Saturday, May 30, 2015

Coming into Hard-Won Emotional Truth Under the Sagittarius Full Moon


 Photo: Willow

The Moon is currently in deep, dark, percolating Scorpio ahead of the 11-degree Sagittarius Full Moon on June 1/2. (The Sadge Full Moon will be exact at 10:19 a.m. CST on June 2.)

With the Moon now transiting Scorpio as it moves to its monthly peak, things are simmering and percolating internally, on the emotional plane, ahead of the Full Moon. We're processing, processing...

The Sagittarius Full Moon we're moving into illuminates hidden corners of hard-won emotional truth wherever we currently stand. This is hard-won emotional truth, truth we've earned the right to acknowledge and stand in, indicated by a Moon-Saturn conjunction at 1-degree Sagittarius (2:21 p.m. on June 1) as the Moon pushes to fullness. Don't let anyone talk you out of this truth. It's yours. Stand in it; own it; fill your whole being with it. It's powerful.

We've come a long way emotionally since Saturn first entered Sagittarius on December 23, 2014. Has it really only been five months? We've traveled through many horizon-expanding experiences and established new footholds as we came out of the dark and often-times nightmarish transit of Saturn through Scorpio, which began October 2012. 

You can read more about the Saturn in Sagittarius themes in this patron article from earlier this year: Saturn in Sagittarius: Freeing Suppressed Truths With Our Blazing Arrows of Righteousness.

Now, we are on the brink of dipping back into the tough-and-troubling Saturn in Scorpio domain.

The planet of challenge, Saturn, will dip back into Scorpio, the sign of fear, nightmares, empowerment, death, and rebirth, beginning June 14 until September 17. Saturn's dip back into Scorpio will strongly colour the themes of the upcoming Venus in Leo retrograde. Love and money planet Venus enters Leo June 5 and remains in that creative and expressive fire sign until October 8. To a great extent, our success with the resolution and completion of the Saturn in Scorpio themes determines the long-term success of the new love, relationship, money, and values cycle we are opening into this summer. 

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Rude, Crude Pluto in Scorpios (No, Not All of You) and Failing the North Node in Libra Lessons

I've written previously about my weekend job at the honky tonk dive bar in town. I've also written about how contact with the Pluto in Scorpio redneck crowd constantly throws my Libra/Pluto in Libra social sensibilities and consideration for others into a state of wounded shock.

Last night at the pub was no exception, and I offer this as an example of the (I would say appalling) mindset change that has happened in the span of just one decade.

The kitchen at the bar closes at 9 p.m. every night. Every night. 

Last night, a group of five Pluto in Scorpios rolled in just after 9 o'clock. For some reason, our wall clock is always set five minutes slow, so it appeared to be three minutes to 9:00. These are people who frequent the place, and they were all well aware of the kitchen's closing time. It had been a slow night, and the kitchen was already cleaned up and closed. The deep fryer and grill were off. The cook was upstairs in his living quarters preparing for a three-hour drive to the city that still had to be accomplished that night.

They asked if they could get food. I said I didn't think so and explained why. I was immediately met with hostility. "Why not? It's before 9 o'clock!" (It wasn't really, but the clock on our wall said they still had three whole minutes.) They continued to demand food in their oh-so-charming ways, so I walked around the place trying to find the cook.

I told them it didn't look as if they would get food that night because I wasn't sure where the cook was. This wasn't really that big a deal since they all live in the area and could easily have gone to their own damn homes to cook their own damn food.

One of the girls in the group works at the bar (the work ethic of this generation is a story for another time) and started giving me major attitude, throwing her weight around in front of her pals.

While I was searching for the cook, she took it upon herself to go into the kitchen and turn the deep fryer back on without my knowledge. She then told me to call the cook to come down and cook for them in an amazingly entitled and snotty tone.

Rude rednecks put a bad taste in my mouth.

Rude, entitled, Pluto in Scorpio rednecks put an absolutely foul taste in it.

After a few minutes, I called the manager on his cell phone and explained the situation. The cook came downstairs, turned everything back on, and cooked for the rude, crude crew while I gritted my teeth and waited on them as they bitched and moaned about how terrible the place was. Thankfully, the manager gave the girl a talking to about the deep fryer incident. The manager and cook finally started on their three-hour drive to the city around 10:00 p.m.

