercury retrogrades take place in fire signs. This changes the playing field a little. First cab off the rank is Aries (of course…).

This means that:

  • People who have the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Mercury in Aries will be impacted by this retrograde
  • If you have planets or chart points (eg Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant or IC) at 12 Leo (where Mercury stations to go retrograde) or 1 Leo (where he stations to go direct), you will also feel this one.

Fire Mercury is assertive, impulsive, demonstrative and energetic. Leo Mercury is all of these things plus you can add proud and stubborn to the mix. So, the types of things we may expect (in addition to the above) are:

  • Tempers may flare quicker than usual for seemingly insignificant reasons
  • You may be too proud to let go of a position you previously took
  • Temper tantrums may take on diva-ish proportions

For all of us?

  • Check out where 12-1 Leo falls in your chart. This is the part of life where you need to do extra re stuff. As an example, in my case this transit is in my 5th house. The 5th house is creativity, children, fun, risk. No casino visits for me this month…
  • Check out also the parts of your chart ruled by Mercury (these will be the houses with either Gemini or Virgo on the cusp). Mercury natally rules the relationship and home sectors in my chart and is in Pisces in the 12th house. Again, not a great time to make lasting decisions around relationships or choosing to paint that wall kitchenaid red.
  • Check out any other planets being touched by this retrograde and what they symbolize in your chart.

This retrograde period I intend to spend a lot of time writing. I have edits to do on the novel I am trying to flog, and a word count target on the Astro book I am writing. Plus, I have a heap of pitches out there for non Astro articles as I get this freelance writing thing off the ground.

Where does 12-1 Leo fall in your chart? What are your plans for this particular retrograde?

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something about Taurus Moon

coastline just below waverley cemetery

Each month I talk about how the Taurus Moon can be one of those times of the month when one is most prone to comfort eating. For lunar types (and the Moon is exalted in Taurus) when things get too much, it can be easier to swallow feelings rather than express them.

The other reason is that Taurus, ruled by Venus, loves pleasure- earthly pleasure… and beauty- real beauty, not just the idea of it.

Taurus operates from all 5 senses- sight, smell, taste, touch and sound- and uses all of these to experience pleasure. That’s why food is important- especially in the absence of other beauty or pleasure…and Taurus does, after all, rule the throat.

The other thing that Taurus represents is the principle of storage, knowing when enough is plenty, already. What Taurus wants is to just “be”. “Be” at one with earth, with herself, enough. Taurus wants to relax into the comfort of being.

So, at this Taurus Moon, appreciate what you are, what you have, what is around you. Look at the sky and appreciate the colours, listen to the sounds around you, feel the textures of fabric, earth. And, when you do sit down for your meals, taste the food in your mouth, and how it feels on your tongue, the pleasure you feel from it. Savour it before you swallow it. Unfortunately, during most comfort eating binges, pleasure is the last thing you feel.

Yesterday Miss 14 and I had another “stay-cation” excursion (I’ll be almost disappointed when the school holidays finish & I can get some work done :))- this time to walk 7.something kms fom Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach. The stairs and steep hills were butt clenchingly hard, and the descents hell on the knees, but the pleasure from the effort was priceless.

About 3kms along the rain came down- just as we completed the climb up to Waverley Cemetery. Rather than complaining, we enjoyed the feel of it- and appreciated the cool down!

rock formations just before Bondi

We passed Clovelly Beach, Bronte Beach, Tamarama Beach and amazing views along the way. We appreciated real estate, pondered how you could do a nudie run to get clean knickers from the washing basket when you had no window covering, and gazed out to see looking for whales. Then when it was over we had a very tasty lunch at a friends place.

Sure there was exercise involved, but it was a Taurus Moon day.

So, today, instead of giving way to feelings with mindless fridge opening and closing, step away from the chocolate and spend just a few minutes being mindful.

If you can, schedule a massage, a facial, some other type of pampering bodywork. If you can, check out some art, some music, a view. If you can, take a walk, look at the flowers, make pictures with the clouds, smell the earth. If you can’t do any of these, pause for a while at your break, at lunch-time and savour what it is that you are doing, what you can see, what you are tasting. That’s also very Taurus Moon.

near Clovelly

If you want to follow some of my Sydney stay-cation ideas, check it out at and anyways…

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Something about Uranus and reversing…

speaking of things bubbling below the surface…this one is one of the smelly thermal pools at Rotorua.

