Astroblogick

Flowers for the Buddha

    Amid the noise, chaos and uncertainty dominating the news cycle, there comes a moment in time when we’re encouraged to turn our focused attention away from what passes for grim reality and toward a more enlightened vision of what life actually is underneath the delusion of our fear-based constructs. Such a moment arrives on Saturday, May 18 at the Scorpio Full Moon, the Flower Moon and most notably, the observation of Wesak, honoring the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.

    It’s at the annual Wesak Moon that the Earth receives a divine dispensation, an intense down-pouring of blessings and illumination which seek to find full expression through the human heart. It is here that the auspices of Lord Buddha mingle with those of the Lord Jesus Christ and all the Ascended Masters, as they sing the song of our collective awakening; of compassion and loving kindness, of grace, gratitude and humility in the face of fear, intolerance and the illusion of separation.

    Consider carving-out a quiet moment at the Wesak Full Moon, where you can rest with your phone turned off (just for a few minutes!) in order to be in a place of reception. Closing your eyes, take three slow, deep breaths and imagine yourself sitting in a golden beam of pure, unconditional love and simply be, without thinking or doing. Just be. Absorb the radiant spiritual energy that is infusing all that lives and breathes on this beautiful blue planet; charge your spiritual batteries while remaining open to insight and inspiration. Upon returning to your regularly-scheduled program, take the warm, peaceful feeling you’ve been gifted with and mentally project it toward everyone you encounter as it’s a gift meant to be shared in service to the Divine.

Om Mani Padme Hum!

Lunar Gardening Report

    The waxing Moon is generally favorable for most garden activities although we’re not going to see ideal planting conditions until Tuesday afternoon. Preparation, planning and purchases are indicated over actual planting until that time with the Moon making tracks through Virgo. It’s when the Moon enters Libra on Tuesday afternoon that we see the start of a five day fertility streak with an emphasis on vines, flowers, shrubs, trees and other ornamentals although I wouldn’t hesitate to plant anything. Better yet, the Scorpio Moon takes over later Thursday even as it approaches its Full Phase; an extremely potent time to plant or fertilize with compost and other organic materials. Although it isn’t generally recommended to plant at a Full Moon, I would go ahead and put stuff in the ground on Saturday anyway.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Daylight/-0400UTC)

Sunday, May 12: Mother’s Day. Quiet aspects this morning lend themselves to getting Mom’s day off to a fine start with the expressive Leo Moon forming contacts with Venus and Mars, excellent for breakfast in bed and other happy surprises. It would be good to keep things light and unhurried before noon due the Moon VOC, ending at 12:22 pm when the Moon enters Virgo. This could be a recipe for cleaning, sorting and organizing chores that have been on Mom’s (or your) TO DO LIST for some time now. More surprises around dinner time may be in evidence as well. A very happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful moms out there, you are the last best hope we have for saving this troubled world of ours.

Monday, May 13: With the waxing Virgo Moon in harmonious aspect with Mercury this morning, communication, travel and important decisions are favored along with greater mental discernment. Legal maneuvers, power plays and/or some form of obsessive behavior could be on the table, particularly where men or those in positions of authority are concerned (Sun quincunx Jupiter; Sun trine Pluto). A brief wave of confusion, deception or misdirection is possible early evening (Moon opposite Neptune) which will be called-out shortly thereafter (Moon trine Saturn).

Tuesday, May 14: The Virgo Moon forms a Grand Trine aspect with Sun and Pluto in the predawn hours, placing a brief, yet strong focus on power issues in the context of desire. The remainder of the morning shows the potential for fluid interactions with regard to love, sex, money and the motivations that drive them (Venus sextile Mars), such matters should flow smoothly unless they’re FUBAR to begin with. Whatever is in place grows more obvious in the early afternoon while we may be seeing friction and impatient actions ahead of a brief VOC beginning at 1:19 pm and lasting until 2:15 pm when the Moon enters Libra; a time to kiss and make up.

