There’s quite a lot of exciting activity this week! The Sun and Venus in Leo form a trine to Jupiter in Sagittarius, recently direct Mercury re-enters Leo, Jupiter stations direct on the same day Uranus stations retrograde, and at the end of the week the Sun and Venus join up to form a new cycle together (which is similar to a New Moon, but with the Sun and Venus instead of the Sun and the Moon, and their cycle together will last around a year).
Planetary cycles between combinations of planets other than the Sun-Moon too also act like the lunar cycle which we may be more likely to track month to month – a similar narrative of new possibility, waxing, harvest, and waning exists for all the planetary pairs. The Sun and Venus joining up signals a new cycle in the creative manifestation of love, beauty, relationship and aesthetic in our lives. It also means that in the last few weeks, some of the last year’s themes around love have been coming to a significant close – eliciting completions and clarity. If you’re the kind of person who likes to set New Moon intentions, you might also enjoy setting intentions for this new Sun-Venus cycle by thinking about what values you would like to give your focus to. Knowing what we desire and what we truly value can help us recognize opportunities to facilitate and uphold those values and desires.
Planets stationing either direct or retrograde are said to saturate the moment – so this week is saturated with both the energies of expansion and getting a sense of the bigger picture (Jupiter) and liberation, revelation, and paradigm shift (Uranus). Together, Jupiter and Uranus relate to quantum leaps – sudden or even dramatic expansions, massive discoveries, a joyful entrance into an entirely new world. Take some moments to recognize or celebrate the epiphanies and moments of clarity that come your way this week. Epiphanies often come to those who “live into the questions”, so this is also a time to celebrate how far you’ve come in terms of being present with yourself and your life.
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
I recently had the pleasure of being a guest on the Astrology Hub podcast! I got to share the story of what brought me to astrology (which as some of you might know already is a pretty wild story!) and I got to share information about one of my top interpretive tools as an astrologer – the nodes of the Moon, which I would totally love for you to learn more about. You can listen to our interview here, or where you tune into podcasts.
Sun in 14 Leo trine Jupiter in 14 Sagittarius: 12:31 AM PDT
Jupiter is having a more direct conversation with Neptune in Pisces, by forming a confrontational square to Neptune. The Sun and Venus will form a quincunx to Neptune this week, which is an aspect between planets that can offer a critical adjustment, but also relates to energies which have a harder time seeing each other. Jupiter in Sagittarius not only converses with the Sun and Venus this week, but helps translate messages from Neptune to the pair of planets in Leo. Here are some thoughts:
If we are to embrace the zodiac wheel holistically, each of the signs have something important to teach us or to add to the equation of life. Leo teaches us about the importance of radiance – which is being full of the self, having high enough self-regard and self-esteem to share and radiate the self, and by virtue of this self-esteem also being truly happy for the wins and successes of others. The more generous we can become during this time of recognizing the light in self and others, the less we are going to feel “separate” from anyone.
Consider the Buddhist concept of Mudita. Mudita is the quality of sympathetic joy, and is especially medicinal for anyone who finds themselves comparing themselves to others and experiencing envy. Mudita can be actively practiced by affirming aloud that we are happy for someone else whenever we catch ourselves feeling triggered to compare or to be envious. Practicing Mudita can reveal that happiness is infinite and actually expands when it is shared – that happiness comes from the infinite wellspring that is Source. When we practice envy (consciously or subconsciously), we act as though happiness and fulfillment are limited resources and by virtue of someone else having something, there is necessarily less for us. Taking some mindful moments to actively practice Mudita is a great way to raise our vibration and expand (rather than limit) the capacity for the force of radiance in our lives. I mean, consider the vibrational transformation that would occur for you if your envy triggers turned into happiness triggers.
August 8, 2019
Venus in 14 Leo trine Jupiter in 14 Sagittarius: 1:28 PM PDT
Venus in Leo can remind us that one of the true purposes of adornment (through clothing, jewelry, make-up, hair, etc.) and expressing aesthetic is joy – we feel lit up inside and out. Appearance is only as superficial as we make it, or believe it to be. Externally imposed beauty standards can wound one’s self-esteem, but these fire planets do not need to take cues from any standards to express themselves. Together Venus in Leo and Jupiter in Sagittarius can draw our eye and expression toward a more authentic vision of beauty as we truly feel it to be.
A type of affection that can come through very abundantly with this transit is that of seeing the expansive potentials of others and seeing the best in others. Not in a delusional way such as projecting our own hopes onto others, but consider a teacher perhaps who had a way of drawing out the best in every person in the room. Seeing the best in people is in part, allowing others to shine in their own intrinsic strengths and allowing ourselves to be illuminated and altered by the experience.
August 11, 2019
Jupiter stations direct in 14 Sagittarius: 6:37 AM PDT
It won’t be too long before Jupiter moves into Capricorn! That occurs December 2 at the end of this year. With our last few months of Jupiter in Sagittarius until the next go 12 years from now, here are some themes.
Jupiter has one more square to make with Neptune in Pisces, an alignment that has characterized 2019 alongside the building Saturn-Pluto conjunction. The Jupiter-Neptune transit is in effect now, but will exact September 21. Religiosity and belief systems are heightened, and it does not have to take the obvious form of what we think of as religion. This is more about what we fervently believe in, as well as gaining more clarity on what we do believe in that we didn’t even realize was a belief.
We may watch our delusions expand and become grandiose in such a way that we are able to watch the bubble we’d been living in pop. In many situations this can be a very positive experience, such as when beliefs like not being lovable or our dreams not being possible, dissolve.
Alongside a capacity to expand our spiritual optimism (to see the best in things, to expect that the best is coming or that the dream is already here, to relax into alignment, etc.), we find that addressing the moment’s true challenges and rising to the occasion (Saturn-Pluto conjunction) also holds expansive rewards. Doing our best is an act of faith – within doing our best is implicit the assumption that there is something on the horizon to work for. During moments when our faith or mood dwindles, these are especially potent times to put our best foot forward anyway. (Even if that means resting.)
As much as we might like to consider belief as pointing to something fixed in place as “real”, most beliefs are not touching the core of truth so deeply as to do that. Most beliefs are a form of interacting with pure possibility and accentuating and giving life to certain possibilities more than others. This is how belief is part of co-creation – those that expect and have an eye for miracles tend to experience more miracles than those who have an eye for and expect the worst case scenario. Locking in our beliefs as real is a tricky thing, but belief need not be underestimated as a powerful tool of participating with reality in intentional ways.
Mercury enters Leo: 12:46 PM PDT
This is Mercury re-entering Leo after it recently was retrograde in early Leo and late Cancer. Mercury leaves retrograde shadow on August 15. While Mercury is in Leo again until August 29, here are some possible themes.
Mercury in Leo is a playful placement – it’s like a magician who wants to dazzle an audience, or a comedian that is energized from a responsive audience. The intelligence emphasized here is an ability to get a rise out of people, to be provocative in a fun way. This placement brings animation and liveliness to our communications in general.
With an emphasis in Capricorn right now with Pluto, Saturn and the South Node there, the Sun and inner planets in Leo are inviting us into a realm of not taking things so seriously. There may be ways that we are perceiving circumstances in our lives with an unnecessary tone of graveness. Mercury in Leo begins to shine cognitive light on more fun ways to perceive our realities. Or in cases where a grave tone is truly merited, the Leo astrology gives us a break – a breath of fresh air to metabolize the heaviness. Allowing the mind to be more playful allows us to come back to ongoing issues/challenges with a new perspective and less rigidity.
Uranus stations retrograde in 6 Taurus: 7:27 PM PDT
Uranus will station direct January 10, 2020 in 2 degrees of Taurus. Planets stationing (either direct or retrograde) are emphasized archetypes in the sky, and saturate our experience. Today it’s both Jupiter and Uranus – together the pair is related to the phenomenon of quantum leaps – rapid discovery and expansion that has a revelatory or liberating quality to it. Here’s more on the Uranus side!
