Mercury retrograde

Astro Doings April 2018

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

Last month 2 planets changed direction. This month it’s three and then things settle for May.

I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that Mercury goes direct on the 15th at 5:21 a.m. EDT. He’ll be at 40 Aries. It’s same day as the New Moon, which will occur that evening at 260 Aries. So communication, travel and hopefully thinking will move more smoothly, and we will act on the insights gained during his retrograde period, which was a time to re-group, re-flect, and re-treat.

Saturn and Pluto both begin their retrograde motion within a few days of each other, so the week of April 16 could be a little unsettled. Saturn begins his 5-month retrograde motion on the 17th at 9:47 p.m. EDT. He’ll be at 90 Capricorn. Also in Capricorn (has been there for a long time!) is Pluto who will station retrograde on the 22nd at 11:23 a.m. He’ll be at 210 Capricorn.  Both planets will end their retrograde motion in September. Those with planets in cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Cancer, Capricorn) may feel the impact of this shift in direction more acutely. Capricorn generally deals with the status quo, institutions and systems, and Saturn is very strong in his own sign. There could be greater entrenchment and unwillingness (fear) to change as these two powerful planets change the direction of their dance in the heavens. On a more positive note, Capricorn is the sign of the spiritual initiate. Saturn points out those areas that need to be brought to the light to be healed and Pluto shines the light of truth into the dark places in our soul that we may not want to look at. Jupiter is retrograde in Scorpio, which Pluto rules, providing opportunities for deep internal growth – wonderful and challenging all at the same time! And Uranus, the planet of rebellion and higher-level insight, continues his transit of Aries, god of war, but on a personal level can assist in our quests to know High Self.

To add to the earth element this month, the Sun goes into slow-moving Taurus on the 19th at 11:13 p.m. EDT. Taurus’ message is to slow down, enjoy the flowers, and be aware of the processes of the natural world and its beauty. While Taurus is the most earthbound of the signs, it is also deeply connected to Mother Earth, with great respect for her and her cycles. We should take note. . .

Again this month there are no planets in air, until the 25th when Venus goes into Gemini. This is not a time for mental activity, but for repose and deep reflection – a lot of earth and two planets in water (Jupiter and Neptune).

Enjoy the spring!

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret

Astro Doings March 2018

Margaret Lassiter 2 Comments

Hi Everyone

March begins and ends with a Full Moon, although neither has an eclipse attached. The next round of eclipses is in July and August.

The Full Moon occurs on March 1 at 7:51 p.m. ET at 110 Virgo and the second Full Moon (blue) occurs on the 31st at 8:37 a.m. at 100 Libra.

The astrological New Year and the first day of Spring (the Vernal Equinox) occurs on Tuesday, March 20 at 12:16 p.m. when the Sun enters Aries.

Two planets change direction in March in their heavenly dance.

Jupiter stations retrograde – that’s astro-speak for when a planet “stops” moving as it starts to move from west to east from the earth’s perspective. This direction change occurs on March 8 at 11:46 p.m. at 230 Scorpio. What this could mean in general is less of an expansive attitude about anything/everything – a pulling back. It can also mean a greater inner sense of self.  This is especially true for those with planets in Scorpio, Taurus, Leo and Aquarius. The closer these planets are to 230 the more likely this change of direction will be felt.  Jupiter is a planet of expansion – great if it’s not my waistline – excess, optimism, being bigger than life. He is, after all, the largest planet in our solar system.The second direction change is everyone’s favorite – yep, you guessed it: Mercury. The planet of communication, computers, travel begins his three-week trek “backwards” on March 22 at 8:19 p.m. at 160 Aries. (Mercury starts going “direct” (from east to west) on April 15.) This is the first of three Mercury retrogrades in 2018. Mercury retrogrades are wonderful times to re-pose, re-group, re-treat, re-think. It can be a repose period to integrate and review next steps.

I am struck by the fact that there are no planets in air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) for the entire month of March and most of April. Early in the month planets are primarily in water and earth. After the Equinox, we have four planets in fire signs (Sun, Mercury, Venus and Uranus); three in earth (Capricorn to be precise). They are Mars, Saturn and Pluto; and two in water signs (Jupiter and Neptune). The air element deals primarily in the realm of ideas, communication and relationship. Those will a lot of air in their charts may feel disconnected and/or unheard during March. Or it can go the other way with an over-abundance of talk without a lot of follow-through – just mental spinning. I mention it only because when an element is missing (and this is true for charts as well), there is an imbalance where we may tend to overcompensate. We may be so focused on feelings, material concerns and action, without thought. A lack of air can also manifest as intolerance of other ideas and/or people. Something to watch as March unfolds.

Happy Spring!

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret

Astro Doings October – December 2017

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

The rest of 2017 is pretty quiet, astrologically speaking anyway. So this Astro Doings will cover October, November and December with highlights of the main events of each month.

October: No planets change direction this month, so it’s one of the quietest months we’ve seen in a while. Uranus and Neptune continue their retrograde motion. The Sun enters Scorpio, a fixed water sign, on October 23rd. From that point until early November there will be four planets in water signs: Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces. The Harvest Moon occurs on the 5th at 120 Aries.

 November: Venus moves into Scorpio on the 7th and Mercury moves into Sagittarius. But we’ll still have four planets in water signs. More significantly, perhaps, Neptune goes direct on the 22nd at 110 Pisces. Water represents our emotions, among other things. So during these two months emotions could be running very high, and with Neptune going direct, we may be less reticent to express how we’re feeling. Another way to look at this change of direction is that our spiritual growth may be more outwardly visible as we live the gains made during her retrograde period. And of course with all this water, there is also the possibility of additional hurricanes or flooding. The “season” ends at the end of this month – in theory anyway! The Sun moves into Sagittarius, a mutable fire sign, on the 21st. From then on, there will be four planets in fire signs: Sun, Mercury and Saturn in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aries. The full Moon is on the 4th at 110 Taurus.

December: Mercury has his last retrograde fling of the year from the 3rd through the 22nd. He’ll be in Sagittarius. Also significant this month is Saturn’s entry into Capricorn on the 19th, a cardinal earth sign, which he rules. Saturn is the great teacher of the zodiac, presenting as old age, status quo, restriction and lack. He teaches us by providing opportunities to look at our fears and recognize the illusion that they are. He will be able to express his energies very easily in Capricorn. And the Winter Solstice, when the Sun enters Capricorn, is the 21st. So the end of December is the most active of the last three months of 2017. The full Moon is on the 3rd at 110 Gemini.

I hope you have a wonderful, growth-filled and peaceful fall and early winter, celebrating the holidays with friends and family.

Peace and abundant blessings.

Margaret

Astro Doings August 2017

Margaret Lassiter 1 Comment

Hi Everyone

Hope you enjoyed the relatively quiet months of June and July. August promises to be rather unsettled with three planets changing direction and two eclipses. Hold on to your hat! I’ll take these celestial events in order.

Thursday, August 3: Uranus: goes retrograde at 1:31 a.m at 290 Aries. Aries is ruled by Mars, the god of war and Aries, like all fire signs, is on a quest. In this case it’s for our higher selves. Uranus is the planet of the higher mind and can bring flashes of insight, inspiration and higher level thinking of all kinds. At the very end of Aries (each sign has 30 degrees in it), it is an inner (Uranus retrograde) time to war (Mars) against that which holds us back from our journey to our true selves (Aries).

Monday, August 7: Partial lunar eclipse at 150 Aquarius at 9:15 p.m. ET. Eclipses come in pairs, and while we will not be able to see this one, anyone with placements from 12 – 180 Leo, Taurus, Scorpio, or Aquarius may feel the impact of this eclipse more strongly than others. Lunar eclipses occur at a full moon and can bring the culmination of past activities, a sense of completion or desire to change on a deep soul level and a deepening of compassion. This eclipse is near the lunar South Node, or Dragon’s Tail, which provides an opportunity for a release of old energies and/or patterns. The lunar nodes are where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, the path that the Sun appears to follow over the course of a year. (Eclipses only occur when the Sun is next to one of the nodes.) This eclipse will last about five hours, so the sensitive energy vortex that opens at the time of the eclipse will remain so for about five months.

Saturday, August 12: Mercury goes retrograde at 9:01 p.m. at 120 Virgo. His retrograde motion goes along with the theme of inner reflection that Uranus, the higher octave of Mercury, began earlier in the month. Both planets of the mind are now turned inward. He’ll be retrograde for the rest of the month and will back into Leo before going direct at the beginning of September. While I know this everyone’s favorite retrograde (!), those whose Mercury is in the other mutable signs, Gemini, Pisces and Sagittarius, may feel this retrograde more strongly. Also Mercury will be opposed Neptune in her own sign, Pisces, inviting us to explore the realm of the heart, redemption and compassion, rather than relying totally on logic and linear thinking.

