Image by harshanm via Flickr

The Moon merely flirts with Aries in the wee Monday morning hours of the 30th and then calmly moves into Taurus bringing us a stabilizing force to start our week. The mood is supported by a happy and optimistic conjunction to Jupiter. The week ends with Neptune’s gentle entry into Pisces where it will stay for the next fourteen years. Plenty of time to make dreams come true.

That’s the Moon, Venus and Jupiter in the pic. It even looks comfy.

Household and Gardening Tips

Moon in Taurus ~ January 30 – February 1
Moon in Gemini ~ February 1-4
Moon in Cancer ~ February 4-6

For times of sign changes and daily aspects, see the calendar here: January  February

Taurus loves both the kitchen and the den. It’s a great time to stock up on comfort foods or to get those sofa pillows fluffed up for a few hours of lounging in front of the tube. As long as we’re not there all the time, there’s nothing wrong with kicking back a few nights a week. It’ll give you some time to think about who you’d like to spend some time with in lighthearted chitchat when the Moon is in Gemini Wednesday-Friday. By the time Saturday rolls around, the Moon in Cancer will have you craving those comfort foods you stocked earlier in the week.

The garden was created by Taurus, so if you’ve got seedlings to start or any garden chores at all, Monday through Wednesday are idyllic for getting a little dirt under your nails. Moon in Gemini would enjoy talking garden plans with a neighbor or buddy. Good ideas can pop up like weeds. It’s also a good time to place a call to your county extension agent to get some info on native plants you’d like to grow.

If the garden was made by Taurus, it was nurtured by Cancer. These are two of the most fruitful times for the garden. Being the cardinal water sign and the most fruitful gardening sign, Cancer would love to pour a little water on your garden or indoor plants. Watering will never be better than when the Moon is in Cancer. If winter has you on a monthly schedule for watering your houseplants, plan it for Moon in Cancer. Careful with those plants who prefer drier soil. A little goes a long way with watering now.

Related articles

• The Lunar Home and Garden ~ January 23-29, 2012 (auntiemoon.wordpress.com)
• Planting with the Moon for Winter Flowers (auntiemoon.wordpress.com)

Image via Wikipedia

I recently asked readers to submit questions about Saturn in Libra and the upcoming “think it over” retrograde period I wrote about in this post. I think some of you will identify with these questions concerning Saturn Returns, the feelings of restriction that Saturn brings, and the Saturn/Neptune conjunction of the 50′s that has been activated by Saturn’s passage through Libra.

The Devil’s Finger is a two card reading using the tarot Devil and one card from The Victorian Flower Oracle based on the drawings of JJ Granville. There’s something very vulnerable about the lady flowers in the oracle deck (even those with thorns) when paired with Saturn (The Devil).

Reading 1: No More Status Quo

What is the Devil’s Finger pointing at in your life? 

No more status quo for running “Life”.  I feel change brewing.

Brief background on your issue:

Saturn retrograde in Libra, my fourth house containing a conjunction of Neptune and Saturn at 22 degrees of Libra. Is this officially my Saturn return?

Everyone who has Saturn in Libra natally has experienced a Saturn Return at some point since November 2009. The timing depends on the degree of Saturn in the chart. In your case, Saturn will retrograde back to 22 degrees in June of this year creating the third hit of your second Saturn return. You are primed to act on all the things you’ve been considering and/or worrying over for the last couple of years.                       Read more…

Reading 2: Wants to be Free

What is the Devil’s Finger pointing at in your life? 

I currently have Saturn transiting my 11th house.  What do you see for possible employment for myself in the future?  I have always wanted to do astrology charts but lack courage.

Brief background on your issue:

i just recently quit a new job after quitting a job i had been at for the last two years, both within a month of each other.  i am currently looking to separate from my husband as well.  i have always felt “restricted” in my relationships with others and have always sought out “traditional” jobs.  I want a new future and a new more “authentic” life. i feel like i am trapped in my imagination and don’t believe i just quit my main source of income.  i just can’t take it anymore.  i want to be free.

Astro Notes ~ I received birth data from this client, so was able to take a look at what was happening with Saturn and Uranus in the chart. Saturn and Uranus are polar opposites in the way they operate. When “free” is paired with “restricted and traditional,” we know these two planets are battling with each other. Transiting Saturn in Libra opposed an Aries Sun and conjuncted the natal Uranus in the Libran 11th house. Natal Neptune is on the Ascendant. Possible types of future employment are beyond the scope of this reading.

