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Your Chart Data

Name: Julia Roberts
Date: Oct 28, 2020
Time: 12:16:00 AM EDT +04:00
Place: Smyrna,GA
084W30'52" 033N53'02

Sky Log
Steven Forest

Traditional astrologers "make predictions." Often they are correct. But right or wrong, "predictions" turn you into a marionette, with the planets holding your strings. And in my opinion, that is not a very inspiring description of the way the cosmos works, nor a very accurate one. You are vastly more powerful than that. You can, to a great extent, shape your own life. That at least is my belief. The future isn't crystallized. It's a wavering, quivering web of possibilities. How will they manifest? Much depends upon how you wield the magical wild card we call your freedom.

So, what's the use of astrology? In a nutshell, it can help you make better choices. The planets never give a definitive answer to the question "What will happen to me?" Instead, they ask the question. But they ask the question in a very specific way: "Given everything you are, all the bridges you've crossed, all the contracts you've signed, there are several possibilities for what you might do next..." In other words, "Here's the menu. What are you having?"

Question mark.

And the question mark is the most important part of the whole inquiry, because that's where the uncertainty -- and your freedom -- lies. But the planets do even more. They offer advice. In a sense, they recommend certain choices over others. They seem biased toward your evolution. They often suggest that you take the less familiar path, the one that moves you into richer fields of your own potentiality. The planets express this rather philosophical bias in a very concrete way. Typically, when you make a less energetic response to a planetary question, the results, while initially comfortable, rapidly turn painful. Sometimes the pain is immediate and dramatic, as in the collapse of an important relationship. Other times, it's more subtle, as in the degeneration of life into deadening boredom and ritual. Either way, sooner or later we know you made a wrong turn somewhere.

In the pages that follow, we will be exploring the coming months of your life from this planetary perspective. There are three parts to the report, and any or all of them may be included here, depending on which have been requested. First, the big questions. In the part of the report called THE INVITATION, we try to get that "mountain-top" perspective that enables us to make sense of the details. In THE MEANS, we turn our attention to some secondary factors that offer suggestions, help, and support in responding to those big questions. And finally, we'll look at the report period month-by-month, day-by-day, to get some ground-level insight into THE DETAILS. Your report may be for three, six, nine, or twelve months and may include any or all three sections just described. For this reason, and because some years in your life are astrologically more active than others, report length can vary quite a bit.

Throughout the following text, I'll be endeavoring to write in plain English, but if you're unfamiliar with the jargon of astrology, you'll encounter a few words that may require definition. A "transiting" planet, for example, refers to the actual, current position of that planet in the sky. Sometimes the transiting planets form critical geometric angles with the "natal" planets in the birthchart, triggering developmental questions in your life. These critical angles are called "aspects."

The "progressed" planets function in much the same way as the transiting planets, but we approach them a little differently. They're like a script that's been built into your birthchart. Just as we know that an oak tree will emerge from an acorn and bring forth its leaves in season, similarly each person's birthchart contains within it the seeds of certain predictable developmental stages. Progressions spell out those stages.

So sit back, open your mind, and engage your heart. It's time to consider...

The Invitation

Some years loom large in our memories decades down the road; others are blurry, easily forgotten. That universal human reality is reflected in the movements of the planets -- astrologically speaking, one year is often far more significant than another, just as in life. Most of the really important celestial factors move rather slowly; thus, it's not unusual to experience a time in which none of them have gone critical, when we can calmly keep on putting one foot after the other, on "cruise control."

Well, for you this is definitely not that kind of year. Something truly pivotal is occurring...

Tr. Neptune is Square Sun
In effect: in progress - Feb 20, 2020
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.

The planet Neptune is presently tinting and shading your biography, adding its dreamlike quality to the existential stew. Close your eyes; there's a world in there. That's Neptune, the planet of consciousness itself. Now open your eyes. There's a world out there too, and it's hard to ignore it. In fact, the outer world has become so pressing in its demands that you've partly lost contact with the inner one. But Neptune, transiting through sensitive territories for you now, is fixing that. Your inner world is so full it's brimming over, overflowing its banks into your daily life. If you resist the process, you'll find a host of Neptune problems plaguing you: losing the car keys, forgetting to pay the electric bill, having the attention span of a three-year-old on a sugar jag. But there's an alternative: trust the process. Slow down. Meditate. Let the images come. Moult opinions. Breathe in, breathe out. Why? Because your unconscious mind has a message for you. It has to do with the possibility of happiness for you over the next few years, about how old sources of joy are drying up and -- critically -- about new ones you must learn to recognize. How do you receive the message? You stop resisting. You simply let it in. That's Neptune in the broad sense. How is it effecting you specifically? Neptune is square your natal Sun: sometime before the report period..

Our initial step is to realize that the action and the developmental invitation are manifesting in the Seventh House, for that's the region of your birthchart through which Neptune is currently passing. This informs us that you have come to a turning point in your biography, but one whose successful navigation depends upon your receptivity to counsel, or more simply, your willingness to let another person influence you. "Soulmates" will appear at critical junctions. Recognize them through their resemblance to Neptune, which we just described. But what's the core issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to the Sun, which is being invited into development by the advent of these pivotal people.

The Sun, as astronomers tell us, is the center of the solar system. Everything spins around it. With its enormous gravity, the Sun holds the entire system together. In a parallel way, the astrological Sun represents the gravitational center of your personality. Your ego. Your identity. The part of you that gets up in the morning and, without even a single sip of coffee, knows its name, rank, and serial number. Those same astronomers inform us that without the Sun's radiant energy, life as we understand it would cease to exist. Again, astrological meaning follows astronomical fact: the Sun symbolizes that spark of life inside you, your elemental vitality. Enthusiasm, energy, recuperative powers -- all these are solar themes. Thus, when the natal Sun is triggered in an important way, two critical questions come up for review: who are you, and what really makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?

Maintaining a healthy relationship with the force of the Sun is particularly central to your well-being in one key area: the Fourth House, which is where the Sun happened to be located when you took your first breath in Smyrna,GA. There, in the domain of home and hearth and also of emotional and psychological processes, a strong response to this planet forges in you a clear sense of who you are and what you want. Happiness has different sources for different people. For you, much of it comes from experiences connected to the Sun, as we just portrayed it. Claim them! Always sound advice -- but how you go about claiming them is currently evolving, partly as a result of changing external circumstances.

The aspect connected with the astrological process we're investigating here is the square, as we have seen. The square, traditionally characterized as an unfortunate aspect, describes a geometric angle of 90 degrees between the natal planet and the moving trigger. To call squares "bad" is misleading. More accurately, they are compelling. In the area of your life we're considering, a terrific friction has arisen. It's not comfortable, but it is an extremely effective motivator. The trick in using the energy creatively lies in moving decisively -- determining precisely what you want, claiming it, and letting the rest go. A season of tough choices is upon you. Regarding the process we described in the previous paragraphs, there are costs involved in all the courses available to you...the most costly, for all concerned, being the course of indecision.

What we've considered above is the underpinning of this phase of your life. It's truly elemental material -- the stuff of which milestones are made. There's no guarantee that astrological forces of such magnitude will be activated for everyone all the time. What follows is an analysis of some slightly less portentous dimensions of your astrological picture...less portentous, but still powerful enough to qualify as part of this year's "Invitation."

Try to see what follows in the light of all that's gone before...

