Venus in Taurus- Worth Living

Summer Lovin' by Karsten Knoefler, CCL

Helios Says:

This one could not have come at a better time. While the rest of the cosmos is falling apart and competing to see who can be the biggest mess, our girl Venus is here to step up and show us how its really done. As she steps off of the battlefield and goes back to the homestead, she is reminded of what really matters: Not the grand cosmic chaos, no, there will be time for that later. Now it is time to take comfort in the simple moments, the banality of life and the work we do.

She is in good company, with the Sun just having moved into Taurus after Mercury cleared the way for him (even if he is retrograding). Together, these three form a powerful base, in a sign that is so... good. I give Taurus a lot of crap, but only because that makes it's fields all the more fertile. Taurus is one of the most human signs there is- sure, you can make the case for Aquarius, but when it comes to actually living a real life, one with a sense of normalcy and any form of happiness rather than being locked up in some lab in an ivory tower, Taurus is the one you want. Where you have Taurus is where you find pleasure, where you have your favorite snack or comfort food; your bank account, your security and happiness. Taurus is the window box of flowers, the herb garden out back and the smell of fresh cut grass, Taurus is your connection to this world, how you leave a physical mark on it.

Taurus is life.

The bull isnt the only life though- No sir! There is a lot going on in the earth signs at the moment, with Jupiter, the great party boy, in Virgo. Decidedly less partying, though he will turn up with some moonshine after a long days work in the fields! Can't ever keep him from a good time. And Pluto, the lord of the underworld, is still riding through Capricorn, lest you forget- Any look at one has to take the others into account. So what does that mean? Well, even though your life isnt necessarily going the way you want and your work is a lot of drudgery with little to no reward (Jupiter) and you feel powerless without much room to grow (Pluto) it is still up to you to show up, pay your bills, and find a reason to keep moving through this life, a way to make it bearable, no matter how banal or small. Luckily no one is up to the task more than our girl Venus. Guilty Pleasures and indulgences are her bread and butter. Silk sheets, chocolate and so much delicious sin- that is what is on your menu.

No matter how hard these times get, there is always a reason to keep moving. Find it. Savor each moment, whether bitter or sweet, and apologize for nothing. You are beautiful, and I hope one day that you see it for yourself. Trust Venus. Trust Taurus. They will see us through


Artemis says:

"Life is a party, and parties aren't meant to last."  - Prince

Cards:  The Lovers, Two of Swords, Two of Cups

Oooh lala, we have a menage a trois!  Venus is plowing into Taurus, cases of wine in tow.  She heard you forgot how to enjoy yourself (it's why we are all here in the first place), so it's time for your (very) friendly Venusean reminder!  The Garden of Eden is here, beneath our feet, and no one knows this better than Taurus.  Start reaping some of your sexy love harvest, punks, because we aren't going down on this sinking ship without a good time.

What does this combination of cards tell me?  The deck I used for this particular reading is called the "Wildwood Tarot," and the individual that represents the two of swords sits blindfolded.  In both hands she holds arrows at her heart with her bow stomped to the ground under her left foot.  She is intently listening to her heart before making her decision.  Where will she let her (love) arrows fly?  She wants to achieve justice with her decision (another Venusean reference to Libra).

What is the RIGHT decision?  Once you have the fortune - once you have love - you have to ask yourself, "What am I going to do with all this money?"

The woman in the 2 of Swords card has scales floating above her.  On one side of the scale we have coins and on the other we have a feather.  The outside world is in balance - as this is it's natural state.  Always seeking balance.  Things are moving the way they need to be, but, unfortunately, the woman in this card hasn't yet removed her blindfold to see the joy, union, and pleasure around her.  The decisions have already been made.  The Lovers are mid vows, the 2 of Cups are mid spilling of their life blood into each other's cups.  Venus in Taurus is telling us to JUST BE.  Be, in pleasure and joy, with the lovers and business partners that have chosen to be with us.  Live through the heart while the mind is being muddled with all this bullshit coming our way from the retrogrades, wretched full moon in Scorpio, Eris and Uranus conjunct throttling toward us, and the dreaded Grand Cross only 2 months away.

What's the point of all the fighting if not for the pillaging?  Seriously.  We have all of this sexy energy coming from the Sun in Taurus and Venus moving into Taurus, use it to your advantage.  You're going to get QUALITY lovers now.  Although we got tons of offers at love in Aries in Venus, this is where we find the ones that are worth our while.  Those individuals are few and far between.  No wonder Taurus is so possessive...

The card for two of swords in this deck has two arrows.  She can shoot two different things.  She can have the union of soul that is offered by the 2 of cups and the alchemical explosion offered by the Lovers.  She can have it all.  It would be an injustice to just sit back and not seize.  Taurus in Venus is all about taking what we desire, becoming intimate with it (2 of cups) and merging to form something beyond the parts (the Lovers).  

We limit ourselves.  We decide the world is one way without actually 1ooKing at it.  Nothing is as it seems.  Remember, Venus is a planet of illusions, just like her higher octave, Neptune.  The two of Swords reminds us that sometimes what we are looking for can't be seen with the eyes, but it can surely be seen with the heart.  
If you want love, if you want fortune, if you want the things that you value, you must let your heart be the guide.  The two of swords is telling us to make decisions based on our desires.  The full moon in Scorpio is upon us in Sun in Taurus.  What do you WANT?  The heart knows.  Let the lifeblood flow.  Let the people around you hear your pounding heart.  Without that passion, what's the point of living?  And this Venus is all about the pleasures of living....

Mercury Retrograde- Obstinant and Ornery

Stubborn by Anna, CCL

Effective date: 4/27-5/22/16 (Shadow period til 6/8/16)

Helios Says:
Guess what time it is! That's right, its time for everyone's favorite transit- Mercury Retrograde! This makes the fifth planet we have going retrograde right now, and man, could it be any less fortuitous? Well, yes actually- but it definitely isn't great timing, that's for sure. This year its all about the earth signs, first and foremost being stubborn-as-all-hell Taurus. So what is shifty Mercury up to in this sign?

