If things seem a little off kilter today, it may be because the Moon is void-of-course (VOC) for close to half the day (from 5:30 am through 4:45 pm PST). VOC Moons are a great time to reflect and contemplate; yet if we’re in the zone of trying to gain traction for our creations in the world during this time, we may feel a bit awry.

The square aspect between Mercury and Mars may also make things feel a little off kilter. Our actions and our words may seem out of sync as we may think we want to go in one direction but feel pulled towards something else. If you need some assistance regaining footing, see if you can tune into the Libra energy that’s now strong with Saturn’s placement there to find the common ground that can help you to reaffirm a sense of balance.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Happy Halloween!

This is the first Halloween in 27 years featuring Saturn in Libra (a transition that occurred on Thursday). As Libra is the sign traditionally associated with sugar and sweets–aka, today’s Halloween candy– it may be interesting to see whether our collective attitudes towards or experiences with indulging in festive sweet treats seems different than in years past.

The Moon is still in Aries, heightening impulsivity and self-assertion. So, don’t surprised if trick-or-treaters innocently but forcefully ask for second helpings. Or, in their enthusiasm for getting what they came for, ring the doorbell insistently if we don’t quickly respond (or have decided to take the “I’m-not-home” approach this Halloween).

Have a ghoulishy lovely day!

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Imagine this: You’re at the runner’s block. You’re in the starting position, raring to go, to sprint around the track. And yet, the starting gun doesn’t go off when you expect it to. Then the runner in the outside lane tweaks a muscle, causing a delay in the race. The next thing you know, there’s some commotion in the stands, causing further impediment while the officials investigate it.  You’re waiting and waiting, with frustration beginning to boil within. You just want to run.

Today may have glimpses of this tale. You may feel that you’re ready to pursue something, to give it your all, and yet your actions are blocked. Instead of going from enthusiastic to frustrated in no-time flat, take a moment to reflect upon the situation, inventorying the reasons–both apparent and those not as obvious on the surface–that may be stifling your ability to assert yourself and pursue what you feel you want. What you may find is that your initial inclination on how to go about doing something may not have yielded you the outcome that was, in fact, best. In the time of reflection,  you may also find some insight that allows you to hone your approach so that you can more fruitfully express yourself and achieve that which you seek. Taking a reflective time-out may end up actually being the key to running a truly amazing race.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Have you seen the movie Valentino: The Last Emperor, the documentary about Valentino Garavani, the legendary haute couture designer famous for dressing Jackie O, elevating the color red to iconic, and having six M-named pug dogs? There’s an essence captured in that movie that reflects the astrological energy of today, as we stand at a Saturnian crossroads.

Beginning today, for the next ten months, Saturn–the planet of structure, of testing limits to ensure integrity–will journey between Virgo and Libra. It moves into Libra today, dips back to Virgo on April 7 and then re-enters Libra on July 21, remaining there until October 5, 2012.

Usually, subsequent signs are thought to not be synergistic. Yet, given that Saturn will be transitioning between these two signs for the next ten months, I have been thinking a lot about the ways that Virgoan and Libran energies can co-exist and even be constructive partners.

Which is where Valentino comes in.

The movie shows an exaltation of Virgoan craftsmanship (and craftswomanship): the nips, the tucks, the thousands of sequins, the fact that every dress is constructed by hand.  Valentino–as well as his head seamstress, Antonietta de Angelis–are models of dedicated perfectionism, which inherently supports his persistent commitment to creating beauty and elevating fashion into art. When asked “What do women want?” Valentino’s reply echoes the archetype of Libra’s planetary ruler, Venus: “They want to be beautiful.” Surveying how the eminence of beauty rests upon painstaking dedication to the details and how art is a reflection of craft, Valentino reflects one example of how Virgo and Libra can work together gracefully. This is, of course, just one manner in which these two signs can sync and benefit one another, and, in turn, us.

Today, as we stand in a microcosm of the next nine months–as Saturn is in Virgo until 10:09 am PDT, at which time it progresses into Libra—consider where, in your life, you can apply the complementary teachings of these two signs. For example, how can you be both methodical (Virgo) and diplomatic (Libra)? What social activities (Libra) can you participate in that will be of benefit to your health (Virgo)? Are there ways in which you can be of greater service (Virgo) to your partner and/or friends (Libra)? Or, like Valentino, how can you use your critical eye (Virgo) to create more beauty (Libra) in your life?

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Each day of the week is classically linked to gods/goddesses and the planets named after them.

Wednesday is Mercury’s day.  Although this connection is not apparent in the English word we use for the third day of the week (which does, though, reflects the day’s connection to the Anglo-Saxon deity Woden), in other languages we can readily see the link. For example, the word for Wednesday in French is mercredi, in Italian it’s mercoledi, and in Spanish it’s miércoles.

