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.

Ancient Charts of the Zodiac: From Andreas Cellarius Harmonia Macrocosmica, 1660/61. Chart showing signs of the zodiac and the solar system with world at center.

On Saturday, we see a good time for Love… whoo hooo! The Moon (Emotions) shows harmony with Venus (Love), perhaps as a cycle back to the positive from some stress earlier in the week. It’s always a cycle. We also see the Moon squaring off with the Sun, which can often mean that you are feeling like doing one thing, while your mind argues against it. What to do when logic and emotions collide? Well, there is such a thing as emotional intelligence, and ultimately the deciding factor will come from your own internal compass… pointing toward the right thing to do. Listen to your heart.

“If there is something bothering you, take some time to work through the emotional issues before talking about it… you do need to feel, deal, and heal.”

Sunday finds the Moon playing nice with Mercury, Uranus and Saturn, but opposing Mars. This may not be a day to start new projects, but you can have some relaxing conversations and talks with loved ones and friends — a good coffee and brunch sort of day. “Small talk” about practical matters will pay off. There will be a better time ahead to launch new plans. Just enjoy the day.

On Monday, the Moon forms a trine with the Sun (Personality), even as Mercury (Communication) shows stress on the emotional side. Don’t push it. If there is something bothering you, take some time to work through the emotional issues before talking about it. But you do need to feel, deal, and heal. Just remember that the dealing is best done after you work through the best approach to what you are feeling. Seek the counsel of someone you trust, first.

Tuesday finds the Moon (Emotion) in some creative tension with four planets, while working in conjunction with the energy of Jupiter (growth). This tells us that while you feel that you are making progress towards prosperity — there are still some “hoops” for you to jump through. Hey, noone ever promised you it would be easy. But you can do it. Make sure your heart is in the right place, then follow its lead.

Medieval illustration depicting the zodiac’s influence for August and September shows the work of the commoners during the seasons of those months (from Wikipedia.org)

Welcome to Saturday… it’s looking good for Love! Whoo hooo.  The Moon (Emotions) is in harmony with Venus (Love), and Venus is dancing in trine with Uranus (New Ideas).  Do you have some new ideas about Love?  Maybe we should qualify that — right?  Do you have some creative ideas about fun place to visit, activities (been to the beach lately), and entertainment to enjoy with your mate?  Today’s the day.  Make sure that you are honest with your feelings about your relationship — it will do wonders for it.

“Most problems come down to communication for a solution — the lack of it, or poor examples of it usually due to a failure to listen.”

Sunday finds the Sun (Personality) making nice with Pluto — planet of transformation. This is an opportunity for you to ask what part of your inner nature is in need of overhaul, then to set out to do it.  Examples, are lack of a social life — go to an event; problems in love relationships — go find some self-help books, etc.  The Moon shows harmony with Jupiter (Prosperity) today, too, so you can do some work in that realm of your life.  Maybe it’s time to reassess your financial position?

Monday starts the week off looking well, with the Moon (Emotions) in trine with Chiron (wellness), Mars (Initiative), and Neptune (Spirituality). Take action for your health, and that will be good for your spirit.  The Moon is also in harmony with Pluto (Transformation) and the Sun (Personality) today.  Look for new approaches, and break-throughs which will bring you needed growth and success.

Tuesday brings Mercury squaring off with Mars – there is something that is getting “hung up” in either your relationship at home or work, due to a lack of communication.  Most problems come down to communication for a solution — the lack of it (search yourself to learn why); or poor examples of it usually due to a failure to listen. And, the Moon (emotions) is showing stress with five planets today, your focus and meditation should be on better communication with all involved.