Astrological Insights for 19 May 2010

Posted May 18, 2010

Today, on the Venus agenda, we have the planet of beauty squaring Uranus. When this celestial pair gets together, we get an influx of expect-the-unexpected when it comes to relationships, romance, and women (and the anima residing within men). Consequently, if you’ve desired to try something new on for size—whether it be a different lipstick, fashion style, or seduction technique—today may be the day you’ve been waiting for.

Additionally, there’s a waft of unitive compassion in the air as the Sun squares Neptune. We may be able to feel into a deeper sense of others’ joys and sufferings, sensing how while we are individuals we are all so deeply connected. Neptune helps dissolve boundaries—an asset for inspiring artistry but a challenge those who are struggling to move past co-dependent patterns. And while Neptune can help open up our awareness, allowing us to access often-veiled truth, it’s important to not fall into this planet’s diffusive pull on our consciousness that may result in us spacing out and/or not taking responsibility.


Astrological Insights for 18 May 2010

Posted May 17, 2010

With Venus squaring Saturn today, we may come up against restrictions in our relationships that provide a means for weighing and measuring the true value with which we accord them. Or, experiences may arise that make us question or redefine our idea(l)s of femininity—what it means to be a woman and/or in touch with our anima. Yet, given that Venus also makes a harmonious relationship with Neptune, we may find that our reflections can help us to transcend our previous beliefs and connect in with a deeper sense of the sacred feminine and the inherent mystic that resides within.


Weekly Astrological Insights: May 17-23, 2010

Posted May 16, 2010
PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Monday, May 17

This week, Venus will take center stage in our lives. The planet of relationships, beauty, and the feminine aspects Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune AND Pluto, and will also change signs on Wednesday (moving from Gemini to Cancer). All in 7 days!

Therefore, this week will likely bring to us experiences and reflections that allow us to more clearly access and discern what it is that we find attractive, how and if our relationships feed us, and how the divine feminine shows up in our lives.

This weeklong celestial extravaganza kicks off today as Venus aligns with Jupiter. Our concept of love and harmony is stretched. Or alternatively, we may feel as if we are being stretched too thin with commitments to relationships/friendships that we come to realize don’t provide us with the value that we had once considered they contained. However it manifests in your life, you’ll likely learn a lot about what pleases you and what does not.

Tuesday, May 18

With Venus squaring Saturn today, we may come up against restrictions in our relationships that provide a means for weighing and measuring the true value with which we accord them. Or, experiences may arise that make us question or redefine our idea(l)s of femininity—what it means to be a woman and/or in touch with our anima. Yet, given that Venus also makes a harmonious relationship with Neptune, we may find that our reflections can help us to transcend our previous beliefs and connect in with a deeper sense of the sacred feminine and the inherent mystic that resides within.

Wednesday, May 19

Today, on the Venus agenda, we have the planet of beauty squaring Uranus. When this celestial pair gets together, we get an influx of expect-the-unexpected when it comes to relationships, romance, and women (and the anima residing within men). Consequently, if you’ve desired to try something new on for size—whether it be a different lipstick, fashion style, or seduction technique—today may be the day you’ve been waiting for.

Additionally, there’s a waft of unitive compassion in the air as the Sun squares Neptune. We may be able to feel into a deeper sense of others’ joys and sufferings, sensing how while we are individuals we are all so deeply connected. Neptune helps dissolve boundaries—an asset for inspiring artistry but a challenge those who are struggling to move past co-dependent patterns. And while Neptune can help open up our awareness, allowing us to access often-veiled truth, it’s important to not fall into this planet’s diffusive pull on our consciousness that may result in us spacing out and/or not taking responsibility.

Thursday, May 20

Today is the first full day of Venus in Cancer, as last night the week’s celestial star moved into this sign from Gemini, where it had recently resided. With the planet of what and how we love in Cancer for the next 3+ weeks, we may feel pulled towards a greater sense of nurturance. A desire to feel safe and comforted may prevail as likely will a greater appreciation of the nourishment we receive from our food and the other gems of the Great Mother, Gaia.

Additionally, this evening the Sun’s travels through Taurus draw to a close as it shimmies into the sign of Gemini, where it will reside until the Solstice on June 21.

