Astroblogick

Summer’s Closure

    On this last full week of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, we see the play of darkness and light undergo dramatic changes with the Sun rising and setting due east and west, altering the quality of the light in locations not blotted out by smoke and ash. It won’t be much longer before our days grow even more abbreviated and the nights much cooler as we step onto the path that descends into the darker woods leading to the Winter Solstice.

Stationary Mars

    We’re emerging from an extremely intense week in light of Mars’ retrograde station at the end of fiery Aries, coinciding with heat waves and massive conflagrations in the western states. Words like “apocalyptic” and “hellscape” have become apt descriptions for some of the worst that Mars in Aries represents, particularly during its amplified retrograde station. Hopefully, once Mars begins to show apparent backward movement, the fires will begin to die down, the heat will lift along with the anger and rage that seems to fuel these outward expressions. Yet considering Mars is always closest to the Earth when in retrograde, this may not readily be the case so only time will tell.

    It’s also worth pointing out that last week’s Mercury-Chiron opposition and Sun-Neptune opposition coincided with major revelations involving Trump’s taped confessions of knowing about the deadliness of Covid-19 and its airborne transmission as early as January and February.
In addition, the Sun (executive) opposition (awareness) to Neptune (deceptions) saw a whistle-blower complaint from the DHS exposing four separate instances of misdirection, lies and perjury involving U.S. intelligence in an effort to not make Trump “look bad,” while ginning-up his baseless claims of left-wing terrorism and playing down the growing security threat of heavily-armed white nationalist supporters. Take a moment to scroll down to the forecast for last Thursday and Friday to see if the shoe fits.

Virgo Lunation

    Most of the coming week falls inside the Moon’s closing Balsamic Phase ahead of Thursday’s New Moon, opening a new cycle in the logical, detail-driven sign of Virgo. The days leading up to this lunation are given to the completion of old business, as well as endings, purges and eliminations in order to make room for something new to unfold during the next solar-lunar cycle.

    The New Moon becomes exact on Thursday at 7:00 am (Eastern Time) in the late degrees of Virgo (25Vir01) with an emphasis on factual data forming a solid foundation for the month to come. Once the New Moon begins to unfold, the focus will be on organization, efficiency, scientific analysis, investigative journalism, research and constant questioning of subjects that just don’t add-up; such as proclamations and red-herrings coming out of the White House.

    Embedded in the chart for the New Moon, we see the union of the Sun and Moon (New Moon) in an exact trine aspect with Saturn, suggesting a month of limitations and consequences, particularly with regard to the executive function (Sun). Conversely, we see a Mercury-Jupiter square aspect that speaks of sloppy reasoning skills, exaggerated pronouncements and news involving courts, laws and law-enforcement as well as matters involving First Amendment rights. With so much stuff flying around right now, it’s difficult to ascertain where things are likely to land on the other side of the New Moon, but I’m sure it’ll be more than interesting to see where it does.

    For those of you looking for an auspicious time to set an important intention this week, the Cazimi Window (when the Moon is precisely aligned with the Sun) will take place in the hour surrounding the New Moon which will be between 6:30 and 7:30 am (Eastern Time). After this, the Moon will be considered “combust” for the 30 hours that follow, meaning the light won’t turn green for new beginnings until 1:00 pm Friday.

Lunar Gardening Report

    With the Moon in deep closure mode ahead of Thursday’s New Moon in Virgo, in addition to the Moon spending that time in infertile signs beforehand, there is little to recommend in the way of planting or fertilizing during the first part of the week. Other gardening activities such as cutting, clearing, weed and pest control are definitely recommended as well as harvesting the fruits of your labors. The scenario shifts after 1:00 pm on Friday when the Moon takes on light in Libra and Scorpio, kicking-off a nice planting/fertilizing streak that will last until Monday afternoon.