Supposedly, Mercury in Taurus on its own is viewed as kind of a terrible placement. Now, I see where they get that idea, because he gets the best billing in the air and fire signs where his synapses are firing on all cylinders, and a few cylinders that he rents on the weekend. Hell, even Capricorn and Virgo get good press when it comes to Mercury, and Scorpio is no slouch either (think every self-narrated film noir detective protagonist, ever) but never Taurus. In Pisces he gets to be the tortured soul/brilliant artist type, but in Taurus Mercury is slow, plodding and taciturn, which is a nice way of saying as dumb as a bag of hammers. Well since this is my own placement, I  guess it falls to me to defend him! I can attest that there may be some truth to the criticism- but Mercury in Taurus has a lot of great benefits that could very well be the key to navigating this tricky season!

The truly great thing about Merc in Taurus is that he gives this great focus, exclusive to this sign, that you will see referred to a lot as either blinders or tunnel vision. The simile is extremely accurate, as this sign has an almost preternatural ability to shut out any and all distractions in pursuit of a goal. While the rest of the retro planets are off causing chaos and hacking away at what is no longer important in your life, Mercury is going to ensure that you do not allow it to knock you off track in pursuit of your greater aims. Now, the challenge here is if your major life goals are up on the chopping block- This placement is not one that can course-correct with ease. No, it is more like the Juggernaut from X-Men: An unstoppable force once set in motion, but without any initial movement toward an aim, it is easy to give into the inertia, never getting started and wasting your time on pointless distractions that seemed important at the time.

Another boon to this transit is its concept of impact when it comes to your words. Right now, you will be challenged on the things you say and think, and of course since that is Merc's wheelhouse, that takes on added importance. You will find yourself zone-ing out a lot, being able to still your mind without even trying to (especially when you consciously have something to distract one of your other senses and can then shut out entirely, is a trick I have found works WONDERS). You must also be very cautious in the things you say- Take your time in expressing what is going on in your head, chew over your words a few times before you let anything slip out. Say more with fewer words, cut out anything extraneous. No fluff with this one. Say something that really matters. Also no matter what, be honest at this time- Brutally if needed. Now is not the time to skirt around anything in order to spare anyone's feelings. 

One thing you do really want to watch out for is that time passes much more quickly under this transit than you realize, even though while its happening it can feel like you are trapped in a quagmire. I guarantee that you will wake up one day, when we are mid-Gemini, and suddenly realize that your to-do list is woefully uncompleted, and that you haven't shown up to work in three weeks. It's just the way it goes down. So use your time wisely, while you have it!

And obviously the standard Mercury Retro disclaimer- No signing any contracts (especially when it comes to things like phone bills or your cable/internet), no major life changes or big purchases, basically put nothing in writing if you can help it. The less you change in terms of your finances, and the day-to-day running and banality of your life, the better.


Artemis Says:
"There's solace a bit for submitting
To the fitfully cryptically true
What's happened has happened
What's coming is already on it's way
With a role for me to play
I don't understand
I'll never understand
But I'll try to understand
There's nothing else I can do."  - Fiona Apple, "Red Red Red"

Cards:  Justice and 8 of Pentacles

I was born during Mercury Retrograde, so an over active mind has been a staple of my existence. Add my Aquarian sun/moon/ascendant/Venus to that and I'm essentially a strange intergalactic being. So how do I fight through the alienation and over thinking?  Fortunately, we have the answer to that question in the sign that Mercury is retrograding in (and the sun has just changed to) - TAURUS. In order to bypass the shit coming from Mercury Retrograde, use Taurean direct, honest, and plain speak. Or, you know, get ready for shades of this alienation to consume you. It is descending up on us... again...  the most frequent and relentless of the planetary retrogrades; that of Mercury, the Messenger.

So what the hell happens during Mercury Retrograde? In short, all things related to communication begin to break down. Your ideas become cloudy, you say shit you don't mean, you misunderstand others (flavored by your murky thinking), mechanical things break - essentially connections go haywire. It's not a very pleasant energy, to say the least.Some people are obviously more adapted to it than others. Some people thrive during Mercury Retrograde because they have learned methods that help them communicate through their own alienation. Because of this, I personally find Mercury Retrograde to be an easier time for demented writers (you know we all are demented, right?). It is a good time to WORK. Not to finalize things- Hell no! But WORK because with this Jupiter Retrograde in VIRGO (the detail whore) and Mercury retrograde in TAURUS (the obsessive freak), you will be able to see all the faulty pieces of your plan. And remember, Mars is also in Retrograde going from Sagittarius to Scorpio. In this state, he projects the plotting serial killer energy. Scorpio is the psychic detective of the zodiac - deeply inspecting human psychology. Don't forget! Scorpio must learn the lessons behind power in their lifetime, so expect challenges to dominance to increase during Mars Retrograde into Scorpio. These are tools, guys, not enemies. Use the Sun's energy right now (in patient Taurus), and stay calm through the chaos that is ensuing. Get still. Get obsessive. Get detailed about your WORK.

The 8 of Pentacles card I pulled is a work order. You can turn this energy to your favor - just like anything else. Bend it to your will. With Saturn also being in retrograde, you can expect this Mercury retrograde period to be flavored with torture. Things you may have said months ago could suddenly come back to haunt you out of literally fucking nowhere. I pulled the Justice card to go with the "go to werk" message from 8 of Pentacles. This means you should expect unfinished business to walk up to you as you're in line for coffee, or trying to peacefully cross the street, or when you are attempting to hide from all of humanity on a hike through the fucking wilderness - it will find you. It's time to tie up all the loose ends and verbal contracts. Mercury is going to be testing our ability to remain consistent with what we have learned by throwing us shit back at us that we didn't deal with appropriately in the past. I feel that Justice is also trying to tell me that we must constantly watch our speech for injustice / breaks. This is your mantra for the next few weeks: Taurean direct, honest, plain speak. Use it like Justice's sword.

Mercury IS in Taurus, and Taurus has a heavy hand in finance. With the full moon in Scorpio descending upon us, and a beautiful grand earth trine coming during the Mercury Retrograde period, you can expect financial opportunities to emerge. Pluto joined the Retrograde party this past weekend, bringing our inner demons to the surface. With Mercury getting anxious in his retrograde state, expect people's demons to come out in communication. Pair Mars in the party, and expect a lot of very loud outbursts. The Sun moving from Aries to Taurus (April 19) couldn't have come at a better time. Keep your eyes on the big fiery orb, folks - meaning - keep yourself GROUNDED and focused on the things that are real in your life, say what's on your mind, and try and channel all of this "bad" energy into Venus-like pursuits. Taurus is ruled by Venus. It's time to transform your pain, and it's time to structure your way to your fortune.

Lots of love, everyone.  Be good to each other.  I know all you want to do is shoot people until they bleed out slowly right now, but really, it's all just a big misunderstanding!  Isn't it usually? 

Pluto Retrograde- Cocytus

The Wraith by Jay Parker, CCL

Effective Date- 4/17-9/25/16

Helios says- Close your eyes. Do you feel it? That overwhelming emptiness, barely kept out of your thoughts. You distract yourself from the ache, piling on obligations, frivolities, drugs, and meaningless sex, what have you…  But every time you blink, or rest your eyes, and breathe again, there it is- Always hovering at the edges, threatening to swallow you whole.

You fear it. You are afraid because you know it is powerful, you know that it cannot be stopped. It is pervasive and it never sleeps. It dwarfs your own mortality. It whispers dark lies to you in the quiet- that you are ugly, that you do not fit in, that you never were good enough and you never will be, no matter what you do. It whispers that your loved ones do not love you back, and that you cannot trust them, they will only betray you in the end.

It whispers to you that you are alone in this world.

It whispers that in the end, all you truly have is it, the emptiness- Your last stalwart companion.

This is Pluto Retrograde. He will summon shades of the truth; never the whole picture, that’s not his style- not when just a bit is enough to have power over you. He knows your fears and he will play on them. He will conjure up ghosts of your past to terrify you, forcing you further within yourself so that you are further and further isolated from anyone who can help you, leaving you with only the darkness to whisper in your ear.

You must not let this happen. I understand this temptation better than most- The darkness knows secrets beyond mortal ken, and will tempt you with this occult knowledge just as much as it will try to terrify you into submission (Pluto is nothing if not an extremely skilled Dom, with intimate knowledge of your weaknesses and just how far you can be pushed), and you will walk into this thinking that you can flirt with the darkness for a weekend and come out unscathed, because you have before. Before you were brought to the edge, and it gave you an amazing rush, just enough to remind you that you are still alive. Ever since, you have pushed further and further, dancing ever more erratically on the knife’s edge. You have grown careless and overconfident- because you have not faced any true consequences yet, you think that you never will. I am telling you that if you dance with the devil this time around, he will take his due.

That is not to say that you should never go out dancing again, far from it! I am just telling you that this time, decline the invitation and make the bastard work for it. You have become far too easy of a date, and you need to play hard to get! It’s time to make this relationship with the darkness work for you, rather than it be all on his terms! Dance on your own if you have to- don’t be so predictable that you will wait around for a partner, because he can smell that desperation a mile away and will absolutely prey on it.

Oh, and stop responding to his booty calls. Leave the bastard blue-balled for a bit- It builds character.

Artemis says- CARDS:  4 of Swords AND 6 of Swords

Rune:  Thoronzon

“Sometimes I feel like a Buddhist and I need to chant; sometimes a Baptist and I need to holler and shout; and sometimes I need to be a Catholic and need to purge my sins and confess. It just depends on where I am.” - Jill Scott

Pluto retrograde is a scary fucking time.  I mean, Pluto is already a scary fucking planet.  He is the dude that tells it like it is no matter the costs.  Those with prominent Pluto in their charts seem to carry around mega speakers and KABLAM energy anywhere they stomp.  This is because they are the reckoning.  They are the transformer.  They are death, the destroyer of words.  Get ready for nuclear bombs to set of inside your brain.  Pluto retrograde is on the horizon, and it’s in that devil of a goat of a sign ruled by super serious scary Saturn; Capricorn.

The one rune I pulled, Thurisaz (the thorn), is very clear with its meaning in this situation; total and utter war with the self + tilling of the soil.  You can’t plant new seeds if the soil is not fertile – if there is some harmful insect ready to eat anything you attempt to grow.  It’s going to be uncomfortable and it’s going to feel hollow, so I suggest you carry around a little light with you wherever you go – like a lantern.  Bring something or focus on something every day that brings some form of joy in your life.  In a lot of mystical circles it is tradition to purge before initiation.  Actors do this before they begin to learn a new character.  They must purge themselves, destroy the old character and rebirth into the personality of the new. 

It seems Pluto wants us to purge and become the next version of ourselves.  Hopefully it’s someone you WANT to be as opposed to someone you are being forced to become.  Unconscious forces will be magnified, and psychological issues may erupt more than usual.  You can expect a lot of people to be snapping due to aggression, especially when Mercury retrograde and Mars retrograde join this Pluto retrograde.  Please realize that a lot of your aggression toward other people may be due to miscommunication and everyone dealing with deep psychological issues during this period.

Because Pluto rules in the macro sphere as well, this is likely to be a period of mass corruption and secret warfare.  I expect a lot of what is going to go on here will be purged out and emerge for the public sphere when Pluto goes direct in a few months.    

The things that you really want, like money or power or fame or love, you will start to see all of the shadow reasons why you love these things.  You will see the rot that surrounds the edges of everything, and you will bring it out and transform it.  Or you will become more crippled and dead than before.  It’s your choice.  It’s always your choice.  Pluto is the god of the underworld and the reflection that being in this underworld brings, and these reflections are going to get violent. 

The two cards I pulled for Pluto Retrograde are both Swords; 4 of Swords and 6 of Swords.

Swords represent air and the season of winter.  They talk to us about ideas, the intellect, communication, truth, power, deception and violence.  With two of these cards playing off of each other, this Pluto Retrograde is going to be extremely cerebral.  I would say that if you have issues with anxiety or depression, you should build some safety nets for yourself for this 5 month period.  If you can anchor yourself in correctly and narrow in on one issue at a time and truly dive (with support from those you truly trust to watch over you), you will succeed in purging the demons holding you back from taking your next step.  If you really don’t trust a fucking soul, you’re going to have to grit down big time right now.  It’s going to be a rough fight, especially with these other retrogrades joining Pluto (Saturn, Mars, Mercury).  You need to be hyper aware in this time because illusions will become thick.  If you practice, it is a good time to work with deities like Shiva. 

Where 4 of Swords is forcing us to heal our inner wounds, the 6 of swords tells us to move the fuck on.  Hello!  Your boat has taken off (probably without you).  Good job.  Now you’re going to have to swim out to it instead of sitting comfortably inside of it as you transit to the next shore.  We warned you about this boat in former sky watches – well there it goes.   Don’t let the things that you want vanish like a ship in the night.  Start swimming, face your fears, dive into the depths and get on that boat and move the fuck on.  If you don’t, you can bet you’ll be trapped in last year’s karmic wheel.  You don’t want to go through all that bullshit again, do you?  It’s time to illuminate, destroy, and transform.  I wish you all the best of luck.    

