Another Venus-Neptune post

We are all living in a liminal space at the moment, perhaps for this whole year. Around me I see people struggling with different things, some having financial problems, others psychological struggles, but everyone seems to be feeling the difficulties of a very charged moment of change (collectively and individually).

As I work on my dissertation’s topic and delve deeper into concepts like ‘peak experiences’, ‘enchantment’, ‘ecofeminism’, I realise how disconnected from each other and everything else we are as a society. I feel that it is exactly in the ‘illusion of separation’ that lies our troubles. And how are we going to work on that?! Are we even going to?!

Sometimes (most of the time) I think that our survival as a species depends on that, on this spiritual shift and realisation that we are all interconnected. The deep understanding that if someone is suffering in the room I too suffer. The notion that if we continue to exploit and usurp from the environment there will be consequences, as above so below – as within so without. The way we treat the environment reflects how we treat ourselves and each other.

Transiting Venus, the ruler of yesterday’s new moon in Libra, is just about to oppose Neptune and I feel flooded by these feelings and I somehow resent being in this world at this moment. I resent having to witness all the ugliness around me, the lack of solidarity and kindness. I feel alone and sad right now, hoping that I can transform this energy into fuel for something else…

New Moon and Venusian things

Happy New Moon everyone!

This one is quite a powerful one personally as it activates my natal Venus (which happens to be in the midpoint of my Sun-Moon, and also square to Neptune-Jupiter).

I actually have been overly aware of everything Venusian, together with my already mentioned eagerness to have a home. In fact, they’re both connected as my natal Moon is ruled by Venus.

Dreaming about having a beautiful home (that’s a good phrase for the Venus-Neptune-Moon combo…) and I guess that it won’t be much longer until I move into my new flat. I am so excited about that, I could scream!

Perhaps this is the beginning of my midlife crisis, me wanting to settle down a bit more and being tired of travelling much. Or maybe that’s my progressed/solar arc ascendant moving to Capricorn. All I wanna do is to have my beautiful base and to work and study. At least for now, that’s how I feel.

Regarding the New Moon Venus stuff, with also lots of trines from the Capricorn transiting planets as well as progressed Venus conjoined my natal Saturn, I feel more pragmatic and rational when it comes to love. At least so it seems.

It’s like I have taken down my rose tinted glasses for a bit and it feels good. My new mantra is: from now on, they will have to EARN (I can hear Saturn here!) my respect, time and attention. No more freebies! No more projecting my worth; validation needs to come from within.

I guess that I will always be a Venus Square Neptune person, but throughout life I believe that we can fine tune our natal aspects into a more refined way of expression. I enjoy the potential for compassion, forgiveness and unconditional love that the Venus-Neptune combo can reflect; and I also love art and beauty.

I am planning to learn how to play the guitar when Neptune opposes my natal Venus in a couple of years; maybe that’s a good way of negotiating with the universe in order not to fall into a massive delusion again and again and again… ? Have you ever ‘negotiated’ challenging transits to difficult points in your natal chart before? How did that go?

Neptunian longings …

Im feeling tremendously nostalgic as I prepare myself emotionally to move on from the past six months spent in Brazil. Its like I already miss everything around here so much…

Then I looked into the astrological chart of this moment and realised that the Sun is exactly conjoined Neptune in the sky. I tend to feel the Sun as a big spotlight that illuminates whatever else it touches, so in that sense, Neptune is really under the spotlight right now.

My melancolia has this Piscean Neptune’s signature.

I have always found hard to write about Neptune but Liz Greene’s book on Neptune really helped me understanding this archetypal dimension of life a bit more. She talked about it in relationship to a few different possibilities/themes like for example martyrdom, victimisation, art, transcendence, nostalgia, the scapegoat, and many other dimensions, including the longing to go back to the source.

This is such a complex and yet simple idea to think about, the longing to be in union with everything once again, a sense that resonates with the experience of being in the womb. It touches one of the main points regarding Neptune I believe, for Neptune really talks about our boundaries being easily dissolved. Compassion is a potential manifestation of this phenomena, but victimisation, a less pleasant one, is also a possibility when Neptune features strongly. They are two sides of the same coin.

