Sun conjunct Mercury....

in Kilmore today at 1.59pm.

Mmmm, again this focus on the early degrees of Aries (10 degrees), a powerful cardinal position.

The Sun illuminates whatever it touches and being strong in Aries it is extra powerful! The conjunction to Mercury suggests that we all have the chance to take a good look at our thinking or attitudes (Mercury) and to make the changes necessary (Aries). By looking at where this conjunction falls in your birth chart, you will get an idea of which areas of life need attention.

Mercury Conjunct Retrograde Venus....

today at 1.10pm in Kilmore.

The continued focus on the early degrees of Aries further highlights the importance of the early degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) suggesting that if you have planets or points in these positions that you are heading for a pivotal time of change in your life that started recently with the New Moon in Aries.

With Mercury, planet of the mind, communication and understanding joining the Retrograde Venus in Aries I think (good Mercury word!), that will begin better understanding the recent shift in our values, especially with the recent Sun/Venus conjunction that highlighted these themes. Being in Aries - a fiery and dynamic sign - further highlights the opportunity we all have to redefine our values and then having the courage to make the changes in our life that reflect these changes.

Venus continues to be retrograde for another few weeks, suggesting that our reassessment of what is important to us will continue until then.

Sun Conjunct Retrograde Venus...

today in Kilmore at 5.54am.

If you can imagine the Sun rising in the morning when everything is dark and gloomy, bringing light, clarity, and the ability to see things much better than in the darkness you can imagine that this planet can help us to focus and see clearly the planet it connects with.

Venus is about how we attract the things and people we want/value into our lives and she is currently travelling backwards through the sky (from our perspective here on Earth).

This brings a visual image of the Sun racing towards Venus, while Venus is racing towards the Sun... almost like two people running towards each other in one of those cheesy, romantic movies!

On a more serious note, this conjunction happens in Aries - an energy that suggests that we will not be waiting around for things to just happen... Aries is a sign that is known for taking the lead and making things happen, and this conjunction is also quite energetic - the two planets are moving towards each other.

I think this is an important time for all of us to become a little more proactive in redefining what is truly important and what we most value. The current retrograde motion of Venus will help us through this process and the conjunction of the Sun with Venus will help to illuminate what we need to focus on. Look to the house position of this conjunction for clues.

Mercury Square Pluto...

today in Kilmore at 10.46pm.

Mercury, the planet associated with thinking, attitudes and our ability to communicate connecting with Pluto, the planet of depth, intense emotions and power suggests that we all have the chance to reach a turning point (square) in the way we think or approach certain people and situations (depending on where it is falling in your birth chart).

This square is especially powerful because it is in cardinal signs, giving it more of a dynamic energy than if it were in fixed or mutable signs.

I feel that it is also important because it highlights the recent New Moon that Pluto squaring the new lunation; and also because this trend of Pluto squaring planets highlights the important Saturn/Pluto square coming up later this year and into next year.

If you are an Aries, Cancer, Libran or Capricorn or have these signs prominently placed in your chart (especially within the first 5 degrees), then this is likely to be an important time for you.

New Moon in Aries...

today in Kilmore at 2.36am. On your left you can see a copy of the chart for this New Moon, as you can see it is pretty intense with Pluto squaring the New Moon (as well as Mercury and Rx Venus!). At least there is a sextile to the North Node and trine to the South Node... I don't use the Nodes a lot so I would welcome suggestions on how this configuration may help in utilising the powerful energies around us at this time.

I would also love to hear your comments about what your initial feelings are about this lunation... especially as it ushers in the Pluto square theme that we will see later this year when Saturn will be squaring Pluto.

Mercury moves into Aries...

today at 6.25am in Kilmore.

Moving from dreamy Pisces in fiery Aries, communiation is likely to become more direct and move along much quicker than it has been over the last few weeks. It is important that we all remember the importance of diplomacy, as well as the importance of getting our message across to others!

Sun Square Pluto...

today in Kilmore at 5.35am.

I feel that this aspect is especially important considering that next year there will be an exceptionally powerful configuration involving Pluto and the outer planets. This initial square with the Sun is almost like a taste of what to expect with the more powerful line up later on down the track - that is, Saturn will square Pluto later this year.

The Sun Square Pluto in cardinal signs suggests a dynamic shift for all of us, but in differing areas depending on the indivudal birth chart. Obviously if you have cardinal signs prominent in your birth chart (Aries, Cancer, Libra and/or Capricorn) - especially the early degrees, you are likely to feel this transit more strongly than others. The square suggests that we all need to transform something (or ourselves), shed our old skin in order to reach an intensely emotional turning point in our lives. This initial short burst of Sun Square Pluto is a prelude to the more powerful energies coming up later in the year, so it may be wise to pay attention to what is going on in our lives.

Mercury Conjunct Uranus...

today at 4.02pm in Kilmore.

The first thought I had when I was thinking about this energy was a mental lightning bolt! This is what this combination of energies suggest because Mercury represents the mind and Uranus is associated with lightning!

Given that this conjunction happens in Pisces, the water influence might dampen down the volatility of this combination: however, this mixture of Mercury and Uranus suggests that thoughts/understanding (Mercury) will come to us quickly (Uranus) and seemingly out of nowhere (Pisces)! Look to the house placement in your birth chart to get an idea of where you can expect this dynamic energy to be expressed.

Obviously, this conjunction sets off some of the Saturn/Uranus opposition themes that we are all experiencing as well.

Sun enters Aries...

today in Kilmore at 10.44pm.

Happy International Astrology Day! With the entry of the Sun into Aries, today is the day chosen to celebrate astrology and astrologers all over the world.

The move of the Sun from dreamy Pisces into the assertive Aries marks the annual turning point of the seasons and the start of a new cycle.

Mercury Opposing Saturn...

in Pisces/Virgo today at 3pm.

The opposition is about reaching awareness, sometimes through conflict and is related symbolically to the Full Moon in which we gain illumination. Mercury is about our thinking, communication and understanding, while Saturn is about serious stuff, contraction and responsibilities.

Mercury in Pisces tends to be a bit dreamy and can mean that the information we give out and receive gets a bit 'foggy', Saturn in Virgo is about working on the 'details' and paying attention to these. The combination of these energies suggest that we all have to work harder at making sure our communication/thinking is clear and precise, but still sensitive and flexible.

Saturn in Virgo can also help us all to give form to our creative Mercury in Pisces: look to your birth chart to see which areas may be part of this theme.

Mars enters Pisces...

today in Kilmore at 2.20pm.

Mars moving from Aquarius (especially as part of the highly energetic patterns in the sky recently) into the gentle Pisces may feel like a bit of fizzler in comparison!

Mars being the planet of how we get what we want and how we deal with energy and Pisces being a watery and changeable energy suggests that the way ahead is a gentle one that requires flexbility. I keep on getting the visual image of a gentle steam coming out of kettle spout!

It won't be all gentle and soft through... I feel that as Mars moves closer to Saturn and Uranus that the steam will pick up a bit of speed and get quite heated and energetic. The energy of Mars looks as though it will highlight the recent Saturn/Uranus oppositions we have been experiencing (as well as the recent Full Moon that highlighted this opposition).

Sun Conjunct Uranus...

in Pisces today in Kilmore at 12.27pm.

This follows on from the recent Full Moon that has been part of the trigger for some pretty dynamic energies that are around us all right now... especially for mutable sign people (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.

The joining of the Sun and Uranus highlights where our opportunity to let go of outworn people, ideas and/or situations are: this conjunction is also important in showing us where we have become stuck. Looking to the house positon and which house cusps are involved through rulership will given an indication of what to look for.

Venus Retrograde....

I was browsing the web and came across this site talking about the phases of Venus and thought I'd share it with you. There is an excellent U-Tube animation towards the bottom of the article.

If I could figure out how to get it here I'd do that, but I can't !! lol

Anyway, enjoy.

The Astrology of Barbie...

This should be interesting... and is! Have a look at this article about the birth chart of barbie from BeliefNet. Here are a couple of the lead paragraphs for you to have a look at:

No doll has been as well-loved or as despised as the Barbie doll. Created by Ruth Handler in the 1950s, she was first introduced to the world at the International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959 which is considered Barbie's official birthday.

I was unable to find the time of day that Barbie was first introduced, but assuming that she was introduced sometime between 10 am and 3 pm her birthchart shows a tight conjunction between the Sun and the Moon, both in Pisces. Pisces is the sign of the dreamer, the mystic, and the creative imagination and there is no doubt that Barbie captured the imagination of many a young girl in the 1960s, including me.

Mercury enters Pisces...

today at 5.54am in Kilmore.

Mercury is the only personality in myth that can travel to the underworld and return... being the messenger he/she is allowed to go everywhere and anywhere, including the netherworld of Pisces where it starts visiting today.

This is one of the reasons I feel that Mercury in this sign helps us to gain information seemingly out of nowhere (Pisces) that a lot of the time cannot be explained in logical (Mercury) terms.

Having Mercury travel through Pisces is an excellent time for any type of creative writing, expression or meditation... it seems that we all have the opportunity to relax our 'logic' a little and enjoy other ways of looking at things.

Sun Opposing Saturn...

in Pisces/Virgo at 6.52am today.

The Sun lights up and helps us to focus on whatever it touches... in this case Saturn, the planet of blood, sweat and tears (but also rewards for work well done).

Oppositions tend to help us see situations objectively, so the opposition between these two planets suggests that we will be able to see clearly an issue that began when these two planets were conjunct early in September 2008. By looking at where the conjunction happened in your birth chart you can get an idea of what is being addressed by the opposition now.

Being in the Pisces/Virgo signs suggests that there is an element of needing to pay attention to details vs the need to dream and look at the big picture, we may all need to learn to balance these two approaches in whichever areas of the birth chart where this opposition falls.

Mars Conjunct Neptune...

in Aquarius today at 11.50pm.

Mars represents and energy, drive and direction whilst Neptune is about being nebulous, foggy and/or spiritual. Combining these two energies can be expressed in a lot of different ways but the first mix that I get a feel for is being confused about which direction to take on an issue represented by where this conjunction occurs in your natal chart.

I think that one of the most constructive ways to utilise this energy is through working on something or with someone where there is an altruistic element to the activity. Artistic endeavours are also good.

Being a conjunction, this energy gives us the chance to make a fresh start.

Venus goes Retrograde....

today at 4.17am... in Aries at 15 Degrees and 27 Minutes.

Venus is Lady Luck, a planet of good luck that brings blessings into our lives. In Aries she isn't particularly strong but she still is lovely to have around... especially if you are a cardinal sign: Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn.

With her changing direction from forwards to backwards, this change of direction suggests that our luck will come through situations (depending on your own birth chart), seeming to regress or opportunities seeming to move away from us. Alternatively, a recent opportunity you thought you had missed out on may come back into your life. Venus may also represent a person moving away from you, particularly a loved one, don't worry - when Venus starts moving forward again in mid-April this person is likely to come forward to you again.

Mercury Conjunct Neptune...

in Aquarius today at 8.40pm.

Let's see... combine thinking with fogginess and what do you get? Clouded thinking! I think being in a fixed sign suggests that we perhaps will be seeing things in a way that suits our own stubborn thinking.

Under this influence I would expect that we will all tend towards daydreaming, lack of clarity when communicating with others, being easily hoodwinked and also get lost easily. This energy is actually really great for those of you that are creative in any way because it gives you a link into the unseen elements of the world and helps to give expression to them.

Personally, I wouldn't sign paperwork or commit to anything huge right now. I think I'll stick with daydreaming or painting :).

Financial astrology...

advice for the coming week from this article from 'The Pine Hill News'. It is quite thorough.

Here's the introductory paragraph for you to have a look at:

It was a very good week for Financial Astrology, but it wasn’t a very good week for most equity markets around the world. Several stock indices – like the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the AEX of Amsterdam – fell to their lowest levels in over 10 years. Others – like Germany’s DAX and Switzerland’s SMI indices – fell to their lowest level since 2004. And yet others were down last week, but not below their lows of last October and November (London FTSE, Australia All Ordinaries, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, India’s NIFTY, Brazil’s Bovespa, Argentina’s Merval, and the USA NASDAQ Composite). If they can all close in the upper third of their range this coming week, it would be a case of intermarket bullish divergence. But that might be wishful thinking, and would certainly be on the order of the geocosmic signatures now in force as discussed last week (i.e. Sun in Pisces, Jupiter approaching its 14-year conjunction to Neptune). This is a season of hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares. It will be a period in which defining reality will represent a greater challenge than usual.

Mercury Conjunct Mars....

in Aquarius today at 2.05pm...

What can I say? Mercury is about communication and Mars is about being assertive... combine the two and you can get fiery communication! Especially since this conjunction happens in the fixed sign of Aquarius, it seems that we will all tend to be a bit stubborn about our thinking.

On another level this energy can simply mean that we feel the urge to attend to paperwork associated with wherever in your chart this conjunction happens in. For example, if it falls in your natal fourth house you may want to dig out paperwork relating to your home, property or family.

More on a mundane level, people may drive (Mercury) like they are the only people on the roads (Mars)!

People with planets or points in fixed signs will most likely feel this conjunction more keenly than others.