Midlife Transits

The latest podcast is up. It features Atala Toy, president of Crystal Life Technologies. This company has a website that is a gem gazers dream. It has tons of items to browse and lots of information on the properties of various crystals, stones, and other tools. Even if you’re not in the mood to buy right now, it’s a wonderful place to window shop and learn about various natural healing technologies.

During the podcast, Atala covers a lot of information on crystals and how they work, how to choose stones for your needs, information on chakras and other fun stuff.

The sign of Taurus is in an awkward position these days. It’s not really looking for a fight and it’s not really in a mood for radical change, but the rest of the world seems to be itching for both these things. And so Taurus has to decide–well, choose to fight or…don’t choose to fight? The specifics of the dilemma vary from Taurus person to Taurus person, but the underlying dynamics are there.

It’s been a tough call; the odds seem about even either way. Still, you gotta choose, especially if the issue in contention has to do with perhaps bringing your secrets to light or with something that’s been bringing you chronic stress. Strike first or suss out the situation first? Here’s a hint as to the outcome: pick your battle carefully and then go ahead and engage in combat.

With Uranus in Aries for the next 7 years, one way or another, you are going to be called upon to learn how to fight for yourself effectively, even when you don’t feel like it. It’s not going to help to be in denial.

Now on to the cheerier stuff: love! From the 9th through the 16th, Mercury runs around meeting up with Jupiter and Venus, and both Mercury and Venus move from Aries into your sign. This is good for romantic love and it’s good for plain old love for anyone you like in your life. It’s a great month to dig through your memory bank for people you’ve always had affection for and get in contact with them.

As for the Taurus solar year ahead, there’s some good news. Jupiter enters your sign next month and hangs out for a year to keep you company and brighten your spirits and perhaps your financial situation. On the not so good side, it’s still a rather explosive and argumentative year. Not quite as volatile as the first 5 months have been, but still a bit out there. There’s energy in your sector of hidden enemies, which doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be popping out of the woodwork. It does mean, probably, that your perception of a situation and other people’s perception of it do not quite sync up. To add a slightly surreal but good twist to things, Neptune will leave Aquarius for good before the year is out and he may leave a gift on your doorstep as he goes.

An appropriate Neptunian gift would be some sort of honor, award, or recognition relating to your career or work, one that you never thought would happen, but that is more than super-peachy.

Have you rocked the boat yet this year? Upset the status quo of your life? Or have other people been doing that for you? Either way, that’s what is supposed to be happening these days.

If nothing’s happened yet, you’ve still got time in May to shake things up. The sun has left your sign, but Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus all open the month in Aries. Lead, follow, or get out of the way is the message. If you don’t do anything to upset your routine and try something new, there’s a chance that all that Aries energy will be tempted to try to upset someone else in an attempt to get a fire started.

You’ve got Saturn in your 7th house of relationships, so actually managing to get your significant other upset may be a tough hill to climb. Saturn hates to break up relationships, so if you try in the midst of an argument, chances are it won’t stick. You could do some damage to the relationship perhaps, but the lesson is you’ve got to change yourself and/or your own life; you can’t look to your partner to do it for you. Nor can you reasonably expect that dumping someone will light up your life either–even if you are convinced you are in a real drag of a relationship right now.

You’d be better off trying to change how you or what you do to get your mojo working in dynamic Aries fashion. It can be a small change. Mercury’s been dithering around in your sign, feeling indecisive, but he’s calmed down now and ready to talk specifics. One possibility is to take a trip somewhere to give yourself a new perspective. May is Jupiter’s last month in your sign, and Jupiter loves to travel!

Of course, I should point out that the boat-rocking energy in your chart does not entirely end in May. Uranus will still be in your sign for 7 years and Uranus is such an energetic boat-rocker that he’s been traveling throughout the Arab world tearing down leaders, starting revolutions, trying to get a war started in Libya and organizing protests all over the globe, including in countries that really really don’t like protests. In his free time, Uranus will be kicking you personally toward challenging whatever it is in your own life that you both hate and think will never end.

