The Astro-Forecast
Monday February 27th at 6:24 am PST, Mars at 22° of Aries will be opposite Jupiter at 22° of Libra. Early in the morning on Monday, this week opens with the exuberance and optimism of relating in a tug-o-war with the desire to get in a fight. The trick is to make sure you don’t pendulum swing too far to one side or the other. Instead of giving up the fight in order to placate, harmonize, and peace-make or picking the fight rather than fostering friendship, fondness and fairness, see if you can balance Jupiter the Believer with Mars the Warrior. It’s a moment to fight for what you believe in – with your comrades.
Wednesday March 1st at 6:44 pm PST, the Sun will be conjunct Neptune at 11° of Pisces. The annual meeting between the Sun and Neptune will happen for the 6th time in Pisces since Neptune moved into Pisces in 2012. The best way to understand what a given transit will be like is to go back and see what was happening the last time the transit came around. If you can, think back to February 29th ish last year, and what was going on for you then, or how you were feeling. Try journaling about what late February has felt like for the past five years. Generally, a Sun-Neptune contact means that the boundaries of your identity can get a little leaky. You can struggle with questions of identity and you may even find yourself taking on aspects of the identity of others that you admire. Sun-Neptune can also lead to disillusionment: “a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.” Disillusionment can be an important and powerful step on the road toward awakening-to-the-truth. Disillusionment can also be the quagmire of nihilism we sink into when we are so inundated with the horrors of our fascist society we can no longer see hope or beauty in the world. If you are currently being sucked into the latter form of disillusionment, you can honor Neptune by playful acts of inversion. Instead of disillusionment, try illusionment: “a feeling of satisfaction resulting from the discovery that something is exactly as good as one believed it to be.”
Saturday March 4th at 1:09 am PST, Venus will station retrograde at 13° of Aries. Venus, boldly wearing the warrior-princess regalia of Aries, has slowed her orbit to a dead stop and is about to start moving backward across the first 13° of Aries before re-entering Pisces. Venus is, of the planets that retrograde, the planet that goes retrograde the least. Late July through early September of 2015 was the last time Venus went retrograde. A Venus retrograde period is a time when love, romance, connection, and attraction go ‘backwards:’ slow down, get funky, experience delays or speed-ups, crashes and burns. Venus retrograde is here to teach you a thing or two about the way you interact intimately. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with some hands-on learning and sometimes a rash-decision can be an excellent teacher. If however, that is not the route you wish to take right now, try spending this Venus retrograde period (March 4th-April 15th) romancing yourself.
Saturday March 4th at 3:10 am PST, Mercury will be conjunct Neptune at 11° of Pisces. As Sue Tompkins writes in Aspects in Astrology: “The typical Mercury-Neptune person […] has a gift for distorting reality. A distortion which can be highly creative or dangerously misleading.” Use this Mercury-Neptune conjunction to dream up creative projects and write up poetic lines. Beware alt-facts, bullshitters, and any propensity of your own to find some wiggle room on the truth when accountability is called for. As Venus retrograde has just begun, be on the lookout for slippery-silver-tongued devils. Those are (probably) not the kind of love lessons you’re looking for.
Sunday March 5th at 12:46 pm PST, Mars at 26° of Aries will trine Saturn at 26° Sagittarius. Sunday’s fire trine will finish up our week on a note of endurance. This Mars-Saturn contact is one of force and responsibility working in tandem. If there is an action that needs to be started with integrity and fierce boundaries, Sunday is the day to make a move.
Weekly Affirmation:
“I fight for what I believe in through playful acts of inversion.”
Horoscopes
The following horoscopes are written for your RISING sign, and not your sun sign. If you really, really, really don’t know and can’t figure out your rising sign than you can read for your sun. Because there is so much that could be said for each sign every week, I pull tarot cards to help me narrow down the scope of the reading. This week I am using the tarot deck Slow Holler. If the tarot card that accompanies your sign speaks to you, I recommend working with the energy of that card throughout the week. Enjoy!
Aries
The Alchemist‘s body is full of roots and cracks and stars. The Alchemist stands, huge, at the water’s edge on the ocean shore. In the nighttime, the beach, water and sky are all the same shade of black. Air pours out of the Alchemist’s eyes and wraps around the fire and water that the Alchemist is pouring from a vessel held in each hand. The combination of elements strikes the ground.
The Alchemist, which is Slow Holler’s renamed Temperance asks you, Aries, to practice the Libran art of complex balancing this week as Venus slows her roll mid-way through your first house. Remember the more subtle weapons at your disposal. Now is not the time to rush into battle, or into bed. Now is not the time to get carried away by competition or desire. When you are feeling at the mercy of your wants – just remind yourself that not every want is a need.
Taurus
The Fledgling appears to have an almost invisible body. Just a ghostly whisper wearing boots and a backpack. They walk through a field at night with a flashlight and a walking stick. The ground is full of flowers and the sky is full of stars.
I think the most interesting part about the Slow Holler’s rendition of The Fool is that they are depicted as semi-invisible; opaque. The Fool/Fledgling has just started out on their journey so they are barely a person yet. The fledgling waits for experience to fill in the rest of them. This week, Taurus, as Venus stops midway through your 12th house of Shadow: remember to be gentle with yourself because there are parts of you that can’t even be seen yet. You are still journeying. Be tender with your dark places.
Gemini
In the Four of Stones a crow perches atop a three stone cairn, with one stone in it’s beak. Ropes tied into various fancy knots dance mid air in the darkness surrounding the bird. A butterfly is trapped inside one rope, a key is hung from another, and tied up by the third is a feather.
The bird-critter depicted in this card might be a blackbird/crow/raven but this image always makes me think of the Magpie which is of course, infamous for stealing and stashing shiny objects. This week, Gemini, you might find yourself stumbling across shiny objects you admire – whether they be friends, comrades or collaborators. Remember that people are not meant to be stashed and stolen. This is a good time to appreciate others’ from afar.
Cancer
The Student of Knives has their back to us. They wear a scoop-backed dress with a talking-bubble pattern. They have a knife earring. Their brown hair flies in the wind. In one hand they hold a knife out in front of them and in the other they hold a knife up to their face to look into like a mirror.
Sharp-tongued but often slow to action, the character to best embody the archetype of the Student of Knives must be Hamlet. Full of eloquent vitriol and articulate shade, the angsty prince of Denmark has beautiful and poignant words, depth of perspective, clarity and insight: but this kid must have been a Libra ’cause he spends literally the whole play weighing his options. In the end, he’s waited too long and everyone dies. Cancer, don’t get it twisted this week. Don’t monologue to the walls, or keep it inside. Tell people how you feel, trust your own intellect, take action.
Leo
The Visionary of Stones stands at the foot of a fountain in a garden of red flowers. She has earth, Capricorn and Sagittarius tattoos. Her high-heels are made of stones. She creates a home for those who need it wherever she goes by virtue of her spectacular stone-house- heels.
This week, Leo, The Visionary of Stones is asking you to think of how you can be a home. How can you share your resources with others in a way that makes sense for you? How can you share a little bit of what makes you dazzling with the folks around you. As Venus slows down, stops, and starts moving backward, this might be a good time for you to think about how your beauty and charm touches others.
Virgo
In The Moon, snakes and flowers wind around a dark (new) moon, a light (full) moon, and a red (eclipse) moon. The snakes make an infinity symbol around the moons. Behind them, the night sky is full of stars.
For the past year and a half, Saturn, God of vibes-killed and lines-drawn has been gliding quietly through your 4th house of home and family, Virgo. Saturn brings us authority over ourselves and our domain. Saturn wants us to learn mastery. Saturn pushes us to take responsibility. But when we don’t quite get to authority, mastery, and responsibility, Saturn leaves us in the doldrums ridden land of guilt, fear and insecurity. The Moon is asking you to let go of fear and trust the lessons you’ve been learning about being grounded, about feeling secure, about having a home.