Cornflowers are more commonly known as Bachelor Buttons and showed that a bachelor was available for marriage. They represent delicacy and single blessedness in the Victorian Language of Flowers. Here the Cornflower is paired with the Poppy which represents fantastic extravagance. The card’s title, An Admirer, indicates someone who admires you, a supporter, or even self admiration (i.e., a healthy ego).

I’m sure there are plenty of people who would gasp at quitting a job (especially two of them) and leaving a marriage in this uncertain economy, but that’s exactly the kind of things we do when Uranus is pushing us. Saturn’s rings feel overwhelmingly oppressive. The chains around the necks of the two people in The Devil card have them in a strangle-hold. Even though the chains appear loose enough, they can’t breathe. Delicacy (or gentleness) can help to relax and open up those airways.                      Read more…

Reading 3: Need Something Positive after a Hard Year

What is the Devil’s Finger pointing at in your life? 

The Devil’s finger is pointing at my family. I’d like some insight on finding something positive after a very hard year.

Brief background on your issue:

Saturn is going over the 25 degree Neptune that my husband and I share. Natch we met In a bar, and at last we are both in Recovery….And next up! Saturn Return for both the spouse and I, 9 Scorpio, and our son who became a heroin addict post 9-11. So something is headed our way for sure. TMI but I am a firm believer in honesty!

Victorian era poet, Horace Smith, wrote:

Your voiceless lips, O flowers, are living preachers;
Each cup a pulpit, and each leaf a book;
Supplying to my fancy numerous teachers,
In loneliest nook.

Sometimes the cards are almost too literal. The Grapevine (Intoxication) was the card randomly drawn to pair with Saturn (The Devil). Well, I’m not here to preach like Smith’s flowers, but to praise. Congratulations on being in recovery. It must be very rewarding to harness The Devil with his own chains. What greater success can there be than that?

Saturn (The Devil) and Neptune (The Grapevine) are not who we immediately think of as the perfect couple. Saturn is all tight and controlled and Neptune is hazy and chaotic. It reminds me of George and Martha in Edward Albee’s play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? There’s s-o-o-o…m-u-c-h…pres-sure!…and so much that is carefully avoided. We convince ourselves that if we don’t talk about it, if we don’t look The Devil in the eye, he’ll just go away. Disappear. Instead, we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of a pressure cooker thinking that any minute the top is going to blow. And it often does.

But there’s another, more positive, side to this ill-matched pair that is redemptive to both when they work for each other instead of against.                     Read more…

Aquarius has earned the reputation of being the friend of the zodiac because of its concern for humanity in general, even though it might be a tough nut to crack when it gets right down to being your good close friend. Sometimes that don’t get too-close, let’s keep it cerebral attitude (otherwise known as detachment) can keep Aquarius from warming up. There’s a lot at stake in warming up ~ you have to invite vulnerability and closeness into your life.

Aquarius is the natural ruler of the 11th house. It’s our House of Friends and the sign on its cusp will give you a pretty good idea of what you expect from your friendships and what you’re willing to give in return. I have Sag there so I need a lot of freedom in the activities I plan with my friends, and I give that to my friends, too. Something better comes along that you’d rather do, I’m cool with that. I don’t want to make you do anything, you know? I don’t want to have to do something, either. It has to be done freely or it feels like a chore. (My Sun in the 6th House of Work has enough chores already, if you know what I mean.)

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. ~ Anais Nin

Have you ever done a synastry chart for your best friend and yourself? Run them at www.astro.com. They’re very telling.

My best friend is an Aquarian and I’m Cancer. That’s not supposed to work very well. Aquarius and Cancer are inconjunct signs which mean that they aren’t supposed to jibe all that well. The elements are at odds. The modes are at odds. Fixed Air meets Cardinal Water. A piece of advice: throw out your astro cookbooks and whip up your own recipes. Aquarius and Cancer can work well together. All the signs can. It’s about planetary integration.

• She’s an Aquarian with Moon in Cancer. I’m Cancer with Sun conjunct Uranus and Aquarius Rising.
• We both have 6th House Suns.
• Her Saturn conjuncts my Mars ~ she calms me when I’m in a dither and shows me the way toward reason. My Saturn trines her Cancer Moon giving credence to her feelings when waves of emotion overwhelm.
• Her Chiron and N. Node live in my 12th House ~ she knows how to heal my soul.
• Her Sun/Venus conjuncts my N. Node in Aquarius in the first ~ she’s a guiding star encouraging me to be me.
• Together we have a grand trine made up of Mercury, Uranus, and Mars/Saturn. We can always talk about the tough and nutty parts of life and understand one another.

We “get” each other, you know? She is, without question, a soul mate. Not my family, not my good-time buddy, but my dear, true friend who always points me toward the path of growth.

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. ~ Walter Winchell

A good friend is someone who, when you call them up in the middle of the night and tell them you’ve just killed someone, shows up in a hurry with a shovel. ~ Unknown

Who shows up for you when things are at their worst, the times when they have the least amount to gain? It’s not always who we  expect it to be. They don’t tell you what to do. If you ask for their advice, they’ll still love you if you don’t take it.

There’s another type of “friend,” the kind we feel sorry for. This is often the type of friendship where you’re always giving and they’re always taking. I hate to say this, but they’re not your friends. My experience with these folks is that when the going gets tough, they get going. They’re like vampires, so don’t invite them into your house. They’ll come in, suck you dry and then when you are in need, they disappear like shadows the midday sun. They don’t show up for you because they were never really there.

How do you see the sign on your 11th house reflected in your friendships?

Our good friend Saturn will soon be turning retrograde at 29° Libra and back peddling through the sign of balanced effort from February 8th through June 25th. He’ll trace his steps back to 22.46° Libra before turning direct again.

A few months of “think it over” are looming large.

Saturn represents structure and limitation. We can think of Saturn’s rings as the boundaries he uses to protect us. They are fences built not to keep us in, but to keep the seemingly dangerous and harmful out. The closer those rings are to the planet, the smaller our world becomes. In order to broaden our view and our ability to perform, we need to think outside the rings. The retrograde period is a very good time to do just that.

What do you stand to gain by moving your fences out a bit? Will unnecessary inhibitions allow you more freedom if you think beyond the rings? If you have difficulties with boundaries that are too loose, how might you benefit by moving the rings in?

What you are being asked to think over is dependent upon the house of your chart that Saturn is now transiting. Briefly,

 For more meanings of the houses, click here.

If transiting Saturn is aspecting any planets in your chart, he is pointing them out to you. How does having that planet fenced in feel? Safe, too close for comfort, completely bound? The retrograde period is a good time to think over that planet’s function in your chart. How’s it working for you now that Saturn has visited? Do you need to move the rings out or bring them in? Maybe you’ve passed Saturn’s little pop quiz in Libra, are satisfied with your results, and can move forward contentedly. I certainly hope so. I know I have more work to do and will use the retrograde to think carefully and wisely. (See 2011 in Review ~ Rate Your Planets to help evaluate your efforts so far.)

On October 6th, Saturn will leave the balancing scales of Libra for the intense waters of Scorpio. The conclusions we draw while Saturn is retrograde and the actions we take as Saturn returns to forward motion will impact our life for a long while.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember with Saturn is that he really doesn’t want to punish us. He wants to reward us. He wants us to be the very best we can be and he sees great potential in all of us. We can accomplish a lot in the next nine months while Saturn remains in Libra. We have plenty of time to set the posts straight in our fences and think over just how improved life can be outside the rings.

The Devil’s Finger

I’d like to experiment a little with a two-card reading using the tarot Devil (Saturn) and one other card from The Victorian Flower Oracle. I’ll choose three questions to be reprinted in posts with your comments. If you’re a subscriber to Auntie Moon via FeedBurner or WordPress, you can submit your question for a possible reading. I’ll select questions that I think other readers can relate to as Saturn makes its last retrograde through Libra.

If you’re not currently a subscriber, you can subscribe at the right-hand sidebar at the top of the page.

(Submissions are now closed.)

January 23rd is also Chinese New Year. Instead of January 1, the Chinese New Year is based on a lunar calendar with the new year starting on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Before the new year begins, it’s a custom to thoroughly clean the house, especially the kitchen, so that good fortune can enter.

On the eve of the Chinese New Year, families gather for a reunion style supper. Are you up for a night off from cooking? I know I am! A dish called Dragon and Phoenix consisting of shrimp and chicken is eaten for good luck, similar to the southern custom of having black eyed peas on New Year’s Day.

Are You a Dragon?

Dragons have strong, independent personalities and would prefer to lead instead of follow. I was born in the year of the Dragon and I’ve been described as headstrong on more than one occasion, especially by my hubby who just happens to be…what else…a dragon. According to the Chinese Zodiac, you’re a Dragon if you were born within these range of dates:

16 February 1904 – 3 February 1905
3 February 1916 – 22 January 1917
23 January 1928 – 9 February 1929
8 February 1940 – 26 January 1941
27 January 1952 – 13 February 1953
13 February 1964 – 1 February 1965
31 January 1976 – 17 February 1977
17 February 1988 – 5 February 1989
5 February 2000 – 23 January 2001
23 January 2012 – 9 February 2013

Household and Gardening Tips

Moon in Aquarius ~ January 23-24
Moon in Pisces ~ January 25-27
Moon in Aries ~ January 28-29

Are your computers, cell phones or television screens dirty? How about your remote control or keyboard? Now’s the time to clean them up or replace them. Be sure to check your owner’s manuals for instructions on the best way to clean your equipment. High tech gadgets are sensitive and you want to use the proper cleansers. You’ll also want to keep your phones clean during cold season, which has officially arrived. Phones are notorious for spreading germs, with office phones being major offenders. Lots of folks are complaining about colds recently and we don’t want to spread or catch those germs. 

Since Aquarius is the sign of high technology, the 22nd~24th is an auspicious time for acquiring new gadgets.

Stick to clean-up jobs in the garden through Tuesday, the 24th, with the Moon in Aquarius.

Are you late getting your pansies, snapdragons and other winter flowers planted? The moon is in the fertile sign of Pisces Wednesday through Friday. The fertile signs are the best days to plant flowering plants, especially when the moon is in the first or second quarter. Pisces is one of the best times to fertilize. How about using some fish emulsion?

With the Moon in Aries, the weekend of the 28-29th is best spent on trimming new, unwanted growth on established plants. Our warm weather has fooled many of our plants into thinking that it’s spring already. Snip those little growths before another freeze rolls in which could do more harm than good. We can take advantage of this winter’s warmer temps to get a jump on cleaning up our gardens for spring. Saturday and Sunday are perfect for fast and easy garden chores.

Related Posts:

•  Moon in Capricorn ~ You are NOT the Devil
• Capricorn ~ Imposter Syndrome, Feelings of Incompetence, and Fear of Success
• 12 Things to Do When the Sun Transits Capricorn

I love adding a new astrology-themed cookbook to my collection, especially one from a chef who says:

“…this book has little to do with watching your weight. It’s not my intention to tell you what you should or shouldn’t eat, but to present you with an array of options for eating naturally, healthfully, seasonally, and in accordance with the stars.”

I’ve got a strong feeling Sabra Ricci’s Lobster for Leos, Cookies for Capricorns will be my go-to cookbook when cooking with the stars.

With Sun in Cancer and Moon in Taurus, I want real food, but I don’t want to get involved with complicated cooking.  Ricci’s entertaining book offers recipes that are 1) easy to prepare and 2) teaches me about the health benefits of the food I’m cooking.

Ricci assures us that lobsters aren’t just for Leos, though, and cookies made with molasses aren’t just for Capricorns. There are health benefits for everyone. One of my favorite parts of each section is the list of featured foods that support the body function associated with its sign. It’s easy to see from the chapter headings which foods benefit specific parts of the body:

• Aries Brainiac Foods ~ brain
• Taurus Megametabolizing Foods ~ thyroid
• Gemini Easy Breathing Foods ~ lungs
• Cancer Tummy Soothing Foods ~ stomache
• Leo Make the Beat Go On Foods ~ heart
• Virgo Nerve Settling Foods ~ nervous system (my Virgo hubby’s immediate response was “Bring ‘em on!”)
• Libra Wash Away that Waste Foods ~ kidneys
• Scorpio Get You in the Mood Foods ~ reproductive organs
• Sagittarius Break Down that Fat Foods ~ liver
• Capricorn Foods to Bone Up On ~ bones
• Aquarius Control the Flow Foods ~ circulatory system
• Pisces Immune Boosting Foods ~ immune system

When I was looking over the table of contents, I was stopped in my tracks when I saw Lobster Guacamole. I turned to it so fast that the pages are singed.  I’ll be whipping this up asap! Lobster guacamole is one of the Sagittarius Break Down that Fat foods that help cleanse the liver. So go ahead, Sadges, add some avocado to that salad or sandwich.

Lobster Guacamole

“Avocados contain glutathione, which reacts as an antioxidant and can rev up a sluggish liver.”

4 avocados, peeled, pitted
½ cup finely minced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, finely minced
3 garlic chives, finely minced
½ cup minced, fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
¼ cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lime
Garlic salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ pound cooked lobster meat, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges for garnish

1. Mash the avocado with a masher in a medium bowl just until chunky. Add all the remaining ingredients except for the lobster, cilantro sprigs, and lime wedges, and mix well. Fold in the lobster meat.
2. Transfer the guacamole to a serving bowl and garnish with the lime wedges and cilantro sprigs. Chill 1 hour before serving.

Serves 8

Are you superstitious about Friday the 13th?

If you’re among the superstitious, I’m going to try to turn that around for you, especially if you’re a woman.

I was recently asked if Friday the 13th was a bad day to get an Ob/Gyn exam.

I have to admit that my first impression was ewwww even though I’ve never really been superstitious about the day. The initial ewww was more about having a ob/gyn exam on any day. And then I started thinking about what Friday and the number 13 have going on for them that would make them such bug-a-boos when paired up.

Freya, Venus, The Empress, Norse Tarot

Fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia. (I bet it’s easier to say that after a couple of glasses of wine.) Friday is usually considered a very lucky day ~ TGIF (thank god it’s friday) and all that, so where and when did the superstition begin? There are all kinds of explanations about the origin of the phobia, which is essentially a 20th Century phenomenon, but I zeroed in on a couple that have some special relevance for women.

Friday is named after the Norse goddess Frigg (aka Freya) whose Roman counterpart is Venus. (Frigg is part of that unpronounceable word.)

Venus (Freya) is one of the two planets associated with women, the other being the Moon. The tarot depicts Venus as the creatrix, the giver of life and artistic talent. She is the Earth Mother, the one who comforts, cajoles, and teaches us all those wonderful girly things. She also knows a lot about value ~ as in gold.

It’s getting better already, right?

The Moon ~ The High Priestess, RW Tarot

Hold on. It gets even get better.

The number 13 is associated with the thirteen lunar months of the year and another aspect of the feminine ~ The Moon, the Great Mother. She’s the fount of intuition and the source of the great mysteries. She’s the reason we “just knew” when something was up.

So here we have both of our feminine archetypes tied up in a scary little package known as Friday the 13th.

I’m starting to think that Fridays the 13th could be the most feminine days of the year. That’s the way I’m going to think of them from now on ~ proudly and without superstition.

January, April, and July each have a Friday the 13th in 2012. Here’s a little feminine astro-data to add to these dates:

• January 13 ~ Moon in Virgo, Venus in Aquarius
• April 13 ~ Moon in Capricorn, Venus in Gemini
• July 13 ~ Moon in Taurus, Venus in Gemini

So back to the original question ~ Is Friday the 13th a bad day to get an ob/gyn exam?

What do you think?

Image via Wikipedia

The Full Moon in Cancer reminds me of those little hermit crabs when they are at their most vulnerable ~ naked, defenseless, wandering, searching for home.

There’s something too appropriate about the name of January’s Full Wolf Moon. It conjures images of nights when the walls come tumbling down, our most guarded feelings exposed in the fray of intimate standoffs.

What protects us, shields us from the dangers that are ever-present to a heart exposed? What cracks the hardened outer shell that allows love to flow freely, both in and out? What feels good to be safely wrapped and cuddled in?

What ~ finally ~ is home?

I was talking with some elderly ladies at an assisted living facility last night and surprised myself when I admitted that I still don’t think I’ve found “home.” We can love our home, care for it meticulously ~ and still something isn’t quite right. This or that is wrong. It’s not perfect. We feel like the Princess in that old fairy tale. There’s a pea under the mattress.

There have been temporary shells, some occupied for ten or twenty years. I love my home, have loved them all, couldn’t think of any place I’d rather be, but that glass slipper of a home ~ the one made just for me ~ remains elusive, unobtainable.

What do we do when the wolves are at the door? The hungry wolves in sheep’s clothing ~ marauders of intimacies not meant for them ~ seeking the warmth of home fires carefully tended, affection and support for trespasses and transgressions. When a threshold is breached, the foundation cracked ~ do we abandon or rebuild?

What ~ really ~ is home? A structure, a person, a feeling? Where is it, how do we find it?

For the crab without a shell, when we are at our most vulnerable and in search of the perfect fit ~ it is protected, moveable, detachable, and full of promise that this, at last, is home.

_________________________

Recommended Reading for Full Moon in Cancer

Michelle Gregg offers insights of the Great Mother and Father and the divine feminine in her article The First Full Moon of 2012, The Cancer Wolf Moon.

...the images of Mother Mary, Gaia, Demeter and Diana are perfect to hold as visions in your heart and mind. The idea is to connect with the energy of the instinctive Feminine offering love, sustenance, deep feeling and security to those she cares and is responsible for.  How does this ideal manifest in your life – whether you are male or female. If you are comfortable in this arena then this a time for you to be juicy and ripe and overflowing – both giving and receiving the blessings of the Cancer Full Moon.

April Elliot Kent touched my heart with her Full Moon post, Full Moon in Cancer: Can Hard Times Make Us Whole.

…This Full Moon (Jan. 9, 2012, 2:30 am EST) falls in the sign of Cancer, the sign of motherhood and of the bonds that tether us to those people and animals and causes that we care for. Our love for them represents our tender white underbellies, our Achilles Heels, the terrible vulnerability that can bring us to our knees.

Jessica Shepherd shares fond memories and takes us on a moonlight path to recall our ancestral gifts with Full Moon in Cancer: Tribal Gifts & Teacups at Moonkissed by Jessica.

…Cancer, Fourth House planets, are a storehouse of all familial gifts, the blessings, the shadows, the failures of nerve from our familial tribe. These gifts are either acted upon, or lurk in the shadows as “potential,” but these transmissions are always and ever there, though we may only notice in hindsight.

.

More Gemini Eclipses, Universal Year 5, Retrogrades

Throw away your pens and get out your pencils and erasers if you’re filling in your datebooks. As Dorothy says in the Wizard of Oz, “Things change so quickly here.” 2012 is poised to be a Mercurial year.

Universal Year Energy

2012 has a universal year energy of 5, ruled by Mercury. Since it can be a frenetic year, it’s easy to overindulge or overdo. #5 Years are more of the Gemini ilk than the Virgo ilk. Virgo is more in line with the 4 energy (hard work) or the 9 (service).

The basic themes for a #5 Mercurial year are:

• Change
• Freedom
• Adapatation
• Education
• Travel

If you’re in a #5 Personal Cycle, you’ll find this to be a year full of last minute changes, so try to stay flexible with your plans and schedules. Learn which cycle you’re in with Personal Cycles for All Birthdays. It’s a free download that has the personal year cycles for everyone through 2023. If you like numerology, this is a great tool to keep on hand.

Eclipses

We had two eclipses in Gemini in 2011, the latest being the December 10th lunar eclipse. There are two more in Gemini in 2012:

1. Solar eclipse on May 20 at 00°Gemini (intellectualism or superficiality)
2. Lunar eclipse on November 28  at 06°Gemini (changeable, flexible and dramatic emotions)
   

   Taking the helm in 2012

The Solar eclipse occurs at the most Mercurial point of Gemini ~ in the Gemini decan and the Gemini dwad (I love that word!). That’s the strongest Gemini energy in the zodiac. It’s more than Gemini twins here. It’s triplets!

November’s Lunar eclipse is still in the Gemini decan, but in the Leo dwad, ruled by the Sun. Bernice Prill Grebner calls this the dwad of “Pleasurable or dramatic communication” in her fanatastic book, Decanates A Full View. I’d like to pre-register for “pleasurable,” please.  

If 00-06° Gemini marks an important point in your chart, look for issues related to the house that degree falls within or to the placement of planets in your chart that are impacted. Don’t forget midpoints.

If 00-06° Gemini isn’t an important point, you may not notice the eclipses at all. Checkpoint: Did you notice the last Gemini eclipses if they weren’t in close aspect in your chart? Work with your personal experience on eclipses.

Retrogrades

Mercury is retrograde three times this year. If Mercury aspects any important planets or points during these periods, you’ll be entering a “think it over ” phase. You get to encounter an issue, think it over again during the retrograde period, and then move ahead again (with possible do-overs) when Mercury resumes forward motion. Retrogrades can be fantastic times for gaining clarity, so no freaking out allowed. Start planning ahead. (Heads Up: Mercury is Rx right before the tax deadline here in the US).

• March 12-April 4
• July 14-August 8
• November 6-26

Mark your calendars for eclipse and Rx dates. Those you can put in ink.

.