Sparrow Moon's Psychic Vortex -- Where YOU are the Center of the Universe

Venus Retrograde - March 6 through April 17, 2009

I know I am here today to talk about the Venus retrograde happening this year, but I really have to add some Mars influence to our forecast. Mars and Venus were able to able to maintain a sextile (a 60 degree angle, somewhat positive) from mid January all the way through the end of February with the slower Mars lagging behind Venus. The sextile ended on February 24th as Venus slowed down to anticipate her upcoming retrograde. As she processes through her retrograde transit this year, the slower Mars will catch up to her and actually pass her for a few weeks. So, this retrograde may bring some extra romance after Venus turns direct.

For you amateur star gazers, you may have noticed Venus shining high in the southwestern sky just after sundown. Venus has been getting higher and higher in the sky for the past few months. When Venus' retrograde begins, she will be moving lower toward the horizon and will actually pass between the earth and the sun, and become a morning star before her retrograde is finished.

As John Gray has educated us, Venus is the feminine planet, and Mars is the masculine. Venus represents relationships and money, and Mars is the warrior and governs our sex drives. When these two planets come to positive aspects, love, romance, and financial deals abound.

When a planet is in retrograde, its influence can become more subtle or different. Venus will begin her retrograde in Aries on March 6th with a little help from Jupiter. Often issues from our past will come up during a retrograde, and with Venus in retrograde, an ex lover may call. With Jupiter involved, we may find ourselves compelled to contact old friends and long neglected family members as Venus' retrograde begins.

We may find ourselves dealing with past debts throughout this retrograde, because Venus governs our finances. With the economy in such a mess, Venus hanging out in impulsive Aries, we may find ourselves doing the opposite. We may decide to devote more of our income to our savings during this retrograde.

We may find the first 2 or 3 weeks of Venus' retrograde a little mundane. Some of us may find our self-esteems are a little low, and others may find that business is slow. But, around March 27th, things should become a little more active as the Moon, Sun, and Mercury cross Venus' path. There is a strong potential for messages from old friends, and some may be fickle. Beware of love at first sight.

After Venus finishes her encounter with the Sun and his friends, she will hit some major turbulence coming from Pluto just in time for April Fools' Day, and these upsets could continue through the first week of April. Oh my goodness, Venus, dealing with her past relationships and debts, gets hit by with nuclear weapons. There could be some jealousy in relationships, and some may loose their jobs. We may find ourselves summoned to appear in court about those overdue bills. I don't have any education in business and the market, but I do wonder how the global market will reflect this week.

Once Venus gets past Pluto, she will cross the cusp between Aries and Pisces around April 11th, turn direct on April 17th, then conjunct her lover, Mars, on April 21st. In fact, stargazers, get up early around April 22nd and 23rd, and you should see 2 very bright planets in the eastern sky, Venus and Mars, very close to the moon a few hours before sunrise. What a way to celebrate Earth Day!

Even though Venus' retrograde will be officially over, her relationship with Mars will move up a level. Mars will actually pass Venus in Aries and stay in front of her as they transit through Taurus until June 21st when Venus conjuncts Mars again. Venus' retrograde may slow us down and even bring problems, but the aftereffects will be worth it. The whole month of May and most of June will bring cooperation in love, familles, and business.

Okay, now its time to get out your natal charts and see how Venus' retrograde will affect you. Venus' retrograde will be from 15 degrees 27 minutes Aries to 29 degrees 12 minutes Pisces. First look to see what house(s) she will be traveling through. This will probably have the biggest influence for you personally. In my chart, Venus will do her retrograde in my 8th house of spirituality and other people's money. Debts could become a real problem for me, or Venus may bring some of my Spirit Guides a little closer. Also, if Venus will cross one of your power points (ascendant, nadir, descendant, mid-heaven), the week she crosses could be quite profound. If she conjuncts or squares (90 degrees) one of your natal planets, it could bring some minor annoyances, depending upon the influence of that planet in your natal chart. If you are not quite sure how to interpret it, get out your natal chart, pencil in Venus' retrograde path, then call an astrologer. They can teach you a lot in just a few minutes, so long as you do your homework first.

Janet (Sparrow) Moon is a professional psychic and astrologer. You can visit her web site for more articles about upcoming events in astrology, and to read her daily astrology general tendencies forecast. (This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this bio are included.) http://www.sparrowmoon.com/

Wow, February looks like a pretty nice month. There could be some problems the first week with Mercury turning direct, and a few planetary arguments going on. But, after we pass the Full Moon lunar eclipse, we will be ready to move forward with positive enthusiasm.

The month begins with Mercury's direct station and Venus entering Aries. Saturn will be helping Mercury as he turns around, so we should find that even if we hit some communication problems or travel delays, we will deal with them in a logical and resourceful manner. And, Venus in Aries will keep our self-esteem high.

By February 3rd, the tension could be climbing as Saturn and Uranus (2 large outer planets) create a push-pull effect, and the domestic violence escalates between Venus and Pluto. There could be sudden unexpected problems with money, authority figures, and loved ones all the way through February 6th. And, while these problems are erupting around us, we may want to get out the nuclear weapons to deal with them.