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

Sunday, Sept. 13: Emotions run high this morning under the Cancer Moon with an added emphasis on the overall health of our intimate relationships (Venus trine Chiron). Watch for knee-jerk reactions and angry rhetoric first thing this morning when the Moon makes its first (square) aspect to Mars since it stationed retrograde last Wednesday. The background tone shifts after the Moon enters the fires of Leo at 11:30 am into something more dramatic and self expressive than we’ve seen in recent days. Jupiter’s direct station last night places an emphasis on expansion, magnification or exaggeration, particularly where politics and legislation are concerned. Beware of careless self-assurance and unsubstantiated optimism.

Monday, Sept. 14: With the Leo Moon moving into its closing Balsamic Phase today, it would be best to focus attention on completions and endings ahead of Thursday’s New Moon. Early risers might want to look to the eastern horizon to catch the thin crescent Moon’s close approach to Venus in the predawn sky. Unexpected developments could see the day getting off on the wrong foot if there’s little in the way of flexibility. Decisive, effective application of the will could figure prominently later in the day, getting even the toughest job accomplished (Sun trine Pluto). Negatively expressed, this contact indicates obsessive or manipulative behaviors in the face of major obstacles. Take the high road.

Tuesday, Sept. 15: Forward momentum may appear lacking first thing this morning, but is likely to reappear as the morning unfolds; even so, be mindful of the Moon going VOC in Leo at 11:09 am, posing a hazard for decisions or agreements until the Moon enters Virgo at 2:37 pm and we can approach such things with a more critical eye. Another aspect dominates the day with strange twists and surprising developments in the realm of love, sex and money (Venus square Uranus). This is often an indication of sudden changes in fortune.

Wednesday, Sept. 16: With the Virgo Moon in its darkest phase ahead of tomorrow morning’s New Moon, it would be best to apply your energy toward putting finishing touches on a project or else finalize a process that’s been in the works this past month. Innovative approaches are highlighted early morning while a more expansive and optimistic orientation emerges in the early evening. In any case, confusions or deceptions are possible later tonight alongside a preference for movies, music, baths and outrageous lies. It’s likely that a news story is growing larger than life, finding fuller expression tomorrow morning (Mercury square Jupiter).

Thursday, Sept. 17: Breaking news, most likely involving legislation, court decisions, police actions or religious organizations may dominate first thing this morning. At about the same time, the New Moon closes one cycle and opens another in the late degrees of Virgo (25Vir01) at 7:00 am, placing a strong emphasis on critical thinking and findings, scientific discoveries and fact-based revelations over the coming month. The Cazimi Window will be open to set powerful new intentions between 6:30 and 7:30 am, miss this time slot and you’ll want to wait until early afternoon tomorrow to get things moving. Also watch for the New Moon VOC at 7:42 am until 3:00 pm when the Moon enters peace-loving Libra before saying “yes” to anything you want to see come to fruition. Late afternoon brings us down to earth with mature deliberations, sober assessments and decisions based on reality instead of wishful thinking (Sun trine Saturn).

Friday, Sept. 18: There may be some indecisiveness to contend with throughout the day, depending on what was hatched at yesterday’s New Moon. Even so, the Libra Moon moves out of the Sun’s combustion zone to take on light of its own after 1:00 pm, a good time to commence with projects or plans you’ve been waiting to execute. Double check your data before assuming anything in the late afternoon as something might be going on largely unseen (Mercury quincunx Neptune). Don’t fall prey to a false sense of security, particularly if engaging in unsafe social activities this evening. Online gatherings and phone calls are favored later tonight when the Moon joins Mercury in Libra; a good time to reach out and tell someone how much you love them.

Saturday, Sept. 19: A slow, cranky start to the day is possible unless you take firm control of it and before you’re faced with any kind of angry interaction as the Moon moves opposite Mars retrograde. Remember this: whomever starts the conflict will be the one who suffers the most from it. Also be mindful of the Moon VOC at 10:30 am, remaining void until it enters Scorpio at 2:33 pm, cracking-open a whole ‘nother can of worms. Watch for a test of our Mars retro savvy during the late afternoon when we’re challenged by the Sun and someone’s ego gets triggered. Otherwise, have fun and be safe out there!