Tr. Saturn is Opposite Mercury
In effect: Mar 6, 2020 - Mar 26, 2020
Peak Date(s): Mar 16, 2020

The planet Saturn is currently casting a gray light on your circumstances -- but is it the bleak gray of sorrow or the clear, comforting gray of wisdom and digested experience? That's the choice. Saturn is classically viewed as the "bad" planet, the "Greater Malefic." Don't believe it! Used correctly, its transits can bring dignity and self-respect. Essentially, Saturn is about maturity. The part of your life that's being touched by the Saturnian energies needs to grow up...which, despite the lies we're all told, is not a process one mysteriously completes on one's twenty-first birthday. There is an area of your life where you have simply outgrown yourself, at least inwardly. The task now is to adjust your outward circumstances to reflect the maturity you've already attained psychically and invisibly. It is a material problem, not fundamentally a psychological one. To succeed, there is first a need to face reality squarely, even if it's unsavory. Then to make a hard choice...that is, to reach an emotional bottom line and not be crippled by your awareness of the ambiguities in your situation. And finally, in a spirit of commitment, persistence, and self-discipline, to claim those circumstances in your life which reflect the hard inner work you've been doing over the last few years. That's Saturn in general. Specifically, Saturn is opposite your natal Mercury: Mar 16, 2020.

Currently Saturn is steering a course through your Tenth House. That's the traditional "House of Career," and any planet passing through that part of your natal chart suggests that external developmental pressures are now arising which have the effect of modifying your place in the world. Something is brewing in your profession or vocation, or in your social status -- the way you look to people who don't really know you very well. What is it? We can't say exactly, but to respond optimally to the potentials and challenges built into this event, you'll need to act according to the spirit of Saturn, as we just described it. But what's the core issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to Mercury, which is being invited into development by these professional or social openings.

Your quickness, your alertness, your curiosity -- those are the dimensions of your life dominated by the planet Mercury. To say that Mercury represents your intelligence is quite accurate, but it's more connected to the natural style of your intelligence: not so much how smart you are as what interests you, and how your intelligence can be employed most pleasurably and efficiently. Intimately linked to such cerebral concerns is the question of your ability to communicate, since ideally there is some relationship between speech and forethought. Thus Mercury, the traditional Messenger of the Gods, is associated with both thought and conversation. When stimulated by a passing transit or progression, Mercury tends to speed up the flow of data in your life. You learn. You listen. You speak. Often events move at a hasty pace, and there's a feeling of excitement mixed with over-extension.

Your Fourth House figured previously in this report. Now we see it triggered again -- a clue that in your present circumstances, one of the most active factors is the need for a radical clarification, in your own mind, of your personal needs and wishes. There is something inside you, something of the nature of Mercury, to which you must be true if you are to be happy. And it is now under accelerating developmental pressure. Some of this process may even involve some re-definition of your role in your family, broadly defined.

When Mercury mingles with Saturn, a thoughtful, reflective perspective enters the mind. This is a season of earnest study, of necessary but often rather plodding kinds of work. A precise, careful, conservative approach generally produces the best results. And, present cultural mythology aside, the cultivation of a degree of calculated pessimism often helps one evade costly blunders as these two planets interact.

The geometric angle or "aspect" involved in the process we are studying is, as we said, the opposition. Not surprisingly, this suggests that the natal planet and the moving one are 180 degrees apart. Tension is thus woven into the spirit of this period of your life. The two forces we described are polarized, which often translates emotionally into a feeling of being damned if you do, and damned if you don't. How can you break the logjam? Recognize that any impossibilities you are experiencing in this area probably arise from an incomplete or biased perspective. The opposition aspect always calls for a leap into a new, more accepting level of consciousness. Something is missing in your view of the problem -- and that missing link (here's the corker...) lies in the wisdom embodied by those people or situations that are now antagonizing you. It's not that they're right and you're wrong; only that the truth that can carry you beyond this impasse lies somewhere between the two positions.

Pr. Ascendant is Conjunct Moon
In effect: Mar 18, 2020 - continuing
Peak Date(s): sometime after the report period.

"Style" -- the word, even if you're a very stylish individual, conveys something rather superficial and transitory. Yet none of us can avoid it: all of us, from the chic Parisian model to the most homespun field hippie, radiate style. It's the inevitable outward expression of our inner processes. If we didn't have style, no one would know we were here. Astrologically, your style is symbolized by the Ascendent, which is simply the sign that was rising in the east at the time you were born...or the sign that was "dawning" -- which is a good way to say it, because the Ascendent represents how you "dawn" on people: the first impression you make, the way you initially, spontaneously present yourself. Like every other aspect of your being, your style must evolve for you to avoid becoming stagnant. And that process is represented by your progressed ascendent, which is currently making some delicate transitions.

Often the changes we make under this kind of astrological influence have to do with very simple things: the kinds of clothes we wear, our way of speaking, hairstyle, body posture, our "manners." It's important to get the changes right, even though they are basically superficial adjustments. Why? Picture this: you're spending the evening with an old friend whom you've not seen for many years. Reflexively, unconsciously, you drift back into playing your old role. How do you feel? A little distant from yourself? Vaguely phony? The word "goofy" comes to mind. Now, imagine the evening stretched into weeks, months, years. That is the pitfall you are invited to avoid this year! The changes you've been creating in your deep psyche, all those profound realizations and insights you've been generating, must be translated into the surface of your character...into style. Authenticity is the aim. Succeed, and you'll feel more at ease with yourself, more spontaneous, and more comfortable in the social situations that occupy so many of the hours of our lives.

Let's first understand that the action is in the First House, for that's where the Ascendant is currently located in your chart. And what does that tell you? That the circumstances driving your development, at least in terms of this particular configuration, have to do with the choices you make and how you present yourself. Be assertive; take responsibility. You have considerable power in this situation. To use it well, act in the spirit of the Ascendant, as we just described it. But what's the issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that question, we turn our attention to the Moon, which is being invited into development during this new beginning in your life.

How is the progressed Ascendent currently touching you? It is conjunct your natal Moon: sometime after the report period.. In thinking about this, remember that progressions are slow-moving events and that the action simply peaks then; it will be in effect throughout the period of this report.

The natal Sun -- that, as we have seen, refers to the very core of your being: your identity.

Good things in general come your way when you make a positive response to the Moon. But one area has always been prominent in that regard -- the Second House, where the Moon lies in your birthchart. There, in the area of providing yourself with a real basis for self-confidence, the optimal use of that energy is most critical. Sometimes it comes down to seeing to it that you have enough money. Other times, provisions, proper tools, or even skills are the focus. Always the key here is to recognize the intimate link between personal resources and personal assurance.

As we mentioned, the aspect involved in the event we just described is the conjunction, which refers to a precise alignment between the natal planet and the moving trigger. Thus, the process emphasizes fusion, integration, and synthesis. Of all the possible aspects, the conjunction is the most intense. The explosion rattles your outward circumstances; but it originates inside you, and puts you in the driver's seat. It is appropriate for you to claim some new level of power, of self-expression, and of autonomy. If you don't, no one will do it for you; and the opportunity will evaporate.

Pr. Ascendant aligns with the Second House cusp
Date: Mar 28, 2020 - Continuing

We spoke of your progressed Ascendent earlier. As you may recall, it represents your outward, visible style as it evolves over the course of years. The critical idea is that the way you hold your body, the clothes you favor, the tone of your voice and the nature of your vocabulary...all these qualities, while "superficial," must develop apace with your inner life. Your progressed Ascendent, as we saw above, is currently going through some major transformations, but our picture is not yet complete -- it's active in another way as well.

What is so critical about your progressed Ascendent? It enters the Second: Mar 28, 2020. Since the Ascendent typically takes decades to progress through a house, this signifies that your entire style is shifting, and that the tone of your self-expression will be reflecting the symbolism of the Second for a long time to come. Let's investigate it.

The Second House -- you may recall we encountered it earlier in the report. Again we see it stimulated, this time through the entry of the Ascendant into it. A quick reminder: originally the "House of Money," the Second House embraces the whole question of your resources at every level and reflects the attitude of confidence, or lack of it, that flows from your assessment of how well-equipped you are to face the challenges on your path. You need some new tools now, and they have the nature of the Ascendant.