With transiting Sun in an exact conjunction to Neptune I think that our longings are bound to come to the surface now. In my case is connected with the sense of belonging and searching for home, but I think that this might be a coverup to this deeper longing to stay in union, to go back and swim in the waters of the goddess’s womb. To be one again.

Today and tomorrow, and perhaps for this whole lunation cycle so rich in Neptunian energy since the New Moon was also conjoined with Neptune, we would do well in being aware of this longing underneath what we think we need. We would do well also in honouring this energy consciously by writing poetry, or painting, or appreciating beautiful music… anything that can help us dissolve the boundaries in a constructive way…

How are you feeling?   …

Grounding under the Full Moon

In less than a week I will be back to the UK from Brazil and I have mixed feelings.

One side of myself is almost relieved and looking forward to having my english life back for a while, meeting my friends over there, going back to my usual diet, etc… but on another, I feel deeply sad to leave this reality behind. The warmth, and by that I mean human warmth, is so great here… being a sort of nomad isn’t easy…

Well, enough of that for now, Im here to talk a bit about the energies of the coming full moon at 19 degrees Virgo which will be happening on the 9th of March.

As I stare at the astrological chart for the moment of the full moon one of the first two things that calls my attention is the Sun conjoined with Neptune in Pisces, and Venus separating from a tight conjunction to Uranus in Taurus.

The feeling I have regarding this full moon is that during this month’s lunation, we will be working and made more aware of our illusions and longings on one hand, and our need for total freedom on another.

A quiet longing to merge is in conflict with a very disruptive and individualistic impulse causing separations.

The longing theme has actually been following us this whole lunation cycle as the New Moon couple of weeks ago was in Pisces and also pretty much close to Neptune, did you notice anything in your life? Here in Brazil the new moon happened exactly during carnaval, a huge Dionysian holiday where people feel free to exaggerate in doing just about anything they feel like doing! Obviously one of the main thing that happens during carnaval is that people drink a lot, really a lot. They go crazy, and this might have something to do with this neptunian energy which longs to transcend boundaries and go back to the source.

As I think about this I can imagine the energy of Uranus giving us the impulse to separate and cause disruption. How do we balance them both?

I think about all of those planets in Capricorn when I ask myself this question.

Being grounded, focusing on your work and how can you best be of service (after all this is a full moon in Virgo!), how can you bring your dreams to fruition? Are they feasible? A reality check at this point could do us good.

Personal responsibility is another very important theme that can be of great help in the dilema.

Also, we can probably tap into precious insights under this full moon as Mercury will be stationing to move forward in the late degrees of Aquarius, enhancing vision, understanding and rationality.

Move forward with your projects, and happy full moon.

 

Aquarian New Moon thoughts

Im coming here to write a little bit about the coming new moon in Aquarius which is happening tomorrow, the 24 of January, but before that I wanted to mentioned that one of my articles has been republished at the astro.com website after being published by the IAM infinity astrological magazine. That was such a surprise as I really didn’t expect it would happen, at least not for now. But what a wonderful surprise! If you haven’t seen it and would like to read just go on the website and my article should be in the main page on the Infinity Astrological Magazine section.

(Im finding my current Solar return to be quite accurate with the stellium in Virgo in the 3rd house and me enjoying being super busy with writing! Also, probably, obviously Saturn and Pluto transiting my third house as well might be reflecting something about this process…)

Going back to the new moon analysis… it will be taking place at 4 degrees Aquarius and separating from a square to Uranus at 2 degrees Taurus. I see this as a double whammy, twice a similar idea connected with the aquarian/uranian archetype. New beginnings relating to our differentness, where we are outside the box and don’t quite feel that we belong. I also think that all of this weirdness can have an important role in the collective, and this is also another characteristic of Aquarius, focusing on the group.

We do have to consider, because it is a square between the Sun-Moon with Uranus, that rebelliousness is also part of the picture here. Not wanting to be told what to do or how to behave, etc, and perhaps during this lunation we could do with cultivating patience not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

I love to think that by the end of this year Saturn and Jupiter will be meeting in the sky in Aquarius, reflecting the beginning of a long cycle between these two planets in the air signs, and this new moon could be a great opportunity for insight into the bigger changes we will be witnessing this year, and perhaps even to get in touch with ideas of how can we best play our part in this process. How can our uniqueness (Leo-Aquarius axis) contribute for a healthier balance in the group?!

