​Earlier this month I attended another one of Steven Forrest’s Northern California Apprenticeship Program retreats. This one focused on Jupiter and Saturn and their upcoming conjunction which will be exact in December of 2020.
It stimulated me to resume my blog posting which used to be a regular function on this page, but which I abandoned for a number of reasons.
I used to post on the Full and New Moons, which since they are somewhat time constrained, were very difficult for my Moon in Pisces to fulfill. I also noticed  how many astrologers on Facebook are already writing about this.
To honor my Moon and its need for a more intuitive approach, my topics will be more flexible and thus the ‘task’ will not be as onerous.
What I plan to write about is more personal. I plan to share how astrological information impacts me and has helped me in my personal journey.
Hopefully, this will be useful to others.
Let me begin with Saturn. Steven Forrest (SF) (and possibly others) says that wherever Saturn is transiting in your chart indicates the area where ‘work’ needs to be done. Of course, you always have a choice as to whether you will do the work. If you don’t, you are more likely to suffer depression, but the work is not going to be easy. Thus doing the work results in exhaustion.
So paraphrasing SF: “Depression or exhaustion, those are your choices”. Some choice. The thing is: exhaustion may result in changes that will make your life better, whereas, choosing not to do the work…depression…will only lead to more depression.
Many of us are used to our ruts. We adapt to them. They become our reality. We can even come to think of them as the only possible reality. This is related to the ancient belief that Saturn defined the limit of the solar system. As the last visible planet, it defined the outer limit of what was possible.
For years I had tried to get the necessary repairs and improvements done that would make my house more comfortable. I had tried lots of ways of acquiring the labor and funds to fix a bad roof and windows. There were always setbacks. I just gave up and believed I would have to just learn to live with it. Things got worse and worse. In addition, every year I feared flooding of the creek which was only 3 feet from the house. I spent a lot of time watching weather reports and tide tables online during the winter.
In 2015 as I watched Saturn ready to go into my 4th house, I knew that ‘the work’ had to do with, among other things, my home. I somehow knew this would be ‘it’. Something huge was going to happen.
In the spring of 2016 a huge road improvement project took place near the house. They installed signals and floodlights that stayed on all night. Cars backed up at the light and the drivers honked and revved their engines (since when does that change a light?). The noise and dirt was horrendous as they dug huge holes in the ground and poured concrete to create supports for the highway which had begun to collapse. Ah Saturn! This was what I needed to shore up the banks of the creek near my house and there it was happening on a ground scale close to my house. Well at least the road would not collapse. Did they know something I didn’t? I thought this might be the ‘big event’ related to my house. So when they finally finished I sighed with relief. Road improvement, no problem.
It wasn’t. The winter started with little rain and I thought I was going to get through it. The big storm came in January. It was as if all the water that had not fallen for years all came at once. When the forecast came in about a huge storm that was coming, I grabbed my cat and left. I just didn’t want to spend my time watching the weather reports and emptying buckets. The flooding nearby forced me and my cat out of the house for 10 days. We came back to broken water pipes, no phone or electricity for a couple of weeks and ‘kiddie pool’ of water in the tarp I had put on floor. A couple of houses had been leveled by falling trees. Again I thought this was the ‘big event’.
It wasn’t. The high water in the area brought hordes of rats. They invaded the house. My cat was terrified of them as they took over the house. They destroyed so much and got into everything. I worked desperately to kill them with safe means (no poison) but they proliferated rapidly. Finally my limit was reached. I found a rat turd right in the middle of my jewelry making area. I was totally outraged since jewelry making had become my ‘next’ and was a way I was augmenting my income.
It was time to go. I had to move. But how and where? I had hit a wall. I prayed for a solution. ‘A way out of no way” I was going one way or another. If I had to drive away and leave it all behind, I would do that.
My neighbors had also decided they wanted out of the area. With tarps on my roof, my house was quite an eyesore and they felt it would detract from their ability to sell their house. They offered me a deal I could not refuse. I took it. But getting out of there and into my new place would take over a year. My mantra became “Depression or exhaustion”.  I had already decided I had reached the limit of depression, so, in order to create my new reality, exhaustion would be necessary. I pushed through each obstacle (and there were many).
By the time Saturn left my 4th house and went into Capricorn, I had bought a new place, moved and sold my old house. By the way, the guy who bought it is a Capricorn.
In two years I went from ‘no way’ to a totally different life. The 4th house also represents where you are coming from. Your ground of being. Where you make your stand. Mine has been completely transformed.
Yesterday Saturn went in to my 5th house. And here I am rededicating myself to writing my blog again, but from a different perspective. One that reflects who I am now.
And what is the ‘work’ that you need to be doing in the next couple of years while Saturn is in Capricorn? A reading can help you decide. Contact me.