On the 11th, your ruler Mars move into Taurus and becomes interested in the realm of things, stuff, and material objects. If you’d like to actually buy a small boat to rock, the planets will likely have no objection. Neptune in Pisces, for one, thinks a good jaunt around the lake, river, or bay would be good for your spirit, refreshing and energizing.

The month starts with your ruler Mercury retracing ground he covered during the last two weeks of March. Think back to that time for clues as to what will be on your mind as May begins. Alternatively, a particular person may be dominating your thoughts, as Mercury and Venus will be within smooching distance for almost a week, which often means love on the brain. First day to take advantage of this would be the 9th.

On the 11th, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter all cluster together, making this a really good time for pursuing love in whatever fashion you desire. These planets are all in Aries, which means burning love by the way, not piddly-widdly minor affection. With Jupiter involved, this could also mean long-distance romance.

As has been the case for much of 2011, the theme of get-togethers with friends continues to be important. Much of the energy of the past couple months has been clumped in your solar 11th house, and the 11th house is the sector of being included in whatever’s going on in the moment with large or semi-large groups of people. The wild card, perhaps unfortunately, is Uranus, stuck by his lonesome in the early degrees of Aries. Uranus gets annoyed when things go as planned, so he may try to whip up a certain caustic vibe to blow apart the lovey-dovey atmophere of the other planets. This could create mistrust in a budding relationship, so be aware that it may be prudent to use your tart Gemini wit judiciously rather than impulsively. Insult the organizations or ideas you truly wish to disparage, not the people you happen to be conversing with.

On the 21st, the sun moves into your sign, which is traditionally when you bring things into being that you have been contemplating earlier. It’s not just fun time, it’s creative time as well.

The other sign o’the month is Taurus, with Mercury, Venus, and Mars congregating here in the second half of the month. Mars is the planet of fire, whatever sector he happens to be in. In your solar 12th house, which is where he’ll start hanging out, he’ll have an affect on the general atmosphere around you. For some Geminis, this will be literal. It will seem too darn hot to you, even if others are exclaiming that temperatures in the 80s are pleasantly springlike. Other Geminis will welcome the feeling that summer is starting.

May is half career month, half belonging month. The career energy comes courtesy of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus opening the month in the sign of Aries, your solar career sign. The belonging energy comes courtesy of sun, new moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars in Taurus, mostly during the second half of the month. Taurus for Cancer is the sign of being included in various activities and get-togethers, being part of the crowd.

Taurus for you is the symbol of being part of the collective. This month, the new moon in Taurus occurs on the 3rd. Venus here from the 15th emphasizes the good side of being included. Mars in this sector from the 11th can emphasize the other side of this aspect of life: the desire to separate oneself from the crowd. The idea is to be included while maintaining some emotional distance from group-think.

As for the career stuff, this is the last month when Jupiter will be in your career house for next dozen years. Jupiter’s role is to take you further than you normally go, to bring in additional career resources or roles or recognition. Sometimes Jupiter also symbolizes travel for career purposes or in connection with an honor.

The best  time to really use the career energy is at the beginning of the month. Mars will meet up with Jupiter on the 1st, so go for your ambitions in the days surrounding this aspect. Uranus will continue in your career sector for about another 7 years. Uranus’s role is to make you stand out, appear to be unique in some way.

May also sees a lot of activity joining Mercury and Venus, first in Aries and then in Taurus. This energy lasts for about a week, from the 9th through the 16th. On the 11th, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter cluster together in Aries, making for lovely career vibes. On the 16th, when Mercury and Venus meet up in Taurus, it will hopefully be time for a celebration of your career successes with your friends.