Copyright 2020 Gary Paul Glynn

Inverted Energies

    The hits keep on coming as we move further into the month of September which already appears fraught with problematic signatures. Chief among them is Mars, stationing ahead of turning retrograde in Aries on Wednesday, where we see developments involving all things martial in nature.

    As always, stationary planets tend to find a magnified expression of their symbolic attributes and in the case of Mars, we’re seeing continued increase in infection rates, anger and unrest across the country as well as a renewed focus on the military. The reported utterances from the Commander-in-Chief denigrating those who died in service to our country as “suckers” and “losers” hit the fan on Friday, just as Venus in Cancer (family values) formed an aggravated square aspect with amplified Mars in Aries (warriors, violent death, explosions). With Mars stationary (motionless) all this week while in a durable square aspect with Saturn (limits, consequences), we’ll continue to see high levels of friction and turmoil at home and abroad.

    Once Mars begins retrograde motion, it will move back the way it came, over the second half of Aries (28-15 Aries) until it stations direct on Nov. 13, which means Mars will be retrograde throughout the highly-contentious U.S. election. There are a number of ways in which this is likely to be expressed on a collective scale of expression, not all of them necessarily negative. Although I only have time to outline a few of these, I’m working on a more in-depth report of the impact Mars retrograde may have on a collective scale of expression, but for now, we’ll take a brief overview.

    Mars is a planet outside of Earth’s orbit (unlike Venus and Mercury who are inside Earth’s orbit),so its symbolism is related to outwardly-directed energy: the power to make things happen, of applied force and the impetus to act on something to achieve a desired effect. Forward motion is what Mars is all about, so when it goes into its irregular retrograde phase once every two years, its essential nature is inverted.

    This means the outgoing qualities of Mars are turned inward, suggesting a time for measured responses, cautious actions and behaviors. Considering Mars’ current occupation of Aries, the sign of its rulership, tends to be more impulsive, angry, violent and dangerous on many levels of expression, retrograde means these qualities are turned inward with mixed affect. One of these involves internal turmoil and self-destructive behaviors while another speaks to reenergizing and reflective awareness with regard to our habitual behaviors.

    Again, as Mars speaks to actions and behaviors acting upon externals, in retrograde it’s suggested we back off the accelerator without necessarily braking (although with stationary Mars in square to Saturn, it may seem as though we’re currently doing both at once). This isn’t to say we become passive in the face of injustice and atrocities, only that we temper our attitudes and approaches in such a way that we take the charge off our responses.

    Mars is considered an egocentric planet in service to the small self, which means it tends to take most things personally, that any slight or disruption from outside triggers fears and defensive behaviors, often disproportionate to the dis’ itself. Mars retrograde provides us with an opportunity to act effectively without becoming too attached to immediate outcomes.

    One of the most basic themes of Mars retrograde known since antiquity was that a military commander who initiated conflict would ultimately lose the battle, so the goal was to goad the other party into being the one who fired the first shot, thereby sealing its fate. This also applies to lawsuits and political campaigns, something we’ll look into later, but for now, it's enough to say that our approaches need to become more refined and thoughtful in the face of unreasoned rage and uncentered actions. I often think of effective action under the auspices of Mars retrograde similar in nature to the martial arts form of Aikido, whereby one uses the momentum of the opponent’s attack against them without actually landing a blow.

    It’s this approach we need to be thinking about in the weeks to come, particularly in the run-up to November’s elections with increased friction and edginess engulfing a nation in a time of karmic reckoning and ultimate reconciliation. Stay cool. Stay tuned. Stay awake.

The Week Ahead

    With Mars stationary all this week, the heat is on in literal and figurative ways, so it behooves us to use a bit more caution in our actions to avoid accidents and unnecessary conflict. The Moon is in its waning phase all this week, entering its Last Quarter Phase on Thursday when it’s time to begin putting a wrap on projects and initiatives in the works since the New Moon of Aug. 18. Deceptions and confusions are likely to grow thick later this week when the Sun moves opposite Neptune while highlighting developments specific to the escalating pandemic.

    It’s also possible that we’ll be seeing exaggerations and magnifications all this week alongside developments in the realm of courts and legislation with Jupiter stationary ahead of turning direct on Saturday, Sept. 8. This is something we’ll focus on more next week, but for now it's important not to take stuff too seriously even though this is easier said than actually done.

Lunar Gardening Report

    With the Full Moon behind us, the Moon is now in its waning phase, more appropriate for harvesting than planting even though we still have a few good days left for seeding and fertilizing. Sunday through late afternoon Tuesday are favorable for planting, particularly tubers or anything requiring root development as well as working nutrients into the soil. Aside from harvesting and general maintenance, Wednesday and Thursday are poor days for most gardening work although these would be good days for drying herbs and flowers as well as canning. With the Moon entering its Last Quarter Phase on Thursday morning, the window closes on planting activity for a while, although Friday and Saturday would be good days to fertilize with the Moon in Cancer. The next best dates for planting won’t roll around again until Sept. 18.

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

Sunday, Sept. 6: The Taurus Moon lends itself to laid-back activities including BBQs, picnics, gardening and outdoor adventures as we continue to move through the Labor Day Weekend here in the states. Venus, planetary symbol of love, sex, money, tastes and values takes leave of emotional Cancer for the warm, expressive sign of Leo where creativity and drama will feature strongly over the coming month. There’s little in the way of celestial activity to speak of today, making this an ideal day to relax and enjoy what little’s left of summer. Even so, with Mars motionless ahead of turning retrograde on Wednesday, I’m sure something is bubbling just below the surface.

Monday, Sept. 7: Labor Day. The Moon continues to occupy the lush pastures of Taurus, forming upbeat aspects throughout the day with an energy boost around noon as well as upbeat, lighthearted exchanges late afternoon. The evening hours are ideal for movies, concerts or an early night to bed.

Tuesday, Sept. 8: The Taurus Moon places a strong focus on money and business concerns requiring discipline and focused attention first thing this morning while applying practical skills to solving long-standing issues. The Moon enters Gemini at 5:30 pm, amping-up the activity factor a few notches over the next few days with communication themes at the fore. This is a good night to spend quality time with your significant other.

Wednesday, Sept. 9: Mars Retrograde. After a relative lull in the heavens, today appears rather active with errands, appointments, phone calls, mailings, Zoom meetings and an endless stream of chatter under the Gemini Moon. The door of opportunity opens around noon for those who show-up for it with upbeat and optimistic approaches leading the way (Sun trine stationary Jupiter). The downside of this generally positive aspect can be expressed through egocentric behaviors and sloppy executions that speak of hubris and waste. Another major astrological event commences today with energetic Mars stationary retrograde in the late degrees of Aries (28Ari08), appearing to move backward until Nov. 13. There are many ways Mars retrograde might express itself (discussed in more detail elsewhere), but the main take-aways are to keep a steady focus while not becoming discouraged if it seems as though you’re not making much headway. Energy levels are likely to be lower than usual while the best offence is a good defense; don’t be the one to start the fight or you’ll be the one that loses it.

Thursday, Sept. 10: We’re likely to see continued friction associated with stationary Mars today, finding greatest expression through the Media as indicated by the Moon in Gemini. This might also be a day for adjustments with the Moon entering its Last Quarter Phase shortly before sunrise as well as looking to bring some form of closure to whatever has come into being these past three weeks. Disorientation, misdirection and flat-out deception grows strong first thing this morning, particularly where the pandemic is concerned (Mercury opposed Chiron).

