Whole Astrology

Virgo, Wikipedia When the Sun and Mercury moved into Virgo on August 22 and 23, we might have experienced a lesson in humility.  No matter our life work or life path, suddenly we took stock of needed improvements.  Perhaps when the Sun and Mercury traveled through Leo we felt a grandiose sense of self and our unlimited talents spewed forth like an overactive volcano.  We felt confident, courageous and even generous, but then when the Sun and Mercury moved into Virgo, the sun suddenly hid behind a cloud and our view seemed hazy. Virgo energy wants to fix and perfect, even when something isn't broken yet because Virgo energy causes us to worry about all the things that could go wrong.  For authors that means going over that text that flowed so easily and readily during the Leo cycle and cutting out anything that doesn't belong in the text.  Virgo energy asks us to look at our values and beliefs while holding them up to scrutiny.  Virgo energy cleans house, organizes and pre

Venus, Wikipedia If you woke up feeling in a rage and didn't know why or have been noticing a lot of media coverage about violence against women or children, we are experiencing a transiting Grand Cardinal Cross with Venus in Libra, Uranus in Aries, Jupiter in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn.  We have become used the Pluto/Uranus square and when Jupiter rolled into Cancer in June, we anticipated the T-Square with Jupiter/Pluto/Uranus, but now a fourth player Venus in Libra form the fourth corner. (While some astrologers will place a positive spin on this Cross, I'm personally finding the energies horrendous and extremely challenging.  Just look at world events to give you an idea of the power of destruction represented by this Cross.  But of course after destruction comes recreation and hopefully greater balance). A Grand Cross features oppositions and squares and anyone with Cardinal Sign planets (Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, and Libra) at 7 to 12 degrees will definitely fe

Wikipedia If you have been feeling burned out on all the drama happening around you look no further than Mercury, Sun, Ceres and Vesta's transits through Leo.  While this doesn't compare to actual stelliums we experienced with Pisces, Aries, Gemini and Cancer in previous months, we're still feeling leonine power, fire and drama at this time.  It's as Shakespeare once proclaimed that the world is indeed a stage, only we wish some folks would get off the stage already. Your 15 minutes of Warhol fame have ended.  I recall the Gong Show from the 1970s where a bad act could actually be booed and removed from the stage.  Enough already! On August 19, a day before the Full Moon in Aquarius, Mercury and the asteroid Vesta formed an exact conjunction in Leo at 20 degrees (and we're still feeling this as I write this post) and further along at another 6 degrees Ceres conjuncting the Sun (our identity) in Leo.  During the Full Moon, we experienced a wide orb of two aster

Photo by Patricia Herlevi As we enter mid-August, we can look forward to some changes of energy with the inner planets.  The Sun transits into Virgo on August 23 and our time in the spotlight or limelight ends leading us to think more about our life purpose and how we can serve the planet in some way.  Kids are thinking about going back to school, and university students soak in the last rays of summer before heading back to their studies.  The Sun in Virgo can either leaves us feeling nit-picky or we find something in our life to perfect, usually our health or work routine.  We might overwork during this time. A day after the Sun moves into Virgo, Mercury follows so we could hear more complaints and nags than usual from ourselves and others.  Again, we want to perfect, but this time in the realm of communication since Virgo is a co-ruler of Mercury.  Our nerves might feel frazzled from all that socializing when Mercury and the Sun were dancing in Leo.  And now it's time to g

The Magician represents Mercury We all communicate from grunts, to one-word responses, to the vehement NO! of a toddler going through his terrible two period to soapbox rants and the charming diplomacy.  Our Mercury placement by sign and house determines our communication style, as well as, our intellect and learning style.  Mercury represents the messenger in the Zodiac and when Mercury goes retrograde we end up shooting the messenger.  Consider that all the planets (except the luminaries Sun and Moon) retrograde. Mars retrogrades every two years for two months, sometimes staying up to four months in a single sign as it did the summer of 2005 in Taurus.  The outer planets spend 4 to 6 months of the year retrograde, and yet most people only notice when Mercury goes retrograde and they curse poor Quick Silver. Mercury is a small, quick planet that revolves closely around the Sun.  It's close to Venus too. And I can't tell you why this planet represents communication, the m

You probably have heard your astrologically-savvy friends or colleagues grumble about their Pluto/Uranus transits and thought, "I'm so fortunate, I'm not experiencing those planets."  However, even when these planets don't aspect our natal planets with oppositions, conjunctions or squares, we could still experience minor aspects to these planets, for instance if your Sun is in Leo or if any of your planets are in Leo around 7 to 12 degrees, you will experience an inconjunct with Pluto in Capricorn at this time, which feels like a big yield sign in front of your face.  Of course, your planets in Leo would also be experiencing a Fire Trine with Uranus in Aries, which would make you want to move forward even more, but at least keep your inspiration alive. Or you might say my Sun and many of my planets are in Scorpio and not Capricorn, Cancer, Aries or Libra, and you still wouldn't get off the hook as far as transpersonal planet transits go.  You would experie

Neptune is on my mind.  Not only does this planet represent spiritual ascension, but we are all receiving a double-dose of Neptune as the planet transits in Pisces until 2025.  But what happens when Neptune in Pisces conjuncts the other planets?  Do the people with those Neptune conjunctions, experience spiritual breakthroughs or psychological breakdowns? How do we navigate the sometimes choppy waters of Neptune when he represents the vast deepness of an ocean while also offering a wellspring of faith? I think this depends on the soul's evolution, a person's life circumstances up to this point, and the planet Neptune is conjuncting, but I believe that Neptune transforms the area of the chart where it transits by dissolving belief systems and patterns represented in that part of the chart.  In doing this, Neptune leaves people feeling temporary lost, drifting out to sea, and with no hopes of returning to the same shore. With outer planet transits in general, our lives are tr

Over the years I have read books and articles about El Camino (the pilgrimage route to Santiago, Spain).  While reading The Way of the Stars (Journeys On the Camino De Santiago) by Robert C. Sibley, who walked the route in his fifties, I kept running into Neptune/Pisces themes such as redemption, compassion, forgiveness, transcendence, feet, and religion.  Most of us have heard of this route by now since many famous people such as Paulo Coelho, Shirley MacLaine and Saint Francis of Assisi walked El Camino. I read in an astrology book not too long ago that Santiago and Galicia are ruled by Pisces and most of the route runs through Galicia and ends in Santiago.  But really a pilgrim can begin the route anywhere in Europe as long as they finish in Santiago. Most people walk the 800 kilometers starting in Southern France near the Pyrenees, walk through Basque country and through Galicia, but there is also a Portugal route. The reason why I'm mentioning this route and book on a