Mercury Retrograde: Time to Slow Down and Smell the Flowers

Today, January 21st 2015, Mercury has stationed retrograde in Aquarius. It will be retrograde until February 11th. Mercury retrogrades always get a bad rap, but they are really just an opportunity to slow down and reflect. 

Like the girl in the picture above, we need to take time to smell the flowers during this retrograde. Mercury retrograde has become frustrating in contemporary times because it is so incompatible with our fast paced, technology filled lives. If we allow ourselves to slow down a bit and to take in life during this retrograde things may not seem so frustrating. When it comes to communications and technology, the key is patience. In the old days when people communicated by letter and what not, I bet they weren't sitting around waiting for their letters with impatience and frustration as we sit around these days waiting for a response to a text or email we had only sent an hour before. If we have patience and are flexible, this retrograde won't affect us in such a bad way. Aquarius rules technology, so this retrograde may affect technology more than usual, so that's why patience is so important for this particular retrograde. 

Mercury retrogrades are such great times to turn inward and reflect. This retrograde in particular may give us some great new and innovative ideas since it is in Aquarius. This could be a creative time. It's just not a good time to start anything though, so wait to put your big ideas into action until the retrograde is over. 

Aquarius has to do with friendship and community, so during this retrograde we may want to re-connect with old friends or any community or groups you are part of. The emphasis though is on old friends or friends you already have as Mercury retrograde is not usually a good time to join a new group or make new friends. 

The first day of the retrograde Mercury is conjunct the Moon, so the retrograde may start off in an emotional way. The night before some of you may have had insomnia because there was a New Moon and then right after that the Moon linked up with Mercury. Your minds may have been buzzing with excitement or ideas and you may have found it hard to go to sleep. Mercury will also be opposing Jupiter for awhile, which may be frustrating because Jupiter may be urging us to grow and expand and try new things, but Mercury wants us to slow down. 

Overall this Mercury Retrograde shouldn't be too intense. Just remember to slow down, drink in life and reflect. Patience is a big key to this retrograde as well, so don't lose your cool. Patience is always a virtue during a Mercury retrograde. 

New Moon in Aquarius: Innovative Ideas , Friendship and Community

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On January 20th 2015 at 5:14 AM (PST) there will be a New Moon in Aquarius. There isn't a lot going on with the New Moon as there are no aspects it is involved in. However, it is a Super Moon, which means that the Moon will be closer to the earth, so this New Moon may affect us more than it might otherwise. 

Aquarius is an air sign, which means Aquarius is related to the mental realm. Aquarius is particularly known for innovative ideas and thinking outside the box. This means that this New Moon may give many of us some great new ideas. If any of you have been stuck in a creative rut or been looking for a solution to a problem, this New Moon may be just what you need. 

Aquarius is a friendly sign, it encourages us to make new friends and to become part of a community.  This New Moon may bring some new friends or connections to some of your lives. If you want to feel a sense of community, but don't belong to one, perhaps an opportunity to join one will arise in your life. Perhaps some of you will be pushed to join a social media site or to become more involved on a social media platform you are already on. Social media combines technology, networking, and a sense of community. All of these things are related to Aquarius, so social media could be something that you feel more drawn to during this New Moon. 

Overall this shouldn't be a very intense New Moon, even if you feel some of the effects more strongly because it is a Super Moon. Aquarius is not a particularly emotional sign, so whatever happens with this New Moon, it shouldn't be too emotional. To see how it will personally affect you, looking for any Aquarius in your Natal Chart would be a good place to start. 

Saturn in Sagittarius: Re-structuring Our Beliefs

On December 23rd 2014, Saturn entered the sign of Sagittarius where it will stay for about two and a half years. This should be an easier Saturn transit than when it was in Scorpio since Sagittarius is a fairly optimistic sign. 

Our beliefs are going to be in the spotlight with Saturn in Sagittarius. Our beliefs could get challenged or we may be pushed to give some structure to our beliefs. We might have to decide what it is we truly believe and sort through our beliefs and decide whether they are good beliefs to have. A bad side of beliefs being brought into the spotlight is that some people may start to take what they believe too seriously and think that everyone should believe what they believe. Basically people could start to get a bit self righteous. 

Saturn usually brings some change to things that aren't working anymore. Saturn likes to re-structure things and it's not always easy when this tough planet gets involved. Things could undergo a change on a global scale and on a personal level. One area that may get re-structured is higher education. Higher education in some places is ridiculously expensive and many students end up in debt. Also the idea that every single person needs to go to college or they will end up working in McDonald's is a silly and outdated notion, but one that some people still believe. These are just a few issues that could possibly be questioned during this time when it comes to higher education. Another area that may get re-structured is foreign affairs. This is probably an issue that may get re-examined on more of a global scale than on a personal one. Perhaps countries will re-structure their foreign policies or something like that. Religion is another area that may need some re-structuring. Since challenging our beliefs is a theme of this Saturn transit, we may start questioning our spiritual and religious beliefs in particular. Religion is not quite as big as it used to be, so obviously there are some changes coming to that arena already which may be highlighted during this transit. Travel is another area of life that could get re-structured. Perhaps some rules about traveling may change, particularly with security. On a personal level people may decide that they need to travel more or something like that. The last thing that could undergo a re-structuring is how we relate to different cultures and people of different backgrounds. Sagittarius is a sign that is very interested in other cultures and wants to celebrate diversity. There has been a lot of problems going on recently with racism and what not. This is obviously a terrible thing and definitely something that needs to be changed. Sagittarius wants to celebrate every ones differences and urges us to think what a beautiful diverse world we live in. For some reason though, some people think that anyone different than them is not as important. This is awful and I think that Saturn in Sagittarius will crack the whip and try to change this. 

When Saturn was in Scorpio people with their Sun in Scorpio took it the hardest. Now with Saturn in Sagittarius people with their Sun in Sagittarius will be hit the hardest. Sagittarius people might be forced to re-structure quite a bit in their lives. I do want to mention though, that in the middle of June till the middle of September , Saturn will retrograde back into Scorpio. This may mean that during this time some issues may be brought back into the light for some Scorpios and they may have to reflect on whether they made the changes they were supposed to in their lives. 

Saturn may be the toughest planet, but it re-structures things and brings order for the betterment of all our lives. It may be difficult, but I think that the areas of life that will be examined probably need a change and that this will hopefully help out the world quite a bit. 

Full Moon in Cancer: The First Crazy Full Moon of 2015

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Happy New Year everyone! The New Year is starting out rather intensely astrologically speaking,  with a Full Moon on January 4th 2015 at 8:53 PM (PST). The Full Moon will be in Cancer and it is chock full of aspects with other planets. 

The Full Moon in Cancer is rather an emotional Moon placement as Cancer is the sign that rules the Moon. If emotions come up during this time, try to release and work through them. With the Moon in Cancer and the Sun in Capricorn, it is important to release things that make you feel comfortable, but that aren't serving your higher purpose or helping you realize your dreams and ambitions. 

Pluto is conjunct the Sun and opposing the Moon during the Full Moon. This adds a bit of harshness to this astrological event. Pluto's appearance at this Full Moon signifies that change is indeed coming, whether we like it or not. We will possibly be forced to welcome change and transformation into our lives. 

Chiron plays a part in this Full Moon by a trine to the Moon. This means that we will have to release any wounds we might have during this time. The goal with this Full Moon is basically to release everything that is preventing us from being successful in our lives. Emotional and psychological wounds are of course things that hold people back from living to their fullest potential, so it's very important to let these go. 

The Nodes play a part in this Full Moon by forming a Grand Cross with both the Sun and the Moon. This means that some karmic issues may come up. The North Node has played a big part in the cosmos recently and I'm sure many of you have felt it. It has pushed us to compromise in relationships, which may have been a bit frustrating. Once again during this Full Moon we have to release anything we have stubbornly held onto that is preventing us from compromising. 

Overall this is going to be an intense Full Moon. A lot of feelings are probably going to come up for a lot of people. The key is to be patient, to understand that you are feeling this way because of this cosmic event, and to release the things you are feeling. The big things that need to be released during this time are wounds, karmic issues, resistance to change, unwillingness to compromise and anything that makes you feel comfortable that isn't actually healthy for you. I wish you all the best and I hope your New Year will be filled with success and that all your dreams for the year will come true.