Friday, Sept. 11: Strong emotions are likely to surface today with the waning Moon in Cancer even as another aspect could leave us feeling vulnerable in some way (Sun opposed Neptune). We should watch this aspect carefully as the previous Sun-Neptune aspects have coincided with Trump’s deceptions and gaslighting as well as major developments with regard to Covid-19. Taken as a whole, tonight and tomorrow would be good times to stick close to home.

Saturday, Sept. 12: Unexpected and surprising news is possible first thing this morning that could throw plans into disarray; flexibility is required to make the most of the transit (Mercury quincunx Uranus). With Jupiter stationary direct in mid-Capricorn (17Cap24), chances are good that something is being magnified, exaggerated and blown out of proportion, especially when it comes to matters involving legislation, courts, religion and financial markets. Considering Jupiter is stationary while in aspect with Neptune, we’re again drawn to the topics of infections and deceptions. Be safe out there.

Copyright 2020 Gary Paul Glynn

The Great Divide

    Well, that was troubling. If these past two weeks have shown us anything, it would appear as though the forces of darkness are aligned against the bearers of light for the hearts and minds of the American people. We’re no longer looking at politics so much as two polarized reality constructs; one based on fear and deception and the other, love and truth.

Mars Station

    There continues to be so much going on in the heavens at this time, I’m finding it difficult to accurately account for all of it in this weekly report. Notably, Mars is slowing ahead of stationing retrograde in its ruling sign of Aries on Sept. 9; its recent square aspects to Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn have coincided with the continued rise of Covid-19 infection rates, economic distress, social unrest and hateful rhetoric on the part of the Trumpocratic Party (formerly the Republican Party). As these contacts will repeat themselves twice more between now and January, we should expect more of the same as we head into the heart of election season. We’ll take a closer look at Mars retrograde next week, but for now, we need to bring our focus back to the current forecast period.

The Full Corn Moon

    Making our way into the month of September, the standout feature is the Full Moon, illuminating early Pisces and Virgo (10Pis/.Vir12) on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, depending on your time zone. With Pisces being a sensitive, impressionable water sign, it seems likely that we’ll be dealing with greater emotional content at the Full Moon. How this manifests tends to follow along the lines of unconscious reactions or conscious responses to whatever is brought to the foreground. As all Full Moons involve polarity and awareness, something is likely to come to our attention that has been brewing in the shadows these past two weeks.

    The common polarity found between the Pisces Moon and the Virgo Sun involves the imagination, vision, illusion and delusion (Pisces) in contrast to detail, fact, criticism and rationality (Virgo). The need to feel secure in an insecure environment often feeds on fear which can block a more logical approach that faces facts squarely. The tendency is to overdo one side of this equation over the other with the better expression realized through a balance between the two; where the imagination informs the intellect and vice versa. This can be where dreams and visions can be made into concrete realities through the use of skill and know-how while critical thinking can give form to nonlinear inspiration.

    Two fairly notable planetary aspects are also embedded in the Full Moon chart which speak to sober assessments, particularly with regard to finance and relationship (Venus opposed Saturn). Typically, this points to difficult news or developments that are largely a consequence of poor judgement, denial or aversion. The other aspect is somewhat contrary as it speaks of independent action, innovative approaches, revelations and discoveries (Sun trine Uranus). Taken together, alongside the Pisces Full Moon, suggests an event pointing to the result of deceptive or wishful thinking flying in the face of objective reality. Whatever transpires is likely to have an impact that will be felt strongly over the next two weeks.

Lunar Gardening Report

    Sunday and Monday are poor days to plant, fertilize or do much gardening work outside of harvesting and general maintenance with the waxing Moon in Aquarius. Tuesday through late afternoon Thursday are the only favorable days this week for planting, sprouting, direct seeding, transplanting, repotting or fertilizing, especially with marine-based nutrients under the super-fertile Pisces Moon in its Full Phase. Late afternoon Thursday sees the Moon enter Aries where the emphasis shifts to weed and pest control as well as cutting to discourage growth through Saturday.