The Means

If you happen to have a cold on the day you win the lottery, will that taint your memory of the big event? Probably not. Ten years later, you will have forgotten your runny nose. Ten minutes later, more likely.

Life and memory work that way. We prioritize certain kinds of events, experiencing them more vividly and remembering them far longer than the trivial and the predictable. The details of a typical Monday morning aren't going to last as long in the memory banks as images of your moment of glory or your darkest hour.

In exactly the same way, not all astrological events have the same impact. What we have considered so far are all first-string milestones in your life. The rest of what we'll be considering is less central -- but that's not to say unimportant. What follows is a set of supplementary transits and progressions, presented chronologically. They're not quite as profound in their implications as what we've seen, but they're not without emotional and existential consequences. If what we have explored in the previous pages can be viewed as an evolutionary invitation, then, to that lofty end, what follows is....

"The Means"

As you'll see, each of these events stands as significant in its own right. But their deepest meanings lie in the way they interact with what we've considered in the pages above, enhancing and sometimes complicating the broader developmental patterns.

Cards on the table: you can skim the next several pages and, I think, learn some things about the coming months that will prove prophetic...and more importantly, helpful. But the real magic lies in putting all the pieces together, synthesizing them in your heart into an emotional whole -- just like you've done with, say, memories of a special summer long ago. No computer can do that for you.

Your own creativity, your own reflections on the material we're covering, your own translations, additions, corrections, amendments, and meditations -- these are what make the difference.

Let's continue.

Tr. Uranus is Sextile Midheaven
In effect: in progress - Feb 20, 2020
Peak Date(s): Feb 2, 2020

The planet Uranus is presently stirring the pot of your life, and that always promises a tumultuous passage, peppered with unexpected developments and encounters. Outwardly, Uranus is the wild card, bringing unpredictable and unforeseen events into the picture. Inwardly, it signals a time of accelerated individuation...that is, a time in which who you really are and what you truly want are rapidly emerging and defining themselves. A portion of what you imagined to be your identity has, in fact, little to do with you; it is a side-effect of your social training, nothing more. And, like training wheels on a kid's bike, you are now ready to dump it. This has an unsettling effect upon not only yourself, but also those around you. Often during Uranian periods there is a distinct "changing of the guard" in our social circles; old relationships end, new ones appear. Claim your right to be yourself -- that's the essence of the transiting Uranus. Whatever it touches, changes. Trust the changes! Like a hard wind blowing the sand off a buried city, they are revealing who you actually have been all along. That's Uranus in general. Specifically, Uranus is sextile your natal Midheaven: Feb 2, 2020.

Our first step is to recognize that the events and the deeper developmental invitation are manifesting in your Seventh House -- a familiar territory, since it figured earlier in our analysis. Again the "House of Marriage" comes up, for Uranus is currently passing through it. Receptivity to other people is the centerpiece here. But to whom exactly? Recognize your "soulmates" through their resemblance to Uranus, which we just described. But what is being triggered most deeply inside you? What part of you is being called into the service of love? The answer lies with the Midheaven, which is being stimulated during this season of connection, encounters, and partnerships.

Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief -- we all play some kind of role in our community. Sometimes you're paid for it; sometimes you do it for the principle of the matter. The public "hat" you wear is symbolized by the natal midheaven. Physically, it's the highest point in your birthchart, and it corresponds to the most outward, obvious dimensions of your life: your profession, your status, your social role. When it is stimulated by a transit or a progression, you are advised of some impending evolution or revolution in your style of hat, so to speak. Much depends on the nature of the progressed or transiting planet, but certainly some adjustments must be made in your outward life to reflect more adequately those inner developments which have already taken place.

The aspect pervading the event we've just considered is, as we observed, a sextile. Technically, that refers to a geometric angle of 60 degrees between the natal planet and the moving one. Sextiles are traditionally viewed as "good" aspects. Certainly, they're exciting. There is a mood of eagerness regarding the process we're exploring here -- and that's glorious, provided you're wary of the excessive impulsiveness that sextiles sometimes breed. In any case, the spinning wheel of circumstances can be counted on to provide some fortuitous, unexpected opportunities for you during this period. You'll have to be quick to seize them, though. They're real, but they're short-lived.

Tr. Jupiter is Square Ascendant
In effect: in progress - Feb 7, 2020
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.

The planet Jupiter is currently coloring your circumstances. Before we say exactly how, let's attempt to understand the more general significance of any Jupiter event. Essentially, this is a call to recognize an opportunity. Traditional astrologers view it more starkly -- to them, it is simply the planet of luck. And that is often the case: the toast does tend to land butter-side up when Jupiter is crossing sensitive territories. But the real, evolutionary meaning lies deeper. One key is that Jupiter is future-oriented...it is concerned with bright, unexplored possibilities. Stripped to its bones, Jupiter always asks one primary question: how have you been underestimating yourself? Its transits signal a time when new opportunities come into existence, but to seize them you must recognize that you deserve them, that you are capable of rising to them, and that old deals and compromises are finished. Trust yourself, have faith in life, and go for it: that's the spirit of Jupiter. How is it affecting you? Jupiter is square your natal Ascendant: sometime before the report period..

Currently Jupiter is navigating your Tenth House. That's the traditional "House of Career," as we've already discovered, and it tells us that something of the nature of Jupiter is brewing in your profession or vocation, or in your social status. To respond optimally to the potentials and challenges built into this event, you'll need to act according to the spirit of Jupiter, as we just described it. Being true to yourself is the challenge, as is generally the case in life. But your public life, with all its superficialities and practical pressures, is perhaps the hardest place in which to live up to that ideal. To succeed here, pay special attention to the Ascendant, which is being invited into development during this time of professional or public reorientation.

Like the rest of us, you are a complicated, paradoxical individual, full of contradictions and undercurrents. That's human. But another part of being human is that, like the rest of us, you need to get out of bed in the morning and put on a streamlined, simplified social mask that allows you to function in the social beehive. There's no way that you can have a truly intimate relationship with every face you see in your daily life, nor would you likely want such connections. So we all keep much of what we really are behind our astrological Ascendant, which symbolizes that mask. Physically, it is simply the sign that was dawning in the east at the instant of your birth...and symbolically it represents how you "dawn" on people who don't know you very well. When triggered by a passing transit or progression, the Ascendant signals the need to make some adjustments in the way you present yourself in the social world, so that your outer appearance remains reasonably aligned with who you have become inwardly. The work is superficial; which is not to say unimportant. Often it has to do with changing how you hold your body, the way you speak, and the clothes you wear.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a square -- traditionally seen as a "bad" aspect, but more accurately seen as simply frictional. Squares generally suggest tough choices, external pressures, and at least some stress.

Tr. Jupiter is Trine Jupiter
In effect: Feb 16, 2020 - Feb 28, 2020
Peak Date(s): Feb 22, 2020

Jupiter figured earlier in this analysis. Now we meet it again. As you may recall, this is the planet of possibilities and the seizing of opportunities. Jupiter currently is trine your natal Jupiter. The action peaks Feb 22, 2020.

Currently Jupiter is navigating your Tenth House. That's the traditional "House of Career," as we've already discovered, and it tells us that something of the nature of Jupiter is brewing in your profession or vocation, or in your social status. To respond optimally to the potentials and challenges built into this event, you'll need to act according to the spirit of Jupiter, as we just described it. Being true to yourself is the challenge, as is generally the case in life. But your public life, with all its superficialities and practical pressures, is perhaps the hardest place in which to live up to that ideal. To succeed here, pay special attention to Jupiter, which is being invited into development during this time of professional or public reorientation.

Hope and faith are essential to sanity. Without at least a few bright dreams and expansive goals, a person grows flat and dull...becomes a time-server. The same can be said for self-confidence: we need it. And even if such assurance sometimes crosses the line into a sprinkle of arrogance, that's less troubling and limiting than sitting around afraid to take any risks at all. There is a gambler's circuit in your psyche that understands these notions perfectly well. Astrologers call it Jupiter. When stimulated by a passing transit or progression, it encourages you to extend yourself further into your world, to bet on yourself, and to recognize emerging opportunities. Be wary at the same time that you don't settle for glitter when gold may be just around the corner.

