Tag Archives: 2017

Saturn Retrograde in Sagittarius 2017

by
Reading Time : 3 minutes

Sometimes the Universe wants us to be aware. And to do that we can’t rely too much on the outside world; we have to count on ourselves. The following weeks are going to be demanding, since today Saturn is joining the Retrograde Club.

When Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Saturn are all retrograde things are not easy. This because usually awareness comes with struggle: it is the impact with reality that makes us open our eyes. But it is also true that we can’t learn the lesson always the hard way. And maybe, this time there is too much to handle.

I know it’s wrong to generalize. We all have our own battles to fight, and the meaning of each planet strongly depends on the individual. But despite any particular interpretation, the level of emotional processing that we are asked this time is very high. We are challenged at the same time on our beliefs (Jupiter), relationships (Venus), sense of security (Mercury) and now also on our moral sense.

Let’s see together what this Saturn Retrograde is all about.

The ruins of an old church as a symbol for Saturn Retrograde in Sagittarius

Saturn Retrograde in Sagittarius

Saturn is a very slow planet. In fact, it is going to be retrograde for almost 5 months: from April 7 to August 26. This means that its effects are not necessarily going to manifest right away. Nevertheless, they will inevitably be felt. This is after all how Saturn usually works: it gives you all the time to get ready, but you’d better be when it hits.

Saturn Retrograde in Sagittarius is about ethics and morality. We could say that it’s a sort of moralizing energy that easily turns into bigotry. Do you usually feel morally superior to other people? If that’s the case, this long lasting transit could be very important for you—as an opportunity.

When a planet turns retrograde, it mainly affects us inwardly. In that sense, Saturn acts like the super-ego: it constantly reminds us our moral flaws, making us feel guilty for everything. The more you resonate with this behaviour (if you are a person who tends to blame other people, for example), the more this inner voice is going to torture you. It literally turns on you.

The lesson to learn here is to be just. You shouldn’t judge other people on the basis of your moral standards without trying to put yourself in their shoes. Also remember that the way you treat other people is going to reflect on the way you treat yourself. I don’t usually quote the Gospels, but this verse makes the point quite nicely:

“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).

Saturn Symbol

When will all this end?

Usually, I don’t like this question. But in this case I think it’s totally understandable. So, here’s the list of the end dates for the retrograde planets I mentioned above:

  • Venus goes direct on April 16
  • Mercury goes direct on May 4
  • Jupiter goes direct on  June 10
  • Saturn goes direct on August 26

Mercury Retrograde in Taurus 2017 – 4 Simple Tips to Handle It

by
Reading Time : 3 minutes

We have reached the second round of Mercury Retrograde for this year. From April 10 to May 4 Mercury is going to move backwards in the sky. As always, this is an important opportunity to tune in with the rhythms of the stars, and use them to our advantage. I say this because many people love to complain about Mercury Retrograde. Finally, they have an excuse for everything.

But the point is that Mercury Retrograde is about awareness. The retrograde motion suggests—and facilitates—introspection. The mind turns inwardly, and it’s time for retrospectives. So let’s see what lies ahead for the next three weeks and how we can handle it.

A bridge in the forest, symbol for Mercury Retrograde in Taurus

Sense of Security put to the Test

Mainly, Mercury Retrograde in Taurus is about money concerns. Usually they are triggered by delays or misunderstandings in payments—which sadly are very common. But we need to understand that this is only the outer side of the matter. We don’t have to fall in the everyday materialistic mindset: there’s more than that. There’s a lesson to learn.

As always, you are going to make it through. What’s really important here—the lesson—is the way you react to the situation. In other words, you have the opportunity to better understand the way you react to uncertainty. In fact, even though Taurus is strictly related to wealth, we can’t reduce this transit to money issues.

Please note that money is just a symbol. In this case, the meaning behind it is: “what makes us feel safe” or “the source of abundance”. Everybody knows that people with strong taurine traits love to stock food and money. For them it’s important to feel they can always afford what they love. Mercury Retrograde puts this sense of security to the test.

This is the way I interpret the entrance of Mercury back in Aries on April 21. Basically, our warrior personality (Mars-Aries-Fire) activates when we feel threatened. For this reason the second part of the transit is going to be about boundary issues, being Taurus the sign of our territory. The initial sense of insecurity can turn into the feeling of being invaded.