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

Sunday, Aug. 30: Not sure how to interpret the geocosmic signatures today except to say there’s considerable weirdness floating about. The Aquarius Moon lends a strong collective or community vibe to the day which is ideal for safe social interactions while two other contacts provide an odd twist. Something is likely to grab our attention with regard to love, sex and money that has a compulsive quality to it (Venus opposed Pluto). This is about exposure, perhaps with regard to predatory behaviors involving the plutocratic underworld that I can’t even. The second contact involves information in general and the media in particular, spawning confusions, deceptions, distractions, misdirections and bald-face lying (Mercury opposed Neptune). On personal scales of manifestation, these contacts might suggest intense sexual experiences and a vivid imagination. However they find expression, both of these oppositions may be connected in some way, topped-off with an added curve-ball development later in the day.

Monday, Aug. 31: This final day in August continues to be dominated by the waxing Aquarius Moon lending itself to group projects, volunteer activities and innovative approaches to social problems. Uneasy exchanges with regard to health and healing are at the forefront with more governmental bumbling in the face of the ongoing pandemic (Sun quincunx Chiron). Communication gets tapped during the early afternoon while minor disconnects are possible between partners in the early evening.

Tuesday, Sept. 1: The Pisces Moon surges into its Full Phase, exact later tonight, lending a surreal patina to even the most commonplace interactions and experiences. Penetrating insights, dark revelations and deep investigations are possible throughout the day, ideal for research projects as well as cutting through the surface crap to get to the core of the issue (Mercury trine Pluto). The Pisces Full Moon becomes exact at 10:22 pm (PDT) and 1:22 am (EDT), so I’ll discuss this in tomorrow’s forecast.

Wednesday, Sept. 2: The Full Moon illuminates early Pisces and Virgo (10Pis/Vir12) shortly after midnight (1:22 am), revealing the divide between facts and illusions, truth and lies. At best, this Full Moon provides ample room to turn products of the imagination into concrete realities. Collectively speaking, this may find expression through the disconnect between official deceptions and scientific realities in the face of the ongoing pandemic that the ruling party would like you to think is behind us. Difficult news and sad developments are possible throughout the day with an emphasis on finances and relationships (Venus opposed Saturn). This is about taking responsibility for ourselves instead of allowing others to dictate our obligations. The notion of independent decision-making is further emphasized along with the need to break free from the lock-step of social opinion with breakthroughs and discoveries leading the way (Sun trine Uranus). Despite any potential chaos, there is room for opportunities midafternoon while confusions and deceptions arise near sunset.

Thursday, Sept. 3: Clarification and setting the record straight appears to be at the front-end of the day with a sober, mature and measured response to any recent weirdness or confusion (Mercury trine Saturn). Whatever it is will be the theme hammered on through the first half of the day. Things ease-up ever so slightly in the afternoon hours before the Moon enters inflammatory Aries at 4:22 pm, citing impulsive behaviors and knee-jerk reactions for some folks, assertive intentions and reasoned responses for others.

Friday, Sept. 4: Some form of friction is indicated this morning, whether it’s two bodies rubbing against one another, arguments, accidents or violence is difficult to say, but there is definitely an element of heavy-duty polarity going down (Venus square Mars). With Mercury getting in the middle of this boy-girl fight, we’re likely to be getting an earful as the day progresses (Mercury quincunx Mars; Mercury sextile Venus). What a way to kick off the Labor Day Weekend!

Saturday, Sept. 5: Although there are still feisty energies dominating the day, they might be turned into energetic activities of a constructive or entertaining nature. Even so, control issues may surface in the early afternoon while delays and disappointments could be in evidence this evening. The good news: Mercury exits its critical-thinking domicile in Virgo for the peace-loving sign of Libra, and not a moment too soon. The worse side of Mercury in Libra is ambivalence and hesitation, but with Mars stationing ahead of turning retrograde in Aries on Wednesday, this might be a good thing. Whoo-boy!

Copyright 2020 Gary Paul Glynn