Multiple views

Last Sunday was the third workshop I was giving in partnership with fellow astrologer Gillian Crawford on the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius happening this coming 21 of December. It was a real pleasure to prepare the classes as I really enjoy teaching. I love information and sharing it with others, perhaps this is part of what I came into this world to do (says my North Node in Gemini). In fact, the older I get the more I realise how much I appreciate the lightness of Gemini in contrast to the potential sagittarian pitfall of dogmatism and the idea of ‘the (one and only) truth’ (which I used to indulge in, specially before my first Saturn return).

Mercury is about a variety of useful information (I am a Virgo!) versus Jupiter (ruler of Sagittarius) reflecting belief systems. I love the process of brainstorming the possibilities that each astrological symbol can potentially be about and in that way to enrich interpretations.

While preparing my workshop for last Sunday I really got myself thinking in many different ways about Aquarius and the conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter itself. One of the things that really came to me for instance, is the possibility of each one of the other fixed signs (Leo, Scorpio and Taurus) representing a potential antidote to Aquarius’ pitfalls for they represent a different point of view. I have a strong feeling that problems arise when we are stuck in a single way of seeing things with disregard to others and their views. And btw, this is also the danger and base of totalitarian regimes, there is only one way or one truth, etc.

For instance, when Aquarius becomes too detached in its visions and ideas, Leo can bring forward the human heart and its soothing qualities, Taurus reminds us of embodied and instinctual knowledge, while Scorpio can provide the gift of emotional honesty.

All of the three other fixed signs can remind Aquarius of its humanness and this can be of paramount importance from now on, when we will see such an emphasis in this archetype (with Saturn and Jupiter conjoining in Aquarius, but also with Pluto following it in a couple of years).

So, from that perspective, if you have any planets or points in your chart in the early degrees of the fixed signs, you are being invited to bring a point of view that might be balancing and, at the same time, you are asked to question any extreme behaviour connected with that planet/point in your chart.

A note on Mars retrograde

I officially moved into my flat on Saturday night and yet I feel strange. The current energies seem to be so heavy that I can almost touch it with my hands.

During the day I felt sad, nostalgic, lonely, irritable, I don’t know what else…

Retrograde Mars in Aries is coming up to square Saturn again, followed by a square to Pluto and Jupiter, all in Capricorn. In addition to that, Mercury in Libra is also coming to an opposition with Mars.

We better brace ourselves!

If you feel angry and frustrated the probability is that you are also picking up on these tense, to say the least, energies. Better not to act out unconsciously. This isn’t the best time to set your boundaries, to tell someone off or to go with road rage.

Be cool, be calm, this should be the mantra!

The best we can do with retrograde planets is to go inwards rather than outwards, is to reassess how we express the archetype reflected. In this case, with Mars, how do we deal with anger? How do we express frustration? What triggers irritation? These are some of the questions that are worth asking ourselves now until the end of November. Ask yourself but try not to take action right now as when the planet moves forward again we tend to regret what we did during its retrogradation period.

Wishing you (me included) all peace, patience and calm as much as possible during the most challenging moments until the energies shift again.

Be well everyone.

Celebrating some achievements

The last month and a half have been so incredibly busy for me: taking up my two final modules for the masters (that in itself is so much work already!), doing three talks in the month of June, also started teaching astrology webinars and have over 10 students waiting for me to come up with the second series, not to mention the other more humble life tasks which are equally important (even if it doesn’t seem like).

After all, where would I be without my routine? Without my ‘healthy-ish’ meals? Without my long walks after lunch and long baths listening to Billie Holiday? I honestly think that I could only manage the amount of things I had to do because I kept track of my basic routine as well. Without that I wouldn’t have made it!

Interestingly, Uranus is transiting my 6th house, and work is somehow embedded in my daily rituals and routine. There isn’t one without the other.

Two out of the three talks are done already, and I think they went very well. I have a real passion for teaching. This week I will be finally giving my talk at the Astrological Association’s conference on the astrology of the Handmaid’s Tale. Such an interesting novel, with an amazing tv production and not to mention, Margaret Atwood herself, a figure that I deeply admire and researching about her was a real joy.

Atwood’s natal Sun is very close to my ASC, so I guess the commonality speaks for itself. I somehow feel a sense of closeness when I watch her speak and I wish I could meet her in person one day and have a cup of coffee.

How did I manage to get through the most difficult challenges of this month, in special my fear of coming out professionally in the astrological community and my inner critic’s strength and power over me sometimes? I guess that I have used a few different tools in the process, but specially reminding me of the joy I feel when I talk about astrology and when I share ideas in general (which helped me with the masters as well) was a huge part.

