Here is the Ask the Astrologers Weekly Astro Forecast for the week of Sep 3, 2018 – Sep 9, 2018:
This week’s highlights include a planet (Saturn) changing direction, two planets (Mercury and Venus) changing signs, and a New Moon in Virgo.
Starting on Monday, Mercury sextiles Venus. Mercury and Venus are both well placed, with Mercury in mutual reception to the Sun, and Venus in its own sign. Also, as Mercury is the planet associated with words, ideas, and the exchange of information, and Venus is the planet associated with fairness and cooperation, bringing them together in a harmonious (sextile) aspect can make for some very pleasant conversations.
This is a time to get in touch with your softer, gentler side. See the beauty all around you — in nature, in the music and the arts, and in friends, loved ones and strangers. Let your imagination take flight and open your heart to those who may need little more than a kind word or a shoulder to lean on.
The Moon in Gemini joins in on Tuesday, with a sextile to Mercury and a trine to Venus. This is a very sociable aspect, and while it may not be the time to try to delve too deeply into any one thing, it’s great for connecting and interacting with others. The Gemini Moon is more about flitting from one interest to another, gathering facts and information and interacting with others. It’s good for communicating your ideas — in person or on paper — and also good for brushing up on your studies.
But lunar transits are relatively fleeting. They’re only in effect for a few hours at a time. The Moon will also go void of course once it passes its trine to Venus. This is a relatively is a common occurrence; it marks the period of time between the Moon’s last aspect in one sign and its ingress into the next.
Any aspects involving the Moon are temporary are likely to fly by almost imperceptibly. But that doesn’t mean this period of time will be uneventful. There are still always transits in play: planets interacting with one another and blending or communicating their unique energies.
On Wednesday, Mercury inconjuncts Mars. This aspect can manifest as inconvenient or uncomfortable discussions. Feeling like you’re being put on the spot or forced to answer questions you’re not prepared to answer. As Mercury is in Leo (and in mutual reception with the Sun) you may be strive to be more expressive, yet struggle with finding the right words.
You may be feeling anxious or restless; or you may feel the urge to speak your mind without putting enough thought into how your words will be received by others. But you don’t want to to give into the temptation to fill conversational pauses with meaningless chatter or trivia. Espe cially since both Mercury and Mars are at anaretic degrees.
On Thursday, Mercury moves into Virgo, where it’s most at home (along with Gemini, which it shares rulership with). Mercury both rules and is exalted in Virgo, making it not only more comfortable there but purer in expression. It’s good for getting down to the nitty gritty and figuring out ways to make everything better.
You want to be careful not to scrutinize everything to death or to be too focused on what’s wrong with every picture, but this signature is great for fine-tuning and perfecting whatever needs a little sprucing up.
Also on Thursday, Saturn goes stationary direct, after after almost 5 months in retrograde motion. This shifts the focus from going back and redefining your goals to moving forward with a new and improved perspective. This is a somewhat simplified explanation of what happens when Saturn changes direction but it can serve you well to compare it to a car changing gears.
If you think of a retrograde cycle — in this case Saturn — as backing out of your driveway or going in reverse, you can see how it gives you a chance to look in your rear-view mirror and see what needs to be changed or moved out of the way. Before you can move forward again, you have to shift into neutral and then idle for a minute (this is when the planet stations right before it turns direct) and then start shifting through the remaining gears as you gather momentum and move toward your destination.
In the case of Saturn this applies to the structure of your life — including any obstacles and limitations — as well as your personal boundaries and your long-term goals. Where do you see yourself five years from now? Or ten? What held you back in the past that still needs to be addressed before you can move forward? These are questions you turn to Saturn for, and depending on where it falls in your natal chart (and where this current change in direction is taking place) this is where you’ll find your answers.
There’s a grand Earth trine involving Mercury, Saturn and Uranus on Friday. Mercury and Saturn are both dignified by sign, while Uranus is retrograding back into Aries, where it will move into mutual reception with Mars. This configuration is excellent for making plans and establishing long-term goals. It’s innovative and progressive (Mercury / Uranus) while at the same time structured and disciplined (Mercury / Saturn).
But there is also a Sun / Neptune opposition on Friday, which can cloud your judgment. This aspect produces tension between your ego and will (Sun) and dreams and fantasies (Neptune). It can manifest as a lack of clarity or worse, delusions and self-deception. It’s good for getting lost in the moment and allowing your fantasies to come alive. But not so good for facing reality or seeing your situation clearly.
On Saturday, Venus squares Mars. This aspect can indicate conflicts in your relationships, with the love planet (Venus) and the planet associated with action, energy and aggression (Mars) butting heads. This is recurrence may be especially challenging, as both planets are at anaretic degrees — the 29th degree of their respective signs. Try to keep your passions in check, and remember making love is always more fun than making war.
Venus moves into Scorpio — the sign of its detriment — on Sunday. This placement is often misunderstood due to preconceived notions about how Venus (the planet of love, romance, affection and beauty) is supposed to behave.
There are many positive aspects with this placement, but because the dark side of Scorpio is prone to trust issues, jealousy, possessiveness and control, it can manifest as less than favorable. Still there’s more passion, depth, intensity and intimacy in this archetype than any other Venus placement, so don’t give into your fears. Let your guard down, open your heart, and be willing to take a walk on the wild side.
Also on Sunday. we have a New Moon at 17 Virgo 00. This New Moon takes place at 6:01pm (UT), in close opposition to Neptune.
As New Moons always represent new beginnings and opportunities to start new, this one — in Virgo — brings opportunities to be of service to others. It prompts you to look at what improvements you can make in your own life and what your contributions are to the world at large.
This is especially pronounced with the opposition to Neptune, which calls for us to integrate our Egos (Sun), our emotions (Moon) and our connectedness to our fellow man (Neptune).
The Sabian Symbol for this degree is; “Two girls playing with a Ouija board,” which reinforces the esoteric symbolism associated with a Sun/Moon and Neptune opposition.
That’s it for this week; see you next week!
Here is this week’s astro calendar; click on it to view it full-sized.
Weekly Astro Forecast —
Sep 3, 2018 – Sep 9, 2018
By
Thinking about learning Astrology? I highly recommend Stephen Arroyo’s Chart Interpretation Handbook and Demetra George’s Astrology for Yourself.
Don’t forget to check out more Weekly Astro Forecasts and our Monthly Horoscopes too!
Want to see where these transits are hitting your natal chart? Check out our Free Natal Chart Calculator.
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