The next couple of weeks through mid-October are going to be very intense and conflict driven.  The pandemic degree of 22° 46 Capricorn that was established at the Saturn/Pluto conjunction at the top of 2020 is about to be triggered by transiting retrograde Mars, exact on October 8 and the station direct of Pluto on October 4 .  Both those planets will hit the degree exactly while Jupiter catches up in November and Saturn hovers just beyond still exerting its influence of trying to keep law and order in traditional ways. 

Pluto continues to uncover the dark, underbelly of our society and Mars can actively trigger anger and violence based upon what is being revealed and a feeling of injustice.  In the past few days the Breonna Taylor verdict was handed down and in many quarters there is a sense of anger over justice not being served fairly.  On August 2nd I wrote an article about the Mars retrograde.  I said that when Mars starts the precise retrograde from September 9 through November 14 the implementation of making changes to what has been brought to light will deepen.  It will be the continued fight to actually make those changes.  It will be the time when we see if the murderers of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are brought to justice.  It will be the time when we see just how far those that want to defund the police will achieve their goals.  It will be a time to see how far the Black Lives Matter movement can evolve and any of the myriad and dizzying changes that have come to light since the start of 2020 can progress or not.  It will be the time when we see how far Covid will ravage our country, its people and the economy.  It will be the time when we have a presidential election to decide if there will be a reversal of power.  Each side will dig in deeper and be stimulated to fight.  The side that feels empowered to initiate a new beginning will start making those changes, while the side resisting change to the status quo will feel a tremendous urge to defend traditions.  Mars will stimulate the fight on both sides.  It’s a boxing match. 

It’s all starting right now and the Breonna Taylor decision, the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the death toll from Covid breaking the 200,000 mark are all coming down as the energy starts to culminate.  It’s going to be a rough October so do what you can to stay sane and rational.  

This is a very industrious new moon and is an excellent one for getting back to the work grind at full throttle.  There is a caveat in that the Moon is void of course from 7:42 am till 2:56 pm (EST) so the benefits of the new moon will be best realized after 3:00 and on Friday.  There are ways to be extremely industrious during the void.  Use that time to plan, organize, review the details and get your ducks in a row.  

The Virgo Sun is in harmonious aspect to Saturn all day and that's one of the best possible aspects in the world for productivity and achievement.  Organize and plan during the void implement the action afterwards and on Friday.  When the Moon enters Libra in the late afternoon that will help work situations balance out any glitches.  It will lessen the grip of control freaks so that they share the work load and responsibility with others who play an equal part in business partnerships.  Everyone has a role to play and you must let each contribute their talent in their own way.  

This new moon is an entry way for the next two weeks for adjusting to new school, health and work routines.  Many people have to make enormous changes to their daily grind which is now being launched.  For the next two weeks, and in the bigger picture the next two months, it will be a testing ground as to which new routines work and which don't.  Nothing is set in stone and you'll have to be able to adapt and mutate in order to keep productive and move forward.  If you don't stay flexible you can break and stagnate which is not a good thing to do in these challenging times.  

Sorry to be a negative Nelly, a maligned Anne of Green Gables, a persecuted Pollyanna or a dismayed Dolly Dimple but Labor Day this year should be called Labor Month. Our two malefics, Saturn and Mars, will be in harsh square all month and that means you better get to work being productive and be willing to come up against blocks, obstacles and stop signs. Instead of buckling under the pressure you'll be called upon time and again to solve problems and challenges. If you meet up with the answer NO then you must go back to the drawing board and find creative ways to get a YES answer or at least a compromise.

This is known to be a very harsh aspect but it can instigate great productivity that comes out of tremendous stress and tension. You will be forced to find new solutions to old problems and if you don't then the aspect can make you feel like a failure, but that's because you aren't willing to put in the extra work. And extra work is what is called for. Obviously some situations will be out of your control and you will have to take the loss or setback with a certain amount of pain and dignity. Once you lick your wounds then get slowly back on your feet and find a new way to restructure your place in the material world. It's sort of like setting off on a new, unknown journey and you must find the courage to do battle. You may lose a limb in the process or be cut off at the knee, but you can find strength and resilience in overcoming the obstacle and in some cases buttress the knee and even regrow a better and stronger limb.

