Category: Current Astrology

Retrograde Mars In Leo Advice

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ Leave a comment

With the Red Planet having just entered the sign of the Lion and staying there for the foreseeable future (early January 2025; when it backtracks into the Crab’s cosmic turf), have you ever heard of the expression “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes”?  Well this is what we’re NOT doing during Mars Retrograde 2024-2025!  To clarify, a so-called “stupid game” in this particular Mars Retrograde case equates to anything we might otherwise be inclined to do to stir up drama, ego-driven or entitlement-fueled actions, defending our pride as if life & limb depended upon it, and/or anything that might generally reek of some kind of  metaphorical big cat pissing contest.  No, no; we’re not doing any of this AT ALL – remember, you can’t “win” if you don’t play, and I assure you the prizes are not worth the headaches.

What are we doing instead?  We’re following urges to act in accordance with our noblest impulses.  We’re scratching that itch for entertainment and excitement through healthier – and far less messy – avenues such as creative pursuits & hobbies.  We’re wrangling our tempers so we are truly self-sovereign in this regard; never deigning to lower ourselves in anger at paltry things nor trifling peasants.  We are mustering the full presence of our Being to command – not demand – admiration via the strength of our character.  There is a reason why the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot depicts the Strength card as a nameless maiden of no particular renown gently closing the jaws of a lion.  They did not use, say, an illustration of Hercules – a name practically synonymous with physical strength – wrestling the Nemean Lion into submission; no.  They were smart enough to understand that true strength emanates from within at our core and does not depend on whether we were noble-born nor even if we were born with a pair of testicles.

Hercules’ fight with the Nemean Lion, by Sir Pieter Paul Rubens

In closing: This Mars in Leo season (and it is a long one due to the incoming Mars Retrograde!), fuck the pro-wrestling, steroid-induced machismo and see it for the weakness it is hiding. Right action cannot be achieved whenever the ego is enthroned where the heart should be, and the genuinely courageous among us will firmly but gently tame the beast within & without so not an ounce more of force is applied than is needed.  Do not waste a drop, for your energy and blood are too precious to squander foolishly. 11/05/2024

Ground & Chill

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ Leave a comment

It’s the kickoff to yet another Mercury Retrograde, and if you read my August newsletter then you know the importance of pausing to breathe, performing frequent audits of our own headspace, and re-calibrating in order to to gain mental equilibrium this month!

This particular Mercury Retrograde made quite an impact before it even started via late July’s global technology outage, which occurred just after this planet entered its upcoming retrograde path.  Today, with Mercury’s official move into “Reverse” gear, we have the Japanese Nikkei index in meltdown mode; triggering global economic worries and affecting stock markets worldwide.  Breathe, and remember it’s a “Not today, Satan”  kind of day retrograde – we’re not going to fall into the trap of fretting about things we can’t control and will instead direct helpful, productive energy toward grounding & collecting ourselves.  Let’s redirect focus in the direction of finding solutions for the things we *can* control; our headspace being one thing!

With the renewed grounding of our minds, perhaps we’ll even find that we have a little leftover energy for being helpful to others if/when they’re feeling jittery.  If we’re so inclined, this is best accomplished through hearing & validating their concerns yet also utilizing a soft touch that lets them know we’re here for them while doing our best to ease their minds with balanced considerations.  It’s a bit like being a “Chicken (Little) Whisperer” – when everyone is afraid and thinks the sky is falling, be the small, serene angel on their shoulders that reminds them it’s probably not as bad as it seems right now if they just take a “Time out” and breathe for a second.  Remember what I said  in this month’s newsletter: In August, we’ll find we actually *can* think our way out of predicaments.  Make an effort to foster & keep positive mental space and use affirming (self?) talk that will serve as a reminder for how we’ve figured our way out of tough spots before and can do it again. Rather than allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by a problem, let’s focus on solutions.

