Hello Everyone

Over the past few months I have come to realise that my postings are much, much more than just a “blog”. However, it took a wonderful email message from a reader in Maui, Hawaii, that challenged my continued use of the word to describe my work. It was, she suggested, too ugly a word for these pages.  Paying heed to her I decided to call this publication “Sky Watching Wisdom”

So, here we go ……….

A Period of Eclipses and Mercury Changes Direction

On Thursday night/ Friday morning, 18th October, just before midnight in the UK, (GMT) there will be a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, followed two weeks later on 3rd November by a New Moon Total Solar Eclipse, at 12h38 (GMT) – more about this last nearer the time.

The important thing about eclipses is that they act as triggers in our consciousness across an axis on your chart i.e the Lunar Eclipse in one house and the Solar Eclipse in the opposite house. I will write about the Lunar phase this time and will look in more detail at the Solar Eclipse next time. This set of eclipses is interesting because the first occurs in Aries and the second in Scorpio two weeks later – usually they are in opposite signs, but not this time. A Lunar Eclipse brings emotional issues to the fore and ensures that you examine what is hidden in your life emotionally and spiritually. Aries is the sign of raw action, so can feel wrong footed when stopped in its forward motion by the eclipsed Moon. However, it is always important to remember that the Universe is truly birthing a new way for us all to BE on this wonderful planet of ours, and is not singling any of us out for special attention. And I know it can feel like that sometimes.

It could be a new mantra – “The Universe has my best interests at heart”. Please know it is true and repeat often.

Then on the 21st October, at 10h30 (GMT) Mercury changes direction to go backwards for the following 20 days, causing his usual havoc and spreading disinformation wherever he goes. For those among us who seem to respond a little earlier than the dates and times given, I can assure you that it is not unusual to do that, as Mercury has been crossing his retrograde degrees since the 2nd October, when he was at 2 degrees of Scorpio. He will go to 18 degrees of Scorpio by the 21st October; then he will change direction to go back to stop at 2 Scorpio on 10th November and will sit there for a few days – just to ensure that we all get the message, whatever it may be. And it’s the same with eclipses – events can seem to pull us towards them prematurely and create something new before the eclipse actually happens.

My regular readers will remember that this happens three times each year. This year (2013)has seen Mercury do his dance through Pisces in March and Cancer in July. Now it’s Scorpio’s turn. These three signs are all Water signs, filled with nuance, feelings, imagery, poetry, even obfuscation – because Water signs are like that. They are suggested to be “mute” signs by the ancients, so chatty Mercury is giving them voice this year 2013. There will be a strong flowing trine from Mercury to Jupiter in Cancer, and a close meeting with Saturn in Scorpio plus a sextile to Pluto, twice over the next couple of weeks. The aspect to Jupiter will introduce an expansion to your thoughts while Saturn will demand that you nail all those projects in the real world – if you aren’t being realistic Saturn will sort it out for you. It’s a nice combination of expansion and realism going on here.

It is worth pointing out that it is sensible to wait until after 10th November before taking any decisions. It’s more a time of planning and clearing out the old in readiness for launching the new at the end of the period.

The following page will explore the meaning of these two events for you through this month of October.

Cosmic Influences – Your Grown-up Astrology Pages

 NB – The readings below can either be read from your Sun Sign – ie your birthday – or your Ascendant sign, which is calculated form your time of birth. Try also reading it from your Moon Sign, as Hindu astrologers suggest.

Don’t know your Moon Sign? Get your FREE Sun/Moon combination reading and discover how your emotions impact with your ambitions to create your unique life path. Just email me your birth date, time and place and I’ll email it back to you FREE!!!

Aries : 21st March – 20th April – this Mercury period will fall in your Solar 8th House of joint financial dealings with others, mortgages, taxes, resources and savings. This is a good 3 week period to review all the above – to question whether some of them can be kept and others can be jettisoned. Mercury rules your 3rd House of paperwork and your 6th House of accounting – so this could be the place of action for you. The Lunar eclipse falling in your Solar First House will have you looking at your relationships with clear eyes. You may find that your partner is in the driving seat for a while, which is a new feeling for you, as you don’t give your power away easily to others. However, the Universe may be asking you to accept a little more from others and learn how to express your gratitude to those who love you.

Taurus: 19th April – 20th May – this Mercury period falls in your 7th house of relationships, so you will be asked by the Universe to maybe see which of those really works for you and those that work against you. You may find that your beloved is here today, gone tomorrow and back again the day after – not to worry you, but they have things to do alone sometimes. Your famous possessiveness is being tested and will need revising. Mercury rules your 2nd House of personal finances and belongings – something or someone may come back into your life unexpectedly. This could be the beginning of a new venture for you. The Lunar eclipse falls over your 12 House of hidden matters, so this could be the perfect time for you to look at beliefs from childhood that get in the way of you expressing yourself to your fullest. You may be visiting someone in hospital or spend time in an ashram.

Gemini: 20th May – 20th June – Mercury your Sun Ruler is in Scorpio, your Solar 6th House, where the demands are for you to look at your health regimes, exercise programs, routines and habits that may need changing. Mercury also rules your 4th house of your domestic, family life. You may decide that a complete overhaul of your home is just what you need to do – a lick of paint, some new curtains, whatever it is that will brighten your surroundings. This will take work on your part – just ensure that your choice of colours is one you can live with after Mercury moves on! The Lunar Eclipse falls in your 11th house of friendships – you may have to put effort into communicating clearly with someone to ensure that they understand where you are coming from on some issue that you have put your heart into and don’t wish to compromise. Time to make a stand!

Cancer: 21st June – 22nd July – Mercury falls in your Solar 5th House of creativity, love affairs and children. This could be a time when you may need to take the longer term wellbeing of one child over what another may want, in order that you have inner peace in your family. With the rulership of Mercury over your 12th House of self-undoing, this could be a good time to put in a program of self-examination to set yourself free and find a new way of expressing yourself with clarity. Mercury also rules your Third House of communication, siblings and cousins. This could herald a new process of getting to know them better and letting them see you more clearly. The Universe wants you to come out of your protective shell and let others help you. The Lunar Eclipse falls in your 10th House of career pointing the way to a whole new phase of expressing your social and vocational life.

Leo: 22nd July – 22nd August – Mercury occupies your 4th House of domestic and family matters. This could bring the possibility of a home learning program that may impact your career and promotional opportunities, or simply give you some great creative ideas. Mercury rules your Second house of earnings, which could bring back something or someone who could improve your financial standing. Mercury also rules your 11th house of friendships and ideals, again pointing to the past coming into your life to create a new future in some way. The Lunar Eclipse falls in your 9th House of publication, foreign travel and higher learning. This will test all the beliefs that you have taken for granted and gone to sleep on – the Universe wants you to air them and shake out the ones that have passed their sell-by date, in order that you can maybe take some new ones on board and refresh your mental circuits.

Virgo: 22nd August – 22nd September – your ruling planet Mercury will bring you close to your siblings and cousins helping you realise what a strong impact that they had on your psyche during your early years. You may make some forays into your past in order to gain some clarity on who you are and why you are here on this planet. Communicating with them can help you to do this, if Mercury doesn’t get up to his tricks and play games with your phone book. This could be a time for learning new skills bringing a welcome addition to your life toolbox of gifts and abilities. The Lunar Eclipse falling in your 8th house will actually bring more energy for you to do the self-exploration – particularly in your closest relationships – with the emphasis of sharing who you really are warts and all. You could find depths in yourself that may surprise you.

