Wondrous Planets: This image from the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005 shows Pluto, its moon Charon (below and right of center) and two newly discovered moons to the right. All the planets exert influence (gravity, etc.) on one another… and so upon Earth.

Time changed, falling back one hour, on a sleepy Fall Sunday. We also saw the Moon (Emotions) working in conjunction with Mars (Initiation) to bring the right mood to get things done. These can be home projects, shopping, cleaning, or maybe some work on a work project to get the jump on the week ahead. Venus is also glowing on Sunday, so you might even add in some love spice to the mix this week.

“Emotionally, you can make a breakthrough at work which could lead to a transfer or promotion, and in your relationship you could come to new understandings about where you’re going.”

Monday starts off a bit slow with a feeling of staying safe within boundaries in the air. This is not the day to make a risky move at work, or even at home. There’s a time for change, and also a time to stay the course and let it run. You also have an opportunity to look at some tension in your relationships today. Learn more about it by listening carefully to those you love.

On Tuesday, we find the Moon working in conjunction with Pluto — planet of transformation. What does that mean? Emotionally, you can make a breakthrough at work which could lead to a transfer or promotion, and in your relationship you could come to new understandings about where you’re going. How does it happen? Celestially, we also see the Moon (Emotions) in harmony with Chiron and Neptune — healthy spirituality. Emotions provide the impetus, and the Spirit carries us forward.

Midweek dawns with a note of tension in the air on Wednesday. Remember that a certain amount of tension — even stress — is what is required to get things done. Think of shooting an arrow — no tension in the bow, and the arrow goes nowhere. Deadlines bring a kind of tension too. You will need to communicate well today, and that means really listening, to get what you need to do completed. Even though you might feel boxed in, that won’t last forever. Just do what you know is right.

Energy of Stars: This explosive release of energy from a star, packed the power of thousands of solar flares, as conceptualized by NASA which recorded the flare with its SWIFT Satellite. Flares release energy across the electromagnetic spectrum, and flares from our own Sun are capable of disrupting all communications on Earth, among other things..

Weekend Astro Update…

Sunday dawns with quiet certitude as your enjoyable day brings opportunities for growth. Talk with your mate about some new ideas for a quick outing. Go enjoy that bookstore. Have a good cup of coffee or tea. It is a time for entertaining all the new things you may create together. It is a day when your future shines brightly. What else are weekends all about?

“Remember — it’s healthy to be Spiritual. How to do this with your mate? Just talk about it.”

The work-week starts out with a lot of busy energy as Monday kicks off. There’s tension in the air, so remember to sort out the good kind and work with it. Good tension? Yes — like creative tension when you are working to solve something on a project. You will have a good gut instinct today about how to proceed, so use those good communication skills to put this across to your colleagues and mate.

Tuesday appears a bit quieter in the heavens as the Moon (Emotions) finds harmony with Saturn (Limitations), and the Sun (Personality) embraces transformation. Mercury is also nervous about growth, and this sets up a day when you would rather feel safe by sticking with what you know — staying in your comfort zone. That’s ok sometimes, but you need to make sure that your motivation is not simply fear of change. Breakthroughs come through growth.

At mid-week, we see the heavens becoming more active again, and Chiron (Health) and Neptune (Spirituality) will play key roles in your love relationship, on Wednesday. Remember — it’s healthy to be Spiritual. How to do this with your mate? Just talk about it. Even agnostics have a Spiritual position, and it is good for you to examine exactly where you stand. Life is a long series of learning about your principles, and so the choices you make. Pray.

Full Moon Power: Draw on the power from Sunday’s Full Moon to help you out over the week ahead as you cultivate strength of Spirit and resolve to face the challenges life brings.

Astro-Weekend Update…

Full Moon power comes your way on Sunday as the Moon also shows harmonies with Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter. This sets up a potent time when you can move forward in your life to achieve goals you’ve been wanting. Beware — if you don’t communicate well, this can create tension with loved ones. Sometimes it is easy to get carried away by powerful emotions, and forget about ways to take a more measured approach. Seek balance as you proceed.

“Don’t second guess yourself, but do be very clear about your spiritual goals and how those relate to your life plans.”

Monday starts the week off with the Sun (Personality) playing a dual roles, and also Uranus (New Ideas) and Saturn (restrictions) lending double influence. This will make for an interesting week when there’s a clear tug between plans you’ve made, and nervous feelings about them. Don’t second guess yourself, but do be very clear about your spiritual goals and how those relate to your life plans. You can overcome obstacles with strength of Spirit.

Mercury (Communication) plans an interesting dual role on Tuesday, while the Moon shows some stress with new ideas for growth in your relationships. Think of your relationship like a garden — it needs tending because there is an ongoing cycle of growth. This also means that things change. That can be stressful at times. Today brings an opportunity to examine your communication and center yourself on core values — this will focus you on the best way to care for your relationship garden.

At midweek, we find the Moon working in conjunction with healthy Chiron and Pluto to help you break through some of the tension in the air as Wednesday dawns. You may have been feeling too restricted lately — like things are keeping you from what you need to do. Don’t be afraid to break through any apprehension you feel. Focus and courage are in order. Forge ahead.

The Blue Marble: Earth photos never cease to amaze as you peer back at our own planet from a NASA photo, and put space, distance, the galaxy and life itself into perspective. We live on a whirling ball of energy.

Astro-Weekend Update…

Sunday comes in with an interesting mix of celestial energies — a day when your power to break through involves a harmony of health and spirit. Ok… let’s break down what that means. Simply put, when you are in good spirits, your health is positively impacted, and you feel a surge of power to move ahead in your projects and relationships. But someone may be resisting your new ideas — hey, there’s always a challenge along the way. Pay careful attention to your love relationships.

“The important thing is to strike the right balance between holding principles that allow your love to grow, and being too restrictive.”

The week jumps to a start on Monday with some tension in the air. Jupiter (growth), and Mercury (Communication) play multiple roles as does Pluto (transformation). A communication block may be preventing you from a move forward. To get to the root of this, double-check the feelings you have about growth. What is causing you stress and why? Pluto is there to help you make progress when you get over any emotional tension and use good communication skills, including listening well (not waiting to talk), to get to the root of the matter.

The Moon (emotions) plays a key role on Tuesday, squaring off with Chiron and Neptune, but dancing in harmony with Uranus, Saturn, the Sun and Mars. What is the source of the Spiritual blockage? What is preventing you from feeling good about one aspect of your life? Work on that. Use creative ideas, within bounds, to take action to address conflicts — you have the power.  Keep your emotions balanced and things will work out fine.

Midweek brings energies which work to give you an opportunity to grow in your romantic relationship on Wednesday. Remember that some boundaries are healthy in relationshiops (ie. giving each other space), and others are not good (ie. shutting another out). It’s worth it to spend some time on this today — as you know, relationships take work, but the rewards are great. The important thing is to strike the right balance between holding principles that allow your love to grow, and being too restrictive.

Planets of Our Solar System: In this NASA image you can get a good idea of our planets in the skies above — the family of celestial orbs that Astrologers watch to determine key interactions and their influences on earth. From bottom: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

The weekend rolls in with the Moon working in conjunction with both the energies of Uranus (New Ideas) and Jupiter (Growth), on Saturday. During warm days of Summer, you may have a lot of good ideas for how to develop both your property, and your key relationships. That’s good. But, don’t expect a break-through until you carefully examine all restrictions — both self-imposed and otherwise. Often the only roadblock lies within yourself. Seize the weekend.

“…you have to first discern any self imposed limitations… then break through them.”

Happy Independence day to all Americans on Sunday, as we see a bit of tension in the air. Remember that tension between planets can manifest as areas to look at in your relationships. So, today you have an opportunity to talk and really listen well to your mate about anything getting in the way of your progress. Things never stand still. It will be good for your health to reveal the way of the spirit so you can grow together.

Monday finds the Moon (emotions) squaring off with Mercury (communication), plus three harmonies and three stress points to deal with. When Mercury is involved, this is a sign for you to exercise all good communication skills, both those for sharing yourself with others, and particularly for listening well. The three keys for your growth today are Love, Spirit, and Health. When you exercise your love at the Spiritual level (beyond lust), it brings you great blessings in life. You will find that whatever you thought was holding you back will melt away.

We find just two aspects of focus on Tuesday, as the Moon dances in Trine with Pluto and show tension with Saturn. This is a clear message that in order to get where you need to go in life, you have to first discern any self imposed limitations… then break through them. Often the only thing holding you back is yourself. We box ourselves in, and throw up walls. Someone may have told us we can’t do something… and we agreed. Break that agreement. Do what you need to do. And do so with principles and the guidance of God.

For centuries, Astrologers and Astronomers (the two pursuits were combined in earlier times) used Astrolabes, or “Cosmolabes”, to calculate the angles — aspects — between key planets which influence us in our own sphere.

Astro-Weekend Update…

Sunday, Father’s Day in the US, comes in showing a harmony for emotional communication — perfect for your interaction with Dad. Do not be hesitant to show what you feel — this will lift your spirit and be good for your help. The Moon (emotions) also shows a bit of tension today with Mars (Initiation), so enjoy the day as a celebration — this is not a fortuitous time to launch a new project. Remember to listed to emotions and be informed by them, but don’t allow them to block you from what must done.

“Your life is your own masterpiece, and it is actually healthy to use a certain degree of nerve as you create your personal future.”

Monday starts the work week off busy with 10 aspects to consider. Our harmonies today are workin with the energy of healthy personal strengths to get things going at work and home. That’s the Spirit that can lead to a transformation in how you see things and operate. As usual in life, you come up against some resistance to new ideas for growth. Many people fear change. But change is what makes the world go round, and embracing it will make you successful.

On Tuesday, there’s tension in the air — welcome it. Huh? Tension is a part of life which may be quite positive, as in the creative tension of an artist, required to complete a masterpiece. Your life is your own masterpiece, and it is actually healthy to use a certain degree of nerve as you create your personal future. There’s a tug and pull between limitations and growth. New ideas and transformation. What new ideas will you uncover that will get you beyond a blockage in your love life? Enjoy the challenge — that’s Life.

About Astrological Aspects: As you know, I report regularly on the planetary aspects and how those interacting energies influence us here on Earth. In astrology, an aspect is an angle the planets make to each other in horoscopes and each day in the heavens above. They indicate focal points in the horoscope where the energies involved are given extra emphasis. The astrological aspects are said to influence affairs on Earth according to millennia of astrological tradition.

Celebrate Our Milky Way: NASA has used its Hubble Space Telescope, an infrared view from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and an X-ray view from the Chandra X-ray Observatory to create one multiwavelength picture of the Milky Way — our home galaxy that is one of billions in the heavens above.

Astro-Weekend Update…

Saturday kicks off the weekend with the Moon dancing in trine with Venus… planet of love. Whoo Hooo.  You know what to do.  The Moon (emotions) also shows harmony with Mercury (planet of Communication) today.  Great.  Love and Communication.  At the core, this deep dialog with your mate and those you love is what it’s all about.  Don’t hold back.  Talk about what is in your heart.  Do what needs to be done.

“Remember that tension brings good focus on important details in your life. Embrace the tension.”

Sunday finds the Moon squaring off with Pluto, working in conjunction with Uranus and Jupiter and showing tensions with both Mars and Mercury. Ok… focus first on the emotional energy of new ideas and expansion.  Emotional energy?  Yes, your mind can think of new ways to proceed in your love relationships, and career — but it is when you feel good about moving forward that progress will happen.  Figure out your roadblocks, deal with them, then you can move forward.

The week starts out busy on Monday, as the Moon dances in harmony with the Sun. There’s some tension in the air, and that’s good.  Remember that tension brings good focus on important details in your life.  Embrace the tension.  Remember that creative tension is behind all inventions, and you should not block it because it is the key both to health and the success of your love life.  Work with good tension (creative tension) and seek to understand and so banish unproductive tension (holding a grudge) from your life.

