Midlife Transits

Throughout September, energy in Virgo (via the sun and Mercury) opposes energy from Uranus in Pisces. Virgo is an anxiety sign in your work sector. Uranus is in an anxiety sector of your chart. Therefore, you need to be a bit understanding with yourself if you get the heebie-jeebies this month.

The anxiety, if you get any, comes from not knowing exactly what to do about your job situation. This year has been a bit heavy on Virgo job energy anyway, so you may be getting a bit tired of the burdens. With Saturn firmly out of Virgo now, you may feel that you’ve earned your right to move on. Perhaps you have; I’m certainly not going to argue with you.

The opposition just indicates that you have to figure out how to do that and the way is not necessarily completely clear yet. Especially around the 21st, your mind just may want to go round and round in circles. If that’s the case, try broadening your view, considering additional education or the like. Jupiter will be in your sign until the 9th, and Jupiter does love the broad view and education. Jupiter will also help you if you need to call on your warrior self during the early part of the month. At the very least, he can help you soldier on.

Your ruler Mars will be in Libra until the 14th, bringing vigor to your committed relationships. After that, he’ll be in Scorpio, where he’ll either bring equal vigor to your sex life or go into survivor mode, hunkering down while he broods and plots your next move.

Pluto in your 10th house of career and reputation spends much of the month mad at someone. He gets mad at Jupiter and Saturn and even Venus and Mars. A quick interpretation of that would be that whatever your inclination is this month, someone else will have to go and have a different one. Pluto also pertains to sexual matters, so I suppose it’s possible that you are developing a reputation as a sexy beast, although I am in no way going to guarantee that.

But it is possible that, especially during the early part of the month, someone else will be inclined to take a sexual relationship far more seriously than you were intending. Your own sign has been trying to feel all free and easy with Jupiter and Uranus cavorting in its early degrees, but Pluto is not Mr. Freedom and he gets irked when he cannot possess someone. Just so you know. Furthermore, you’ve got Mars (also sexy) and Venus (love and relationships) in your 7th house of bonding in all its forms. Pluto squares off with Mars on the 4th and with Venus on the 10th. Your sign is stuck with people who apparently want to fasten themselves to you this month and not let go.

And I haven’t even mentioned Saturn in your 7th house yet! Saturn and Pluto also square off this month, with the aspect reaching exactitude on the 21st and building before then. This is the kind of face-off that can bring up old relationship wounds, although they are more likely to be metaphorical than physical thank goodness. Suffice to say you’ve got some stuff to work through this month. If you do, though, September will be much easier it seems.

For a long time, Uranus was in your psychological 12th house, and now, all of a sudden, he’s in your much more physical 1st house. Screw the psychologizing, he says, let’s make stuff real. Jupiter has joined Aries to put double emphasis on your individuality, to lavish attention on you.

Unfortunately, perhaps, almost no sooner do these planets move into your sign to lavish attention on you than they get into heated arguments with Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto in Capricorn is trying to take charge of your career, and he apparently doesn’t give a hoot about your individuality. He wants you to get to the top the old-fashioned way–by doing the same things everyone else does. And Saturn in Libra doesn’t want to lavish attention on you–it wants you to to pay attention to your mates and partners. It’s almost like Saturn in Libra is deliberately trying to block your efforts to manifest stuff for yourself.

Whassup with that? I’ll be danged if I know the answer to that for sure. But I will say that we’ve also got a new moon eclipse in Cancer on July 11, and maybe that either holds a key or helps a little. The eclipse represents a new beginning in your private life; it takes place at the bottom of your chart. Perhaps, in some way, you need to get that private life strong, sorted out, and supportive so that you can manifest from a sturdy foundation. Maybe Saturn’s just trying to slow you down enough to give you a chance to build your base up a little bit.

Might as well look at it that way instead of grinding your teeth over planetary frustrations and delays.

Big month for Aries. First, I’ll mention the lunar eclipse in Capricorn on June 26. Lunar eclipses are supposed to signal endings. Briefly, Capricorn represents your 10th house of career. Therefore, a lunar eclipse in super shorthand terms would represent an ending in your career. It’s a bit more complicated in real life. Pluto’s already in your solar 10th house, trying to figure out what exactly the 10th house of career really means to you in your life.  So an eclipse could represent an adjustment in the direction of matching up reality with meaning, or with your true desires. Or it could mean nothing at all. Sometimes the universe decides ‘ah, let’s sit this one out.’ You never know with eclipses. But at least you have a head’s up.

Second I’ll mention that Jupiter is joining Uranus in your sign this month. Now you’ve got a big thought-oriented planet in your sign (Uranus) and a more feeling or instinct based planet (Jupiter) in your sign. Or you might say that Jupiter is faith-based. Basically, Jupiter just bounces around doing what it wants to do. It will be bouncing around with Uranus during the 2nd week of June. A rough translation of this might be that you personally could feel that you are bouncing off the walls. Or your thoughts may be bouncing off the walls. You could be super-revved up. Those who are not as sensitive may be a little revved up or gently energized. What you decide to do with the energy is your free choice–your sign, your choice.

Next, Mars, your ruler, enters Virgo on the 7th. Hasn’t been there for awhile. Mars is your action planet. Well, okay, he’s everyone’s action planet. Action in this case would be oriented around work or health. Go for it.

May officially welcomes the sign of Aries into unpredictable world. Uranus, Mr. Unpredictable, moves into your sign on May 27. Uranus likes to get rid of the orderly structures in your life because he finds them boring and confining. You may share his feelings as we move through summer. You may even feel this way as early as the start of the month, because Venus and then the sun will be moving through Gemini.

Gemini is a sign that also greatly dislikes being bored or feeling that things are too predictable. When the sign gets bored, it often tries to stir up trouble for its own amusement. In the Aries solar chart, it targets  the little things in your daily life as well as the people you interact with frequently. Therefore, this month can be a good one to be proactive by consciously and deliberately shaking up your routine a little bit so that the parts of your chart that need new stimulation are kept happy and interested and out of trouble. You can almost think of your chart as taking on for awhile the characteristics of a small child that needs to learn, grow, explore, and be kept busy.

The sun and Mercury also spend time in Taurus in May.  Here they briefly light up your financial sector, a part of your chart that doesn’t get too much love this year. Take advantage while you can. The days after the 11th are likely to show more progress than those before.

As we start the Aries solar new year, let’s take a look at some of the major themes for Aries over the next 12 months. First off, the theme of faith. Jupiter, a planet with a lot of faith, is currently in Pisces, the sign before yours. There it encourages faith in the universe itself. By June, it moves into your own sign, where it encourages faith in yourself. In both cases, it is your ability and willingness to proceed with confidence that brings rewards over the next months.

A second theme is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is one of Aries’ best qualities, and this is another approach that Jupiter will reward in the coming months. By June, it will be time to pursue your own interests with vigor. If you have a desire to study anything, Jupiter will also help with that.

By the same token, it may become more difficult to pursue an occupation that does not truly interest you. Saturn moves back into your work sector this month. He’ll stay there until July. If he didn’t already convince you between late 2007 and now that you need to pursuing work that you can see yourself sticking with, he’ll make another attempt before he leaves Saturn for good. Pluto in Capricorn is also encouraging you to transform your occupation into one that truly reflects you.

Uranus also moves into your sign this year–in late May. He’ll be giving a preview for about 2 1/2 months of what will eventually be a 7 year stay in your sign. You can’t get much more of an enthusiastic set of influences than Jupiter and Uranus in Aries. With the sun in your sign during the first 3 weeks of April, you’re getting sort of a sneak peek at the the energy that will be important this year.

Indeed, it’s already starting to show itself. Issues like gun rights are becoming more prominent and that’s exactly the kind of thing that Uranus in Aries advocates for (your sign rules guns; Uranus rules individual rights). Other related issues, like hunter’s rights, may also come into play.

You yourself may not be a gun enthusiast or a hunter per se. But the energy of the thrill of the chase (whatever it is that you like to chase, including people of your favorite sex) is all over your chart–not just this month, but for a long time to come.

It’s hard to say what your mental state or thought processes will be like this March. If you were born in March, they may be pretty intense, as Pluto is stuck at 5 degrees all month, close to a square with your natal sun. Furthermore, your ruler Mars is at 0 degrees Leo for much of the month, giving you March Aries folks an intense shot of helpful energy. Saturn opposing your sun adds another layer of intense energy.

On the other hand, if you were born near the end of the sign, then you will benefit from wonderfully pleasant angles from Neptune and Chiron to your sun.That’s not intense at all. For the rest of you, it partly depends how you respond to Pisces energy. There’s a lot of it in March, and it may lift your mood or make you feel quite tired.

Planets also move into your own sign this month. Venus leads the way, entering on the 7th. Mercury follows, entering on the 17th. The sun brings up the rear, entering on the 20th. Energy in your own sign should presumably help perk you up.

We could also sum things up another way. Until the 17th, your mind is scheduled to be on Very Big Thoughts around issues that relate to the entire previous year or perhaps much longer than that. From the 17th on, your thoughts are scheduled to be on much more immediate and smaller matters. You may also get a single good idea in the second half of the month that proves useful for the next 12 months.

My goodness the skies are thrifty these days, and so, I’ve heard, is the American consumer. You’d probably be wise to follow the trend by making every attempt to live on less than you earn while building up some savings. Pluto is still glaring at Saturn this month, and Pluto is the Grand Planetary Poohbah of debt–so it’s not wise to rile him up by taking on any more than is absolutely necessary. I’m not saying this will be easy, just that it would be a worthwhile effort. Pluto is affecting your chart more than it is many other signs because it is at the very top of your solar wheel, where its influence stands out.

This is also a month with a lot of Aquarian influence. Aquarius governs things like humanitarian efforts, friendships, hopes and wishes. More paradoxically, it governs the need to be a separate individual within the context of a small or large group, the desire to be special and notable yet not alone. Chiron, Neptune, Venus, Mercury, and the sun all travel through this sign in February. Something in your chart wants to heal or be healed, perhaps both. There’s idealism, romance, the desire to help and be helped, to be a part of something larger but to do your part. I say go with it, because these all sound like excellent things to me. If you’re single, Valentine’s Day would be a great day to go out with a bunch of friends. If you’re not single–well just enjoy.

No sluffing off in January! The skies are filled with Capricorn energy, from the sun to Pluto, and Capricorn expects you to do your chores. That means your homework, your housework, and your work work. Jupiter is moving away from dreamy Neptune in your solar house of wishes and into Pisces, where he’ll take a brief nap. The symbolism of this is to stop wishing, get your rest at night, and then get up and go get ‘em. Doing, not thinking, is the order of the day.

It’s kind of like you’re mountain climbing these days, in an astrological sense, as most of the energy is around the peaks of your chart. There’s even an eclipse in the sign at the top of your solar chart, Capricorn, on the 15th. This is the second in a pair. The first one, a lunar eclipse right at New Year’s Eve, occurred at the base of your chart. It dealt with the very basics of your home life, the foundation. If you didn’t feel a dose of energy in that sector last month, you may feel it in January.

As for the rest of 2010, this could well be an exciting year for you. Uranus and Jupiter will enter your sign, putting more of an astrological spotlight on your sign than you’ve experienced in a long time. The challenge will come from committed relationships, as Saturn in the sign opposite yours is likely to brook no excuses for failing to live up to your responsibilities in this area. It’s going to be quite  a year. Get ready!

This is typically a good time of year for Aries. Good friends, a generous spirit all around, gifts and celebrations–what’s not to like? This year, however, for better or worse, career concerns may come calling, thanks to Pluto in Capricorn and the early entry of Mercury into that sign. You gotta get a firm grip on that aspect of your life and make sure all the basics are covered, no matter how sociable you may otherwise be feeling. To put it another way, both aspects of your life–personal and professional–are equally important and need to be balanced this month.

First, get your gifts and holiday planning organized and out of the way so that you will not be stressed when the aspects start piling up from the week of the 13th. Get your holiday cards done as early in the month as possible (by the end of the 1st week). The 16th sees the new moon in Sagittarius, which helps to symbolize the potential for goodness in mankind. Enjoy the optimism.

Then figure on putting yourself forward and speaking up for yourself once the sun enters Capricorn and your career sector on the 21st. Finally, a lunar eclipse at the end of the month is part of an ongoing cycle intended to help bring you good conditions in your home or domestic life. It may not appear that way at first, but that’s what the cycle is supposed to help you do.

Pluto in Capricorn kicks up a fuss with Saturn in Libra this November. Pluto’s in your house of career and visibility, and it’s possible he will try to drive you into the ground with heavy career demands that will take time away from the serious relationships in your life. Thank goodness your health is scheduled to be improving thanks to Saturn finally getting his butt out of your health house. Don’t take chances, though, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, as do exercise, adequate sleep if you can get it, and proactive stress management.

You’re more likely to get your exercise this month if you are doing something fun that will let you burn off tension. No dreary rounds of running the treadmill at the gym this month. Get out there and play if you can. Another form of stress relief can come through contemplating the big ideas for long-term goals and healing the planet and being all idealistic that your chart is still nurturing for you. The current month may be stressful, but if you understand that you are on a journey that is leading somewhere significant, it will help you put things in perspective.

On another note, this is the month when you may get an excellent idea for dealing with marital finances, debts, expenses, obligations and all that other financial stuff that’s so important. Put your thinking cap on!

