Jupiter Returns to Pisces

After transiting Aries for several months, Jupiter returns to Pisces where it will remain until January 23, 2011.

Until then, those born with the Sun or other planet at 23 - 29 degrees of Pisces will be on the receiving end of some Jupiter-inspired abundance.

Your horoscope reveals whether you have a planet or point at 23 - 29 degrees Pisces. If you need a copy of it, email me at debra@anchoredinastrology.com with your date, time and location of birth, and I'll be happy to send you one. If you have a copy of your horoscope but need help understanding it, click here to find out how you can learn to decipher your horoscope wheel.

If you do have a planet or point at 23 - 29 degrees of Pisces, what can you expect? Well, if it is contacting your:

Sun, this is the beginning of a 12-year cycle of growth and is characterized by optimism and confidence and is an excellent time to initiate new projects or activities. Expansion of all kinds is favored now, especially if it involves education, travel, the creative arts or the media. This transit can also bring in a new romantic partner.

Moon, expect increased feelings of optimism, security and overall happiness. You experience emotional stability, and matters connected to family and home will benefit as well.

Mercury, opportunities for travel and education may come to you, and it will be an excellent time to write, publish, teach, lecture and negotiate.

Venus, love and money are likely to be headed your way creative talents are likely to blossom under this influence.

Mars, expect a boost in your physical energy as well as your ambition. This is an excellent time to initiate a new project.

Jupiter, you will be experiencing your "Jupiter Return" which announces a new 12-year cycle of growth and progress.

Saturn, you may be able to release doubts and inhibitions that have been holding you back in some area of your life. You may also have the opportunity to expand professionally.

Uranus, you may experience "out of the blue" good luck in the form of sudden and unexpected opportunities.

Neptune, you may have a spiritual awakening or discover that your intuitive gifts are growing stronger.

Pluto, your ambition will be aroused and you may have the opportunity to increase your power.

If Jupiter is contacting your Ascendant, your relationships expand and opportunities may come to you through other people.

If Jupiter is contacting your Midheaven, you may receive recognition and are likely to make progress in your career.

Keep in mind that the extent of Jupiter's abundance is determined by the natal promise in your chart (the position and aspects to the planet being activated by Jupiter), and it is also influence by the presence of other longer lasting transits that may diminish or mask its effects.

Venus in Scorpio

Venus is in Scorpio from September 8 – November 8

After weeks of participating in Libra’s well-mannered relationships, Venus finds herself yearning for a more intense experience.

No longer satisfied with superficial encounters, Venus wants to get down and dirty, and as the planet of love plunges into the sign of sex, we can feel the cosmic temperature rise.

While Venus is immersed in Scorpio’s mysterious waters, our feelings become powerful, and our passions are likely to dictate our actions. We may run hot; we may run cold, but every one knows where they stand with us.

As a sign, Scorpio aspires to merge with another not just in the physical sense, but on an emotional and spiritual level as well. Likewise, while Venus is here we are likely to be interested in more than just physical pleasure and find ourselves drawn to unions that seem to have a “fated” quality to them.

While in Scorpio, Venus is devoted, passionate and to some degree possessive. She is also discreet and can be counted on not to “kiss and tell.”

Well, at least until she enters Sagittarius or much sooner if she feels betrayed.

Similarly, if we feel wronged while Venus is in Scorpio even those of us without a mean bone in our body may find ourselves entertaining spiteful or vindictive acts to even the score.

Besides relationships, Venus also rules the arts, but as long as she’s residing in Scorpio’s psychic realm, she will opt for a pendulum rather than a paintbrush.

As a result, we are likely to be more curious about the psychic arts at this time, and some of us may begin to explore energy healing, tarot cards, orbs, dowsing and electronic voice phenomena.

Last but not least, both Venus and Scorpio rule money.

However, whereas Venus in Taurus will remind us to save for a rainy day and Venus in Libra will encourage us to splurge, Venus in Scorpio prefers to accumulate (and spend) other people’s money.

Consequently, we may find ourselves reviewing our pension plans and retirement accounts (if we still have them) or fantasizing about, I mean establishing, one if we do not.

As the natural ruler of the zodiac’s eighth house, Scorpio represents birth, death and transformation.

By willingly surrendering to a power greater than herself and embracing the experience, Venus will emerge from Scorpio’s kingdom far wiser than when she descended to its mysterious underworld.

Like Venus, at some point in our lives, each one of us will be presented with an opportunity for personal transformation, which raises the following questions:

Will we have the courage to plunge in, and if so, will we have the courage to surrender?

New Moon in Virgo

The New Moon occurs on Sept. 8, 2010 at 6:30 AM at 15°40' Virgo

If your solar return happens to be today, congratulations! You have a New Moon and the promise of a new beginning captured in your Solar Return (birthday) horoscope for the coming year!

For the rest of us, however, the New Moon in Virgo speaks to a time of initiation and new beginnings that are likely to be connected to our health, work, service or pets.

Since it takes place in the sign of perfection, this New Moon may inspire us with ideas and visions that will sharpen our skills and help us achieve our goals.

Along the way, we can count on Mercury, Virgo’s ruling planet, to lend a hand when it comes to brainstorming. Although Mercury will be retrograde until September 12, its reverse motion can help us rethink, reorganize and reinvent ideas that will propel us closer to success during the next two weeks.

However, patience may be needed because when Mercury is retrograde during a lunation or a eclipse, the results are often delayed.

The activities ruled by the house in our chart that plays host to the New Moon reveals the source and circumstances connected to our new beginning, or in the case of this New Moon, an area we may seek to perfect.

For example, if it falls in our:

First house, we may improve our physical appearance

Second house, we may open a savings account

Third house, we may begin a writing project

Fourth house, we may improve our home

Fifth house, a pregnancy or new romance may be on the horizon

Sixth house, a new job or pet may come into our lives

Seventh house, a new relationship may begin

Eighth house, an intimate relationship may blossom

Ninth house, we could travel or begin to perfect our knowledge in some area

Tenth house, it may be an opportunity to develop our career

Eleventh house, new friends and colleagues may enter our life

Twelfth house, we may seek to expand our spiritual/intuitive gifts

To discover your potential new beginning, you need to know which house contains 15 degrees of Virgo.

If you do not have a copy of your horoscope, you can email me at debra@anchoredinastrology.com with your date, time and location of birth, and I'll be happy to send one to you.

If you would like to learn how to read your horoscope wheel so you can always know where the lunations (new and full moons) fall in your chart and which houses are entertaining the transiting planets, enroll in my new online class, Making Sense of the Horoscope Wheel.

By the end of the class, you will be able make sense of your own horoscope, and you will never be out of the planetary loop again!

Happy Birthday, Virgo!

For those of us who experience the change of seasons, the Sun's ingress into Virgo on August 23 is a reminder that the backyard BBQ's and beach parties we enjoyed under the Cancer and Leo Sun will soon be a memory.

For all of us, the Sun's movement through the last week of August brings an acute awareness that summer vacation and half-day Fridays will soon be replaced by business as usual.

Since Virgo is the ruler of work, service and daily routine in the natural zodiac, it is only fitting that it not only heralds our return to the daily grind, but celebrates it as well.

For more than 100 years, the United States has celebrated Labor Day under the Virgo Sun. Created by the labor movement, this holiday honors the contributions of the working class to the nation (see http://usgovinfo.about.com/bllabor.htm).

Likewise, Virgo individuals should be honored for the important role they play in the zodiac. After all, they are our doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physical trainers, veterinarians, accountants, writers, editors, analysts, critics, domestic employees, clerks, chemists, x-ray and medical technicians, dental hygienists, efficiency experts, manual laborers, administrative assistants, public health officials, relief workers, teachers and civil servants.

When it comes to work and service, no one does it like a Virgo. In fact, they do it so well that you often hear the other signs complaining that Virgo has no interest in having fun.

Although Virgos do derive a great deal of satisfaction from a job well done, they do not suffer from "stick in the mud" syndrome.

Rather, they suffer from a "sixth house disorder" that relegates them to work (i.e., drudgery), service (i.e., servitude), health (i.e., caretaking) and daily routine (i.e., tedium).

After all, who do you think is minding the store while Aries is out blazing new paths, Taurus is balancing his checkbook, Gemini is talking to himself, Cancer is food shopping, Leo is preening, Libra is having spa treatments, Scorpio is plotting (I mean, planning), Sagittarius is exploring, Capricorn is working, Aquarius is visiting another dimension and Pisces is communing with the dead?

That's right. Virgo. On call and at your service 24/7 to do the grunt work, handle the emergencies and clean up the mess.

Another common complaint against those born under the sign of perfection is that they are overly critical of others, and to some extent this reputation is well deserved.

However, unlike other signs that are more of the "do as I say, not as I do" variety (and whose names are withheld to protect the guilty), Virgos are just as hard (or harder) on themselves.

Whereas the members of the zodiac only confront their imperfections on a bad day, Virgos innate desire for perfectionism makes every day "judgment day."

Despite the seemingly never-ending list of burdens, responsibilities and obligations that plague them, Virgos will always make time for their friends and will drop everything to come to their aid in times of trouble.

While other signs may be flashier, wealthier, louder and yes, happier, when the going gets tough, you can count on your Virgo friend to have your back.

Best of all, you won't even have to ask.

IT'S MERCURY RETROGRADE TIME (YET AGAIN)

(Mercury is retrograde from 8/20/10 - 9/12/10)

At 3:59 PM on August 20, Mercury stations retrograde at 19 degrees of Virgo.

Whenever Mercury does his about face, he strikes fear in the hearts of countless people as they anticipate interruptions, delays and mechanical failures.

Our reaction never gets old for the Cosmic Trickster, which is probably why he repeats this act three or four times a year.

For the next 23 days, Mercury will be moving in reverse motion through the sign of health, work, pets, critical analysis and daily routine.

Life does not come to a halt when Mercury turns retrograde, and neither should we. The best way to handle this transit is to beat Mercury at his own game, and the way to do that is to work with the energy, not against it.

For example, we know at this time it is likely that:

• Snail mail gets lost; emails disappear into cyberspace, and voice mail messages seem to vanish

• GPS gives us wrong directions, travel plans are delayed or interrupted

• Appointments and social plans are cancelled

• Appliances break, electronics we purchase now are defective or missing parts

• X-rays and medical tests need to be retaken

• Negotiations drag on, and contracts we sign often need to be revised

• Jobs we accept work out differently than expected

• Cars leased or purchased now turn out to be lemons later

• Computers crash, Internet connections fail and Smart Phones act stupid.

To minimize the chances of falling prey to some of these issues, we should:

• Send snail mail via a traceable method and follow up on any email and /or voice mails that do not get a response

• Double-check directions, confirm travel plans and give yourself extra time to "get lost" on the way to your destination

• Back up computers and Smart Phones

• If possible, delay negotiating or signing contracts, accepting a job, purchasing or leasing a car, computer or any type of electronic equipment.

If you must proceed with any of these activities, be sure to get everything in writing and read all of the fine print. If you opt to rely on verbal promises and agreements, you are likely to be disappointed.

Insofar as medical tests are concerned, I do NOT recommend delaying them.

Although test results are more likely to be inconclusive and require a "do over," Mercury retrograde favors research and frequently reveals secrets or hidden information that has previously gone unnoticed. If something has been baffling your doctor, the answer may now come to light.

In addition to research, Mercury retrograde also supports reviewing, revising, revisiting and reorganizing.

Therefore, while Mercury is moving backwards, it is a good time to:

• Review, revise and edit written work

• Revisit projects that were put on the back burner

• Reconnect with people from your past

• Reorganize your home or office.

When you think about it, we have been experiencing Mercury Retrograde transits for years and oftentimes without even knowing it.

In fact, for those who were born with Mercury retrograde, it began the moment they drew their first breath.

Although Mercury retrograde may herald a time of considerable inconvenience, it is not a time of crisis, and if choose to work with its energy, we will be less likely to fall pray to its mischief.

However, if we choose to ignore the energy and work against it, we will be setting ourselves up for a fall, and when it happens, we'll hear the sound of laughter ringing through the cosmos.

For Mercury the joke never gets old as long as it's on us.

Jupiter Opposes Saturn - Round 2

Jupiter and Saturn oppose each other at 4:42 PM EDT on August 16, and although it is their second meeting, this showdown is very different from their first encounter.

When they initially opposed each other on May 23, Jupiter was moving forward and Saturn was transiting retrograde. This time around, not only are their positions reversed as Jupiter backpedals and Saturn moves full steam ahead, but both planets have undergone a radical transformation.

At their first meeting, Jupiter and Saturn were immersed in the mutable and friendly signs of Pisces and Virgo but during the intervening months, they traded in their flexible personalities for determined cardinal ambitions.

The usually stoic Saturn must have been startled at the sight of Jupiter clad in Aries armor, whereas the jovial giant must have looked twice when he saw Saturn draped in Libra's robes of justice and diplomacy.

Having traded in their mutable (and therefore more passive) dispositions for a more aggressive cardinal temperament, both Jupiter and Saturn are now seeking to advance their own agendas.

And just what are those agendas?

On a collective level, Aries represents the self, or the "I" if you will, and it is very much into taking care of its own needs. In contrast, Libra represents the "we" and is concerned about meeting the needs of others.

Since oppositions ask us to establish balance in our lives, this transiting aspect suggests that we need to collectively find a way that furthers our goals in a way that benefits or, at the very least, does not detract from other people.

On a personal level, our urge to expand is tempered by a need for safety, and in order to move forward in one area, we may need to retreat in another. The life area that requires balance is revealed by the placement of the opposition in your own horoscope.

For example, if the Jupiter/Saturn opposition falls across your:

1st/7th houses, the issue is likely to center on furthering your interests while meeting your obligations to other people.

If it falls across your 2nd/8th houses, the focus is likely to involve your income versus your debts.

If it falls across the 3rd/9th houses, you may need to make decisions connected to education or travel.

If it falls across the 4th/10th houses, the issue may be family commitments versus career obligations.

If it falls across the 5th/11th houses, you may need to find a balance between expressing your own creativity versus nurturing it in others.

If it falls across the 6th/12th houses, the issue may be service versus sacrifice, and you may need to establish boundaries.

The houses that Jupiter and Saturn rule in your chart, as well as the aspects to them, must also be taken into consideration. However, regardless of the issue, Jupiter in Aries will be prompting you to take immediate action, and Saturn in Libra will be admonishing you to “Stop, Look and Listen.”

In the USA’s chart, this opposition falls across the 4th and 10th house axis and aspects Venus in the 7th house (Sibley chart), thereby creating a T-Square.

This T-Square represents the growing polarization within the nation when it comes to the competing interests between our role as a global power (Saturn in the 10th) that provides financial support (Venus) to the world and the increasing need to provide financial assistance at home (Jupiter in the 4th).

Since Jupiter rules the USA’s Ascendant, its opposition to Saturn, ruler of the nation’s 2nd house of income and assets, emphasizes the increasing financial strain upon the domestic USA, especially its housing market. The T-Square to Venus (ruler of the nation’s 6th house), represents the diminishing workforce and our rising unemployment.

On March 28, 2011, Jupiter and Saturn will oppose each other for one last time from the signs of Aries and Libra.

Between now and then, we are being asked to evaluate the choices we made around May 23 and determine whether they need to be revised.

Although decisions are likely to be difficult now, if we can achieve a proper balance, we can look forward to a time of considerable success.

NEW MOON IN LEO

The New Moon occurs on August 9, 2010 at 17 degrees of Leo

Amid a backdrop of intense energy courtesy of the Cardinal Climax, the New Moon takes place in the fiery, flamboyant and imperial sign of Leo.

A New Moon in the “sign of kings” speaks to claiming one’s birthright, one’s gifts, and one’s power, and as the natural ruler of the fifth house, Leo rules self-expression which makes this an excellent time to assert yourself.

Since Leo rules the creative and dramatic arts, this new moon may inspire the artist within, and with Venus opposing Jupiter, the extent and range of your talent may come as a surprise to you.

The Lion also presides over children, which are a physical form of our creative expression, so for some this New Moon may also assist in conception.

Over the course of the next two weeks, the moon will be “waxing,” which means that it will continue to grow fuller until it becomes a Full Moon, and this period is an auspicious time to attract new opportunities into your life.

Leo is the natural ruler of pleasurable pursuits, including romance, so if you are looking for love, this New Moon will be happy to invite romance into your life. During the next two weeks, dust off the affirmations, set your intentions, build a new vision board, and start envisioning “Mr. or Ms. Right” at your side.

In terms of how it will affect you specifically, that will depend upon the house in which the New Moon falls in your own horoscope, as well as any aspects it may make to your chart.

Insofar as the houses are concerned, here is a general guide as to where you may expect to initiate something new:

First: personal appearance

Second: income, assets, personal values, self-esteem

Third: short trips, communications, siblings, neighbors, vehicles

Fourth: family, real estate, domestic life

Fifth: romance, children, sports, creative self-expression

Sixth: employment, diet, exercise, health, pets

Seventh: marriage and committed relationships, business partnerships

Eighth: joint finances, mortgages, loans, intimacy

Ninth: long-distance travel, higher education, law, publishing

Tenth: career, reputation, personal and professional status

Eleventh: hopes, goals, friends, colleagues

Twelfth: spirituality, addictions, introspection, self-help