Another thing that caught my eye when I was looking into the chart for the new moon is an applying square between Venus and Mars. Venus will also be heading towards a conjunction with Neptune and this makes me think of issues with boundaries here, the balance between give and take is a little out of sync. Because Venus in Pisces and Mars in Sagittarius are both ruled by Jupiter which is currently in Capricorn and ruled by Saturn, I feel that being rational in order to balance and better manage boundaries is necessary here. Responsibility, focus, commitment are all words that Saturn in Capricorn stands for, so I feel that these are very important to be included in your new moon intention’s list.

The symbolism points out to blending what you believe in with commitment and action taken rationally.

Happy new moon to you all!

Full Moon in Gemini and the heart of the mind..

I am in a cafe somewhere in Bristol now.

I had forgotten how much my house gets cold in the winter (I know is not even winter officially yet..).

No matter for how long we leave the heater on, as soon as we turn it off the whole house gets cold in a minute. Or so it seems..

I think I did not mind the cold so much last year because I remember being so thrilled by having a home again. It didn’t matter.

Anyways, enough of the moaning, I came to a cafe to see if I could be a little more productive outside my freezing house.

Tomorrow is the last Full Moon of 2017 which will take place at 11 degrees Gemini (and is a super moon, it will look bigger than usual!).

As I stare at the astrological chart for this Full Moon, I can’t help but think that issues of communication might come up in all forms and shapes..

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which, conjunct to Saturn, will be turning retrograde on the same day of this Full Moon. The infamous Mercury retrograde is carrying some information on what the culmination of energy represented by the Full Moon is about..

Revisiting, rewriting, editing, reassessing.. (these are all words that connect with a more constructive side of Mercury’s cycles of retrogradation)

Not only that, planet Neptune at 11 degrees Pisces is forming an exact T square with the Sun and the Moon.

So we’ve got Saturn, Mercury retrograde and the Sun in Sagittarius, plus Neptune in Pisces holding important clues here and they are all ruled by Jupiter at 11 degrees Scorpio.

My take here is that instead of arguing about the truth or trying too hard to communicate our side of the story, is best to go back inwards and reconnect with our intuition.

Jupiter (ruling all those planets in Sag) is forming an exact trine to Neptune (the apex of the T square) and it seems like the realm of feelings, intuition and the imagination could have a particularly important role during this lunation.

I strongly see the transit of Jupiter through Scorpio as the reflection, and support at this time, of empowerment through healing our deep wounds. If we want to, we could somehow accomplish more on that department.

Jupiter in Scorpio at best speaks of expanding personal empowerment.

Empowering the Self (or your higher Self).

Use the strong energies of this beautiful Full Moon to connect more with your centre. Meditate, perform rituals, any spiritual practice could be of great aid in achieving clarity and understanding here.

I feel that this Full Moon is reflecting yet another stage on the collective (and individual!) process of healing the split between the rational mind and the heart.

 

With no title

Once again I’ve left such a huge gap between now and my last post. So much has happened..

I’m gonna keep myself free to just write about what I feel truly matters at this moment in time..

On 29th of march I went for a 10 day Vipassana meditation course. 10 days in silence, without almost any distraction, and learning how to meditate for around 10 hours a day.

That was intense. Life changing.

I’ve been meditating 2 hours a day since I came out from the course and I feel that something in me has massively changed and  in a very fundamental level.

I am also still taking a selection of the Bach flower remedies (have I told I’ve done a level one course about the remedies?!).. big changes, massive healing…

At the moment (for a few weeks already) my progressed moon is transiting my natal Neptune and I consciously chose this period to learn how to meditate. Although I’ve practiced yoga consistently for a year, meditating has always been a real struggle.

I guess this is the reality for many of us living in an overly stimulating world. Our minds just go wild and we don’t seem to have any control over it.

