Midlife Transits

Happy month for Virgo, especially if you like holiday-themed projects or making a project out of the holidays! This is pretty typical behavior for Virgo, but this month does have some unusual features. Mercury goes retrograde on the 10th, for one thing, and stays that way until the 30th. There’s also a lunar eclipse in Gemini on the 21st.

Lunar eclipses are unpredictable. This one could affect your career. You may suddenly decide that you want to do something quite different with your professional life or you may run into strange circumstances surrounding your boss or an assignment. Some Virgos will end something in their career, voluntarily or even involuntarily.

The cosmic hubbub could be a bit stressful, but your powers of recuperation are strong, thanks to a mass of energy in compatible Capricorn. Capricorn also happens to be the sign in your solar chart that represents gambling or games of chance. I’m not encouraging any wild speculation on your part, but maybe buying a raffle ticket or two wouldn’t be a bad idea.

This is also travel month. Planets in Sagittarius urge everyone to make their annual holiday journeys. For Virgo, this theoretically means trekking back to the family of origin or taking a trip to see the kids. You also have planetary permission to take a trip purely for pleasure or for business.

Sagittarius rules long journeys rather than short ones–does this mean that you could do with a longish vacation away from work? If circumstances permit, perhaps a bit of a rest wouldn’t hurt.

Venus retrogrades back into Libra this month and goes direct in that sign on the 18th. This makes the period between the 8th and the 28th a good time to focus on your aspirations for wealth, building up your cash reserves, and so on. That’s because Venus is a money planet and Libra is your money sign.

Saturn is also in Libra and that complicates the picture a bit. Libra is the natural sign of partnership, making the natural Virgo approach to money intrinsically tied up with relationships. Saturn here can cause great anxiety, including financial anxiety, if relationships are not going well. On the other hand, Saturn in this spot can also teach you how to be less dependent financially on others, while teaching you how to help yourself and be responsible for your own money management.

Jupiter also impacts the month’s astrological picture, because it spends practically the whole month stuck at 23 degrees Pisces. Those born in the middle of September will have Jupiter opposing their suns all month! Jupiter is a restless planet that craves freedom and adventure. It will leave some of you, even if you’re not born in the middle of the month, itching for travel or some kind of vacation to a remote and lovely spot. Jupiter can also be a money planet, and combined with Uranus in Pisces,  it could give some of you a chance to make a quick financial score before the end of the year.

As a final note, thanks to Mars and other planets in Sagittarius, your domestic affairs could also be quite busy this month.

Early born Virgos are feeling the benefits of Pluto, who is in a better and better mood these days, especially now that planets are strolling into compatible Scorpio. Pluto can boost your love life or improve your dealings with children. More generally his competence can help you carry out whatever your Virgo heart desires, or perhaps more accurately, whatever superhuman feats your Virgo mouth has volunteered you to do. Enjoy the flow.

Meanwhile, the sun, Mercury, Saturn and the new moon on the 7th hang out in your solar second house. This essentially means that you’ve got a lot to juggle when it comes to your finances. Saturn in the 2nd can be associated with a financial tumble. Or it can be associated with recovering from previous financial stumbles. Your solar sign of finances is Libra, and by nature it likes to spend and perhaps even treat money as a plaything.

Saturn, on the other hand, disapproves of clowning around with anything so serious as money. This mismatch of impulses can have you feeling like you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, as the saying goes. You might as well get your finances as organized as possible now, while you’ve got the energy behind you–as next year Uranus will re-enter your other financial house, the one that deals with debt and loans and joint finances. Lord only knows what tricks Uranus will want to play there, so juggle your accounts now while the juggling is likely to be effective.

September is a much more supportive month than August was. The month starts with a couple of nice trines from Venus and Mars in your money sector to Neptune in your job sector. The optimistic interpretation of that would be a raise. Could happen!

Admittedly, there is a bit of intensity around the 21st when the sun in your sign opposes both Jupiter and Uranus on the same day. If you are sensitive to such things, you may feel some suppressed suspense around this time. That would be because Jupiter conjunct Uranus likes to spring surprises on people. If you haven’t already experienced your surprise by this time, you’ll probably feel it coming and wonder what’s going to happen. I don’t know myself what’s going to happen, but the betting money would be on something relating to a committed relationship.

The surprise would be along the lines of suddenly seeing very clearly just exactly how things are in this committed or intimate relationship.

It’s not so much about delivering good news or bad news; it’s more about suddenly understanding how you feel about the state of the relationship in question. That’s kind of cool because most of the time, for most of us, this is actually kind of hard to do. We get so used to things and caught up in the day to day trivia that we don’t quite see the big picture. Jupiter is Mr. Big Picture and Uranus is Mr. Surprise; hence, surprise at seeing the big picture. That’s one possibility at least.

