The Daily Astro for October 8, 2013

by Valerie Sylvester

TODAY’S ASPECTS:

I’m looking at today’s aspects and I note that the Moon, at various times today, is square Mars, square Eros, square Nessus, conjunct Venus, conjunct Psyche and square Neptune. So what’s the theme here? Don’t look back? (Psyche myth–she’s told not to look back at her divine lover, but all the gossip about him being a horrid monster freaks her out and she just HAS to sneak a peek and ruin it all). Moon/Venus wants love, Moon/Neptune believes the fantasy, Moon/Mars takes us all for a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl, square Eros, well, remember Psyche, she of little faith. Maybe we want to believe in something so badly we ignore all signs that say “This way to the mirage.” And Moon/Nessus–underneath that sugary-sweet taste there’s a poisonous base note. Remember that song “Imaginary Lover”? Terrible song, by the way, but the title works here. You set yourself up for this scenario, but now you have buyer’s remorse. Remember those three words “set yourself up”.

The day starts with Mercury inconjunct Uranus at 3:11 AM EDT so I bet a lot of people got shocking messages in their dreams. Prophetic dreams, maybe, since Mercury’s jacking right into the Higher Mind Broadcasting Network (Uranus). Pay attention. This combination disrupts orderly routines and makes us jumpy, so it’s not an ideal way to greet the day. Just do a workaround, it’s worth it. It’s about taking things apart and putting them together in a new way. Embrace incongruities. The adjustments you make now will stand you in good stead later on, even if nothing makes a lick of sense right at the moment.

The Moon enters high-flying Sagittarius at 8:21 AM EDT, which makes us want to take off for the wild blue yonder (note photo of the North American and Pelican Nebulae, above). Just be careful you don’t knock over the yonder in your rush to mosey along, as a Sun/Moon semisquare at 9:04 AM EDT can mean we’re in such a hurry to explore that we stomp on somebody’s feet as we rush out the door. The Moon/Venus conjunction at 9:56 AM EDT puts us in the mood for all kinds of hijinks; everybody loves the class clown. Laughing is the best therapy today. The Moon /Neptune square is up next, at 1:22 PM EDT, so maybe we went too far with the fun and games, or someone’s stretching the truth. This can be a disillusioning influence, especially since it’s followed by a Moon/Jupiter sesquiquadrate at 3:24 PM EDT. One step beyond, and we’re lost in space.

Chasing chimeras can lead to a nasty crash to earth when you become aware of a few hard facts, which leads us to our next aspect, Mercury conjunct Saturn (3:39 PM EDT). This adds some “oomph” to the Saturn/Uranus inconjunct. We may have to tighten or loosen our thinking caps in the light of new information. Mental curve balls abound. After our trip to FantasyLand earlier in the day, here’s the hard-whomper of a landing. Time to get serious. Difficult news is transmitted that changes our view of a situation. We need to take a look at what’s going on under the surface.

Today’s a study in extremes, a “mood-swing day”. Overconfidence and lack of attention to details may rule early on, but later we can take things too seriously and knock ourselves into a major funk. Try not to feel too let down by the day’s shifts, twists and turns. Aim for balance. Today’s about finding a philosophy you can live with, one that includes both heaven and earth.

THE SYMBOLS:

Sabian Symbol for today’s SUN: “A boat landing washed away.”

Kozminsky Symbol for today’s SUN: “ A large hole out of which gases are rising. A number of birds seeking to cross are overcome by the fumes and are falling into the gap, over which only one has passed safely.” (Influence is: NEPTUNE.)

The Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “ RESPITE.”

The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is: “SUBTLETY.”

Both of today’s Symbols channel Neptune, ruler of the seas and all things insidious and invisible. The Sabian Symbol, “A boat landing washed away” illustrates the inexorable power of nature to alter the landscape. When you’re dealing with outer planets like Neptune, larger forces (like the Major Arcana tarot cards) are at play. This is considered one of the “reversed” Sabians (think Hanged Man in the tarot deck). A new perspective is required. Water washes away all traces of the past, so in that sense it cleans and purifies, leaving a space for new beginnings. The landing is gone, so it’s time to consider other alternatives. It’s time to get creative. Are you feeling isolated or left behind in some way? Maybe you need some “alone time” in order to work out a few things. This could indicate being stranded by a “storm” you didn’t see coming–why did you get blindsided? How will you adjust to the situation? Today’s Mercury/Saturn aspect indicates some tinkering may be necessary in order to solve the problem. There’s potential in a seemingly negative situation. On the down side, beware of giving up before you’ve even started (the negative end of Mercury/Saturn) or taking a fatalistic attitude, or dropping into mystic mumbo-jumbo, believeing everything’s a “sign” that foretells a mysterious doomsday (negative Neptune-think). On a mundane level, it can indicate that problems with transportation or bad weather “ground” us for a while.

The Kozminsky Symbol features a group of high-flying birds (the Moon’s in Sagittarius), most of whom are felled by an invisible poisonous gas (Neptune). One bird manages to fly to safety. This is a real “canary in the coal mine” scenario. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t take needless risks through overconfidence or lack of attention to detail. This can also relate to “herd” mentality, going along with the crowd to your own detriment. Kozminsky says, “Let him regard his perception.” Use the Mercury/Saturn detail orientation to hone your perception and avoid pitfalls. Fly higher if you have to, or fly alone, if you get a “gut feeling” that something’s wrong. We may hear news about some sort of mass poisoning or gas release today, or we may be feeling the after-effects of something released into the environment some time ago that’s been percolating through the system (fish and dolphin die-offs in the seas are an early warning of this kind of disaster).

THE DAILY DRAW

2 of Cups / 5 of Pentacles

“Love Hangover”

The Two of Cups is all about the “highs” of love, when we first meet someone and swear it’s forever. Romance beckons, we’re wallowing in the wonderfulness of it all, meeting the other half, starting a new relationship that’s the best ever, we’ve found our soulmate–we don’t want it to end, our fantasies collide and collude, and there you go. The Two of Cups is about opening the heart and learning to love. It’s a beginning phase, where we discover our connection with the Other. Many love affairs start off with hearts and flowers and people professing it will last forever-n-ever. The 5 of Pentacles is the hangover after the big bash. Here’s where overinflated expectations and delusional fantasies tank a relationship. There’s some self-sabotage going on here. We’ve lost faith, not just in our parther, but in ourselves. We need to step back from the fantasy and look clearly at our own responsibility for what has happened. Values may be skewed, or we’re “in love with love” but not seeing the other person as a distinct entity. Maybe we’ve lured someone in and then dumped them.

The 5 of Pentacles heralds a loss or lack–whether it’s a loss of love, a loss of idealism, a loss of faith–it’s all played a part in the collapse of what seemed like an ideal situation. We feel drained and dragged out. It’s time to take a look at our ideas about love and relationships–are we operating from a “love = loss” scenario? Are we unwilling to commit? Do we just give up on the relationship because it seems like too much work? It’s time to examine guilt, shame, and withholding behavior that ultimately wreck a relationship. Unconscious motives or toxic belief systems can derail us. Poverty of imagination. Unwillingness to share. Shutting down. Loss of love. Inability to hold the vision. Not believing that anything is worth the effort. Not seeing the love that exists but focusing on the roadblocks. Crippling shame or self-worth issues. Loss of faith, losing access to spirituality. Blocked or trapped feelings.