How to Handle this Mercury Retrograde

  1. Give it a Context. It is very important to understand where this challenge is going to manifest. To do that, simply check where 5° Taurus and 25° Aries fall in your Natal Chart. Which houses (areas of life) are involved? If you don’t know it, prick up your ears. You will realize it soon by yourself.
  2. Double-Check the Information. When it comes to Mercury Retrograde, communication is key. Most concerns can be contained—if not completely avoided—by an effective communication. Misunderstandings are very common during these transits, so you must learn the art of not worrying until you are a hundred percent certain of the actual problem.
  3. Know Yourself. How do you react to uncertainty? For example, I react trying to plan everything up and keep things under control. Like most of us I don’t like uncertainty at all. So what I usually try to do is to make the uncertain, certain. This is a clear expression of my Mars in Virgo—my warrior side. Efficiency and effectiveness are my weapons, what are yours?
  4. Practice Mindfulness. Taurus are hard workers, but they usually have a very calm pace. Sometimes this makes them look lazy, even though they are not. What we want to do is to embrace this attitude inside, bringing it in our mind (Mercury). To do that you can try with mindfulness, a widely practiced discipline that can give you extraordinary results.

Happy Spring Equinox 2017

by
Reading Time : 2 minutes

A small green plant as a symbol of the Spring Equinox 2017

Hey everybody, happy Spring Equinox 2017!

Today light and darkness are perfectly balancing each other out. This is the day when we can celebrate the forces of light taking over darkness. The promise of the new light we witness every year at Christmas (Yule, the Wheel) is kept in this day. It’s part of the great process of Nature.

This is a very important date for astrologers. According to our art, this is the first of the year which starts with the entrance of the Sun in Aries. Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac, a powerful fire sign that grants us the initial boost typical of new beginnings.

So, what about you?

  • What were your Resolutions for the New Year? After all they are just like seeds, so this is the right time for making them sprout. Start to work on them, as the fire energy of the new year rises.
  • How is it going with Venus Retrograde and Jupiter Retrograde? They are important opportunities to work on our belief system. In addition, they are part of the Astrological Chart of 2017, so they are going to affect us for the following 12 months.
  • What does the warrior side of your personality look like? How did it help you to overcome darkness in the past? Since Mars is the ruler of Aries, this is a great time to reconnect with this powerful archetype.

Also remember to take a break and have a walk in Nature. Sometimes it’s all it takes to clear your mind and recharge the batteries. We are so taken by our daily life that we often forget to simply look around and appreciate beauty. As Dostoevsky once said, beauty will save the world. And what is it, if not symmetry and balance?

Take care and have a good week 🙏

Venus Retrograde in Aries 2017

by
Reading Time : 3 minutes

Venus is going to be retrograde soon. From March 5 to April 16 we are going to see her moving backwards in the sky. In this article we will explain the general meaning of Venus Retrograde, as well as her entrance back into Pisces.

A red flower, symbol for Venus Retrograde

First off, Venus Retrograde. As every planet moving backwards, Venus Retrograde directs her energies inside instead of outside. This means she is mainly going to affect your inner life. This is a moment for second thoughts, because among other things Venus represents our judgment. And in Aries (where she is in detriment) she is not good. She is the cause of decisions made on a whim, rushed conclusions and self-overestimation issues. This because Aries simply can’t listen to reason and always wants to be right.

Hard Self-Criticism

As you can see having second thoughts comes naturally here. Venus stops (literally), turns and says: what am I doing? The first step of this process is ruled by a very strong Mars in Aries. This means we can expect us to be very hard on ourselves. That self-criticism will regard the particular House (area of life) affected by the transit—especially if we have messed it up. Just check 13° Aries on your Natal Chart.

My advice is to simply accept it. Everybody is hard on themselves sometimes. After all we need to be, in order to grow and learn. It’s all right. But if your Saturn (basically your super-ego, the voice of your conscience) is very strong, it may be distressing. So keep that in mind and don’t overdo it.

Overwhelming passion

Venus is of course the Goddess of Love. From this perspective, her transit in Aries (which also featured a conjunction with Mars) had a strong passionate symbolism in the last month. But was it maybe too much? When retrograde, Venus tends to second-guess her feelings: “Was it just sex? Am I really in love with him?”. To answer such questions is not going to be easy, since the passion of Aries clouds your judgement.

My advice is to just take your time. Let everything settle down a bit. Again, Venus stops because she needs a break. All this has been intense, maybe too much. Her personal boundaries are at risk, and she feels like she is too involved. Just slow down.

Venus Retrograde back in Pisces

On April 4 Venus will be back in Pisces. This is a happy ending scenario since she is going to be in the sign of her exaltation. We are talking about universal love and compassion, fueled by both romanticism and wisdom (Jupiter). This means that although in this process you will encounter many doubts and second thoughts, eventually you will be able to shed light on your feelings.

