Category: Current Astrology

Mars Conjunct Pluto In Capricorn

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Mars conjunct Pluto in Capricorn: Darth Vader meets Office Space!
Mars conjunct Pluto in Capricorn: Darth Vader meets Office Space.

This post is intended to serve as a Public Service Announcement that we have a conjunction between Mars & Pluto taking place in Capricorn (exact on the 19th), which can create a pretty wicked energetic undertow this week! Generally speaking, this is time to be cautious of simmering resentment with authority figures (i.e. your boss/parents/the police) that can quickly reach a boiling point if not proactively managed. There may be a power struggle involved, and even if not overt this is a time when those higher up the ladder (food chain?) can definitely push our buttons – especially if they feel threatened or as if their authority were being undermined. Mind you, I don’t say this to scare anyone; I just think it’s sensible to be controlling our own level of reactivity at this juncture – particularly at work and around our “elders” – because there is very much a potential for conflict with powerful authority figures. Aries and Scorpio (Suns or Risings): I want you to pay particular attention as it’s your modern/ancient rulers aligned, so you could well find yourselves on the front lines of this energy.

In a nutshell, the gist is it’s a good idea to avoid ticking off anyone who might be considered of higher rank now. This doesn’t mean we have to kowtow, but it does mean that behaving with a certain degree of respect due their influential position is warranted. Because it is not outside the realm of possibility that an abuse or misuse of their “authority” could occur, and while obviously this would be wrong for them to do, it’s generally smart with this kind of vibe not to take any negative bait regardless. Don’t give any incentive to wind up the target of someone’s wrath when you’d be far better served avoiding any kind of “pissing contest” scenario altogether, in other words. All kinds of ugly stuff can go down under this vibe, from oppressive police brutality, to Daddy (or perhaps granddaddy) Warbucks threatening to cut you off the inheritance, to (if self-employed) unreasonably demanding clients holding you hostage by threatening to smear your reputation if you don’t do what they want you to do, to your boss railroading you into taking an action that you find immoral or that leaves you feeling like a slave; the implication being that “You’ll never work in this town again” otherwise.

I'm KIDDING - don't get any ideas!
I’m KIDDING – don’t get any ideas!

So what do you do when you’re ticked off at your boss, a parent, etc. under this vibe? You take all those feelings of rage, hostility, and/or resentment and you use them to fuel an action plan. You patiently redirect all that negative energy and use it to build a résumé, your business, a safety net one brick at a time, because you are playing a long game here and will focus on doing whatever it is that will most likely result in your own long-term empowerment. Because having a blowout with someone and yelling “Fuck off!” isn’t nearly as rewarding as revenge success is.

This is not about conquering a mere battle of egos; it is about realizing you are the CEO of your own life and that others’ attempts at a hostile (energetic) takeover can be deflected once you understand you are in control of your own vibe – you don’t have to let them screw with your mojo and set you on tilt. See it as an opportunity to exert supreme self-control; this is only a test! Because if you can pull it off under these astrological conditions, you will prove to yourself just how powerful you truly are. If you need some energetic support this is a great time to white-light your aura and consider working with the metaphysical properties of stones such as black tourmaline, which are protective in nature and can help to neutralize negativity & fear. Try setting up a crystal grid in your office, or just carry one on your person – if you can’t find this stone, consider onyx and/or obsidian as substitutes. If you feel like you’re dealing with particular enmity from someone, you could also enhance this with jewelry designed to deflect the “evil eye”, such as the Italian cornicello (the horn-shaped amulet), Eye of Fatima, nazar, or any other talisman designed to repel Haters.

Now if it is *you* in a position of authority, be VERY careful how you wield it this week and do not come off like some kind of power-hungry warlord where you stab your way up to the top, because this could very well carry a considerable (negative) energetic blowback. Put energy into controlling yourself rather than others, and do not unleash a particularly rancid vibe upon underlings. “Shit rolls downhill” is not a military or corporate strategy to employ at this point in time; take accountability for your actions and lead by example rather than tyrannically venting venom to the next unfortunate sap down the chain of command. Even if you’re leading a salvage mission, it’s better to focus on doing what you can re: damage control than waste energy/resources on anything that would generally fall under the category of “very demotivational”. Especially when such actions could breed resentment, where you might eventually wind up with a coup/revolt/knife in your back later down the line…

10/16/2016

Pluto In Capricorn Reminder: (Governmental) Corruption Has Corporate Sponsorship

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ 2 Comments

…and it is impacting global leadership. Surely we all know this by now; especially in the wake of the 2008 Big Bank Bailout? Executives surreptitiously making out like bandits as their companies imploded within; the cost of which was financed by government tax dollars. This whole ugly ball of wax kicked off back when Pluto first entered Capricorn, the sign of Big Business. But the most sinister part of all of it is how these corporations play Master of Puppets – it’s positively Machiavellian. Raping and pillaging wherever they go, and then turning around and use these ill-gotten funds to install sponsor our leaders.

Here we are halfway through Pluto’s transit of Capricorn, and most of us acknowledge the existence of this very real corruption. Yet we still don’t have campaign finance reform laws in place to prevent this kind of thing from continuing. How can any candidate claim to be “for the people” when beholden to Big Business to fund their election? In this writer’s humble opinion, it is a pretty jacked up state of affairs here in the USA as we prepare for our Pluto Return…we’re veering dangerously close to a plutocracy, which is something one might expect when a nation has Pluto in Capricorn nation occupying its astrological second house of money and resources. Money is power, and it’s being wielded by companies to get their dirty little hooks into government – when those running for office are heavily indebted to their evil corporate overlords, it effectively means the rest of us are, too.

So what do we do about it? Campaign finance reform laws are a great place to start, but realistically speaking no politician is likely to vote for such a thing because it would mean biting the hand that feeds. My proposal, then, is to figure out a way to defund the current power structure, and I think we can do this over time. It won’t be overnight, but when Pluto is in Capricorn the transformation is never overnight, as it’s a marker that things have been in a long, slow, steady state of deterioration for some time.

The first part of this strategy – since we’re acknowledging the world is, in fact, run by corporate interests – is to look at the energy behind the products we use. If we’re going to defund the current power structure, we have to look at how to eliminate our support of the companies that prop it up. For example, there is a reason Monsanto is colloquially referred to as MonSATAN for its global environmental fuckery – stop financing corrupt businesses and they won’t have the funds to keep installing candidates via campaign “donations”. Do a background check of your “brands” – it doesn’t have to be exhaustive, but put some energy into researching the companies you align yourself with and whenever possible divert resources instead toward supporting the companies whose energy and mission resonate with your own.

Secondly, there is a concept that has really started coming into its own ever since Pluto entered Capricorn, and specifically since 2012 when this planet started squaring revolutionary Uranus: Socially Responsible Investing (sometimes also called Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing, or simply abbreviated SRI). The principle behind this is stands in stark contrast to the typical Wall Street slash-and-burn approach that creates wealth without considering the environmental and social implications of where and how the money is allocated – broadly speaking, SRI aims to align the return on an investment with ethical, social causes that create change; such as promoting investment in eco-friendly companies, for example.

I’m grossly oversimplifying this, of course – by no stretch of the imagination am I a finance guru nor do I wish to delve into a lengthy explanation of this practice on an astrology blog as my readers’ eyes would likely glaze over, LOL. If you’d like to know more, you can start here and here.  But suffice to say that I believe this is another way to start pulling money away from big business we don’t want to support and certainly don’t want anywhere near our government and start redirecting energy and resources toward companies that actually give a crap about something besides making as much money as possible, however possible; consequences be damned. Call me quaint, but I don’t feel good about investing in a company (regardless of however many millions I might stand to make off the deal) that engages in the practice of using things like child labor sweatshops, for example – I’d rather put it in a company dedicated to paying its workers fair, decent, and honest wages and that give the health and safety of their workers priority over corporate greed.

I think these are two very good places to start in this Pluto in Capricorn Era, which lasts until 2024. We really do have to be mindful of the “Faustian Bargain” now; specifically with respect to corporate sponsorship.

Images courtesy of the RWS tarot. "Judgement" is astrologically correlated to Pluto, while "The Devil" is connected to the sign of Capricorn - if this doesn't pictorially represent the neccessity of heeding the call to raise our consciousness surrounding how we have become enslaved by the Capricorn structures in life (of which corporations and government both belong), I'm not sure what does!
Images courtesy of the RWS Tarot. “Judgement” is astrologically correlated to Pluto, while “The Devil” is connected to the sign of Capricorn – if this doesn’t pictorially represent the necessity of heeding the call to raise our consciousness surrounding how we have become enslaved by the Capricorn structures in life (corporations and government both fall under this same umbrella, BTW), I’m not sure what does!

 

10/7/2016

Black Moon Lilith In Scorpio

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"Caduceus" by sculptor James Muir.
“Caduceus” by sculptor James Muir.

Black Moon Lilith first entered Scorpio back on May 21, 2016, but it’s only recently this energy has become incredible palpable to me. I’ve always felt the Black Moon has a natural affinity for Scorpio, where it tends to really heighten her witchy, occult side and her sinuous vibes seem to have entwined themselves into my consciousness as of late.  I have been positively inundated with Lilith symbolism for weeks now, which is certainly no surprise given that I am gearing up for a Lilith Return.  It began with the conspicuous appearance of two real-life snakes within a week of each other and subsequently kicked into high gear when I found myself immersed in some deep and heavy Lilith-themed topics.  Then last night I had a dream…

Let me preface what I am about to say by first explaining that I have an extremely strong connection with the animal kingdom and always have ever since I was a child.  I also frequently dream of animals – everything from whales to mice and pretty much every kind of critter in between; many of which are not even indigenous to my part of the world.  A paradigm-shifting conversation with my shaman girlfriend clued me into the fact this was extremely unusual, and she encouraged me to start looking at these animal appearances on a symbolic level. Now every time I have a real-life animal encounter or dream of one I meditate upon its esoteric meaning – if nothing immediately jumps out at me, I hit up the interwebz for further info using search terms like “whale symbolism”, “leopard totem”, “bear Medicine”, or similar.

In my dream last night, I was bitten by an opalescent cobra. Everyone around me had been running from it, but for some reason I wasn’t afraid and walked toward the serpent.  From afar it looked typical of its species at first, but when I got close enough to it to pick it up I immediately saw that it had an almost mucosal iridescent sheen that made it appear rainbow-colored – it was then I realized I held something extraordinary. I gazed at it head-on, taking note of its slender neck and small hood – almost as if hypnotized – and feeling how cool to the touch and heavy in its slinky muscularity it was. A moment or two after the realization I was holding such a remarkable creature, it quite naturally decided to strike and sink its fangs into my hand.  Although I was mildly surprised by the incident, I didn’t seem particularly concerned by the fact that I had just been bitten by a venomous creature.  But the event was nonetheless enough to rouse me from my slumber shortly thereafter.

I awoke with the words “rainbow serpent” embedded in my consciousness, knowing it was a “thing” and that I needed to research this topic further. I then laid there in semi-conscious, almost trance-like state scrying, letting my mind wander in order to ascertain more about its symbolic meaning. The first thing that popped into my head regarding the rainbow serpent was a connection to kundalini energy; the rainbow colors of the snake representing the kaleidoscopic colors of the body’s seven chakras and the cobra itself signifying this latent force that is said to be coiled at the base of the spine.  It was then the word “Lilith” surfaced in my awareness…according to my shaman girlfriend, bites, scratches, and stings are all symbolic Initiations where an animal imbues a person with their energy – I laughed, knowing I was indeed about to experience a Lilith Return.  I then roused myself to consult my digital ephemeris on a hunch…would you look at that – Black Moon Lilith in symbolism-loving Scorpio currently forming an exact sextile to injectable Pluto this morning!  Lilith definitely shot me up with a hefty dose of her Medicine in the wee hours last night, that’s for sure…!  😉

10/2/2016

Jupiter In Libra: Opening Doors For Others

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I was walking up to the wide double doors at my gym when out of the corner of my eye I spied a lovely young lass approaching from my left. As I opened one of the outermost doors for myself, I paused to hold it open for her as well and she responded by saying “Thank you so much – here, let me return the favor” as she proceeded to beckon me through the secondary set of doors leading into the building. As I walked through, I smiled and replied “One good turn deserves another”, all the while thinking what a Jupiter in Libra statement this was and wondering if she were a fellow Libran – perhaps the whole interaction had played out the way it did due a mutual energetic affinity with one another.

Building upon a previous post wherein I discussed some of the themes of Jupiter’s year-long tour of Libra and outlined some of the better ways to use this energy, one of the biggies with this placement is indeed the concept of reciprocal blessings and how one good turn really does deserve another. I asked my readers to contemplate whether they give as good as they get, and this mundane little tale about my goings-on at the gym is a precise and yet small-scale illustration of WHY it’s so important that we do so under this energy.

I just wanted to be nice, courteous, and to do a good deed for another – that’s all. It feels good – there was no expectation attached to the outcome or any hope for personal gain involved in doing so. But when the other party benefited from this straightforward and honest gesture of kindness, her appreciation led her to reciprocate. It’s a beautiful thing, really – this is what I mean when I said others help to bring out the best in us now. Our relationships are mirrors, and when our own vibe is up it tends to attract others who are similarly geared – we BOTH benefited from politely and harmoniously interacting with one another. I also particularly love the metaphor inherent in opening the door for someone – it symbolically represents both an invitation AND an opportunity, if you think about it. So be good and generous and to others, because they will be good to you!

openingthedoors

09/28/2016

Sun Conjunct Jupiter In Libra, Visually!

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parrishsunset
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Equinox Blessings! This is what the present conjunction of the Sun + Jupiter in Libra looks like on the western horizon; quite possibly the most gorgeous sunset I have ever personally witnessed! The photo above is totally unenhanced and the colors were absolutely unreal; a Parrish-esque smattering of apricot, peach & plum captured in the clouds as daylight waned and faded softly into the night. Traditionally the Sun is said to be “in its fall” in Libra, meaning “in a weakened state”. While this is certainly true on a physical level here in the Northern Hemisphere as the days grow shorter and its light & heat diminish, I myself am quite fond of this energy and find it to be a lovely placement – I fully acknowledge that I am biased, though, having some Libra energy myself.  😉

Libra is the sign of beauty and when the Sun graces this sign while boosted by Jupiter, the glory of the Sun becomes super enhanced; particularly at sunrise & sunset when these planets crest over the angular astrological plane we know as the horizon.  If you haven’t had an opportunity to appreciate just how stunning the Sun can be at these times, do make it a point to get out at dawn or dusk and take it all in over the next few days – you won’t be disappointed.  ❤

9/22/2016

Mercury Direct Trine Pluto: Un-Fuck Your Brain

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ 2 Comments

Apologies for the title and tone of this post, but with Mercury currently trine Pluto the intensity is wholly warranted.

This is a PSA: We have an extremely potent station of Mercury today courtesy of its tight contact to Pluto as both bodies turn from retrograde motion to direct movement – Mercury today, and Pluto on Monday. So rather than frittering away mental and verbal energy discussing mundane crap (Brangelina divorce, I’m lookin’ at you), why not expend it discussing deeper, more insightful subjects instead? Possibly uncomfortable ones that are darker in nature, even. Such as the Pluto-in-Capricorn topic of the murders police are perpetrating against people of color here in the USA. I know it’s not pleasant and may be disturbing, but we have to talk about the reality of all the ugly shit going down in order to transform it because it is a cancer in need of Radiation (Illumination). And with the Sun newly into Libra conjunct Jupiter, racial inequality sure would seem like a good place to start to me.

See also: “More Saturn In Sagittarius” and “An Important Saturn In Sagittarius Reminder”

More broadly & along a similar vein: “Saturn In Sagittarius & Xenophobia”

“But my point in explaining all of this is that I hope we will collectively challenge ourselves and work toward getting away from pointing fingers at those from different cultures, ethnicities, religions, etc. and using these events as, quite frankly, a bullshit excuse to support or defend bias.
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Almost a year ago in that same December 2014 newsletter, I said that Saturn in Sagittarius will bring us tests of faith – boy, is it ever. And I think if there were ever a time for all the religious leaders of the world to unite together as one singular voice and denounce anything, it would be now and it would be to speak out strongly against the paradigm of “justified” killing of any stripe so there will eventually be no more “killing in the name of”.”