As such, today provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect back over the past 30 days and see what this Taurean time period has inspired within us.

* What have we learned about our abilities to make things manifest?

* Have we come into a deeper sense of alignment with our senses, glimpsing insights into how tastes, sounds, colors, and other sensual stimuli may inspire and nurture us?

* Did new understandings about our routines and habits—the role they play in our lives and/or how easy it is for us to create new ones—emerge?

Asking ourselves Taurean-themed questions such as these may provide great wisdom that we can take forward with us in our lives.

Friday, May 22

Mercury has been on the minds of many these days given that this planet ended its current retrograde cycle last week. And since the Sun and Moon are both in Mercury-ruled signs today (Gemini and Virgo, respectively) and the Moon makes a harmonious alignment with Mercury, today is likely to be no different. We can use the focused energetics to hone in and evaluate our relationship to information, seeing whether we efficiently receive and disseminate it, and how we may better use our faculties of analysis to craft more holistic solutions to challenges at hand.

Saturday, May 22

Today is one of those astrology headline days, a day of a significant astrological alignment—the first of three oppositions of Jupiter and Saturn.

How do Jupiterian freedom and Saturnian structure work together? I have found that my ashtanga yoga practice serves as a great parable for the synastry of these seemingly disparate energies and have used it as the theme around which I have sculpted a piece on this celestial opposition. For more, see this post.

Sunday, May 23

It’s a day for relationships. Not only is the Moon in let’s–get-along Libra but the planetary star of the week, Venus, is opposite Pluto.

When the goddess of love and beauty is aligned with the god of the underworld, passion escalates and relationships may feel more intense. The concept of control—maintaining it and/or releasing it—comes into focus, with a feeling of all-or-nothing enveloping romantic and/or creative pursuits.

When Venus and Pluto dance as they will today, desire—whether it be sexual or a deep yearning to truly reveal oneself to another—is the name of the game. Buried feelings—those we’ve turned a blind eye towards or just didn’t want to express—are drawn forth and emerge from deep within.

Usually when planets are in opposition, our first instinct is to identify with one of the planets and project the energies of the other onto another person (or other people). For example, we may feel that we are being sweet, loving, and beyond reproach (Venus) and that it’s our partner or friend that is being secretive, manipulative, or wanting things to change in a dramatic way (Pluto), or we may play the role of Pluto while projecting Venus onto them.

Yet what planetary oppositions teach us is that, in fact, we are likely both—in this case both the one who desires harmony (Venus) and the one who desires transformation and honesty (Pluto). Where oppositions lead us is towards the illumination it takes to be able to integrate seemingly disparate sides of ourselves.

For clues on the themes and patterns that may present themselves, consider back to February – May 2009, as this was the time period when Venus and Pluto were in a related alignment. Issues that are arising around this current time may reflect an unfolding of those that came to light last year at that time.


Weekly Astrological Insights: March 8-14, 2010

Posted March 7, 2010

Monday, March 8

We ring in the week with International Women’s Day, a worldwide holiday celebrated annually on March 8.

The timing of this year’s female-honoring commemoration seems incredibly fitting as over the course of the week we will be experiencing significant Venus transits. As Venus aligns with Saturn (Tuesday) and Pluto (Thursday), we can gain more clarity into the important role that women assume in society while also having the opportunity to herald aspects of the female power that resides within each of us.

Yet, it is not just the coming days that highlight the multidimensional spirit of the collective and individual female, but today as well. That’s because the Moon—the celestial body that reflects the feminine feeling side within us—makes numerous alignments, elevating it to center stage in our consciousness. It makes aspects with socially aware Uranus, relationship-oriented Venus, dream-the-dream Neptune, make-it-real Saturn, and recover-what’s-buried Pluto, ushering in a day where deeper layers of our feminine feeling nature can be discovered and honored.

So, today, in honor of International Women’s Day—and the numerous lunar alignments—take the time to celebrate the women in your life as well as the powerful multidimensional feeling-based spirit that resides within you.

Tuesday, March 9

Looking for a way to productively channel the energies of today’s Venus-Saturn opposition? Try this “Venus Values Inventory” exercise.

To do so, make three columns on a piece of paper, giving each one of the following three headings: Enhancing Value, Detracting Value, Neutral Value.

In the Enhancing Value column, write down the activities, relationships, and/or prized possessions that truly grace your life, giving it luster and providing you with a sense of inner harmony.

In the Detracting Value column, list the activities, relationships, and/or prized possessions that you may feel attached to but which don’t—at the proverbial “end of the day”—provide you with an authentic sense of enjoyment and fulfillment. These may be ones that take up your time, energy, and emotions without giving much back in return. This isn’t to say that they were never valuable as potentially they were at one point; it just may be that their contribution to your life has run its course given your evolving needs.

In the Neutral Value column, write down the activities, relationships, and/or prized possessions that don’t may not add much to your life but don’t necessarily detract from it either.

Doing this exercise is a great way to take stock of what is fulfilling in your life—what serves as a foundation of your joy—and what really isn’t. The Enhancing Value list can serve as a great measure of where beauty and satisfaction resides in your life. Consequently, the Detracting Value list may provide fodder for identifying areas of life that you may want to pare down in order to help further transform your life into one filled with even more abundance and contentment. Additionally, the Neutral Value list can identify those things that can, with a little work, be either adjusted a bit to generate more fulfillment or released to generate more space for growth.

While this exercise may seem like hard work, it is what the energies of Saturn require of us. From a Saturnian perspective, when we do the work, face reality, and make constructive decisions that align with our true sense of values, we set a course for our life that allows us to more readily manifest more beauty, joy, and love.

Wednesday, March 10

Champagne is the image that comes to mind when I think of today, as Mars turns direct after a 10+ week retrograde cycle.

Not only because we may experience a release of energy, like the champagne cork does when it is liberated from the bottle.

But also because, for those who have felt frustrated during the Mars retrograde by a sense of stifled will or having to put off plans to initiate a new project, Mars going direct may be a source for great celebration (and a reason for breaking out of a bottle of bubbly).

For more on Mars direct and how the energies of the day may evolve, see this post.

Thursday, March 11

Today, we’re enveloped in intensity as Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, forms a tension-filled relationship with Pluto, the god of the underworld.

During this celestial alignment, passions may escalate and relationships may feel more intense. The concept of control—maintaining it and/or releasing it—takes center stage, with a feeling of all-or-nothing enveloping romantic and/or creative pursuits. There’s a volcanic sense of desire that may circulate deep within, emitting torrents of buried feelings that bubble up from below. These may be ones that we’ve turned a blind eye to or which we just have not wanted to express to another. Consequently, we may notice that instead of feeling we “should” do something we feel compelled that we “must” do it—almost like we’re in a river of do-or-die urgency.

Tensions may be stirred both in romantic liaisons as well as friendships (notably those with women). If you can stay true to your deep needs and express them, it will help your relationships to transform and become more integrated and authentic. Or you will see that, in fact, certain ones have run their course and do not necessarily offer you the value that you truly seek.

Last year we experienced similar alignments between Venus and Pluto. They occurred February 5, April 3, and May 2. Looking back to these days may help to give clues and context to the events and feelings that are being currently triggered.

Friday, March 12

Consider doing something new and different today, engaging in an activity you’ve either never tried or haven’t done in a while. Doing something outside of your routine may provide some perspective on present-day challenges, allowing them to be seen through a wider and more objective lens. At the very least, focusing your attention on something new may provide an opportunity for some much needed emotional R&R.

Saturday, March 13

With the Moon moving into Pisces today, we once again have five planets in this uber-sensitive, selfless, and potentially self-sacrificing sign. Add to this that the day begins with the Moon connecting with Neptune—Pisces’ planetary ruler—and it’s likely that we’ll be swimming in an ocean of devotion. While Pisces can inspire a well of compassion and a heavenly infusion of creativity, it is also good to be aware that these energies can also usher us into a downstream flow of self-sacrifice and a sense of victimization. If you want to learn more about channeling this Piscean energy in a constructive way, using it to enhance your well-being, check out this guest blog post I wrote for Molly Hall’s About.com Astrology blog.

Sunday, March 14

We’re winding down to tomorrow’s Pisces New Moon. This stage of the monthly lunar cycle—leading up to the time that the Moon’s face is devoid of the Sun’s reflections—is always an auspicious time to release something old or outworn, to deposit it in the well of the darkness. This allows for a more fertile space into which we can then plant the seeds of that which we want to flower in our lives.