TNO Watch- Cruithne

05-24-04 2 (31) by David Clow

Allright, to start off with, I absolutely love this asteroid. She's nuts, in the best kind of way. And I can't think of a better guide for us right now.

The Astronomy- 3753 Cruithne is a Q-type, Aten asteroid in orbit around the Sun in 1:1 orbital resonance with Earth, making it a co-orbital object. It is an asteroid that, relative to Earth, orbits in a bean-shaped orbit that ultimately effectively describes a horseshoe, and that can transition into a quasi-satellite orbit. It has been incorrectly called "Earth's second moon". Cruithne does not orbit Earth and at times it is on the other side of the Sun^. Its orbit takes it inside the orbit of Mercury and outside the orbit of Mars. Cruithne orbits the Sun in about 1 year but it takes 770 years for the series to complete a horseshoe-shaped movement around the Earth.

The Myth(?)- The Cruthin were a people of early Ireland, who occupied parts of the present day Counties of Antrim, Laois, Galway, Londonderry and Down in the early medieval period.
The Cruthin comprised a number of túatha, including the Dál nAraidi in southern Antrim and the Uí Echach Cobo in western Down. Early sources preserve a distinction between the Cruthin and the Ulaid, who gave their name to the province of Ulster, although the Dál nAraide claimed in their genealogies to be na fir Ulaid, "the true Ulaid". The Loígis, who gave their name to County Laois in Leinster, and the Sogain of Connacht are also claimed as Cruthin in early Irish genealogies.
By the late 8th century, the Dál nAraidi had secured their over-kingship of the Cruthin and their name replaced that of the Cruthin. Early Irish writers used the name Cruthin to refer to both the north-eastern Irish group and to the Picts of Scotland. Likewise, the Scottish Gaelic word for a Pict is Cruithen or Cruithneach, and for Pictland is Cruithentúath. It has thus been suggested that the Cruthin and Picts were the same people or were in some way linked. Professor T. F. O'Rahilly proposed that the Qritani/Pritani were the first Celts to inhabit Great Britain and Ireland and describes them as "the earliest inhabitants of these islands to whom a name can be assigned". It has also been suggested that Cruthin was a name used to refer to all the Britons who were not conquered by the Romans – those who lived outside Roman Britain, north of Hadrian's Wall. Other scholars disagree, pointing out that although Cruthin was used to translate Picti into Irish, Picti was never used to translate Cruthin into Latin. Professor Dáibhí Ó Cróinín believes that the "notion that the Cruthin were 'Irish Picts' and were closely connected with the Picts of Scotland is quite mistaken" while Professor Kenneth H. Jackson has said that the Cruthin "were not Picts, had no connection with the Picts, linguistic or otherwise, and are never called Picti by Irish writers". The Cruthin cannot be distinguished from their neighbors by archaeology. The records show that the Cruthin bore Irish names, spoke Irish and followed the Irish derbfine system of inheritance rather than the matrilineal system sometimes attributed to the Picts. It is suggested that Cruthin was not what the people called themselves, but was what their neighbors called them.

Why She Matters- Okay, so... Even though the grand high source of wisdom that is Wikipedia seems to shatter the connection to the Picts and the matriarchal influence, almost all sources on the astrology of this really fascinating asteroid seem to work on that assumption. Yes, I know this opens up the door to the criticisms (sometimes extremely valid) of the field as a whole, but one of the great secrets of Astrology (and Religion. Oh, Quantum Physics too. Well, at least our understanding of them) is that the more you believe something, and the more you expect it to be or act a certain way, the more it does; right up until the moment it doesn't. Belief is power. And that is an interesting point to make on this particular one, as from a heliocentric perspective, it has a very boring orbit, with medium eccentricity, but when veiwed from our perspective on Earth, the picture changes significantly, becoming a crazy, potato-shaped orbit, and coming close enough to be considered a "second moon". So I would posit that this one deals with perception and perspective, specifically the view from the outside, not particularly one that is from the self. I have also found that this asteroid has quite a lot to do with matters of where one feels truly at home, somewhere where one can find a community that understands the native. Mark Andrew Holmes expounds, saying that Cruithne indicates sense of connectedness to ethnic, regional or racial roots or to the land or earth; ethnic or racial pride; environmentalism; clinging to core identity; stigma.. Australian astrologer Heather Cameron links it to putting effort into being alluring; acting too good for someone. Others link it to brands, tattoos or piercing. There may also be something to do with a connection to Druidry, natural energies and mysticism of that type.

To find out where she shows up in your chart, go to astro.com, put in your birth details and in the extended options, all the way at the bottom, there will be a menu of additional objects.  Under that is a blank space where you can enter the number 3753, for Cruithne.  Once you have it entered, generate the chart!  Where does Cruithne affect your life? Post it below in the comments!

Mars Retrograde- Long Way Home

NA_Biketour_2009_208 by Jole Kiraly, CCL

Effective date: April 17th - June 29th (Shadow period from June 29th through August 23rd)

“If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.” - David Livingstone

Helios Says: BRRAAAAAP!! BRAAAAAAP!! Hear that? That's the alarm ringing, early as shit and you were out partying the house down last night. That is how we're starting this one, all right!

Oh, and you're late.

Mars is making a strategic retreat out of Sagittarius, stuffing his suitcases as best he can, trying to get out of Vegas before casino security makes it up to his penthouse suite to collect on his severe debt, the size of several Balkan states' worth of GDP (I'm good for it you guys, I swear!!). Unfortunately, with his back against the wall, 40 stories up, he only has one place to go- back into Scorpio. Yes, everyone's favorite, blood-curdling torture den, the stagnant underworld he once called home.

This is the best news you will have all week. You see, apart from being where all the good stuff is (sex, passion, other peoples money, and not to mention all the riches of the earth [apart from oil, which Pisces gets for some reason. Go figure]), Scorpio gives one wonderful, uncomfortable and usually unwanted, yet still completely vital gift: The Truth; the Scorpio truth is one that hides nothing- it is the naked truth. Scorpio will expose the falsehoods, allowing you to take action.

Yes, you read that right; this is not going to be a sit-on-your-ass retrograde, oh no! You will need to make moves, and you will need to make them now, at the least opportune moment. You see, you are already feeling this. You are seeing the truth right NOW, seeing that there is a great deal that is just NOT working in your life. You are not the same person that you were 6 months ago, and the strategies developed then will not serve you now. Currently, you are being overwhelmed by the enormity of how much dysfunction you are facing, and you are frozen in place. You fear losing ground, so you refuse to work with the change that has already occurred. If you do this you will waste valuable time trying to defend a beachhead that you have already lost, and you will make far less headway towards your new goals than you would have otherwise.

There is another option- give up the high ground. The marginal, quantified success that you have made at great cost to you over this last year has been hard fought, I know- But its not the way. It has come at such a cost because you were fighting the way to get here, and you thought you were overcoming the odds. You thought it was what you wanted, you thought it was for the best- You were wrong. If you can face that, and you can accept it, you can change and move forward in the right way.

You faced the call last year to throw your middle fingers up and walk the path alone, daring you yo  plunge into the unknown with no guarantees. It understandably terrified you, and you returned to safety, not knowing that you were running full-bore into a slow death, losing that precious progress that you had made. You went against your own best interest and acted against your own self-love. Of course, you didnt know this at the time- Now you do. The dysfunction you face is because of this, and it is also the solution to your problem: The areas in your life highlighted by the dysfunction you must correct by acting in your own best interest- By loving yourself first, and making the best choices accordingly, you will succeed. This will not be easy, and it will seem like you are surrendering. That is the fear mentality talking- Your fear of failure must be overcome here and now, because there is just no other way. Embrace what seems to be a failure, and fuck what everyone else thinks. Act in your own best interest, because you're going to die anyway- might as well be the one in the driver's seat!


Artemis Says: 

"You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger."  -Buddha

Talk about being on edge...  We are being told two contradictory things from this planet.  On one hand, we have the Saggo aspect urging us to move forward and start a new phase of our lives.  It is the turning of the seasons in many ways for us right now.  And then, on the other hand, Mars going into retrograde is telling us to HALT.  It's feels like we are pressing the gas and pressing the brakes at the same time.  It doesn't feel very pleasant, does it?

When Mars starts moving backwards in the sky (retrograde), we lose our vitality.  We are in the shadow period for Mars retrograde as I write this.  A looming silence is on the horizon, and it threatens to thwart all of our plans.  It is a pretty well known thing that anything initiated during Mars in retrograde will likely fizzle out.  Financial plans, new projects, romances, etc.  Mars rules sex and industry, so expect setbacks in both of these areas.  With Venus in sexfest Aries, this will bring very conflicting feelings.

Arguments are easy to come by during Mars retrograde.  Everyone is constantly a hair away from losing their shit, and the smallest things seem to annoy us.  Sounds aggravating, doesn't it?  This aspect is not only rough for your personal life, but it can create major rage fests in the political sphere as well.  With our current political climate, that doesn't sound very good.

We are going to want to change - be dying for it in fact.  But Mars is going to tell us NO.  Taurus season is coming, and we are going to need to slow the hot Aries energy.  The 4 of Swords tells us that people will withdraw and obsess (which will get even worse once the sun moves into uber obsessive Taurus).  We have a very hard full moon coming our way, and with Mars in this aspect, we are going to need to get as much healing done as possible.  This is a time to rest - both mentally and physically.  Be very delicate around those you love because the smallest annoyances can lead to giant flare ups.  Be kind to each other.  We are a long way from home and we are all we've got in this strange land.  

Cards:  The Wheel and 4 of Swords

Full Moon in Scorpio- Skeletons

Day of the Dead San Francisco 2012 by Brian B. Sorensen

This Transit takes effect on April 21, 2016.

“Way far back in the beginning of the world was the whirlwind warning that we could all be blown away like chips and cry- Men with tired eyes realize it now, and wait to deform and decay- with maybe they have the power of love yet in their hearts just the same, I just don't know what that word means anymore- All I want is an ice cream cone” -Jack Kerouac

Helios Says:  *Sigh* Life.... What is the point to it all? Does any of it matter? Why do we bother? We stumble blindly through time, cocking up everything we touch, experiencing a few fleeting moments of joy to break the monotony of the stinging misery that otherwise encircles us. None of us asked to be born, we just had all this merde thrust upon us. Sure, the grand traditions are there to try and offer us solace, a reason for being, some bullshit about learning lessons or whatnot- but the truth is no one truly knows what the point is, or what happens when we die. Our future is unclear, and our past depends on the perspective- All we know is the present, and that is suffering. 

It's not getting any better. Take each moment as it is the best on you will have to look forward to, because it gets increasingly likely that will be the case.

Artemis Says:

“With my ninth mind I resurrect my first
and dance slow to the music of my soul made new.” 
― Aberjhani, Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black

Oh gods, here comes the Scorpio full moon.  Can you think of anything more dreadful right now?  I hope you figured out how to contain that Aries fire, because you're really going to need it now.  With Saturn in retrograde, this Scorpion full moon is going to dig all of the skeletons out of our closets.  I know with some of you those things should never see the light of day, so that's kinda scary, not gunna lie.  Motherfucking GHOSTS.  They will come in the form of nightmares.  They will come in the form of anxiety.  They will come in the physical form knocking at your door.  What does Casper say?  Ghosts can't move on if they have unfinished business.  You're either going to give up and live with them in your haunted house, or you're going to become a motherfuckin' exorcist.  Your choice.  Can you dance with the devil and finish your unfinished business?

Helios Says:  The Sun and Moon- Huh. Nothing else? That's new and different. Well, what isn't different is that we are going into this one exhausted. You are questioning your life, what matters, and what doesn't. I've been telling you for some time now that you need to make choices along those lines and cut away what doesn't serve you anymore, but have you been listening? Noooooooo, you thought you could just keep stalling, didn't you? Well now you don't have any more time, and you have to make those cuts NOW or they will be made for you. You are running out of time to hide. Everything will come to light, sooner rather than later. However, you still have a few precious moments left to choose a new way forward and throw yourself down it. I heartily recommend that you do so before it is too late.

Artemis Says: The Sun in Taurus:  For the sun, I pulled the card 4 of Wands.  Back from the dead.  The Taurus sun will start shining on the sacred holiday of 4/20 *puff puff pass*.  This means that this new sun will be hit with a full moon quite fresh off the runway.  Scorpio and Taurus are opposites on the Zodiac wheel, meaning that they share a good amount of traits and then differ quite drastically in others.  They have the same sort of feel to them; like super hero and arch-villain.  They couldn't exist without each other.  Where the Scorpio moon may be haunting us about our poverty right now, the young Taurus sun is enthusiastically reminding us of our goal.  Your sun sign in astrology is the archetype you are STRIVING to become (as opposed to your moon sign, which is how you react to the world and more of your personality - it is your instinctual reactions).  We are striving toward this celebratory 4 of wands; getting exactly what we want.  Don't take your eye off the prize.  Charge at it like a bull.

The Moon in Scorpio:  For the moon, I pulled the card 5 of pentacles.  This card is all about poverty and what we learn about ourselves when we finally hit rock bottom.  When we are in desperation, we are only kept alive by the most gnawing of needs.  Dive deep, babies, clean your closets once and for all.  These things that are living here, creating weights for your wings, they must be removed before you can live a full life.  I know you're tired.  Trust me, we all are.  We have had unfinished business coming at us since Saturn started his retrograde a few weeks ago, so we should be getting our bearings right now.  You've got this, punks.  You've fought these mini bosses before, and you're still here today.  Now finish them!

Helios Says:  Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Chiron- Now this is more like it. Here, we see the real heart of the issue- You have lost your way, and have no idea where to go from here. You are afraid, and feeling nothing is much easier than facing that fear. You have been hurt, and instead of licking your wounds and stepping back out into the world, you have retreated further inside yourself, hiding from any potential to be hurt again. I tell you that you are wasting your life by allowing this to continue. Fear has you paralyzed, and it is killing you one day at a time. Your despondency has become inertia, and your ennui a crutch- Get off the couch and back into the game! You only have so many moments here, make them count. Schluff off your baggage and step lively.

Artemis Says:  Mercury in Taurus:  For Mercury, I pulled the card Temperance.   I know you're all planning, darlings.  I know, because you are listening.  I know, because I scared you enough.  What's the plan, punks?  Take your time.  Measure it out.  Get a white board and start learning alchemy.  Put the pieces together slowly.  Mercury in Taurus will help you.  Be clear with your communication.  Say things plainly.  People will be easily confused (which may work to your advantage, I don't know your life).  Things set into motion right now will take some time to manifest, but I assure you they will be stronger, more sturdy plans than anything made back in Aries.  Your Aries plans were the beta version.  It's time to solidify the real deal.

Venus in Aries:  For Venus in Aries, I pulled the card Ace of Cups.  Oh I'm so sorry, punks, this is going to be a rough one.  It's a big wave, this ace of cups, a huge huge wave of emotion.  Now we can ride this thing a few ways.  Yes, ride like a bucking ram, because that is what this thing will be!  So a lot of overwhelming emotion is rupturing the enforcement we thought were sturdy enough  It's fine, really.  All those damn skeletons coming out of the closet and all of this stress from attempting so desperately to plan for the future...  I get it, I get it, but really there are two ways to ride this experience; accept things for what they are and use this powerful emotional energy to fuel things that make you feel good, or succumb to it all and drown in your sorrows.  The cup is full.  Will you drink from it, or will you shove your face in it and drown?  Like seriously, don't be dumb.  It's always your choice.  And who drowns in a cup?

Uranus in Aries:  For Uranus in Aries, I pulled the King of Wands.  So, a challenge!  Uranus is not giving up on us.  He is warning us of what's to come and what we need to become in order to fight it.  We need to become an unashamed version of ourselves.  Eris and Uranus conjunct is coming (June 1), and it's going to be an eruption.  Uranus is also pelting our public sphere with more chaos.  What's going to happen with all of this new information coming in?  The political sphere is going to get hotter and hotter still into the summer.

Helios Says:  Mars and Neptune- And here's where that ennui is coming from. You are burying yourself, probably under work or something, distracting yourself from the real problems in your life so that you don't have to deal with them. Well, burying your head in the sand isn't going to change the fact that you are in serious trouble. You are going to need to take action, and you are going to need to do it ASAP. You will need to break free of the stagnancy you find yourself in. You will lose something you once deemed important, and may yet still, but its time has come. Cut it away from you before it drags you down into the depths. You cannot see how much damage it is doing to you, and it would do significantly less if you moved on from it. Quit trying to fix what is broken, before it breaks you too.

Artemis Says: Mars in Sagg Retrograde:  For Mars in Sagg Retrograde, I pulled 9 of Swords.  Ok, so 9 of Swords traditionally means "nightmares."  Which makes sense right now, doesn't it?  All of our energy is being drained by these nightmares.  People's fears are surfacing in the public sphere as well as privately.  There is a quite desperation going on and a lack of energy in general.  We may have had a plan and it is failing us.  That's okay.  We learned what doesn't work.  Time to get back up on that horse.  The nightmares, the unresolved business, is coming right at us.  Don't let being knocked off your horse a few times get to you.  You're still alive, aren't you?  Please don't tell me you are the type who gives up in the middle of a fight...

Neptune in Pisces:  For Neptune in Pisces, I pulled the Queen of Swords.  Well, darlings, at least we will be cutting through some of this illusion bullshit.  The world is going to seem a bit... cold right now.  Don't fret.  Keep your eye on the prize, like an oasis in the distance.  We are going to all cross this desert together.  And no matter how tired we get, we need to continue to be decisive and always choose to cut through the bullshit or it will swallow us whole.  Neptune is getting close to going into Retrograde again (June 13), so the bullshit will get easier and easier to see.  This is good news, punks!

Helios Says:  Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto- As you can see, the Super Saiyan energy has been lessened somewhat, due to Uranus separating from the pack in preparation for his date with Eris. That doesn't mean you should discount its influence, however. Right now, it is serving to isolate and insulate you, putting you in a corner by yourself, so that you can prove what you are capable of. Take advantage of your isolation, get your house in order while no one is looking. This is the time to take the steps that others would discourage you from, but the downfall is that you don't have anyone to turn to for good advice and feedback. Sure, you want to wallow in self-pity and do nothing but binge Netflix, since no one is calling you to go out to the best parties and you see the hoes hooking up and professing their love, but its far better to put the headphones on, go to the gym and get that summer body ready now while you have fewer distractions. One good habit will lead to another, and then change will follow. For the better.  

