THIS MERCURY RETROGRADE IS KICKING MY ASS

 The people around me, my friend’s family and co-workers know to not fear the dreaded mercury retrograde, that there is value in the slow down. That just some things in life it's about timing. Mercury retrograde is one if them. It's the usual conversation about travel communications electronics, of signals being crossed and misunderstandings. It means easing off the gas and seeing what needs to be tweaked and shifted.

However, this mercury retrograde has to deal with planetary characters that reads like the cast of the sopranos; everyone is full of drama, affiliations and shared ulterior motives; these planets are incestual, willful and working together in ways that confound us even more than the usual mercury retrograde.

I’m going to break this down.

First we start with a family tree.

Pluto and Mars= Scorpio= intense life/death power & passion

Mercury is the detail-oriented ruler of perfectionist Virgo

Saturn rules Capricorn= structure, goals unwavering and achievements at all cost

This mercury retrograde there's a mutual reception; mutual receptions are where two planets “swap kids” and watch out for and influence each other’s kids/signs. that they rule.

Saturn is in Scorpio

Pluto is in Capricorn

In addition the North Node of destiny and Mercury are also in Scorpio; these guys are also involved in this tango.

To stir the pot even more…

Mars is in Virgo. The planet of war, power and aggression is in Mercury ruled Virgo.

And then….

A trine between Mars in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn.

What this all means is the Scorpio power has its hand on nearly every major planetary behavior right now. There are a few exceptions (Jupiter in Cancer, Venus in Sagittarius and Neptune/Chiron in Pisces) but not enough to cancel out the Scorpio thing we have going on.

The fact that Mercury is retrograde In Scorpio, with all of this Scorpio energy is that this is not your usual retrograde. It’s an amped up one, heavy with conversations of fate, passion and “keeping it real”. This Mercury Retrograde won’t just interrupt the flow of your life, it will rearrange your life by bringing up old emotions, secrets and issues you thought you had buried. Pluto resurrects things, so be ready to dance with a zombie. The way that you handle the usual Mercury Retrograde rigmarole will pull away your pretty façade and show you the beast that lies behind your smile. We will all be rather gross for the next few weeks, so be prepared for it. When it’s all said and done truth will have prevailed, and freedom will ring. By the time this ends (November 10) we will all be in a much more authentic place. Hopefully we will all still be speaking to each other …

A CONVERSATION ABOUT KALI

I’m stepping out of my usual Astrology writings here, so bear with me.

In addition to Astrology, I also study Tarot; I also studied Angels and read the works of Doreen Virtue, as well as listened to her meditations. In doing this my practice was greatly enriched.

For most of my adult life, when casting cards for myself, I would use the Queen of Cups as my personal card; I have Cancer Sun and Scorpio Moon; both water signs, both intuitive. In Tarot, the Queen of Cups is a priestess, an MC of sorts of the spiritual realm. However, ever since the beginning of the cardinal crosses beginning in 2008, I found myself grounding down, and channeling the energy of the Queen of Pentacles; she is an earth card, perfect for stabilizing.

With so much being swept away and falling to dust in my life, I knew that I needed the grounding down, rooting myself down in my core as to not be swept away.

If you are a cardinal Sun/Rising (Aries, Cancer, Libra& Capricorn) I’m sure you can relate to the crumbling structures in your life.

I have spent the past few years doing my best to stay balanced (thanks Saturn in Libra transiting my first house 2009-2012!) I have done my best to keep the Scorpio side of me tightly controlled, using that power only for clearing and passion, rather than the destruction that can happen.

Seems the universe isn’t letting me do that anymore.

Yesterday I felt fired up, simmering and sizzling in a wild way. At first I thought it was Pele visiting me. I had felt Pele (a fire Goddess) when I went to Kona and watched the Volcano fall; I heard her loud and clear, her voice telling me to GET MOVING and own my fire, rather than give it away. My affinity with Pele affected me deeply.