This trine between Mercury and Pluto remains very active through early next week, so whatcha gonna do with this energy, huh? Waste energy dishing about the latest pop-culture bullshit, or un-fuck your brain by descending to a more profound depth?

You know what to do.

09/22/2016

Jupiter In Libra

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What a busy couple of weeks it’s been! A Mercury retrograde, two eclipses (second one is on Friday!), the finale of the Saturn/Neptune Square, and Jupiter leaving Virgo for Libra! It’s this last event that I want to discuss today, mostly because it stands out as the bright spot in the middle of all of this tetchy astro. Jupiter transitioning from Virgo into Libra comes as a welcome gearshift for so many reasons, the first of which being this comes off the heels of it spending a whole year in a sign were it was debilitated. Jupiter’s energy doesn’t quite function at max capacity when in Virgo, and we generally have a harder time accessing its benefits…or perhaps I should say the benefits and opportunities it has to offer us frequently don’t seem big enough when it’s in the sign of minutiae.

Add to this the fact that we’ve had so much Mutable Madness going on since late last year and it really has been a challenge to keep perspective and feel optimistic, which are key in allowing us to capitalize on this planet’s blessings. I feel particularly bad for all the Virgos in the house – typically Jupiter passing through one’s sign is a boost, but all these mitigating factors may have left some Virgos feeling shafted; like The Cosmic Santa Claus somehow skipped over their house, or left a bag of coal in their stocking. Cheer up, Virgos – you’ve had (and will continue to have for quite some time) a long and fabulous collaboration with transformational Pluto at least, and within the next couple of years you’ll also start getting help from supportive Saturn & innovative Uranus!

Image courtesy of the Astrological Oracle cards by Castelli & Weatherstone.
Image courtesy of the Astrological Oracle by Castelli & Weatherstone.

But that is neither here nor there – right now we’re going to talk about Jupiter’s once-in-12-year visit to Libra, the sign of fairness, balance, cooperation, and relationship! During the year that Jupiter resides in Libra we are asked to contemplate whether we give as good as we get, as this energy is all about increasing the amount of reciprocity in our life. Have we been generous enough with Others? Have we perhaps been too giving? Better balance is a theme in general with this placement, but specifically with respect to generosity because this will help us to have happier relationships where the blessings spread BOTH ways!

Jupiter also tends to elevate our aesthetic sense in Libra and lends itself to an air of refinement. We come to appreciate the Finer Things in life more when this planet is here – everything from art, to music, to that which we find beautiful and pleasurable. There is a reason why I used the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” to welcome Jupiter into this sign, as Libra IS the sign of High Society, after all – it is cultured, smooth, and super classy! Resonating with the Hi-Fi expression of this results in increased poise, better manners, and greater sophistication; the Lo-Fi end of this spectrum results when we allow this vibe to veer toward the direction of snooty and/or lookism.

Jupiter in Libra pertains to being more pleasant, polite, graceful, harmonious, and peaceable as well. Others are apt to bring out the best in us now – especially when we take this as an opportunity to grow together; where we mutually elevate one another & lift each other UP! There’s plenty of room at the top, so let’s invite others rise along side us, share in our bounty, and partake of the Good Things together. We must also be prepared to understand that not everyone can or will, though – as unfortunate as this is, we must accept the Truth that sometimes we grow apart instead of together while giving thanks for The Journey regardless. In this case, let’s wish them all the best while tempering this with the wisdom that we can’t want more or better for someone than they want for themselves, no matter how much we love them. Some are scared of heights, some just want their freedom, and others have a growth path that is simply on a different trajectory from the one we are on.

As to relationships specifically, Jupiter in Libra is lucky in love precisely because it appreciates that Love is a Journey rather than a destination. Loving someone is only the beginning – where you go from there is up to the both of you and it takes mutual cooperation, consent, and consciousness to continue walking the same Path together. Sometimes we can outgrow a relationship – we’d love to believe that “Love conquers all”, and perhaps it does…but not in the way that we may traditionally think. We must place our faith in each other and take a chance, leaving the rest up to Fate and spinning that Wheel Of Fortune while believing we’ll be better off for the experience regardless of the ups & downs. Do we believe in Love? Are we willing to take a gamble?

