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Chiaroscuro - Light and Shade
Forecsat for 29th October - 4th November 2006
‘Chiaroscuro’ is a term describing the way light and shade dances and interacts, usually in a work of art. With five planets in Scorpio now there is a sharp contrast, as the Moon wends her way through the zodiac, between an easy, light flow of energy and a more challenging one.
On Sunday evening (in the UK), October 29th, the Aquarian Moon begins a series of square (tense) aspects with the planets in Scorpio, touching Mars, Sun and Venus by the end of the day. Both signs are ‘fixed’, meaning they don’t change their mind easily, yet flexibility and a willingness to look at a situation from another perspective could remove the potential edginess of the day.
Mercury went retrograde yesterday, the 28th, and will be so until the 18th November, so aim to be as clear as possible in all kinds of communications, laugh if it all goes pear-shaped, and allow extra time for any journey, mental or physical.
Neptune, the planet of idealism, other-worldliness and illusion, among many other things, begins to move forwards on the 29th, having been retrograde since May 22nd 2006. Clarity will continue to increase, as it has done over the last few weeks, about what intuitively feels right for you now.
Anything which seems to have been a cloudy, nebulous illusion, or a mind-circling confusion that has been keeping you feeling static, or down, can now be seen with bright clarity, so that forward moves can now take place, especially on a spiritual level; dreams can refined and tweaked, so that they have a better chance of coming true.
The Moon conjuncts Neptune on Monday, 30th October, and the spirit of this sensitive, inspirational and intuitive combination continues into the time of Samhain, now know as Hallowe’en, on Tuesday, 31st October, as the Moon has moved into Neptune’s own sign, Pisces by 14.11, on the 31st October.
Samhain is a Celtic Fire Festival, which celebrates the change of the season, from summer to winter; light summer evenings now become dark winter ones, lit by candles and warm flames from a fire, instead of the sun. Light is still around, just in a different form.
This was the time for warriors to put their swords away for the cold days of winter, to celebrate the beginning of a period of peace and friendship.
On 31st October/1st November, the ‘veil’ between the world of the living and the world of spirit is said to be at its thinnest, and for those who seek connection with all souls, this is a potentially mind and heart-expanding period, helped by the Pisces Moon, which is happiest when it isn’t having to deal with the mundane. Light some candles, and ask for blessings for all; if you can sit around a bonfire with some kindred spirits, so much the better.
Mercury conjuncts Jupiter on the 31st too, and although these two planets square the Moon, still in Aquarius at this point, earlier in the day, it’s still a day of breadth of vision, when there’s a desire to take the mind into new places, giving birth to new ideas, innovative ways of thinking.
The greatest challenge for many of us at the moment, is feeling grounded, having to work at feeling ‘at home’ in our bodies, and from this, feeling connected to the planet earth. From this place, dealing with mundane practicalities becomes a little easier.
The challenge arises because, apart from when the Moon is moving through an Earth sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), no planets are in earth signs at the moment. Since 30th September, when Venus left Virgo, no planet, apart from the Moon, is expressing itself using the practical, grounding, realistic earth energy, and it’s only when Venus enters Capricorn, on December 11th, that the earth element begins to permeate the energetic wavelengths again.
However, steps can be taken to help with this. Aim to work at being grounded. Anything physical will put you back in touch with your body, whether it’s vacuuming, gardening, cooking, tai chi, yoga, or going for a walk. If you feel particularly ungrounded, take a look around you and name everything around you, in as much detail as you can, for two minutes. For example, ‘I see a pile of papers, two diaries, an empty large white mug, a Matisse poster, and a calendar for October’. This will put you back in your body.
Take some time to stop talking/thinking/being distracted by any kind of noise, and listen to your body. How is it feeling? Pay attention to that knotted stomach, shallow breathing, aching neck, and take steps to make yourself feel better. It’s amazing what your body will tell you, if you take time to listen.
Another grounding tip is to go outside, and just visualize roots coming down your legs, and out through your feet into the ground (the solar plexus is a good place to start). Then imagine ‘branches’ coming out of your head, and reaching up to the sky. Sense how you are a part of this magical planet earth; sense how you are intrinsically connected to the entire universe.
From late on the 31st, into Tuesday, 1st the light now falls on an easy flow of aspects from the Pisces Moon to all the planets in Scorpio: Mars, the Sun and Venus, then Mercury and Jupiter on Thursday, 2nd November. These water signs (the third is Cancer) are comfortable swimming in the realm of the emotions. Feelings are heart-felt and in abundance. The only negative side is there’s a tendency to become ‘swamped’, or over absorbent of others’ feelings, especially if the water element is strong in your birth-chart.
Be aware of what belongs to you, and what doesn’t. It’s great to be sympathetic to others, but don’t rescue or carry them. If you do too much, you’re not giving them the space they need to sort themselves out, and are in fact, hindering rather than helping them to learn what they need in order to move on.
The Moon conjuncts Uranus in Pisces on 1st November, heralding surprises, the unexpected, and increased access to the intuition. Stay open, and go with the flow today.
Venus in Scorpio trines Uranus in Pisces on Thursday 2nd, opening doors in the heart to allow a new wave of love to enter. It may be love that’s different, possible unconventional, unexpected maybe, or one that just feels intuitively ‘right’. It may be fleeting, or it may be the beginning of something that ‘settles’ and develops into something long-lasting.
Venus is connected to money, and artistic pursuits too. New ways of acquiring the former, and exploring the latter, or maybe combining both, are also in the air today.
The Moon squares Pluto at 7.33 on the 2nd, possibly causing an unwanted emotional ‘blip’ in the otherwise harmonious pattern today. Don’t allow someone else’s attempts to upset, control or manipulate you ruffle your feathers, or pull you back to a place you’ve already left. It’s a day of optimistic thinking (trines to Mercury and Jupiter), and looking forward.
The Moon shimmies into independent, pioneering Aries at 15.46, invoking a courageous spirit, and enthusiasm for life.
This openness to the new, the innovative, and moving forward creatively continues as the Sun trines Uranus on Friday, 3rd November. Despite the lack of planets in earth signs, this can be a good time to make those changes you’ve been thinking about for months, (years?), especially those that will increase self-confidence and an innate sense of well-being. This applies especially to those who have the Sun in Scorpio, to a slightly lesser extent, Pisces, and everyone who can tune into this energy that awakens and increases the intuition. It’s a time to let go of ‘fear’ of what might happen, and move into a feeling of ‘wonder’ about what is coming next, knowing that if you come from a place of authenticity, the best is yet to come.
Saturday, 4th November sees the Moon moving into Taurus at 4.05pm, adding the much-needed earth element for the next couple of days, especially as there is a Full Moon on the 5th (12.58pm), (and it’s Bonfire Night). More on this in the next one!
Selected planetary connections for this week:
Sunday, 29th October
Neptune moves forward – 8.54
Moon in Aquarius – 10.17
Moon square Mars – 17.29
Moon square Sun – 21.25
Moon square Venus – 22.29
Monday, 30th October
Moon conjunct Neptune- 16.03
Tuesday, 31st October
Mercury conjunct Jupiter – 3.02
Moon opposite Saturn – 3.49
Moon square Mercury – 5.08
Moon square Jupiter – 5.13
Moon into Pisces – 14.11
Moon trine Mars – 23.37
Wednesday, 1st November
Moon trine Sun – 4.38
Moon trine Venus – 6.42
Moon conjunct Uranus – 8.31
Mercury retro square Saturn
Thursday, 2nd November
Venus trine Uranus – 3.32
Moon trine Mercury – 5.24
Moon square Pluto – 7.33
Moon trine Jupiter – 7.54
Moon into Aries – 15.46
Friday, 3rd November
Sun trine Uranus – 12.02
Moon sextile Neptune – 19.16
Saturday, 4th November
Moon trine Saturn – 6.41
Moon trine Pluto – 8.0
Moon into Taurus – 16.05
NB Times shown are for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Copyright: Sue Walker. October 2006.
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