And today, this Wednesday, the planetary energies of the day’s namesake are definitely in focus as early in the morning Mercury delves into Scorpio where it will remain until November 15 (a day you may have already marked on your calendar given that’s the first square aspect between Saturn and Pluto). As the planet of communication dives through stir-the-pot Scorpio, words and expressions become vehicles for getting to the bottom of things and discovering truths that exist below the surface. The planet of communication’s foray into probing Scorpio today is further emboldened by its making a harmonious connection to Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, later in the evening.

Like the god Mercury, this Wednesday is a very active one; in addition to the eponymous planet’s energetic shift as its changes signs, there’s are many other currents in which we’ll swim. The Moon is in dreamy Pisces, pulling us to connect in a compassionate way with others. Combined with the Sun being in Libra and there being a Venus/Jupiter trine this evening, we may be instilled with a yearning for grace, a desire to swathe ourselves in a touch of beauty, glamour, or luxury.

Tomorrow, Saturn will move out of Virgo, where it has sown its seeds since September 2007, and enter Libra (it will reenter Virgo for a spell from April through July of 2010 before it takes up residence in Libra again for another two-plus years). Therefore, with today being its last day in Virgo for a while, it seems like an auspicious time to reflect upon and honor the essence of this sign and its contributions to our lives (you can do this even if you don’t have planets or pivotal chart points in Virgo since everyone connects on some level to the energies of all twelve signs). Consider how being attuned to details, being of service to others, and being connected to the nourishment you get from the earth’s bounty enriches and fortifies your life.

Happy Wednesday!

As we near the end of October, many of us are experiencing seasonal shifts that impact our sense of wellness. We may feel that with the change of weather, we’re feeling more under the weather.

If this is the case for you, today’s an especially good day to use your skills of imagination and positive thinking to try to bolster your sense of vitality. Take a mini-break mid-afternoon, if possible, and do a wellness exercise. Either sitting in a chair or while going for a stroll, envision a shield of blue light around you and nurturing energy circulating through your body, helping to inspire your well-being.

Of course, you can do exercises like this at any time. The reason I’m suggesting it this afternoon is that with the Sun in regenerative Scorpio and the Moon in bioenergetically harmonic Aquarius conjunct tap-into-the-well-of-healing Neptune (at 12:11 pm PDT), it seems like an especially auspicious time to do so.

I have a friend. I’ll call him J. Today’s his birthday. He’s actually a double Scorpio, with both Sun and Moon placed there.

He’s married to my friend. I’ll call her A. She’s a double Aquarius.

The signs Scorpio and Aquarius are in square to each other, an aspect that is known for tension and friction.

Yet, J and A have great chemistry. While some of that is related to other planetary alignments in their charts, I can see how their Scorpio/Aquarius connection actually contributes–rather than detracts–to aspects of their overall synastry.

On a very basic level, A’s intellectual vision and humanitarian nature stimulate J’s mind, pulling him out of the depth of the shadows that a Scorpion can inhabit, while J’s intensity and almost-regenerative creativity connect A to a deeper world of feeling-based meaningfulness.

Why am I telling you a bit about my friends here?

Because I thought by sharing a story of a double Scorpio and double Aquarius, on a day when the Sun is in the former sign and the Moon in the latter, it could help reflect how the on-the-surface disparate solar and lunar energies could actually help support each other. It also seemed fitting to describe aspects of the day’s energies through recounting a tale of a partnership, given that the Moon is making a lovely trine to Venus, the planet of relationships, allowing us to receive additional pleasure and self-understanding from this arena of life.

P.S. Happy Birthday, J.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Today, October 25, is Pablo Picasso’s birthday. With Mercury, the planet of communication, in aspect to the Moon this morning, I thought I’d offer some some of his quotes as a means to evoke a sense of the astrological energies that are radiating today.

The Sun is in Scorpio: “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”

• Known for its passion for transformation, Phoenix-like Scorpio likes to break things down so that they can be rebuilt and reborn.

The Moon is in Capricorn (for the first half of the day): ”Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

• With its pragmatic destination-orientation, Capricorn is focused on achievement.

The Moon is in Aquarius (for the second half of the day): ”Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon.”

• Rebellion-inspiring Aquarius does not accept sanctioned truth but looks beyond for understanding and meaning.

Thank you Picasso for your words and your exquisite art. Happy Birthday to one who has made the world a more beautiful and provocative place.

Looking for a way to responsibly, efficiently, and enjoyably accomplish any tasks, errands or obligations that may be on your Saturday to-do list?

Listen. To yourself, that is.

With Mercury harmoniously aspecting Neptune today, our ability to access a guiding knowingness is heightened. Tuning into the quiet space that dwells within, where the grace of our intuition and compassion resides, can help inform us as to how to sail through and navigate our day in a graceful and compassionate way.

Welcome to the first day of Scorpio! And what a first day it is as the Moon makes a very early conjunction to Scorpio’s planetary ruler, Pluto, intensifying the shift into a day filled with undercurrents and emotions that may bubble up from below.

Loyalty may be a theme of the day. Situations may arise that inspire us to reflect upon our allegiances, helping us to define the qualities that we find essential when we grant or expect fidelity.