COSMIC WEATHER
Consider this: "A polka dot has the form of the Sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the Moon, which is calm. ...Polka dots are a way to infinity." -- Yayoi Kusama, from installation Where the Lights in My Heart Go, July 5, October 28, 2018 deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA.
The beginning of something has significance, and what happens in the sky relates to what happens on Earth. The process of individuation comes down to working with the personal planets, moving through the trends of the social planets, bridging over through Chiron, and coming to integration at the transpersonal level. Understanding these dynamic energies, as demonstrated through the ever-changing cosmic weather, allows a greater ability to live connected to purpose and meaning.
The Sun is the Invincible Spirit. So great is this universal wonder that it must come in small doses, distributed as it travels around the Zodiac over the course of a year. The Sun's position symbolizes the active presence of the Divine. The Sun enters the sign of Virgo on Thursday August 23, 2018 at 12:09 am EDT. The Sun's crossover on the analemma (August 27-September 2) can be felt at this ingress. With Virgo, we move from the dog days of August to the colors of Indian Summer. The practical orderliness of Virgo welcomes in the switch from summer fun to the routine of school, work, service, data, analysis, and generally getting back to business. The Sun enters the sign of Libra at the Autumnal Equinox on Saturday September 22, 2018 at 9:55 PM EDT to balance day and night.
The New Moon teaches gradualness and deliberation, and how to give birth to oneself slowly. Patience with small details makes perfect the large work, like the universe. --J. Rumi
The Moon is the Receiver. As the Sun energizes her, she receives and moves through her angular relationship with him over the course of the month. She delights in shape-shifting. She delights in the repetitive ebb and flow from night to day, from New to Full in predictable sequence. She delights in being able to portray the Sun's invincible spirit through her silver light. We see this dance every month, beginning at the New Moon, timed for the Moon's alignment with the Sun. The September New Moon aligns on September 9, 2018 at 2:01 PM EDT at 17 degrees of Virgo. Discreet, discriminating, discerning, this energy represents wholeness being brought to service.
THE ECLIPSE SEASON 2018 (1st Quarter and 3rd Quarter of the Year) In 2018, there are three solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses, as shown below. The resonant degrees and the touch-off timeframes are listed below. These events urge an awareness of what is signalling through your body, soul, and spirit, as the energies seep into consciousness, resonating and being touched off as noted.
- January 31, 2018 Lunar Eclipse 11 Leo 39 (touched off April 17-26, 2018)
- February 15, 2018 Solar Eclipse 27 Aquarius 1 (touched off May-June, 2017). This is the partner to the August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse.
- July 12, 2018 Solar Eclipse 20 Cancer 41 (touched off April 28, 2019)
- July 27, 2018 Lunar Eclipse 4 Aquarius 46 (touched off September 14, 2018)
- August 11, 2018 Solar Eclipse 18 Leo 34 (resonating from November 18-23, 2017)
Eclipse energies remain active and sensitive months before or months after, and can be touched off at various times before or after the actual event. There is a seemingly zig-zag pattern to eclipses, suggesting resonances at different levels. If you have planetary placements at the degrees, you can expect some reverberations.
Mercury has 3-4 Retrograde (Rx) cycles every year, each lasting approximately 3 weeks, and each offering a period of reflection, recalibration, revision, and resolution, as Mercury and the Sun exchange the message of a particular degree of the Zodiac. Mercury is currently Direct, running through the signs of Virgo and Libra this month.
The Venus cycle is complex and mysterious, beginning while Retrograde as an Evening Star, moving through conjunctions with the Sun, and shifting from Evening Star to Morning Star, and back. When a brilliant Evening Star--calm, mature, settled, and knowing her brilliance is best seen outside the clutch of the Sun--she begins her new cycle. The current Venus cycle began on March 5, 2017 at 13+ Aries, and runs through October 5, 2018. This start degree is one to watch for the entire cycle, when contacted by other planets. Transiting Venus is currently a brilliant Evening Star in the sign of Scorpio, and will turn Rx again on October 5 at 10 degrees. Here Venus is at her detriment, not flitting and social, but diving deep to weigh out the work of Jupiter's journey over the last year.
Mars has been seeking the structures needed to focus his effort. About to move into square with Uranus on Sept. 18, Mars remains directed toward the work of everyman/woman. This energy represents quick, unpredictable, and forceful stubborn action. Watch out--he is on a mission!
Jupiter is Direct and moving through the last decanate of Scorpio, perigrine. Still deeply inward, Jupiter will work through dynamic Mars. Use the energies to do the inner work; get things in place that you need to do the exploring--Jupiter wants nothing less than an adventure! And Jupiter is heading home, arriving November 8.
Saturn is at home now, in the earthy, grounded sign of Capricorn. Saturn reveals that practicalities are necessary, and structures must be built methodically through time and karma. Saturn takes all prisoners if need be, and rewards authentic effort. Look to the house he is traveling through for insight into where the structures will be needed.
URANUS, NEPTUNE, PLUTO, and the NORTH NODE: Twists and Turns
The outer planets push us towards the transpersonal realm of consciousness. The twists and turns of these bodies facilitate our evolution by disturbing peace of mind. Uranus, the Awakener, moved into Taurus on May 15, 2018, and remains Retrograde, to take care of some unfinished business of Aries (reassessing the Self) until January, 2019. What you have been involved with for the last 7 years is outdated and irrelevant now, as holistic alignment with values takes on greater urgency. Nebulous Neptune is also Retrograde at 14+ Pisces. Strong in its own sign, Neptune brings the vicissitudes of the tides forward. The ever-constant flow takes on a regular rhythm to dissolve and reshape. Neptune turns Direct again on November 25. Unequivocal Pluto is Retrograde at 18 + Capricorn, strengthening the energies of nearby Saturn. The opposition to the July 12 Solar Eclipse, as well as the conjunction to Pluto's own nodes, brings clear focus to purify all that is not truly authentic. Pluto turns Direct again on October 1. The various plays of the outer planets have been driving home the concepts of evolution, integration, and release of entrenched, enmeshed patterns. The North Node continues its Retrograde motion through the sign of Leo, now at 5 +. Rudhyar describes the Nodal line as a fateful space.