For the week of August 3rd, 2009
Last Sunday Mercury moved into Virgo, one of the two signs he rules. The planet of communication is now in the mode of analytical thinking, discernment, discrimination and exacting detail, which will now dominate how we process and express thoughts and words. He is moving toward the cosmic teacher Saturn, who for nearly two years has used Virgo as the platform for a message about shoring up personal intactness, maintaining boundaries and making healthy choices for our individual well-being. The shift in communication style is already in the air, and it’s making it possible to have calm, rational conversations about all the inner and outer changes that the eclipses are calling on us to make. Not that we’re suddenly going to turn into a race of androids; some topics will still be emotionally charged, and highly so with this week’s lunar eclipse. But the atmosphere supports communication that is more calm and rational than in the past couple of months, when Mercury moved through the ultra-sensitive waters of Cancer to the fiery passion of Leo. At a minimum, our individual perceptions are becoming more sharp, clear and in tune with our own best interests, whether we’re yet able to convey this dispassionately to another person.
This refinement process gets a huge boost from Mercury’s first appointment in Virgo, which is a trine on Monday with Pluto, lord of the underworld and bringer of transformation. In the easy flow of energy that this aspect brings, Pluto’s scythe operates like cosmic pruning shears, clearing chatter and decay from our our minds and communications. “We have to talk” is the epidemic phrase of the morning. What follows that lead-in will prove to be life-altering. Secrets, obsessions, phobias and cravings come out. Whatever is said now will not be taken back. This can and will be entirely positive, even if you don’t like immediately see the benefit in something you hear or learn. The aspect supports becoming crystal-clear on your personal bottom line and stepping into your power to claim it. Major conversations are possible that clear the air and bring you closer to big money, power and desires. (Negotiating a promotion or mortgage fits this dynamic; so does discussing divorce.) The aspect also facilitates investigation, prying answers loose and getting to the bottom of situations that have been murky, embattled or stagnant. Use it to gain a clear understanding of how well the foundational structures in your life support and enhance your personal well-being, to transform your attitude about (or attachment to) those structures, and to communicate what you have to have.
Take advantage of the power of this link, because the payoff comes quickly. After trining the ruler of big money and primal impulses, Mercury ends the work week in an opportunity aspect with the other ruler of money and desires, Venus. This second aspect offers the chance to apply and gain some benefit from the clarity and focus our minds attained at the beginning of the week. The door could open to asking for something good and healthy and desirable involving money or relationships, or an offer could appear involving one or more of them. Either way, the opportunity will not land in your lap; you will participate somehow in its materializing. Being open is a good start. Be prepared to reach out and grasp as well.
In between Mercury’s two meetings is the Aquarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday, which will bring developments from the last 18 months to a head. A lunar eclipse is a larger-than-life Full Moon, and this one is super-sized for additional reasons. The Sun and Moon meet on the ecliptic eight hours before they face each other down by zodiacal degree, and the Moon will meet Jupiter and his enlarging properties by declination right after the eclipse. We go into this with heart and mind unified on one level, which is not the norm for a Full Moon, and we come out of it with a blossoming awareness of and inclination to fulfill our emotional needs.
Self-actualization is a key theme in this eclipse and the 18-month cycle that it is ending. Because Leo involves the inner child and has quite the dramatic flair, emotions could be over the top. What comes out of you does not have to be, regardless of what you may witness in others. Think about what you have been creating that involves expression of your unique voice since February 2008. How brightly have circumstances allowed you to shine? How much fun are you having with it? Does this situation move you into the future or tie you to past thinking that you are shedding? How much appreciation are you receiving? Where is the spotlight? Are you in it? Is someone upstaging you? This last question is not one of ego or interpersonal drama; it looks, ultimately, at the care and feeding your heart is receiving. Is someone else getting the appreciation, acknowledgment and pat on the back that you have earned for your performance? Uranus and Pluto are beaming nervous energy into the Sun and Moon, so if you don’t like some of the answers these questions are raising, sitting complacently for long is not going to be a viable option. For a longer discussion, read my Full Moon Report on the site.
Throughout the week there is one recurring aspect, a minor contact that has an agitating effect. It works like the arm in a washer pushing clothing around to remove dirt and get them clean. The upshot of an agitation aspect is spurring action, as if someone is shaking us (gently) by the shoulders until we break away and do something about a situation. Two of these aspects involve the Sun and our sense of ourselves, and two involve Venus, which will stir everything connected with her — the heart, desire, money, love and attitudes about what we value.