Wednesday, May 15: Celestial activity levels thicken against a backdrop of cooperative and balanced exchanges as shown by the Libra Moon. Venus enters her ruling sign of Taurus in the predawn hours where she takes on a softer, more luxurious and hedonistic coloring with the focus on the sensuous realms of human experience over the next three weeks. Fated or ironic events and scenarios may be in evidence tonight when the Libra Moon forms a fleeting “YOD” or “Finger of God” configuration with a Mercury-Neptune sextile. Creative writing, visionary insights and imaginative trains of thought are possible along with news involving deception, misdirection and propaganda designed to target indecisive, impressionable minds. Just before midnight, Mars changes signs, crossing into the emotional water sign of Cancer. As the first degree of Cancer is one of the four potent Solstice Points of the zodiac, we might be witnessing important collective developments as Mars tracks over this point during the next 24 hours. Emotionally-driven actions, behaviors, anger or violence could find greater expression over the next six weeks, but so too could greater energy, effort and drive be channeled into constructive domestic activities.

Thursday, May 16: Watch for a 12-hour Moon VOC in Libra until 5:26 pm when the Moon crosses into Scorpio, coinciding with a build-up of emotional intensity levels in advance of Saturday’s Full Moon. As noted in yesterday’s forecast, Mars continues to transit the Cancer Solstice Point, citing important developments and the potential for extreme actions that carry long-term consequences. An energetic spike is possible around suppertime while expressions of maturity and reliability find form (Mercury trine Saturn). This suggests the need to take full responsibility for our words spoken or written with an emphasis on honesty and clarity. Unusual twists and turns may be in evidence later tonight in the realm of love, sex and money; particularly in relation to one’s personal standards of value and conduct.

Friday, May 17: We’re undoubtedly feeling a build-up to tomorrow’s Full Moon in Scorpio which could prove to be a watershed moment in any number of ways. Once again, communication and all forms of interaction continue to be strong today with an focus on legal and/or ideological matters (Mercury quincunx Jupiter) as well as speaking truth to power (Mercury trine Pluto late tonight). We’re probably getting an echo from any major developments that have gone down over the past few days, complete with fresh iterations, explanations and speculations.

Saturday, May 18: Wesak Full Moon. Today’s Full Moon in Scorpio marks the celebration of Wesak (Vesak), commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha; a day marked by a shower of blessings, encouragement and grace to our troubled world. Clarity is indicated in the late morning although a tendency toward uptight or argumentative behavior over communication issues may be in evidence as well. Venus, planetary symbol of love, beauty, sexuality and personal values joins Uranus in Taurus today, coinciding perhaps with a shockingly clear awareness via a bolt out of the blue. This contact is also known for episodes of “love at first sight,” sudden turn-ons and turn-offs or unconventional approaches to love and sexuality. All of this takes a backseat to the main event: The Wesak Full Moon, illuminating the late degrees of Scorpio and Taurus (27Sco/Tau39) at 5:11 pm, where something is being locked into place. The spiritual ramifications are grand while on a mundane level of expression, we find balance between our desire to be grounded in the material realm (Sun in Taurus) and our need to be able to dive deeply into the transformation depths of being where the mysteries of life and death whisper their secrets (Moon in Scorpio). The Scorpio Full Moon will also set-off a VOC period that will last until 9:21 pm when the Moon enters Sagittarius, providing a continued stream of spiritual illumination for those open and receptive. Om Namaha Shivaya!

Copyright 2019 Gary Paul Glynn

In the Heart of Taurus

    The scent of freshly-mown grass, fragrant blossoms, the industrious sound of woodpeckers and birdsong fill the air even as the Sun reaches the heart of Taurus where the glad season of Beltane unfurls its banner of green. With the Moon now joining the Sun in geocentric Taurus, a fresh cycle commences as we experience the surging lifeforce carrying us to the Summer Solstice, lying just ahead.

    From a practical standpoint, we’re mostly out of the woods as we cross into a new solar-lunar cycle, fast on the heels of Saturday’s New Moon in Taurus. This of course points to the unfolding of practical, old-school, down-to-earth approaches in a steady and methodical way where we shouldn’t be afraid of getting our hands dirty. Of all the signs of the zodiac, Taurus is considered the most basic, most elemental in terms of its universal expression, and as reflected in its bovine namesake, in no real hurry to go anywhere. Patience, forbearance and the ability to allow things to unfold in a natural, unhurried way is the key to making the most of El Toro.