Your Second House came up earlier; now we see it stimulated again, once more suggesting that the deepest, most essential factors in the situation we're considering all hinge upon your personal resources and the resultant feelings of self-confidence and legitimacy that they engender. And what are the natures of the resources most pivotal to this self-esteem building process? A large part of the answer lies with Jupiter, a planet whose basic skills, tools, and connections always figure critically in your efforts to improve yourself or your position.

When Jupiter interacts with its own natal position, as we see here, speculation and possibility arise. There is something available to you now which was not available before. It comes at least partly as a gift, or as what the world would call "blind luck." In fact, a more subtle law is in operation here: you've crafted a position of opportunity for yourself over the years. Now is the time to harvest it.

As we said, the aspect involved in the event we just described is the trine, which refers to a 120 degree angle between the natal planet and the moving one. Trines are traditionally viewed as positive aspects, and in fact they generally do correlate with opportunities. Additionally, their existence implies that support is available to you, if you are willing to move to claim it. And therein lies the rub with the so-called "good" aspects. They're not very dynamic. Just as pain is a more powerful motivator than contentment, the trick with trines lies in taking advantage of them before the wheel turns and their potential vanishes. With regard to the developments we described in the previous few paragraphs: a door is now open, a red carpet rolled out...but don't count on everything remaining that way forever.

Pr. Mars is Trine Uranus
In effect: in progress - Feb 26, 2020
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.

Two cats are discussing which cat rules the world. You've seen them...they glare at each other, inches apart, switching their tails. As soon as one of them flinches, the chase is on. The other cat lunges; the flincher flees. The curious thing is that the next day they might easily reverse roles, the pursuer becoming the pursued. Those cats give us an abject lesson in the ways of the planet Mars. Each of us, deep in our mammal-programming, contains a pair of primal behavioral routines: Fight and Flight. Dominance and Submission. Hunter and Prey. When the progressed Mars hits sensitive astrological territory, as it is doing for you currently, you are offered a choice: will you be courageous, or will you get hurt? It's raw and rough, and usually rather black and white.

Psychologically, the archetype that you're working with this year is that of the spiritual warrior. In that archetype, there may be violence, but no love of violence. There is skill with the "sword," but no love for the sword. Those who respond weakly to the challenges of the progressed Mars generally experience some kind of victimization: they are exploited, or abused, or get themselves into some kind of "accident." They often become depressed. But all that is quite optional! The higher road is to claim your courage. Assertiveness is always necessary, as is boundary-setting -- and boundary-defending. In some part of your life, you must learn to say "Enough!" Mars is linked to our ability to desire. When it progresses to a sensitive point, you are invited to claim what you want. But that claiming, however legitimate, calls for considerable intestinal fortitude.

Our initial step is to realize that the action and the developmental invitation are manifesting in the Seventh House, for that's the region of your birthchart through which Mars is currently passing. This informs us that you have come to a turning point in your biography, but one whose successful navigation depends upon your receptivity to counsel, or more simply, your willingness to let another person influence you. "Soulmates" will appear at critical junctions. Recognize them through their resemblance to Mars, which we just described. But what's the core issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to Uranus, which is being invited into development by the advent of these pivotal people.

How is the progressed Mars currently touching you? It is trine your natal Uranus: sometime before the report period.. In thinking about this, remember that progressions are slow-moving events and that the action simply peaks then; it will be in effect throughout the period of this report.

There's a wild card in everyone, a rebellious, independent, free-spirited force that hates neckties and phony courtesies and all the slick moves that keep corporations and families from splitting apart. Astrologers call it Uranus. Stripped to its essence, this part of your astrological psyche is concerned primarily with the process of individuation, which boils down to whittling away all the parts of yourself which have arisen almost accidentally as side effects of your social background. When stimulated by transits or progressions, Uranus triggers your rebellions. It asks you to shed something unauthentic, unreal, or limiting in your life. Often it brings lightning-quick developments and unexpected circumstances. Almost always, there is a confrontation between you and some figure of authority, past or present.

It's helpful, of course, for you to embrace the power of Uranus positively in all departments of your life. But ever since you were born, one area has always stood out in that regard -- the Third House, which is where Uranus was located when you took your first breath in Smyrna,GA. There, in the area of communication, that energy is most critical. What you say, how clearly you express it, and how well you are heard are the issues currently experiencing developmental pressure. Finding your voice and using it are basic spiritual concerns for you; now they are being invited to take a quantum leap.

When Mars colludes with Uranus, a kind of personal revolution is in the air. Emotionally, an atmosphere of tension and annoyance often arises. Behind the smokescreen, a ragged but positive developmental process is unfolding: over the years, you have surrendered far too much of your autonomy and individuality. That's hurt you, and you're justifiably angry about it, even though it's at least partly your own "fault." So: don't just get mad...Get free! Express yourself. Claim what is yours. And let the chips fall where they may.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a trine -- traditionally seen as a "good" aspect, but more accurately seen as simply enhancing or supportive. Generally speaking, with trines there is an opportunity...but to seize it, you must supply the initiative.

Tr. Jupiter is Trine Mars
In effect: Mar 1, 2020 - Mar 11, 2020
Peak Date(s): Mar 6, 2020

Jupiter figured earlier in this analysis. Now we meet it again. As you may recall, this is the planet of possibilities and the seizing of opportunities. Jupiter currently is trine your natal Mars. The action peaks Mar 6, 2020.

Currently Jupiter is navigating your Tenth House. That's the traditional "House of Career," as we've already discovered, and it tells us that something of the nature of Jupiter is brewing in your profession or vocation, or in your social status. To respond optimally to the potentials and challenges built into this event, you'll need to act according to the spirit of Jupiter, as we just described it. Being true to yourself is the challenge, as is generally the case in life. But your public life, with all its superficialities and practical pressures, is perhaps the hardest place in which to live up to that ideal. To succeed here, pay special attention to Mars, which is being invited into development during this time of professional or public reorientation.

Sheer animal vitality -- that's Mars. In your natal chart, it represents your boldness and your pluckiness: what gets your blood flowing. Or boiling. All passions are linked to Mars. Anger and your ability to defend your boundaries are part of the picture. So is your inner fire -- your enthusiasm, your intensity, your sexual desire. When triggered by a passing transit or progression, Mars often signals a "go for it" situation developing in your life, but to make the best of it, you'll need to be brave and assertive. Such transits or progressions can also warn you of upcoming battles, and in general it's wiser to seize the initiative rather than surrender your power to the whimsies of circumstance.

Sustaining steady contact with the energy of Mars, always good for you, now figures especially prominently in one critical dimension of your life: the Sixth House, which is where Mars lies in your birthchart. What themes or issues come to the fore here? Responsibilities, duties, and the fulfillment of your commitments. But before we start sounding too much like the Boy Scout Handbook, let's remember that the pivotal issue of the Sixth House lies in recognizing the exact nature of your proper obligations, and not letting yourself be cowed into signing up for boring, self-sacrificial martyrdoms that are none of your business anyway. Clarifying the exact location of the thin line between humility and humiliation is on the front burner for you now. One rule of thumb: when your duties have the flavor of Mars, you're on the right track.

When Jupiter energies interact with Mars energies, opportunity coincides with the need for assertiveness. There is something here for you to claim; but to succeed, you'll have to be brave. A "paper tiger" figures somehow in the situation: something that's not nearly as scary as it may initially appear.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a trine -- traditionally seen as a "good" aspect, but more accurately seen as simply enhancing or supportive. Generally speaking, with trines there is an opportunity...but to seize it, you must supply the initiative.

Tr. Jupiter is Opposite Sun
In effect: Mar 2, 2020 - Mar 12, 2020
Peak Date(s): Mar 7, 2020

Jupiter figured earlier in this analysis. Now we meet it again. As you may recall, this is the planet of possibilities and the seizing of opportunities. Jupiter currently is opposite your natal Sun. The action peaks Mar 7, 2020.

Currently Jupiter is navigating your Tenth House. That's the traditional "House of Career," as we've already discovered, and it tells us that something of the nature of Jupiter is brewing in your profession or vocation, or in your social status. To respond optimally to the potentials and challenges built into this event, you'll need to act according to the spirit of Jupiter, as we just described it. Being true to yourself is the challenge, as is generally the case in life. But your public life, with all its superficialities and practical pressures, is perhaps the hardest place in which to live up to that ideal. To succeed here, pay special attention to the Sun, which is being invited into development during this time of professional or public reorientation.

The natal Sun -- that, as we have seen, refers to the very core of your being: your identity.

Your Fourth House figured previously in this report. Now we see it triggered again -- a clue that in your present circumstances, one of the most active factors is the need for a radical clarification, in your own mind, of your personal needs and wishes. There is something inside you, something of the nature of the Sun, to which you must be true if you are to be happy. And it is now under accelerating developmental pressure. Some of this process may even involve some re-definition of your role in your family, broadly defined.

When the Sun interacts with Jupiter, claim some applause for yourself. Healthy pride and dignity are at stake here, and they're hard to sustain without receiving some appreciation. It may just come to you; but if not, then don't be shy about asking for it...and one of the best ways to do that is to insist upon a victory, the more colorful the better. The good news is that under this kind of astrological configuration, such a victory is in fact quite available to you now.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by an opposition, which suggests some kind of tension or tug-of-war between them. You are asked to adjust your position, to adapt to the demands of the world around you, and to find a middle-ground between the various opposing needs and values.

Pr. Mercury is Sextile Pluto
In effect: Mar 25, 2020 - continuing
Peak Date(s): sometime after the report period.

"Living in reality" may be a noble ideal, but it's not a very realistic one. "Reality" is notoriously elusive: ask any quantum physicist. The world "out there" and the world in which we actually live -- the one we construct in our heads -- have only a tangential relationship. All of us, you included, peer at the universe through the heavy filters of our own personal biases, interests, and appetites. As they say in India, "When the pickpocket meets the saint, he sees pockets." Thus, we're always in an awkward position: we navigate our bodies around the real world based on a map we carry between our ears. And the two are not in perfect accord. Sometimes when we imagine ourselves to be going to Oregon and we wind up in New Jersey -- translated, sometimes we blunder, sincerely imagining ourselves to be making a brilliant move. All because our map was wrong.

Clearly, one of life's primary tasks is the constant updating of our interior map. And that's Mercury-work. Mercury: the ancient "Messenger of the Gods," the planet of learning, thinking, speaking, and listening. Gradually our inner map evolves -- and that evolution is measured and guided by the progressed mercury. When it comes to a sensitive zone, we are asked to change our minds...which is much easier to say than to do. Always, it involves letting go of some previously-defended position, letting in new and often unsettling information. In this Mercury-intensive period of your life, your greatest allies are curiosity, open-mindedness, and flexibility -- and your worst enemy is dogmatic rigidity. Another word, by the way, for dogmatic rigidity is consistency. And that's something we often value. For now, however, think of consistency in less flattering terms; think of it as your right to be no smarter next year than you were last year.

First we must recognize that the action and the developmental pressures are rooted in the Fourth House, for that's the region of your birthchart through which Mercury is currently passing. Immediately that realization places our attention on two fundamental areas: The first is your home and family, which may well be making their needs felt now in the "key" of Mercury. And the second, often confused by the first, is your own happiness and that deep soul-feeling inside yourself to which you must be true if your life is to stay on course. Under this kind of stimulation, a person often benefits from considering his or her deepest beliefs and attitudes from a conventional psycho-therapeutic perspective -- which in essence is to say, "Figure out what mom and dad taught you," and drop what is no longer consistent with your own course. But what's the issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to Pluto, which is being invited into development by these familial and emotional pressures.

How is the progressed Mercury currently touching you? It is sextile your natal Pluto: sometime after the report period.. In thinking about this, remember that progressions are slow-moving events and that the action simply peaks then; it will be in effect throughout the period of this report.

Everyone has fears. Everyone has shames and wounded places. In you and me and everyone else, there are marks left by the times we've been lied to, abandoned, used, or exploited. It's not the world's cheeriest subject, but turning away only empowers those Plutonian hurts, gives them more latitude to influence your life. When your natal Pluto is triggered by a passing transit or progression, dark shadows are stirred within you. It's a signal that forgotten, unprocessed, or repressed elements of your personal history are asking to be investigated. The procedure requires intensity, honesty, and emotional courage. The results are worth the effort. If you work well with these energies, you emerge stronger, clearer, and often with renewed inspiration. If you hesitate, it's not unusual for the old wounding dramas to be re-enacted in your life.

Your Third House figured previously in this report. Now we see it being triggered again, which tells us that one vitally important concern for you at present involves simple communication -- and that means listening as well as expressing yourself. Expect messages, perhaps even disconcerting ones, which embody the tone and nature of Pluto.

When keen-eyed Mercury merges with penetrating Pluto, the ensuing release of analytic force leaves few secrets undiscovered. You have within you an inner figure, somewhere between a "private eye" and a psychoanalyst -- as if Sam Spade and Sigmund Freud had surprised the world with a miraculous infant. Always inclined to suspect people and analyze their motives, that inner figure is charged with energy now, looking for clues and tending toward the rough language and tough perspectives of the street.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a sextile -- traditionally seen as a "harmonious" or "mutually enhancing" aspect, often full of fast-paced events and emotional stimulation.

Tr. Neptune is Sextile Saturn
In effect: Mar 29, 2020 - continuing
Peak Date(s): sometime after the report period.

Neptune played a part earlier in this report, but it has another trick or two up its sleeve. You may remember that this planet refers to letting down barriers and allowing the creative unconscious to speak. When handled well, it triggers a "seed time" in which new inspirations arise. If handled poorly, one tends to go off half-cocked while enamored of unrealistic ideas. So sit tight, enter trance, pay attention to your dreams and, if you're so inclined, pray or meditate. Neptune currently is sextile your natal Saturn. The inner opening process peaks sometime after the report period..

Our first step is to recognize that the events and the deeper developmental invitation are manifesting in your Seventh House -- a familiar territory, since it figured earlier in our analysis. Again the "House of Marriage" comes up, for Neptune is currently passing through it. Receptivity to other people is the centerpiece here. But to whom exactly? Recognize your "soulmates" through their resemblance to Neptune, which we just described. But what is being triggered most deeply inside you? What part of you is being called into the service of love? The answer lies with Saturn, which is being stimulated during this season of connection, encounters, and partnerships.

Getting kicked out of the nest, one way or another, is an elemental part of life. Faced with the stark, unyielding actualities of the "real world," you either die then and there or get on with the cunning, calculating business of staying alive. To accomplish either of those ends, you activate the energies of your natal Saturn: your self-discipline, your patience, and your practicality...if you choose survival. And if you choose to give up, you withdraw into fear and probably get into a mood of despair and defeat. When Saturn is triggered by passing transits or progressions, it signals a time in which hard work is appropriate, necessary, and the best insurance for happiness. Often it suggests that the circumstances or even people who have been a significant part of your past must now be left behind, making way for a more mature expression of your identity.

How does all that relate to your present circumstances? Recognize that Saturn occupies the Ninth House of your natal chart, an area which refers to the human need for adventure, variety, and escape from the ordinary. Periodically in your life it becomes necessary to "throw a monkey wrench" into your daily routines, to flee the scene and thereby gain the kind of "mountain-top" philosophical perspective necessary to keep your biography on a meaningful course. Under this current aspect, you have entered such a period. One final hint: those ventures, vacations, and journeys work best for you if they invoke the tone of Saturn, as we just encountered it.

When hard-headed Saturn is stirred into the same pot with visionary Neptune, a season of brain-storming has arrived. A happy confluence now exists between creative imagination and shrewd practicality. Keeping them in balance is the art. You'll have some great ideas -- but not as great as they may at first seem. And you'll also see some formidable obstacles -- but not as insurmountable as you may fear. There is a middle course between optimism and pessimism. It's called visionary realism. Practice it!

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a sextile -- traditionally seen as a "harmonious" or "mutually enhancing" aspect, often full of fast-paced events and emotional stimulation.

Tr. Saturn is Trine Venus
In effect: Apr 13, 2020 - Apr 29, 2020
Peak Date(s): Apr 21, 2020

Saturn played a role earlier in this account. Now it emerges again, in a new way. To refresh your memory, Saturn is ultimately the planet of maturity. It always places a strong emphasis upon hard work, decisive choices, and persistence. Saturn currently is trine your natal Venus. The energies crest Apr 21, 2020.

Currently Saturn is navigating your Tenth House. That's the traditional "House of Career," as we've already discovered, and it tells us that something of the nature of Saturn is brewing in your profession or vocation, or in your social status. To respond optimally to the potentials and challenges built into this event, you'll need to act according to the spirit of Saturn, as we just described it. Being true to yourself is the challenge, as is generally the case in life. But your public life, with all its superficialities and practical pressures, is perhaps the hardest place in which to live up to that ideal. To succeed here, pay special attention to Venus, which is being invited into development during this time of professional or public reorientation.

Venus is the goddess of love, of peace, and of the arts. In each domain, balance is the ideal. Deep in your psyche, there is a place that seeks the comfort of balance and equilibrium, whether through shared fondness with another human being, an hour's peace in the garden, or the rapture that sometimes arises as we immerse our hearts and minds in something beautiful. That inner circuit is your natal Venus. When it is stimulated, we often see experiences arising which prophesy a change in your relationships, in what gives you serenity, or in your aesthetic experiences.

Your Second House came up earlier; now we see it stimulated again, once more suggesting that the deepest, most essential factors in the situation we're considering all hinge upon your personal resources and the resultant feelings of self-confidence and legitimacy that they engender. And what are the natures of the resources most pivotal to this self-esteem building process? A large part of the answer lies with Venus, a planet whose basic skills, tools, and connections always figure critically in your efforts to improve yourself or your position.

When Venus collides with Saturn, a season of vows and boundaries in your intimate life is upon you. It's helpful now to remember that grown-up love is more than an emotion; it's also a commitment, a discipline, and a promise to be honored even in the face of difficulties or passing estrangements. Take some time alone now; you probably need it. Be clear and be serious, and don't let anyone trick you into taking positions you outgrew years ago.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a trine -- traditionally seen as a "good" aspect, but more accurately seen as simply enhancing or supportive. Generally speaking, with trines there is an opportunity...but to seize it, you must supply the initiative.

Tr. Jupiter is Opposite Mercury
In effect: Apr 16, 2020 - Apr 25, 2020
Peak Date(s): Apr 20, 2020

Jupiter figured earlier in this analysis. Now we meet it again. As you may recall, this is the planet of possibilities and the seizing of opportunities. Jupiter currently is opposite your natal Mercury. The action peaks Apr 20, 2020.

Currently Jupiter is navigating your Tenth House. That's the traditional "House of Career," as we've already discovered, and it tells us that something of the nature of Jupiter is brewing in your profession or vocation, or in your social status. To respond optimally to the potentials and challenges built into this event, you'll need to act according to the spirit of Jupiter, as we just described it. Being true to yourself is the challenge, as is generally the case in life. But your public life, with all its superficialities and practical pressures, is perhaps the hardest place in which to live up to that ideal. To succeed here, pay special attention to Mercury, which is being invited into development during this time of professional or public reorientation.

The natal Mercury -- that, as we have seen, symbolizes your intelligence, your capacity to communicate, and your fundamental curiosity.

Your Fourth House figured previously in this report. Now we see it triggered again -- a clue that in your present circumstances, one of the most active factors is the need for a radical clarification, in your own mind, of your personal needs and wishes. There is something inside you, something of the nature of Mercury, to which you must be true if you are to be happy. And it is now under accelerating developmental pressure. Some of this process may even involve some re-definition of your role in your family, broadly defined.

When Mercury hobnobs with Jupiter, an attitude of expansiveness (Jupiter) pervades the mind (Mercury). You are challenged now, like an optimistic Sherlock Holmes, to be alert to possibilities. Think inventively, think positively, and think big: that's the spirit. In some way, you have been underestimating your intelligence, verbal skills, or general competence. Recognize that, and change it.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by an opposition, which suggests some kind of tension or tug-of-war between them. You are asked to adjust your position, to adapt to the demands of the world around you, and to find a middle-ground between the various opposing needs and values.

The Details

In the mood for Mardi Gras? If you live in Chicago, it helps to know that New Orleans lies to the south. Head west or east and you'll never arrive . . .

What we've done in the previous pages is to show you the direction to New Orleans. We've looked at the big astrological themes that are affecting you this year . . .

As a reminder, at the beginning of our analysis of each month's events we'll make reference to any major configurations covered previously which happen to be reaching peaks of intensity then -- and please recall that some of them will have more than a single peak during the report period. There won't be any more analysis; just an allusion to the events so you can go back and review the earlier material, and see the patterns of the month in the light of the year's heavier transits and progressions.

Please remember that the fleeting, often forgettable influences we discuss in the following pages must always draw their real meaning from the far more monumental events we've already described. A "discussion with the boss," for example, is going to take on particular significance during a month when your whole career is up for grabs!

These minor transits unfold quickly. It's a rare week that doesn't contain at least a few. A report that discussed them all in the kind of microscopic detail we've applied to the major events would be several inches thick. In order to cover the daily astrological kaleidoscope within the practical limitations of the space available, we've resorted to producing capsulized one-sentence nuggets that compress a lot of information into a few words. So, slow down, shift gears, and let them wash over you. Think of these images more as daily meditations than as the kind of full-blown explanations to which you've gotten accustomed in the previous sections of SKYLOG.

One brief reminder: remember that many astrological events have not one but several peaks of intensity, so you may find a given "Invitation" or "Means" coming up several times in the pages that follow.

Even minor astrological events commonly have an impact over several days. In the following month-by-month analysis, configurations are listed chronologically according to the days they "peak" -- but don't take that date narrowly. The most colorful events and profoundest realizations might easily occur a day or two later or earlier.

February Invitation Peaks

(None this month.)

February Mean Peaks

Feb 01, 2020 - Tr. Mercury squares Neptune
Keywords: collaborative conversation clashes with your instinctive cautious inspiration.

Feb 01, 2020 - Tr. Mars opposes Pluto
Keywords: exploratory courage is in tension with your inherent questing honesty.

Feb 01, 2020 - Tr. Mercury opposes Moon
Keywords: emotionally brave communication opposes your inborn expansive attitude.

Feb 03, 2020 - Tr. Mars trines Neptune
Keywords: questing swordsmanship supports your typical cautious inspiration.

Feb 03, 2020 - Tr. Sun squares Mercury
Keywords: cooperative identity conflicts with your instinctive self-protective dialog.

Feb 04, 2020 - Tr. Venus sextiles Mercury
Keywords: dutiful affection excites your native watchful communication.

Feb 05, 2020 - Tr. Mercury opposes Jupiter
Keywords: probing conversation opposes your inborn adventuresome exuberance.

Feb 07, 2020 - Tr. Mercury sextiles Mars
Keywords: penetratingly real communication excites your native painstaking courage.