Artemis Says: Jupiter in Virgo Retrograde:  For Jupiter in Virgo Retrograde, I pulled 7 of Swords.  More bad news, babies.  This card is downright insecurity.  What do people do when they are insecure?  They start hurting themselves and those around them.  You are nitpicking at yourself.  Seriously, stop that shit!  If you look suuuper closely, you will see that your plans are actually starting to take form.  This card tells us that those little things we have been doing - the sneaking around for information or the tip toeing around our enemies - is paying off.  You're going to need to continue to have your wits about you.  It's going to take every ounce of our craftiness to get ahead right now.  We have to use the magnifying glass that is Virgo and find the little details that are going to help our big picture.  You need to believe in yourself and your intuition more than ever now. You're going to need to be clever.


Saturn in Sagg Retrograde:  For Saturn in Sagg Retrograde, I pulled the Hangman.  Saturn is reminding us that he is fucking with time right now.  Ghosts from the past are coming at us.  Reverberations from the future are smacking us in the face.  Our present is showing us how it has effected both the future and the past.  How the hell is this even happening?  Stay still.  Stay centered.  Breathe.  We can do this.  Slay one ghost at a time.

Pluto in Capricorn Retrograde:  For Pluto in in Capricorn Retrograde, I pulled the Ace of Wands.  Pluto is murdering things behind the scenes.  He is like the Freddy of our past right now.  If you so choose to let something go, Pluto will make sure you are transformed.  You have an ally right now.  The Planet of death and rebirth will work behind the scenes and pinpoint exactly what needs to die via your level of desire for the thing.  You're going to KNOW what needs to die, and subconsciously you are taking the steps to kill this thing.  Have you  noticed?  Only the things that matter most can survive right now.  It's time to transform.  It's time to choose to become a higher version of yourself so you can face what's ahead.  What are you going to choose to kill?  What's keeping you from moving forward?

One more thing on Pluto and Jupiter - the combination of the 7 of Swords and Ace of Wands tends to mean that this is the perfect time to get ahead in business.

TNO Watch- Sappho

Photo by Arianna

Artemis writes:

Yeah yeah yeah, Helios, make the lesbian write the TNO on the asteroid Sappho!  Like that’s not cliche or anything?  Eh whatever.  It’s best to write from a place of experience, no?  Well, Sappho is actually a really friggin cool asteroid that talks just as much about a person’s poetic and romantic expression as their sexual expression.

Here is why you should get to know her (and don’t lie, dudes, we all know you’re interested in this one):

THE ASTRONOMY- Dancing around the sun midway between Mars and Jupiter in our solar system’s lovely Asteroid Belt, Sappho takes 1,271.350 days to complete her orbit.  This means she muses around each Zodiac sign for about 3 months.   She is 83 Km (52 miles) in diameter and was discovered by Norman Robert Pogson on March 2, 1864, rapturously floating through Taurus (of course).  She was obviously taking in various Venusean delights, singing her poetry, playing her lyre, flipping through tumblr images and probably indulging in some vegan chocolates.

THE MYTH- So, anyway,  Sappho was known as one of the greatest poets of ancient Greece.   Dionysius of Halicarnassus called her poetry enchanting in its musical quality.  It was so melodic that even when spoken it sounded as if sung.

So, what did she write about?

Primarily angsty poetry about love, of course (must be a thing in lesbian genetics, I swear).  She especially enjoyed to sing about unrequited love and hot women (*le sigh*, who can blame her?!).  Alexandrian’s placed her on the list of 9 great lyric poets, and she was quite the celebrity during her time.  A few historians have attempted to hetero her up with male sea captain companions, but these assertions have been found to be historically incorrect.  No one can just let a hot lesbian be a hot lesbian, can they?  Her contemporary Alcaeus describes her as, "Violet-haired, pure, honey-smiling Sappho.”  In other words, she was probably pretty sexy.   She was exiled from her Lesbian shores for a while for unknown reasons, and was believed to have come back in her old age and live out the remainder of her life there.  Very few fragments of her writing remain for us today, but her notoriety in antiquity has been noted by many historians.

Sappho was dubbed a "school mistress" by the Victorians.  This claim is also inaccurate.  Instead of being a teacher, Sappho had something far better going on; a sacred following of women.  These artistic, spiritual, free loving women formed a group where "membership in the circle seems to have been voluntary, irregular and to some degree international." (Anne Pippen Burnett)  Following lesbian conventions, they were probably all banging each other's exes, but I guess let's not get stereotypical here!

Maximus of Tyre wrote, comparing Sappho to Socrates: “What else could one call the love of the Lesbian woman than the Socratic art of love? For they seem to me to have practiced love after their own fashion, she the love of women, he of boys. For they said they loved many, and were captivated by all things beautiful. What Alcibiades and Charmides and Phaedrus were to him, Gyrinna and Atthis and Anactoria were to her ...”

THE ASTROLOGY- Sappho in your chart indicates whether you have an abundance of that sultry poetic romanticism in your life (no matter the sex of the person's chart).  Do you see the world through a poet's eyes?  Do you find yourself attracted to the beauty of romance?   Do you fall hard when you fall in love?  People with strong aspects regarding Sappho are also very ardent women's rights activists; they crave the sexual freedom that all women should possess and will refuse to take a back seat in relationships.  Sappho is also an indicator of  an individual who has a way with words, and (if aspected correctly) can indicate a talent for singing and dance.

Strong aspects with Mars, Venus, Psyche, Uranus or Eros in one's chart may indicate homosexuality in an individual.  If she is strongly placed in Libra or Aquarius (or the 5th and 7th houses), one can also expect Sapphic tendencies.

In short, she is indicative of a poetic soul, how that poetic soul is expressed, and can be a strong indicator of female homosexuality if placed prevalently or aspected heavily in a woman's chart.

To find out where she shows up in your chart, go to astro.com, put in your birth details and in the extended options, all the way at the bottom, there will be a menu of additional objects.  Under that is a blank space where you can enter the number 80, for Sappho.  Once you have it entered, generate the chart!  Where does Sappho affect your life?

Ceres in Aries- Kakodyl

Hot - Ashlea Louise - Great British Tattoo Show 2014, London by Darren Johnson/ iDJPhotography, CCL

Effective date of transit: 4/15-7/18/16

“There’s a tendency to mistake preparation for productivity. You can prepare all you want, but if you never roll the dice you’ll never be successful.” ~ Shia LaBeouf

Helios ASTROLOGICAL reading of Ceres in Aries- Look at that woman up there. She is confident as shit, swallowing a flaming stick, in nothing but (very provocative) lingerie, showing herself and her awesome tattoos. God, I think I'm in love... Anyway, this is your role model for Ceres in Aries- Be bloody, bold and resolute! (laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm MacBeth! [Sorry, can't help myself. Grew up more on a stage than in a house, and always had a special place for the Scottish Play- That line is burned into my memory. Its even a much used tag here! Go on, click it- you know you want to!])

