#AstroProTips
Monday, January 23rd
Mercury in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces, both at 10°
Wednesday 25 January 2017
Venus conjunct Chiron at 22° of Pisces
Friday, January 27th
Mercury leaves shadow phase
Venus in Pisces square Saturn, both at 24°
New Moon at 8° of Aquarius at 4:07 PM PT
Mars enters Aries
Sunday 29 January 2017
Mercury conjunct Pluto at 17° of Capricorn
We work from here. Because of everyone that has worked to get us here.
Saturday’s Women’s March was an epic example of individuals coming together for a collective cause. It was an uprising. It was herstory in the making. It was the continuation of a million other uprisings, herstories and inspirations. Some of which flood the books we have access to. Many of which have been erased from those pages and common knowledge.
Saturday’s Women’s March was nothing new to those that have had to fight for their basic human rights since the beginning of the beginning and, in doing so, fight for everyone else’s.
Saturday’s Women’s March was exhilarating to some. To others, it was a missed opportunity, sending 2.9 million people away from the event without solid actions to do everyday from this day forward to ensure our safety, freedom and future. To many, it was another moment in a long line of moments where the majority failed to centralize the efforts, the struggles and the realities of the most systemically marginalized, brutalized and vulnerable among us.
Historically in America, not all women are seen as valuable enough to be marched for en masse. Is #SayHerName not a women’s movement? Is the Movement For Black Lives not a women’s movement? Is the movement to end mass incarceration not a women’s movement? Is the Transgender Rights Movement not a women’s movement? Is Standing Rock not a women’s movement? Why aren’t those movements and then some attended by the same masses of people, celebrities and media as Saturday’s march was?
Solidarity isn’t solid until it is equally given to all.
No movement is perfect but all attempts at organizing are perfect teaching opportunities. The more that those that are marginalized are centered within this movement and all movements, the more perfect an attempt at unity can be. If we are really going to talk about forward motion, let us not cycle through the same mistakes and missteps of the past.
For those of us that are new to organizing, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and follow direction. Be prepared to educate yourself and in the process have your world, your identity, your mind and you heart torn apart, turned upside down and flipped inside out. It’s a honor to be disrupted in such a way, a true spiritual experience. You’ll come to value it over everything else. For those of us that are new to intersectionality, let us not be too fragile to learn from this moment. Let us not be offended by those that point out ignorance. Let us remember that this work requires a deep humility and willingness to understand what we do not. Let us get used to being wrong. Often. Let us learn to be grateful every time we learn what we didn’t know we didn’t know. Let us show up in droves the next time we are needed, especially when communities we do not belong to need us.
If you have been blessing the world with your efforts this whole time, if you come from generations of resistors and revolutionaries, if you are from long lines of ancestral efforts, a simple ‘thank you’ could never be enough. You deserve every respect, support, validation and space to do as you choose.
This moment exposes more of what has always been there. Let’s be resilient enough to see it for what it is and get to work on making it what we wish it to be.
Astrologically speaking, this runs deep. Venus and Chiron, the heart and the Wounded Healer make a conjunction on Wednesday. The luminaries, the sun and moon, the self and the body make a conjunction on Friday. Mercury and Pluto, the Messenger and the Lord of the Underworld make a conjunction on Sunday.
There is a whole lot of merging going on. Blending. Shape-shifting. Mind-melding.
Most of the week will be spent in the darkest phase of the moon, leaving us no choice but to prepare for the next cycle. Empty out. Exhale. Extricate ourselves from what is (momentarily at least) superfluous.
We can use this time to strip-down to the essentials, choose the seeds we most need to grow for the next go around and give ourselves a moment if we need it.
On the day of the new moon, Venus will square Saturn, making pleasure seem a little less than possible in the moment. Venus’s job is to connect. Saturn’s job is to draw firm boundaries. Venus attracts what it most desires while Saturn stays cool and aloof. Saturn is severe. Venus is conciliatory. Saturn is sobering. Venus is pleasing. The two aren’t the best of friends but some of the most creative works of art come out of our ability to work within a set of constraints. Given what we have, what can we make?
Mars also makes moves on the new moon. As it enters one of its home signs, Aries, Mars becomes one of the more emboldened planets in the skies. Mars in Aries can lend us courage, energy and a willingness to take on the hard tasks, but Mars in Aries is also unrelenting in its ability to battle. Exposing all kinds of raw energy that may otherwise lay dormant in us, we’ll have to work wisely with the red hot energy over the next month and a half. If we can find ways to channel our rage and courage into positive progress, Mars will be more likely to help us than to entangle us in useless, harmful battles.
*This week’s horoscopes are written affirmation style. They are meant to be read as inspiration, please change the wording to fit your personal needs. If you know both your rising sign and sun sign, please read both horoscopes. They both contain important information. You’ll know which resonates more for you from week to week. Take what works for you, leave the rest. If you find inspiration here we love and appreciate donations. If you want to share this work you must quote it and link it to this post and website. Thank you for your support and for spreading the work around, we really appreciate it and you!
Aries & Aries Rising
I reach out to the friends, groups and colleagues that keep me afloat mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I stay close to the folks that inspire me. I make plans to engage with the ones that are inspirational, motivational and strategic in their activism.
I know that my health depends on having high-quality connections and I am willing to patiently cultivate them. I know that I’ll need different group experiences at different times. I know that in this moment I might feel called to engage in a new collective experience or engage differently in the ones I am already in. I allow myself a new experience. I allow new needs to arise. I allow this moment to inform me, challenge me and set me straight if it needs to.
Moving through collectively difficult times requires us to engage with the practices that help us to remember our collective power. I hang with the collective that can collect me. Witness all sides of me. Challenge my entirety to unfold entirely, leaving no part of me out.
I lovingly remind myself that the courage that I have, the energy that is mine to work with and the force of nature that I am, was put here to be of good use. To others. To the planet. To the mystery that made me and brought me here. By the time Friday’s new moon occurs, I will be renewed and reinvigorated to move mountains. With that in mind, I let the majority of the week be spent as I need it to be, in service to my health and in honor of the ebb before the flow.
Taurus & Taurus Rising
This new moon, my job is to look for what is needed of me, in my career and in the world. This new moon makes clear that my work is to find a way to innovate what I have to work with. This new moon reminds me that my true career is about taking the actions that I need to, no matter the praise I do or do not get.
I remember to liberate myself from the confines of other people’s unrealistic expectations of me. I remember to reengage with the parts of myself that are clear about my mission, solid in my stance and dedicated to my direction. I remember to clear my life of anything that feels like an unnecessary drain on my energy so that I am free to move forward with the work that is mine to do.
I am serious about my success.
Because my success is our success. Because I am winning for my whole team. Because I am clear about the fact that I did not get here on my own and the paths that I carve out will be used and made better by those that come after me.
I win when I remember that I am not alone. Not in mind, not in soul and not in heart. Some days, especially the days of this week, might taunt me into thinking that I am without support, company or companionship. I might meet a hard edge of my heart or someone else’s. I might meet my doubts in a dark alley. But those feelings are temporary. What is permanent is my persistence. What I focus on are my next steps. What I count on right now is my commitment to the development of my career and the development of myself through it.
Gemini & Gemini Rising
I am not playing. This is not a game or a test. I do not try to satiate my hunger for the truth with the empty calories of denial. I do not tone down my beliefs to fit the mood of a place, especially if that place has no room for me.
I am in no mood for it.
With this new moon I renew my commitment to the ideals and the philosophies that fuel me. With this new moon I recommit to the paths that have my name on them. With this new moon I recommit to the plans that help me to step up my game and get me out into the world.
I am in the mood for it.
I remember to stay active with the people that inspire me into fruitful action. I remember to keep asking what I can do to support the communities that have given so much to me. I remember to let people have some space when they look like they need it. Stressful times call for a greater consideration of where folks might be coming from. I am here to help, not harm, progress.
This week, I’ll address relationship issues with a firm and loving attitude. I can have a hard line on the politics that I’m wedded to while being able to have softness for the folks that I am in relationship with. I will find a way to love through this liberation.
Cancer & Cancer Rising
I initiate the collaborations that keep me wise to my potential. I initiate the collaborations that will stretch me to show up more courageously in the world and in my work. I initiate the collaborations that will help me to develop what is still underdeveloped in me.
There is still so much to develop in me.
I am not afraid of the hard work of becoming. It is daunting at times, but always exciting to remember that I am not yet done. I am not afraid to see my growth and to grieve what has been painful. There is no movement outward without moving equal parts inward. I am not afraid to acknowledge what has been lost. Life is loss and gain, and loss again. I am not afraid to face the feelings that naturally surface as I strive to do better, be more authentic and live closer to my truth. I expect my journey to have both pebbles and boulders along its windy ways.
Being fully engaged in living life requires that I challenge myself. My work requires that I move towards what I need to learn, even if that makes me feel vulnerable. If my work is to grow, I am required to take the risks necessary to experience myself under various conditions. Challenges. Changes. Choosing what is necessary over what is nice and easy.
I use this new moon to reach out to the promisingly profitable partnerships in my midst. I seek out those that know what I do not and those whose magic can be added to the creations I am concocting.
Leo & Leo Rising
I use this new moon to make bold and definitive moves towards the relationships that keep me thinking about life in new and innovative ways. I move towards the relationships that respond to difficulty with curiosity, compassion and courageous creativity. I renew the relationship agreements that I have made, making the appropriate updates and improvements so that all parties involved get a fresh start at working through the old issues. I commit to learning all I can from the folks that I am closest to. Folks that help me to see what living a full life might mean. Folks that help me to think beyond my little corner of the world.
I have access to extra energy right now, energy that wants to move forward with the bigger plans that I have in mind. Energy that might get channeled into arguments or heated conversations. Energy that might have me itching to stretch my legs and take a journey. Energy that might be demanding that I learn something new and push the boundaries of my mind as much as possible.
I give myself permission to take the adventures that I need to. In order to clear my mind. In order to cleanse myself. In order to refresh my perspective and regain any hope I may have lost, in my partnerships, in my relationship with my health or in my relationship to hope itself.
Virgo & Virgo Rising
I use Friday’s new moon to renew the work projects that need a reboot and a boost. I use Friday’s new moon to invigorate my collaborations, to get clear on their boundaries, to take a firm stance on taking care of my feelings. I use Friday’s new moon to value the intimacy issues that might arise, taking time to unpack their importance and their implications. I use Friday’s new moon to remember that if my heart isn’t in it, I will be doing a disservice to it. I use Friday’s new moon to reinforce the work that I believe in.
I believe that my work is worth working on. I believe that everything I do has an impact. I believe that no matter how small the movement I make, it can be progressive.
I am not interested in going backwards. I am interesting in making magic. I am interested in making history. I am interested in what we can make out of the situation that we find ourselves in. I dedicate myself to discovering what is possible. Through my work. Through my relationships. Through my collaborations. Through each and every challenge that I face and that I move forward through.
Libra & Libra Rising
I recreate myself through the regenerative practice of seeking pleasure. Productivity without pleasure is dry and dusty drudgery. I know that part of my liberation, in part, lies in my ability to allow joy time and space in my life. I know that my mental health, in part, depends on my ability to laugh with my loved ones. I know that my emotional health, in part, depends on my ability to relax, open up and receive affection. I know that my spiritual health, in part, depends on my dedication to the creative energy that moves through me and wishes to express itself as it is. No shame. No guilt. No nonsense.
I know the power of art. I know the power of creative self-expression. I know the power of our energy once freed because of how intensely it is opposed by those that seek to control it. I know that joy is available to me, even in the face of great difficulty, when I put my creative power to use. I don’t wait for the conditions to be perfect for my creativity to be expressed. My creative energy is perfect and so it is perfectly applicable to any and every situation.
Scorpio & Scorpio Rising
Friday’s new moon asks me to honor my roots. It asks me to plant some. It asks me to renew my commitment to the needs of my inner life. It asks me to clear some space in my home life. It asks me to clear any contracts that I have with family members that are impeding my ability to be myself or take the time and space that I need.
Friday’s new moon asks me to renew my home base. To take some time clearing out clutter. To redecorate. To reaffirm myself in my space.
Friday’s new moon helps me to heal a core issue. Through my willingness to investigate what lies underneath any issue, I am able to find greater clarity. Through my willingness to dig underneath my defenses, I am able to find greater peace. Through my ability to be honest with myself, I am able to be a better family member to humanity.
This week brings with it a surge of energy that can help my work projects move forward. It brings with it energy that is best burned off at the office and the gym. It is best used in service of my projects that serve. It is best used productively, period.
Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising
Friday’s new moon initiates a flurry of activity in my life. Friday’s new moon asks me to take hold of my schedule. I asks me to clear what is unnecessary and to pay attention to what is the most urgent and necessary. It asks me to look at the foundations of my life and to see what needs to be in place there in order for everything else to get done. It asks me to take my core needs into account. It asks me to be gentle in my assessment of what I am worth receiving.
I allow myself to receive the support I need.
Friday’s new moon lets me know that the relationships that are essential to upholding the structures of my work and my life, need work and life. I may need to stop and address a relationship issue in my family. I may need to redefine a boundary. I may need to redesign my space or redefine my commitment to it.
Friday’s new moon encourages me to give the information that I have. It encourages me to speak out. Creatively. Courageously. Taking great pleasure in doing so without censoring my energy or my passion. Friday’s new moon puts me in contact with many so I make sure that I am as clear a channel of information as I can be by continually asking myself what is mine to say and what is mine to know until further notice.
Capricorn & Capricorn Rising
Friday’s new moon reboots my financial life. It asks me what my plans are for the next year here. It wants to know what I am willing to work on and what talents I am prepared to dedicate myself to developing. The new moon’s ability to positively impact my life depends on my ability to show up prepared to do the work at hand.
Friday’s new moon tells me what part of my life is ready for a reboot, but it needs me to turn the key to start the engine. So I think about what skills, what talents and what assets I wish to cultivate over the next year and take the appropriate actions to make those wishes a reality.
Work is the secret ingredient that turns wishes into reality. I am neither afraid of the work, nor am I hesitant to take it on.
Friday’s new moon occurs during a time that also makes clear a need for a shift at home. Whether that is a home improvement, a potential move or a need for a little more independence and freedom from family issues, this week helps me to get the the core issues that I need to think on, speak about and learn from. I go easy on the folks that I might need to have difficult conversations with but I attack the issues that need deconstructing, definitively.
Aquarius & Aquarius Rising
I use Friday’s new moon to renew my relationship to myself. My life is not a popularity contest. I live my life in a way that makes me feel right with myself. Being liked isn’t the point. Being able to like myself, however, is.
I use Friday’s new moon to regenerate myself. I don’t pull on outside sources for my energy. My energy comes from within and I honor what I need to do in order to refuel. The whole world might need me, but when I am in need I make sure I am filled up first.
I use Friday’s new moon to get clear on a couple of things. To sort out what I need to. To restart what needs me to. To clear space so that new growth can occur.
With a renewed energy, with a packed schedule, with the phone possibly ringing off the hook, I balance to intensity of my days with the self-care that I crave. The increase of activity I experience now is not an accident. All things that come through my door have been awaiting my arrival as well. I am ready for the onslaught of responsibility and in that I stay accountable to myself and to my health.
Pisces & Pisces Rising
Friday’s new moon reminds me to take care of my emotional, psychological and spiritual needs. It reminds me to make time for myself. It reminds me that overdoing has been done and it didn’t do anything but make a mess out of an opportunity.
So I take this opportunity to feel connected to a quieter resolve. Something that builds in me. Something that wells up from my depths. Something that might not be ready to be defined but that cannot be defied. I take this opportunity to renew my commitment to being in contact with my inner world. That rich, dark, deep terrain where my soul dwells. That fertile place where I am able to regenerate. That beautiful land where no one can reach me but where I can reach down into myself and be renewed by my faith in what cannot be seen and cannot be smashed.
If I have done my best in all areas of my life, then I use this new moon to practice contentment. Have I done what I needed to do? Have I shown up for the difficulties in my relationships? Have I been able to address my responsibilities at work? Have I been able to keep my commitments to myself and to the other people in my life that depend on me and that I depend on? If so, I am at peace. I let go of my expectations and I trust that life is working out the way it needs to.