Jul 11 2016

Venus in Leo

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

Venus enters Leo on July 12, 2016 at UT 06:33 UT (1:33 am EDT). Venus is the “love” planet, representing how you give and receive love and affection, as well as what you find aesthetically appealing.

Venus also rules “money” as in earning potential and income, as in how you handle money, how you spend it, and whether you’re attracting it to you or seeing it run through your fingers like water.

By transit, Venus brings emphasis to these areas of your life — for better or worse, depending on the sign, house placement and relationship the transit forms to planets in your natal chart.

In general Venus transits are favorable. They’re sociable, cooperative and harmonious. They can bring in new love interests or reignite a spark with someone you already have history with.

They can also bring in money. These are usually not major windfalls; they’re more along the lines of unexpected gains, gifts from loved ones or money saved through fortuitous shopping. Speaking of shopping Venus transits correlate to a desire to spend money too.

May 11 2015

Ask the Astrologers: What Do Our Transits Hold?

Author: Chrisalis • Discussion: 2 Comments

A client who we’ll call Anna wrote in to ask about her and her ex-lover’s current and upcoming transits.

She has been seeing a man for a year and a half before he broke up with her in late April. At the time he told her he was confused about his feelings and was thinking about someone he’d met and dated before.

Anna has some knowledge of astrology herself and has looked into each of their transits trying to make sense of things.

She concluded that the breakup was showing in both of their natal charts; yet she does understand that transits move and the energy shifts, meaning that once some of the more difficult transits lift, things may very well change.

Sep 12 2014

Mars in Sagittarius

Author: Melodie • Discussion: 2 Comments

Mars moves into Sagittarius on September 13, 2014 at 21:57 (or 5:57pm ET), where it will remain until October 26, 2014, when it moves into Capricorn.

Mars transits bring action and energy to the area of a natal chart where the transit occurs. It also affects planets in a natal chart that it forms aspects to, which are in turn influenced by the sign placement (in this case Sagittarius) as well as the house Mars is placed in and rules in the natal chart.

For those born with Mars in Sagittarius, this transit marks what’s called a “Mars return.” This will occur at some point during the current transit through Sagittarius, between Sept 13, 2014 and Oct 26, 2014.

As Mars — natally and by transit — refers to what we’re passionate about as well as what we’re instinctually compelled to do, this transit emphasizes the Sagittarian inclinations toward freedom, travel, adventure, personal expansion and philosophical pursuits.

Mars in Sagittarius people are generally upbeat and optimistic, personable, engaging, honest and candid. They like their space, hate to be confined and are resistant to any kind of personal restriction.

Jun 22 2014

Venus in Gemini

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

Venus enters Gemini on June 23, 2014 at 12:33 UT (8:33 am EDT). Venus is the esoteric ruler of Gemini, as the catalyst through which the concept of “Love” first emerges — through connecting, interacting and most importantly communicating with others.

Venus in Gemini people are charming and flirtatious. They’re playful, light-hearted and charismatic with a natural appreciation for the give-and-take that goes hand-in-hand in any relationship. They’re insatiably curious, wanting to know everything there is to know about the people they’re interested in, and as long as there’s always something left to learn that interest doesn’t wane.

But since Gemini is a mutable sign, there’s also a tendency toward restlessness and boredom. They like to keep things moving and to not get bogged down in tedium or routine. They’re easily distracted and require a lot of mental and verbal stimulation in order to maintain their interest.

When it comes to romance, Venus in Gemini people are said to run hot and cold. They’re notorious for ardently pursuing whatever they have their hearts set on one moment and detaching from it completely the next.

Feb 16 2014

An Intuitive 5-Card Tarot Reading with Two Axes

Author: Charles Johnson • Discussion: 5 Comments

(nothing to do with choppers or tomahawks)

by Charles Johnson, guest blogger

Feeling a bit cheesed-off the other day after a Djembe drumming practice at which my drum teacher had failed to define for me just how my sense of timing/ tempo / accent did not come up to hers, after a few hours not exactly fuming but quite deeply bothered (because drumming has become pretty central to my life and my sense of well-being), I got out my favourite Tarot of the Origins deck in order to make sense of / get to the heart of the “problem.”

I hit upon a five-card spread: three cards laid out in a vertical line, representing (from bottom to top) what’s going on from the teacher’s point of view — its origin (card 1: the Four of Jewels); the heart of the situation (card 2 and the central card in the layout: The Mother); and its implication / outcome (card 3: the Five of Jewels).

Dec 19 2013

Venus Retrograde — Turning Love Around

Author: Melodie • Discussion: 4 Comments

Venus — the planet associated with love, romance, beauty, money, material possessions and personal values — will be retrograde from December 21st until January 31, 2014 (or February 1, 2014 in some parts of the world).

From an astrological perspective, retrogrades motivate us to review, revisit, refine and resolve challenges that are holding us back from progressing in the area related to the planet involved.

They may relate to unfinished business from past lives, or they may refer to repeating patterns in our present lifetimes. Either way, the presumption when that planet is Venus is that the challenges faced are love and relationship challenges. This includes the entire spectrum of “relationships”: romantic, familial, social, etc.

Dec 13 2013

Ask the Astrologers: When Saturn Comes to Call

Author: Chrisalis • Discussion: 2 Comments

This question is related to choosing between putting down roots after having a life full of travel and adventure and looking at the birth chart to see what is going on now and the transits which shall shortly hit the chart to glean insight into what is to happen next.

Our client “Mary” has written to ask about transitioning from the very rich and rewarding life she’s created for herself (seeing the world, traveling, volunteering and applying her skills to altruistic ventures in foreign lands, etc) to a more “normal” and settled existence back home.

Chrisalis takes a look at the current transits as they apply to Mary’s natal chart.

Her chart is full of freedom, excitement and new learning experiences and as Saturn comes closer to the natal node it shows what can occur within the person and around them.

Nov 08 2013

Jumping Jupiter! Another Planet Goes Retrograde!

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

Jupiter — the largest planet in our solar system is now retrograde.

Astrologically Jupiter is said to relate to benefit, gain and fortune. It’s the planet of abundance and extravagance; of philosophy, spirituality, travel, foreign affairs, personal expansion and higher education.

Your natal Jupiter will describe where you do things in a big way or the area of your life where you might go overboard. It’s where you’re naturally confident and optimistic and where things tend to come more easily to you.

When it retrogrades by transit, depending on the sign and area of your natal chart it’s moving through, you can expect to go through a bit of a renaissance, as you review, revisit and refine your own personal belief systems.

Sep 16 2013

Men are from Mars (and Venus): Astrology, Men and Love

Author: Melodie • Discussion: 1 Comment

We hear so much about men being “from Mars” — and in a lot of ways this is true, at least astrologically.

In general, they tend to relate more to their natal Mars positions and project their Venuses out onto the women (or male partners, if gay) in their lives.

This is in line with the Jungian concept of anima/animus (inner woman or inner man) projections that each of us embody. But this also tells us a great deal about what men are looking for in a mate.

A man’s natal Venus sign placement describes not only what he’s attracted to, but how he’s likely to conduct himself in relationship. It tells us how he expresses love and affection, how he receives love and affection from others, and how he relates to his partner in a one-on-one relationship.It tells what he’s looking for in a soulmate and how capable he is of investing himself emotionally in soulmate relationships.

Jul 07 2013

The Sun and Moon: Astrology’s “Heavenly Bodies”

Author: Melodie • Discussion: 14 Comments

Astrologically speaking, most people know their Sun signs. You’ll hear people say “I’m a Leo” or “I’m a water sign (referring to Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces Sun signs),” or “I was born on the Virgo/Libra cusp.”

And many believe that that’s all there is to it. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The Moon sign is not only just as important as the Sun sign; sometimes, it’s even more important.

Eastern astrologers, for example, are more interested in Moon signs than Sun signs, and in many areas almost everyone knows their own Moon sign from an early age.

Sun sign astrology (horoscopes) became popular because the Sun’s zodiacal position is the only one that can be determined by birth date alone. The Sun occupies the same relative position in the zodiac on the same day every year. That makes it easy for laypeople to know their own Sun signs, without having to consult an astrologer or navigate the complicated waters of in-depth astrology.

Even though the Sun is over 400 times the size of the Moon (another reason some place more importance on it), it’s also over 400 times further away. This is why they appear to be relatively the same size from our vantage point. It’s also why we have Solar and Lunar eclipses.

Mar 07 2013

Soulmate Relationships: The Truth about Venus and Mars

Author: Melodie • Discussion: 1 Comment

There’s been a lot of press about the roles of Venus and Mars in soulmate relationships, but what exactly does that mean in the true astrological context?

Are these two planets the primary indicators of relationship compatibility, or are they just one small part of what makes up a good connection between partners?

Venus and Mars are actually relatively minor factors for determining relationship compatibility, and are rarely “karmic indicators.” They’re good for determining attraction (by sign) but little else.

They’re usually present when there are strong sexual sparks or chemistry at the onset of a relationship, but don’t say much about exclusivity, longevity or commitment.

In the coming weeks, we’ll delve into Venus and Mars from a deeper, more comprehensive perspective. If you’d like to read more about how these planetary energies are expressed for men specifically, you can check out this companion piece: Men are from Mars (and Venus): Astrology, Men and Love.

Apr 19 2012

Ask the Astrologers: Long Distance Relationships

Author: Chrisalis • Discussion: No Comments

This week’s question relates to a relationship which has been long distance for the past 18 months. Different parts of the respective charts will be looked at in order to ascertain if either or both are willing to move.

Who is the most flexible with this? And what the impending eclipse of November 25 may mean for their relationship.

Dear Chrisalis, I’m at a crossroads with my boyfriend of 4 yrs. We’ve been in a long distance relationship for the last year and a half. We do see each other several times a year and we speak every day.

But this is getting old and I want to figure out a way to be together (which means moving to the same place or one of us relocating to where the other one lives). Otherwise I think we need to just decide to go our separate ways. What do you see happening? ~ Katie

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