So, the Moon has just passed Uranus, checked in on Facebook and moved on. Anyone feel anything? I’m in “Mum taxi school holidays mode”, so if there was any bright spark I’m sorry to say that I missed it.

Tomorrow the lunar energy is much the same. I’m taking full advantage of the JFDI (Just Flipping Do It) feeling and am doing a double training session first up…followed by Mum taxi duties.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not resentful of the taxi duties, on the contrary I am grateful. This time last year I was stuck up in Brisbane doing an office move that had, shall we say, complications. I missed school holidays completely. I missed a lot of school holidays over the last 14 years, and thankfully my daughter has always understood…and still talks to me…a lot.

I’m grateful I did the whole supermum thing for as long as I did- it has given my daughter a good sense of structure, routine & the knowledge that she has to work for whatever she gets. It also means that she is now grateful for my presence at home. She has, so far, appeared not to have received the memo that said she should hate me by now. Something else I’m grateful for.

It probably makes sense that I am stopping to feel the gratitude at present- Mercury is well within its shadow and has slowed right down in preparation to turn retrograde over the weekend. More on that later.

Also about to do the back step is Uranus. As we know, when planets appear to reverse (they don’t really go backwards, it’s just that from our perspective they do- like when you’re in a fast train beside one that is so slow it seems to be going backwards rather than forwards) they become more.

The outer planets spend a fair whack of each year in retrograde motion. During these retrograde periods, the energy which is usually pushed outward is directed internally. During the retrograde phase planets become an exaggerated version of themselves. Uranus will become more Uranian…for many (especially those in the midst of a transit by Uranus) that is a pretty scary concept.

In the case of Uranus, who really gets off on giving totally unexpected and utterly unavoidable shocks to get you moving out of your rut and into something more individual, all of that bubbling, electrical energy in happening within you instead of to you. Eventually it has to explode.

All those Uranian rebellion impulses will burst out at seemingly incongruent times, leaving those around you shaking their heads muttering “What the F&*#?” Which brings me to the other really important thing about Uranus and transits of this planet to natal planets…. resistance is futile. The more you struggle against the Freedom Fighter, the tighter the chains that bind.

If Uranus passes back across a natal planet or chart point for you during this transit, take it as a time to stick to what you know…for now. You will be able to objectively look at the results of the bid you made for freedom when Uranus first touched that planet and maybe analyse what went wrong. This is not the time to make a fresh break, if indeed a separation is what is required. The questions you ask yourself here will be put to use when Uranus retraces his path once he becomes direct. It is at that point that you have the opportunity to make the change real.

Speaking of making things real, I have a bag of groceries that needs to be turned into dinner. In case you’re interested, tonight is teriyaki chicken.

Technical Guff:

13 July 2012- 12 December 2012 8 Aries- 4 Aries

Anyone with planets or chart points between 3-9 Aries, Libra, Cancer, Capricorn? Have you felt your Uranus transit yet? Or should I say, are you having fun yet ;)?

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Something About Saturn in Scorpio

this one was taken on Queenstown Hill. Saturn is the dark cloud descending…hey, I’m on my Friday night vino!

As I said earlier, I have been getting a lot of enquiries lately about Saturn in Scorpio. It’s great people are interested, but it doesn’t happen until October. We’re not even out of the shadow of the last retrograde and have another 7 or so degrees of Libra to cover. But, given that I have a store of photos of plains, mountains and cold, dry, snowy stuff that I like to use in Saturn posts and to temper the excitement a tad (Saturn is, after all, about delayed gratification), here is the technical guff.

  • Saturn moves into Scorpio on 6 October, 2012
  • Saturn stations retrograde on 18 February, 2012 at 11 Scorpio 31’
  • Saturn stations direct on 7 July, 2013 at 4 Scorpio 49’
  • Saturn stations retrograde on 2 March, 2014 at 23 Scorpio 19’
  • Saturn stations direct on 19 July, 2014 at 16 Scorpio 39’
  • Saturn moves into Sagittarius on 24 December, 2014

2012

Libra 22- Scorpio 9

2013

Scorpio 4 – 20 Scorpio

2014

Scorpio 16- 0 Sagittarius

Check out the Saturn tab at the top of this page for ideas as to where this might impact you.

