Babylonian goddess Ishtar
Happy Monday!
I don’t know about you guys, but that Full Moon in Scorpio energy was intense last week! I worked through so many emotions in such a fast way, it felt like I went through a huge healing/transformation process just within a couple days. It felt good to release so much energy that I was holding onto and sort through some darker parts of my subconscious. I decided to do my ritual the morning of the Full Moon, along with some Kundalini Yoga which activated my own Kundalini energy in a subtle, but obvious way. This helped me to release a lot of inner turmoil and tension and helped me feel more connected to source in a grounded way. I also found myself oversleeping the few days around the Full Moon which felt good but also made me get a later start during the day. I felt I was hearing that was similar for many people as well. I am happy to have that Moon behind us, but this week we also have a lot of energy shifts taking place. Mercury, our planet of communication, moves into its home sign of Gemini, and Mars, our planet of action, moves into the calm, compassionate waters of Pisces.
We also have a huge retrograde party happening this week with many heavy hitters, and no, it’s not Mercury! While we already have Pluto and Saturn currently in retrograde, this week Venus and Jupiter will join the party. Retrograde energy is typically difficult, as it can have a frequency that lends itself to having to backtrack over previous lessons or experiences that may have not been entirely worked through at the time we were experiencing them.
The best way to understand how the energy will be experienced for you on a personal level is to see where that planet is retrograding in your personal natal chart and what other aspects it is making to other planets. These will be the areas of your life that you will be reflecting on during the retrograde period.
Retrograde Notes:
Pluto retrograde in Capricorn
Lasting from April 24th - October 4th 2020
My favorite way to frame the expression of Pluto is with the phrase; “pain into power.” We are working through experiences that challenge our ability to feel in power or control over this area of our lives. We are experiencing lessons that are constantly forcing us to surrender and let go to the transformation process, reminding us that everything is in flux. The goal is that through our acceptance of inevitable change, we find personal empowerment in this area to face adversity with strength.
Saturn retrograde in Aquarius:
Lasting May 10th - September 29th 2020
With Saturn retrograde in Aquarius, we demand change when it comes to the structure of our society. We are able to see new and progressive ways we can advance old systems that have been in place. On a personal level we are working through changing our perceptions of how we have “always” done things. We may have a hard time letting go of how things were “before.” We know we are needing to be open to change, but our need to hold onto what felt comfortable is getting in the way of us letting that happen. We also experience the changes taking longer to be implemented. So while we may want to make changes, this may not be the time that they actually are able to take a firm hold.
Venus retrograde in Gemini:
Lasting May 13th- June 25th 2020
Venus is the esoteric ruler of Gemini and symbolizes conjunction of the divine masculine and feminine energies coming together. With Venus retrograde we often revisit relationship dynamics that are needing to be examined. We may long for more connection with friends and feel lonely or frustrated if we are unable to have that. Finding positive ways to communicate what we need from our support system is a positive thing to work on during this retrograde period. We also could feel like we are backtracking in our relationships and having to revisit themes that never really quite got sorted out. This is also a time where we redefine our relationship to self worth and how we value energy exchanges with others.
Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn:
Lasts from May 11th - September 13th 2020
Jupiter symbolizes a lot of energy that pertains to our values and belief systems, which have been challenged quite a lot this year. We may be reflecting on how we are growing during this time, and whether what we are doing with our lives is in line with new beliefs that are forming. We may continue to experience some hardships around our ability to have a handle on our physical world. This inability to get things organized and grounded may cause us to have to make hard decisions we were not anticipating having to make. This is an opportune time to be open to learning, rather than trying to have everything figured out.
The best thing we can do right now as a collective is to be patient and methodical about what we can and can’t control in life right now. This year is a hard one from start to finish, we are undergoing a large collective restructuring and it is going to be hard on everyone. We benefit from leaning into the fact that the next couple years are about restructuring. It is wise that what we hold onto is our values around kindness, peace, love and understanding and that when we are fighting for justice, or doing what we need to get to make ends meet, that we are remembering to care for others and extend what we can to those who are also in this with us.
Tarot Cards for the week:
Judgement, The Lovers, The World, The Devil, The Moon, Wheel of Fortune, The Hanged One, 7 of Cups, 8 of Cups, 9 of Cups, Queen of Cups, 2 of pentacles, 3 of pentacles 4 of pentacles, 5 of pentacles, 6 of pentacles, Knight of Pentacles, King of Pentacles, 7 of Swords, 8 of Swords, 9 of Swords, 10 of Swords, 2 of Wands, 3 of Wands, King of Wands, 2 of Cups, 3 of Cups.
(All times are Pacific)
Monday 5/11
Moon in Capricorn
Mercury in Taurus square Mars in Capricorn 12:33 pm
Mercury enters Gemini 2:58 pm
Moon sextile Neptune in Pisces 3:05 pm
Moon trine Sun in Taurus 5:24 pm
Moon inconjunct Venus in Gemini 5:30 pm
Moon conjunct Pluto in Capricorn 11:14 pm
We have been feeling the culmination of the Mercury square to Mars over the last few days and today the two finally make their exact square. This is an intense energy that can cause a lot of frustration or intense communication dynamics. If we have been holding anything in, this might be the day that it all comes pouring out. With Mercury entering its ruling sign of Gemini in the afternoon, we begin to feel more tuned into our mental process and how we communicate our ideas and needs during this time.
Tuesday 5/12
Moon void of course conjunct Jupiter in Capricorn 3:30 am
Moon enters Aquarius 8:39 am
Moon trine Mercury in Gemini 12:07 pm
Moon conjunct Saturn in Aquarius 12:18 pm
Mercury in Gemini trine Saturn RX in Aquarius 1:14 pm
Mars enters Pisces 9:17 pm
Moon square Uranus in Taurus 10:52 pm
Moon sextile Chiron in Aries 11:42 pm
Venus stations retrograde 11:45 pm
Mercury and Saturn form an air trine in the mutable sign of Gemini and fixed sign of Aquarius. This energy lends to insights around our communication dynamics when it comes to progress and moving things forward. We may see advancements in technology this week, shifts in the dialogue when it comes to politics, and more action around social reform. This is a great energy for being practical about our ideas and building upon them in a way that enables much progress for us in the future.
Mars enters Pisces until June 28th. Mars in Pisces is a softer expression of energy, but it can be hard to feel like we have a clear sense of where we are going, or what direction to push things in our lives at this time. This may be a period where we must do a lot of inner reflection and internal work on ourselves before we can clearly set our intentions towards any one particular goal. This is a good time for active meditation and spiritual work.
Venus stations retrograde in Gemini until June 24th. This is an opportunity for us to work on communication dynamics within our relationships. Our ideas around self worth and how we value exchanges of energy with others is highlighted.
Wednesday 5/13
Moon in Aquarius
When the Moon is in Aquarius we can feel hyped up about current events. Of course having Saturn in Aquarius with a Mercury trine also puts a large emphasis on our social awareness. If we find ourselves feeling altruistic and overly concerned or passionate about the state of our community, this is a good time to find ways that you can get involved. I always feel it's better to find ways to be active, rather than shaming or getting into social media fights with internet trolls. It’s more effective to donate money to a cause, or volunteer your time, than arguing semantics over the internet. If you find yourself scrolling into a pit of despair, put the phone down for a few hours and brainstorm ways you can contribute to society in a way that is meaningful.
Thursday 5/14
Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius 7:03 am
Jupiter stations retrograde 7:32 am
Moon enters Pisces 6:24 pm
Moon conjunct Mars in Pisces 9:06 am
Sun in Taurus trine Pluto RX in Capricorn 11:49 pm
Our last quarter Moon in Aquarius asks for us to release any energy in the morning hours around our perceptions of how we compare ourselves to others. Aquarius is a very progressive and innovative energy when it comes to wanting to be of service for the good of the whole, but often Aquarius energy forgets that its own idea of what is best is not everyone’s idea of what is best. We may feel our unique or different approach to things conflicts with someone else’s idea of what “works.” We are asked to let go of holding onto our position, and learning to see things from multiple perspectives. Another polarity of this energy is not having a clear stance on our beliefs, some of us may go through the opposite experience where we need to learn how to integrate more of a fixed idea into our perceptions, rather than being mutable to what everyone else wants.
Jupiter stations retrograde in Capricorn and will be retrograde until September 13th, the last time that Jupiter went retrograde in the sign of Capricorn was May 9th 2008 - September 8th 2008. This coincided with the recession we experienced in 2008, and we obviously have many similar themes happening within our economy right now. As much as I want to be optimistic (Jupiter) about the future, this retrograde summer is not going to be easy on our economy. We will be wise to play it safe over this retrograde period when it comes to our finances.
The Sun and Pluto trine today in the earth signs of Taurus and Capricorn. This enhances our willpower when it comes to our relationship to our physical world and it is a good time to take action when it comes to our mundane world. We benefit from putting our nose to the grindstone and getting on top of our responsibilities in an active and practical way.
Friday 5/15
Moon in Pisces
Moon sextile Uranus in Taurus 9:41 am
Moon square Mercury in Gemini 9:57 am
Mercury in Gemini sextile Chiron in Aries 1:22 pm
With the Moon in Pisces we are extremely sensitive to the energy of others and need to be mindful with what we take in. Mercury making an harmonious aspect to Chiron, the wounded healer, helps us to have a kinder relationship to our sense of self. We benefit from taking initiative to be kind hearted when it comes to our inner narrative.
Saturday 5/16
Moon in Pisces
Moon conjunct Neptune in Pisces 11:34 am
Moon square Venus RX in Gemini 1:35 pm
Moon sextile Pluto RX in Capricorn 8:15 pm
We may feel ungrounded today which means it is beneficial for us to move slowly. It is not a good day to make any life changing decisions. We may feel disconnected from reality and like we are unable to make sense of things going on in our lives during this time. It's ok to feel this way, try not to get swept away by the feelings and find some down time for self care where you can. If we feel misunderstood by others today, maybe take a break from trying to connect and focus on yourself.
Sunday 5/17
Moon in Pisces
Moon sextile Sun in Taurus 12:13 am
Moon void of course sextile Jupiter in Capricorn 12:59 am
Moon enters Aries 6:36 am
Sun in Taurus trine Jupiter RX in Capricorn 9:40 am
Moon sextile Saturn RX in Aquarius 10:29 am
Moon conjunct Chiron in Aries 11:14 pm
We have a lot of optimistic and positive energy in the atmosphere today that enables us to feel hopeful about what we are able to manifest for ourselves at this time. This is a good day for generosity and acts of kindness. We enjoy activities that promote personal growth.