Feb 07, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Sun
Keywords: psychologically deep dialog enhances your usual psychologically sophisticated personality.

Feb 08, 2020 - Tr. Mars opposes Uranus
Keywords: exploratory courage opposes your inborn questing individuality.

Feb 08, 2020 - Tr. Venus trines Venus
Keywords: dutiful affection supports your typical self-confident human connection.

Feb 11, 2020 - Tr. Venus trines Pluto
Keywords: helpful human connection supports your typical intelligent honesty.

Feb 12, 2020 - Tr. Sun squares Neptune
Keywords: interpersonally sensitive personality clashes with your instinctive psychologically sophisticated contemplation.

Feb 12, 2020 - Tr. Venus sextiles Neptune
Keywords: dutiful human connection excites your native watchful inspiration.

Feb 13, 2020 - Tr. Sun opposes Moon
Keywords: passionate identity opposes your inborn routine-shattering attitude.

Feb 14, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Mercury
Keywords: spooky conversation supports your typical self-protective communication.

The Moon in a month passes through all twelve houses of your chart. In so doing, it correlates with the passing whimsies of mood. One afternoon you're bright and cheery, the following morning you're blue...but energetic again after lunch. It doesn't amount to much, and it's not really very important in practical terms -- with one exception: the passage of the Moon through the Twelfth House. During that time you are going through a kind of emotional moulting, ending one cycle and preparing to begin another. Your attentions and energies are turned inward. Accept that, handle it well, and the period -- usually a couple of days -- is quiet and contemplative. It may even be rather pleasant. But if you try to keep up your normal level of activity, you'll find yourself confused, flat, and prone to dumb accidents. So when the Moon enters your Twelfth House, make sure that you have some unstructured time. Minimize distractions. Put off any significant new beginnings for a couple of days. And take a few unhurried breaths. This month, the transiting Moon crosses into your natal Twelfth House Feb 15, 2020 at 05:56 AM, and emerges Feb 17, 2020 at 02:40 AM, when a new emotional cycle begins.

Feb 15, 2020 - Tr. Venus trines Uranus
Keywords: responsible human connection supports your typical clever individuality.

Venus: Goddess of Love, Goddess of Peace...in her fast transits around your chart, she offers you counsel and support, sometimes through friendship, sometimes through more romantic kinds of intimacy. Her arrival at a sensitive zone also suggests that a time has come to relax and to receive solace or comfort, or to recharge your inner batteries through the perception of beauty. People come warmly into your space; a chance to "let your hair down" arises; paintings, music, and Technicolor sunsets abound.

Venus enters your Seventh House Feb 16, 2020. Traditionally the "House of Marriage," the Seventh House is actually a reference to anyone and everyone with whom you are open to intimacy. Whenever this part of the chart is stimulated, it's a signal that someone is coming into your life to adjust your attitude or your course, and that the adjustment is quite necessary and appropriate. Who is this person, and what is the message? We don't know exactly, but here's a clue: he, she, or it looks, feels, and sounds a lot like Venus. One bottom line: the quality of your deepest human connections profoundly affects the quality of your life, and at least one of these human connections needs some attention during these days.

Feb 16, 2020 - Tr. Mars squares Mars
Keywords: exploratory courage conflicts with your instinctive dutiful swordsmanship.

Feb 20, 2020 - Tr. Sun opposes Jupiter
Keywords: psychologically deep personality opposes your inborn expansive exuberance.

Feb 21, 2020 - Tr. Mars conjuncts Saturn
Keywords: intellectually hungry courage combines with your characteristic expansive integrity.

Feb 21, 2020 - Tr. Venus squares Sun
Keywords: collaborative human connection clashes with your instinctive cautious nature.

Three, maybe four times in the course of a year, the planet Mercury spends three weeks or so going backwards in the sky, a period we call Mercury Retrograde. Practicality sometimes intervenes, but to the extent that you can arrange it, you are better off if you can avoid signing anything important during this period, buying anything mechanical (unless its failure would be of trivial consequence), initiating travel, or attempting significant communications by phone or mail. This, of course, is a lot to ask; and sticking to it too firmly starts to verge on Cosmic Paranoia. Still, there is a heightened tendency for objects, messages, and plans to go awry during this Retrograde time. Sometimes a little patience exercised now will make your life a lot easier in the long run. If steps simply must be taken, it doesn't mean everything is doomed to failure...just keep duplicates, have backups, double-check everything, and be prepared for petty annoyances. The first appearance of a Retrograde Mercury during the period of this report occurs Feb 21, 2020 at 04:48 AM. Those conditions persist until Mercury again goes "Direct" sometime after the report period..

Feb 22, 2020 - Tr. Sun sextiles Mars
Keywords: psychologically deep identity stimulates your normal dutiful courage.

Feb 23, 2020 - Tr. Sun trines Sun
Keywords: emotionally brave nature enhances your usual cautious identity.

Feb 23, 2020 - Tr. Venus sextiles Saturn
Keywords: cooperative relating stimulates your normal routine-shattering composure.

Feb 27, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Mercury
Keywords: emotionally brave conversation supports your typical sensitive communication.

Feb 29, 2020 - Tr. Venus squares Mercury
Keywords: empathetic human connection clashes with your instinctive emotional communication.

March Invitation Peaks

Mar 03, 2020 - Tr. Sun trines Mercury
Keywords: passionate personality enhances your usual sensitive dialog.

Mars, the God of War, is transiting through sensitive territories for you, suggesting some turbulent waters to be navigated. Always the trick with the red planet lies in realizing that the time has come to overcome a fear or a resistance in yourself, and to take what is legitimately yours. Your blood is up, and that's not a bad thing, unless you "chicken out" and misdirect the Martian energy toward some inappropriate target.

Mars arrives at a conjunction with your Midheaven Mar 04, 2020, and that always suggests a time of public visibility or career-related activity. The Midheaven is the top of the chart and corresponds to the most outward, visible parts of your life. It's an active point, generally not very subtle. To make the most of it, pretend that "all the world's a stage" and that the part you're playing is that of Mars, as we just described it. Don't be shy. Ham it up a little, and make sure the people dozing in the back row don't miss any nuances.

Mar 07, 2020 - Tr. Venus squares Neptune
Keywords: collaborative relating clashes with your instinctive emotional imagination.

Mar 08, 2020 - Tr. Sun opposes Venus
Keywords: spooky identity opposes your inborn questing affection.

Mar 08, 2020 - Tr. Venus opposes Moon
Keywords: passionate relating is in tension with your inherent routine-shattering attitude.

Mar 09, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Sun
Keywords: penetratingly real communication supports your typical cautious nature.

Mar 10, 2020 - Tr. Mercury sextiles Mars
Keywords: passionate communication stimulates your normal competent swordsmanship.

Mar 11, 2020 - Tr. Sun opposes Pluto
Keywords: questing personality is in tension with your inherent intellectually hungry intensity.

Mar 13, 2020 - Tr. Sun trines Neptune
Keywords: intellectually hungry personality enhances your usual self-protective contemplation.

This month, the transiting Moon crosses into your natal Twelfth House again Mar 13, 2020 at 12:04 PM. It emerges and a new emotional cycle begins Apr 11, 2020 at 03:34 PM. As we discussed earlier, this represents a brief period in which you serve your own ultimate interests best by relaxing a bit, taking some extra precautions against physical mishaps, and most importantly, delaying any major new starts, insofar as that's possible.

Mar 14, 2020 - Tr. Venus opposes Jupiter
Keywords: penetratingly real affection opposes your inborn adventuresome exuberance.

Mar 14, 2020 - Pluto turns Retrograde (at 12°Sg54' in your 05th House)
Aspects: Semisextile Mercury, Square Venus, Trine Saturn, Trine Midheaven, Sesquiquadrate Ascendant.

Mar 15, 2020 - Tr. Mars trines Moon
Keywords: on-the-job assertiveness supports your typical dignified attitude.

Mar 16, 2020 - Tr. Venus sextiles Mars
Keywords: probing affection excites your native dutiful courage.

Mar 16, 2020 - Tr. Venus trines Sun
Keywords: psychologically deep relating supports your typical sensitive personality.

Mar 17, 2020 - Tr. Sun opposes Uranus
Keywords: routine-shattering identity is in tension with your inherent intellectually hungry originality.

Mar 19, 2020 - Tr. Mercury sextiles Mars
Keywords: passionate communication excites your native supportive swordsmanship.

Mar 19, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Sun
Keywords: spooky communication enhances your usual psychologically sophisticated personality.

Mar 23, 2020 - Tr. Sun squares Mars
Keywords: routine-shattering nature conflicts with your instinctive dutiful courage.

Mar 24, 2020 - Tr. Venus trines Mercury
Keywords: penetratingly real affection supports your typical watchful communication.

Mar 24, 2020 - Tr. Mars trines Jupiter
Keywords: employment-oriented assertiveness enhances your usual self-respecting gambling.

Mar 27, 2020 - Tr. Sun conjuncts Saturn
Keywords: intellectually hungry nature fuses with your natural exploratory solitude.

Mar 27, 2020 - Tr. Venus opposes Venus
Keywords: probing human connection is in tension with your inherent routine-shattering affection.

Mar 27, 2020 - Tr. Mars trines Mars
Keywords: on-the-job courage supports your typical supportive assertiveness.

Mar 28, 2020 - Tr. Mars opposes Sun
Keywords: work-oriented swordsmanship opposes your inborn expansive personality.

Mar 30, 2020 - Tr. Venus opposes Pluto
Keywords: expansive relating opposes your inborn adventuresome investigation.

Mar 31, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Mercury
Keywords: passionate dialog supports your typical cautious conversation.

April Invitation Peaks

(None this month.)

April Mean Peaks

Apr 01, 2020 - Tr. Venus trines Neptune
Keywords: routine-shattering relating supports your typical emotional imagination.

Apr 04, 2020 - Tr. Mercury opposes Venus
Keywords: psychologically deep conversation opposes your inborn intellectually hungry relating.

Apr 04, 2020 - Tr. Venus opposes Uranus
Keywords: routine-shattering relating is in tension with your inherent expansive originality.

The transiting Sun is like a huge, dumb battery. Whatever it touches, it electrifies -- but never for very long or very deeply. That's simply because it's a fast-moving factor, never staying anywhere long enough to develop true depth or complexity of meaning. In a year, it circuits the chart once...which leaves it only a few days to spend in each of your chart's many sensitive zones. Whatever it touches, however, is temporarily pushed into action. And sometimes, if more serious astro-psychological energies have been building or brewing in that area of your life, the Sun's transit over that point might just be the trigger that sets big wheels turning. The critical point is that the Sun represents your ego, and when it collides with sensitive territories you need to act accordingly: not "egocentrically," but with an awareness of your rights, your needs, and your desires.

Sun arrives at a conjunction with your Midheaven Apr 05, 2020, and that always suggests a time of public visibility or career-related activity. The Midheaven is the top of the chart and corresponds to the most outward, visible parts of your life. It's an active point, generally not very subtle. To make the most of it, pretend that "all the world's a stage" and that the part you're playing is that of Sun, as we just described it. Don't be shy. Ham it up a little, and make sure the people dozing in the back row don't miss any nuances.

Apr 07, 2020 - Tr. Mercury opposes Pluto
Keywords: expansive communication opposes your inborn on-the-job intensity.

Apr 08, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Neptune
Keywords: expansive communication enhances your usual emotional imagination.

Apr 09, 2020 - Tr. Venus squares Mars
Keywords: adventuresome affection conflicts with your instinctive dutiful courage.

This month, the transiting Moon crosses into your natal Twelfth House again Apr 09, 2020 at 05:28 PM. It emerges and a new emotional cycle begins Apr 11, 2020 at 03:34 PM. As we discussed earlier, this represents a brief period in which you serve your own ultimate interests best by relaxing a bit, taking some extra precautions against physical mishaps, and most importantly, delaying any major new starts, insofar as that's possible.

Apr 10, 2020 - Tr. Mercury opposes Uranus
Keywords: questing communication is in tension with your inherent expansive autonomy.

Apr 10, 2020 - Tr. Mars opposes Mercury
Keywords: career swordsmanship opposes your inborn adventuresome communication.

Apr 12, 2020 - Tr. Venus conjuncts Saturn
Keywords: questing human connection fuses with your natural intellectually hungry composure.

Apr 14, 2020 - Tr. Sun trines Moon
Keywords: work-oriented personality supports your typical self-assured sensitivity.

Apr 15, 2020 - Tr. Mercury squares Mars
Keywords: expansive conversation conflicts with your instinctive painstaking assertiveness.

Apr 16, 2020 - Tr. Mars trines Venus
Keywords: work-oriented swordsmanship supports your typical self-respecting human connection.

Apr 17, 2020 - Tr. Mercury conjuncts Saturn
Keywords: questing dialog fuses with your natural adventuresome solitude.

The transiting Venus emerges again, suggesting experiences coming to you centered on other people with whom you are involved, and also encouraging you to relax and release tension now, perhaps with the help of music, art, or natural beauty.

Venus arrives at a conjunction with your Midheaven Apr 19, 2020, and that always suggests a time of public visibility or career-related activity. The Midheaven is the top of the chart and corresponds to the most outward, visible parts of your life. It's an active point, generally not very subtle. To make the most of it, pretend that "all the world's a stage" and that the part you're playing is that of Venus, as we just described it. Don't be shy. Ham it up a little, and make sure the people dozing in the back row don't miss any nuances.

Apr 20, 2020 - Tr. Sun trines Jupiter
Keywords: work-oriented identity supports your typical resourceful opportunity.

Apr 22, 2020 - Tr. Mars trines Pluto
Keywords: on-the-job assertiveness enhances your usual verbal investigation.

The mythological Mercury is the "Messenger of the Gods." The same is true of the transiting Mercury, which speeds around your chart, prompting conversations, dialogs, and sermons, both outgoing and incoming. It triggers the arrival of letters, faxes, and phone calls, and provokes the weaving of new data into your viewpoint. When it arrives at a sensitive point, your task is to listen, to ask questions, and to share intelligence.

Mercury arrives at a conjunction with your Midheaven Apr 22, 2020, and that always suggests a time of public visibility or career-related activity. The Midheaven is the top of the chart and corresponds to the most outward, visible parts of your life. It's an active point, generally not very subtle. To make the most of it, pretend that "all the world's a stage" and that the part you're playing is that of Mercury, as we just described it. Don't be shy. Ham it up a little, and make sure the people dozing in the back row don't miss any nuances.

Apr 23, 2020 - Tr. Sun trines Mars
Keywords: vocational nature supports your typical helpful courage.

Apr 23, 2020 - Tr. Sun opposes Sun
Keywords: career nature is in tension with your inherent routine-shattering identity.

Apr 24, 2020 - Tr. Mars opposes Neptune
Keywords: vocational courage opposes your inborn questing contemplation.

Apr 26, 2020 - Tr. Mars squares Moon
Keywords: work-oriented assertiveness conflicts with your instinctive self-respecting awareness.

Apr 26, 2020 - Tr. Venus trines Moon
Keywords: work-oriented affection supports your typical self-confident sensitivity.

Apr 27, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Moon
Keywords: vocational communication supports your typical resourceful awareness.

Apr 29, 2020 - Tr. Mars trines Uranus
Keywords: career assertiveness enhances your usual intelligent originality.

Apr 30, 2020 - Tr. Mercury trines Jupiter
Keywords: on-the-job communication enhances your usual self-assured gambling.