Transiting Saturn is also crossing over (more precisely about to cross over) my natal Neptune. Good time for getting serious about spirituality, good time for developing discipline and consistency in my spiritual practice.

This is the way I’ve been using my knowledge in astrology. And it seems to work..

Finding creative ways of working with the symbolism, brainstorming what could be the best potential for those flavours..

Aiming higher..

(I still haven’t bought myself a laptop so will stop here, for writing in a small tablet is tiring..)

OrbitIN mind

These days I was rereading “The horoscope in manifestation” by brilliant mind Liz Greene and got myself thinking about orbits in astrology.

One of my main teachers at the London School of Astrology, Frank Clifford (definitely another brilliant mind), had always made a point on “keeping things simple” when it comes to astrology. He would always advise us on finding signatures (which I find very helpful) and on keeping the orbits tight (max of 5 degrees).

Liz Greene, on the other hand, speaks of an orbit of 10 degrees in her book.

I guess that when the approach is psychological you can’t consider a Pluto transit, for instance, only when the planet is sitting right on top of a natal planet.

There is a process being brewed in the individual’s psyche preparing the ground for the transit, and then afterwards, also a process of slowly breaking down and integrating the changes.

To me that makes sense.

Mercury is a strong planet in my horoscope for different reasons and when it was opposed by transiting Neptune around 3 years ago I had a hard time recognising myself.

Since always I’ve had a great love for books and was constantly reading.

But during those years I just couldn’t concentrate.

My mind felt scrambled, my memory was ineffective and my capacity to debate and exchange information was seemingly gone.

Before, I used to read rouhly around 3 books a month and in the last year I probably have read maybe 5 books in the whole year?

Something like that.

At the moment Neptune is retrograde and around 5 degrees away from the opposition to my natal Mercury.

I resonate with the idea of 10 degrees orbit because I can still feel the effects of this transit.

Yes, my mind has gone through some deep transformation, but I don’t feel that I have come back to the functionality of my Mercury in Virgo yet. I am slowly coming back, slowly reading books again, but in a way that is different from before and that still isn’t completely clear to me yet.

I look forward to see if I feel any difference next year, when Neptune will be 10 degrees away from my Mercury.

This is all very exciting for this is the first major, of the multiple transits (from the outer planets) that I’ve been going through, that is fading.

We’ll see what happens..

 

 

Clarity takes its time..

Once more I’m back in London.

Just went to work at a festival near Brighton. The same one I’ve worked on my birthday last year, just before I left the country in search for myself.

Last year there was a full moon on the day of my birthday and Neptune was making its last exact opposition to my natal Sun. That was intense. Not a plutonic kind of intensity, but a neptunian one.

I was lost. I couldn’t see myself clearly. There was a terrible sense of longing for something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I was about to leave the country to one of my biggest adventures but somehow couldn’t feel excited. There was a strange sense of not seeing myself. The strangeness of not having form.

As a result I couldn’t socialise very much during the festival. I was in pain for most of the time. I felt hollow.

Now, after lots of transformation and growth in my travels, being at a festival felt like a different experience. I was there, more grounded in who I am becoming. I now have a sketch, the outline of a bigger me.

It felt great to have a sense of belonging. (The whole Pluto-moon thing going on for me). Amazing to be part of a community. (natal moon in the 11th house…)

I’m in some serious need for rest, so will leave to write about the synchronicities that happened there tomorrow.

Holy cows

Ashram/Hare Krishna community in Bavaria and Mars opposing Neptune in the sky. I guess this has been an interesting combination for me, especially because some of my personal planets are being picked up by this transit. I’ve been thinking about all of the religious rules and pondering how much discipline is required in order to achieve some sort of spiritual understanding versus the danger of stiffing up too much of our natural need for individual freedom. I don’t really have any answer yet, but I guess that the atmosphere here and my journey are being conducive to what this Neptune transiting is reflecting now.

One thing that I can say is that some of the beliefs here doesn’t please me very much (or rather doesn’t resonate with me?), like sex only after marriage or women in their period not being allowed to touch the food. My Uranic side can’t really take these kind of things. Too many rules and my rebellious side gets stirred up…