Starcodes, May 25 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

Did you get the memo? News moves fast and plans change quickly, there’s a lot going on and so stay tuned in. We can expect a few crossed wires or mixed messages as the weekend begins and the Sun, Mercury and Venus are all in responsive and talkative Gemini while mental Mercury (Gemini’s ruler) is in a confusing square with Neptune. Check the local news for route changes, check with friends for changes in plans.

The textbooks describe the effect of this Mercury-Neptune square as overstimulated imagination, but is there such a thing? Misdirected may be a better word. It’s hard to tease apart hope and fear from true possibility; wishful thinking or ongoing anxieties can distort our perception as much as our imagination can open the doorways to possibility. So let’s work with imagination’s rich, fermenting brew and dream away, but also stay in the present moment when driving or making important relationship decisions. Also be alert around Neptune’s other tools, water, liquids, deceivers, alcohol and altered minds.

The weekend will be generally sociable, funny and curious with a holiday-dilettante mindset. We’ll tend to run lightly over the surface or dramatize without sinking into the depths. We can tell great stories and pontificate with glee; words glisten like drops of color in a pointillist painting, each one means nothing but helps convey an overall impression. Keep conversation light and be heard but try to make people tow the line and it’s easy to lose connection.

This much Gemini energy can feel scattered and make it hard to concentrate on any one thing or person, but if we work the room or work on a few projects or get a few books going and circulate between them, we can play with our short attention span and still get a lot done. We don’t have to be shallow, but something more that words will be needed to help us think.

As the weekend progresses, bring the conversation back home wherever possible; picnic, kibitz over the back fence and get in touch with what’s going on inside. People will be unusually forthcoming where they feel safe. Memorial Day itself grows serious and thoughtful as a subdued Virgo Moon reminds us to be aware of the consequences of our actions and respect our responsibilities, although we may each interpret that differently. People can get a little cranky or edgy and need to rest at a deeper level, though it’s hard for our nervous systems to really quiet down with this Mercurial buzz in the air.

Early next week some unsettled aspects require us to integrate new information, things may not be going as planned and our work may need to shift trajectory. Let’s adapt and make smaller sacrifices if needed to find a new track, and make the best of it for now.

Towards the end of the week we may feel like we’ve woken up; it’s time to apply the good dreams and correct any illusions. If we felt deceived or overlooked last weekend, we will be mad as Mercury squares Mars, but need to look at how much our own wishful thinking may have set us up. Notice a sharp critical voice in the culture and put a five-second lead on the critical voice at home. This aspect can bring some brilliant problem-solving abilities if we don’t waste our energy complaining.

While our creative projects can really get somewhere, most major life adjustments are just temporary adaptations though they can help us evolve into new forms over the next few years. But we can hold on to our core values to help us direct those small adjustments towards a bigger and brighter horizon. We already feel the symptoms of seismic activity in the culture as we head towards the summer Solstice and the first of seven era-changing Uranus-Pluto squares (now through 2015) and this can leave us with a low-level nervousness or excitement about the future that shimmers underneath all else we do.

Friday, May 25: This moody morning brings mixed feelings as to where to engage and where to retreat. Our imagination may be working overtime if we can engage it, otherwise restless sleepiness dilutes our focus and truth can be distorted by wishful thinking as Mercury squares confusing Neptune. Find a healthy way to work with a longing for magic, escape, a moment of spirit. Liquids are recalcitrant, watch spills near electronics. Evening can be a raucous party as the Moon enters Leo, though our hearts tweak easily. Enjoy the buzz and find a form of self-expression, but do not ignore the needs of those near and dear in the process, as the will be touchy. Tonight, have the designated driver drive defensively.

Saturday, May 26: An excited buzz can add panache to ordinary events. Cheerful nervousness makes it hard to focus, summertime mind keeps us distracted. Performance art is inspired, but some emotional expression will be just performance; catch musicians in the park or children at recital, but take personal melodrama with a grain of salt. Experimental afternoon encourages success if we can meander towards the answer as Moon trines Uranus. Reminisce tonight, look for ways to commune with the past but don’t get stuck there; bring memories into the future as Mercury conjuncts the south node.

Sunday, May 27: Friendly buzzing with a touch of ego about the edges. Our tendency to express unfiltered thoughts can both lubricate understanding yet be tricky over tough subjects that require diplomacy. It’s unusually easy to converse with strangers or hear information which opens our minds, but our thinking can be spontaneous and flighty as Mercury conjuncts the Sun and sextiles Uranus. Small adjustments make a big difference. New connections and ideas spark now and can grow later.

Monday, May 28: Remember, respect, perfect. The mood may be thoughtful, nervous and brittle. Notice news or arguments about the role of government or parental rules. A self-conscious urge to do things right provokes healthy debate, but let’s drop into the heart when people get cranky and go for perfection of spirit rather than perfection of line as Mercury sesqui-squares Saturn and quincunx Pluto.

Tuesday, May 29: Cranky, nervous morning can pour salt into our philosophical divides as the Moon conjuncts Mars. Don’t sweat the details, save impatience for large problems that need a little dynamite to get moving. Apparent setbacks can be discouraging, but difficulties can help us focus and inspire us to prove our worth. Watch the urge to make snap-judgments, they will boomerang. Soften tonight, we all need encouragement.

