Helloooooo, is anyone still there? I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t, I haven’t been around much here.
What have I been up to? I’m glad you asked.
I’m still settling into my new job and getting used to the long commutes. By the time I get home each evening, I don’t have the energy to anything more than inhale dinner and crawl back into bed, do an hour or so of writing, watch an old Midsomer Murders re-run with my pooch and set the alarm for sometime before 5 again the next day.
I’m almost finished with the structural re-write of Wish You Were Here– my latest novel. It’s due to go back for copy editing next week and will be released during Scorpio season- fitting given that my hero this time around is a very sexy Scorpio who needs someone to teach him how to use his words.
What else? I spent a couple of days up at the Central Coast last weekend talking about how I can make this writing thing pay ie get more people to read my books. Yes, it was a marketing strategy session. I came out of it with some action plans around developing a new author website (tick), better use of twitter, actually send newsletters, and a few more bits and pieces. It was a seriously valuable session.
In any case, you can catch up on what’s been going on for me personally at and anyways.
What else? This year continues to give- and to take. In the early hours of Thursday morning, my grandfather passed- four years to the day since we lost our Nan. I still miss her every day. On Friday we celebrated the wedding of one of my cousins- one of his grandchildren. She wore silver sequins in the back of her train for Nan. You might have seen it on my instagram. Tomorrow we have Pop’s funeral. It’s weird the way the timing works, the way life cycles in and out, how we can celebrate the beginning of a marriage and the end of a life within the space of a couple of days.
Anyways, enough of that.
The highlights for this week are Venus moving into Libra- the sign she rules; Mercury stationing to go retrograde in Virgo; and a Solar eclipse and New Moon in Virgo.
I won’t get anything new up for Venus in Libra, but this post from last year will give you a fair idea of what to expect. It’s about finding pleasure in balance, in social settings, in partnerships- of all sorts. It’s also about beauty, peace and harmony. Look to wherever Libra is in your chart for an idea about where you can expect to find a little more joy over the next few weeks.
As for Mercury? Given that Mercury is superstrong in Virgo, this retrograde period has the potential to feel like it’s the longest retrograde in history. I’ll pop up my survival techniques over the next few days, but for now, make sure that you’re fully backed up and all operating systems at their correct versions. Print out travel itineraries, keep and eye on your passport (and a record of the number), your plans flexible, and, if you’re travelling, a spare pair of undies and a toothbrush in your carry-on. Just in case.
From the almost eclipse of a couple of weeks ago, we have the real thing on Thursday- a New Moon and Solar Eclipse. It falls at 9 Virgo 21 and will be exact at 7.03pm here in Sydney. Use the couple of days before to symbolically wipe the slate clean. This could be something as simple as finishing a long avoided task, cleaning a drawer, organising your filing, or weeding a garden bed. Just finish something. Then write your intentions. I’ll have something new up for it. You might need to read this post on eclipses and this one on new moon wishing.
There are other aspects happening as well this week, but in my mind, this eclipse is one that is worth setting some serious intentions around. Why? The degree (9 Virgo) is square the point at which Saturn stationed direct the other week, and given that the Sun is square Saturn less than a day after this New Moon, to me that says we need to get real about something. I tend not to believe in coincidences when Saturn is involved….but that’s just me. Besides, with the Sun also opposite Neptune, separating fact from fiction, and reality from perception will be, I think, one of the key themes of this New Moon.
Have a fabulous week.
Joxxx