At best, it is true love. In the worst case it wasn’t, but you will be nevertheless able to clearly recognize your mistakes, to the point you won’t be angry with him (or her).

In conclusion, I’d like to point out that Jupiter is still retrograde (and it will be up to June 9). When both the benefics are retrograde, it can be a challenging moment, since we can’t count on them for protection. Still, we are definitely encouraged to transform both our belief system (aka Shadow Work) and  the way we judge people.

 

Annular Solar Eclipse in Pisces 2017

by
Reading Time : 3 minutes

An Annular, Solar Eclipse is like an ovule. The Sun disc appear bigger than the Moon, creating a ring of light in the sky at the peak of the event. We can think of it as a sort of “egg of change”—fecundated by the solar force.

As we have discussed before, a Solar Eclipse is about new beginnings. If the North Lunar Node is involved, they are constructive, amplifying and positive. Whereas if the eclipse occurs on South Lunar Node—as in this case—they are destructive and negative. But don’t freak out.

Solar annular eclipse of January 15, 2010 in Jinan, Republic of China (source: Wikimedia)

Positive or negative are relative concepts. [ictt-tweet-inline]Destruction can be functional just as construction can be dysfunctional[/ictt-tweet-inline]. It all depends on what you need right now. If you are turning your world upside down this eclipse might be right for you. But if you’re looking for a peaceful stability it could definitely get in the way!

Mars and Mercury activating the Eclipse

Mars will give dynamism to the event (as if it was needed!). In particular, the Cardinal T-Square—Jupiter in Libra, Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn—will be triggered by the transit of the God of War. Being in Aries, Mars will give the major configuration a great boost. The conjunction with Uranus (freedom, revolution, sudden changes) is an explosive mix that will not take long to manifest.

The Cardinal T-Square is about tension between legal justice (Jupiter in Libra), social justice (Uranus in Aries) and financial power (Pluto in Capricorn). Before long, we can expect the political landscape to suffer a serious shock, especially for the areas most affected by the eclipse (see below).

In addition the Sun and the Moon are going to be in conjunction with Neptune, lord of the collective unconscious feelings. This means all this will touch deeply the public opinion.

As always, the effects of the eclipse will reveal themselves in the following months. Since it’s going to take place at 8° 12′ Pisces, we need to monitor that spot for upcoming transits. In particular Mercury is going to hit 9° Pisces on March 3, which is also when Jupiter and Uranus are going to perfect their opposition.

We can conclude that the eclipse effects will show up very soon. If you want to see how the eclipse is going to affect you please check 9° Pisces on your Natal Chart to see if any planet or angle are triggered. If so, the houses affected are mainly the ones represented by the planet.

Most affected areas

The eclipse is going to take place on February 26 at 14:58 (UTC Time) at 9° Pisces. It is going to be visible in South/West Africa, Much of South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Antarctica. However we must not think that those places are also the ones most affected astrologically.

The power of any astrological event depends on the houses. The closer to the angles (Ascendant AS, Midheaven MC, Descendant DS and Imum Coeli IC), the more powerful it is. Through Astrocartography we can discover exactly where the eclipse is going to thrive.

Below is a list of places most affected:

  • AS: USA, North/West Coast (east of San Francisco/Portland/Seattle), Canada (east of Vancouver)
  • MC: Brazil (east of Rio de Janeiro, west of Fortaleza)
  • DS: Russia (east of St. Petersbourg, west of Moscow), Finland (western border), Iraq (west of Baghdad)
  • IC: Japan (South/West Tokio, Mt. Fuji), Australia (Adelaide)

Jupiter Retrograde in Libra 2017

by
Reading Time : 3 minutes

Once a year Jupiter becomes retrograde. Basically, a planet is retrograde when we see it moving backwards in the sky. The Sun and the Moon for example never go retrograde. We always see them going forward, right? Well, the other planets sometimes don’t. They turn around—so to speak—and go back.

So, what does it mean? You can think of it as a person who stops in order to think better. [ictt-tweet-inline]Sometimes we all need a break[/ictt-tweet-inline]. In that period of time we can observe the situation from afar, and then start again. They are indeed precious moments of awareness.

In other words, a retrograde planet turns his energies inwardly—towards our inner life. Some planets are not always comfortable with that, but it really depends on the sign. A retrograde Mars in Aries for example is like dynamite; but the same planet in Scorpio is in its element. Perfectly at ease.

