We’re on the last leg of what may feel like a marathon.
Mars – the planet of action, assertion and drive – has been held back in retrograde motion since September 9th. It’s been a battle of will, butting heads, red flags and extremism.
If you’re feeling fatigued right now, you’re not alone. It’s exhausting. This whole year is exhausting. Good news is that Mars will start to move forward (direct) again on November 13th. It’s not long now.
What we can all start to acknowledge that the world has significantly changed and that means that self care has changed, too. We need a long term strategy. Short sighted focus will only lead to burn out. Take it easy out there. Re-assess your game plan in true retrograde style and aim your sling shot in the direction you want because we will be released!
Anyone else feeling both wired & tired?! This Full Moon building toward a sparky connection with Uranus + Mars still Rx in Aries leaves me exhausted at the end of the day yet unable to sleep. How bout you?!
Uranus is turbulence. It’s chaotic & unpredictable…so sometimes the best way to utilise this energy is to dive right in: Chaos is the birthplace of Creativity. It can also feel like you’ve stuck your hand in the toaster so pick your battles…
The Full Moon will enhance what ever it touches. Be prepared for the high tide, the big feels & the illumination as the veil between the worlds recedes.
Thanks to @kookslams for the endless top notch videos
This time last year we moved through similar terrain.
Mercury kicked up its usual retrograde dust in Scorpio, and this in turn activated the ties that bind Millennials, Gen X and Boomers.
This article breaks down the astro-connections between each generation, their often unwanted similarities and highlights the intersections where learning and growth can take place.
Venus Retrograde cycles last approximately 40 days and 40 nights, taking us on both a personal and collective journey to face off with our shadow and those rejected, lost parts of ourselves. Venus started this descent on May 13th and will pass through the heart of the Sun on June 3rd.
Image by Ryoji Iwata
We’ve all heard modern astrology give Gemini a bad wrap: it’s two faced, never present, talks too much etc… but what is embedded in Gemini’s mythology is an underlying theme of loss, grief and reconnection via a journey that can take us to the edges of the Cosmos; the twins, Castor and Pollux, are on a perpetual search for wholeness via their relationship with one other.
This Gemini Season has been like a fresh breeze amongst the decay. It invited in some playfulness for us to reconnect after being quarantined, and some levity amongst the seriousness of it all. As fleeting as this may feel, it’s not separate from the Venus Rx cycle currently moving through Gemini’s terrain, so keep your sails up!
Like Gemini, Venus also takes us deep into our psyche, digging up old stories of love and loss, highlighting what is unresolved and reminding us of where healing and release are required. In true Gemini style, it’s a double dose.
This week Mercury switched gears and ingressed into Cancer. Being the driving force behind Gemini, this change in temperament adds another layer to the Rx cycle. Cancer has an undeniable survival instinct; try standing between a mamma bear and her cubs and you will understand the fierce protectiveness that imbues Cancer. You will not see the weakened, overly emotional figure that patriarchy has attempted to undermine Cancer (and femininity) with.
With Mercury in Cancer at the helm, Venus Rx is tugging at our core sense of home and belonging; we can’t experience one moment of grief without it triggering all the rest. Cancer remembers. It has intimate, emotional bonds with the past that weave through the threads of now. It’s the warm embrace you give a friend or loved one you haven’t seen in too long. It’s the memories that flood back when looking at an old photo. It’s the people you bring close to you who feel like family. Cancer offers a safe nest for survival. Together we’re stronger, but going forward we must remember our past.
With the USA doing its shadow work on the world stage, offering us the macro-micro view of ourselves externally, we’re witnessing what it looks like to not feel safe, to have the grief of the past ever present in our now. People who feel supported don’t loot. People who are treated equally, with respect and dignity don’t need to burn down police stations. People who are listened to don’t get pushed to desperate measures to be heard in their deepest grief.
Indigenous communities constantly hold up the mirror for us to acknowledge our complicity in stolen land, stolen generations, displacement and the generational trauma inherent in being disconnected from home and culture. Hong Kong is illuminating the power of state over people, the ripple effect that lack of sovereignty brings and what disempowerment can drive people to do for survival. These narratives are happening everywhere, on the world stage and in our daily lives.
While these ongoing issues occur outside of these Rx cycles, they are signposts on our current trajectory and Venus Rx always comes through and exposes what lies hidden.
This week we are descending with Venus. We’re in the phase of the cycle where Inanna is stripped of an item of clothing at each of the seven levels down into the Underworld. We’re being stripped back, our shadow is being exposed, our grief is echoing all grief everrrr, bringing up aspects of the past we might have hoped had been laid to rest.
Gemini reminds us of the finality of death and the eternalness of grief, that you can bargain with the Gods for change but the scars remain. We may be able to film everything now and utilise technology for change, but that means nothing if we remain detached from facing our own place in the story, our own separateness.
The Twins of Gemini are two pieces of the one whole, seeking union and release from the pain of separation. Now is not the time to look away or deny what’s coming up. It’s a soul retrieval on a collective level. The small things we all do in our personal lives can only have a ripple effect across the collective, across time.
NEW MOON TODAY at 2* Gemini, in the sign of the Twins on the 22nd!
Personally, I’ve appreciated the levity that all this Gemini energy has ushered in. 2020 has been a hard slog for most of us – be it physically, psychologically, relationally, no one has been spared, but the playfulness of this witty air sign is a welcome change. This may not be true for folks with predominant Water and Earth in their chart…
Neptune is pretty heavy in the mix right now adding to the changeability that Gemini basks in. Neptune can add a glow of denial, illuminating insight or a crash landing as we try to cash our reality checks! It might feel hard to get anything done as our energy and attention is scattered and easily distracted, so either scrap the project for another day or break it down into bite sized pieces. Just don’t push it.
The sky is pretty much a bag of mixed lollies; You’ll win some, you’ll lose some. With the potential for some crossed wires and misunderstandings, be extra clear and vigilant with communication and allow for some playful exchanges. What we will lose is the presence of Venus in our night sky as it descends to pass through the heart of the Sun under the gaze of an eclipse. Wave good bye on the 23rd/24th if it’s still visible at your location.
Our Venus Retrograde workshop remains open for sign up if you want to jump in. You will receive all of the back catalogue of emails, daily horoscopes, magical inspirations and the opportunity to learn more about Venus in your chart as it moves through this cycle.
I hope you’re staying safe out there, wherever you are.
Click the image for more info on the Venus Rx workshop
Hades called. There’s a buy one Retrograde get 3 free sale going on. Stocks aren’t limited & participation is compulsory. 💯
We’re still following the funeral procession that was the Full Moon in Scorpio and Saturn has today slammed on the breaks, just days before Venus & Jupiter. In a few days 4 planets will be retrograde. This week will likely throw us for a loop. Think of it like being in a car going around a corner at high speed; don’t try to push against it, lean in & trust your instincts. Find your flow.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Moon in Capricorn is snuggling up to Pluto all day today making sure to rattle any cobwebs of grief & uncertainty you were hoping to ignore.
Lean in. Listen. Watch carefully. Whatever is taking flight right now will likely land as a message further along the road. 💫
Scorpio Full Moon — Taurus Season: You can’t take it with you when you go.
With SO MUCH changing at this time Taurus Season helps us focus on that which nourishes & sustains us and keeps us connected to source while we inhabit the body.
A fertile, abundant energy Taurus is resourceful. It saves for a rainy day and softens the hard edges. It also has the potential to hoard or get bogged down in the fear of change, and this Full Moon is reminding us of the inevitability of change and endings, of something greater than our creature comforts and convenience.
As some places relax their lockdown laws many folks are fearing that nothing will have changed in this incubation time, that so much loss and suffering was for nothing and that hope of a new world is too far from reach.
It’s said that this is the Full Moon that Gautama the Buddha attained enlightenment under. Knowing that there were only 5 people at his first teaching we can rest assured that from little things big things grow. The seeds that you have planted in this incubation time can grow into physical and spiritual changes in your life – if you nurture them. Whether it be awareness about how a fast paced, capitalistic world hurts you, or how there’s a natural rhythm in your body that does not require an alarm clock, or that you’ve realised the relationship / job / lifestyle you were living needs some tweaking will all require both the pain of loss that accompanies profound change as well as your dedication to nurturing that growth.
Whatever your situation throughout the last 3-6 months, we’ve all had time to reflect on what this one precious life is about and what our relationship to the material and spiritual world is. There is undeniable change occurring and it will continue to unfold. If it’s not a pandemic it’ll be something else; choices made in the past have left us in an ongoing crisis and there’s nothing comfortable about it.
As the Nodes shift signs and Venus slows down to turn retrograde, this Full Moon encourages us to clarify what’s important. The economy is not our new North Star! What 2020 has gifted us is what Scorpio does best: penetrate straight to the heart of the matter and highlight what is no longer valuable. Nurture those seeds no matter how small or insignificant they may feel because it’s a collective effort bringing in the new world.
For the duration of this cycle Dru Ish & Jessika Fancy are offering weekly astrological and magical guidance to inspire you. This is designed for you to work through at your own pace no matter your knowledge or experience.
You will be sent a link each week for the duration of the retrograde cycle (6 weeks) to work with the current themes via different media.
Anyone else finding it hard to sleep with this Full Moon building?!
The Libra Full Moon on April 7 ~ the Pink Moon ~ will be the biggest & brightest of the year! Supermoon’s (a Perigree Full Moon) are closer to the Earth than average, so we feel the pull, just like a high tide in the ocean.
If you’re keen to step out of incubation & check it out, be sure to spot Venus radiating in the sky, too!
Venus is in the brightest phase of its cycle before it slows down to turn Retrograde on May 13th.