However, I felt a fission of electricity, and the smell of ozone. I realized perhaps Pele had come for a minute, but only to clear the way for Kali.

Kali.

The Hindu Goddess of destruction, of clarity, of endings and beginnings. Kali scares the shit out of lots of folks, even me at times. I know her power is useful and necessary. I also know not to ask for her help unless I’m ready to scorch the earth and completely change my life. Having Pluto in my first house flirting with my rising sign Libra and a Scorpio moon, I am not a stranger to that kind of power and energy, and the consequences of Kali.

Kali is a wild one, and if she visits you, you feel it like a cold hard wind that comes before a storm. It’s exhilarant and makes you feel like you can do anything. That power is liberating, and scary.

I felt her sit down next to me (I was on a bus on the way to work) I could hear her whisper “its time” I nodded. I know the time to play it safe has come and gone, and my time as Queen of Pentacles is over. It makes sense for her to come to me, since Kali has all the Scorpio characteristics, and we are now living in a Scorpio world.

If Kali comes to visit you, don’t be afraid; just be prepared for a brave new world.

FREEDOM-LUNAR ECLIPSE IN ARIES

This Full Moon happens on Friday at 7:38 pm (est.) and shows up as a grand Lunar Eclipse in Aries. This Eclipse brings in changes surrounding relationships and independence.

Every eclipse ups the ante and sets things in motion. It’s the plot point of no return, where the only possible movement is ahead due to awareness. Frankly, when an Eclipse happens, there is no option but change.

 In the case of Lunar/Full Moon eclipses, doors from the past are slammed shut; light is shined on previously hidden facts (now if these facts were hidden because you kept your head in the sand, don’t worry, the cosmos will be gentle with you)

Eclipses come in sets and behave like a serial; two signs that are each other’s opposite/mate has an astrological conversation that lasts for 18-24 months. Every Astrological pair has a specific conversation about a specific issue that goes on at all times; Solar Eclipses (these are amped up New Moon’s) and Lunar Eclipses (powerful Full Moon’s) highlight the “talk” and forces us mortals to be a part of the conversation.

This Lunar Eclipse happens in Aries, kicking off the newest Eclipse Series happening between Aries/Libra. On the Astrological Wheel, Aries rules the first house of ME, of what you need and want RIGHT NOW, and Libra rules the 7^th house of WE, of marriage, partnerships and oddly, open enemies. Pioneering, fiery Mars rules Aries, while Libra is ruled by beauty loving Venus.

Because this eclipse happens at 25 degrees Aries, late Aries Sun/Risings (April 18-23) as well as late Cardinal signs such as Cancer, Libra or Capricorn, will feel this eclipse strongly.

This Eclipse will begin the conversation about what it means to be independent in any relationship, and how to find a way to put down the need for Autonomy in order to reap the goodness of partnerships. This Eclipse may also show you where you need to break free from a relationship/job/belief that may hamper your freedom and self-expression. If you keep putting off living your life until you attain some goal, this Eclipse will shake that plan off; Aries is all about living life now, not later.

 Dreaming and working towards living a life without restrictions takes some planning; luckily on this Eclipse we have Aries ruling planet Mars living in get ‘er done Virgo. Some may be gnashing their teeth at this slow down (Mars in Virgo is definitely a pumping of the breaks) but it’s a way for us to pull back and see how we need to plan our great escape or our grand escapade with a partner in crime. We also have Venus in fellow fire sign Sagittarius to give us perspective of the how big and wide the world is…and how nearly anything is possible.

Look, illumination and endings and new beginnings can be so scary, can seem to loom so large; the perspective that Venus in Sagittarius offers brings comfort, while Mars in Virgo shows us the steps we need to take to get through this newest breakthrough.

Sure, relationships can be a drag…but so can being alone. Just do your best to find that balance where you don’t have to sell your soul for companionship or for freedom