The New Moon in Sagittarius occurs midway between the South Node in Pisces and the North Node in Virgo, referred to as the “bending” point of the moon’s nodal axis. It is considered a crossroads where we can either move backward (SN) or forward (NN). It is considered a date with destiny and a time we have to choose.
There is a compulsion to move in some direction since it is in a fire sign, but we may have no idea where, why, or how. This placement indicates that doing nothing is not an option. Movement is required.
This indecision and feeling of unknowing is enhanced by the SN conjunction with Neptune which may cloud our mind with nostalgia, reminiscences about the past, or doubt. Neptune’s positive input at this time is related to creative imagination. Imagination is the source of all accomplishments. If something is never imagined, it cannot be created. All creations by human beings began in imagination. There are several spiritual traditions that say even human beings began in the imagination of God.
Take the time for reverie. Allow your mind to drift (not while driving of course), dream, and fantasize.
In setting our future course, it is suggested that we head toward the NN on the horizon, which even though the NN is not an actual object, but just an imaginary place in space, it nonetheless can serve as a beacon. Virgo is at its highest expression when it keeps us taking one step at a time, remembering to evaluate our progress as we go along then readjusting the course as necessary. Virgo, a sign that is often criticized for being nit-picking, serves us at this time as a check on our progress. Analysis and evaluation are important tasks to determining how we are doing. Remaining objective helps us to not fool ourselves.
While not knowing may be uncomfortable, it may be necessary. In fact, it may be less useful to have a particular goal in mind at this time. It is better to be flexible as to result allowing for serendipity to bring in options you may not have thought of before that are actually much more satisfying than anything you may have fixed your sights on.
I have been trying to figure out how or where I could move while cleaning up and selling my house. Last night I dreamt someone offered me a free room in their house and unlimited free storage. I was overjoyed at this offer (now I just need someone to do that on this side of the veil). I had not been thinking along those lines at all, thinking I had to ‘do it all myself’. It never occurred to me to seek help from others. Which leads to another element to understanding this New Moon and how to best work with it.
Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius and it gets support from an exact sextile to Saturn and trine to Mars. Both these planets are ‘doers’ – Saturn likes to accomplish things and Mars gives the energy to do it. They serve to assist in moving forward albeit into the unknown.
It is suggested that we seek our ‘tribe’ at this time – those with whom we resonate. Working with like-minded people can accelerate soul growth. Collaborators along the path.
All archetypes are complex. Virgo is no different. It represents daily routines including work and habits. It is concerned with health, especially digestive health which starts with healthy eating. Small animals are under the care of Virgo as well…such as pets. The role of pets in our lives has expanded since many people now live alone and have opted out of having children. Pets are significant companions.
So here we have a place to start. Look at your daily routines and decide whether they are part of a healthy lifestyle. Take care of yourself. During the late fall and winter, we need more sleep. Make sure that is part of ‘your day’. While you think you get more done running around, getting sick then having to stay in bed for a few days or a week can set you back. Instead, pace yourself. Plan for slow, steady action. Be like a tortoise. Who won the race?
And finally, the Sabian symbol for this degree of the New Moon is “Within depths of the Earth new elements are being formed”.  The astrologer, Dane Rudhyar says this degree signifies “psychic gestation”, like the “alchemical fire which both purifies and transforms the very substance of one’s inner life.”
 
 
 
 