Now, while Ceres was in Pisces, you were beat down pretty hard. Shit got heaped on you over and over again, and now you are buried under it, defeated and reeking to high heaven. You didn't know what to do to get out from under it or how to go about doing it, so you were paralyzed. You gave up, and let it happen. You did what you had to do to get through- You have to forgive yourself for that, stop tormenting yourself over the past; it is set in stone and done (well, not from a non-linear quantum/multiverse perspective, but still)- you have the present to worry about.

This transit is a major shift in the energy. This is what you need. This is where you start to stand up, shake off the merde, and get the fuck out of the quagmire you have become stuck in. This is action, this is unapologetic candor and unleashing the awesome that you have held back. If you wait to do so you will suffocate and die under your own guilt and regret. Do not allow that to happen- and make no mistake, indolence now is equivalent to suicide. Do not resist the flow by staying stuck where you are- Get out NOW, consequences be damned. Get to where you need to be to succeed. If you can't make it happen right this second, start planning ASAP. No one is coming to do it for you. No one else gives a shit. Go do it yourself or it WILL NOT GET DONE.

Let me regale you with a story that is not that well known about Ceres/Demeter. Now, if you have the faintest idea who she is, you probably know her from her supporting role in the Original Lifetime Movie that is the Persephone saga, but what if I told you that she had her own adventures while she was wandering the earth, looking for her lost daughter? WELL SHE DID. The one in particular I want to discuss is the Demophon story, aka the Elusian Mystery Cult.

Abridged version- Persephone flees is abducted from her extremely overprotective Mother who abandoned her in a random field. Persephone is taken to the underworld, to be Hades' bride, but no one but Helios and Hecate seem to know what happened and they refuse to speak because Zeus arranged this and swore them to silence. Ceres rants to Zeus, and refuses to allow the crops to grow, and all life on earth is threatened while she goes wandering the earth to find Persephone. In her wanderings, just as she is about to give up, she takes a break at Elusis, where she meets the queen, who just so happens to need a nursemaid for her son, Demophon. Demophon is sick, and Ceres takes care of him while his parents run the country or whatever. Now, they are kind of nice to her, so she decides to repay them by making Demophon immortal, because that's just something she can sort of do I guess... She takes him off of people food and feeds him solely Nectar and Ambrosia, the food and drink of the gods, which gives them their strength and immortality [partially]. The other part of the immortality process is a bit trickier though...  She plunges the poor kid into a blazing fire nightly, burning away his mortality. One night, as she was almost done with the process, the queen barges in, and understandably flips her shit, sending Ceres into one of her now-famous tirades. Meanwhile, Demophon gets left in the fire too long, and he burns to death, which of course Ceres blames on the queen for being a shitty parent. Right around this time Helios and Zeus decide its a good idea for a reunion between mother and daughter, and send Mercury off to facilitate it, leading to more wacky underworld hi-jinks and shenanigans, but before she leaves she teaches agriculture to a random kid, saving Greece and humanity from dying out the next time an insane, grief stricken mother goddess ravages the earth out of pettiness.

Even though he dies at the end, Demophon finds life as a central figure in the Elusian Mystery cult, a religion focused on life, death, rebirth ad the underworld. They believed this story (along with other secrets they held) could provide clues as to the method Ceres used to make Demophon immortal, so that they could do it themselves.

Ceres can burn away the impurities in you and raise you up higher than you ever dreamed. All you have to do is let her.

Artemis' TAROT reading of Ceres in Aries

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”  ― Benjamin Franklin


Ceres is the mother.  According to myth, her mourning of Proserpina's return to the underworld is what brings us the cycle of the seasons; and therefore she is also the ruler of the great cycles in our life.  When floating through the arena of Aries, she becomes a fierce mother who teaches through action and fosters independence.  

Ceres in Aries is my personal natal position for the great mother, so her dark mama approach is very familiar to me.  She doesn’t take shit, she will push you into the deep end of the pool so you have no choice but to learn how to swim, and she will test you at every turn.  This is how a Ceres in Aries person teaches and this is how they learn.  Ceres in Aries will make sure that we are ready for this next step in our journey, and she will be our partner in crime along the way.  People ruled by this energy to not sit well with being told how to do just about anything.  They are happy to take suggestions and advice, but in the end you must KNOW that it is their choice what they do with their life.  And they want the same for you.

What does that mean for us?  Well, it means that a time is coming where we are going to start standing up for the things we want - no matter what other people might think of them.  That's a pretty amazing energy.  

For this ingress, I pulled The Sun crossed by The Hangman.  The rune that will clarify the energy is Hagalaz (hailstorm).  It’s time to grow up.  It’s time to regain our independence and our ability to drive our own fucking life.  We are familiar with all of the things we need to tackle and all of the things we need to get rid of in order to start our new life.  At our center, we know what we need to do, and we're finally ready to do it.  Something is urgently whispering, "There is no time like right now!"  You will finally have the drive to start taking action and pushing yourself, and those you care for, into more expressed versions of yourselves. 

The way toward thriving is to get up and take what you need.  Inaction and suspended ego are not going to work for you right now.  The Hangman is water, he is stillness, he is quietly peering into the next dimension.  He is willingness to let go of the ego, and he is not boding well for our ego infused happy sun energy that is trying to shine out.  Sometimes we need the ego.  Sometimes we really need it to puff us up and give us power to actually manifest shit in our lives.  Put yourself out there!

Because Ceres is entering Aries, I get a feeling that we are all being re-born as a new version of ourselves.  We are infants in this new stage, feeling out how to use our brand new powers.  The best way?  Ceres in Aries says just DO.  Play.  Act.  Take initiative and dive in.  It doesn't matter if you have a plan or not - do something.  It's the only way to learn how you need to proceed from here.

Compete playfully with your friends (this will be a great way to recharge during this period).  Look at the things in your life with child-like eyes.  This sense of independence and curiosity is exactly what we will need in order to keep afloat with the wacky energies coming our way the next few months.  Don’t fear.  Ceres in Aries doesn’t have time for fear in the midst of doing.  We WILL do this, and we will do this together.  The real question is...  Can you keep up?

TAROT READING:  The Sun CROSSED BY The Hangman

RUNE:  Hagalaz