    On an even more immediate level of practical usage, we’re still waiting for the Moon to take on a sliver of light before launching any new projects, which means the starting-gun won't go off until late Sunday night. Therefore, it would be much better to spend Sunday celebrating Cinco de Mayo than trying to make something serious happen out there in this crazy, crazy world of ours. Ole!

Mercury's Testimony

    Watching Attorney General, William Barr testifying before the U.S. Senate about the Mueller Report last week from an astrological perspective was fascinating. The hearing took place even as Mercury (words, testimonies, questions) in Aries (forceful, combative) formed a series of aspects to Mars (actions, motives); stationary Pluto (power, manipulation, concealment); stationary Saturn (limits, laws, accountability) while it was joined with the Moon’s South Node (karma, past alliances). Really.

    Do you remember how the movements of Mercury in the week surrounding the end of its last retrograde period coincided with the release of the Mueller Report? Which was then followed by the four page “nothing to see here, folks,” summary issued to Congress by the A.G. on March 24, the same day stationary Mercury aligned with deceptive Neptune? Well, we learned *just* before last Wednesday’s Senate hearing that Bob Mueller took the A.G. to task over its summary on March 27, while Mercury stationed direct! Barr denied having any contact with Mueller when he first met with Congress on April 4, two days following Mercury’s final conjunction to lyin’ Neptune and one day before a New Moon. Like I said, it’s breathtaking how closely the movements and contacts of the trickster, Mercury coincide with this entire situation, no matter your political leanings.

    It should be interesting to see what happens this coming week with Mars (actions, anger) kicking-up dust on Sunday when it contacts Pluto and Jupiter with more push-back and manipulative approaches. The plot then thickens when Mercury enters Taurus and pulls the trigger on explosively-primed Uranus with a sudden release of information, revelations and other oddities. This might have to do with an act of official defiance or perhaps a breakthrough with regard to a stalemate that began when the Sun joined Uranus on April 22. As Mercury will be the second of three faster-moving bodies to join Uranus since it entered Taurus back on March 6, we should be prepared for a stunning non-surprise

    Venus, following the Sun and Mercury’s lead, won’t form its conjunction to Uranus until the Full Moon (April 16); although it will make strong contacts to Pluto and Jupiter on Thursday. I would suspect this would involve finances, professional relationships and personal values with something being brought to our attention that has thus far escaped detection. Whatever it is will likely be a sign of things still to come.

Lunar Gardening Report

    We’re now on the other side of Saturday’s New Moon and the start of another lunar fertility cycle, but still waiting for ideal lunar conditions to plant. Even though Saturday’s Moon in Taurus is considered fertile, the fact that it remains “under the sunbeams,” and in its dark phase, suggests a weakened state and therefore not a good time for seeding. Instead, I would recommend putting your energy into enriching the soil with compost and cow manure ahead of seeding midweek. The Moon begins to take on light in Gemini on Monday and Tuesday where very poor planting or feeding conditions are indicated. Wednesday and Thursday are by far the best days for planting and feeding that we’ve had in awhile with the lunar tide surging in Cancer. Geminating, seeding, transplanting, fertilizing and pruning to encourage growth are all highly favored at this time. Friday and Saturday are poor days to plant or feed with the Moon waxing in fiery Leo; better for mowing, weeding, cutting, clearing, hardscaping and creative garden projects that don’t involve growing plants. This same theme will continue into Sunday and Monday with marginal conditions for planting under the Virgo Moon, but an ideal time for planning and building garden beds.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Daylight/-0400UTC)

Sunday, May 5: Cinco de Mayo. In the wake of yesterday’s New Moon in Taurus, a fresh cycle is underway despite the fact that the Moon has yet to emerge from the Sun’s combustion zone. This is a good excuse to chill out and experience life without an agenda while giving yourself time to reflect on the path that lies ahead. In the bigger picture, something is likely to be going off as Mars forms alignments to Pluto and Jupiter, citing potential abuses of power (Mars quincunx Pluto) and an inability to know one’s limitations (Mars opposes Jupiter). This aspect also suggests legal proceedings, ideologically-inspired violence (terrorism) or over-reactive behaviors. Otherwise, this looks like a good day for laid-back entertainments and ephemeral amusements.