At any rate, it is important to get out and be with people, not the time to hole yourself up and go it alone. Another possibility for the potent time around the 11th is love, perhaps not new love but expansion or furtherance of an existing relationship. Since the excitingly limitless energy of Jupiter is at its most active during the first half of the month, May is a time to hit the ground running as they say.

The first half of May strongly continues the theme of much of the early part of 2011, which is the importance of courage. As the month opens, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus are all in the courage-craving sign of Aries. Aries in your solar chart represents learning, including higher education and systematic study. For the moment, your chart has a double learning emphasis, for Jupiter is in Aries, and Jupiter is also the planet of learning and higher education.

The implication is that now is the time to dig in and study something that you normally consider difficult to learn. You have a lot of help right now. Next month, Jupiter will move into Taurus and your career sector, so this is your last month to take advantage of Jupiter’s help in your studies. Not that the emphasis on learning will disappear after May.

In fact, Uranus will continue in the learning sector of your chart for about 7 more years. You will be asked and indeed you should use this energy to tackle difficult fields in your own unique way. Science is a particularly good area of study with Uranus in this sector.

Mars meanwhile will move into Taurus and your career sector on the 11th. Mars paves the way for Jupiter to enter next month. Mars can be a passionate planet, but he can also be logical and practical. He can be a good help in figuring out what’s real and what’s not in your professional life these days.

When Jupiter moves into Taurus next month, he’ll attempt to help you formulate principles you can use in your career going forward. Jupiter in Taurus can also emphasize the importance of hard work and reliability to get you where you want to go. Mercury and Venus will also enter your career sector this month, and your annual career new moon takes place on the 3rd. Get the details right at work, especially after the 15th, for best results.

Your chart is also adjusting to Neptune in Pisces. Pisces in your solar chart represents  intimacy as well as those things that are buried deep within ourselves or our lives. With Neptune in this sector, stuff is buried really deeply, stuff that affects your ability to achieve intimacy.

But this buried stuff is also rising to the surface, slowly perhaps, but inevitably. Try not to be too alarmed when long-hidden stuff comes bobbing up.

Lovers and love remain hot topics for the Virgo chart. There’s still a lot of Aries energy as the month opens, and Aries energy represents your solar 8th house of sex. Neptune in Pisces is also attempting to swallow up your committed relationship house, although you may not see this right at first. In fact, Neptune as a general rule is all about things you can’t see, and as Neptune gains in influence over the coming years you are going to get well acquainted with all the things you can’t see about your lovers.

Eventually you will see them, but first Neptune will have to bring it to your attention that you haven’t been seeing them before. It’s all very mysterious so let’s switch back to the more straightforward Aries energy. Aries in the 8th house is partly about demanding or learning to demand that those you are in love with hold up their end of the deal. The traditional pattern for Virgo is to start out being attracted to people who won’t hold up their end of the deal because that allows Virgo to hog up the reliability niche.

Then as true intimacy develops, Virgo is supposed to learn courage by darting into situations in which it becomes important that other people start displaying their hidden chops and stepping up to the plate. The sudden escalation of demands can be alarming to people Virgo is involved with because they didn’t necessarily see it coming. At one point in your life, the process of moving from commitment to intimacy would have been alarming to you too, but you just lived through Uranus in Pisces for 7 years and now you know that it is just too exhausting not to lay things out on the line early. So this month you are going to use the Aries energy to connect with someone (or maybe even a group of people) in an equal way by being straightforward about your demands, dealbreakers, and trigger points.

You may even get a little possessive if the situation calls for it. And, if at all possible, the planets would like you to actually be in love. Being in love with a person would be nice, but if that’s just not realistic given your circumstances at least display a passion for something, even if it’s Facebook. You need to connect this month, so connect away.

Next month, Jupiter moves into Taurus and the focus shifts to how much knowledge you have. Not as exciting as Jupiter in the house of sex, so use the energy while you got it!

Are you in love? The planets would like you to be. Hot Aries energy is still clustered in your sector of relationships, and when Aries loves it likes to be in love. If you’re not in love, use the energy, which lasts until the 15th to become so.

Follow your instincts. Mercury and Venus are hovering close together throughout the first half of the month and their enthusiasm can help guide you. Mars and Jupiter are on board during this time frame too, and they’d like you to connect on an equal basis with someone. This is right up your alley, so go for it.

The prime period for making a move, and yes, you should be the one to make the first move, is during the period between the 9th and the 16th. The 11th is a super-hot day, when Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus cluster together in Aries. If you’re already in a committed relationship, it’s a day for warm fuzzies. The watchword for this whole week is ‘more’!

The 30th of April and the 1st of May are also hot days, when Mars and Jupiter meet up. The thing is, you may not be conscious of the magnetism your chart is exuding these days, so try to be aware and awake and communicate some of the enthusiasm your chart is feeling this spring. I should point out that Jupiter has been in the relationship area of your chart since January, and that this is his last month in this part of your chart, so the vibes don’t last forever. Next month, Jupiter will be in the sign of Taurus, which focuses more on things than love per se.

Speaking of Taurus, there’s plenty of energy in that sign too this month. The new moon in Taurus takes place on the 3rd. Mars moves into Taurus on the 11th. And the sun, Mercury and Venus all transit through this sign in May as well. Mars is the action planet, so during the second half of the month, Mars will want you to take action regarding the things you have. This may mean cleaning them out and disposing of items that are no longer useful.

In contrast to all this bursting spring activity in certain parts of your chart, Neptune has moved into your work sector and is attempting to doze on the job. Alternatively, it may be encouraging psychosomatic complaints. Maybe you need to cut yourself a break and focus on fun things for a while.

Got a new job yet? If not, there’s still time. The sun has dropped out of Aries, your employment sign, but Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus all open the month in that sign. If your job situation is just fine, then an alternate area of focus for the energy would be your health.

The 30th of April and the 1st of May are idea-generating days, as Mars and Jupiter connect. Mars also represents male energy, so a man may prove helpful to your goals at this time. Work your connections. During the period between May 9th and 16th, you have a prime opportunity to ask questions and get answers.

The time period right around the 11th is almost like a wishes come true period–Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter will all cluster together in late Aries. Tell the universe what you want. Don’t take no for an answer. What is needed is action, especially until the 11th.

You may not even be aware of how much fire energy you have at your disposal this month, so make an effort to consciously use it. To put things in context, Jupiter will leave Aries next month and enter the sign of Taurus. Much less fiery. In fact, by early June, the only planet left in Aries will be Uranus.

The time for lighting a fire under your butt is now, not later. Use it while you got it. The other news of the month is that the universe is taking aim against single Scorpios, trying to lure them out of singlehood and into relationship. This is symbolized by the massing of energy in Taurus during the second half of the month.

Taurus is your relationship sign, and Mars will be the most potent planet there after the 10th. Mars wants you to include other people in your space (which may mean your home), even if you don’t want to. The thing with Scorpio is that it is perhaps the most possessive of signs when it comes to relationships. It thinks of a relationship as something you have rather than something you are in.

When Mercury and Venus slide into Taurus on the 15th, they’ll take the traditional ‘have’ approach. But Mars, a more disruptive planet, almost forces you to realize you can’t have control in a relationship–you can only be included in it and include the partner in it. It’s all about connection.

There’s a nice burst of compatible Aries energy for Sagittarius folks before the skies start getting more Taurean in tone. Mercury, Venus and Mars are all in the sign til mid-month. Mars leaves on the 11th; Mercury and Venus leave on the 15th. As I’ve mentioned before, Mars is the brave planet and Aries is the brave sign.

The stars are saying you must do something that requires courage, energy or endurance before Mars leaves Aries. Things like running a marathon fit the bill, although you’ll know better what feats you are capable of and interested in. The time to use this energy is right as the month opens or even starting a couple of days before as Mars approaches and joins your ruler Jupiter on the 1st. Jupiter will also help see that you have enough mojo to get what you want or need out of this last super-Aries month.

