Remember that Solar Eclipse Conjunct Jupiter?

Today's North Node position points to the last recent (and very inspiring) Solar Eclipse from January 24, 2009, when the New Moon was conjuncting Jupiter. The North Node tends to emit a mood or broadcast a zeitgeist. So right around now, the north Node is broadcasting from a very upbeatly charged ecclipse point reminding us positive thinking may help more than we'd expect.

When Venus Gets Hot In the Retrograde

Beneath the swirly clouds which cover Venus the planet, it is actually really really hot there with a surface temperature of 863° F. If I didn't know this picture above was of Venus, I would have thought it was Mars. Mars rules Aries and as the god of action and war, a red moltenous surface seems more appropriate for Mars.
Now, as Venus is retrograding in the sign Aries, we get a chance to see whats below the clouds and experience another essence. Venus may be showing her more Mars-like side. The feeling may be that the sexy, gossamer robe has melted. I think we have the chance now to see where our love needs some balance, Libra is lacking balance now and therefore in a sensitized state of high alert.
I spoke to an Aries woman this weekend. Her boyfriend is a Libra. Suddenly Saturday morning when they woke up, he told her he does not want to be in a relationship with her; he is afraid of her rage. She told me her father had rage issues and she remembered being scared as a small girl. To hear now that her boyfriend wants to break up with her, she is motivated to raise her awareness and own her rage and anger. She wants to get the rage out of her body through physical activity. I saw no signs of a break up in her chart, but I saw some hard days ahead as Venus will retrograde past her natal Mercury-Saturn conjunction this week. I encouraged her to work on this immediately and I felt such conviction in her. What a perfect occasion to work through a relationship crisis when Venus is retrograde. This is a way to bring the relationship to the next level to greater intimacy and improved compatibility through awareness. I thought how brave her Libra boyfriend was to own his fears as a man and say he was scared. She was able to hear him and the moment resonated as a sobering truth.
Venus retrogrades for 42 days and today is day 25 of this retrograde, about two-thirds the way through the backwards part of the whole cycle, which I explained in this post and this post.
In the whole larger cycle which spans February 2. May 21, we are just a little past the midpoint. My friend got a wake up in her relationship on March 28. This day was the midpoint of the larger cycle, the day when Venus and Sun were conjunct. The geometry is present: at the midpoint, we got a message from Libra on how to balance. I think many of us may have gotten a whisper in our ear, like a seed was planeted to encourage love to grow and to increase our capacity to love. Surely by now we know which issues, relationships or friendships we are bringing to the next level. Perhaps relationships have really changed. We may miss our lovers or a friends in this new adjustment.
In eight days, Venus will be back in Pisces, put the swishy, gossamer gown back on as she stands and twirls in dreamy 29° Pisces, all seductive and soft in the days around April 17. Until then, we can keep our sensibilities open for more signs from our partners, friends, lovers and other people we cherish regarding how to vent rage and how to increase our awareness around loving fearlessly.

Image of Hot Venus by NASA
Image of Cool Venus by R. Nunes

The Hero in Your Chart is You

Deirdre - I've always been curious about astrology, and know nothing and have been reading some of your posts/information. Does the exact day you were born and where the planets were at that time forecast your future? because of the energies of them, or what. How can you predict future events or is it just taking advantage of knowing what you should be taking advantage of at any one time. Is there a good beginner book? So confused..... But reading about it is so convincing.

Dear Lynn
I think of astrology as a cosmic science. When I am on a beach at night and look up at the stars, it's just breathtaking and beautiful and the moment feels meaningful. For me there is a feeling that we are one: me, you, the stars, the universe, yesterday and tomorrow, too. I know the Moon has an effect on tides and I know our bodies have a lot of water. Emergency rooms are busier at the Full Moons; people's sleeping patterns can change too. Here is another article which goes into a little more detail on the gravity and magnetism. I found this article through Elsa.
Like you, I have always been curious about astrology, so I have been reading a lot for about 20 years now and the topic feels infinite. The Moon's cycle is kind of mainstream for us Earthlings, and the Sun cycle is too as we make a big deal of our birthdays, a day when we shine. Most astrologers just push that a little further and look at the cycles of Venus, Mars etc all the way out to Pluto. Lots of astrologers are including new minor planets and asteroids, too. The connection between Greek and Roman mythology and the stars still today give insights on how the orbits of the planets relate to eachother, and so the myths live on.
Our birth charts are diagrams of exactly where the planets are at the moment we take our first breath of life. Often times you can see if the birth was difficult, you can see what talents and potentials are in the chart, it's really infinite what can be seen, and it is all potential and we have free will to use our talents or not. People often grow into and become more like their charts the older they get, even if they have never seen their chart or been to an astrologer.
A nice first book is Parkers' Astrology by Julia & Derek Parker published by Dorling Kindersley. This book has been next to my bed or on my kitchen table since 1991. The Parkers are a couple living in England. I have heard that large sections of their books are also ghost written by some very good astrologers, and this could be one reason the book is so rich and varied. Some sections as well do not resonate with me at all, but as far as first books go, this one provides foundation. Other astrologers also recommend: "The Only Astrology Book YouWill Ever Need" by Joanna Matine Woolfolk. I cannot recommend it because I have never read it but astrologers I admire say it's great.
A good first site is astro.com, because there you can cast your chart for free and print it out. Then as you read your first books, you can be referenceing the charts you print out and then the fun gets going. A really great second site is elsaelsa.com. She is a very dynamic, sharp, intuitive and driven astrologer who updates her site almost more often than cnn. Landing on her site is like landing on a moving horse, just to prepare you.
When getting into astrology, beware of the old fashioned astrology predicting doom and gloom. You can find tons of books predicting all kinds of wretched stuff and it's just not productive. I have read astrology books that scare me and I find that type of astrology these days as unprofessional. It is more modern to look at the person in the chart as a hero rather than as a victim and to look at timing, the way orbits intersect, as a wave to go out there and catch and take action. I think of astrology as sacred knowledge for empowering us in our free will to love fearlessly, and to give us strength to live and own our lives.
Have fun with all this, Lynn, I hope this gives you a start,
Deirdre

Photograph by Jose Suro,

Giddy-Up: Horsie's Movin' in Fits and Starts

Looking out the window, there is a horse cantering down the street. I don't think, I jump. Horsie, take me to the corner of 8th and Maple street. There is no time to know there is no moon in the sky. I dismount at First Hatters and bust open the door. I need a hat I say. That red one. I throw down the cash and keep running out the door around the corner brushing people's annoying sleeves. You could say Excuse me I could and I keep running. I get a text and I cant believe anyone has TIME to text, what a BOTHER. I pass the school, pass the church, pass the grocery store, still no time, run, run, run. I see some people in the park waving at me because the contents of my purse spill out splat I have to stop stuff it back in and race, race, race, thinking about chilly peppers, keeping my hat on, getting the client, repairing that other problem and then this annoying sound it's my alarm clock:

Wake up its a new Moon in Aries. Exit Piscesland, Enter Aries. I quickly look at the real news on the real internet and find out a manager in France was barricaded in his office by 110 employees who are ANGRY he has MORE. In this energy a smokin' G20 meeting is around the corner in London, bankers vorwarned It's casual Thursday, Friday, Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. Wear casual clothing so no one slimes you.

Mars is still in Pisces, is the dream part, the struggle to wake, Venus fights backwards in Aries rules the head therefore the hatshop. New Moon sextiles North Node in Aquarius, therefore the helpful people in the park. Manager barricaded plays Pluto in Capricorn. The spur in the picture is the spark plug of all 360°. Baby it's impulsive outside but you can light my fire anyway. All systems are go.

Contact

If you have not been reaching me, I am not sure why! Please email me at deirdre (at) cosmicguidelines.com or design (at) deirdretanton.com. Thanks.

More beginnings on tomorrow's New Moon in Aries. Stay tuned.

Illustration, Aries Bird Rises, ©2009 Deirdre Tanton