Monday, May 6: Ramadan Begins. With the Moon now beginning to take on new light in Gemini, a surge can be expected while news and information comes to the foreground. Projects, plans and initiatives placed on hold last week get a green light for implementation and manifestation with an emphasis on the practical communication. This is underscored by Mercury’s entrance into Taurus where communication and learning slows down in order to be digested and assimilated over the next three weeks. This can also coincide with a stubborn, obstinate and ignorant mindsets. Patience may be required.

Tuesday, May 7: Might be a bumpy ride with the waxing Moon in Gemini banging-up against a handful of planets, suggesting a media-driven day. Confusions or deceptions get the spotlight first thing this morning with the potential for extremes later in the day. Unhappy developments involving love, sex and money are possible today as well (Venus square Saturn) although this can often point to distressing events and sadness in general. At best, this aspect signals the need for sober assessments and mature responses in the face of crisis and sudden change.

Wednesday, May 8: A potential bombshell could detonate today, particularly if there has been significant pressure or a sense of frustration building up in recent days (Mercury conjunct Uranus in Taurus). Revelations, surprising news, smoking guns, scientific discoveries and astounding announcements are all possible today. With the Moon waxing in Cancer, there is a strong emotional component to most interactions with a greater emphasis on home and family matters. Movies, concerts, fiction and creative artistry are possible later tonight along with the potential for insight, inspiration and illumination (Sun sextile Neptune).

Thursday, May 9: The Moon continues to move through its opening Crescent Phase in Cancer today, lending a more emotional tone to the day’s interactions. Anything involving love, sex and money are highlighted, particularly where legal issues (Venus trine Jupiter) clash with financial ones (Venus square Pluto) in the bigger picture. On a more personal level of expression, the positive side of these aspects could point to opportunity and abundance as well as the awareness of having control over some situation. Negatively expressed, such Venus aspects might be seen as waste, overreach or obsessive sexual behaviors; whatever it is, we can expect to see something underscored later tonight when the Cancer Moon enters the equation. These are inauspicious indicators for romantic overtures or candlelit dinners for two.

Friday, May 10: Today sees a brightening of mood and temperament after the Moon emerges from the moody waters of Cancer for the sunny skies of Leo at 9:15 am. Lively, unexpected changes mid-afternoon could force a creative solution that’s better than the original. Misunderstandings or tech glitches are possible toward midnight where we’re advised to chill-out and not take stuff so personally.

Saturday, May 11: Although the Moon continues to wax in Leo all day, there may be an underlying feeling of weight or pressure from recently-launched projects and the responsibilities they might entail (Sun trine Saturn). On the plus side, if you know what you want, this can confer the ability to steadily make your way through the process toward completion. Just so, with the Leo Moon entering into its First Quarter Phase tonight, there might also be a vague sense of futility although this is largely an illusion. What it really is is an opportunity to look closely at your recently-hatched plans and projects to see what needs to be tweaked: what needs to go and what need to be added. In the case of very short deadlines, we’re probably talking about triage. With the Moon forming a smiling trine aspect to Jupiter just after midnight, you’ll want to invoke the feeling of success just before you fall asleep, where it will take root in your unconscious mind. Sweet dreams!

Copyright 2019 Gary Paul Glynn

Taurus New Moon

    This coming week is more suited for reflection and contemplation that it is for starting anything new with the Moon in full closure mode ahead of Saturday’s New Moon in Taurus. Once we get there, we’ll find this particular lunation focused on mundane, practical matters as well as a grounded, stable approach to most activities.

    Taurus is ruled by both Venus and the Earth itself with Venus pointing to Taurus’ focus on the sensuous realm and the Earth’s association with the material world. Taken together, Venus and the Earth point to such matters as money, possessions, sexuality, security and a stubborn resistance to change.

    The New Moon will take place on Saturday, May 4 at 6:45 pm (Eastern) in the heart of Taurus (14Tau11), activating the fixed power gates of the zodiac; setting off matters that have been held in a state of tension for the past three lunar cycles. Chances are good that news stories coming out this coming week in the lead-up to the New Moon will be focused on money, particularly where greed and corruption are involved.