During the year that Jupiter resides in Libra (until Oct 2017) it becomes particularly important to also take a good look at our relationship philosophy and how this is/isn’t serving us. What do we believe about love & marriage? Are we merely adhering to some kind of dogma? Does our current relationship paradigm truly benefit us? An optimistic outlook can work wonders now – elevating “togetherness consciousness” is key, because “like” attracts “like”. If we want to attract a high-caliber relationship, we must up our game and BE a high-caliber partner! It’s not just about what someone else has to offer us – what do WE have to offer THEM? At its heart, Jupiter in Libra is about loving with an open hand – the old cliché “You make me want to be a better person” is sooooo true of Jupiter in Libra, as this planet loves opportunities to better itself via relationship! Trust that if your vibe us up & you have a lot to offer a prospective partner, the right partnership will come – have faith!

Jupiter in Libra has so much more in store – this is only the beginning!

To be continued…

09/13/2016

Adios, Jupiter In Virgo…

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JupiterInVirgo…and don’t let the door hit ya on the way out! Jupiter is leaving Virgo (where it has spent the last year) for Libra on 9/9/2016 – look at the numerological significance of that date; the ninth day of the ninth month of a nine year…looks to me like the close of a cycle for sure! It’s not as if there haven’t been benefits – the last year has been a great opportunity to optimize health, for one. For two, it’s certainly been helpful for living a more organized, efficient, and cleanly lifestyle. But I’ve grown oh-so-tired of the preachy dietary and wellness evangelists who think their “way” is the only “right” way under the Jupiter in Virgo vibe. I’m weary of vacation feeling more like procrastination because there’s been so much work to do. I am grateful for the work and love what I do, but time off means the tasks just pile up – unfortunately there aren’t any helpful little birdies or mice doing chores for Cinderella while she’s away at the ball so she can enjoy a worry & guilt-free night off, LOL!

VirgoOnThe good thing about being busy, though, is it forces you to be more efficient. You figure out how to make improvements to organization, scheduling, and your general routine. But I am ready for a better work/play balance, and perhaps even a fun little day trip or two – you? It’s coming, and perhaps the current Mercury retrograde in Virgo just as Jupiter is leaving this sign will help us to see what final little tweaks can benefit the situation & make this possible!

08/31/2016

Mars Conjunct Saturn In Sagittarius: Right Action Meets Right Timing

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After months of stalled or slowed activity, action planet Mars finally reaches escape velocity from its long and arduous retrograde phase. But before it finally achieves liftoff in earnest, it has one final pre-flight checklist to go over courtesy of its current conjunction with Saturn: Are we going the right way? Doing the right thing? Do we have a good plan in place to increase our chance of success with this initiative? Do we have optimal weather conditions and timing for our “launch”?

Mantis1
© EmpoweredDestiny.com 2016. All rights reserved.

You may recall that months ago while discussing this Mars retrograde phase, I mentioned the importance of waiting for “the Sign” to know when it’s “go time” – it amused me to no end to get confirmation of this via a visitation from a praying mantis yesterday just ahead of this conjunction. Mantis symbolism teaches the wisdom of right timing, and of not moving until we know for sure the moment is most opportune. I watched the mantis for a good 45 minutes, noting its very deliberate movements up the stalk of a flower until it sat just below a profusion of blooms that was sure to attract its prey. It was very patient – a few bees buzzed above it here and there at various points, however they were just out of reach and moving would have meant the risk of the mantis scaring its quarry off after it had found the perfect spot. After several more moments of observing, I watched with utter amazement as it snatched a hapless yellow jacket from mid-air with complete impunity right before my eyes – if that’s not a Sign about the veracity of waiting until the perfect moment to strike, I don’t know what is. And with Mars currently aligned with Saturn, it’s crucial to heed this wisdom and strike only when we’re certain right action and right timing have in fact converged.

If you are unsure of whether or not this is indeed the case for you, this duo squaring mystical Neptune indicates that stillness is the way. Meditate. Dream. Pray, like my mantis friend. Ask for Divine Guidance in the form of a vision.

08/24/2016