The first round of agitation is between the Sun and Uranus, as the waking day launches EDT Monday morning. It’s a call to move into a freer expression of yourself. Friday evening the aspect happens between Venus and Jupiter, two basically happy and generous influences. Agitation between them simply encourages self-indulgence and tasting how exquisite life is when you allow it. Early Saturday morning, the Sun goes at it with Pluto, which will bring to consciousness (or the dreamworld) an aspect of the self or its cravings that has been slumbering in the deep. The final shake-up is the last noteworthy event of the week, between Venus and Neptune late Sunday afternoon. Let it add magic and a touch of the divine to your interpersonal dealings. If the upshot is forcing you to acknowledge that something isn’t quite as you’ve been hoping, thank the stars for the insight.
Monday: Jitteriness starts the day. It points to personal changes that you yearn for (perhaps as simple but basic as in your definition of your identity.) Admitting to yourself that you want them puts you on the path to making them. Communications are significant, efficient and discriminating, as the mid-morning Mercury/Pluto trine reverberates throughout the day. Personal well-being and boundaries are the bottom line. Be prepared for your attitude to evolve.
Tuesday: Your heart is on board with change, and you get the entire work day to mull it over, with the Moon void of course from 9:21 AM EDT until 5:08 PM. The Moon’s last aspect is a sextile to Uranus, which opens the door to new perspectives and shifts that give more breathing room — if you take the initiative and walk through the door. Whatever your commitments are for this day, give in to daydreaming. Traveling to the past will be easy with the lunar eclipse building. Look for pieces of yourself that went dormant there, and for inspiration to do things differently in time present. What did you think was launching in your life 18 months ago, and how does that compare with where you are now?
Wednesday: The Leo Full Moon lunar eclipse puts a new light on the past 18 months of your life. What has been going on in the corners in the projects you have been pursuing? How fulfilling did they turn out (or not)? Have they run their course, or is this week simply a plateau in their existence in your life? Aggrandized emotions are possible, what with Leo being such a natural for the stage. They’re not a given, though; deep satisfaction with yourself for a job well-done is equally possible. Helpful concepts to bear in mind: Your life should be fun. Your life should express the uniqueness of you. (Pardon the use of “should;” sometimes, there’s no easy way around it. ) Let the closing credits roll on situations that are inconsistent with those concepts.
Thursday: Sit with your feelings. Process the past 18 months. Your emotional core will naturally push you into the direction your heart needs. Move on from situations that have run their course; step further into arenas that allow you to express your unique self and share it with the community that is in alignment with you.
Friday: Venus and her dominion request attention today, so be on the lookout for issues involving desires, money, relationships and how you value yourself. By early evening, gratification urges insist that you do something about them. Succumbing leads to life-affirming interactions. Helpful messages arrive soon thereafter, if you allow them in.
Saturday: The Sun and Pluto stir the pot in our dreams. Spend a moment becoming aware of the chatter when you wake up. What’s the emotion it’s stirring? What primal force is being agitated? What in your life wants you to look at it? Something is calling for action and transformation, on an internal level at minimum. Pulling the covers over your head will not make the feeling stop.
Sunday: Tuesday’s atmosphere returns, with another day-long void (8:45 AM EDT until 4:24 PM) launched by a Moon/Uranus contact. Because the Moon conjoins Uranus before going void, this time you don’t have to do anything to embrace or accept a shift; it simply happens. You see the light, regardless of whose hand is on the switch. Take chances; break patterns; do something wildly different from your norm. You’re in the field of creation. Put your emotions behind the vision of the life you are creating and have fun with the process. When Venus and Neptune stir it up early evening, creative juices flow and relationships take on a rosy, romantic glow. Tap into your desires and your higher vision, and let inspiration take you to a place where they can meet.
An mp3 is now available at FortunaWorks.com of Kathy’s teletalk taking the eclipses through the signs, from last year through next. Her site also has podcasts, other mp3s, a discussion forum and more on the eclipses, the Aquarius/Pisces traveling party and the Saturn/Uranus opposition. To join her mailing list, send e-mail to kbiehl@fortunaworks.com.