We will be feeling the effects of the Full Moon lunar eclipse in Leo all through the weekend of February 7th. In fact, we may find that people get more excited and dramatic on Sunday February 8th, rather than on February 9th, the day of the eclipse. Neptune will be romancing this eclipse, so we may find that our creative and romantic moods increase. It will also be a good time for any kind of psychic or spiritual connections. You can read more about this eclipse in my article, "The Eclipses are Coming - Changes Ahead."

Neptune and the Sun will continue their romance through February 13, and that can bring compassion, creativity, and spirituality to the forefront, just in time for Valentine's Day. Mercury will also enter Aquarius on Valentine's Day, so get ready for unexpected friends, and surprise pledges of love.

Mars, Venus, and Jupiter will be singing songs of love, adventure, and optimism from February 15th through February 19th, and that means lots of cooperation and harmony about. The romance may not end on Valentine's day, and we will also be ready to act on business opportunities.

February 18 through February 21st will bring creative changes with the Sun shaking hands with Pluto. There could be some business opportunities, but there may also be opportunities to get the help and resources we need. Some of us will feel obliged to help the less fortunate, and it will be a great time to launch any kind of charity projects.

For those of you heading for Mardi Gras, travel will go well, and it will be a great time to party. We should find that trips turn into adventures, and people are ready to communicate and cooperate from February 23rd through February 26th.

We will be ready to talk about and act on our ideas as the month ends with Mercury adding his energy to Mars in Aquarius. There may be a few brilliant ides pop-up, or we may be ready to try something different.

The positive planetary influence will continue through St. Patrick's Day. Check back next month to hear the details.

Janet (Sparrow) Moon is a professional psychic and astrologer. You can visit her web site for more articles about upcoming events in astrology, and to read her daily astrology general tendencies forecast. (This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this bio are included.) http://www.sparrowmoon.com/

January 26 and February 9, 2009

The eclipse on January 26th is going to be an annular solar eclipse, and what that means is the moon will be rather far from the earth on that day, so it won't completely cover the sun. The Moon will appear smaller than the Sun in the sky. In a total eclipse the Moon completely covers the Sun, and total eclipses seem to have more influence in Astrology than annular or penumbral eclipses. So, this eclipse will be bringing changes for us, but the changes won't be as tremendous as they were back during the eclipse on August 1, 2008.

Eclipses mean changes, and most of us don't like change. But, I think there could be some very good changes in store for us with the solar Eclipse on January 26th in Aquarius. I think... You can never really be sure if the effect will be positive or negative when Aquarius is involved. Aquarius is unpredictable. But, this eclipse will be conjunct Jupiter, the planet of good-luck and expansion. Lets face it, most of us on this planet are worried about money right now with the problems in the global exchange, and I think this eclipse will be ushering in a new beginning -- a "New Deal."

The lunar eclipse on February 9th will be a penumbral eclipse, which means that the outer shadow of the earth will eclipse the moon, but not the whole shadow. A penumbral eclipse is subtle and hard to observe. So, this eclipse will not be that powerful as far as affecting us in astrological terms. The Sun will be conjunct Neptune during this eclipse and Saturn and Uranus will be inconjunct to the eclipse. What this means is, we may have a tendency to want to hide from our responsibilities, and addictions could become more annoying. In fact, if we don't hide from our duties and we try to deal with them, there is a strong probability that things won't work out anyhow. Unless this eclipse is making an aspect to a planet or power point in our charts, then we probably won't feel the effects much more than the day of the eclipse, February 9th.

Oh yes, and for those of us who are interested in watching the eclipses, the solar eclipse on January 26th will be at 2:59 AM EST and will be visible from northwestern Antarctica, Australia, southern Africa, southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. The lunar eclipse on February 9th will be at 9:38 AM EST and will be visible from Asia, Australia, eastern Europe, western North America, and the Indian and Pacific oceans.

And now, lets see how the eclipses will be affecting us! Time to get out your natal charts. The solar eclipse on January 26th will be at 6 degrees 30 minutes Aquarius. First thing you need to do is see which of your houses this eclipse will be occurring it. That will tell you what area of your life will be affected. Next lets look at your planets and power points. If you have any inner planets (Mercury through Mars) or power points between 4 and 9 degrees in Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, or Scorpio (fixed signs), this eclipse will put some challenges in front of you. There could be some sudden losses (or gains, can't tell with Aquarius), but you will probably be dealing with more changes than the rest of us. If you have any planets between 4 and 9 degrees in Aquarius, Gemini, or Libra (air signs), then this eclipse may bring opportunities for you to make some wanted changes in your life.

The lunar eclipse on February 9th will be at 20 degrees 52 minutes Leo. So, if you have any inner planets or power points between 19 and 23 degrees in Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, or Taurus (fixed signs), you may be dealing with losses or endings around this eclipse. But, they could end up bringing you to a better place in the long run, especially Scorpio and Taurus. If you have any inner planets or power points between 19 and 23 degrees in Leo, Sagittarius, or Aries (fire signs), this eclipse could be an opportunity to let go of something. You may be ready to do some housecleaning, or you may be ready to end a relationship. You may even find it easy to let go of bad habits (like smoking) at this time. And as usual, check to see which of your natal houses this eclipse will be occurring in. This house will tell you which aspect of your life is most likely to be affected.

