A NASA image of Hoag’s Object, a non-typical galaxy of the type known as a ring galaxy, discovered in 1950 by astronomer Art Hoag.

Saturday finds the Moon under some stress from Mercury, Venus, and Mars. They are the planets closest to earth, and so spin closer to our Emotions at times. Remember that stress is not always a bad thing. The right kind of “creative tension” is what makes the world go around. Literally. In this case, while you may feel a bit nervous over your decision to speak about your lovelife with your partner — when you do so in a measured fashion based on right principles — it will go well.

“…Mars (Initiative) cooperates with Neptune (Spirituality) — a perfect early Fall day to concentrate on your religious beliefs and have a good talk with God.”

On Friday, the Moon squared off with Neptune, but danced well with Uranus — it was a good time for you to try out some new ideas in your job, and relationships. Earlier in the week, our emotional Moon was showing harmony with Saturn (Practicality) and Jupiter (Growth). Practical Growth. That’s a good theme in light of all the out of control problems in the stock market and financial markets. Back to basics are good in your personal life too.

The Moon does show some stress with the Sun (Personality) tomorrow, which usually means your head is not exactly where your heart is. Where is your heart? Always a good question. Take a look at your spiritual values now, because there’s also some stress in the air with Uranus (religion and illusion). Stay practical based on sound spiritual principles. We’re heading into the balancing time of the Autumnal Equinox, which a good reminder to stay balanced, mentally, spiritually, and of course Financially. Balance the books.

On Sunday, Mars (Initiative) cooperates with Neptune (Spirituality) — a perfect early Fall day to concentrate on your religious beliefs and have a good talk with God. The Moon (Emotions) is also cooperating with Mars which means that the spiritual initiative you take today will feel right to you. The other incentive is that the Moon is interacting well with Pluto (transformation) today which means that the renewal you need lies on a pathway from what you feel in your heart to what you learn from the Spirit.

The ESO (European Southern Observatory) shot this picture of galaxies interacting — part of the astrological forces that influence us on earth.

Welcome to Friday. It’s a busy day for the Moon (Emotions) with a number of planets forming a lively dance in the heavens — Mercury, Venus, and Mars are partnering with the Moon, and so it’s a good day to take the initiative to speak about your love life goals with your romantic interest. Probably an early Fall evening out with dinner and music are in order. But the Moon is also stressing a bit with Pluto (transformation) and the Sun (Personality), so things are not so simple. Are they ever? So, yes — it’s a good time to talk, but don’t expect an immediate change. Give it time.

“Harmony, then discord — so go the cycles of life. Remember that change, growth and development… all come with some ’stress’…”

Earlier in the week Venus (Love, Women) was in conjunction (Interacting) with Mars (Initiative, Men). This made it a natural to work things out with coworkers of the opposite sex, and also with your family members or partners of the opposite sex. Remember the book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”? That’s catchy — and true a lot of the time as the two sexes have different ways of relating to others and to the world. Did you find some easy going at work or at home? What about new brainstorms you had earlier in the week — did you right them down so you can work on them later?

The Moon was in the groove with Uranus (New Ideas), so you may have noticed good ideas percolating in your workplace, and also in your family life. Getting out of the rut — brainstorming improved way to do things. That’s the ticket, but you need to follow through now. There’s was also a little stress showing with Saturn — a planet that generally influences restrictions. Isn’t that the way it goes? You have a new idea… but others are resistant to change. Hang in there, real progress can only come from good new ideas and the change they inspire.

Looking into the weekend, the Moon (Emotions) is getting a little feisty on Saturday, showing some stress with Mars, Mercury, and Venus. That’s Initiative, Communication, and Love. This comes after cooperation with the same planetary energies yesterday (Friday). Harmony, then discord — so go the cycles of life. Remember that change, growth and development (in your family, career, romances, etc.) all come with some “stress” on the learning curve when you move ahead. That’s life. So, if you had a good conversation with a loved one on Friday, you could see a little “positive” stress on Saturday as the details get worked out. “Postitive stress?” Sure. Stress is a natural part of life and if it helps you get somewhere you need to go — that’s “positive,” right?