Now, here is the difference in mindset that has occurred in the span of just one generation:

I would never roll into a restaurant at closing time and hostilely demand to be served. I don't personally know anyone who would. I would make a polite request to be served, but it would be beyond me to give the waitress a hostile attitude in my attempts to get what I wanted. Actually going into the kitchen to turn on the deep fryer without permission would be so socially criminal that it would not even cross my mind.

To put it even further into context, last week, my Pluto in Leo mother was scandalized that we were going into a hardware store to buy paint (which would have to be mixed) 15 minutes before noon, as the place closes for lunch and "it's inconsiderate." (True, she does take consideration for others to an extreme with natal Neptune conjunct the South Node in Libra, but you get the idea.)

But this is the Entitlement Generation, you see, and for a large portion of this generation, previously common social rules have flown out the window. (Yes, I know this is not true for all members of this generation, but I would suggest the majority falls into this category.)

It seems much of this selfie-obsessed Entitlement Generation has skipped a) manners b) respect and consideration for others and c) social graces altogether.

But this is unwise.

These are all qualities that must be actively cultivated and mastered as the North Node of the Moon continues its transit of socially-oriented Libra. To drop the ball here is to set ourselves up for 18 years of karmic trouble on this front.

Let's just say, there's a lot of work to do from now through the completion of the North Node's transit of Libra on November 11.

It's plain to see that the social fabric has come unglued in some fairly major ways. I know every generation laments the beastliness of the younger crowd, but this is truly extreme. I generally allow a whole lot from other people. I've learned that I have to in order to get by on this planet. But when basic respect and common consideration for your fellow human beings become rare qualities to find, we're in trouble as a society. 

I will provide this reminder to readers as the North Node continues its journey through Libra:

Consciously follow the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have others do unto you. 

Consciously set the tone for manners, social graces, and respect and consideration for others during this transit. Model these things for others who perhaps have not had them modeled adequately before. Do not allow the degradation and devaluing of these things to pull you into similar behaviours. Do not allow selfish and entitled behaviours in others to piss you off or trigger you into base behaviours yourself.

Teach kindness, respect, and consideration for others by practising these things in your own daily relations, and hold out for these standards to be met in return.

Manners are important, no matter what others, including younger generations, may mistakenly believe. Maintaining a friendly, congenial attitude toward others is important.

Focusing purely on your own desires and needs and trying to impose those on others are Aries South Node tendencies that will be unsuccessful under the current conditions. Hostility toward others when you don't get what you want will be unsuccessful. Neglecting to take the needs of others into consideration will be unsuccessful. And these will become more and more unsuccessful the closer we get to October/November 2015 and the North Node on the potent zero-degree of Libra.

With the transiting North Node in Libra, working to maintain social standards and common human decency pays big dividends on a soul level.

Take on strong social leadership to set the proper tone.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Merc Rx Re-Post: Introducing Hexagon Astrology Magazine: Sharp. Smart. Subversive.

Note: I've received word from editor-in-chief Matt Savinar that the Hexagon Astrology Magazine Kickstarter campaign is at just over 50% of its financial goal. This is great news, but we need some more juice to get it over the top. 

If you are a fan of this blog, this magazine will be right up your alley. In fact, the premier issue features three of my articles. This magazine will introduce you to astrologers and astrological perspectives that you would not find in any other publication.

Let's make this magazine a new fixture on today's astrology scene. Today's astrology scene needs Hexagon Magazine. 

There are 11 days to go on the Kickstarter campaign. If you were planning to make a pledge, please do so now and help Hexagon get its start in the world!

Hexagon Magazine Kickstarter Campaign


"Ladies of the Zodiac: It's Show Time (Astrology of the Feminine Asteroids)" by Willow in Hexagon Astrology Magazine

I'm happy to announce an exciting new astrology publication coming out this August called Hexagon Astrology Magazine. This is a high quality, cutting edge print publication being put out by editor, founder, and astrologer Matt Savinar from Sebastopol, California.

Your anarchist astro-reporter has three articles appearing in the premier issue, and there is a wealth of other rich content from a variety of writers.

There hasn't been a new astrology-based print publication on the market in North America in 30 years, so this is astrological history in the making, and I'm happy and excited to be part of it. Matt has done an incredible job. It's one smoking hot publication. Other astrology publications wouldn't touch my writing, so you know this magazine has some serious depth, integrity, and potency. Some cages are going to be rattled.