Laurence Hillman in his book Planets in Play has this to say about Saturn in Scorpio:

“This old man wears a dark grey cardigan with black leather patches on the elbows and well worn pants. He is holding a pipe and stares at you with ice blue eyes. In fact, it feels as though he can see right into, or even through, you. He won’t smile, but if you ask for advice, he will give you more than you bargained for.”

What did he say about Saturn in Libra?

“This old man wears an impeccable suit. His silver hair is slicked back, not a strand out of place. His tie is perfectly matched to the suit, shirt and socks, but mostly it is exquisitely beautiful. He is so friendly it almost seems saccharine. Once you start talking with him, you will have a hard time getting away.”

I think that says it all.

 

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Perhaps, Perhaps Perhaps…

You won’t admit you love me

and so how am I ever to know?

You only tell me

Perhaps perhaps perhaps

 

A million times I’ve asked you

and then I’ve asked you over again

You only answer

Perhaps perhaps perhaps

Mars is the planet of desire, the planet of action. Mars is the energy of expansion, the urge to push to achieve what it is that you want. Exciting and inspirational, Mars is all about physical action and forward motion.

Yet in Libra, Mars is in the sign of his detriment. To the Traditionals, this is Not A Good Thing. Unless you are looking at Mars in a horary chart, this really just means that Mars is unable to work in his normal physical just flipping do it way. It’s a little like finding yourself somewhere completely unfamiliar with completely the wrong wardrobe, no local phrasebook and rupiah when you need euros. You need to find another way to get what you need.

Where Mars pursues the achievement of a desired outcome, Libra is more interested in the process of relating. Where Mars inspires through (sometimes) excessive energy, Libra detaches in order to logically and objectively observe situations, weighing up all possibilities carefully. Where Mars represents male energy, Venus rules Libra and represents feminine grace, social skills and refined beauty.

In Libra, Mars’ normally sure action is indecisive and directed towards the process of relating rather than physical action. In Libra he gets what he wants by being charming, using diplomacy and finding the compromise points in all situations. He gets what he wants by using his head and his connections, not his brawn. He searches for peace, harmony, beauty and balance. Feel the serenity.

In doing so, he can get be frustrated by indecisiveness as he weighs up all viewpoints, options and perspectives. Or should I say that others are frustrated by his indecisiveness?

In Libra, he asserts himself with grace and through his relationships. In Libra he pursues balance, fairness and beauty. This is Mars in touch with his feminine side, so to speak. This is Mars dressed to have a party, this is Mars with his fashionably stylish flirty pants on.

As with all things Libran, Mars in this sign takes on a refinement that he doesn’t have elsewhere (wait for next months Mars in Scorpio post for the exact opposite!). This means that in Libra, he is not particularly passionate and tends towards the traditional when it comes to sex. In Libra, sex is given a romantic, almost old fashioned and polite flavour. There is none of the earthy sensuality of Virgo or the intense merging of Scorpio, just something different. Not better, not worse, just different.

Mars in a woman’s chart gives an indication as to what she finds attractive and desirable in a partner. Mars in Libra is drawn to Libran tendencies- someone smooth, urbane, charming, well-balanced, well dressed and equable. He may have personal planets in Libra, he may have personal planets in the 7th house, he may have Mars conjunct Venus and he may be reluctant to run headfirst into conflict. He will be fun to be around, be interested in equality and justice and will want to stand beside you.

So, have a look at your chart- wherever Libra is will be the area of life being stimulated by Mars at the moment. For me it’s 8th house stuff- life, death, taxes, other peoples money and uncontrollables. Fun or hard? I can’t decide.

 

If you can’t make your mind up

We’ll never get started.

And I don’t wanna wind up

Being parted, broken-hearted.

So if you really love me

Say yes, but if you don’t dear, confess

And please don’t tell me

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.