Here we are the New Moon in Scorpio conjunct Mercury. Among the many meanings of Scorpio, and the one I like best, is that it is the sign of transformation/reincarnation. At this time of the year in the northern hemisphere as we approach winter, we see all that appears to be dying around us. The leaves are turning colors and falling. The sky is dark, the days are short. And Scorpio signifies all that. But it as I said above, it also includes the transformation into something new. The atoms shift from one form to another. Where is consciousness in all this? Have you ever witnessed death? The person you once spent hours talking to, laughing with, being angry at….is what GONE? How can that be? The force that once lived inside that body that was once so vibrant, can’t just disappear. And if it does, what was it in the first place? It seemed so real. We seem so real….Our dreams, hopes, fears, loves….will all be gone someday. So why worry about it? Why do we spend so much time believing in these passing things?
And yet, we can’t just sit around and wait to die. We are here. We have to do something. One of my professors early in my college education said …..as long as we are here, we should study different languages, then….we will be able to communicate with more people. A noble cause. But there are hundreds of other pursuits one can follow. In fact, there is no limit to what we can do.
A couple times a month, I go on the bus with a bunch of seniors to a local casino. Many of them go every day. I ask “Why?” The answer is often “Because I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.” OMG! I think (and I would with all the Gemini and Mercury energy I have). Nothing to do? There’s too much for one lifetime!
But with all that there is to do, we still put it off for ‘someday’ when I have time. Maybe one reason we procrastinate so much is that something in us knows  that we will return and so have ‘plenty of time’ to do all the things we want to do.
I’d say few of us remember what it was we left undone in the past life, unfortunately. It can take a whole lifetime to know yourself, figure out what you truly want, then to do it. Back on the wheel of karma.
The last time I saw one of my long-time friends, I noticed the piles and piles of brand new books he had bought. I remember thinking: “Do you really think you will live long enough to read all these?” Of course, I did not say that. What I did say had something to do with all the work he had set up for himself studying all these things and that clearly, he planned to stay around for awhile, just so he could read all those books.
We are taught that New Moons represent new beginnings. So, what can a New Moon in Scorpio at the edge of winter say to us? Could it be that this is a time to question our beliefs about reality and our place in it? To change/shift/transform our opinion of ourselves….of others? To allow different thoughts and beliefs to arise that will be more in line with who we are now rather than we were 10, 20, 30 years ago.
For me there is a paradox with Scorpio. On the one hand, it is the sign for sex, death, transformation and reincarnation. On the other, it is a fixed water sign. Fixed signs like to hold on to the status quo. They seek stability and security. This is a contradiction. Perhaps, because they know deeply that things are always changing, they seek to hold on as much as possible. To create an illusion of stability in order to feel safer, more in control.
I think in this time of ‘dire beauty’, a term coined by Caroline Casey, what we need to develop is resilience. We need to deeply understand that there is no end…The Earth abides. Form and shape will change, but not substance. We see evidence everywhere that the Earth has been through a lot. Humans have been here but a short time and we have had a profound effect on everything around us. But maybe our time is ending. Just like the dinosaurs.
But the atoms of the dinosaurs are still with us. In fact, their decayed and transformed bodies, along with all the ancient plants, are the coal and oil that drives our world. We have taken them out of the ground and vaporized them into our atmosphere. We changed them from solids into gases.
We, too, will become rarified someday.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Do think about what regrets you might have on your death bed, then get moving and do something about it NOW!
I think there is significance in the fact that this New Moon is one day from Halloween. Many of us associate Halloween with ‘shape-shifting’, living out our fantasies by dressing up in costumes. We allow others to see something normally hidden from others…our dreams, our desires. Why not do that every day? Why hide behind to façade of acceptability…wearing the uniform of uniformity? Dress up every day. Cosplay…everyday. Why not? Show the world who you really are inside?
What keeps us from doing this is usually fear. Fear of rejection. And yet, I have found that usually everyone is secretly longing to be released in this same way. This was the best part of the ‘60s for me. That we ‘dressed up’ as our fantasy self. It was marvelous to go to the Haight and see the beauty and creativity. Now we are back in uniformity. The young today all look alike. Same hair, same clothes. So afraid to be different, unacceptable.
Remember that EVERY ONE will die. Even the bully.
 
 
 
 
 

This Full Moon is conjunct Uranus (radical change) and Eris (discord). One of the recent mantras of astrology “you can’t make this shit up” is so apt at this time. Just look at this election cycle. This Full Moon is in a wide orb to Pluto in Capricorn…a T square in cardinal signs. If you factor in Vesta in Cancer...it’s a wide Grand Cross.
Cardinal signs are those that initiate things. The year is winding down, and we are going into dark of winter, not the best time for new beginnings. However, a great time to ruminate about what you want to do ‘next’ and plant the seeds you want to see blooming in the Spring.
The Aries/Libra axis is about freedom and partnership. Ideal relationships are those where people can fully be themselves while being in relationships of all types. Seeking a balance between individuality and cooperation. Most of us know what the lack of this looks like. Few have witnessed or experienced true equality between the sexes.
Years ago I knew a heterosexual couple who were consciously striving to accomplish it. But after spending time with them, I saw that the man was giving in a lot just to keep the peace and not be ‘a chauvinist pig’. The woman was dominating and she ruled the roost. Not really balanced after all.
So many people on KPFA radio today are talking about how the information coming up about Trump is great because it is revealing the under-belly of our culture. Digging up the taboos, bringing the crap up to the surface to be looked at and hopefully, cleaned up. Talk about Pluto in Capricorn! Yes, we have all heard about ‘locker room talk’ and actually, most of us probably have done it ourselves (c’mon, be honest, you never talked like that with any of your friends?), but in his case, he seems to actually act on it. 
The trouble is that it reveals an underlying belief system; that people are objects that we can use and abuse, then discard when they no longer serve. This is what the whole planet is suffering from. Mother Nature has been treated with this type of disregard as well and she is fighting back (all these severe storms). She is fed up with having her pussy grabbed at will by any fool who comes around.
One of the causes of this is Capitalism. Just finished and highly recommend a book by called “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind”, by Yuval Noah Harari. I highly recommend this book. It talks about the rise of the state, money, trade, religions, and so many other ideas that have been invented to control people. He makes the case that all of this is a result of ideas….not reality. All made up by people and foisted on others. Culture is created by people to inculcate ideas into the young. Means of enforcement are developed to make sure people are toeing the line. Caroline Casey quotes a Revered Billy: “If we can think it up, we can think it down.” I love that.
Mars will be conjunct Pluto, the God of Transformation Oct. 18, initiating a new cycle in our consciousness desire natures. Desire, conscious and unconscious is what this level is all about. In EA we believe that until all our desires have been ‘satisfied’ we cannot return ‘Home’. Our bodies will die, but our souls will reincarnate to fulfill the remaining desires. Desire is not bad in and of itself. It is part of the material plane. When acting out our desires hurts another, karma is created.
Last week I went to Steven Forrest’s Apprenticeship Program astrology retreat in Calistoga. I had a revelation there in relation to Trump. Since he has spoken the unspeakable, we are now free to talk about what we believe in. Time to come out of the closet as an astrologer, past life regression facilitator, energy healing worker, whatever. No need to hide it, be embarrassed about it or fear repression. The lid has been blown off. Free speech applies to us too!
 
 