Jupiter retrograde in Libra

Jupiter is our inner wisdom. It is the voice that draws us closer to the spirit. It comes with no surprise that a retrograde Jupiter is—generally speaking—not so bad. Everybody knows how annoying a Mercury retrograde can be. But if nobody complains about Jupiter retrograde there’s probably a good reason for that.

The truth is that a retrograde Jupiter could also be a blessing. [ictt-tweet-inline]Our society is so deaf to the call of the spirit that sometimes a little push is needed[/ictt-tweet-inline]. But as I said—it really depends on the sign.

So, what about Jupiter retrograde in Libra? As we have discussed before, Jupiter in Libra is the good magistrate. And sometimes even the judge needs to stop in order to think if he is doing the right thing.

Are you going through a phase where you are second-guessing yourself? Is the voice of your conscience knocking at the door? Don’t get me wrong. It’s not about feeling bad for something. Guilt has nothing to do with that. It is about clarifying what you deeply consider right and wrong.

Knowing that gives you power. There’s nothing worse than living a life without knowing what you genuinely believe in. We all bear inside a moral compass—even criminals. They might believe in the law of the jungle, nevertheless they still believe. And Jupiter retrograde in Libra can help you remember that you have that compass.

In which house of your Natal Chart is Jupiter transiting at the moment? Knowing that allows you to nail down the matter at one of the aspects of your life. For instance, if it is in your seventh house it’s going to be about your relationship values. You can check the general meaning of each house on this page.

The Power of Beliefs

Please do not underestimate the power of your beliefs. They are able to determine the course of your existence. The decisions you make in your life are based on what you consider possible. If you feel you can’t place your trust in a person, a project or even a perspective on life you will never go that way.

Your beliefs are also your limits. [ictt-tweet-inline]When your trust is betrayed something is broken[/ictt-tweet-inline]. The very essence of your motivation dissolves, and with it every sparkle of enthusiasm. The engine that turns any inspiring idea into reality stops simply because you don’t believe anymore.

This incredible power—which is the power of faith—is what makes Jupiter such a crucial force in the human soul. So remember, as the old motto goes: “know thyself”.

Transit Details

Jupiter is going to be retrograde from Febraury 6th (23° Libra) to June 9th (13° Libra). During its retrograde motion the Great Benefic is going to perform the following Major aspects (only outer planets are considered):

  • 27 FEB: Mars opposite Jupiter
  • 03 MAR: Jupiter opposite Uranus
  • 30 MAR: Jupiter square Pluto
  • 12 MAY: Mars trine Jupiter

In your Natal Chart you may want to check mainly where its stationary points fall (again, 13° and 23° Libra). Thanks for reading and have a good week.

My New Year Resolutions for 2017

by
Reading Time : 2 minutes

Hey everybody, I hope you had a great time during the holidays and also had a good start to the year! May the light of the new Sun shine before you strong and bright, clearing your thoughts and intentions, warming your soul with enthusiasm and giving you health and vitality to accomplish your goals!

As probably most of you did, I spent these days chilling with friends and family. I really had the need to rest and clear my mind in order to figure out my new year resolutions the best way possible. What about you? Do you have any? This time of the year is always full of hope and good intentions.

New Year Resolutions for the Blog

  • New Text Based Template. I think the reader should have the best experience possible, so I have decided that I’m going for a new text based template. I really like the way they emphasize text appearance making the reading more enjoyable. If it’s going to turn out too complicated I will stick with the one I’m using, readjusting just the font family, size and color.
  • Search Engine Optimization. A friend of mine complained about how difficult it is to find my website googling  “astronomicon”. I really like the name but I’m afraid it’s too hard to remember, not to mention that it is used also in other fields. I don’t think I’m going to do anything drastic—like changing the name of the blog—but I’m definitely going to focus more on SEO.
  • Contents. Blogging isn’t just about posting—it also involves a lot of editing. I’m entering that phase where I feel the need to revisit all the static pages I posted, especially the “about” and “skywatch” sections.
  • Services Section. When I started this blog the main goal was to build a platform that would allowed me to start a small online business in Astrology Consultations. It requires an online store and appointment scheduler which I’ve already set up. Unfortunately the hard part is the international tax management, especially the VAT which in Europe at least is a real mess (each country has its own!).

I don’t want to go too far because [ictt-tweet-inline]we all know how it works with new year resolutions[/ictt-tweet-inline]—especially if you have too many, right?

Stay tuned on the blog, I’m going to post soon an update about the Cardinal T-Square I mentioned in this article, which is still going to affect us for a while.