08/05/2024

A “Knives Out” Mercury Retrograde

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We have just kicked off yet another Mercury Retrograde, and this one sure is comin’ in HOT!  It’s an unusually aggro Rx with the Messenger Planet irritated by a frustrating back-and-forth grind in Aries; like trying to mash the gas pedal with the E-brake still on!  Mercury is all hotted up with basically nowhere to go and as this planet stomps around The Ram’s pen peevishly, The Trickster liable to take it out on us in decidedly “Not Funny” ways – here are a half-dozen quick tips for minimizing this retrograde’s potential edge:

  • SLOW DOWN; particularly on the road.  Haste is NOT our friend under this retrograde; whether we’re talking excess speed while driving or doing an ordinary chore/activity, saying something when we’re angry that we can’t take back, firing off an ill-thought out missive in frustration or irritation, or leaping to conclusions without clarifying facts. For at least the next few weeks, get in the habit of thinking over what you’re saying two or three times BEFORE you say/type/write it; repetition IS our friend here! Self-audit what you want to say; chances are the first impulse isn’t a good one.
  • Manage anger; BREATHE.  Count to ten.  Anger is natural; in a positive sense, it allows us to champion causes and fight the good fight in standing up for ourselves or others.  But under this retrograde, we’re more likely to become angry about things prematurely; when we’re lacking all the facts or somehow misunderstanding something – few things are worse than misdirected or ill-informed anger!  Self-righteous anger is another Cardinal Sin of this retrograde; just don’t do it, and be willing to admit when you’ve got something twisted because – historically speaking – pride usually comes before the fall.  There’s something we are in the process of identifying/uncovering about ourselves this Mercury Retro that can significantly change/challenge conceptions we’ve had in how we see ourselves and/or our thought process.
  • Identify & differentiate your communication style: There are Aggressive, Assertive, and Passive styles of communicating, and what every single one of us should be striving for is the positive Assertive middle setting where we are able to speak directly to our wants & needs while maintaining full consideration for others’ rights.  In a world filled with vitriolic rhetoric, this is something sorely needed today.
  • The temperature of conversation needs to come down.  Hot topics should be avoided.  This is not about scoring points & winning, but about learning to truly listen.  Hear yourself, and hear each other.  Because two people yelling at each other isn’t going to change anybody’s mind – if it’s clear someone just wants to force their opinion, disconnect from the conversation; let them argue with themselves instead. Remember, you can’t “win” if you don’t play; why play a stupid game for a stupid prize in the first place? 
  •  Both painful AND healing conversations will be had this Mercury Rx.  The first rule of approach should be “Do no harm” – pick words wisely; with care and sensitivity for the wounds they can cause.  Be brave in initiating (not forcing!) discussions about painful subjects for the sake of healing; rehearse what you want to say ahead of time rather than risk potentially stumbling over words on-the-fly,  be direct in stating the goal of mending injuries, ensure engagement in the topic at hand is 100% consensual (if someone doesn’t want to talk, respect this above all else), and address pain points directly; be willing to sit in the hot seat if you have to in order to achieve the stated goal.  To heal pain, we must often brave the fires of anger first; something that serves as a necessary self-protective mechanism when someone has hurt us. Bring a flame-retardant suit, or don’t go there period if you’ve hurt someone badly but can’t take hearing about it – half of healing is in the listening & understanding; the other lies in not repeating the offending behavior.  This Mercury Retrograde – particularly the back end of it – has the feel of verbal bomb-diffusing; where we’ll need a gentle, graceful, and loving conversational healing touch.  An unrefined rough-around-the-edges approach won’t do and is only likely to worsen a relationship due clumsy execution.  Steady yourself; if you’re nervous, best wait for nerves to be soothed and/or the heat of a situation to die down first before proceeding to initiate a dialogue – you don’t want to risk cutting (or crossing, via misunderstanding) the wrong wire and have things blow up in your face. 
  • Lastly, don’t assume; ask questions.  Assumptions are dangerous now; they equate to going off half-cocked, and if you would rather just altogether avoid a scenario in which you’re liable to metaphorically shoot yourself (or someone else) in the foot accidentally, best to mind the impulse to leap to possibly erroneous conclusions.   Put a trigger guard in place by questioning what you think you know or understand; “Am I understanding this correctly?”

In closing, don’t be this guy:

What we’re definitely NOT going for this Mercury Retrograde in Aries is a “Conversational Arsonist” sort of look – avoid more base-level, shit-starting, pot-stirring tendencies, find healthier outlets for anger so it doesn’t come out sideways at the wrong target, and generally just take a chill pill.  Mercury is only retrograde for a few weeks, but it’s a particularly hot & sharp Rx prone to literal and metaphorical “burns” & “cuts” – to avoid finding yourself in a painful scrape with this planet, mind the above as Best Practices; the life you save may be your own. 

04/03/2024

Mars Retrograde Humor/Wisdom

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Just a little levity for this Mars Retrograde, sandwiched-between-eclipses space we find ourselves currently in (warning for language):

 

10/26/2022

When Mercury Retrograde Hits…

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LOL, a live look at an error message I received when logging in to do some work today – it looks like the Mercury Retrograde gremlins have been let out to play:

We all know the Mercury Retro drill; gadgets get glitchy, software slows down, hardware hiccups, updates may get upended, meetings get mixed-up, tongues (and texts) can get twisted,  anxiety tends to amp up, schedules can get squirrely, public transport plods, and/or your car might get crotchety.  Phew!  This Mercury retrograde seems to be feeling particularly punchy with its proximity to Fixed Star Aldebaran; like it has a forceful point to make.  In recent days leading up to this Rx, I watched the “Nervous Nelly” implications of Mercury turning Retrograde lead to days in which there were both substantial losses on Wall Street – with the Dow losing 1000 points, Nasdaq having its worst day in 2 years, & then the S&P hit its lowest level in a year  – and a crypto crash as Bitcoin dipped below 30K and triggered a wave of panic.  People get skittish when Mercury changes direction; it’s a thing! The world could use a deep, centering breath when Mercury makes moves like this; logic leaves while the limbic Lizard Brain often takes the wheel.

Indecision and vacillation also tend to be more commonplace during Mercury Retrogrades as we rethink things – this is often a good thing, as taking time to mull something over (again) may make us less inclined to act in haste based on faulty information.  We can frequently make wrong assumptions, or frankly just might not have all the facts of a matter whenever this planetary messenger’s motion is a little “off”.  It’s like a bad 90’s talk show; before going off half-cocked, wait for those DNA test results to come in!

For this specific Mercury Retrograde, there seems to be a theme of “severance” in the air; both literal and metaphorical.  Careful around machinery (including cars and household appliances) that you could have an accident (digits or limbs getting caught and cut) with, and be mindful of sharp things in general; Mercury bounces back-and-forth between Fixed Stars Aldebaran – associated with a sword-wielding Archangel Micheal – and Algol in Medusa’s severed head.  In a less literal sense, words can both cut and lead to a cutting off (of communications) with Mercury ping-ponging between these two powerful stars. Do not engage in gossip, and be mindful of what you say and/or write (on yet another Mercury Rx-related note, look at the leaked Supreme Court opinion on overturning Roe v. Wade that happened last week as evidence of this).  So be safe out there, take a big calming breath,  choose words wisely, and avoid distractions when around a sharp or otherwise potentially dangerous object.

05/11/2022

Heeding Good Advice

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ Leave a comment

When good advice comes to you, are you able to recognize it as such?  On a scale from 1 – 10 (1 = Never, 10 = Always), how often would you say that you listen to the advice of others?   I ask because with Mercury Retrograde incoming a little over a week from now, we should always pay attention to any messages we get more than once.  To wit, I’ll share something that bears repeating – it’s an excerpt from my March 1st newsletter referencing April’s Jupiter/Neptune Conjunction:

“…there is some major hermit energy inherent in this configuration, yet it is coupled with the paradox of there also being simultaneous restlessness regarding isolation. Much like everything else with this alignment, this begs perspective and the necessity of asking ourselves “How much is too much?” in any given context. There is value in self-isolation as a means for mitigating over-sensitivity and for soul-searching to find one’s own truth, though admittedly in recent years we have certainly had a surplus of opportunities for this due to world events. In fact, some are so exhausted by this prolonged “hermit mode” they are desperately wanting to move “onward and upward” regardless of the broader ripple effect this may cause for the world at large and for the course of this pandemic. We can certainly choose not to believe in the pandemic anymore, but unfortunately the pandemic still believes in us or – more specifically – in our ability to keep spreading illness because of this great weariness we have about it. In fact, the astro of this alignment very much cautions against such over-relaxation leading to the spread of increased illness. There is indeed a theme of self-induced harm via over-permissiveness that can generate just such a wake on a bigger scale w/ the conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces. On the macro, there is most definitely a huge lather-rinse-repeat cycle that keeps going on with the premature eagerness to be “over” this virus leading to subsequent surges and more variants of concern emerging that are more, well, concerning than prior iterations.  For the time being, our energy is much better spent on finding ways to relax this restlessness before it balloons into a bigger problem for us.”

See also: The rise of multiple Omicron Covid-19 sub-variants –  BA 2.12.1, BA 4, & BA 5 – that all surfaced in the news right around the time of this conjunction.   I am publishing this excerpt again in the interest of public health because it was good advice then and it’s still good advice now; particularly with Mercury about to backtrack – remember, Mercury is a health planet too.  And in the physical body it governs the lungs & respiratory function (among other things).

05/02/2022

Pluto in Capricorn & Healing Ancestral Trauma

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In one of my recent newsletters (February 2022), I have been discussing the USA’s Pluto Return in the sign of Capricorn; what it is, why it’s significant, and – most importantly – what we can each/all do to help this crucial turning point be one of resurrection for our nation.  When speaking of Pluto, I have often mentioned the concept of bioluminescence; the ability to generate our own Light from within, even in the darkest of places.  Interestingly, many bioluminescent species are found in precisely such environs, and yet still they thrive – I think they have much to teach us at this decisive period in our nation’s history.

The strength of a nation is measured in the spirit of its people; more precisely, in their resilience.  These have been dark times indeed, but we need not fear them when have deep and unyielding confidence in our ability to recover.  It is this idea of recovery I wish to speak to now, for this is what is in greatest service to our nation and its people.  America’s Pluto Return is its “Scarlett O’Hara” moment in “Gone with the Wind” – silhouetted in the dawning of a new day, she says the following: “As God as my witness; they’re not going to lick me…..as God as my witness; I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again!” You will note that I have very deliberately left out the part where she vows “If I have to lie, steal, cheat, or kill…”, as this is Lo-Fi Pluto and – rather than give into more ignoble impulses where we try to make the ends justify the means – I wish to inspire us instead toward Pluto’s higher potential.  For the purposes of this post, the point of the quote lies in Scarlett’s indomitable will to survive any crisis that life throws at her.

Recovery can happen in many ways, but I want to talk about one of the most impactful levels as it is a topic germane to all Americans now.  Because Pluto is associated with both trauma and healing, perhaps one of the most salient points to mention involves Capricorn’s connection with that which is “old” in addition to this sign also having ties to history, our forefathers, and our “pedigree” or “lineage”.  In understanding Pluto’s deepest healing potential, we know that when it Returns in the sign of Capricorn we (as a collective nation) will be dealing with themes that involve gaining insight into old, possibly generational traumas (or perhaps “curses”) for the sake of banishing, cleansing, and renewing on an energetic level.

Ancestral trauma can come in many forms – most (if not all) of us alive on the planet here today have ancestors who “had it hard” in one respect or another; sometimes in several areas at once.  We may live with the energetic residue of things like poverty, famine, war, slavery, or even genocide metaphysically encoded in our DNA; even if we ourselves haven’t lived through such events.  Traumas such as these can hold particular power over us if we are not conscious of their potential trickle-drown effects.  Sometimes there are actual learned (dysfunctional) behaviors that we might inherit as a result; like the hoarding tendencies one might have as the child of parents who stockpiled more food than was necessary in the wake of living through the bread lines of The Great Depression.  This is not a judgement whatsoever; intense experiences understandably leave a mark.  But best now to direct energy toward old scar tissue to see if we can transform what was once a curse into a point of empowerment.

A large part of healing the “curses” of our forefathers lies in the naming of these demons and symbolically casting them out – let us dig into the roots of our family trees to understand and resolve that which causes our ancestors’ spirits to have unrest so we can stop this from affecting future generations.  What this looks like for each person is going to be very different; especially with respect to whether these kinds of impactfully disturbing experiences happened from the victim or perpetrator’s (or perhaps our ancestors were both, à la hurt people hurt people) side(s).  But investigating with a spirit of integrity, humility, and an earnest desire to straighten things out gets us far….sometimes we are the ones left holding the bag for our parents’/grandparents’/great-grandparents’/etc., and it is better to work constructively on clearing out the mess than to curse the burden that now rests upon our shoulders.  Heal what they couldn’t; willingly take on the responsibility for straightening out their (energetic) legacy.

03/16/2022

The Mars/Venus/Pluto Mashup in Capricorn

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As if the world doesn’t have enough to deal with right now; just in time for Thursday’s  approaching conjunction of war god Mars with volcanic Pluto 🙄  Venus is in the mix too, though, and here’s my geopolitical take on this alignment:

Vladimir Putin is a Libra Sun with three other planets located in this sign as well; he is strongly influenced by the planet Venus, which is (and has been) debilitated by its recent retrograde in Capricorn.  This is also important because Venus rules money, and I’m not sure that Putin weighed the economic ramifications of his decision to invade Ukraine nearly enough – the ruble has plunged 30% in recent days and the Russian Central Bank jacked rates to 20% to keep pace with the resulting economic fallout.  Capricorn is a stern sign that demands both self-restraint and that we do the right thing or we will face the consequences, and this has been a very bad business decision for Putin. Economic punishment is, IMO, the right move here; it hits where it hurts most.

Mars has been tagging along with Venus very closely the last few weeks; serving as an astrological catalyst for Putin’s naked aggression.  Mars is a pushy, aggressive, agitating kind of energy but Venus suffers from its influence; particularly whilst already curbed by Capricorn’s heavy-handed nature. Venus also represents one’s allies, and it seems Putin is lacking for friends at the moment – even the famously neutral country of Switzerland has dropped its non-involved status to impose sanctions.  Social isolation is another consequence of a lonely Venus in Capricorn, but the friends that do remain under this influence are truly ride-or-die (see: Belarus) due this duo’s approaching conjunction with Pluto.

Venus remains in post-retrograde torpor until tomorrow night, and even once she’s free of this she will quickly find herself slammed between Pluto and Mars.  Ancient astrologers called this condition of being sandwiched between malefic planets “besiegement”, and it’s generally indicative of something “going from bad to worse” – being that we have Putin’s ruling planet astrologically “getting it from both sides” like this, IMO he would be wisest in the long term to broker a peace deal since all he is doing now is unifying his (powerful) enemies while losing financial and relational support.

Slava Ukraini!

02/28/2022

 

The USA’s Pluto Return

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2022 is a big year for the USA; it is the year that Pluto will have made one full lap around the zodiac wheel to return to the point where it was located on July 4, 1776 when the early British-American colonies declared independence from England.  I feel it necessary to discuss some important things about the use of this date in complete deference to all the Indigenous Peoples that existed on this land mass long before European settlers came along.  The reason astrologers use this date as America’s “birth” in order to calculate a chart for the nation is fairly simple and isn’t meant to disregard at all the history and the peoples that were here since time immemorial.  Indeed, every land on Earth is ancient and obviously came into existence eons before humans even existed; think of Pangea! So using July 4,, 1776 as the “birth” date of America is a bit of an overly simplistic misnomer; rather it would be more accurate to say that we merely use this date to calculate a similar chart. Did you know that businesses and relationships can have charts, too?  What do we use to calculate these?  What makes it “official” on paper?

For example, we might have the idea for a business and be working on it long before we file for our LLC and receive our tax ID.  We were “gestating” it months or perhaps even years earlier; having a concrete date when it becomes a legally recognized entity in no way de-legitimizes the vision and all the work put in up until that very exciting moment.  The technical stuff essentially just functions as a “scalpel” cutting the umbilical cord so the business becomes an entity in its own right; albeit just not a human one.

Or perhaps we look to the “birth” of a relationship; again, a misnomer.  Maybe two individuals have known each other forever and were friends long before they ever dated, so it can’t be when they first met each other, right?  So what “counts”?  Is it when they went out on their first date together?  Perhaps when they were first asked out/asked the other party out?   Sometimes things aren’t clear-cut or there’s nothing “official” recorded to mark the “birth” and in such cases one must use their discernment.  Most couples remember their first date and refer to that as their “anniversary”, so we could use this if we wanted to look at the ins and outs of that relationship from an astrological POV.  But again, a couple could have met years prior or could have had romantic interest in each other for some time prior to going out with each other; using the pair’s first date merely allows us to have a concrete point in time to which we can refer and does not de-legitimize the history between them.  This lack of date consensus is also why most astrologers might opt instead to draw up a Synastry or Composite chart rather than a “birth” type of chart.

Though America and its First Peoples existed for literally thousands of years prior to the British colonies declaring their independence from The Crown and revolting against King George III’s rule, the signing of the Declaration of Independence is something we can refer to that – for better or worse – is snapshot of a “scalpel” moment when these young colonies started to function as their own entity.  Contextually, it is important to understand that First Nations Peoples were cultures that relied entirely upon oral histories; hence there were no earlier written dates of America’s “founding” to refer to, nor did Europeans exactly care to ask about such things whilst they were busy taking land and food from this nation’s original inhabitants.  Even if they had, how would communication of this information have been possible given the language barrier?  Forget the fact that First Nations Peoples would have no concept of or use for the Europeans’ Gregorian calendar!  How could one possibly hope to find a more accurate “birth” date for a nation in such circumstances?  Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the date we have for reference is sadly the one written by the “victors”.

In a heated sociopolitical climate, it is especially important that as astrologers we try to approach the use of this date with sensitivity and awareness; acknowledging its Eurocentric roots while also understanding the context that we simply don’t have other options that aren’t rooted in this same POV when it comes to calculating a chart for the USA; this is really all we have to work with.  I’m not sure that it would be an improvement to use, say, the date in 1492 that an Italian conquista “explorer” got lost and bumped into a large landmass in the Atlantic Ocean by mistake because he was seeking a shortcut.  Or the date the first wave of European settlers landed at Plymouth Rock, for example – both instances do not acknowledge that there were others living and governing their communities here long prior.  But perhaps it would be of service to compare this situation to conception vs. the moment the umbilical cord is cut.  Life starts long before a child exits its mother’s womb – 9 months prior, sperm met egg, cells multiplied, a heartbeat flickered into existence, and before long a growing human being was formed; nobody can deny the entire process was started well in advance of the child taking its first recorded breath.  And perhaps if we could pinpoint conception and use that as the basis of a chart instead, this would be the more valid – and far more culturally sensitive – tool for the job.

02/11/2022

You Know It’s Scorpio Season When….

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♏🦂 You can’t make this stuff up; scorpions making headlines during peak Scorpio season….!  Apparently, heavy rains in an area known for its desert climate – Aswan, Egypt – have brought scorpions out in droves; enough to sting and hospitalize several hundred people per this article :

Even more interesting?  The rains also flushed out snakes along with the scorpions – this happened right as the Scorpio Sun came within proximity of Fixed Star Unukalhai (AKA Cor Serpentis); the Heart of the Serpent. 🐍   Stabby Mars and newsworthy Mercury were just coming off a conjunction in stinging Scorpio to boot – it’s little wonder this event made the presses. 

Astrology does not lie.

11/15/2021