That's more or less the general tone for September but the immediate mood for Labor Day Monday is rather lovely as the Taurus Moon makes very harmonious aspects to all the planets currently traveling through Virgo and Capricorn. Enjoy the fruits of your labor to the best of your ability today. Be generous in sharing with others the abundance you've created and worked so hard to achieve.

The Sun enters Virgo today but because the new moon in Leo occurred this past Tuesday there is still more Leo types of "fun in the Sun" times that will linger. Virgo is a sign associated with health, high functioning, precision and can overly worry. Therefore in this time of Covid, with so many people more concerned about their health and others wanting to have some free spirited fun, there needs to be a balance between fun loving, free and easy Leo and protocol, rule-following, critical and picky Virgo. The balance between the two signs can be very beneficial.

A very important part of the Virgo Sun will be figuring out the details and organizing a new daily ritual as so many prepare to go back to school and work. For some that is now, and for others it's after Labor Day - but for all the preparation and organization of the daily routine has to be thought about and planned. Obviously this year there are many changes and adjustments being made to the school and work year. Mars turning retrograde on September 9 initiates a time when all these new plans that are put into action have a two month review process to see if they're working, and if not then they will be changed after November 14. There's also a Mercury retrograde thrown in from October 14 through November 3 that will also be a time of review and adjustment.

The major aspect today is a T-square between the Moon, Mars, Pluto and Saturn. This is not a fun aspect. It can provoke arguments, fights, blocks, delays, repression, anger, violence and a generally oppressive and threatening type of energy. Of course, the benefits of such a dynamic aspect is about massive amounts of focus, concentration and energy put towards solving gargantuan problems but the energy must be used in a focused, organized, determined and steady way. If and when you meet with blocks know how to back off or continue forward and find a new way to solve the challenge or obstruction. You really, really must know how to choose your battle with this T-square. The empty sign is Cancer so the problem and/or solution can be found through family, home, history or looking to the past.

The planet Uranus stations retrograde today at 10° 41’ Taurus.  She’ll be retrograde through January 11, 2021 when he’ll turn direct at 2°39’ Taurus.  The day of, two days before and the day after the retrograde are often when major shifts occur in the world and in our personal lives pertaining to Uranian matters and in Uranian ways.  The other important dates are when she makes sharp aspects to natal planets but for now we are dealing mainly with the station. 

We’ve been feeling the energy the past few days and it will be here throughout the weekend.  Retrogrades are a reversal of energy, change of attitude, switch of direction.  There may be reversals and changes to friendships, teams and alliances since Uranus is very concerned with matters pertaining to groups.  In the sign of Taurus the question will be which friends, teams, groups and alliances hold the most value and substance in your life.  Which are worth holding on to, and which don’t hold inherent value anymore that you might distance, divorce or separate from?   Perhaps the shift in status can be over something as mundane as money.  When it comes to money there could be simplistic arguments and blow ups over what different people value about it.  For many there must be more introspection on the retrograde on how to be innovative in creating new sources of income.  Many have been detached and castrated from financial sources and this retrograde through the end of the year offers an opportunity to recreate those resources.  Unearth a new talent and be inspired to use innate talents in innovative ways.  Another stimulus package should be coming down the pike within a matter of weeks on this retrograde. 

This planet has a great deal to do with divorce.  These days are fraught with wanting to break away from others whether spouses, friends or family members.  Really think hard whether those in your life add depth and substance or detract from those qualities. 

If something explosive has happened in the last few days or occurs in the upcoming few days don’t try to fix the problem immediately with a knee jerk response.  Someone may come at you with something that angers, disrupts or sets you in a chaotic tailspin.  It’s best not to react in similar fashion.  Detach, get some distance, see things from a bird’s eye view and then tackle a response next week sometime after more objectivity is reached.  Unless a major eruption calls for an immediate response, take the high road and remain objectively distant.  Only certain very important life altering events will demand an immediate and quick response. 

Uranus is a planet of originality and innovation and this is a turning point on how to figure out how to make yourself stand out from the crowd and show off your uniqueness.  We have 5 months to make that rebirth and this weekend is the start. 

Uranus also likes to break, overthrow and revolutionize and because Taurus is a money sign watch what continues to be thrown off balance with the economy and our resources.  Stock markets and economic forecasts will continue to be volatile and off kilter. 

Those who don’t like being told what to do; for instance wearing a mask, may become more irritable, volatile, contrary and confrontational so hold off on provoking others even if you’re in the right.  Uranus can be an iconoclast so watch for the further destruction of old, cherished and/or antiquated structures and belief systems that have been long held in high value but are now crumbling. 

It is especially important to watch for volcanic explosions from Mother Nature. 

Keep your mind open to original thinking and allow yourself to change strait-jacketed or vice- like thinking and habits otherwise they will break your will in much more uncomfortable mental and physical ways. 
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This can also be a weekend of making unexpected new friendships and social contacts with people that over the coming months may become more deeply connected and bonded with you.  This weekend’s Moon/Venus conjunction in Cancer is an extremely loving family connection that comes from the heart so be aware of new relationships fitting into that category that suddenly commence. 
 

The next few days will be rather challenging to navigate.  Whatever you're feeling or experiencing will be heightened, sensitized and dramatized just a little bit more than usual thanks to the effects of the full moon.  This lunation crosses the signs of Aquarius and Leo and both signs are known for their dramatic intensity.  Everyone wants to stand out from the crowd and be recognized for their unique individuality.  The Leo time of year likes to make everyday a special one and this full moon will make people go to extremes in behavioral patterns to be recognized and seen!  Watch for too much partying, too much drinking, too much ignoring social distance boundaries and conversely others being super, super ruthless in judging and calling out behaviors they deem to be socially unacceptable.  It's a polarizing energy.  

It's an even more interesting full moon because it is colored by the Sun in square aspect to Uranus, one of the planetary rulers of Aquarius as well as Mercury in opposition to Saturn the other planetary ruler of Aquarius.  The next few days has an off kilter kind of energy and you can easily be thrown off your center.  Don't be stubborn about sticking to a plan, point of view or opinion because the more you dig you heels deeply into a behavior pattern the more you might suffer when the energy breaks.  It may be best to distance yourself from friends, family and the crowd when the energy gets too volcanic.  Mercury opposite Saturn is ripe for blocked communication and Mars square Jupiter only adds to zealous proselytizing and fighting too hard for your beliefs without listening to others.  There's way too much stubborn energy in the air.  If you feel you or anyone else approaching situations with blinders on, then take a deep breath and take a step back.  Only go the distance in a situation where you're absolutely 100% sure about your position, and even then be careful about going one step too far in saying something wrong.  

Expect the unexpected in the next few days and be willing to find new, creative solutions for old problems.  Often we are at our most creative when forced into making necessary changes to events that are lobbed at us from left field.  When something irritates and upsets you emotionally, remove yourself from the situation and get a bird's eye view and more objectivity before coming back to meet the situation from a detached perspective in order to solve the problem.  Shocking revelations may come to light so nothing should surprise you - or EVERYTHING will surprise you!  

This is an accident prone energy so slow down and be more hyper aware of your surroundings when driving, biking and using all forms of transportation.  

Chiron retrogrades in Aries this weekend while making a conjunction with Mars.  On top of that the Aries Moon supplies an emotional fuel to kick off this conjunction that will have ramifications over the course of the remainder of the year.  This is one of several conjunctions that will launch new beginnings that make way for the clearing of the old, outworn and outdated. 

Astrology really does have a very practical application if you know the vocabulary and apply it to daily living and events.  It's not always easy to know what the outcome might be but you can definitely make correlations to events and timings for when an outcome may take place.  

Mars and Aries are a planet sign combination that are associated with the face and the head.  Chiron is a planet that concerns itself with wounds, healing, medicine and education.  The aspect of a conjunction is the end of one way of life and the beginning of another, the birth of something new.  The first sign of spring is about awakenings, thrusting forward into a better vision of the future, starting something new, and making conquests.  

Retrograde is about going back to the past to revise, change or fix something.  A revisiting of an issue to  reimagine, reinvent or rework it.  To mask or not to mask?  That is the question!  The science and numbers say that countries and populations that have required the population to wear masks when in public and interacting with others have flattened the curve and reduced the spread of coronavirus significantly.  There is a battle, in this country in particular where the spike of the coronavirus is virulent, as to whether or not it is important to wear a mask or not.  This conjunction says its time is to mend wounds, go to war in order to make things whole.  Chiron retrograde is about healing something from the past but the sign of Aries says to take firm and deliberate action in order to heal past wounds.  This is also correlated to our country's karma (BLM) as well as the more pressing issues of the spread of disease.  The retrograde is also indicative of research being done to find a vaccine and other healing medicines to eradicate and battle the virus.  Chiron was a teacher and an educator so this planet/sign combination is about the struggle, battle and fight to find a new vision on how to open up the education system for our students and teachers.  

It's all about what face to show people:  a healthy or unhealthy one.  The mask will be a symbol of how you fight the battle the war and face the enemy.  Mars will turn retrograde on September 9th and that will be when the fight becomes more internally virulent.  It will be a deepening of the action to fight the inner enemy of the virus, the enemy of the people, each other and also the deeper warrior cry in the research for the vaccine.  Educating the public on health matters is imperative and the education of our children must be debated as to how and when to reopen the schools.  Let's not forget that Mars as an energy is deeply connected to the military and police.  So there are major overhauls to those systems as well.  Mars is about leadership and on the retrograde that leadership may be rendered impotent and signal the reversal of who is in charge.  Mars retrograde has a lot to do with dirty, underhanded types of fighting.  

Chiron is called the wounded healer.  Our health is wounded, our education is wounded, our police and military is wounded, and our country's soul is wounded.  It is time to heal these wounds.  

Look in your personal life as well to where these changes are taking place by the house in your chart contains the sign of Aries.  

Mars entered Aries on June 27.   This is the warrior planet that fights and has at its disposal the qualities of assertion, aggression, bravery, courage, competition, bullying, violence and anger.  He represents the action principal.  The action principal that is driven by the ego urge of going after what you want.  Mars remains in Aries through the beginning of 2021.  This is the sign of its dignity.  When a planet travels through the sign of its dignity it has more power and strength.  In this case Mars has power and strength to act and get what it wants with a free will and very little to stop him.  It's as if there is a green light and no red stop sign to set limits.  So what happened in the USA since Mars entered Aries where he can behave in as aggressive a manner as he would like?  We've been having a major uptick in the spread of the Coronavirus.  Look at the science?  The charts are off the wall in the rise of cases especially in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona and many other states.  The rise is fast, rapid and there seems to be nothing stopping it.  The USA currently has a third of the world deaths and a third of the worlds reported Covid-19 cases.  Yes, Mars likes to win.  

Mars will turn retrograde on September 13.  We have a choice people.  If we don't want this pandemic to continue spreading unabated then we have to start doing something now.  Astrology outlines time periods when energy peaks.  Depending on how current transits are handled can often, though not always, lead to how the future is affected.  If we do something now, then the retrograde of Mars has the potential to reverse the current trend.  The rampant rise in cases happening now can,  in mid September, slow down as Mars reverses direction.  But, and it's a big but, if we don't handle this wisely by taking action now then the retrograde of Mars can render a sense of powerlessness.  Our power must be redirected to help influence the direction of the energy.  

I would like to think that as Mars turns retrograde we can tap into his attributes as guardian and protector vs. warrior and aggressor.  We do have a choice.  

June 21st marks a Solar Eclipse at the Summer Solstice which is 0 Degrees Cancer.  While a solar eclipse is always important for planting new seeds and beginnings that will evolve over the course of the next 6 months, this one is even more intense and important because it lies on the world axis.  That means that it connects with events that play out on the world stage in even more fated ways.  Its influence will be felt in the collective and everyone's response will be extremely personal in nature as well as more emotional.  There will be much unconscious, conditioned behavior called out in the open to be processed and looked at.  The history of our country is up for reinterpretation especially the parts of our history that have been hidden, swept under the carpet or totally obfuscated.  Everyone will have a personal reaction and it will be publicized, advertised, televised and visualized through the media and world events.  Try to be reflective as opposed to responding in knee-jerk fashions.  That goes for everyone, even those that feel to be on the right side of history.  

Eclipses occur in 19 year cycles.  Astrologers and scientists define this as the Metonic cycle.  That means that 19 years ago we had another eclipse at 0 Degrees Cancer on June 21, 2001.  That was the eclipse cycle that ushered in the events of 9/11.  You have to be aware of the past in order to predict the future.  There is something about his cycle of eclipses that will reflect back to that time.  We already have had a terrorist attack in the form of a the Covid-19 Pandemic so we are aware of the cycle being reflected in current events.  In 2001 it came in the form of an open enemy and this year it arrived through a hidden enemy.  Of course we have other cycles affecting the process this year, most importantly the Saturn/Pluto conjunction as well as the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction.  That has only intensified the challenges of this year.  The other major influence is the USA experiencing her Pluto return that will continue for several years.  That is exposing the dark underbelly of the institutions and structures that form the basis and foundation of our country; namely slavery and capitalism.  The dark and hidden side must come out in the open in order to be processed, understood and eventually transformed and rebirthed into something more constructive and powerful.   

The summer of 9/11 was interesting because even though the eclipse happened on June 21 the event of 9/11 occurred a couple of months later.  What one must remember about eclipse energy is that often the event doesn't occur exactly on the date.  The energy is put in place but often another planet triggering the degree of the eclipse can set the event in motion - especially Mars or the Sun.  In the case of 9/11 Mars, the action and war planet was transiting 0-1 degrees Capricorn on the day of the attack.  This year Mars will transit 0 degrees Aries on June 29-30 very close to the date of the eclipse, so let's watch out for important world events around that time.  We are in the middle of three eclipses this summer, June 5, June 21 and July 5 and world events are in a precarious state.  Bernadette Brady defines this set of eclipses as belonging to a difficult Saros Series. Here's a direct quote from her book The Eagle and the Lark:  "Restriction, inhibition, restraint, separation and illusions are the trademarks of this family of eclipses.  Events can occur which seem to block the individual.  In this blocking the individual is very prone to misjudge his or her strengths or the situation and is best advised to wait until the eclipses passes before taking any real action.  This is a difficult Saros Series".  

On an individual level having a North Node solar eclipse at 0 degrees Cancer suggest that everyone has to personally redefine the concept of home and family.  This could be as simple as refurnishing, redecorating or purchasing a home but on a more psychological level it's about investing a new energy and concept surrounding the definition of home and family and those people, ideas, concepts and situations that you devote time and energy towards that promote your personal comfort and security.  Cancer energy is extremely self-protective and there's a strong urge to fight and defend family values.  Are your family values in tact or are they in need of redefining?  Those are the big questions that we as individuals must ask ourselves as well as the country on a collective level.  Look at the past and see where you have succeeded and failed and how will you lay new foundations to promote growth instead of stagnating in a quagmire of self-inflicted pain and suffering.  Where are you holding grudges?  So much of the polarization in our country stems from everyone feeling that their personal security is being stripped away - whether that belief is true or not.  People like to hold on to the past because it feels comfortable - even if it is outdated, and no longer serves a useful purpose.  They will go down screaming unless awakened.  We will see more fighting and emotional and irrational behavior.  Just think of the image of a mother lioness fighting to defend her cubs from an outside invader.  That's the kind of energy we see in the human race right now.  It can be ugly because of its raw, instinctive and visceral nature.  The child of a drug addicted mother will scream if taken away from that mother even if it's in their best interest.  That is the only type of nurturing and mothering the child is conditioned to, but doesn't mean it is good for them.  Zero degrees Cancer has a strong connection to the umbilical cord.  The minute we are born that umbilical cord is severed yet the baby screams for continued nurturance.  Our growth and maturity from infancy to adulthood comes out of finding ways to re-attach the umbilical cord through our own devices and without relying helplessly on the outside Mother figure in our life.  We have to become our own Mother by discovering ways to nurture ourselves through new relationships and creative activities.  How we do this is always predicated on the original conditioning.  It must evolve and grow and cannot stay attached to the past especially when that past has proven to have outgrown its original function.    

If you have planets at 29 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) or 0-1 degrees of the cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra, Capricorn, Aries) then you will experience the events of this eclipse much more intensely during this period and within the next couple of months.  The form that experience will take depends on what planet it hits and what houses are involved.  I cannot go through all the permutations of what that means.  For that you need to invest in a full astrological reading of your personal natal chart.  

Take a couple of deep breaths.  The planet Neptune is also stationing in the sky right now turning retrograde on June 23 so that is adding to heightened sensitivity, anxiety, sentimental behaviors as well as strong feelings of compassion and love.  Neptune inflates emotions, whether good or bad, that are already in the ethers so be aware. Remember what I always say about eclipses:  Nothing is as bad as it seems and nothing is as good as it seems.  Events, situations and feelings are always heightened and inflated so try to take a step backwards.  That is true now, more than ever.  

Today Mercury retrogrades in Cancer through July 12.  Retrograde Mercury is always about a review, reorganization, rethinking, reconnecting and re-contacting.  In the sign of Cancer there is an extra hefty dose of reflecting on the past.  This retrograde is about reclaiming and reconnecting to the past.  Cancer demands a review of history on a more psychological level.  On a national level it is a continued review and revision of the USA's complicated history.  What exactly is the truth of our heritage?  It's an important crossroads of coming to terms with reaping what we have sown.  

As individuals we must review our own personal past and have a clearer vision of what that is as well.  It's time to revisit family matters for clarification.  Reclaiming a personal past or a countries historical past is about setting things right and communicating with an open heart where feelings are hurt.  Cancer is a feeling oriented sign and Mercury is a mental and logical planet.  There has to be a balancing of the heart and mind with this combination.  Feelings must first come to the surface before they can be processed mentally.  Mercury retrograde joins Venus retrograde as well as Saturn, Jupiter, Pluto and Neptune.  That's an awful lot of retrograde energy, so if you don't like to take a step backwards you may be forced to in the coming weeks.  You cannot move forward in life without reflecting on past mistakes as well as glories.  It's time to plot what needs to be fixed and adjusted before setting a new plan into action.  Now is the time for deep, reflective, internal work.  Plot your eventual course of action and redefine your template.  

Your family will become more important during this time.  The definition of family may change and expressing love for family bonds will be heightened.  A retrograde in Cancer is also notorious for more family quarreling and arguing.  If that's the case, there is a reason certain issues are coming to light now so do your best to listen as well as self-express.  

This is a very intense time as we also are approaching a Solar Eclipse on June 21.  Many of us are dealing with more intense and fated life situations.  Do what you must in the moment, but let other decisions that can wait a couple of weeks remain on hold.

We are in a period of darkness but the light will return.  Sit in your power.