There is a Kickstarter campaign on now to help get this bad boy underway. You can pre-order copies of the magazine for a pledge of $10 (U.S.) or higher. (Delivery to Canada or the United States.) Copies will be sent out August 19, 2015 when the magazine launches, and I wouldn't doubt that the premier issue becomes an instant collector's item.

For higher Kickstarter pledges, there are all kinds of incentives including getting your name in the magazine under the acknowledgments section, receiving a steel "Founding Supporter/Patron/Financier" card, getting an advertisement in the magazine, and being invited to the official launch party.

If the Kickstarter campaign fails to reach its goal of $10,000, Matt will be taking orders for the magazine as of August 1. 

If you appreciate smart, courageous, cutting edge astrological writing, you won't want to miss this. Something this good only comes around once in a lifetime (or maybe every two or three):

Hexagon Kickstarter Campaign

 

 


A note from editor-in-chief Matt Savinar:

If fearless Willow doesn't mind I want to give a shout out to the WWA readers who contributed today. Just checked the KS campaign for Hexagon before calling it a night and several WWAers have chipped in. Thanks a ton, it is very much appreciated!

Best,

Matt
Editor-in-Chief, Hexagon
Friend of, Willow
Reader of, WWA

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Venus in Cancer Triggers the Uranus-Pluto Square

Venus in Cancer is currently triggering the Uranus-Pluto square, creating a surge of cardinal tension that propels us into new territory. This makes May 21 - 25 a potent time for positioning ourselves in relationships and money matters. Strides must be made now. New leadership must be assumed, especially social leadership and leadership within our families. The times are calling upon us.

This is a final cardinal trigger point before Venus sets up shop in colourful and passionate fire sign Leo for four months, including a retrograde period from July 25 to September 5.

As Venus in Cancer moves through the Uranus-Pluto square gauntlet, we will see status and position being cemented in strong relationships, both personal and professional. Other relationships will break down under the stress of this configuration - maybe temporarily, maybe permanently.

In times such as these, our relationships have to be downright heroic in order to go the distance.

With Venus transiting Cancer, family ties and soul ties are the glue that holds things together. There's an instinctual coming together for closeness, protection, and emotional comfort. But expect some tension as Venus opposes Pluto in Capricorn May 21 (exact 7:57 p.m. CST) and squares Uranus in Aries May 25 (11:09 a.m.). Certain habitual comfort zones are no longer available! The more we try to attach to the way things once were, the rougher this configuration will be on us.

As the opposition between Venus and Pluto tightens, true feelings and unsatisfactory power dynamics in relationships of all kinds are being pushed to the surface. Pluto wants complete integrity. It won't settle for less. So dig down deep into the raw and uncensored feelings and make your decisions from there, even when it's uncomfortable.

As the Venus-Uranus square becomes exact on May 25, a new direction becomes necessary in the way we relate to others, and this is potentially a radical new direction. Again, certain habitual comfort zones are no longer available to us. Certain habitual ways of relating will no longer work. There's an Aquarian era breeze blowing through all the nooks and crannies of our relationships, and the old constructs will not do. Venus-Uranus contacts require the advancement of human relations beyond old forms. They require relational progress and possibly even quantum leaps socially and in the way we relate to others. Take the new path, the path that feels fresher and freer, to move out of reach of old emotional behaviours and relating patterns that go nowhere.

Mercury, now retrograde in Gemini, is closing in on a conjunction to Mars in Gemini (exact May 27 at 4:37 a.m.). We're wrapping our minds around what we want now and what direction we have to take in order to get it, though this is still clouded by Mercury in retrograde motion along with Mercury-Mars squares to Neptune in Pisces. More information is required in order to fine tune our goals and directions. We won't get a clear picture of desires or necessary directions until Mercury catches back up with Mars at 13 degrees Cancer on July 15.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Thank-you, WWA Patrons and Commenters!

Taurus is a sign related to gratitude, so I'd like to take this opportunity, coming out of the Taurus New Moon last night, to thank all the patrons of this site. You keep this site running. There's no question in my mind. Many times I've wondered if I could continue this work, and your financial support has allowed me to keep going. That is no small thing. So thank-you.

With all the Mercury/Gemini influence in the astro ethers at the moment, I also want to thank all the people who have left wonderful comments over the years. These comments have also kept this site running through some bumpy-ass times, and please do not think that any of your words went to waste or went unnoticed. I appreciated it all.

I've closed the comments section for now due to some disturbing commentary and not-so-friendly energies that were coming through. I was finding some of this so disturbing that it was hard to work. I was starting to self-censor and hold myself back so that I could avoid flak from others, and this is not how I want to write. This is not how I was put on this Earth to write. And this is not how most of the readers of WWA blog want me to write. So for the time being, the comments are closed, but I do post the articles to Twitter. Feel free to leave comments there (as long as you are not an a-hole).

I believe in the power of astrology. I believe in the writing that is presented on this site. And I believe in Willow's Web.

I'm grateful that others find this site valuable, too.

I wish you many blessings for your generosity toward this little astro nook on the web!

Thank-you again.

From your anarchist astro-reporter, your Plutonic punk astrologer,

Willow

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Getting Our Hands Dirty as We Move Through the Taurus (Farmer/Rancher) New Moon

You mess with the bull, you get the horns.
Photos: Willow

The Moon is currently in exaltation in Taurus ahead of the Taurus New Moon on May 17 (10:13 p.m. CST) when the Sun and Moon will come together in conjunction at 26 degrees of the sign. This kicks off a 28-day lunar cycle coloured by themes of Taurus the Bull until June 16.

Taurus energy is rich, rustic, sensuous, earthy. It's slower-paced, grounded, and dense. It's simple, basic, and traditionally-minded. It's close to the land, close to the dirt, close to nature and to the seasonal cycles. Taurus is a sign known for its love of relaxation and simple pleasures, but it is also a sign that is not afraid of hard work. Farming and ranching would be two classic forms of rustic hard work associated with Taurus, but any job or project that requires endurance, perseverance, and a sustained effort to make progress in the physical world would classify.

The influence of Mercury, Mars, and soon the Sun (May 21) in Gemini during this Taurean lunar cycle, however, indicates that much of our hard work this month will be mental, verbal, information-related, and organizational rather than strictly grunt physical labour. This hard work is made less arduous if we can manage our stress levels, keep information flowing, and avoid overloading ourselves with too much busyness, conversation, information, worry, or social activity.

We're working to keep many balls in the air while simultaneously putting a new foundation under our feet. Keep it as simple as possible.

Taurus is the sign of the farmer, and Taurus season coincides with sowing/planting season in much of the northern hemisphere. This makes it a good time of year to turn our attention to food and to the sources of our food.


In keeping with our farming and ranching themes combined with a strong Gemini/Mercury influence, passing and receiving information about the state of our food supply are key components this month. 

This very Mercurial lunar cycle is a great time for the wider dissemination of information about the state of our food supply, the state of our farmers (including stress, depression, and mental health issues which are prevalent among farmers and ranchers), and the state of our food distribution networks.

The miserable, terrifying, and ongoing 500-year drought in California, a major food supplier for North America, is one element that must be brought more strongly into the collective psyche at this time. 

This is also a good time to talk frankly about the widespread problem of hunger on this planet (including in "rich" countries like the United States and Canada), as well as the lack of political will to alleviate this horrifying situation. Forty-two million Americans are trying to subsist on food stamps at this time. Nutrition should not be an afterthought, but this becomes the case when it's a struggle just to fill your stomach - and the stomachs of your children - on a regular basis.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Mars Joins the Mercury Retrograde in Gemini Party

Action planet Mars completes its long haul through Taurus, the sign of its detriment, entering lighter territory in Gemini at 8:40 p.m. CST tonight. The denseness, grounded effort, and slower timing of Taurus can be very frustrating for our boy Mars to endure, something it has had to do, like it or not, since entering the sign of the bull on March 31. We've really been putting our shoulders into it since then, enduring some heavy loads, and making some great progress in the physical world.

Things start to move a little more freely as Mars settles into social butterfly Gemini for a transit that lasts until June 24.

Social circulation starts to increase now. But with Mercury in an extended stay in Gemini, including retrograde period from May 18 to June 11, along with inflammatory Mars and soon the Sun, the social circuits could be humming a little too strongly!


This is an excerpt from the article "Mars Joins the Mercury Retrograde in Gemini Party." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons