Saturn Return Can Bite Me

And yet another eclipse post

• Eclipse season survival guide. 

"Perhaps the most important suggestion for eclipse season is that, although change may happen to you, you don't want to be the instigator of any change just yet -- if you can help it. Yes, eclipses will bring news of life's major events such as a birth, death, marriage, divorce, career milestone, move or other significant turning point. And yes, there is often a sweeping transformation in the air that you'll be forced to address. But the energy during eclipse time is so unstable and supercharged that it's always best to be in receptive mode if possible. Save important decisions about the information that has come your way until after the eclipse season dust has settled.

Eclipses remind you that life is happening. But at eclipse time, the universe has a way of suddenly altering the rules of the game. It's your job to go with the flow now. Do your best to take things in stride and understand that the universe has an infinite wisdom. Trust it."

• The inevitability of being eclipsed.
• Another April 25 horoscope:

"The Eclipse will be closely conjunct Saturn and opposite Mars, suggesting that an internal fight about what you know you need to let go of may ensue. If there's an emotionally-charged situation brewing around you it might be hard to forgive or to surrender. Try to remember that the higher expression of Scorpio energy is about letting go.

Alternatively, there might be a situation you're in where you want to retain power. If so, this Lunar Eclipse could feel more unsettling because a tight grip will only leave you in pain.  Ultimately, with this Lunar Eclipse, the greatest power just might come from accepting your personal limitations, and (if you can) taking the high road.

Remember not to make a major decision during an eclipse, too, even if the eclipse does not affect your chart personally. People around you might be troubled and this could affect you. The energy in the sky is super-charged at eclipse times and it's always better to be in receiving mode, rather than move forward with a decision you're making due to intense emotions. Plan and strategize, but be patient. See what happens."

• Another eclipsed-themed horoscope:

"Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

Struggling to hold your ground is an understandable response to this challenging Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio. It falls in your 7th House of Partners and opposes your sign to raise fundamental questions about values, resources and relationships. Digging in your heels is a natural response, but recognizing where you're fighting a losing battle and finally letting go is more likely to make you feel like a winner.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

This Full Moon Eclipse in your sign can mark a significant change of direction in your personal life. It challenges you to commit more deeply to your most compelling desires, which may require you to let go of people and projects that are secondary to these goals. A physical transformation could put you in the best shape of your life, update your appearance and increase your appeal to others."

• Uncovering the core: "The areas of your life signified by that house are where: you are ripe for transformation, healing and growth; you’re being challenged to “let go to grow;” events from the past are coming to fruition, culmination or ending; shadow material is rising to the surface; deep, dark feelings want to be felt and released; you’re ready to make or break a commitment."
• Tides that shape your relationships: "Eclipses are most likely to impact your relationship if they aspect your angles (cusps of the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th Houses), planets in/ruler of your 7th House, or your Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars. They can usher in major changes to long-term relationships, but they’re not necessarily portents of doom. They are powerful initiators of transformation, but everything must be read in the context of what’s happening in your chart, as well as the existing status of your relationship. Look at what’s happening in real life, then apply the astrology."

Rules for dealing with eclipses

Good points for all:

"They bring change. Not disaster, just change.

The events that an eclipse triggers are usually pretty tame, and they will always be related to what’s actually happening in your life.

If an eclipse makes hard (square, opposition, conjunction) aspects to planets in your chart, the changes will feel more abrupt/tense.

If an eclipse makes easy (trine, sextile) aspects to planets in your chart, the events will be supportive.

If you get a mix of hard/easy aspects, it will be just like real life! For example, a prestigious new job can mean more money (good!) but more stress (not so good).

If you don’t have natal/progressed planets or angles with 5 degrees (give or take) of the eclipse, you may not feel anything."

It will be interesting to see how this stuff plays out for me, since it'll be all hard stuff.

April 25 eclipse article roundup

• "There is an opportunity in this eclipse, though, that’s characteristic of eclipses in general and Scorpio eclipses in particular. It’s the opportunity to transform yourself into something even more formidable than a crafty serpent: a fire-breathing dragon."
• "This Eclipse is stabilizing and purifying and will open us to a deeper experience in some social or emotional area of our lives. This will help us figure out what we can hold on to and why, as well as what we cannot hold on to, and we’ll be confronted with “cutting to the chase” regarding how we feel about something personal."
• "The way out of the dilemma is shown through Pluto (which trines one end of the opposition and sextiles the other). This configuration is known as an Easy Opposition, and shows the way to reconcile apparent polarities. Pluto is all about letting go, about honouring transformation and releasing into it, breathing fully into the change that wants to happen, rather than contracting and pulling back. So if life is urging you to change for the better this eclipse cycle, let Pluto’s best spirit of joyful ending and passionate rebirth infuse you with enthusiasm for the new inspiration coming your way."
• "This flow of energy – in at Taurus, out at Scorpio – needs spring cleaning every few years. And the opportunity arises with eclipses."
• "Whatever you’ve been holding on to, whatever has a fixed emotional grip on you, you can use that same process: feel it, name it, observe, watch it transform. I am using this process myself, and while its not easy, it helps to deal with intense feelings that would otherwise manifest destructively."
• "Whatever the course of your life, the impending eclipse cycle will almost certainly move you further along your path and through a greater number of experiences than you would tend to have in four weeks. That can be a good thing if you build on the awareness of what you are about to participate in by aligning your purpose with the circumstances."
• "In general, there’s a feeling of sorrow – not that we don’t already have enough losses to grieve, and that brings up the point that much of what has happened in the past week could correlate to the eclipse. Nothing says eclipse-related events can’t happen before the eclipse date. In some cases, they can occur months in advance. So, although it’s not a bad idea to stay alert, I don’t think we need to hide under the bed."
• "Just remember Pluto square Uranus isn’t  usually a gentle prod, it’s usually more like a powerful shove in the shoulder blades into letting go of the past in order to accept an unknown or unfamiliar future, and all the feelings that go with that. It’s really a form or version of us we are letting go of, whatever the situation looks like, in order to accept a new version of us that is unfamiliar and unknown to us (scary as that is all we have to rely on and lean on)."
• "Judging from the astrological flavor surrounding this first lunar eclipse, we may only now be facing the complexities of integrating whatever new self-directed efforts we began into an more enduring routine, so we might enjoy those benefits which only come from cumulative consistency—and we could well find ourselves challenged, blocked or unsupported (by others or by circumstance) as we try to firm up these changes we're making."

A good post I think I missed about eclipses on the ascendant/descendant

From April Elliot Kent:

"The Ascendant and Descendant are, of course, important relationship points in the chart. When an eclipse falls close to one of these angles, it’s common to find yourself getting into or out of an important relationship. This was certainly true for me when I was younger. An eclipse close to my Ascendant in 1984 brought a bad relationship to a critical point so that it could finally end. In 1993, an eclipse opposed my Ascendant nine days before a good relationship reached a critical point, and I got married.

The common denominator of these eclipse/Ascendant events is that relationships changed. And yes, the astrology of eclipses is about change – but change can be joyful and welcome as well as tragic and miserable. And not all eclipses in aspect to the Ascendant bring such dramatic changes. You have to have a dramatic ascendant to begin with (mine kind of is, squared by Uranus, Pluto, and the Lunar Nodes). And honestly, you have to be at a developmental stage in your life when dramatic events are more likely. One’s twenties and thirties are pretty much a long-running soap opera."

Ted Mosby, May 13, and me.

Otherwise known as, "Hey, another excuse to bring up the birthday-ish eclipse again!"

TV people don't plan this shit out, I'm sure, but I find it amusing when a character's astrology seems to be panning out anyway.

I was watching tonight's episode of How I Met Your Mother, "The Time Travelers." It's a really weird episode--I think in the end it's supposed to all be a fantasy made up in Ted's head when he's alone in the bar while everyone else is off coupled, and he and Barney are talking to their imaginary future selves about whether or not it's a good idea for Ted to go to some robot thing Barney wants to see (and they sing a duet together....beautifully, I must say). But it ends on a moment of "awwww" when Future Ted is looking back on this night-- not wishing he could go back to see the robots. He briefly ponders going back in time to see what his old life was once again. But if he could...he'd skip 45 days ahead in time and meet his future wife that much sooner. Because in show time (which is a few days off from today, apparently...), he meets his future wife playing at Barney's wedding, which shall air on May 13.

Go read the speech in that link. Just saying. Even me and my black heart were all, "awww."

Like most folks, I will admit that the character of Ted can get on my nerves. But I have a certain sympathy for him because (a) yeah, I know what that's like to be the permanently single one, and (b) his birthday is the day after mine. I feel your pain, dude.

While I'm looking on Wikipedia for his birthplace...hey, I know, let's post another TV character chart because it was so much fun the last two times I did it! Pretty much the same as mine except for a few degrees off here and there and I don't know an imaginary birth time for him to check that, so there you go.

But as I've been droning on about for most of the last few days, Ted's gonna have a birthday eclipse. Now, the previous birthday eclipse I had in 2005 was a real lulu in a not-great way, so I am keeping an eye out for how it's gonna play for me this year. As for Ted, that's the year HIMYM went on the air, so I guess it was a big year for him too :P But in Ted's case, we already know the super awesome thing that's gonna happen to him for his eclipse time...

Here's his solar return chart. I would guess that in his case, that stellium in Taurus with the sun and Mars and even Venus conjunct together would be in his seventh house (lucky bugger) for the year, making it a Scorpio ascendant year. But dear god, I'm not gonna do the math to try to figure this out right now. Let's just imaginarily go with it....

While I'm at it, here's his transit chart for May 13 (ignoring that IRL a wedding would probably take place on May 11, but...eh, probably close enough). Though I'll be honest with you, nothing stands out specifically for that date for him--or me--when it comes to transits.

Now...five years ago I had a prediction about something happening to me on May 13, 2013, in another location than where I live. Whether or not anything will happen...who the hell knows. It was a vision of me meeting someone in a location I did not know existed until I did a Google search, and the part where it was somewhere I hadn't heard of gave it some credence to me, since normally I am not a vision-y person and any other visions of anything I've ever had never amounted to anything. But the closer it gets to the date, the more I'm thinking how unlikely it is to happen, how hard it is going to be for me to get down there (financially, logistically, timing-wise, emotionally--all of this is at best awkward and at most really a bad idea to go)--and doing so would be a real pain in the ass.

If I don't go, I'll always wonder, but if I go and unearth myself enough/drain the wallet/deal with the stress of leaving town during busy season (April through mid-May are really super damn busy for me--busier than Christmas season, even) AND THEN NOTHING HAPPENS, I will throw a damn cosmic shit fit. In a hotel room, which could be awkward socially 'cause I ain't no rock star. 

A couple of weekends ago, I went to a session with a professional ah, channeler...I know, I know, it's weird, but sometimes I just want to see if a complete stranger with some talent picks up on what I did too. Makes me feel like less of a wack job. And she was all, "You're going to get two jobs offered to you, one close and one far away." Offered to, not "applied for." Hm. The timing on that...well, beats me. But she said there were two paths and I'd know in...May. Until then, "tough it out."

May, huh? That wasn't just me, then?

I guess we'll see if anything happens or not.

Scorpio horoscope for April

Following up from here... and here....

Victoria Bazeley:

"Let’s start with relationships. There’s a lot of energy in April, especially during the second half of the month, in the part of your solar chart that governs your significant other, best friend, spouse, #1 enemy, doppelganger or anyone else you have a particularly close relationship with."

Hm. Dunno what this is referring to for me.

"Your chart is all in when it comes to the quest for such a relationship or to extract maximum pleasure from the one you already have. Your sign is also the sign of other people’s money, so sometimes when there’s a lot of energy in this part of your chart, it represents the quest to extract maximum money or resources from the relationship.

April is also job search month in the Scorpio chart. There’s job search energy all month long, but the peak occurs right around the time of the new moon in Aries on the 10th. If you are seeking a new job, now is the time to pursue it with all your Scorpio heart. If it’s money or benefits you are concerned about, go full throttle at the beginning of the month, when the vibes are strongest in your favor."

We'll see. Supposedly job offers are in my future...uh....?

"There is also an important lunar eclipse in your sign on April 25th. You already have Saturn in your sign, so there is a lot of astrological might directed toward Scorpio these days. You may feel the effects of this eclipse any time from about 5 weeks before the date to about 5 weeks after. If you feel it, it is likely to be quite powerful. The purpose of a lunar eclipse is to wrestle something away from you that you’ve been holding on to for far too long, at too high a cost.

A strong lunar eclipse manifestation indicates that either you didn’t realize that what you were holding onto was detrimental or that you did but were afraid to let go of it. At lunar eclipse time, the universe forces the issue, liberates you from something you weren’t sure you wanted to be liberated from, and then lets you spend about half a year or so adjusting to the new reality."

Ohmmmmmy. I am so gonna be busted this spring, you guys. I am clinging on to everything because I can't get myself to do otherwise...well....

Planet Waves for April + eclipse post

In 2005, I had an eclipse on my birthday. It was a lulu of a year.

Oh look, there's an eclipse the day after my birthday this year too. Around the same point. Ruh-roh.

In other news...monthly horoscopes:

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
You may want to put on a logical face and take a reasonable approach,

True.

though it seems to be passion that’s driving you and direct physical experience that you’re seeking. It’s as if there is a storm blowing inside of you, and the wind, thunder and rain want to escape from you any way they can.

...Yeah....but mostly I just annoy people :P

You don’t have to let this out all at once; it would be helpful if you could actually tune into what you’re feeling, and consider what some of its possible sources are. Astrologically, here is how it looks: It’s as if you’ve been living a fictional version of your identity, and the real thing is starting to rise up in rebellion against the facade.

I really can't argue with this either, unfortunately. Makes it awkward at work, to stay inside the box.

This involves the roles you’ve been given, or assigned to yourself, such as with your family and in your relationships. By one reading of the chart, there’s a lot to say about the ways in which you’ve tried to impress your father with what a good person you are. The real you has no such political motives. Your relationships don’t need to be based on any kind of a purity standard, but rather on what is mutually good for those involved. If you find yourself seeking someone’s approval, that’s the time to go to a new level of maturity. You would be wise to consider the influence and impact of your relationships on the community that surrounds you. If you’re inclined to say, “what relationships?” or “what community?” then please look more closely.

 Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Recent events may have left you feeling heavy or uncertain about existence. I often wonder how anyone manages to be optimistic or positive, given the prevailing state of the world. Still, your chart is urging you to make sure that others know you care about them. Having faith in your ability to help will strengthen your faith in humanity. The other thing I suggest you do is remember that your creative spirit is alive and flourishing. By this I mean you are feeling passionate about your desire to engage fully with life, and whatever has been happening has had the effect of guiding you to do so with greater strength. I suggest that you make your choices for how to invest your mind, your senses and your hands based on what you want now — not what you wanted in the past. Be aware of a tendency to live in your memories, or to gravitate toward the feeling of nostalgia. A little of that may serve you, but not much more. There is so much that the present moment is offering you that it never has offered before. If you can look beyond your ‘latent past impressions’ of everything around you, you’ll see that this is a perfectly unique moment of existence for which you are ready and, I suspect, willing. Many people on this planet struggle with one thing only, which is letting go of the past. With a little courage, there’s no need to fight.

 

Eclipse stuff--yeah, it's late

• Eclipse fact sheet.
• Eclipses and location.
• Zombies and death.
• Light to the darkness.

Punched in the face by eclipses

I don't normally keep track of astrological events in relation to my life events. At least, not very well unless shit happens right around them. In this case, there's been eclipses and coincidentally, the suck spiral kinda kicked off around then.

In a third special lovely moment, I scratched the hell out of a rental car this weekend and don't even know how the hell it happened, and I am so mad at myself I could slap me.

But now I'm starting to wonder if it's a trend of crap, or something.

This week's AstroBarry:

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): An intrinsic facet to being right where you are—which is smack in the middle of an ambiguous situation, colored in several different shades of grey and very little black or white—is that nobody's rightfully entitled to the 'higher ground'. The moment you attempt to neatly package the so-called significance of what you're going through into a quaint gift-box, bow and all, the more audaciously you're tempting fate to toss in one more discontinuous development to dash your perfect encapsulating understanding. Face it, Scorpio: You don't know where this is going next. And believe me, this glaring lack of imminent resolution is not a problem… except if you cannot corral your obsessive-compulsive tendencies to incessantly scratch and scratch and scratch at it, in futile hopes that you'll stumble upon The Spot and uncover some magical map telling you which direction to turn. Such constant futzing and finagling won't 'move it along', however, as much as simply make you anxious and unsettled. Back off from the fruitless exercise in sense-making, and luxuriate in the suspense of this tale.

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

The lunar eclipse

"This Partial Lunar Eclipse will begin a several month "shut down" in the houses it occupies in our charts. Given that it happens during the period Neptune is stationary retrograde, you can bet that this point marks a major shift in collective consciousness, where we will begin to reverse recent trends by exchanging information to get clearer about what is and could be.

Like most Lunar Eclipses, this one ushers in a transitional period of about 4 1/2 months that will clear things out of our lives, and especially our past (the Moon). The space created can attract circumstances and people through which we can develop skills helping us deal with the wild ride of The Grand Irrationality that's in continuous motion during these months and years."