Wednesday, May 30: Move through the world with attention. Keep it cool and keep it kind; impatience breeds accidents as Mercury squares Mars. Use ingenuity to stir the coals on productive leads, but don’t waste energy on cattiness or the fleeting fun of recreational critique; what is amusing to one may be hurtful to another, and our sense of fairness is fierce today. Ruthless editing and fierce weeding are useful as long as we keep a balanced perspective. Friends and contacts need attention, the network needs voltage.

Thursday, May 31: We need to gather the pieces, weave the threads together, and follow up on leads. Organize the scattered elements and check in with one another to create a more congruent whole, or we’ll find efforts duplicated and energy wasted. Puzzle parts begin to fit in with one another if we pay attention, though the organizing thoughts may come from an unlikely source. Friendly acceptance encourages creativity and will reap we reward.

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Starcodes May 18 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

Henry David Thoreau

Pay attention to all the ways we communicate this week as Mercury gets tagged by a series of minor aspects, ends on good note, and then enters its own mercurial sign of Gemini. Be willing to hang in there in a difficult debate or slog through the details needed to translate an idea into reality. Share ideas with someone of totally different point of view; pressure won’t change them, but real dialogue might. Brainstorm with a group to produce something better together than could be conceived of alone. Or just talk it all out on the home front.

Practice makes permanent, especially in our brains. So let’s pay attention to how our mind works, the way we process information is as important as what we think. Yes, this week if full of interesting, even pivotal announcements and data that we’ll have to deal with. But first, notice the internal communication and ask what thoughts and habits we want to release and which ones o we want to make permanent. Thoughtful Mercury, now in earthy Taurus, encourages us to question our assumptions and get closer to the truth before we grow new roots as it semi-squares erratic Uranus and conjuncts expansive Jupiter this weekend.

Let’s look at what increases our mental static and investigate what calms and settles the waters so we can see clearly. A moment of calm clarity is a gift, but we can make choices that bring us here more often.

Then take our attention out and notice how we communicate with one another; can we speak clearly, listen well and balance what we want need and think with the needs and thoughts of others. Can we honestly dialogue? Venus turned retrograde last week, and will stay retrograde through June 27^th, which can bring up so many people and patterns from our emotional past, but we can respond with consciousness this time if we pay attention.

Then look farther afield at how beloveds and politicians choose to communicate as well as what they communicate, and wonder what that pattern says about them and notice the subtle messages. Investigate equipment that has become our other brain: phone, computer systems and websites. Tune up our website or Facebook page or figure out a new phone. Think about the world’s condition and our role in it.

The weekend begins rich and juicy and inwards looking, a time to tend to our earthy needs, to garden and get healthy as the Moon approaches a conjunction with the Sun in Taurus and forms a grand earth trine with Mars and Pluto. We can just be comfortable, or notice what makes it hard to be comfortable. Stuff can have a hold on us; we attach easily and may want something just beyond our reach, or buy in to the illusion that material goods will make us happy. Let’s see the divine in the world of mater, but not think the material world is the limits of the divine.

This trine offers a moment to catch up with ourselves and make steady tangible progress on some project that helps us feel more secure, healthy or comfortable. But between this trine and a solar eclipse on Sunday, we may be pushed to let go of an old attachment and have to take on faith that the way is being cleared for something more.

Then the energy revs up and scatters as Sun and Moon enter Mercury-ruled Gemini on Sunday and Mercury returns home to Gemini on Thursday. It’s time to talk, network, buzz, flirt, and cross-pollinate. This new Gemini line-up helps think fast and be adjustable.  It encourage us to finish up the school year, change locations, say goodbye to old friends and be willing to meet new people, to explore possibilities so we can  choose which way to go next and who to talk to along the way.

Mid-week we may wander in a creative mental fog or have a wake-up call that asks us to let go of an illusion or denial that has made us more comfortable but kept an uncomfortable truth hidden. We may see news about air quality or notice what helps us breathe more or less comfortable as the Sun and Mercury square Neptune.

Our challenge under this new line up in Gemini is to not get lost in the multiplicities, to enjoy the possibilities but remember who we are and where we’re going. Let’s be amused by the surface flurry of activity coming up but remember to think about the deeper meaning underneath. Experiment with places, people, thoughts so when we do build those deeper pathways, they are ones who head the way we truly want to go.

Friday, May 18: Rich, dark and fertile is the loam of the mind’s field this morning as the dark Moon enters Taurus, sextiles Neptune and trines Pluto. Laziness can evolve into stamina once we get going. It may bring the end of a cycle around some concrete form, let go of a favorite worn shirt or other position, and create room for something new to enter. Tonight some lingering feelings resonate from the week, we may be tweaked by relationship possessiveness or want quiet comfort and a chance to let down, and feel safe.

Saturday, May 19: It’s time to say what we really feel or make some pragmatic change around some very practical matter that seems unusually important to our heart concerning aesthetics, equality or social justice. Instead of debating, bear witness and listen as the Moon conjuncts Mercury and trines Mars. Nurture the roots of whatever needs to grow. Rest and renew. Stubbornness can be epic around sunset, stay wise rather than reactive and let earthy wisdom carry the day.

Sunday, May 20: Shift happens. The day begins generous and quiet and then revs up our nerves as the Sun and Moon enter Gemini, conjunct on a solar eclipse, peaking just before sunset and visible through most of the western states, all while Mercury semi-squares Uranus. This is a good time to let go of some thought-form that no longer serves us. Enjoy a lightening of the mood, a frisson of exciting potential (anxiety) and renewed sense of humor. Watch for static on the airwaves- winds, words, and air travel. The mind can be all over the place and need our soul’s firm hand on the reins; take this nervous energy down good pathways.

Monday, May 21: The mind can run like a hamster in a wheel, until we direct it. A desire to race ahead is tethered by responsibilities that need completion as Mercury quincunx Saturn; get people to commit to new ideas and small tasks while there is incentive. Midday let the heart see through worries or mixed signals. Later, bountiful words and positive thoughts get the river flowing; a talent for being convincing can drift into craft persuasiveness as the day wears on. Let’s make sure we agree where we’re away from the strong personalities as well as when we’re present with them.

Tuesday, May 22: Let it flow and let go this morning, swim with the river wherever possible as Mercury conjuncts Jupiter and the Moon conjuncts Venus. Feel a burden lift if we’re willing to put it down. Let the mind roam over vast possibilities but keep the heart in the present. Tonight we need a more formal structure, our rituals or observations to ground us.

Wednesday, May 23: Our nerves are encouraged to settle and let our feelings catch up with us as the Moon enters Cancer and trines Neptune. We want to go home, but that means something different to each one of us.  Some situation that once seemed clear may now feel complicated or uncertain as the Sun squares Neptune. Our identity may feel less defined due to changing circumstances, or our judgment a bit off, so think decision through twice. Water flows, it’s a great day to wander by a stream, just be careful not to drop the phone in the water.  Late night stormy moods need comforting, not speculation.

Thursday, May 24: Fix it this morning, whatever electronic or human connection is frayed and needs some attention as the Moon trines Chiron and Mercury enters Gemini. The conversation picks up but the attention span drops; keep it short and sweet. People’s minds wander towards vacations or some other break in routine, hunger for fresh perspective and new faces, but need to look where they are going, and not drop the work now in progress. Multi -task, juggle, and feed the nerves needed to get there. Odd interactions with people close to our soul’s purpose are likely later.

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Starcodes May 11, 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

This week is full of real opportunity that will not grab us but needs our attention and cooperation to live up to its potential. We need to get busy with wise and steady effort. And whatever we do, the outcome is likely more complicated, or may not turn out as we thought; it could even be better than we thought in the long run, but have delayed results, or need patience to come to fruition.

This lesson of  abundant if delayed Taurean magic comes as the two largest bodies in our solar system, the Sun and Jupiter, align in fruitful Taurus, while thoughtful Mercury, also in Taurus but earlier in the sign, forms a grand earth trine with motivational Mars in Virgo and empowered Pluto in Capricorn.  All while the symbolic ruler of Taurus, Venus, turns retrograde.

We’ve working on diagnosing the problem, any and all problems as Mars worked its way through Virgo for the last four months. Virgo likes to identify and pull out the weeds. We are probably painfully aware of our own faults by now, analyzed all the candidates for various offices, and may have done a health inventory or work-related efficiency assessment. But Taurus isn’t as concerned about the problem; it wants to fertilize and grow, acquire, work steadily and then bask in the sunlight. Now let’s take that careful Virgoan analysis to guide what we grow.

Important conversations get started this weekend as an Aquarius Moon forms a grand trine with Saturn and Venus in air signs along with an edgy Sun-Uranus semi-square. Air signs like to communicate. This trine isn’t about changing people’s minds as about coming to understand what  has changed, acknowledging new graduates or honoring Mother as she is now, not once was. Air signs also like to philosophize; if our mother is far away, long gone, or never was much help, we can honor the spirit of the Mother that feeds us all in the burgeoning green world around us.

As next week begins that powerful grand earth trine between Mercury, Pluto and Mars really kicks in and helps us clarify and manifest. But it won’t insist, we have to work with it. We’re encouraged to think about what needs to be done in response to new information or understanding as Mercury trines Pluto. We may be called to a new level of pragmatic honesty, but there’s no need to be hurtful with it.  If people swing around data to prove their point, it probably won’t pay to argue, but check any fact before taking it as gospel, as this aspect also brings a temptation to be manipulative.

We need to be willing to look at difficult information and keep the mind open for an alternate interpretation of the facts.  If we get depressed, maybe we got stuck on one difficult thought and need to look deeper or farther afield;  the tough stuff will have a silver lining somewhere.

Towards the end of the week, we’ve thought it through, and now action is called for as the Moon enters Aries and Mars trines Pluto. We’ll want to see movement, want the relationship to manifest, the work to happen, results to proliferate. We can expect high energy output when we’re in the groove and doing what we both need and want to do. Show the results of efforts so far to encourage support.

We can get it done. Even if the path is not smooth; frustrations or technical difficulties may test our self-control, we may bump and scrape along the way as Mars challenges Saturn and Jupiter irritates Pluto. Politics may blow into a loud but probably hollow squall. Wise restraint and steady pressure work.  Dance with circumstances rather than make it a contest of wills.  Timing and pacing is everything,

Friday, May 11: Under a friendly, stubborn, rather oblivious Aquarius Moon, people can mean well and still be clueless. Strangely tangential comments mix with insight. But get the conversation going and make it a teaching moment, not a scolding. Responsibilities to one another call, but take an opportunity to break a habit of overdoing or sacrifice, and change the model to share with one another instead. A collectively sociable evening develops edgier nerves later on.

Saturday, May 12: The friendly stubbornness continues, enjoy the connections and but don’t hurry anyone, their timing will be their own. People’s eccentricities need acceptance, don’t let them distract from an opportunity to create connection. Group activities help, we need to feel witnessed and seen by our community.  Spacey, disconnected but pleasant moments abound midday. Evening, a beautiful Moon, Venus, Saturn grand trine in air signs builds layers of understanding if we share and keep the mind open. Information flows from elders and mentors; get people talking about what they do best.

Sunday, May 13: Emotional mush alert in time for Mother’s Day as a Moon-Neptune conjunction in Pisces brings feelings to the surface and a Sun-Jupiter conjunction can take them over the top. General good will with magnanimous undertones helps any small gesture be appreciated, but hurt or slighted feelings can snowball. Guilt seeps in easily around the edges, but drops easily if we just offer our presence. Evening is more direct, tongues sharpen especially if we’re tired or tweaked as Mercury trines Mars. Take breaks rather than act out if feeling overloaded, and rest well tonight.

Monday, May 14: Reassess and reset priorities as Mercury trines Pluto. Our psyches are stirred up, we have a chance to engage in truly penetrating conversation. Depression can whisper to us but let’s take that as a sign to look deeper rather than believe the story it’s telling. Get to the roots. Research and self-analysis are supported. If a goodbye needs to be said, now is a good time. Do not try to manipulate, even though it may seem easier; be direct. Tonight, our actions speak volumes as the Sun sequi-squares Pluto.

Tuesday, May 15: Cross-currents and conflicting needs can keep the waters choppy this morning; if rhythms differ, don’t take it personally. Even if we want to stay cozy and connected, work or some personal goal calls us and can make us look selfish. People are more energized and twitchy later, but relationship subtleties scramble easily; be flexible rather than reactive as Mars semi-squares Saturn, Venus retrogrades and the Moon enter self-directed Aries.

Wednesday, May 16: An early-morning flash requires we sort out inspiration from crazy as the Moon conjuncts Uranus. Be particularly leery about sudden relationship conclusions.  An experimental mood makes it a good time to pitch usefully relevant new ideas.  Skirt around a potential power trip mid-morning as the Moon squares Pluto, and realign for a dynamic afternoon as Mars trines Pluto. Notice a decisive and energized event.

Thursday, May 17: We talked about it earlier in the week, and now it’s time to follow through. Watch for a pawn forward move in the news, surprising gestures now may be more to tweak our tails than a sign of intention. While it may take persistence to achieve our goal, if it feels like someone’s purposely getting in the way, we may be imposing our will rather than actually solving problems.  Patience, grasshopper. Choose carefully when to gently persist, and when to push. It may help to take a break and do something solo and spontaneous; if we give our willfulness a safe free rein for a moment, we can be more cooperative afterwards.

www.roanrobbins.com

Starcodes May 4 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

( My apologies for the delay–I was deep in canyons last week and uploaded  on a very weak signal.. it did not take)

“Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.”
Rainer Maria Rilke

It could be a blustery weekend in the inner realms unless we listen to Rilke, spend some time housecleaning the soul and getting comfortable in our solitude, but lovingly greet one another when we’re together. A Full Moon in Scorpio this weekend sings to us about both longing and solitude as it shines into the farthest corners of our psyche.

Every Full Moon lights up our inner world, highlighting tension between competing parts of ourselves that may normally hum in our unconscious, and produces us a lot of energy in the process. This Full Moon highlights any tension we feel between our urge towards the Sun in Taurus love of security, ease, and slow steady growth versus the our connection with the Scorpio Moon drive for concentration, intensity and transformation as well as its contrary streak. Taurus looks for safety; Scorpio wants to know the worst case scenario. Taurus describes sensuality, Scorpio wants to either be alone or get serious. Our job is to feel the tension, get past the illusion that we have to choose between safety and intensity and find a healthy way to include all sides.

Both Taurus and Scorpio are possessive and territorial, so it’s not a weekend to play around with jealousy or try someone’s boundaries. Hotspots with clear ongoing border issues may heat up or get broody. Even happy relationships can simmer with mixed messages as we work out those inner tensions, we just have to remember this tension is within our own competing needs, and not about the worthiness of our companions. We can also feel alone in a crowd, or crowded in a small group, or feel an unusually sharp longing for something or someone just out of our reach, but feel how large our heart is by the ache around the edges.

An opposition between Mercury in Aries and Saturn in Libra keep our mind grappling with serious things through early next week. We may argue over what’s true, whether we’re discussion differing memories over what happened last night or wrestling with larger philosophical questions. But let’s argue recreationally, and neither try to jolly someone out of their mood nor be a pit bull, we need to know when to let go. Any attempt to tell people how it is or to control the way they think will probably backfire.

This opposition can help us focus our choices and make a clear decision, though sometimes by limiting our options. We may feel frustrated with some structures of authority or red tape, or disagree with the thick-headedness of certain individual in our surrounding. Reality may bite us, and need a radically pragmatic solution. But when we make that clear choice, this aspect helps us make it so. Since our minds will tend to feel tired where uninspired but tenacious where they engage, let’s put this tenacity to work to keep it out of trouble and solve problems.

While it may be hard to be inspired by the future under this aspect, the past has a gift to offer. This could come through wisdom from an old friend or philosopher or the peace of an ancient landscape. Listen to the song of rocks and bones, read the tomes of history.

Towards the end of the week, Mercury joins the Sun in Taurus and brings our mind to more practical and earthy matters. As Mercury moves into a sextile with Neptune over the next week our thinking will still be stubborn, but more relaxed and open, as long as no one pushes us. Our imagination returns. Give us pictures, tactile examples, and seduce us rather than coerce.

Friday, May 4: Don’t talk so much this morning, show them instead; image and action communicate but words can be sticky. Notice both a warm-hearted avoidance of conflict, and a mental tenacity that holds onto opinion as the Moon conjuncts Saturn and opposes Mercury. Exert thoughtfulness instead of control. Feelings have deeper resonance, stronger feelings with musky undertones this evening as the Moon enters Scorpio.

Saturday, May 5: Dreams lingers this morning as the Moon trines Neptune. One side of us may want to pull inside to connect to the soul or spirit or personal ghosts while the other side may be called to actively participate, not just sit on the sidelines as Mars squares the Moon’s nodes under the Scorpio Full Moon, embrace the deep work but watch a contentious streak. Cooperate even under stressful conditions, and then get some solitude. Physical exertion can be really therapeutic. Tonight, we all carry our solitude with us, but can get rowdy nonetheless.

Sunday, May 6: Our tanks may feel empty in this post Full–Moon let-down, it helps to turn inwards and renew; let others wander where they need today, gather again tonight to reconnect as the Moon enters upbeat Sagittarius. Sudden buzz of communication needs attention, but go gently and don’t overload.

Monday, May 7: Assess the situation and jump into action this morning. Check for recent changes that need quick attention, but make sure everyone’s on the same page before proceeding. If people carry a dark mood left over from the weekend, deal with it directly rather than let them pretend it has anything to do with the work at hand. Pay special attention to international contacts and concerns or ecological issues, animals and educational issues.

Tuesday, May 8: Emotional cross current this morning can leave us sideways, timing is off, minimize small awkward moments, use them as an opening to create connection instead of distance as the Moon opposes Venus and then trines Mercury. Make decisions around aesthetics and personnel. We perceive people clearly this afternoon if we can step back and watch with an open heart. Tonight can be more serious or competitive as the Moon enters Capricorn, but respect diffuses tension.

Wednesday, May 9: Get down to business as Mercury enters Taurus, don’t push anyone or ask them to move faster, but do bring their attention to the logical next step to get where they need to go. Unsettled morning as the Moon squares Uranus moves into steadily dynamic afternoon; don’t interrupt people on a roll. If an urgent problem arises, pay it full attention and deal with it practically, but don’t play into drama. The evening is moodier; we can get discouraged as the Moon conjuncts Pluto or need to connect a deeper level. Drop the trivia and sit in companionable quiet.

Thursday, May 10: Begin and continue, get the ball rolling with persuasive speech and persistent action as Mercury moves into grand trine with Pluto and Mars for the next week. Words will have extra power, so use them wisely. Confidence swells in the morning as the Moon trines Sun and Jupiter. Towards the evening we feel the weights and cost of our actions; if depressed, rest first, and reassess in the morning.

 

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Starcodes April 27 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver

Mayday marks the peak of springtime, the end of the un-farmable half of the year, traditionally celebrated with a raucous appreciation of life returning to the earth, and in some literal or symbolic way, a fertilization of our future through the celebration of burgeoning life force and the work we do to support it. Proffer fresh flowers and dance the Maypole.

We can use a moment of reveling in springtime’s hopefulness; we’ve been dealing with a lot of static on the airwaves recently, background noise in our minds and a flurry of activity as Mercury conjunct Uranus over the last few weeks. Our nerves may feel a little fried. It helps now to quiet down, sift through the flotsam and come back to some question core to our souls, and remember where we want to direct this beautiful spring-renewed life force.

As the Sun, Mars and Pluto form a grand trine in practical earth signs over the weekend and into next week, they urge us to stop wasting our time on busy work and get back to what really matters. Reassess how we define success and realign with that intention, and let our garden grow towards that sunlight.

This trine is deep, but not necessarily showy. Headlines will question how we use power and how people are, or are not, held accountable for using and misusing power and energy, how we distribute power and resources, including electrical power as well personal and political power. The questions are the same, but the effects may be more subtle on us personally.

As the weekend begins, notice tension between the cozy safe friendliness that our bodies want under a Cancer Moon and the adventure and enterprise encouraged by some spark of the Aries Mercury mind. The weekend is celebratory under a Leo Moon if we can work around a hunger to be seen and appreciated that can make some people act out as the Sun trines Pluto under a Leo Moon. Feel the urge to live larger and find a great way to do so.

Early next week the Virgo Moon brings our attention to the work we do to nurture our life force just as some countries celebrate Labor Day or National Workers Day.  Think about what it would take to work smarter, not harder, what we can do to conserve resources while we actually get more done. To do this we may need to talk out grievances or worries, but as people are in a touchy and defensive mood, this will take attention and a real desire to improve the circumstances rather than to be right or make them wrong. Our analysis may be off as Mercury semi-squares Neptune, or we may want to escape from the whole question into more magical answers, but it’s important to bring our minds back to this question and chew on it.

What is fair and useful continues to demand attention as the week ends under a friendly Libra Moon but an irritating Mars-Mercury aspect could tick us off. We may need to speak up and be honest about what works for us now, and the sooner we do so, the less charge we put in the comment but the more confidence that we have the right to speak up, the more likely we are to be heard. So much is in flux right now, we need to guide the changes with love and foresight, and celebrate the flowers along the way.

Friday, April 27: The mood is friendly when we’re cozy, cranky when we’re pushed out of our comfort zone as the Cancer Moon sextiles Jupiter. We may feel like everyone is family, for better or worse, as if we need to care-take or feel guilty otherwise: watch the co-dependent behavior and be compassionate but not dysfunctional. Evening can be warm but touchy, irritability or nerves are a sign of a long week, not bad company. Warmth and reassurance needed tonight; be honest but supportive. Some old relationships need respect and adjustment.

Saturday, April 28: The mood is joyous but inflexible as the indulgent, expressive, but opinionated Leo Moon squares the Sun. People may vie for attention, like children showing off on the playground, wanting to be seen and appreciated. An ignored person can really act out, jealously or old issues of love-worthiness may be an underlying theme, but since no one will own what’s going on, try simple dog training techniques, not analysis. It helps to take turns and appreciate one another, but we can use this urge to be seen to encourage people in a good direction. The afternoon is creative, expressive, and melodramatic with a lazy streak. Tonight good changes unfold as the Moon trines Uranus.

Sunday, April 29: Take a deep breath and let go of external opinions and come back to the heart’s truth this morning. As the Sun trines Pluto it brings an opportunity to reveal our inner truth, at least to ourselves. Drop the drama and feel the connection heart to heart, heart to the center of the spirit, by really being there for one another. Take advantage of a moment to grow trust by walking in integrity and talking openly this afternoon as the Moon trines Mercury. Good travels, good conversation. Tonight, judicious excess is just the medicine we need as the Moon squares Jupiter.

Monday, April 30: Dreams linger this morning even if we don’t remember them, our psyches may have worked overtime overnight so it takes a while to face forward. By mid-morning though, we need to look for opportunities ahead and form plans as the Moon sextiles Saturn. This afternoon, intuition speaks in the body when other signals get crossed, so pay attention to the gut signals as the Moon enters Virgo and opposes Neptune. Tonight we may need extra sleep if we feel uncertain or permeable. Soften together.

Tuesday, May 1: Get those May-baskets out. The morning is decisive and active as the Moon conjuncts Mars; just let go of particular expectations and work with what is. Find ways of catching people doing something right. Mid-day, feelings deepen as the Moon trines Pluto; let life be transformative, not perfect. This afternoon is magical but confusing as Mercury semi-squares Neptune, don’t expect to get a straight answer or direct path, walk a labyrinth instead. Information may be distorted by wishful thinking or deceit; we need to trust our own gut intuition first. Energies blend well tonight as the Moon trines Sun in earthy signs.

Wednesday, May 2: Keep them talking, unwise words may create a socially awkward moment but can also tangentially reveal an important truth as the Moon trines Jupiter and squares Venus this morning. Details and gestures may have symbolic significance that trigger deeper thought, check in with others if they seem to get a different message than intended.  Negotiate the specifics this morning but be kind to the nervous system and shift priority to connection this afternoon as the Moon shifts towards relational Libra.

Thursday, May 3: We want to love, but personal quirks can be entertaining or breed minor tensions as the Moon opposes Uranus.  Challenging situations and changes in plans can either give us an excuse to bond or become a divisive thorn in our side, and the difference will be our attitude.  The ground under us is shifting and we need to roll with the landscape. Feel a discouraging moment mid-afternoon as the Moon squares Pluto, but think carefully if the assignment is to let go or work harder. Tonight, let Venus support the spirit of compromise and the appreciation of beauty as she sextiles Mercury; speak about the heart’s warmth.

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Starcodes April 20 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

Starcodes April 20 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

“Memory or intention. That is the choice. Always. When you come from your memory, you create one kind of experience of relationship… When you come from your intention, you create another kind of experience altogether.” Neale Donald Walsh

Get ready to work the garden. Whether seedlings, ideas, intentions or karma, what we plant now will take root and grow, for better or worse as the the stubborn, earthy New Moon in Taurus Saturday morning heralds the most fertile weekend of the year. Let’s make sure what we plant is in line with our deepest and best long-term intentions.

Though we may be still working out what we want to plant as mental Mercury conjuncts change-inducing Uranus in impulsive, proactive Aries this weekend. Some plan or understanding that was hatched the first week of March (when Mercury first conjunct Aries) but then was delayed or modified mid-March (as Mercury retrograded and tagged Uranus again) may now have an opportunity to shift into gear.

This energy can also express itself anxiety and arbitrary contrariness as well as some well-timed revolution. We may hear some surprising or game-changing news or may just be charged up or actively indecisive, but we can bring this electrical energy into focus and make good changes with will power and clear intentions. Though maybe change of scene or a landscaping change of the scenery is just what we need.

Let’s be open to flashes of brilliance and propitious meetings but be wary of crazy thoughts and be careful around all electrical gear. Our minds may flit from option to option, or worry to worry, or over flow with great ideas, but if we feel a little crazy in the process we can dig our toes in the mud or hold a tree and ground, use our long-range goals as way to sort the mental static and choose our seeds carefully. On the other hand, if we’re near a lightening-filled electrical storm (or people who act like one) grounding will be exactly what we want to avoid; think cozy shelter instead.

The mood is opinionated and curious as the weekend begins; we may feel like we have too much to do or too many options to consider, with little patience for delays or small minds. It’s easy to be impatient with the ones we love if they don’t see it our way, but that impatience can be a symptom that we’re locked in our own perspective. New ideas are bubbling forth with spring flowers but it will be up to us to open our minds and not see fresh material as a challenge to our ego or identity.

Breathe between thought and action. With Mercury conjunct Uranus in Aries our impulse control is low; we tend to speak first think later, and react faster than we think, even if our body wants to move Taurus slow. Keep track of new ideas, and if the mind isn’t already overflowing, focus on a specific challenge and ask for inspiration. The inspiration we seed now will grow this summer’s work and this fall’s harvest.

We could just be reactionary, especially as Mercury moves into a square with Pluto towards the end of the week, but what a waste of this fertile time; bitterness breeds a bitter crop and now is time to transform on so many levels. We may need to make a tough decision or wrestle with news that ends one chapter as another begins. We may need to search for something missing, or want to obsess on the most difficult things we can conjure. If we need to talk about something awkward, something honest, let’s not use words to wound even if we‘re cornered because those words will grow toxic roots. And if some new piece of information hits us sideways, let’s digest it before we discuss our response. We need to communicate more under stress, not less, and both listen as well as share from a thoughtful heart. Breathe, breathe again, and keep those long-range intentions firmly in mind as a guide through the changes, as a planting guide.

Friday, April 20: If morning is disjointed, restless, let nervous energy inspire solutions not distract with worry. Unwind and think about the points that need to be made and the new ideas planted over the next week. Afternoon brings a tired or serious spell, but also thoughts that life is not going as planned as the Moon opposes Saturn. Feel a tug around authority and the chain of command. Tie up loose ends. Rest, organize, and sort. Evening is more sociable alive in exchange new ideas, with an underground distraction of ongoing concerns. We need our sensitivities respected in order to open up.

Saturday, April 21: This is the most fertile day of the year as the Moon conjunct the Sun in Taurus just after midnight, and sextiles Neptune as the day begins. On this sensual, cuddly, earthy, friendly stubborn day, let the mind dance but keep it connected to body and soul. Plant carefully, whether seedlings, ideas, or karma. No one wants to be pushed, territorial or possessive energy can trigger conflict, but otherwise the vibe is beautiful. Tend the garden of community. Action in the morning as the Moon trines Mars can lead to transformation in the evening as the Moon trine Pluto. Dreams bubble up from fertile loam tonight.

Sunday, April 22: Spirit and material go hand-in-hand as we see life force in our garden and are aware of spirit within the body as the Sun sextiles Neptune and brings our attention to the intuitive and the intangible even in such an earthy time. We feel both attachment and feel the call to let go of some person, thing or idea that needs to be released to its new form. Take a moment to be at one with the highest intention, be as generous as the burgeoning plants as the Moon conjunct Jupiter midday. Let generosity spawn Mercury-Uranus inspiration tonight.

Monday, April 23: An experimental problem-solving attitude keeps people cooking, ideas flying as the Sun trines Mars. Use each other as a sounding board and follow up on new leads. Concentration is not easy but we can keep many pots simmering at once. Explore the neighborhood. Laughter helps soften the ground, gossip and brainstorm, just watch for shallow thinking under a Gemini Moon.

Tuesday, April 24: Got anything tough to talk about? Have that conversation today as the Moon sextiles Mercury, Uranus and conjunct Venus. Sociable and flirtatious, it really does feel like we can love more than one person, but it doesn’t have to be romantic love. It’s a good day to negotiate but it may be hard to complete the deal. As the day progresses we grow more thoughtful, intense and crafty. Take thoughts with a grain of salt. Stay in the moment: tend the present well and those moments will create a healthier future.

Wednesday, April 25: Troubled mind or haunting thoughts: we see the problem more clearly this morning as Mercury squares Pluto. Something recently lost needs our attention or healing. It’s good to look deep, but let’s keep perspective, and question second guesses or discouraged thoughts. It may be hard to be honest if our words have challenge in consequence, but truth does set us free. Later, our thoughts can lead us around a good corner. Rest well tonight.

Thursday, April 26: Rest and repair today, follow through on what has begun, work the garden and nurture those intentions, those seedlings as the Moon in Cancer. Yesterday’s challenges require steady action today; nurture for the long haul. Family dynamics may be strangely redolent of the past. Midafternoon is unsettled, people respond defensively to changes they did not instigate, give them time and kindness to adjust as the Moon squares Uranus. Tonight, stay in touch with deeper feelings, help others through their moods but don’t let the moods run the show as the Moon opposes Pluto.

 

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Starcodes April 13 2012 Heather Roan Robbins

The only sure thing about luck is that it will change. ~ Wilson Mitzner

This Friday the thirteenth could earn back its bad-boy reputation. As the weekend begins, energy that has felt stuck begins to flow, and it can be a bumpy ride.  Last week Mercury turns direct after three weeks retrograde, this week Pluto turned retrograde, and today Mars (now in Virgo) turns direct after several months retrograde. Feel the energetic eddies and disorientation and don’t take it personally.