Libra: 22nd September – 23rd October – Mercury falls in your 2nd House of personal finances can have you taking to your accounts and doing the checks and balances busily. Just be aware that Mercury can play tricks and worry you needlessly, while Saturn tries to make you get real about your true financial state, i.e. are you worth more than you think? If so, what are you going to do about it? It’s an emotional rather than a practical issue that’s going on here, demanding that you look at your beliefs around your self-worth. This is largely due to the fact that Mercury rules your 12th House of self-undoing. Mercury also rules your 9th House of foreigners and travel – you could be planning a trip abroad and meet someone who could become important to you in time. The Lunar Eclipse falls in your 7th house of relationships – demanding that you look at what/who you really want to share your life with.

Scorpio 23rd October – 21st November – Mercury is active during this period in your 1st Solar house of self- activation – in other words, if you want something you have to get it for yourself and not expect anyone else to do it for you. This is the Universe prodding you accept how powerful you are and how able you are to make a life that fits your dreams. Mercury’s rulership of both your 11th house of ideals and your 8th House of shared resources and in-depth personal exploration goes a long way to really support you in this endeavour. This is your time, so grab it with both hands. The Lunar eclipse falling in your 6th house of health and well-being teaches you that there is a link between lack of personal fulfilment and ill health, especially headaches and feelings of stress. Doing things because others expect you to is not on the cards for you right now.

Sagittarius 21st November – 21st December – Mercury is strong right now in your 12th house of self-undoing – a process that comes through having the right mindset to ensure progress and enlightenment. After all, isn’t that what all your exploration is about in this life? Instead of exploring the planet, it’s time to take the inner journey to find yourself at the centre. Mercury’s rulership of both your 7th House of relationships and your 10th House of vocation and public profile would seem to indicate some new project with someone you trust – basically it’s a time to focus on calling and partnership. Just make sure you do all the spade work before you launch. The Lunar Eclipse falling in your 5th House could challenge your creativity – maybe in an unexpected way, with the result that you take a whole new exploration of how important your creative life is to you. A child could make an important decision for their own future.

Capricorn 21st December -19th January – this sojourn of Mercury in your Solar 11th House will ensure that you examine your goals and objectives. Isn’t this what Capricorn is good at – gauging the height and significance of every new mountain you come across in order to know what it will both offer and cost you? Through the next 3 weeks you will test all your theories and desires. If friends aren’t supportive, time to take a long hard look at them, too. Busy times for you, then. Mercury’s rulership of both your 6th House of health and well-being; and your 9th House of exploration means that this is a time for you to be at the peak of fitness and ready to take a chance when the call comes. The Lunar Eclipse falls in your 4th House of your family and home life – maybe a new home could be just right for you now – or at least, an avenue to explore.

Aquarius 20th January – 19th February – Mercury’s move into your Solar 10th House of career can bring some minor irritations that get in the way of your routines over the next 3 weeks. However, from this you will learn what is important to you and what you can hand over to someone else to do instead. You will find that some tasks fly along like a knife through butter and others take forever – this is just the way that Saturn and Jupiter play across the skies for you. Mercury’s rulership of both your 5th House of creativity and children, and your 8th House of joint finances and resources may be uppermost in your mind through this period. In other words, how much you keep and how much you share needs re-examining. The Lunar Eclipse falls in your 3rd House of communication, writing and paperwork, bringing you a need to spend some time getting clear about your future.

Pisces 19th February – 20th March – Mercury’s stay in your Solar 9th house brings a period of learning, foreign travel and exploration into your life. This can be both mental or physical and certainly life enhancing. With Saturn already there in your 9th House and Jupiter smiling across the skies, you will certainly learn much that is both useful and enjoyable to you. Mercury’s rulership of both your 7th House of relationships and your 4th House of home, family and domestic situation could bring a new living experience with someone new or a business opportunity to run from home. It could also bring a great deal of studying in your home environment. The Lunar Eclipse occurring in your 2nd House of personal finances may bring you a new way of earning more – just be sure that you don’t overspend on someone else and leave yourself out of pocket.

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