The “Eagle Nebula” as capture by the Hubble Telescope, about 7,000 light years distant from earth.

The Moon is working well with Neptune on Monday, but squaring off with three planets: Mercury, Venus, and Uranus. So, while it’s not a good day to talk with your romantic interest about new ideas for your relationship, you might like to use the compassion you feel to just listen and understand. People don’t seem to slow-down enough to listen — really listen (not the same as waiting to speak). What you learn today, when listening with your heart will be key to future developments.

Listening on Monday, and watching on Tuesday will give you the information you need to take the next step — in the workplace, and in your love life.

Over the weekend, Venus, Mercury, and Uranus worked to help communication regarding new ideas in your Romance) — did you agree to try anything new and adventurous? On Sunday, the Moon (Emotions) squared off with Saturn (Practicality), making you feel like doing something a bit wild. Hope you enjoyed yourself.

And on Tuesday, there’s a sense that you need to play it safe, not take the lead, and wait to see what your partner will do. Listening on Monday, and watching on Tuesday will give you the information you need to take the next step — in the workplace, and in your love life. The Moon is also in opposition today with Jupiter (prosperity), tomorrow, so listen also to your own feelings. Why do you feel like the growth you want is not coming to you yet? What do you have to do to make it happen?

Wednesday may bring some answers for what you seek, since the Moon is working well with Venus, Mercury, and Uranus. Uranus brings a sense of new ideas back to the table, a bit like their influence over the past weekend. Time to discuss inventive ideas again with your loved one. But Mercury is also squaring off with Pluto, so you may not want to discuss a total transformation just yet. It’s one thing to take a few steps in the right direction (this could mean discussing marriage), but quite another to rush right out and just do it. Discuss the idea and see what happens… then you’ll have the feedback you need to make a wise and measured decision.

Relative sizes of the terrestrial planets, from left to right: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Mercury (Communication) is particularly active right now, Astrologically.

Welcome to Thursday. The Moon (Emotions) is dancing well in the heavens with both Pluto (Transformation), and Venus (Love) today. Hmmmm… a good time to have that talk with your romantic partner that can deepen your relationship. What talk? Well, talking about precisely what you each are feeling. That’s right. Feelings — remember those? Take a break from your busy week, pour a glass of wine and chat comfortably about them. With Pluto involved, there’s also a sense of renewal — and that is good for your partnership.

You’re in the mood for a new way to work things out, and you find you can communicate well about it.

Earlier in the week, the Moon was working well with Mercury (Communication), and Chiron (Healing), so you may expect some good news about health related matters for you or someone close to you. The Moon and the Sun (Personality) are also working well together today — another sign that you’re feeling healthy. Interestingly, both the Moon and Sun are a bit agitated with Jupiter (Growth), so today is not the right time to make plans to expand a project, or increase spending.

Friday looks interesting. The Moon (Emotions) is dancing well with Uranus (New Ideas), and Mercury (Communication) is working well with Pluto (Renewal). So far so good. You’re in the mood for a new way to work things out, and you find you can communicate well about it. But the Moon (Emotions) is squaring off with Neptune (Spirituality), and that can leave an uneasy feeling when it comes to Faith. What’s Faith got to do with it? Everything. At work, and in your romance relationships, Spiritual energy is of the essence.

And this weekend, Mercury is again active — making nice with Pluto (Transformation), but showing stress with Jupiter (Growth). Isn’t that a common thing that happens in our life? We want to bring about positive change, but we’re nervous about how the growth it requires might stretch us. All change is stress. But, positive growth (a promotion at work, a deeper commitment in our love live) is the kind of change where the temporary stress is worth it.