Category: Current Astrology

Saturn Conjunct Pluto In Capricorn: The “Crash Course”

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ Leave a comment

With Saturn and Pluto both currently sitting in a near-standstill just a few degrees away from each other, the astro-vibe du jour serves us a little taste of the upcoming Saturn/Pluto conjunction; a major astrological alignment culminating in January 2020.  Metaphorically, if you have a rather sour taste in your mouth at the moment, you’re certainly not alone – this is some dense, dark, & heavy energy we’re dealing with, so the effects upon our lives tends to be anything but light-n-sweet.  The conjunction of Saturn with Pluto in Capricorn is like a stale cup of extra strong dark roast served straight-up and cold – there’s nothing to mask the bitterness, but from a utilitarian standpoint it gets the job done if you can stomach such a no-frills brew.

In a somewhat similar sense, Saturn in Capricorn as the archetypal Great Cosmic Taskmaster reminds us that we’ve all got something to learn while crisis-oriented Pluto tends to bring things to a head – at present, we all seem to be getting a crash-course educational intensive in some area(s) of our life as these two planetary titans merge their energies.  There’s a definite impression that we have a very limited amount of time with which we must attain an intense level of proficiency at something.  To get an idea of what this might be, look at the House this duo is occupying in your own personal astrological chart or examine any aspects they may be making to any of your natal planets.   This combo is dead-serious; there’s a real sense there is no time left for fucking around and the stakes are high, so this can constitute some pretty intense pressure.  But if instead of being scared we can see this as a challenge to attain a deep level of mastery in an area where we were previously deficient, we’ll see how we can in fact use this energy to fortify ourselves from the inside out. Look at where the cracks are now; where the crises arise or where weakness is exposed.  The challenge is to be dipped into the river Styx entirely so that we no longer have an Achilles’ heel in that particular regard. Baptism by hardship; a trial-by-fail.  A difficult Initiation. You’re going to grab the controls and figure out how to land that plane safely, though, come hell or high water – step up and dig deep.

04/25/2019

Saturn In Capricorn: Mastering The Art Of Time Management

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ Leave a comment

With the impending Saturn Retrograde about to arrive in just days (April 29, 2019) and this planet currently sitting stationary, right now is an ideal time to feature a post on this planet and also review what we’ve been learning from Saturn in Capricorn thus far.  To recap, Saturn has been in Capricorn since December 2017 and it remains in this sign – excluding a brief 3 month stint next year when it will pop its head into Aquarius – until December 2020.  We’ve talked about Saturn in Capricorn and how it helps us master the art of delegation, how it teaches us to say “no” & set boundaries, and also how it definitely gives us the collective sense that our biological clocks are ticking. It’s this last concept I want to expand upon now.

I’ve mentioned before how Saturn in Capricorn is *the* most time-conscious energy there is.  We become more aware than ever that time is indeed a finite resource, so a large part of the lesson we’re all collectively learning now is how to master the management of it.  Budgeting the time we have so that we can use it effectively is absolutely crucial; we’re only allotted so many hours in a day and we do need time to sleep, too.  But realistically, many of us aren’t being economical with the overall usage of our time and we’re simply not allotting enough of it to the higher-priority items.  This isn’t about rigidly structuring every minute – especially with Saturn in Capricorn’s series of repeated sextiles to Neptune in Pisces also in the mix this year – but it *is* a call to identify and limit (within reason) the amount of non-productive leaks that generally suck away our productivity.  Lest you think this is an entirely slave-driver of an energetic influence, this includes building in time for relaxation, too.  What we’re looking to put a stop to are the ways in which we’re unconscious about out time usage.  Mindlessly zoning out on television.  Going down an internet rabbit hole for hours on end. Idle Facebooking.  Endlessly scrolling through Twitter. You get the idea; it’s not that we need to stop doing these things entirely but if we should find there’s a lot of time-suckage going on somewhere, then we *may* want to tighten up the slack.

The next few days are ideal for calling a “time-out” and re-evaluating how we’re spending our days.  Are we dedicating enough time to the things that matter most?  Are we allocating enough of it to the necessities and are we taking care of business?  Conversely, maybe we’re overworked and need to schedule some regular chill time for ourselves.  The idea, though, – rather than to be careless about it – is to become more intentional and actually pencil things in.  Whether we choose to look at our free time in terms of daily or weekly blocks is irrelevant; the point is to make more of an effort to wrangle the various time-sucks of which we may be unconscious and instead set aside dedicated hours to the pursuit of relaxation.  This will allow us to have better control over our schedule rather than getting sucked into vortex and then wondering where the day went.  Try spending the next week troubleshooting in this regard.  Invest in a day planner or download a time-tracker app. Then consider how you might want to tweak your time management & implement a plan – make this revision now and it will pay off later.  It may take some time, but if you make and effort and stick with it you should definitely be reaping rad results over the next several months and beyond!

04/25/2019

Destiny Derailers

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We have an interesting astrological setup playing out during April – Pluto just crossed the Moon’s South Node at the beginning of the month and now Saturn is about to do the same at its end. The South Node symbolizes a “path of least resistance”; attitudes, traits, and behaviors that represent an unconscious habitual rut we may be inclined to fall into on our soul’s evolutionary journey that don’t serve its growth.  When a planet passes over this point we have to be especially careful not to misuse its energy by aligning with the Lo-Fi end of its vibrational spectrum, because this can have the potential to derail our individual and/or collective destiny.

Pluto symbolizes power, sex, and corruption.  It is a destructive principle as a first order and while under ordinary circumstances sometimes tearing things down is necessary and warranted, when this planet crosses the South Node we do have to be careful this doesn’t veer pathological. Abuse and misuse of power or sex must also be avoided and it’s generally good policy to abstain from anything sleazy or underhanded when Pluto hovers around the South Node.

Saturn represents control, authority, hard-heartedness, ambition, status, and business.  Its hardworking nature can create hazards for us when it joins up with the South Node; particularly from the angle that it can veer workaholic and “all business”.  Saturn hovering around this point means that collectively we’re learning lessons pertaining to that which we can/can’t control; this planet puts us in touch with our limitations one way or the other.  It also cautions us against being overly authoritative or using status/prestige as the benchmark of “success” to the exclusion of other metrics – for example, one can have a very successful professional life and yet because they were consumed by this “end-all, be-all” tunnel vision they may have wound up lonely or depressed because they failed to put time or effort into family, friends, and relationships.  One real hazard of Saturn conjunct the South Node is that we’ve failed to weight things properly; that we’re assigning a level of importance to something that we shouldn’t and have our priorities askew.

On a more transpersonal level, this combination of astrological influences makes April a crucial month for examining the power corruption has in causing the steady and gradual derailment of our leadership. It represents a sloping downward pitch on a graph; I see this very much as an inglorious, undermining type of influence that degrades the pillars of society and the very framework of our governments.  Saturn concerns itself with hierarchies; it represents delegated officials as opposed to the Divine Right of kings.  When you place it in proximity to Pluto and the South Node, this might be thought of as a power vacuum where all sorts of unseemly influences can gain control – low people in high places seems to be a theme.

This energetic effects of this triple alignment unfortunately do not terminate in April; we’ll see the residuals of this for quite some time and it should be thought of more like a slow lead-in to the big Saturn/Pluto conjunction of January 2020.  While this means we’re going to be wading through some pretty dense, heavy energy for the foreseeable future, no matter how grim reality may look at the time we mustn’t fall prey to negativity and pessimism; two of Saturn’s other downfalls.  We *will* need to recognize, however, that corruption has corporate – or perhaps even State – sponsorship.

While we’re deconstructing this, we must remember that when the world is run by cruel authoritarian/totalitarian regimes, dysfunctional Patriarchy, and/or unfeeling corporate entities, it takes audacity to care.  In these sorts of screwed-up conditions, rather than hardening over, shutting down our emotions, and easily defaulting to giving our power and authority over to apathy, the key is to fully engage with our feelings and dare to give a damn; particularly when it comes to that which we wish to protect and nurture.  It may feel a bit like David going up against Goliath, but this is how we staunch the flow of poison leeching its way into The System; with passionate purpose and true patriotism in contrast to heinous hardline nationalism. It is possible to love your country and yet still be deeply disturbed by what it is – or maybe isn’t – doing; remember that as you carve out internal space for tenderness and caring.  With the Moon’s North Node in Cancer for the foreseeable future, we all do well to tap into Maternal energy now; to meditate upon the Universal Mother archetype and how we can embrace or embody facets of this protective, nurturing energy.  Think: Elephant Medicine 🐘

04/16/2019

Saturn In Capricorn Sextile Neptune In Pisces: “Adult” Sacrifices

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Though we’re now through the first round of the Saturn/Neptune Sextile and its influence will continue to dissipate in the immediate short-term future, we do have two more hits of this energy coming in 2019 so it’s important we continue discussing this energy and what it brings to the table.  Over the last month+ you may have noticed any or all of the following themes coming to the fore in your life, but in addition to what we have already covered regarding this astrological alignment there’s also an aspect of voluntarily surrendering to the yolk of responsibility and making some very “adult” sacrifices somewhere in our lives; partly because we know we “should” and partly because we may see our labor as being in service to an even more important/monumental goal of some kind.