Monday, August 21: Total solar eclipse at 280 Leo at 2:30 p.m. This is the eclipse that will be visible in the US, as I’m sure you’ve all heard! It will last a little more than five hours. Once again we have a planet at the end of the sign, marking a potential ending of how we use the energy of the sign, in this case, Leo. At the time of the eclipse there will be five planets in fire signs: Sun, Moon, Mars in Leo, Uranus in Aries, and Saturn in Sagittarius, making a big triangle (a grand trine) in fire in the heavens. A trine is an easy flow of energy so we tend not to pay attention to it, but all that fire can be quite volatile, as well as inspirational. Fire is an interesting element. It can warm and provide light, and it can also destroy. Leo is the sign of the Divine Child in each of us, and I believe this eclipse can be used both ways: to burn away that which blocks our sense of our connection to the divine within and to the divine in each other and to illuminate the path toward our higher (or Christ) consciousness. The Sun is next to the lunar North Node, or Dragon’s Head, and promises an influx of new energy and inspiration.

And last, but certainly not least. . .

Friday, August 25: Saturn goes direct at 8:09 a.m. at 210 Sagittarius. The quest for Sagittarius is for Truth – truth about ourselves and each other. This change in direction may be more strongly felt by anyone with placements from 15 to 290 Gemini, Virgo, Pisces, and of course Sag. As Saturn ends his inner restructuring, his direct motion may help us all move forward more easily and straightforwardly in our quest for our own inner truth and in recognizing areas where we may still be deceiving ourselves. He is also in a challenging relationship (square) to Neptune, which may help soften the harshness of Saturn.

Have a wonderful August. While the energies may be a bit unsettled, they provide a great opportunity for inner work in our quest for our true selves, which we can then bring to the world.

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret

Astro Doings January 2017

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

Happy New Year!

2017 starts pretty quietly, astrologically. The first week, Mercury will still be retrograde, a wonderful time to re-think, re-group, re-evaluate. He goes direct on January 8th at 4:43 a.m. He’ll be at 290 Sagittarius and will move into Capricorn on the 12th. Mercury in Capricorn processes information more slowly and thoroughly than he does in fiery Sagittarius. After Mercury goes direct, as we say, all planets will be going direct, i.e. moving from east to west through the heavens (by our perception from earth). It may feel more “full steam ahead” than we’ve felt before when the outer planets were retrograde.

The outer planets are all still in either cardinal (Aries, Libra, Capricorn) or mutable (Pisces, Sagittarius). Both types of energy are very restless, somewhat pushy, easily bored and seemingly without direction. We’ve had this energy lineup for a while now, which sometimes can feel frenetic and lacking in direction. There is very little sustaining (fixed) energy to slow things down a little bit. Throughout January, Uranus (planet of the higher mind, rebellion, lightening bolts) will be on the other side of the zodiac from Jupiter (planet of expansion, larger than life, not always realistic). Uranus is in Aries and Jupiter is in Libra, calling us to balance our own interests and growth (Aries) with others (Libra). Libra is the sign of balance (they don’t have it, but they keep looking for it!) and of the “other.” Of course, the goal is to recognize that we are all one. Both Uranus and Jupiter are squaring (growth opportunity, incompatible elements) Pluto in Capricorn, which is an earth sign. It seems that Pluto has been in Capricorn forever, challenging all of our systems within ourselves and in our societies. So a further adjustment is possible between our optimism (Jupiter) and our higher mind (Uranus). Those with planets from 15 to 250 Aries, Libra, Capricorn and/or Cancer, may be more impacted by this planetary combination, called a t-square.

That’s really it for January. The Full Moon occurs on January 12th at 220 Cancer and the New Moon occurs on January 27th at 80 Aquarius. The Sun enters the sign of the Water Bearer (Aquarius) on January 19th at 4:24 p.m., adding a little stabilizing and/or stubborn (fixed) energy to the mix.

I wish you all peace and abundant blessings in this New Year!

Margaret

Astro Doings September 2016

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

Hope you had a wonderful summer! September promises to be quite intense, especially for the mutable signs (Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, Pisces). And there are no planets in fixed signs (Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, Scorpio) until the end of the month, so it may feel that nothing is settled or finished. Fixed energy gives us the tenacity to finish what we start. Mutable energy is constantly shifting and adapting.