October is one of those big deal astrological months, because Saturn will leave Virgo for the first time since September 2007. It will move into Libra, the sign opposite yours, on October 29, where it will put a lot of emphasis on the word ‘and‘ in your life. Any time you’ve got a major planet in the sign opposite yours, you’re being asked to figure out how to get around the either/or thinking we all love so much so that you can scooch over toward ‘this and that’ thinking. Saturn in Libra will give you a real workout (a challenging workout) in that department, as it encourages your normally decisive sign to weigh alternatives and nuances.

Example: it may seem perfectly reasonable to you as an Aries to prefer pens to pencils or vice versa or one pen over another or to have an deep fondness for or dislike of Sharpies. Saturn in Libra will do its determined best to frustrate this by introducing you to the world of working with both pens and pencils, your favorite brand and someone else’s, with Sharpies and their alternatives. It will most likely do this through the medium of a significant other that you will be motivated to cooperate with even when you think it’s going to kill you. But you may also find this theme surfacing in other areas over the next 3 years.

As if that’s not enough, Saturn will also be trying to teach you good manners! Libra’s natural instinct is to find your enthusiastic blunt straightforwardness to be not quite tactful and indirect enough for its tastes. So it will try to teach you the benefits of diplomacy. This is going to be really interesting because, come June 2010, Uranus will enter your own sign (yay!) for a few months, where it will turn up the volume on your inner voice, and it’s going to want to shout Saturn down. Plus, you’ll get a nice, warm dose of Jupiter to give you self-assurance. A lot to look forward to in the next 12 months.

In the meantime, rest up. September was a brutal month astrologically, and October is not nearly as bad. You could use the break, and you’ll get one. So take advantage of it.

Pluto goes direct this month in your career house, and you may feel a bit of change in the air, at least in that regard. The change would most likely come in the form of ideas, not bold steps just yet. You still have plenty of work to do before the big stuff happens.

In fact, the month as a whole is a bit (well actually a lot) unstable, which means you may want to hold off on taking too much action, as you’ll probably end up having to re-do everything anyway. Of course, since you’re an Aries, you may prefer it that way, rather than having to sit on the sidelines and wait everything out.

It’s the kind of month wherein you could get all kinds of nifty ideas, and yet find yourself spending the majority of your time having to do mundane things like organize your closets and pick your clothes up off the bedroom floor. Saturn in your house of daily routines is all stern, just as Uranus in your sector of the subconscious mind has decided upon a pure hatred of all routine and discipline.

If you do get nifty ideas about your future life direction (not a bad way to spend an annoying month), mull them over for awhile if at all possible. Use the time spent on mundane chores to daydream, fantasize, and let stuff hatch in your brain.The universe as a whole is just packed with resistance this month, and daydreaming is your escape hatch.

Finally, you might want to take steps to boost your immune system (such as by getting adequate rest) so you can do some resisting of your own of those back-to-school colds and that swine flu thing they say is going around.

Creative insights are likely to be yours for the having in August, Aries. First off, you’ve got the sun and then Venus in your solar house of creativity. You’ve also got Uranus (Mr. Insight) in the creative sign of Pisces rumbling around the backroads of your mind, looking for interesting stuff to toss up to consciousness. He’s been doing that for awhile, but his energy is gaining strength in August. That’s because he’s preparing for a showdown with Saturn in September, and it’s usually the time before the actual opposition when the interesting stuff happens.

The uncreative, uninterested in insight part of your solar chart (Saturn), the part that wants to know where you left your keys, is scheduled to get blasted by the part (Uranus) that doesn’t give a damn about the tangibles and only cares about the life of the mind. The result is that you may lose your keys but get a great idea.

In other news, Pluto is slowing to a crawl as he starts to wrap up a long transit that’s been pounding Aries folks born on the first day of the sign. Pluto’s trying to kill stuff that he thinks you’ve outgrown in your career or reputation, and he’s got eclipse energy on his side. If you didn’t let something go or watch something die in that area of your life in July, you may do so in August.

I know this may not sound good. It may not even look good when it happens. There may be layoffs or cutbacks in your field. But in the long run this is fortunate for you. Really it is.

You’ve also got energy affecting your home situation in August, so you probably need to attend to that as well, and it may not be easy. Last but maybe not least, you may need to let go of a friendship around August 6. On the upside–great month for dating. Good Leo energy for your love life, pretty much all month long.

So…to summarize. All you gotta do is lose your keys, get a great idea or some creative insight, find your keys, let go of something in your career or reputation, straighten out your living situation, evaluate your friendships, and go on a bunch of dates. Piece of cake!