I wrote in this blog from 2006 - 2010. Now you can find my current blog here.

When Moon is in Virgo

Virgo heals our soul with earth energy. This drawing, which I did in 1996, is my ex-husband while I was still married to him but before we tiled the entire kitchen together. When I did this drawing, I was thinking about the way high Virgo energy grounds us all, so there is a big accent on the floor, as it is a beautiful puzzle. In the floor maker's hands is a five-sided tile, the same shape as home plate in baseball, symbolizing the connection between home and ground. The mood is pensive - Virgos think a lot! There is a lot of "empty" space as I have never met a Virgo who did not appreciate open surfaces.

Ultimately ultimately ultimately ULTIMATELY.... Virgo energy is service. And I have something to say about the Jewish holidays this week. This is big because family holidays can make us nervous. Grudges may have built up from fundamental cracks, some teenagers may be wrestling with eating disorders and we have all just been through some of the most toughest astrology in decades. So the advice for sitting down to dinner with our tribe is service.

If you feel nervous to attend a dinner with your family, just think what can I do to help - and I mean really help. What does the host or hostess need? Not what do you think they need, but what do they think they need? Do they need you to bring light to the table? Then do. Do they need acknowledgement for bringing the family together? Then thank them with every gesture happily and peacefully. Do they need us to come over the day before and prepare? Do they need us to definitely NOT come over the day before? What does your partner need? Is you partner suffering? Does offering you hand under the table sooth his soul? You know what is best because you know your family. If family is not available, then finding someone lonely at a Jewish Community Center to share time with could be comforting for everybody.

There is almost always a way to rise above our fears! I wish all of my Jewish friends a lovely season with treasured closeness and security and with laughs and love. May the new Moon in Virgo assist us all with our soul healing so we can offer ourselves in service in this, our Book of Life.

When Moon is in Leo

When Moon is in Leo I find it can make sense to put fun into even the most serious equations.

This drawing depicts a long-haired, jewel-crowned person seated upon a kind of a throne, holding a sceptre, symbolic of leadership. This sceptre is also a toy with bells for playing with a cat. This person has one foot on the ground and the other foot playfully kicking around a colorful ball. The sky is clear, the sun is shining and the atmosphere glows with warmth.

While the moon is in Leo, I continue the special, $75 for a reading, now for Leos. If you are a Leo or have a special Leo in your life, email me at design (at) deirdretanton (dot) com to set up an appointment for a reading.

When Moon is in Cancer

Cancer often depicts a crab - an animal who lives by the water withdrawing into her shell when she needs protection. As far as I know, only one crab fits into one shell, and thus the crab is lured out of her safe world when she wants to cook, eat, nurture or protect her family or territory.

The home is of huge importance to a Cancerian. Her decor needs to keep her safe and the kitchen must be exactly as she wishes. The sense of home extends not just to architecture, but also to political boundaries, the countries where we were born, or the country that has nurtured us the most. A Cancerians' patriotic and political involvement is deeply, authentically and emotionally connected to the personal.

Many Cancerians can have extremely strong feelings about their families and extended families. The book on this woman's lap symbolizes a family album. The pages show a white and a black rose to symbolize the strong feelings around family members - there is often black or white feelings and not a lot of shades of grey in between.

When the moon is in Cancer, as it is today, we may be tuning into our shell, our families, our food and our security. This drawing is an image of a woman in a kind of meditation, sitting in front of her home at the sea side looking through a family album. On her home flies a moon flag, the ruler of the sign Cancer. This is an image of a Cancerian at home in her world.

While the moon is in Cancer, I continue the special, $75 for a reading, now for Cancerians. If you are a Cancer or have a special Cancer in your life, email me at design (at) deirdretanton (dot) com to set up an appointment.

The Gemini Moon and Movable Air

Today the Moon is in Gemini, a sign which rules communication and siblings and it reminds me that recently my sister asked me if I had any symbols I had already drawn of the zodiac and I do. So while Mercury is retrograde, I am digging them out of my past and looking at them again. These symbols were also used by Planet Waves for their 2006 Annual. What a history!

I did this drawing originally in 1996. Still when I look at it I think there can't possibly be any other symbol for Gemini from me, although that probably means there are endless sets of symbols yet for me to born. The idea behind this image is that Gemini is about mutable air, or air that is always moving, thus the windmill. Gemini is also about two, which is why she has a mask, symbolizing an alter ego. The ruler of Gemini is Mercury, the winged messenger which is why she has wings on her ankles and is a delivering a message. I made this drawing with chalk pastel on top of gouache. The blue strokes in the background emphasize the idea of motion. Often to me Geminis have the energy and weight of a butterfly, landing from flower to flower, thus the bow on her shirt.

Gemini rules siblings like I said, and about the conversation with my sister, Pamela, who is a writer, we were taking about promotions, special offers and gift certificates, and for me to offer a special on astrology readings for each sign. So today because moon is in Gemini and there is a flow, the special is $75 for a reading for Geminis. If you are a Gemini or have a special Gemini in your life, email me at design (at) deirdretanton (dot) com to set up an appointment.

Virgo:The Mermaid Who Works 24/7

It is September 1 and that means deep Virgo season. I have been looking carefully at the mermaid in the fountain outside of the cathedral in Amalfi Italy because I was commissioned to paint her.

In doing so I learned that at that time, in 1760 when the fountain was designed, the intention of having an eternal fountain was a dedication to the apostle Andrew who later became a saint. In essence this fountain symbolizes divine eternity.

And so this mermaid works eternally according to a divine plan and humbly in accordance with the divine. This speaks to me of the Virgo Pisces axis, and the connection between dharma and karma. The energy of Virgo is ideally humble, providing service as a role in the divine plan.

This is the first Virgo season in four years when we have not had Saturn in Virgo. Most likely we have all honed in on our tasks during these years, now being more careful about what we eat, say and do. This September we mortals can think of the mermaid working 24/7 in Amalfi keeping the trickle of energy going in her dharma. Maybe this can be inspiration as we get back to school, back to work and back to our lives.