When planets appear to change direction (towards either retrograde or direct motion) they instigate turbulence like a river meeting the incoming tide. Things are shifting and changing around and underneath us, and much of it will be great. But while most of us will just feel a little more room to move and energy to do so, when Pluto and Mars change directions like this at the same time, it can sometimes feel like they turned off the containment unit in Ghostbusters. So watch out for flying ectoplasm or the humans that act it all out, and enjoy the silly spirits in there too.

As Mars turns direct, whatever we’ve been brooding upon begins to pour into the open, we may want to take action on our worries or concerns, our plots and our plans. We may be taken back to some story that was brewing in our life last December but then got put on hold over the holidays as Mars retrograded. We may also be called to respond to a time when someone took advantage of tenderness or vulnerability, our or another’s, and contemplate how to move forward in a good way.

We need to be careful about where we lay blame, because Mars in Virgo can make us hard on one another, and can make the idea of unconditional love seem like a far-fetched fantasy. Karma is coming home to roost. For the most part, there’s no need to give others a hard time, they are probably doing it to themselves when no one is looking. Trust that most of us are doing a lot of internal homework whether we show it or not. We need to activate that Virgo compassion to ourselves and others to bring out our best.

Because so much is coming unstuck this weekend, it is in port important that we listen when difficult subjects come up in the conversation; any attempt at repressing criticism will only make it worse. People just need to vent and process. Once people have their say, they can hear the other side; we can shield ourselves from outbursts and not take other people after moods personally, but important information will be hidden in the conversation and we need to listen.

Friday the vibe is turbulent but hard working and mostly productive.  Over the weekend we think seriously about our next steps and need to talk, but also just need some time chilling with friendly souls. The Sun opposes Saturn just in time for tax day, and restrictions or limitations responsibilities can feel tiring. So if we see someone struggling with their taxes, let’s not tell them they should’ve started earlier, because their frustration will land in our face. Even if our taxes are done we may have some difficult decisions to make which cramp our social life.

Mercury enters Aries on Monday and the Moon enters Aries on Wednesday, and they can start a fire. They bring back our gumption but lower impulse control as they heighten reaction time. We can feel change in the air. They can offer us flashes of brilliance, but may also intensify spring allergies, as well as make us allergic to anything that feels done or dysfunctional in our life. Be wary of sudden brilliant ideas or an urgent need to change life direction; it may be the right impulse but overshoot the mark. It helps to set on sudden impulses for a few days to see if they grow roots or are just reactive.

Then we enter planting season as the Sun enters more stable and fertile Taurus on Thursday. Get ready to plant seedlings of all sorts the following weekend under the New Moon in Taurus, one of the most fertile moments of the year.

Friday, April 13: Morning can be difficult; if things don’t go right, wait rather than push as the Moon squares the Sun and Saturn. Worries surface, but a systematic approach helps. Midday, if we need to, let’s speak up or take action while we can do it tactfully as Moon sextiles Mercury, rather than wait until we’re really ticked off. Watch for suddenly changing circumstances. We get less controlling and or collaborative as the Moon enters Aquarius midafternoon. Collaboration helps deal with what is revealed as Mars turns direct. It may not be bad luck but human machination that we need to overcome. Tonight the energy is bouncing and on the, sure the collaboration, give people room to process, and keep eyes open for the wild card.

Saturday, April 14: A collective, expressive day to explore what the concept of freedom means to us as the Moon sextiles Uranus and trines Venus. Family dynamics may be a bit off but community relationships improve; invite the neighbors over or find others with like interests and an excuse to collaborate. We may need to clear out the gutters literally or metaphorically, clear out detritus of the past so that new energy flows. Tonight can be a little wild, insensitive but eventually positive.

Sunday, April 15: Sun opposes Saturn and asks us to grow up and get real; taxes and our responsibilities lean in on us today, it’s enough to make up bones creak. If we feel overwhelmed it helps to focus on one thing at a time one thing we can check off our list and be done. Acceptance is essential, offer support not advice. By evening the Moon enters Pisces and we need to celebrate if our plate is clear, and rest if we’re feeling overwhelmed because it isn’t.

Monday, April 16: Competing signals affect each of us differently; accept if others are on a different wave length. The Pisces Moon lets our energy drift while Mercury in Aries instigates great ideas, and a Venus-Saturn conjunction tests our relationships and asks is to work something out or work together. Morning is dreamy, almost lazy, but creative; work together in the afternoon. Relationships are more volatile this evening, so find a good way to spark.

Tuesday, April 17: Our minds look ahead, but our energy may be low; the mood is inward and disorganized under the Pisces Moon, but Mercury in Aries is calling us to be foresight full and get on with it. Talk over imminent changes inspired by inequality or feeling unsafe. Lots of little tasks need attention and work better with our short attention span and impending deadlines. Weed, prepare, connect, and communicate.

Wednesday, April 18: In reaction to some element of the past, we want to change conditions now as the Moon enters Aries. Plow fields, start revolutions, renovate. We honestly express our loudest feelings but may hide our softer, more vulnerable sides. The mood is headstrong but reactive rather than creative; avoid bumps to the head or a tendency to dehydrate. Pick fights carefully, correct others only if truly necessary; instead challenge people to solve a problem.

Thursday, April 19: The Feisty Aries Moon is stabilized as the Sun enters, but were restless, talkative, keep on point this very busy morning with an information overload as Mercury challenges Jupiter, we may need to travel out of our comfort zone to explore place or idea but be confident but not overconfident in our opinions. Hearts warm this evening as the Moon sextiles Venus.

 

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