    On a personal scale of expression, this New Moon in grounded Taurus can lend itself to creative projects, money-making endeavors and perhaps a fresh approach to love relationships. For literal or symbolic new beginnings, look to the 30 minutes before and after the exact time of the New Moon when the Cazimi Window is open for business (6:15-7:15 pm Eastern). If you miss this magic moment, you’ll want to wait until the Moon takes on light in Gemini the following Monday to make your move.

Lunar Gardening Report

    With the Moon in its closing, Last Quarter Phase all this week, there are zero favorable days for planting or fertilizing. Look to Sunday, May 5 for the next good date to plant; or else go ahead and put stuff in, but make a record of the fact you chose to do so while out-of-phase with the lunar cycle; if only as an educational exercise.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Daylight/-0400UTC)

Sunday, April 28: It appears quiet in the heavens with the Moon void-of-course in Aquarius all day, ideal for relaxing, socializing and not pushing to make stuff happen. A dreamier, nonlinear quality is likely to find expression after the Moon enters the mutable waters of Pisces at 6:11 pm, lending an ethereal touch to music, movies, conversations and passive forms of entertainment.

Monday, April 29: The Moon wanes in Pisces, pointing to a workweek geared toward completions and finalizations with new projects docked until next week. Saturn, planetary archetype of aging and time; limitations, boundaries, responsibilities and material reality turns stationary retrograde today, hovering in the late degrees of Capricorn (20Cap31). With Saturn stationary (motionless) while joined with the Moon’s South Lunar Node, we should expect fated, past karmic debts coming due. This then can be seen as a time of consequences.

Tuesday, April 30: Walpurgis. The Pisces Moon lends itself to dreamier states of consciousness although there’s likely to be some jostling in the late morning hours when the Moon goes up against Mars. Otherwise, things look to remain on track through most of the day and into the night while keeping in mind that here on Beltane Eve, there is magic in the air and an ideal time for divination, consulting oracles, prayer, meditation and/or experiencing altered states of consciousness. With the Moon entering its Balsamic Phase tonight, the emphasis deepens with regard to the past and one eye open to the future.

Wednesday, May 1: Beltane. We’ve got a full plate in front of us on this first day of May as well as the first day of summer in the seasonal calendar, starting with Mercury forming contacts to Mars and Saturn in the early morning hours. A torrent of news and information is quite likely today, highlighting the principles of accountability and consequence for decisions made in the past or for taking the path of least resistance (Mercury square stationary Saturn/S. Node). Restlessness and agitation could be in evidence throughout the morning hours with the Aries Moon acting as a goad while someone or something is acting as a major irritant. An inability to get one's way could result in an explosive expression of frustration while any impulsive actions that stem from it will work against one’s best interest (Mars quincunx stationary Saturn/S. Node). If all of this weirdness has little or nothing to do with you, today would be a good day to carve-out a little time to go out into nature, with a nod to the Great Mother.

Thursday, May 2: The psychic atmosphere is in an overheated state under the auspices of the darkened Aries Moon joining Venus in the late morning, a minor point of contention between partners, perhaps. Later in the day we become aware of manipulative word games or the compulsive desire to speak even as we receive news of some form of extreme event (Mercury square Pluto). Despite pessimistic indicators later tonight, there could also be a larger sense of buoyancy, optimism and a head full of big ideas (Mercury trine Jupiter).

Friday, May 3: Overlooking reverberations from recent events, today is relatively quiet while being mindful that the Moon will be VOC until 4:18 pm, rendering decisions and agreements made before that time a bit iffy. Considering tomorrow is the New Moon, it would be best to stick with routines and finalizations that were set into motion over a week ago. This would also be a good night for socializing and relaxed entertainment under the auspices of the Taurus Moon.

Saturday, May 4: The only thing to report today is the Taurus New Moon, setting off a fresh solar-lunar cycle at 6:45 pm in the heart of Taurus (14Tau11) where we bring a more practical and grounded set of parameters to bear on whatever projects we’re working on. Due to the fact that this New Moon falls on the fixed-sign powergate degree of Taurus (15 degrees), there is likely to be a notable event occurring this weekend with long-term consequences. The Cazimi Window for potent new beginnings is open 30 minutes before and after the exact time of the New Moon (6:15-7:15 pm Eastern). Otherwise, today is another great day to immerse yourself in the natural world.

Copyright 2019 Gary Paul Glynn