The Daily Astro for October 25, 2013

by Valerie Sylvester

TODAY’S ASPECTS:

The Moon remains in Cancer today. Rev it up on the home front (or at the home office) early in the day, as the Moon goes Void-of-Course from 4:31 PM EDT until it enters Leo at 12:12 PM EDT tomorrow. The late afternoon and evening period is better for winding down, taking a break, creative, meditative and psychic/intuitive activities, playing catch-up, and finishing off things you don’t want to keep following you around. (One concept for the Void-of -Course Moon: “Nothing comes of it.”)

The day begins on a serious note as the Moon trines Saturn in Scorpio at 1:22 AM EDT. We feel a strong sense of responsibility towards loved ones, particularly children and elderly family members. It’s a good day to extend a helpful hand to someone in need. This means emotional support, too. Practical gestures will be much appreciated. (I’m thinking gift certificates here, particularly those for restaurants, grocery stores, pet food stores and children’s clothing stores).

The Moon then trines Mercury in Scorpio at 10:17 AM EDT. Now’s the time to talk about important but possibly sensitive issues. It’s easier to strike the right chord. A conversation today may help decipher a mystery or trigger deeper understanding later on. There’s a “depth charge”/ delayed reaction feel here. Something said today may prove important in the future. A sympathetic and caring tone works wonders today.

The Moon is sesquiquadrate Neptune at 11:19 PM EDT, so there’s a danger of being swamped by emotions. It’s hard to find a balance between that “I am the cosmos”/one with the universe vibe and its flip side, where we’re overwhelmed with worry (the Moon’s in Cancer: this is like your mother staying up until 3 AM waiting for you to come home) or weighed down because we’re feeling permeable, absorbing the world’s woes. We may not find others too sympathetic as the Moon inconjuncts Venus in Sagittarius at 2:42 PM EDT. They’re ready to gallop off to Katmandu in the middle of our sentimental tale. A buoyant Moon/Jupiter conjunction at 4:31 PM EDT inflates the general mood and harmonizes with that earlier Moon trine Mercury in Scorpio (note that all are in water signs). It also continues the theme of emotional generosity, but on a much larger scale. Maybe you’ll be inspired to bake 1,000 cookies for a charity (Jupiter tends to go big, so don’t eat all the cookies yourself!) This combination encourages us to expand beyond our normal boundaries and extend our “comfort zone” into uncharted territories.

The Sun trines Neptune in Pisces at 6:40 PM EDT, continuing today’s themes of emotional expansion, empathy, looking out for the underdog, and seeing things from an enlarged and enlightened perspective. The Sun’s in Scorpio (depth, transformation, merging with others) trining Neptune in Pisces (the spirit of universal love), so this combination urges us to find our true home (the Sun = the center and life-fire of our being) in the spiritual world, and magnetically draw to us those who are our natural allies. It’s also excellent for creative people in general and those who work with images or patterns (art, photography, film or music), in particular. This combo reminds me of a large stained glass window in a house where someone’s home for the evening–as you walk by, you can see the glow that ignites the colors of the glass to their true hues.

THE SYMBOLS:

Sabian Symbol for today’s SUN: “A house-raising.”

Kozminsky Symbol for today’s SUN: “ Blacksmith striking anvil, the impact causing a dazzling flash of bright light.” (Influence is: MARS.)

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

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

Today’s Sabian Symbol and its keyword, “helpfulness”, encapsulates the feel of today’s astrological aspects. The Moon in Cancer relates to homes or feeling at home, our place of origin, and where we feel safe and secure, able to fully express ourselves. The image of a community coming together to build a house shows an understanding that everyone needs a place to “be”. Neighbors get together to address a community need, sharing their skills and experience. This creates a feeling of family connection (more Moon in Cancer keywords) to others in the community as they share the work. Traditionally, in a house or barn raising, food and drink (yet more Cancer keywords) was laid out to sustain the workers and it became a festive event. People caught up on the local gossip, reconnected with friends, and took a break from their usual routines to focus on helping a neighbor get settled. This symbol is also about teamwork and cooperation–the house goes up much faster with many people working in tandem. On the down side, it can indicate selfishness, clannishness, an inability to get along with others, or trying to do a big job on your own without help from other people due to a misguided sense of independence.

The Kozminsky Symbol has a Mars/Saturn/Pluto feel. Right now, Mars is in Virgo, Saturn’s in Scorpio, and Pluto’s in Capricorn, so it’s apt and describes the feeling we may have of being under pressure or being forced to drill down to the essence in order to refine ourselves. Mars in Virgo is the master craftsperson, Saturn in Scorpio shows wisdom and experience in navigating deep and possibly dangerous situations, and Pluto in Capricorn shows us where we have to break down in order to rebuild. A blacksmith works with steel and fire in order to create a strong and useful object. Kozminsky says the symbol is about one who “strives to bring the light of truth into a world of darkness”. What’s your truth? Koziminsky says this person “must arouse the masses from their sleep” by setting free the light from within. This definitely sounds like the tale of Prometheus bringing the gift of fire to humanity. As you may know, the gods weren’t too thrilled about this act. It’s a difficult job, but who else is going to do it? Time to wake up to your destiny. This symbol is about applying pressure until the desired results are achieved–that’s why it seems so relentless. It’s about breaking down resistance and tempering the spirit so we make something strong and useful of ourselves.

THE DAILY DRAW

Ace of Swords/ 4 of Cups

“Cut Through Illusions”

The Ace of Swords brought to mind today’s Kozminsky Symbol (that sword had to be forged by someone with the appropriate skill set)! The Ace of Swords is an Air card, so it relates to communication and thinking. Aces are powerful cards, heralding a new direction. In this case, it’s a new start in the area of mental patterning, thinking, and communication. The Ace of Swords means we’ve entered the no-BS zone–NOW. Get ready for revelations as you learn to detach from your own mind and see things more objectively. It’s not easy to upend your thinking processes, but if your patterns are repetitive or causing harm, it’s time to change.

With the 4 of Cups, what’s been happening is some kind of “psychic swamping”, a low-grade fever of discontent. Maybe we’ve become complacent, bored, dissatisfied, but it’s what we were used to, so it became familiar and we’ve stopped struggling against it. This combination can indicate we’ll hear harsh words or nasty gossip from others–maybe somebody doesn’t like the changes being made. There may be someone negative in your environment who is lying to you–that will be exposed. This combination could mean that your new way of thinking makes you realize how you’ve been deluding yourself or being unrealistic, and it’s a bit of a shock to confront it. Even if it’s painful, listen to your inner voice and to others who may be saying something you really need to hear right now. (I’m not saying that you’ll like it, but it’s important that you listen.) Flaws (your own and other people’s) become painfully clear. New information changes a relationship.

Images: ripping the veil away, cutting through the dross, a muckraking reporter, the gossip pages in the newspaper, a private investigator sitting in his car, taking notes outside a shady motel.