Venus enters Capricorn...

today in Kilmore at 5.17am.

Venus moving from the carefree, adaptable and fun-loving Sagittarius, into the serious, hard-working and sometime 'cold' sign of Capricorn suggests a change in tone to what we consider 'fun'.  Perhaps we have all overdone xmas a little this year, and now on Boxing Day we're paying the consquences in terms of facing up to our spending habits and the way we have treated the important people in our lives?

This planet represents our social skills, values and generally the way we relate to others, so the move into Capricorn may mean that we are a bit more introverted and cautious than usual, and careful with with we value.  Perhaps this is a good time to review all of these matters, particularly with Mercury and Mars both retrograde right now.

Look to see which house Venus is travelling through, and which houses are ruled by her (Taurus and Libra), to get a feel for what or who may become more serious.

If you have personal planets or points in Capricorn, Venus travelling through your sign now suggests that you are entering a period of respite (apart from when there are hard aspects to 'difficult' planets), where a helpful person may be prominent.

Mercury Trine Jupiter...

starts early this morning and is exact at 8.49am, leaves tonight.  Mercury at 17 degrees and 15 minutes of Libra, Jupiter at 17 degrees and 15 minutes of Aquarius.

Mercury can represent how our mind is working, and the way we communicate and connect with the world around us.  Travelling through Libra right now suggests a balanced approach (or perhaps we need to achieve balance?), and the preference for not rocking the boat.  Mercury also represents young people, or people who are young at heart.

Jupiter represents expansion, opportunity, growth and in most cases... happiness and good news.  The connection between these two planets, especially through the easygoing trine aspect, suggests a lighter frame of mind and more optimistic outlook and possibly good news about the people and situations represents by Mercury and Jupiter in your birth chart.

Since Mercury is approaching Jupiter, it may even mean that a person represented by Mercury in your chart is the one coming to Jupiter.  For example, if you have Sagittarius Rising, then you automatically have Gemini on your Descendant: therefore Jupiter represents you, and Mercury another person - the Mercury person during this time may come to you with an offer or you could have a meeting scheduled for today that goes really well.

So, look to see where this transit is happening in your birth chart and also to which houses are ruled by Mercury (Gemini and Virgo), and Jupiter (Sagittarius and Pisces).

As usual, look to see

New Moon in Libra...

today in Kilmore at 4.33pm at 24 degrees and 59 minutes of Libra.

The period around a New Moon is usually an excellent time to make a fresh start, especially in the areas represented by the house that the New Moon falls in.  For example, if you have Libra on your 6th House cusp (like me), this is good time to launch a new exercise routine, diet or way of attending to your daily responsibilities and chores.  A new pet would be a nice way to use this energy as well.

This New Moon is involved with a square to the nodal axis, this adds a fated quality to developments around this time and also highlights the importance of the relationships in your life right now... especially family type ones.

As with any new start, it may take at least a few days to begin seeing the significance of what is happening now.

Full Moon in Aries...

exact today in Kilmore at 5.10pm.

Full Moon's are generally an energetic time when emotions are heightened, in Aries I would expect this trend to be especially strong.

I think this one is also especially strong since it is within orb to activate the already powerful Pluto that has been travelling through the early degrees of Capricorn over the last year. This is likely to be quite an intense period of time, especially if you have planets or points in the early degrees of any of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and/or Capricorn).

The Sun in this lunation is widely trining the Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune conjunction in Aquarius, which I think is very helpful in that there will be support from these people/energies as represented within your own birth chart.

Pluto goes Direct...

today in Kilmore at 2.57am at 0 degrees and 40 minutes of Capricorn.

Pluto started going back over old ground early in April 2009 at 3 degrees of Capricorn and is a particularly potent time for those cardinal signs born early in your sign, or for those of you with planets/points in the early degrees of these signs.

This planet is associated with transformation, gradual but permanent TOTAL change, power - its use and misuse, intense emotions and finding the hidden treasures in the areas indicated within your birth chart. With it starting to move forwards again it means that we are ready now to leave the past behind us now that we have resolved or worked on what needed our attention.

By looking at which house Pluto is travelling through now and which house is ruled by Scorpio you can get an idea of which people and areas of your life may be involved. Also look for close aspects to the planets/points in your chart for clues.

Mercury goes Retrograde...

today in Kilmore at 2.45pm at 6 degrees and 13 minutes of Libra.

Mmmm, just to add to the energy mix at the moment we have the planet of clear communication and our starry messenger deciding to have a bit of hissy fit and head back to where it came from!

Mercury going retrograde can be a bit of a pain, BUT, it is an opportunity to go back over (recent) past situations that may need a bit of tweaking and fine-tuning. By looking at where this planet is in your birth chart you may get a feel for what may need a bit of extra attention to detail. Mercury started slowing down at about 5 degrees of Libra and will sneak back into Virgo on around September 19 (depending on where you live). It will continue sliding backwards until September 29 until it hits 27 degrees and 55 minutes of Virgo where it will hover for about a week.

After that it will re-enter Libra on October 11 and will get back to where it went retrograde on around October 14... things should be back to normal by then (normal???- ha, with everything happening in the sky right now I've forgotten what that is!).

Anyway, if you are a cardinal or mutable sign then you are likley to feel this retrograde period more keenly than others. Cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn: mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.

Full Moon...

today in Kilmore at 2.03am: 12 degrees and 15 minutes of Pisces.

There is certainly a lot happening around the time of this Full Moon! Looking at the chart you can see that Mercury and Pluto are both stationary: Mercury is about to go retrograde, and Pluto is about to go direct.

Full Moons are intense as it is, and with these two planets stationary, it gives this lunation extra 'oomph' and concentrated power and energy (especially with the intense Mars/Pluto opposition!).

Looking at the lunation chart you will see that the Full Moon happens in the same signs as the Saturn/Uranus opposition, also highlighting this dynamic combination. This is certainly promising to be an 'energetic' time!

New Moon...

today in Kilmore at 8.02pm at 27 degrees and 32 minutes of Leo.

New Moons are always opportunities for making a fresh start... depending on where it falls in your birth chart of course! If you are a Leo, then this New Moon is especially important for making conscious efforts to think about what you would like to achieve over the coming year.

All other zodiac signs can look to where this New Moon falls in your birth chart to think about how you can make a fresh start. For example, I have it falling in my 3rd House, so I will be thinking about how successfuly (or not) my communication style is, my attitude to life in general, and also try to get a better understanding of the relationship I have with my siblings.

Some of the aspects important in this lunation include the opposition to the Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune grouping and the helpful sextile from Mars.

New Aries Forecast...

If you are a person with Aries Rising or have your Sun in Aries you may be interested in reading your forecast for the next twelve months. You can read it here.