Uranus in Taurus is bringing revolution into our lives through intimacy with the self. Many of us have strong conditioning that we gain worthiness and resource through our external life, that we must “get”. Uranus in Taurus brings us radically inward, and we can be surprised to find the wealth of resource that exists in the self. This is not a disconnected self – we are part of a web – but it is a self that has gotten in touch with an inner wellspring of wealth. These are things like how meditation and working with the breath can alter the nervous system, or how mantra can alter our brain and our realities. This is also how when we get to a place of truly feeling luscious and abundant in the self, it is also as though the external world is *now* also reaching toward us. We feel more empowered by cultivating internal magnetism than we do by aggressively trying to get something.
Where are we not so independent or self-sustaining? Well – we’re always consuming. We eat to live. Part of the Uranus in Taurus leveling up is developing higher intelligence around the needs of the body and what kinds of foods truly light us up. Systems like Ayurveda that can help us tune into food as medicine and balancing elements within the body can become of greater interest.
Alongside food, any other basic components of living and of our day-to-day sensual reality is a place for innovation and cultivation. Changing our sensual reality will change our life.
August 13, 2019
Sun in 21 Leo conjunct Venus in 21 Leo: 11:07 PM PDT
The last time the Sun and Venus formed a conjunction it was during Venus’ last retrograde in Scorpio, in October of 2018. That was a time of shadow work for a lot of people – and relationships! And some relationships dissolved or went through major transformations. But that was Scorpio – a sign relating to death and transformation, and the discovery of power. Leo? Quite a different vibe – while Scorpio seeks the hidden, or to push the limits of life and death by living on the edge, Leo is happy to be in the limelight and well, have a good time that isn’t necessarily about adrenaline. But they each have something to help the other live into their greatness. We need to claim the shadow to truly live into our own power, and therefore shine our light with more potency and depth and to be a lighthouse that inspires trust. And we also need levity and playfulness to pull ourselves out of the addiction of always being in the underworld. And if we have developed talents or gifts in the underworld, we need the courage of heart to share them.
This is a new Venus cycle, and we have just been wrapping up some themes and developments that would have been initiated in late October of 2018 during the Scorpio cycle. As a correlation, we may be dipping our toes into a more playful heart space, closely leaving behind deeper work around things like betrayal or trauma. This is a good time to acknowledge a reset in matters of the heart. Just because your heart’s desire has not been met in the past does not mean it can’t now. The freshness of a new cycle between the Sun and Venus is a time to be open to possibility again, and in Leo, to claim the kingdom of heart that is birthright.
In the last Venus cycle many people also deepened their bonds – Scorpio is after all a sign of the deepest commitments we form with others. As these strengthened relationships move into the next cycle, there can be a new theme emerging around creativity – shared dreams and plans.
Thank you for meditating on the planets with me this week! I really appreciate you being here with me as I know that if you connect to this writing we have likemindedness and that is so special. Please share this article with a friend who you think would resonate!
Please let me know what you think in the comments – truly I want to know so leave a note! I love you and you are tribe to me, thank you for finding your way to these words and resonating with them in whatever ways you have.
I meditate on charts before the reading and combine my knowledge of astrology with my clairvoyant abilities to offer you some insights about themes you are working with in this life based on prior lives, and what is the evolutionary purpose of this lifetime. I recorded an episode on my podcast recently titled Befriending your Intuition and Clairvoyance if you’d like to learn more about my relationship with clairvoyance along with tips for increasing yours!
I can work with your specific questions and shed light on ongoing issues or patterns you would like to shift, as well! Book with me here.
I’m also becoming increasingly expressive on instagram and love connecting with people there, so go find me there @sabrinamonarch and say hello! I’m posting a lot of content there that I don’t share anywhere else.
With love,
Sabrina Monarch
Sabrina Monarch is a soul-centered Evolutionary Astrologer who publishes weekly astrological forecasts, works with clients and teaches. She has been collecting astrological experience for over a decade. She is a novelist and is currently pursuing her masters in Philosophy. She also enjoys kundalini yoga, meditation and ashtanga yoga.
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