As the Sun conjuncts Mercury today and Jupiter aligns with the Moon, an inherent part of releasing the old may involve connecting in to a deeper sense of our personal truth and communicating it to others. Additionally, speaking our peace may be an essential ingredient for helping to create a sense of long sought-after peace.


Astrological Insights: December 28, 2009 – January 3, 2010

Posted December 27, 2009
Astro Insights Dec 28-Jan 3 2009PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Monday, December 28

As Saturn moves through the sign of Libra in the coming years, we are collectively being faced with questions that will help us define our concept of fair and balanced. Public attention will continue to turn to issues that involve relationships, women’s health, femininity, and justice as these areas of society are examined, and potentially scrutinized.

Today with Saturn aspecting Venus, Libra’s planetary ruler, we are given a taste of this on a personal level as well. We may come up against restrictions in our relationships that provide a means for weighing and measuring the true value with which we accord them. Or, experiences may arise that make us question or redefine our idea(l)s of femininity—what it mean to be a woman and/or in touch with our anima.

With Mercury conjunct the North Node as well as the Moon connecting to Jupiter and Neptune, our dreams, daydreams, and train-of-consciousness thoughts may provide us with a stream of intuitive insights that help us become more clear in the Libran areas of our lives.

Tuesday, December 29

When the Sun is in Capricorn there’s an emphasis on practicality and what it takes to build structures that have applicable merit and lasting value. With the Moon in inquiring Gemini all day, we have at our disposal an enhanced curiosity to find out the facts and figures that can support our Capricorn-related pursuits.

For a reflection on the value of curiosity, I share with you the words of Albert Einstein (who had Mars in Capricorn):

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”

Wednesday, December 30

While the calendar year may be winding down, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re not wound up. The week sandwiched between Christmas and New Year’s Day may be celebratory, but it is oftentimes rife with both activity and emotion. If you’re feeling a little frazzled in your nerves, you’re likely not alone. With a Gemini Moon squaring Uranus coloring the morning and afternoon, it’s a good day to focus on bolstering your nervous system. Go for a walk, take a bath, enjoy a leisurely cup of tea, inhale relaxing essential oils  (lavender, jatamansi, and chamomile are some that come to mind), or partake in whatever ritual you find best lets you release tension and steady into a greater sense of calm.

Thursday, December 31

Not only are we on the brink of a new year and a new decade, but what’s ushering this is in is a Lunar Eclipse.  While eclipses are always powerful, the one that is occurring today has great transformational potential bolstered by its connection to three other planets—Pluto, Saturn, and Venus.

The auspicious timing of this celestial event sets the tone for today truly being a demarcation between the past and the future. Take advantage of the powerful energetic matrix by not only making New Year’s Resolutions, but New Life’s Resolutions. Consider which of your goals, attitudes, beliefs, and habits have run their course, setting intention to release them. While at the same time, envision what structures you can build for the future that will truly nourish who you are and want to unfold into. For more on the Eclipse, including apothecary suggestions, see this post.

Friday, January 1

Happy New Year!

A void-of-course Cancer Moon for half the day (7:43 am – 6:41 pm PST) casts a hazy spell over the day. Yet, it still provide a great opportunity to meditate upon the New Year’s/Life’s Resolution that we made yesterday. While it’s best not to make a commitment when the Moon is VOC–since there’s a tendency for it “not to stick”—it can be a great time for inner reflection that can help fine-tune our perspectives and intentions, which we can put out to the world later this evening or tomorrow when the Moon is firmly rooted in the next sign.

Saturday, January 2

Having pride can be something to be proud of: it can motivate us to greatness, help us maintain self-respect, and serve as a code of honor.

Yet, it may also get in the way of us asking for help when we need it. If we don’t reach out to others, learn to delegate, and/or accept our limits, our efforts may not be as productive or fulfilling as they otherwise could be.

Today’s a good day to reflect upon our pride, and how we can maintain a sense of self-dignity while at the same time being open to accepting the graciousness of receiving assistance from others.

Sunday, January 3

Today have a play date, play a game, read a play, or role play. Infusing our Sunday with imagination, glee, and amusement can play a role in helping us connect to our heart and our ability to express the glory of who we are.