New Moons are said to opportunities for new beginnings. Libra is characterized by the Scales and so many think Librans are balanced. Actually, they are learning balance, especially in relationships. Learning to balance the needs for independence and connection. For many people, co-dependence is the ‘go to’ condition…the natural tendency, so this is a lesson for all of us. Cooperation and compromise are useful in all human relationships.
Libra is ruled by Venus. Neptune is considered the ‘higher octave’ of Venus. Neptune trines Venus and quincunxes this New Moon. Venus relates to Beauty, Neptune the inspiration that motivates the creation of beautiful things…like art, music, poetry. Perhaps this New Moon you might consider starting a new creative endeavor. The quincunx is a 150° aspect and thus, since it is a multiple of 5, is related to Venus.
The orbit of Neptune is 165 years and it stays in a sign around 14 years. Thus, like Pluto, in EA we speak of there being Neptune generations as well as Pluto generations.
Many of us have Neptune in Libra (1942-1956) and thus share some common issues. We are motivated to find the balance between the sexes and seek fairness in dealings with others. We also share certain past life issues: slavery and exile from homeland which has left a residue of fear making balance and fairness challenging. Some of us will have to ‘give up and give in’ and others will have to become more assertive and ‘demanding’. Both can be unfamiliar and difficult.
I have found it easier to identify and ask for what I want now that I am a senior. I am not willing to be overlooked, nor am I willing for others to make decisions for me. Of course, I wish I could have been like this earlier in life, but better late than never.
Jupiter, now in Libra, is within 4° of this New Moon, expanding the opportunities for new beginnings. Jupiter in Libra relates to our beliefs about relationships. These ‘beliefs’ are initiated by our upbringing and then often reinforced by our experiences since we tend to project, then attract based on our ‘beliefs’ thus strengthening them.  Many feel that challenging their upbringing is a type of betrayal of their families, religions, culture….but if no one ever challenged the ‘status quo’ we would still be living in caves and hunting and gathering for our food. Innovation can be risky, but growth means creation of the new.
This New Moon in Libra will occur within orb of my natal Neptune. Since my Moon is in Pisces in the 7th house, and Neptune is currently transiting there, I feel this is a kind of mutual reception.
For me, the ‘new beginning’ has been a return. I joined the Embroiderer’s Guild of America and went to my first event yesterday. As some of you know, I make soutache jewelry www.silkroadsoutache.com and often tell the story of how my first entry into needlework was around 6 years old when one of my auntie’s bought me an embroidery kit.
I always admired the embroidered and crocheted linens I saw in my older aunts’ homes and wanted to learn how to do it. Now over 6 decades later, after many years doing different types of needlework, I make soutache jewelry which uses many of the same skills I have learned over the years.
Yesterday I spent several hours with mostly women, learning a new embroidery technique. It was comforting and grounding being surrounded by these women who have a passion for needlework. I realized women have been getting together like this for centuries. The foundation of culture. Women weaving the web of life and culture together.
But, the downside of this is that women teach culture to their children. Women in traditional China who wanted their daughters to marry, were complicit in the foot-binding process sometimes being the ones to break their daughters’ bones.
The bond with Mother can be stifling and suffocating. This relationship too, needs to learn balance. Mothers need to free their children (boys and girls) while providing care and support – not an easy task.
We are all being given the opportunity to grow in the way we do relationships, no matter who we are.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Full Moon is actually a reflection of the Sun. When the Sun is exactly opposite the Moon and there is no blockage by the Earth (an eclipse), we call this a Full Moon. The Moon itself emits no light. If not for the Sun, the Moon would not be visible. In fact, without the Sun’s light no planet would be visible. This gives us important information about the role of the Sun in our chart.
The Sun in our charts is our ‘Sun sign.’ Few ever ask you what your Venus sign is…In Evolutionary Astrology we ask about the Pluto sign, but that is a feature that distinguishes the EA method.
The Sun shines light on every other part of the chart. Some astrologers ask where the Earth is in the chart and some say the Earth is You standing in the center. The Sun allows all the other bodies: planets and asteroids to be seen. That Sun is both the witness and in many ways, the Founding Source because the Sun is the center of our solar system which would not exist without that central star.
I’m sure many of you have heard of this conundrum: if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound? We are asked to give our gifts, but without a receiver, an audience, a client….whatever, how can we do this? We may be a writer, but unless someone reads our work, so what?
This shows the ultimate importance of relationship and sheds light on the dilemma of Leo. The Sun rules Leo and needs to be the center of attention. Leo needs an audience. Some say Leo is self-centered. Without others to witness ‘their glory’ they become depressed and sullen. They need people. And yet, we all know what a drag the unevolved Leo, who constantly demands attention and is never satisfied, can be. So Leo needs to learn to share, to let others have a chance to be the center of attention.
Official ‘baby boomers’ all have Pluto in Leo. Many of us are such late-bloomers, we die before we manifest our destiny, yet we spend our entire lives trying to ‘find our thing’. We started the conscious-movement. We opened the doors of perception. We threw ourselves into the spiritual life. But after that, what next? Expanding awareness is important, but to what end?
After the hero goes on his journey and finds the treasure, his task is to bring it back home to those who stayed home and try to find a way translate what he has learned so that it benefits humanity.
But what if no one cares or is listening? What if our ‘message’ is unwelcome or disturbing? This is where the finessing influence of Mercury or Venus enters. Helping to translate the message or make it more palatable. Mercury and Venus are close to the Sun and in our charts are never far from it. They can help us deliver our message.
Mercury and Venus are both in Virgo, slightly ahead of the Sun. They can help us prepare and refine our message.
On the other hand, the Moon in Aquarius can be viewed as the alienated loner. A quote attributed to Aquarius is “I love humanity, its people I can’t stand.” That being said, it looks like Aquarius does not need an audience. As we know, the Moon is invisible without the Sun. The Moon in Aquarius might, in fact be a little uncomfortable with all the attention.
This Full Moon you might think about what you want the shed light on and what you want to remain hidden. Do you really want to be the center of attention? Are you prepared for all that attention? We may dream of fame and fortune, but could we handle it?
Another important transit that is in effect now is the Saturn/Neptune square. Many of us are feeling both stimulated and exhausted. Full of creative ideas and no energy to manifest them. This is one way to see the effects of the Saturn/Neptune square. More me, it makes a Grand Cross with my Sun in Gemini and my Ascendant in Virgo.
As some of you know, besides being an astrologer, I make jewelry www.silkroadsoutache.com
My business is growing which is very exciting. I will be teaching a workshop next April through Art is You www.eatcakecreate.com I have had to ask myself “how much success am I prepared for?” And how can I expand and grow my business in a manageable way? What are my next steps?
For me this is the manifestation of Neptune in Pisces transiting over my natal Moon. I have been receiving so many downloads, it sometimes interferes with my sleep. However, with Saturn squaring that, I find myself unable to translate my ideas into actual pieces. This has led to frustration bordering on self-sabotage. I am highly motivated, full of ideas and stuck and exhausted. The way I am working with this is to take tiny, but continual steps. Not giving in to the frustration, not expecting huge results, but being content with slow progress.  
When I recount events from my own life, I do so hoping they will serve to illustrate how transits affect our lives. Hopefully, you the reader, can get some benefit from these examples.