Passion and joy seems to be a great guidance force in life… at least sometimes… or maybe most of the time…

What is your passion and what brings joy into your life?!        😀

 

 

A note on Mercury

These days I watched the MISPA event celebrating the 10 years that the astrology school has been open and they had many astrology talks with great astrologers on. But the main one that I wanted to talk about here is the one that Darby Costello did on Mercury and Hermes.

I absolutely loved how she talked about this archetype and I feel that we (at least myself) tend to take for granted planets like Mercury, only paying attention to it when is retrograde and saying that it relates to your intellect, full stop. There are many dimensions to each archetypal pattern represented by the symbols in astrology.

And Mercury isn’t an exception!

Darby said that Mercury relates to travelling and movement, as is already largely spoken in the astrological community, but she connected that with the idea of information as well. Thats why Mercury in the Jupiter ruled signs are in fall or detriment, because Jupiter relates to belief and truth. And when we are communicating something that we believe is the truth we automatically shut down the process of exchanging information, which is the function of Mercury.

She also said that Mercury is about the collection and exchange of information that can be useful to people, that is the relationship to Gemini and Virgo, the two signs ruled by Mercury.

It was so insightful to me as I have such a powerful mercurial nature, with Sun, Mercury, Venus, Chiron and the North node all ruled by Mercury in my chart.

Darby also talked about Mercury being a guide, for Hermes is the one that can take people into the underworld, and in order for us to tap into that guidance we have to keep in motion. When you are stagnated Mercury does not help you, but once you go on a journey, it is there to help or trick you.

Astrology is such a magical subject with many facets for us to realise and empower ourselves with!!

Wishes for the coming new decade…

We are heading towards a new decade in couple of weeks and I thought that I should somehow honour that by writing something.

When I look back, from 2010 until now a lot of important things have happened in my life, first it was during this decade that I decided to take astrology and esoteric studies seriously and became a professional astrologer. What a journey this has been…

I also had my first conscious experience of multiple transits and the depth of transformation that this reflects, and feeling the intense pain that was brought up with it… and surviving it all, feeling stronger and renewed.

There was so much growth, sooo much!

What will this coming decade be about, I wonder?

I am currently having my Jupiter return, which is activating my natal Jupiter-Sun/Mercury trine and I have started experimenting with doing videos on social media. I’ve been doing stories on instagram, sharing some ideas and it’s been really enjoyable. After a long period of transformation with a lack of clarity regarding my identity and voice it seems like I am slowly stepping into another place, another phase is slowly dawning and I feel excited.

It seems like what I enjoy doing is to bring the academic discussion into a more popular format, when I did a video on the full moon it somehow didn’t resonate much with what I want to be doing. Im not entirely sure what will be, but that is how I feel for now.  I would like to focus on sharing some of the information I am coming across in the MA with other fellow astrologers and the general public. Bring in the deeper, bigger, questions so we can discuss the nature of our art and work.

I know that I can be inconsistent sometimes, so I will go with the flow and see what comes out of it without expectation. What is really important to me is the authenticity of it all. I don’t want to fake anything just to have more ‘followers’. It has to be real!

So cheers to this decade for teaching me so many difficult lessons, and welcome to the new! May the coming 10 years bring us much growth, understanding, healthier values (collectively speaking) and love.

Love al-ways!

 

Light at the end of the tunnel, New Moon in Sagittarius !

I just finished writing my essay! Hurray ! Such a great feeling to finish something challenging, something that requires a certain degree of difficulty. (is that Saturn, ruler of my 3rd house speaking?)

I thought to celebrate I came here to write a little about the coming new moon (still me trying to be a consistent blogger…)

This month’s new moon will be taking place on the 26 of November at 4 degrees Sagittarius, Im feeling excited about this one as it is sort of marking the transition from Scorpio Season into Sagittarius Season and Im looking forward to this shift in energy. (probably many of us are!)

Last month has been quite challenging and charged with intensity. A lot of stuff from the past coming up again, old patterns of behaviour getting strongly triggered, old emotions coming back, basically, a lot of shadow work was being asked from us. It’s been tiring but also rewarding, and Mercury retrograde in Scorpio was reflecting this process of  deeply reviewing the hidden contents in our psyche.

Well, Mercury is already moving forward since the 20 of November and we are still dealing with those themes, but now heading more towards conclusion and insight rather than emotional involvement with whatever it was that we had to revisit during this period.