Next month, Jupiter will move into Taurus and turn his enthusiasm to work and health. Uranus will remain in Aries for several more years. The extra-Arian past few months have been something of a lure to get you trotting along the path of greater courage in your life for the long haul. Uranus will be your guide for the rest of the journey.

The other thing the Aries energy affects in your chart is your love life and your children. Mercury and Venus and Jupiter spend an unusual amount of time in early May bouncing around in close proximity. This makes the period between the 9th and 16th of the month good for making a move toward a certain someone you have your eye on. The 11th is an especially good day for trust, intimacy, excitement in a love relationship. This might also be a good day for some travel, as into the big city if you live in the suburbs or a rural area. It’s a day for stimulation.

During the second half of May, Mars and the inner planets lead the charge into Taurus. Here, Mars will tussle with your work and/or health situation.

The key to your health, for the moment, seems to be to continue the sort of vigorous exercise Mars hopes you have taken up for pleasure earlier this year. Upper body work would be good. In terms of your work, Mars wants to put up a fight, engage in a struggle, play rough or otherwise burn off excess energy. You’ll need to decide for yourself whether that is appropriate for your situation.

May starts out with thoughts of home on your chart’s mind. The thoughts may relate to literal physical matters, such as upgrading your furnishings or redecorating. Or the thoughts may have more to do with relationships, concern about divisions or conflicts within the home. Either way, you can use the energy of the month to undertake a thorough overhaul or get a fresh start.

Because Uranus will be in your home sector for many years to come, it’s important to learn how to manage this craving your chart has for fresh air, literally or metaphorically, in your domestic life. Other possibilities for using the energy include making connections with your neighbors to bring new and potentially compatible people into your life. If you’re already friendly with your neighbors, the first half of the month might be a good time for a get-together. The dates around the 11th of the month are especially good for this, as Jupiter is just dying at that time to crowd a bunch of people into your home for a festive time.

Another good day for festivities occurs during the week before Memorial Day, around the 25th. An early holiday barbecue would fit the bill just fine and usher in the summer vibe the planets crave. The one thing the planets are not in the mood for this month is having you be alone. Speaking of which, after the first half of the month, the planets move toward a focus on love and personal relationships and intimacy.

In May you can get a deliciously fiery spark going in your love life. If you are single, it’s a chance to play the field. The action may actually start earlier in the month, as early as the 30th of April. Mars and Jupiter connect at that time and on the 1st of May, and there’s a new moon in your love life sector on the 3rd. This a very hot energy; use it wisely.

The Taurus energy that lights up your love life can also relate to things and material items. On the 20th, Pluto makes good aspects with Mercury and Mars in Taurus, giving you a chance to focus, if you’d like on the stuff you need to get and/or throw away. Be specific and organized in your lists of things to toss, replace, or acquire.

On the 21st, the sun moves into Gemini, centering your chart around work and health matters. But Pluto and Venus also make a nice angle, which is a very sexy aspect. Enjoy.

The month starts with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus still in Aries. This is a sociable line-up; go somewhere with your neighbors or relatives. The second week of the month is an all-star extravaganza of glittering aspects that you can use center your life around the daily tasks that get stuff done. Old-fashioned errand-running is likely to be more pleasant than usual.

You could end up the king or queen of crossing items off your to-do list. If possible, hit the ground running right as the month begins. The 1st, when Mars and Jupiter join forces, is a day full of purpose.

The energy shifts on the 15th and focuses on staying in and tending to the home front. Your chart becomes reluctant to leave the neighborhood, your comfort zone, or to venture out of your immediate environment. By the 22nd, the sun has moved into Gemini, and the only two planets left in Aries are Jupiter and Uranus. The other inner planets are lagging in Taurus. The Taurus energy is related to things, to material objects.

With Mars in Taurus from the 11th through the end of the month, the waning days of May are days to invest in the stuff you need or want for your home. If you have stuff you don’t need or want, get rid of it. If you have things you need to replace, replace ‘em. If you need to invest in some new items for the home, do that.

Mars is also the planet of anger. One consequence of Mars in the 4th house, which is where he’ll be in your chart, can also be anger at family members or people who share your living space. In truth, the same can be said about all the Aries energy. Mercury in Aries can also indicate anger with relatives in general.

However, the Aries energy is softened this month by close harmony between Mercury and Venus, especially during the period between the 8th and the 16th. If tensions are building in your family constellation, it might be good to mend fences before Mars goes roaring into your solar 4th house on the 11th. On the 11th itself, there’s a duo of conjunctions with Jupiter from Mercury and Venus. You should be able to either find agreement on contentious matters or say what you need to say. In fact, the general principle during this fiery month is to say it, not act it out.

Another odd month for Pisces. On the one hand, we still have a lot of Aries energy as the month begins. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus all open the month in that sign. Aries as a sign favors bluntness, straightforwardness, directness, and honesty.

Aries also builds trust between people by allowing for the forthright expression of anger. The sign knows that conflict doesn’t destroy relationships; it actually creates bonds. For Pisces folks, Aries concentrates its energy on the finances. So far, so good.

Be bluntly honest with yourself and others about your financial situation. Piece of cake. Admittedly, with Mars in Aries until the 11th your expenses are likely to be high or they have been recently. Fortunately, with Jupiter also in this sign until early next month, you are also hopefully moving toward an abundance of income that will cover your immediate outlays. Not too big a deal.

The longer-term trend to be aware of and honest with yourself about is the presence of Uranus in your financial sector for a good 7 years. Uranus will be attempting to kick around your financial situation, off and on, for a long time, so you need to be consistently aware of exactly where you stand. Best days to tackle your finances with purpose are the 8th through the 16th. The 9th is a good day to coordinate financial matters with others or to get a report from a financial advisor.

That’s all pretty simple. The oddity comes from Neptune in your own sign, your solar first house. Neptune in Pisces is anything but direct, honest, straightforward or blunt. In fact, you may need to deal with the Neptune effects first, because they can be quite strong.

Neptune encourages you to wander around trying things that won’t work as it tests the quality and depth of your life. It has the aura of divine discontent because it wants you to experience the delicious subtleties of life by losing all sense of what’s practical. It’s a combination of planet and sign that invites mind fog. Quite a task to reconcile that with Aries financial energy, but it’s worth a try.

Meanwhile, planets also congregate in Taurus this month, including Mars as of the 11th and Mercury and Venus as of the 15th. Taurus is a sign of sensual pleasures, of tasting and touching and music and art and sex too. A great time to savor good food and anything else that’s tasty.

In honor of Neptune in Pisces, I’m posting a podcast on dreams and dream interpretation. We have an odd combination of influences in the coming era. One, Neptune in Pisces, is the ‘sleep, perchance to dream’ influence that opens up the collective consciousness to a greater understanding of the subconscious mind (a hot topic in scientific research these days, by the way). The other influence, Uranus in Aries, is the ‘wake-up call’ influence.

One use of that combination of energies is to take what’s learned from exploration of the subconscious and translate it into effective action on the conscious plane. Understanding your dreams can be a great way to learn from the subconscious, as I know from personal experience. I have used dreams in my own life to significant effect.

My guest on the podcast is Michele Avanti. She’s an astrologer, author, and also the creator of an accredited university course on dream interpretation, one that she taught for 16 years. She’ll give a handy explanation of how you can interpret your own dreams.

You can find out more about Michele at her websites: www.talesoftamoor.com and astrologyandmore.blogspot.com. Here’s a link to her Facebook page as well. Enjoy!