September begins with Mercury retrograde and a solar eclipse. Mercury goes retrograde on August 30 at 9:04 a.m. at 290 Virgo. It’s the last one in 2016!  Because of this retrograde motion, he will be in Virgo until October 7th. Virgo is the sign of discernment, discrimination and organization (among many other things). Mercury likes being in Virgo where he works to categorize life and put it in little boxes. Just don’t get lost in the analysis (paralysis)! He also trines (easy flow of energy) Pluto (power, underground, transformation) in Capricorn (status quo, big business, systems). In addition he opposes (other side of the heavens) Neptune (fog, compassion, redemption, divine homesickness) in Pisces. This can be a positive thing, as earth (Virgo) gives boundaries to watery Pisces and Pisces softens Virgo’s perfectionism. Both signs are feminine – sustaining, supportive, nurturing and both are about change.

The solar eclipse occurs at 90 Virgo on September 1st at 5:03 a.m. (We will not be able to see it in the US.) This is an annular eclipse where a ring of the Sun’s light is visible around the darkness of the Moon’s shadow. It will last about six hours so this energy vortex will be open for at least six months. Those with planets, lunar nodes or angles from 6-120 of any of the mutable signs will be most likely to feel the energy of this potent new beginning. This eclipse will be squared (growth opportunity) by Saturn (restriction, lack, lessons, Dweller on the Threshold) in Sagittarius (quest for Truth) and opposed by Neptune in Pisces. These two planets ask us to elevate our mundane perceptions (Saturn) to live our spiritual truths (Neptune) and create heaven here on earth. This eclipse in Virgo adds additional support to this effort as Virgo represents the harvest of our Selves, integrated spiritual beings, expressing ourselves from our highest understanding.

As you know, eclipses come in pairs. The lunar eclipse occurs on the Harvest Moon on September 16th at 3:05 p.m. The moon will be at 240 Pisces. What are you harvesting? What do you want to let go of? How do you want to serve? Are you ready to move forward in unity with all that is? This eclipse is squared by Mars in Sagittarius, whose highest expression is the spiritual warrior with plenty of courage to seek the Path to Truth, which is the quest of Sagittarius.

The Autumnal Equinox is on the 22nd when the Sun moves into Libra at 10:22 a.m. Libra is the sign of balance and reconciliation of opposites. Libra focuses on the other, but its task is to balance itself with the other.

And Mercury goes direct on the 22nd at 1:31 a.m. He’ll be at 140 Virgo. Phew! If that’s not enough, Pluto, the planet of deep-seated transformation, what lies beneath the surface, power struggles, and manipulation, goes direct on September 26th at 10:50 a.m. She’ll be at 14 degrees Capricorn. The inner work done during her long retrograde may now be more evident to you — and to others. Power struggles on the world scene could be more obvious.

The month ends with a new moon in Libra, signaling the potential for new beginnings of balance, beauty and measured growth!

Have a great September!

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret

Astro Doings April 2016

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

What strikes me about the planetary doings in April is that by the end of the month there will be five planets in retrograde motion: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. Three of them (Mercury, Mars and Pluto) change direction during the month. While we generally experience the energies of planets in retrograde motion more inwardly and this can be true if we choose to use them this way, we may also experience this as feeling somewhat stuck or without a lot of forward motion, both personally and globally. And three of them (Sun, Mercury and Venus) will be in Taurus, the slowest moving sign of the zodiac, at the end of the month – just for emphasis!

We begin the month with a powerful New Moon at 180 Aries on April 7th at 7:24 a.m. EDT. New moons are always about new beginnings and Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, reiterating the “new beginning” theme. Uranus, planet of higher level thinking, rebellion and revolution, is conjunct (next to) this New Moon, adding the potential for innovative new ways of doing things to the Sun/Moon “conversation” about needing to start anew. It is also being squared by powerful Pluto in Capricorn, reminding us that this “new beginning” needs to focus on structures that no longer work, on planning, on discipline and on dedication.

Mars is currently in Sagittarius with Saturn. Mars is the warrior; Saturn is the disciplinarian/father and both planets are male in their energetic feel. Sagittarius is the sign of the pathfinder, so this can be a time to find our inner path and have the courage (Mars) and discipline/dedication (Saturn) to follow it. Mars stations retrograde on April 17 at 8:14 a.m. and will remain in retrograde motion until the end of June.

And the next day, April 18, Pluto stations retrograde at 3:23 a.m. at 170 Capricorn. Here we have another opportunity to look at personal structures and attitudes that no longer serve us. I believe that we will also continue to see societal structures that no longer work be part of the evening news.

And last, but certainly not least, Mercury goes retrograde on April 28th at 1:20 p.m. He’ll be at 230 Taurus. He’ll go direct three weeks later, May 23rd.

A rather introspective month, I think, considering it’s spring and a time when things begin to blossom and flower. It may be that this time is given us to slow our frenetic pace down, and focus on what is truly important to us, to truly fulfill all our potential for our highest and best.

Have a wonderful April!

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret

 

 

Astro Doings January 2016

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Happy New Year, Everyone!

This year will begin on a very introspective note energetically. As you know, January is named for the Roman god, Janus, who had two heads – one looking forward to the new and one looking back to the old. This is very appropriate for the planetary doings this month.

We begin with everyone’s favorite retrograde! Mercury will be retrograde in Capricorn from January 5th through the 25th. He joins the Sun and Pluto in Capricorn. As a matter of fact on January 6th the Sun and Pluto will be right next to each other (conjunct) in the heavens. And the New Moon (new beginnings) occurs on the 9th at 190 Capricorn.

If that isn’t enough for you, Jupiter, planet of expansion, good fortune and luck, goes retrograde on the 7th. He’ll be at 230 Virgo, another earth sign and an easy flow with the Sun, Pluto and Mercury. His retrograde ends in May.

Retrogrades are wonderful times to re-flect, re-group, re-think, re-organize, and re-treat. As the god Janus invites us to do to – look back on what has gone well in the past and look forward to changes you want to make. Pluto is the planet of transformation, never an easy process, because we all love to hang on to our illusions and Pluto goes deep. No hiding! So we have a whole month for this process! Neat, eh?

Like all signs, the energy of Capricorn can be used on different levels. Capricorn brings with it the Saturnian concepts of discipline, determination, and sure-footed forward motion. Capricorn folks always have a plan – one year, five year, and beyond. Nothing is left to chance. These wonderful attributes can be applied on one level to goals on the material plane, such as business, career, athletics, etc. On a higher level, Capricorn is the sign of the spiritual initiate, pictured as a goat climbing sure-footedly up the mountain of spiritual understanding. Its symbol (glyph) is a combination of the symbol for Aries (the head) and Leo (the heart). When these two parts of us work in harmony, great growth can be achieved.

I believe this powerful combination of Pluto (transformation), Mercury retrograde (inner thought processes) and the Sun (our essence) is an invitation from the stars to look at our spiritual growth and service, and Capricorn provides wonderful, practical, goal-setting energy. I think we all hve planets either in cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) and/or planets in earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) that will aid us in tapping into this energetic line up this month to re-dedicate ourselves to service, in whatever form that may take for us, and to brighten the light that we shine in our world.

Adding to the mix is Jupiter in Virgo, a sign that is frequently misunderstood. It is most often viewed as being perfectionist, lost in the details, bean counters, and/or a health nut. In actuality Virgo is the sign of the harvest of self, an individual who moves through his/her world with assurance and an inner sense of self. Maya Angelou described Virgo beautifully when she wrote: “A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself.” Add this developing sense of who we are to how we want to serve our world, and I think we can bring a lot of light wherever we are. This is a month of determining inwardly how we want to go about this and identifying/dissolving blocks to our goals. Jupiter retrograde may bring news stories about business issues, the stock market not doing well, but it is in truth the planet of faith and higher truth. Where is our faith?

And we have some fire to help inspire us along the way. Venus and Saturn are both in Sagittarius (Jupiter’s sign) and Uranus is in Aries (Mars’s sign). When earth and fire work together, we have inspiration (fire) and practicality (earth) in our toolbox to realize our dreams.

January also brings with it some sustaining energy, which has been absent recently. We astrologers call it “fixed” energy and Mars, the warrior, enters Scorpio on January 3rd. Scorpio is another generally misunderstood sign. It is water, which will soften all the earthy Capricorn and Virgo energy. It is an easy flow of energy with Neptune in Pisces. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto and can provide insight into the depths of us. Scorpio goes where we perhaps would rather not look – but need to. It is a sign of great healing and insight, as we bring the dark parts of ourselves to the light. And Mars provides energy and courage for this task.

There will be more sustaining energy when the Sun enters Aquarius on January 20th. Aquarius is an air sign and not necessarily compatible with watery Scorpio. Aquarius is a visionary, but can get stuck in the ruts of his/her own thinking. However, it can provide innovative ideas on how we want to change and new areas of service that we’d like to explore. Air is mental energy and water taps the feeling, psychic energy – a restatement of the symbol for Capricorn when used it its highest expression.

I wish you a most joyous and reflective January.

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret

 

 

 

 

Astro Doings November 2015

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

November promises to be much like the end of October with not a lot (and toward the end of the month, no) fixed, sustaining energy. We will continue to have mostly cardinal energy, which initiates, starts, and flits from one thing to another. It rarely finishes what it starts – that requires fixed or sustaining energy. The cardinal signs are Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn. We also have some mutable energy, which also flits and changes what has been started. It’s very changeable and multi-talented energy. The mutable signs are Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo and Pisces.

We’ve all experienced this combination of energies. Think about mornings when you look in your closet and can’t figure out what to wear. You think about this outfit – and maybe even try it on – but it’s not right. So you try another and another – cardinal energy. By now you’re late and probably have a pile of clothes on the floor. So you finally decide on an outfit, but all day long you’re not satisfied with it. You think about different ways to change it (mutable energy), how to fix it and/or what you would do next time. Sound familiar? So for the rest of this year we’ll be experiencing this kind of energy, not being able to settle down, sort of twitchy.

Those of us with a lot of cardinal and/or mutable energy may feel especially restless, unable to focus or find a clear direction. Think of it as a time of experimentation without attachment to the outcome – like trying on clothes. This is not a bad thing – it’s just what is.

The Sun moves into Sagittarius (mutable energy, fire element) on November 22nd at 10:26 a.m. The Scorpio (water, fixed) New Moon occurs on November 11th at 12:47 p.m. and the Sagittarius/Gemini Full Moon occurs on November 25th. Toward the end of November we have a lot of fire and air energy. These two elements do very nicely together, but the combination can be somewhat of the Peter Pan complex of not wanting to grow up. I’m sure you know people (or may be one of them) who have wonderful, visionary ideas about things but yet never seem to be able to bring them to fruition – that’s one way fire and air can work together. At the end of November the Sun, Mercury, Saturn (all in Sagittarius) and Uranus (Aries)are in fire signs. Venus and Mars are in Libra (air

Lest the earth and water signs feel left out, Jupiter and Pluto are in earth signs, Virgo and Capricorn respectively. And there is one planet in water – Neptune is still in her own sign, Pisces. While she is very strong there, Neptune doesn’t have anyone to play with. Neptune and Pisces are both about compassion, redemption, and forgiveness, all of which seem to be in quite short supply in our world currently. Neptune does end her inward retrograde motion on November 18th at 11:32 a.m. she’ll be at 70 Pisces and will stay at 70 through the rest of 2015. Those with planets or other significant points on the chart at 1-140 Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, or Sagittarius (the mutable signs) or the other water signs, Scorpio and Cancer, may feel this change of direction more acutely. For the other mutable signs this will be another “growth opportunity” relationship; for the other water signs it will be an easy flow of energy that we have to pay attention to in order to full benefit from it.

Hope you have a wonderful November and a gratitude-filled Thanksgiving holiday.

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret

Astro Doings October 2015

Margaret Lassiter Leave a comment

Hi Everyone

I hope you had an opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous lunar eclipse at the end of September. It was truly spectacular! In comparison to last month, October looks pretty staid.

Good news! Mercury goes direct on October 9th at 10:58 a.m. ET. He’ll be at 00 Libra and will whiz his way through the sign for the rest of the month. Libra is an air sign, and Mercury likes the air element. Libra is about balance – they would like to have it – and relating to others or better to “the other.”

Venus, Mars and Jupiter are running together in Virgo all month. Virgo is a rather misunderstood sign. It’s more an issue of not understanding the complexity of the sign. It can express itself as analysis paralysis, for sure, but Virgo is really about harvesting all the parts of ourselves into one whole. Maya Angelou’s quote describes Virgo perfectly: “A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself.”

That’s it folks. There’s a new moon on October 12th at 190 Libra and the full moon is on October 27 at 30 Taurus. The Sun moves into Scorpio, a water sign, on October 23rd.

What interested me most about October is that until the Sun enters Scorpio, a fixed sign, there are four planets in cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Cancer, Capricorn). They are: Sun, Mercury, Uranus and Pluto. There are five planets in mutable signs (Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius and Gemini). They are: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. Cardinal energy starts but rarely finishes. It’s male in its feel and its job is to get things going. Mutable energy is multi-talented, restless, and frequently indecisive. Since there is so little fixed energy (Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius) to sustain and slow some of the impulses of the cardinal and mutable signs, October’s energy may seem very scattered and moving in fits and starts. This will continue into November as well. Of course if you have planets in cardinal and mutable signs, this may either seem totally normal to you and/or you may find yourself more scattered than usual.

Have a great October everyone!

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret