Retrograde Mercury goes Direct...

today in Kilmore at 3.52am: Mercury at 5 degrees and 33 minutes of Capricorn.

Yippeeeeeeeeee!!! Mercury moving forward now takes at least some of the pressure and confusion away that a lot of you have been experiencing (especially if you have personal planets/points in Capricorn, Cancer, Aries and/or Libra).

Although Mercury starts to move forwards today it will take another week or so for it to be back to its' normal self while it gathers speed and returns to where it went retrograde in the first place.

As usual, look to where it is travelling through your birth chart to get an idea of where situations and people are slowly starting to turn around.  Also look to see which houses are ruled by Mercury (ones with Gemini and Virgo on or in them).

This retrograde period was most likely felt strongly by those of you with personal planets/points in Capricorn, Cancer, Aries and/or Libra.

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.

Venus Opposing Retrogade Pluto...

today in Kilmore at 9.35am. Venus at 1 degree and 4 minutes of Cancer, Retrograde Pluto at 1 degree and 4 minutes of Capricorn.

This is the first aspect Venus makes as it heads into Cancer... what a baptism of fire! Venus is about how we relate and what we value, and this connection to Pluto through the opposition suggests that we are in the process of understanding what this means to us through an intensely emotional development involving another person... perhaps through learning to compromise where our values or relating skills are very different (opposition).

Pluto going backwards suggests that we need to go over old ground in regards to an illogically intense aspect of our life, this planet is associated with having to dig deep and look further than the surface at situations and the relationships in our lives.

Both Venus and Pluto are moving through cardinal signs, which suggest that the people and situations represented by these planets have more power than usual to make the changes necessary to reach a turning point (opposition). By looking back to when and where Venus and Pluto were last conjunct, we can get further information about what is happening around the current opposition. This last conjunction happened at 29 degrees of Sagittiarus around the middle of November 2008, so whatever started or whoever entered our lives around then is likely to be under objective scrutiny now!

Sun enters Cancer...

today in Kilmore at 3.46pm.

The solstice is mentioned on many websites so I won't go into all the various meanings and interpretations from this angle. The move of the Sun into Cancer suggests that the focus for many people will be on the qualities associated with this sign (nurturing, family, emotions, roots, belonging, etc). This is likely to be quite a dymanic and intense entry for the Sun into this sign, because of the contact with Pluto being made shortly after the ingress... more on this in another entry!

Look to see which house Cancer rules in order to see which themes are going to be activated by the illuminating power of the Sun over the next few weeks... there are a series of powerful eclipses coming up that will be especially significant during this time as well!

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.

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.

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.