Regarding the new moon now, as I stare into the astrological map of that moment, a few things pop into my mind. Mercury is still picking up speed in Scorpio and Mars will be at the exact degree of the previous new moon in Scorpio (the one that was opposite Uranus and reflected much of the disruptive energy that was going on during the month of November). This tells me that the difficult themes we had to deal with are still going to be lingering on, and as Mars travels through the exact degree of that new moon perhaps this is the moment where action might be taken or at least we will feel compelled to act on whatever insights we’ve been having this month.

We better be conscious because this is not reflecting an easy going process and best to think well before acting, as Uranus is involved in the picture, Uranus the planet of sudden changes and unpredictability. It might turn out as pretty liberating as well, but nevertheless is best to be as conscious and present as possible.

Another thing that catches my eye is the Moon and Sun in Sagittarius after such a dark period, illuminating our higher aspirations and future drives. This can feel as a real relief as we regain optimism and visions regarding the bigger picture. Great for setting intentions connected to expansion, personal growth, anything to do with our purpose in life, all of those jupiterian themes.

Planet Jupiter is still in Sagittarius and just about to move into Capricorn for the next year and I see this as a reinforcement to think about what our highest goals are because as we move on to Capricorn season, and Jupiter moving also to Capricorn, we will have the energy to actualize these goals in a realistic and pragmatic fashion.

Mercury in Scorpio will be forming a harmonious aspect to Neptune in Pisces and I also have the feeling that this could be reflecting a process of letting go and forgiving whichever demons came to visit us during the difficult month of November.

Full Moon in Taurus, and the importance of conscious lightness…

Today I’ve been working on my first assignment for the current module Im taking for my MA and was checking the astrological weather for the coming weeks.

Mercury still moving backwards in Scorpio reflecting an invitation for non-action and for deeply rethinking about our emotional patterns and shadows. Communication only if deeply honest and tempered by psychological awareness.

Where is Scorpio in your chart?!

This is the area where all of this soulful reassessing is happening…

My ASC is in Scorpio and as I write this post, Mercury is starting to make its way back into the 12th house of my natal chart until it reaches my natal Saturn, in the exact degree that Mercury will be stationing to go forward again on the 21st of November.

I feel that much of the themes that this Mercury retrograde is reflecting personally to me is quite recognisable, all the emotional honesty kind of stuff, including addressing my fear of it as well (as Saturn in my case is involved in this cycle).

I do love what Scorpio stands for though, even if sometimes is a bit too much, or too intense, I have a real appreciation for it. This too reflects something of my own nature / natal chart. The dichotomy between the Scorpio placements and the strong disruptive tendencies symbolised by the prominent Uranus in my chart.

So then I tend to attract people with a very similar split, not to say with the same astrological symbolism in their charts, (even if slightly shuffled). This is an interesting phenomena I’ve seen repeating again and again not only in my life.

Then I was checking this coming full moon which will be taking place on November the 12th in Taurus. Couple of things called my attention.

Firstly we do well in keeping in our minds that this is the culmination of the disruptive New Moon conjunct Uranus we had this month, so somehow the continuation of that story.

The other thing I noticed is that Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio, will be aspecting Jupiter in Sagittarius and Venus, the ruler of Taurus, will be placed in Sagittarius also. This somehow makes me think that keeping things humorous and being in tune with your capacity for laughing at yourself and at life’s situations in general, could be of great aid here. Friendship rather than intense possessiveness could also be a way out from the dilemas potentially reflected by this intense lunation.

The moon in Taurus and the Sun/Mercury in Scorpio will also be harmoniously  aspecting Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn, a potentially positive and productive aspect if we are willing to take responsibility for ourselves, especially our emotional needs, and avoid blaming others or projecting our wellbeing on another person’s presence. Making sure boundaries are well set (paying attention not to exaggerate here, if overdoing boundaries is your pattern?) could be very helpful in order to make the most of these energies available!

 

Solar return intentions

I remember astrologer Frank Clifford telling us that on our solar return we should do a little bit of everything that we would like to be doing for the next year. I love this idea and in every birthday I try to consider it in my choices of what to do to celebrate.

So today writing this blog post is part of my intentions for my next personal year, to do a lot more writing in general..

Im loving my solar return chart for this coming year. Every single personal planet is in Virgo and falling in the third house.

That is a lot of mercurial energy!! (I love that, Mercury is the strongest planet in my chart!)

And I want to make sure that I make the most of it by writing as much as I can, not only for this blog, but also for University and potential publications. The third house also reflects public speaking and teaching so this is also a big thing that I want to get myself more involved with.

Im off now to continue with birthday celebrations and intentions 🙂