Relationship changes are actually a big theme in your chart for much of the rest of the next 12 months; that is, until mid-March 2011. After that, Uranus will leave your relationship sector not to return in your lifetime unless you live to be really really old (Uranus takes 84 years to circle the zodiac). Until then, you’ll have time to examine relationships from many different perspectives and perhaps with someone new. You might even figure out how to produce the kind of relationship you really want.

After that, if you play your cards right, you’ll get to experience the excitement that Jupiter and Uranus in Aries can bring to your sex life. It’s all a natural progression.

Meanwhile, your birthday wish new moon takes place on September 8. Make a wish and enjoy.

August is kind of complicated, as planets in cardinal signs (Venus, Mars and Saturn in Libra, Jupiter and Uranus in Aries, and Pluto in Capricorn) make clashing angles with each other. The planets in Libra are transiting your solar 2nd house of financial matters. Jupiter and Uranus are opposing them in your solar house of joint financial matters and other mysterious things. Pluto is situated in your love life house, also the house that deals with children and creative endeavors. After the 14th, Uranus moves back into Pisces and your 7th house of marriage. Complicated.

To streamline things a bit, let’s look at this through the eyes of Jupiter in Aries, who moves slowly this month. Jupiter is the education planet, so presumably during his stay in Aries you’d be acquiring (or perhaps teaching) knowledge and skills related to joint finances, debt management, taxes and investments or other 8th house matters. Well and good. No biggie.

Then Pluto comes along during the first week of August, squaring Jupiter from your 5th house of love, kids, and creativity and says something like ‘change o’plans. A serious matter requires your attention and you must travel to attend to it.’ Why travel? Because Jupiter is a travel planet as well. I’m not saying this is what will happen, it’s just an example. You’re plugging along, living your life, and then planets want to bring up serious matters that require you to make difficult adjustments to your plans. This kind of thing happens all month long, in various areas of your life.

Fortunately, next month should be better!

On July 21, Saturn officially re-enters your solar second house of money, and he promptly gets into an argument with Uranus in Aries. Saturn in the house of money is not usually considered a good thing, but it can have its benefits. Safe, solid, sensible investments can be made that will pay off over the long haul. Being prudent can save your financial backside. Saving can be your friend. Building a nest egg can be a smart activity. And so on.

The problem is that during late July, the opposition with Uranus can have the effect of trying to tug money out of your accounts. Debts or expenses can become sudden problems or monies owed you by others can skedaddle right when you were counting on them. All the more reason for you to hedge your bets and be extra conservative financially for the time being.

As an added wrinkle, Jupiter will be squaring Pluto for much of the month. That seems to indicate that if you do bring in a nice chunk of money, Pluto will want to snatch it away and spend it on your kids or something equally worthy.

Fortunately, Venus is in your sign from the 10th on, and that helps. You’re not scheduled to be in such dire financial straits that you can’t get what you need. In fact, there’s plenty of energy in your sign to help you get through any temporary difficulties. There may be some uneasy moments, but you’ll pull through.

Finally, there’s a new moon eclipse in Cancer on the 11th that could bring a new and important friend or ally into your circle.

Wow, June is a heavy month astrologically. By this I do not mean that you will gain weight, because you probably won’t. Not with Saturn in your sign. Saturn disapproves of weight gain. You may even lose some. No, I mean psychologically heavy.

First, there’s an eclipse in Capricorn on June 26, a lunar eclipse. It’s another indication that the stars are taking your love life very seriously this year. Pluto’s already taking your love life seriously, and between Pluto and the eclipse, if someone doesn’t fit the bill in June–out he or she is likely to go. You may or may not agree with the assessment of Pluto and the eclipse as to the worthiness of individual that gets the heave-ho, but the track record of the stars on these things is pretty good. That doesn’t mean that you are pre-ordained for a sudden break-up in June, just that the skies are in a scrutinizing mood. They are also taking your children and your creative projects seriously too. If there’s something in either of these areas that needs your attention, they will probably try to point it out to you.