For example, one way this could play out might be through logging in some serious community service hours for free because it looks good on our resume, or maybe because it helps us get our foot in the door in the social services department of a nice secure government job somewhere.  It doesn’t have to play out exactly this way mind you, but there is a very real sense of there being some kind of deferred “payoff” arising from whatever mature sacrifice we might be called to make during this sextile that is both altruistic and yet strategic; something that both serves our 5-year plan AND helps us feel good about our reasons behind whatever we’re giving up.  This oblation has a definite purpose; whether we might see it as a Divine lesson or model (ex: In the spirit of following the teachings of Christ or perhaps another Ascended Master of our choosing), a means for the absolution of difficult karma, or perhaps because there may be a higher or more more spiritualized goal/calling we’re answering by giving something up now.

The point is we are likely to be called to give something up this year – it could be a goal, it could be a dream.  But this is *NOT* defeatist; make no mistake – far from it!!  It’s something purposefully done out of humility, out of a desire to be used in service to Divinity’s Master Plan, and there is indication of a reward for doing so.  Granted this is more of a delayed reward scenario, but Saturn’s gifts are always tangible; especially when it traverses dense and material Capricorn. If you’re sitting there waiting for Divinity to throw you a bone, how about you try reversing your stance and throw Divinity one instead? Don’t resist giving up what you think you *should* be giving up; the tighter you hold when you should be surrendering, the less in alignment with this energy you are and thus your chances of reaping a favorable reward are greatly reduced by staying stuck in this setting during 2019.  Remember, to sacrifice is to make sacred; what would you sanctify through the act of necessary relinquishment this year? While this series of sextiles continues to play out (next hits are in June & November!) it’s time to stop putting it off and suck it up, buttercup; bite the bullet & get on with it instead of trying to postpone the inevitable. You’ll look back on it later and be glad you did.

02/14/2019

Neptune Aspected By Jupiter & Saturn

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As of yesterday we’ve just passed the peak of the first round of the Jupiter/Neptune Square and now it’s Saturn we find inching ever closer toward contact with Neptune; this time via a helpful sextile.  From an astrological POV, Jupiter’s current effect on Neptune is a frictional one – we take spiritual Neptune and add the influence of dogmatic Jupiter squaring off against it and our beliefs & philosophies can easily distort.  Both of these planets believe in something “bigger” or “higher”; Jupiter tends to express this via organized religion or some sort of moral philosophy, while Neptune energy reflects the “oneness” consciousness of unity with the Divine.  Neither vibe is particularly grounded, however – it’s easy for this combo to get carried away with some sort of false spiritual doctrine and develop a major blind spot.  The personal truth may be confused for a Universal Truth; the fantasy of what we wish to believe clouds our judgment and interferes with our ability to look at things honestly and straight-on, perhaps because we’re avoiding/denying an even bigger Truth.  Self-deception is HUGE with this energetic influence; this vibe may reflect a narrative we’ve told ourselves where a myth has somehow become personal gospel – needless to say,  this isn’t exactly serving us/our Highest Good.

By contrast, Saturn currently serves as an antidote to this affliction – the supportive sextile this planet makes to Neptune gently but firmly reminds us that spirituality must be anchored/authenticated in personal accountability.  This can be challenging though because it involves dissolving defensive barriers created by the ego and surrendering to the process of humbling ourselves before Divinity.  Beliefs and philosophies are all fine and dandy (especially when they *feel* good), but if we’re not doing The Work necessary to keep ourselves in check/on the straight-and-narrow regarding them it can be all too easy to lose perspective and find ourselves living in some kind of ideological bubble.  Resistance is good for us in this regard – we may try to tell ourselves whatever narrative we like best, but this doesn’t necessarily equate to an honest depiction of Reality and keeping friends around who can delicately challenge any illusions we might be under can prevent us from being swept up in a tide of self-validating drivel. Some look at Reality – particularly when it’s hard – as an Alcatraz from which there must be an escape.  But rather than duck and evade, the sextile between Saturn in Capricorn & Neptune in Pisces both shows us where we’ve erred in this regard and allows us self-compassion so we relax our defensive posture to come correct & get right –  it’s a lot like an astrological 12-Step Program helping us to abstain from delusion. As this influence builds toward month’s end, look to see the detrimental effects of the Jupiter/Neptune Square slowly dwindling while this vibe becomes more prominent.

01/14/2018

The Jupiter/Neptune Square: “Religion Is The Opiate Of The Masses”

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ Leave a comment
Opium poppies.

As the incoming square between Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces continues to tighten up (perfecting for the first of three rounds on January 13, 2019), there certainly is merit in discussing the above quotation because this alignment very much affects spiritual matters…among other things. The sign of Sagittarius and the planet Jupiter are associated with organized religion; Pisces and Neptune spirituality as well as “substances” – you can see, then, how the above quote resonates with the energy of this astrological alignment.

In dissecting the above statement it’s important to state right out of the gate that it’s actually paraphrase of a longer quotation by philosopher Carl Marx; one that has been oversimplified and lacks context.   On its face, this would seem a rather critical statement about religion as a whole in comparing its effect to that of a drug.  Now this perspective can be true from the POV that belief – and specifically when we start getting into the territory of delusional belief – can cause us to suspend judgment and impair our critical thinking.  This may be true of religion, but it may also be true in the political arena as well (which is also and not coincidentally associated with Jupiter and Sagittarius); just look as the vast and apparently endless pitchers of toxic Kool-Aid being swilled in mainstream politics today.  *glares directly at Climate Change Deniers et al*  

In such cases we often surrender our (good) judgement and substitute it for someone else’s (a religious leader, a political pundit, etc.) because hey; that’s what true faith’s all about, right???  But what happens when the person to whom we’ve entrusted our faith has a cockeyed moral compass; isn’t that how cults become *a thing*???  When religion (or for that matter, politics) would dull our senses and have us have us turn a blind eye to things like moral incongruity, it is indeed A Problem; a huge one, much like an opiate addiction.  And this is most definitely something I expect to see a lot of in 2019 while Jupiter in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces dominates the astrological scene.

That said, the full statement by Marx via his “A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right” is as follows and it’s much richer than the oft-quoted soundbite:

“Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness”.

In reading the full context, one gains the impression that Marx is at least somewhat sympathetic to people’s attachment to religion.  He appears to look at it as a symptom; much in the same way an opiate temporarily relieves suffering but doesn’t make the underlying root cause of the pain suddenly vanish. He appears to view it as medication, but also emphasizes that in his view for people to be truly happy it’s important to ditch the crutch of religion.  Additionally is important to note that religion can also have the capacity become an instrument of oppression when it’s used to induce submission to an external authority; being comatose with dogma certainly makes people much easier to control when one’s intentions aren’t honorable.

Setting Marx aside for a moment, I do believe anything we use as a crutch only hobbles us from achieving our true authentic potential as human beings and there is merit to learning to stand on our feet without the aid of whatever that happens to be. That said, I’m not necessarily comfortable classifying religion as a crutch – this in my view amounts to painting with too broad a brush.  I feel that – with the context of a proper anchor/safe container – faith can play a major role in our soul’s development and do not wish to bash organized religion because there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all when it comes to spirituality – Different Strokes for Different Folks; Live and Let Live & all of that jazz.   But as this square hits, there is most definitely is merit in looking critically at how our beliefs are or aren’t supporting us and certainly questioning them for the sake of ensuring they’re not doing us more harm than good.  The Neptune/Pisces influence distorts things, and when we apply this to Conservative, religious Jupiter/Sagittarius we have to be particularly careful regarding anything around which we might tend to be evangelical. While this is true more broadly as well, do understand as these two planets square off that religion and politics in particular can indeed be super potent drugs when we go overboard.

01/02/2019

When Saturn Met Neptune

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ 2 Comments

Or rather; when Saturn meets Neptune, I should say – yes, this post is a reference to the upcoming sextile between Saturn in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces that is in the process of activating for the first time as we speak!  Though Round 1 of this cosmic alignment doesn’t perfect until the end of January 2019, it will be felt weeks before and after it peaks and it’s beginning to kick into gear now.  You may recall from our previous discussions on this topic there are two more hits of this vibe that will occur in June and November of 2019, but setting these particulars aside for moment let’s talk about what else we can anticipate with this vibe on-scene.

Since Saturn arrived in Capricorn about this time last year, it may have felt like a grind for many of us under this super hardworking vibe.  Yes, we’re productive.  Yes, we’re getting our shit together.  But the hours may have been long, we might have significantly more responsibilities than we’ve previously had in our lives, and we’re generally inclined to get stuck on one setting under this vibe: TCOB Mode.  Needless to say while this energy *is* useful, it’s not exactly what you’d call “fun”; Saturn in Capricorn = hardcore “adulting”.

But something awesome happens when this planet slips into supportive alignment with relaxing, restorative Neptune in Pisces: We ease up.  Neptune in Pisces affords Saturn release and escape; as they always say there’s not enough hours in the day, so why waste them all on workaholism when it doesn’t matter anyway?  For goodness sake, even God rested on the 7th day; why can’t we??  When Saturn in Capricorn synergizes with Neptune in Pisces, the rigid structure of our timelines, plans, and life goals start to soften a little bit so the hard edge comes off and we’re not so freaking uptight and on-deadline all the time.  Yes it’s OK to slack a little bit, because busting your hump 24/7/365 simply isn’t sustainable.  Loosen your necktie; maybe live a little and go business casual for a change.  If you can’t remember the last time you had a day off, call in sick.   Neptune in Pisces gives us permission to take the time off we’ve earned and just sleep in or have a day where we don’t get out of our PJs because we’re binge-watching movies or our favorite TV series on Netflix.

If Saturn in Capricorn is all about control and having things in order, Neptune in Pisces is all about surrender and letting go of the need to have everything all lined up and squared away.  When these two celestial bodies link up as they are about to next month, it’s OK to tap out if/when we’re tired and take 5.  It’s fine not to bust our butts at work for a boss who – when (s)he sees how hard we’re working – just “rewards” us with more work; sometimes there’s merit to pretending a task is more challenging/taking us longer than it is so our competency and efficiency isn’t treated like slave labor.   What’s the sense in burning ourselves out for an imaginary carrot (a raise, promotion, etc.) that we have no tangible proof even exists? It’s OK to throttle back and coast a bit where we can under this energy – we’ll have plenty of time to resume O.D.-ing on Saturn in Capricorn’s ambition when it‘s *not* in helpful alignment with Neptune in Pisces; particularly once it joins up with the South Node (Sept 2019) & then Pluto (Jan 2020).  But for now, maybe figure out when you wanna pencil in time to take that breather.

12/17/2018

Saturn In Capricorn Sextile Neptune In Pisces: Divine Timing

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As 2018 comes to a close, we’re inching ever closer to the first of three alignments between Saturn in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces; a helpful astrological influence that plays out in tandem with the more problematic effects of the Jupiter/Neptune Square.  While I’ve written about both these cosmic configurations in the aforementioned linked posts, there’s another timely angle I want to discuss about the Saturn/Neptune sextile in particular because I think it will help alleviate challenges for so many of us.

Ever since Saturn entered Capricorn at the end of 2017, many of us have the acute awareness that time is ticking away in some sense. Perhaps we feel the pressure that we don’t have enough time to do x, y, or z in or *with* our lives.  Or maybe we feel it might be “too late” to pursue a given avenue; like a ship has sailed or it’s possible we’re “too old” to do whatever it is.  But with Time God Saturn being augmented by spiritual Neptune throughout most of 2019 (Jan, June, & Nov), the edges soften and the pressure relaxes a bit; all is manifesting in Divine Time if we will only allow it.  It behooves us to challenge what we thought possible to do with our allotted time here on this earth because as this aspect kicks into gear, time starts to flow in a gentler way that’s not as solid and hard as it has been over the past year.  It becomes less linear during these periods and we can start to experience a certain degree of slippage that acts like a grease upon Saturn in Capricorn’s hard cogs.  What if the dial were slowed or even turned back just a bit to allow the possibility of something that you thought was passing/had already passed you by?  What if – going forward into this series of astrological alignments – we anchored ourselves in trust that The Universe has a perfect order in which it orchestrates all things; regardless of whether or not we can understand the rhyme or reason to it?

As this sextile continues to play out on and off through 2019, there really is something to the concept of “What’s meant for you will not pass you” – if there’s something about which we had previously adopted a wistful sense of resignation in sad acceptance of this limitation we know as time, perhaps this energetic influence may be akin to the possibility of having some kind of  “Get out of jail free” card slipped to us where we no longer need to be a prisoner of that particular self-defeating, self-limiting premise.  Now I don’t mean that everything will magically come to us; as I said in the other post, elbow grease will be required.  We can’t just coast on autopilot; we have to recognize the moment(s) when this celestial easement is being granted to us and then get to work making the most of this wrinkle in time!

11/30/2018

Mercury Retrograde Square Neptune: A State Of Pure Inebriation

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Welp, this is one super impaired Mercury Retrograde we have on our hands ATM – not only is Mercury’s coordination and cognition all screwed up from recently throwing it into reverse gear, but it’s also backtracking in a sign where it is astrologically debilitated (Sagittarius) while sitting in a prolonged square to confusing, clarity-lacking Neptune.  This is, quite simply, a recipe for a communication & travel “hot mess” – sorry; there’s just no dressing this up. It would be dishonest to try and spin it any other way by attempting to put a more positive slant on Mercury’s present condition.  So rather than veil this discombobulated energy with a bunch of well-intended but utterly unhelpful euphemisms, instead let’s have some straight talk about what to be aware of with the holiday season upon us and a major one kicking off in just a few days here in the USA (Thanksgiving) while this vibe is in play:

1) Don’t drink and drive. It’s a bad idea to do this anyway, but it’s an especially terrible idea to do it under these particular astrological conditions.  Do not operate motor vehicles – or even your phone – while under the influence of any kind of “substance” from now thru Christmas.  Especially when it’s winter here in the Northern Hemisphere where bad weather can unexpectedly roll in while we’re at holiday festivities, it just doesn’t make sense to risk having “one too many” and then attempt to drive home in sub-optimal road conditions.

2) Keep your “hoof” out of your mouth.  Mercury in this condition is prone to verbal gaffes, so make it a blanket policy to avoid pointless discussion/debate about things like religion or politics this holiday season; evade any kind of topic where people are prone to having philosophical differences.

3) Alcohol-fueled conversations are a NO.   Seriously, don’t do it – that uncle/cousin you always clash with or the in-law who just won’t shaddap? Alcohol is not going to make coping with their BS any easier and may in fact only make it twice as bad.  What’s worse: Someone saying something inappropriate, or the two of you saying something equally uncalled for?  Two wrongs do not make a right, and when you have Mercury in Sagittarius lubed up by a liquor-induced Neptune, all kinds of candid things can slip out of our mouths that – no matter how true they may be – are not exactly what we’d call judicious or kind.  It’s not right to use a few beers/glasses of wine as an excuse for brutal honesty; further, it’s not fair to make everyone else uncomfortable because of our case of verbal diarrhea.

4) Budget extra travel time.  Worst case? You’ll get there early; big deal!  But *not* allowing for extra travel time under these skies could leave you with more stress and aggravation than you need.  People might run late, traffic may be a mess, cars could have trouble, or flights get delayed/cancelled; things happen.  And forgetfulness under pressure may also be another factor to watch out for, like leaving for the airport and realizing halfway there you left your phone at home on the charger. Leaving yourself way more time than you think you want/need to get from Point A to Point B is solid policy during this particular holiday season. And please do check your luggage tags if you fly to make sure your bags are being routed to the correct destination.

5) Track your packages.  Many of us will be buying or shipping gifts during this Mercury Retrograde, and while it’s best to hold off if/when we can (December’s 2nd & 3rd weeks are about as good as it will get in this respect), sometimes we’re not able to so it’s best to get delivery confirmation.  Aside from actual package theft, there’s the chance that a parcel could just be lost/delivered to the wrong address.  And check return/exchange policies carefully in case there’s an issue BEFOREHAND; don’t just assume it’s all good and it won’t be a hassle to remedy an issue in the event that one arises.

5) Breathe, meditate, and/or have a “Zen” playlist on standby. Mercury Retrograde is 90% mind over matter and if you can get yourself into a headspace where you don’t mind, it won’t matter. Being mindful of our breathing, stress levels, and actively seeking that “restorative” space via going Within or immersing ourselves in a particular soundscape can help us cultivate a state of surrender and flexibility.

6) Forget Black Friday/Cyber Monday this year and just sleep in.  The likelihood of aggressive sales pitches coupled with “bait and switch” advertising tactics is abnormally high this year; do you REALLY want to get up at the buttcrack of dawn or leave Thanksgiving dinner early for this??? I understand that some people get addicted to the rush of a good deal, but astrologically speaking the skies seem to indicate this being in short supply and the potential for aggravation being extra elevated. To contemplate: Would you be happier if you were well-rested and relaxed instead of shopping till you drop this coming weekend?

7) This Mercury Retrograde triggers the residue of the old 2015-2016 Saturn/Neptune Square; especially the June 2016 hit.  Is it any wonder the Brexit situation is once again making headlines? The Brexit vote took place right as this alignment perfected in June 2016!  Setting this aside, in our personal lives this Mercury Retrograde can be a lot like receiving some sort of phantom redial from the 2015-2016 era. You may recall from my writings about the Saturn/Neptune Square that it represented a conflict between Realism and Idealism; how it pit What Is against What We’d Wish It To Be.  Think about this for a potential “Ah-ha!” moment; a temporal vortex is being reopened and a cognitive reset may be in order.

11/19/2018

Happy Jupiter Into Sagittarius!

~ EmpwrdDstny ~ Leave a comment

Astro News Flash: Jupiter just entered Sagittarius – its energetic home – as of 7:38am ET this morning and it will remain in the sign of The Archer for an entire year.  As discussed in my November newsletter, this is a very good thing; we sure can use the vibe boost with all this heavy Saturn & Pluto in Capricorn energy looming in the background! In honor of this once-in-12-years event, I’ve created a playlist just for the occasion to help readers get a better feel for the many facets of this energy.  Our first entry comes straight from the mouth of a Lady Centaur herself; in her own words, who better to tell us a bit about the Jupiter in Sadge vibe than Sagittarius Britney Spears? I spoke of the huge Jupiter-in-Sagittarius appetite for “more” and the resultant penchant for excess this can create via the aforementioned newsletter article, but don’t just take my word for it; take Britney’s:

“Gimme gimme more, gimme more, gimme gimme more…”

Then there is the legendary Jupiter in Sagittarius ability to roll with the punches and keep it moving right along; coupled with the faith that it will all work out for the best no matter what.  Sagittarius Taylor Swift is an expert on this:

 “But I keep cruising; can’t stop won’t stop moving.  It’s like I got this music in my mind, saying it’s gonna be alright…”

And speaking of keeping it moving, this one’s an oldie but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the quintessential theme song for the Jupiter in Sagittarius romance vibe – ladies and gentlemen, I give you “The Wanderer” c/o Dion & The Belmonts:

“They call me the wanderer
Yeah, the wanderer
I roam around, around, around

Oh well, there’s Flo on my left and then there’s Mary on my right
And Janie is the girl well that I’ll be with tonight
And when she asks me which one I love the best?
I tear open my shirt and I show “Rosie” on my chest

Cause I’m the wanderer
Yeah, the wanderer
I roam around, around, around

Oh well, I roam from town to town
I go through life without a care
And I’m as happy as a clown
I with my two fists of iron but I’m going nowhere

Oh yeah, I’m the type of guy that likes to roam around
I’m never in one place, I roam from town to town
And when I find myself a-fallin’ for some girl
Yeah, I hop right into that car of mine and drive around the world”

While we’re on the subject of oldies, no Jupiter in Sagittarius playlist could possibly omit this tune from Old Blue Eyes himself (who was, unsurprisingly, also a Sagittarius) – this IS  *the* luckiest astrological placement of all, after all:

Finally, this song wasn’t written by a Sagittarius but it so perfectly encapsulates the upbeat nature of this energy that it’s a mandatory inclusion on the Jupiter in Sagittarius playlist:

“It might seem crazy what I’m bout to say
Sunshine she’s here; you can take a break
I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air like I don’t care, baby, by the way

Huh because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel
Like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel
Like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know
What happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel
Like that’s what you wanna do”
 

Enjoy the new vibe, everyone – if you would like more in-depth info on the effects of Jupiter in Sagittarius, feel free to sign yourself up for my free monthly newsletter by clicking the link over on the right sidebar, drop me a comment below, or hit up my “Contact” page above and arrange for a personal consultation to understand how this vibe directly affects you.  Buona Fortuna!

11/08/2018