COSMIC WEATHER
CONSIDERATION: "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 entered the sign of Libra on Saturday September 22, 2018 at 9:55 PM. This day is the Autumnal Equinox, balancing day and night. Libra Season not only highlights the essential oath to existing beauty, but highlights harmony in all relationships.
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 October Libra New Moon occurs on Monday October 8, 2018 at 11:47 PM EDT, at 15 + Libra. This is the time of harmony and sociability. Reach out, heal wounds, make amends.
THE ECLIPSE SEASON 2018 (1st and 3rd Quarters of the Year)
In 2018, there are three solar and two lunar eclipses, as shown below. The resonant degrees and the touch-off timeframes are listed. These events urge an awareness of what is signalling through the body, soul, and spirit, as the energies seep into consciousness. 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 of consciousness. If you have planetary placements at the degrees, you can expect some reverberations.
- 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)
PLANETARY LOCATIONS
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 Libra and Scorpio this month. Mercury turns Retrograde on Friday November 16, 2018 at 8:33 PM EST at 13 + Sagittarius.
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, as Venus is best seen outside the clutch of the Sun--she begins her new cycle. Venus turned Retrograde October 5, 2018 at 10 Scorpio 50. Visible as an Evening Star, Venus is recalibrating her relationship to the Sun. This start degree is one to watch for the entire cycle, when contacted by other planets. 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. We continue to acknowledge the feminine experience at its deepest levels, affirming what is deeply important. Venus will turn Direct on November 16, at 25 Libra.
Mars has been seeking the structures needed to focus his effort. Mars, at traveling through the sign of Aquarius, remains directed toward the work of everyman/woman. Mars is no-nonsense here, but may present some bizarre actions.
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. With Jupiter and Saturn at home, look for some new trends or memes in the travel or construction industries.
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. By now, it is clear that what you have been involved with for the last 7 years is outdated and irrelevant, and holistic alignment with values takes on a greater urgency. Nebulous Neptune is also Retrograde at 14+ Pisces. Neptune is also holding steady in its own sign, bringing 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 has turned Direct 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. 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 3 +. Rudhyar describes the Nodal line as a fateful space.