Lyrics from “Perhaps, Perhaps Perhaps” by Doris Day…and others… I am particularly fond of the version by Cake or perhaps this one by Pussycat Dolls. But then again, there is the version done for the Baz Luhrman movie “Strictly Ballroom”…and I am thinking perhaps that the version Mari Wilson did for the UK sitcom “Coupling” might just be my favourite. I can’t decide…what do you think?

 

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So Yesterday…

Photo credit: Hans-Martens for istock

So, I had this wonderful girlie Libra Moon morning planned with Miss 14 who is on school holidays…again.

First up was hair, then we were off to get nails done and would round off the pampering with pad thai at her favourite noodle bar.

All good- at least it was until an email turned up in my inbox from the old partition job. Just when I thought it were all over- ties to the partition job, that is.

Apparently they had been contacted by a debt collector chasing an unpaid corporate phone bill from back in January. Just like that all the old feelings from when I was employed there came back. The same feeling I would get when the email on my phone would ping in the small hours of the morning as yet another directive came through from the MotherShip in the US.

Back then each time I had to re-trace steps to scrounge up primary, secondary and tertiary evidence to prove that something had been completed according to whatever new and inefficient procedure had been introduced, it felt as if there were knives turning in my back. My tummy would drop and I would worry that maybe despite the hours and the efforts and the care somebody on the other side of the world had the power to make me feel that badly. And I was letting it happen.

Back then I was leaving, but was tempted to stay- it was the whole comfort blanket thing. That, and the integrity and friendship of those I worked closest with.  It seemed that each time I was wavering in the decision to go, one of these late night mails would come through. I would lie awake worrying, and would go in the next day firmly resolved in my decision to go.

Back then I would have dropped whatever I had planned to rush in and gather my evidence in order to comply with the implied threat of what would happen if I didn’t respond within the unrealistic timeframe. Even if the email had turned up on holidays, weekends, after hours. Back then I wouldn’t have been spending any of the school holidays with Miss 14.

If I were unable to immediately action the request I would have worried about it until I could. I would have let it infect what ever it was I had planned, whatever else I was doing. Not this time. This time I put it out of my head while I spent the morning with my daughter.

When I did break out the secondary and tertiary evidence to support that there was in fact a nil balance owing and the error was on the part of the corporate provider, I sent it off in full awareness that there would be no apology for the inconvenience caused. Nor would there be acknowledgment of the error or the correction. Why change the pattern of a lifetime?

What is different this time is that I now have the ability to demand both from the corporate provider. And have done so. This time when I felt that familiar tummy dip, I firmly pushed it away. This time, just as I am tempted to dive back into something corporate, this email has reminded me of all the reasons why that isn’t a good idea.

So that was the story. Now the astrology- and yes, there is some. Two words: Venus, Station. Now another two: square, Mercury.

Venus is in the 2nd house for me, so whilst Venus Rx always represents things around money and relationship, for me it also has a lot to do with self-esteem and what is really important- 2nd house issues. Mercury is messages, and retrograde is going back across old ground. Classic Venus stationing event.

In fact the money messages have been coming through fast and furious today. I’m chasing up invoices I’ve sent to editors for work commissioned during the last Mercury retrograde. I’ve also been hunting down a quote to prepay next years health insurance to take advantage of the governments 30% rebate. That one has also been going around in circles but now appears to be resolved.

Self- esteem and money have been the recurring themes for me during this Venus retrograde. As have attachments that seriously need to be let go of in order to move forward.

A Gemini friend has finished a relationship that had been staggering along just a little too long. Another friend has reported (explicit) dreams about a man she had an almost fling with years ago. The man in question has contacted her out of the blue and the feelings are back- on both sides. A Scorpio colleague is catching up on two years worth of tax returns. On the other side of the story, three single friends have hooked up during the retrograde period and whilst not in relationships, are having an incredible time…if you know what I mean…

Another friend with Venus Rx natally expected big things and has scored precisely…nothing. She has, however, spent the last month or so tracking through the ghosts of relationships past and ships that never quite got around to sailing.

So, what about you? What has this Venus retrograde brought you? Anything? Nothing? Money issues? Relationship issues? Amazing sex? I’d love to know…just keep it PG please…