Tuesday brings a lot of celestial energy to bear with the Moon dancing in trine with Saturn, Mars, and Pluto, and in harmony with Neptune and Chiron. Simultaneously, Mars stands in opposition with Chiron.  This sets up a pattern where you are close to settling something in your life that will do you much good — but there is one more hurdle to jump before you can get there.  What hurdle?  Communication with those close to you will bring this into sharper focus.  Seek to learn what has held you back so far, then set a course to “break through” that wall.

Midweek we find Mercury (Communication) again playing a key role, on Wednesday squaring off with Neptune (Spirituality). What concerns of the Spirit can you surface to smooth the way in your life?  At work, this could be the spirit of getting things done — just plow through it.  At home, this could be the spirit of healing and finishing any things that have become baggage and so are holding you back.  How?  Honest, heartfelt communication where a big part of it is listening.  Not waiting to speak… just listening.

This black hole galaxy was discovered through the combined efforts of both space and ground-based telescopes, including NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope.

Weekend Astro-Update

Saturday looks pretty quiet (3 astro-aspects) as the weekend rolls in. Venus (Romance) likes boundaries today — so just keep it light and do those simple things you always enjoy with your mate.  Things look good for conversation, so you might find a few hours slip past you as you talk about life, plans, dreams and goals.  Good.  What better to do on a quiet Saturday over a good cup of coffee?  Enjoy the day.

Work on changing your perspective. Only make agreements with yourself about what you will believe.

After a calm Saturday, the heavens get busy on Sunday with the Moon (emotions) showing mostly tension, except with Venus; Venus Squaring off with Chiron; Mercury squaring off with Mars; and the Sun in harmony with Pluto. This combines for an opportunity to work things out by listening and with understanding and compassion.  Someone close to you needs you to “lend an ear” — now is not the time for action.  There could be some restrictions or boundaries you have set that are causing friction.  Challenge yourself to grow beyond them.

Monday starts off the work-week as a good day to take the initiative and get past some of the tension in the air. Remember that some “stress” is good, as in gearing up for a project, and in the spirit of getting things done.  But have another look at anything that might be limiting you — often it is the mental box we put ourselves in based on the views of others.  Work on changing your perspective. Only make agreements with yourself about what you will believe.

A calmer day is in the stars for Tuesday with two harmonies and two tensions brought to bear. It will be healthy for you to pay attention to Spirit today.  What Spirit?  You know — the “get ‘er done” Spirit in your career, and the Spirit of cooperation and collaboration with your mate. Are you ready to grow?  Ok… then get ready for some new ways to get things done… you can brainstorm some with your team-mates at work, and at home.

Light Dance in Cosmos: NASA’s Swift satellite beamed back this image of Andromeda, our neighboring galaxy, in one of the highest-resolution views of a spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet. Planets, Stars, Worlds, all whirling in an endless kaleidoscope of Light.

Astro-Weekend Update…

As Saturday rolls in, we find a day where romance feels good — whoo hoo. That’s good, because now there are some celestial alignments indicating tension in the air. Remember, that life is about tension. You can’t shoot your arrows until your bow is drawn tense. So bring a focus in on what’s best, and use the energy to stay alert as you enjoy the day.

“…simple “cosmic” advice — it’s good for your health to communicate with Spirit.”

Sunday pops up with a swirl of energy in the heavens. We see the Moon (Emotions) squaring off with the Sun (Personality) — is there a gut hunch you need to listen to? The Moon is also playing nice with Mars (Initiative), Uranus (New Ideas), and Saturn (Practicality) today. That recipe is simple… use the day to try out some new ideas… but stay down to earth with them.

The week starts off with come creative tension in the air, Monday. Remember that a certain kind of stress is necessary as you prepare to move ahead. But sometimes someone, or some incident creates a block. Today, we see emotional blocks in your romantic and growth areas. Don’t bury it — use this as an opportunity to learn. Remember the prescription: Feel, Deal, Heal. That’s how you make progress in life.

The Moon dances in triple trine on Tuesday with Mercury (Communication), Neptune (Spirituality), and Chiron (Health). This is simple “cosmic” advice — it’s good for your health to communicate with Spirit. The double meaning is intended… prayer is your personal link to Spirit, and you should always be passionate about your ideas when presenting them to others. This will help you break through to the next level in your career, home life, and relationships.