Libra
In Two of Stones, an index finger reaches up to balance two stones on either side of a wooden board. There is an hour-glass tattoo symbolizing air and earth on the ring finger. An infinity symbol made from the stems of two flowers weaves through the fingers of the hand and a butterfly hovers above.
Libras have a certain affinity with all of the twos as twos signify balance, or the need to address a tension between polarities, and Libra is the cardinal sign of the weighing scales. This week, as Venus begins it’s retrograde in your 7th house of intimate partnership, the Two of Stones is asking you to tread softly. Sometimes it can take only the tiniest thing (the flapping wings of a butterfly) to tip the scales. Stay loose, relaxed, and ready for the winds of change and you’ll be fine. Over-commit to your current circumstances and your balancing act will be short-lived.
Scorpio
The Three of Stones depicts a collaged art piece featuring a labeled sailboat on a red background. It looks like this might be a part of an art journal. There are three stones placed above the sailboat.
The Three of Stones signifies mastery of a craft, beautiful artisanship, and collaboration on a project with peers of your trade. This week, Scorpio, Venus will slow down, come to a complete stop, and then begin her retrograde, through your 6th house of service. Spend some time this week thinking about what it means to you to be of service to your community. How can you show up with value in a way that nobody else can?
Sagittarius
In the Seven of Branches five sticks lie side by side across the stump of a tree. There are many black circles around the log, against the background of red and grey. At the top, above the log, two sticks cross. In front of the crossing sticks is a tooth. A big molar. There are three other less impressive teeth scattered about the frame.
The Seven of Branches is teaming up with Saturn this week to tell Sagittarius, in the words of the Slow Holler booklet: “Check in with your core. Review all the lessons it has stored over the years. What have you learned about strength? What have you learned about conviction? Who taught you to bare your teeth? Who taught you to resist? What else do you still have to learn?” When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and right now, you are the toughest.
Capricorn
In the Traveler of Stones a disembodied hand drops red rocks into a milky river. Behind the hand there is a blood red sky (to match the blood red rocks), several more stones perched upon the banks, a dead or dying tree, the moon and some stars.
This week, and in weeks to come, Cappie, as you wave your Libran-heart on your sleeve, the Traveler of Stones invites you to remember to be discriminate with your time, money, and emotional resources. As Venus retrogrades back through your 4th house of home and family, what lessons are you learning about how you can be a fierce ambassador and compassionate advocate in your most private spheres?
Aquarius
In Five of Vessels two healthy plants grow and blossom in red pots in the foreground while three dying, dilapidated plants wilt in mason jars in the background. One of the background plants has tipped over, it’s contents spilled. Behind the plants, eyes cry and clouds rain.
This week, Aquarius, as Venus slows down, stops, and starts moving backward through your third house of communication, the Five of Vessels wants to know what has you so disappointed you can’t see what’s still alive for you in your life. Grieve if you need to, let yourself feel the loss and the heartbreak. But also recognize when it’s time to pick yourself and dust yourself off. This Venus retrograde period might need you to do some wallowing, but maybe it also needs you to practice some glass-half-full style perspectives.
Pisces
Pictured in Five of Stones is an armadillo lying on it’s armored back. Because of the angle it is unclear whether the armadillo is unconscious, dead or simply anguished. The armadillo languishes amongst geodes that have been cracked open to reveal their glittering insides.
This week, Pisces, as Venus slows down, stops, and starts moving backward through your 2nd house of things, income and assets, the Five of Stones wants to remind you that what is inside of you is your own greatest most glittering asset. This Venus retrograde, be careful not to armor up so intensely that your own most precious resources can’t be accessed.
mabel vautravers 