Next, we have Jupiter joining Uranus in your psychologically heavy 8th house. What this will actually mean in your life is ambiguous, other than that a lot of energy is massing in one particular spot in your chart. The most likely guess (and it’s just a guess) is that you will feel that something is out of balance, that there is a tug pulling you toward dealing with something that’s still difficult to resolve. For some people, the issue will be obvious–debt, financial problems, a divorce, a particular physical problem that needs to be healed, etc. Jupiter will theoretically both help bring the issue to a crisis point and help you get some relief more speedily. What makes it psychologically heavy is that although Uranus and Jupiter will only be in this area of your chart for a couple of months this time around, Uranus will actually spend about 7 years there starting 2011. Subconsciously at least, your chart knows this is the beginning of an ongoing issue that you’ll need to deal with. I suppose the smart Virgo thing to do would be to put on your detective hat and see what clues you can gather from this month’s circumstances, so you can be prepared for the future.

Last but not least, you are carrying two planets in your sign this month. Mars enters Virgo on the 7th, joining Saturn. Both leave in July. A few short weeks and you will be released from the burden of Saturn, a burden that won’t return for almost 30 years. Things are about to lighten up!

A bit of everything in May from the inner planets.  A bit of career energy. A bit of socializing energy, including the possibility of socializing with or as a result of your children’s activities. Another possibility is socializing at home, perhaps by hosting a party (including a children’s party).

There’s also a bit of energy toward staying out of sight and trying to blend into the background. You may even get a positive sense of joy from being alone for awhile. Going off by yourself to engage in some arty activities, for example, could be just the tonic your sign needs. Meanwhile, Jupiter is zooming through the last degrees of your house of partnerships and committed relationships, hopefully bringing a certain sense of happiness there.

Quite a mixed bag, one with contradictory elements.

I’ll put the elements in a Virgo-like list of priority order, although you can feel free to rearrange. Priority #1: nurturing your psychological well-being. Priority #2: Nurturing your career success. Priority #3: Nurturing your partnerships, family, and social relationships. Priority #4: Getting some time to yourself.

There’s also a long-term trend that starts in very late May. Pluto in Capricorn thinks it is very important for you to master self-expression and to put yourself out there, as for example, by doing public speaking, or indulging your hidden desire to do a little acting. On the 27th, Uranus will move into Aries and a more hidden part of your chart, to stir up both you and Pluto. There’s scheduled to be a real tug of war, off and on, between your chart’s desire to keep a certain amount of psychological upheaval in your life private and an even stronger desire to channel that angst into some sort of a powerful statement. Your job will be to figure out how the heck to balance those factors, and it should keep you busy for quite a while.

Here they come again. Uranus in Pisces and Saturn in Virgo are back on opposite sides the astrological wheel again. Yeah, that’s right. Saturn is back in your sign, as of the 7th.

He’s likely to draw the crazies out of the woodwork as he returns. It’s not exactly Saturn’s fault that his presence in your sign provokes the eccentrics to pop back into your life. Technically, it’s Uranus in your 7th house that’s astrologically responsible for that. It’s just that Saturn’s conservatism irritates the more free-spirited souls among us so much that they become more prone to acting out when Saturn gets them all riled up.

This could be good for you. Perhaps what you need most right now is an interesting person or two to shake you out of your Virgo rut. Uranus has been trying to convince you for years to let your own personal weirdness run free. It’s just that…the effort to loosen up is likely to be difficult, especially if you are worried about a spouse, partner, ex-spouse, ex-partner, or soon to be ex-spouse or partner.

In fact, you do need to let your guard down and face your problems with this interesting person or partner forthrightly–and commands and criticism do not qualify as letting your guard down. But you also need to be able to cope with stress in your own Virgo way. And therein lies the balance. Only you can decide how much of the facade to keep up and how much to let slip.

By the way, some of you Virgos lost a bit too much weight during Saturn’s transit of your sign. Make sure you don’t stress yourself too skinny during April. Keep your strength up and do remember to eat.

The sign of Virgo loves its facts and figures. For right now, let’s hope you’re one of those Virgos who fits the type–because you need to have a handle on your facts and figures when it comes to money these days. March sees both of your money houses lit up with energy, and March is really just the beginning of a long-term trend. The basic problem (and it kinda is one) is Saturn in Libra in your second house of income and values.

Saturn opposes the sun, Mercury, and Venus in your house of debt this month and there’s a full moon in your income house this month too (on the 29th). This is like a quadruple emphasis on money during the month. So what exactly are you supposed to do about all this? Probably what you are supposed to do is learn to put a great value on conservative investments, savings, and the like.

Live within your means. Develop an appreciation for free stuff–like walking in the park on a beautiful spring day, or a breezy spring day, or any kind of a day at all, so that you can save money on gym fees.

Yes, and gather facts. Face reality; figure out the truth. The thing is, Saturn in your second house is full of financial fears. Maybe some of those fears are justified; maybe they are not. You’re not going to know unless you get up the courage to look at your 401k account and see what’s left, balance your checkbook, see what kind of interest you are paying on your credit cards, and do all that sensible stuff that grownups are supposed to do.

This the time of year when all the planets are lined up on the opposite side of the zodiac from your sign, leaving you with little personal planetary attention. There is a full moon in your sign on the 28th of February, though, and you can use it to get rid of all kinds of stuff that you don’t need or want any longer, until only the good stuff is left.

There is one good angle between your ruler Mercury and Uranus this month, one that could help your personal life. That’s between Mercury in Capricorn in your 5th house of love and Uranus in Pisces in your 7th house of committed relationships. It becomes exact at 3:02 a.m. on Saturday the 6th, though (Eastern Standard Time), so you and your date will either have to stay up late to get the maximum romantic punch or fudge things a little.

On the 10th, your ruler moves into Aquarius and things get a whole lot more fuzzy and a lot less play-oriented. On the upside, you could see a modest increase in income from your job for the time being. And Aquarius is the friendship sign, so the energy is good for doing things with your buddies. On the downside, your normally precise mind can’t get much traction with the vague Aquarian energy, dominated as it is by Neptune and Chiron this month. Furthermore, Aquarius is the sign in your solar chart that represents work! So for most of the month, your mind is more on work than play.

This month, there’s a dust-up between Saturn in your solar second house and Pluto in your solar 5th house. Saturn in the 2nd relates to money. It means (most often, not always) reduced income or the need to make serious purchases, such as buying a car. This  trend has been in effect since October, so some of you have already made a big purchase.

The 5th house represents pleasure, kids, love, creativity. The dust-up indicates that your financial obligations are at odds with your desire to enjoy yourself. On the one hand, there’s an eclipse in this same 5th house that indicates the possibility of new love or a fresh start in some creative or pleasurable area of your life, especially since happy Jupiter is entering your 7th house of relationships. Indeed, a major theme for all of 2010 is relationships.

On the other hand, there’s a long-term trend toward financial pressure, as Uranus is now bearing down on your 8th house of debt, preparing to enter there in June. I suppose the message is enjoy yourself now, but prepare for the future and look to managing your expenses, even if you do fall in love this month! Finally, a reminder that Mars in Leo has got your subconscious mind vrooming along with energy. You may want to keep a dream journal or record your inspirations.

As for 2010, if you can keep a clear head when it comes to relationships and money–you should do all right.

The month starts off with a full moon in Gemini in your career sector. Sometimes a full moon signifies a low point in the cycle with regard to the affairs of that house, especially if you work in a Gemini-related field such as writing, office work, and the like. You may lose or complete a project, or just feel low energy in your career.Try not to make careless errors, and shrug off temporary annoyances.

The 16th sees the annual new moon in your home and family sector. Usually, there’s ton of energy in this area of your life in December. This year, a bit less so. For one thing, Pluto is gone from this area (yay!) and for another, Mercury spends almost the entire month in Capricorn instead of Sag. You may actually get a break this year and find the holiday season to be more refreshing than usual–or you may miss the usual hubbub at your house.

The end of the month sees a rare lunar eclipse in Cancer. The most straightforward meaning of this would be that you would have to give up something in your perpetually overcharged schedule. A friendship, a bit of your social life, a community involvement. Something’s got to be purged, so purge it and empty your calendar a bit.

New moon in your 3rd house of reading, writing, and arithmetic this month, Virgo, on the 16th. If you’re a book-loving Virgo, haul out the reading list and indulge. Exercising your active brain may be more important than you realize in November, as wacky and difficult aspects make a retreat into the mind an appealing way to cope.

First, the pleasant stuff. Venus in Libra from October 14 through November 8 may tempt you to spend money socializing. Go ahead and splurge a little, because there’s not much splurging ahead for your sign over the next few years.

On the 22nd, the sun moves into the sector of your chart that deals with home and hearth, just in time for the holiday season to begin. In fact, Thanksgiving may be the best day of the month as warm-hearted Mars in Leo teams up with Mercury in Sagittarius to make things merry and bright for a family get-together.

It’s that middle period, between the 9th and the 22nd when you may want to grab that book and hide.

Cardinal people are scheduled to go a little nuts, or at least exhibits sign of stress (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn are cardinal signs). Fixed sign people are scheduled to get all confused and weird (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius are fixed signs). All at the same time. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of people who won’t accidentally be trying to fry their relationships under the influence of quarreling skies.

Another possibility is that there will be some sort of event that affects a great deal of people at once, and they won’t be happy about it. Hopefully nothing too upsetting will happen, but still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a mental note that snuggling under the covers with a flashlight and a novel may not be the worst way to spend the week of the 15th.