In general, eclipses bring changes. Solar eclipses are for new beginnings, and lunar eclipses bring endings. The eclipses coming in January and February may not affect us as strongly as some of the eclipses in the past, but hang on. We have 3 (yes 3) eclipses coming in July and August including a total solar eclipse at the karmic 29 degree point. Things that begin for us with the present eclipses may come to fruition with the next set of eclipses this Summer. Check back then. I'll have more.

Janet (Sparrow) Moon is a professional psychic and astrologer. You can visit her web site for more articles about upcoming events in astrology, and to read her daily astrology general tendencies forecast. (This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this bio are included.) http://www.sparrowmoon.com/ Also, an excellent eclipse resource site: http://www.mreclipse.com/MrEclipse.html

January will begin with lots of resolutions as Saturn stands alone directing the orchestra from detail oriented Virgo. Mercury's retrograde will be happening the last 3 weeks of this month, and we may find that he actually encourages us to make some changes in our lives during this time. Changes will be happening whether we initiate them or not as January winds down after a solar eclipse, so try to stay flexible.

We are going to be ready to get down to business during the first week of January, and we may want to take some time for creative work during the weekend of January 3rd. We should find progress in anything we try to do all the way through the Full Moon on January 10th. In fact, any children born the first 6 days of this month will have very strong work ethics and a passion for their work.

Mercury begins his first retrograde of this year on January 11th, but the Sun and Saturn will be joining forces on that day. We may hit a few communication, travel, and computer problems, but we will be ready to deal with them. In fact we may just surprise ourselves just how resourceful we are. There won't be any other major planetary aspects the week of January 11th, so there won't be much to motivate us. We may find that, because Mercury has just changed directions, business slows down a bit, and we are ready to take a look at projects we setup in the past and see if there are any changes we want to make.

We may be in the mood to travel and exchange ideas by the weekend of January 17th, even if the travel and communication are done via the world wide web. Its going to be a time to express ourselves as Mercury begins to approach Jupiter. In fact the whole week of January 18th will be a time for expanding, talking, and traveling as Mercury, Jupiter, and the Sun join forces. Who says you can't travel during Mercury's Retrograde? This week is going to be great. I guarantee that our new president in the US will also have some very good quality and noble messages for us during this week.

Venus and Mars will also be shaking hands the whole week of January 18th, and by midweek, they will add Uranus to their melody. As Mercury, Jupiter, and the Sun are encouraging us to think more noble thoughts, Venus, Mars and Uranus may just encourage us to act on those thoughts. Because Venus and Mars travel at about the same clip, the Venus and Mars aspect will be creating a bond between love and sex from January 15th all the way through February 24th. But, Uranus will be adding his harmony during this week, so we may find that some very unexpected romances develop through January 24th. Some very creative projects and magnanimous ideas could also be born during this week.

We'll have all kinds of planets hopping on January 23rd and 24th. Venus and Mars will be hitting the peak of their affair. Jupiter will be exactly in line behind the Sun. And, Saturn will be joining the Venus and Mars fling. There will be lots of lovers and heroes running around, so keep your camera handy. We may also find ourselves passionately involved in our own moral causes through Sunday January 25th.

But things won't stop then... No! There is a solar eclipse on Monday, January 26th, on the Chinese New Year. And, Mercury, still in retrograde will be catching up with old friends all the way through January 28th. Eclipses bring changes, and this eclipse will be bringing changes for many of us. Expect the unexpected with the eclipse happening in Aquarius, but the unexpected may just be a change of our own minds. We may decide to do something different, like jump in the car and visit an old friend while Mercury is reminiscing.

The month ends with Mercury changing back to a forward motion (direct station), and usually the direct station is the most difficult day of any planet's retrograde. But, this time Saturn will be sending Mercury positive energy, so we should find that, even though we may be dealing with some delays, our patience is strong and steady.

There could be some nasty arguments as February begins, and we have another eclipse coming, just 5 days before Valentine's Day. Check back next month to find out more.

Janet (Sparrow) Moon is a professional psychic and astrologer. You can visit her web site for more articles about upcoming events in astrology, and to read her daily astrology general tendencies forecast. (This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this bio are included.) http://www.sparrowmoon.com/

December could begin with a bunch of problems. There will be arguments and accidents, with most of the tension peaking on the Full Moon, December 12th. Also, there will be a few control issues, and some of us may feel like our energy is low all the way through December 16th. After that things should really improve, and we will be ready to apply ourselves to the true meanings of the holidays. The month and the year will end with lots of big ideas and adventures.

The first few days of December should be good for business and group projects. It will also be a great time for travel. But after mid week, things will go down hill. Our energy could be strong, but so could our tempers as Mars moves behind the Sun. Some will be very stubborn and closed minded, and others will be clever. There could also be accidents, and some people will be saying the most ridiculous things all the way through Saturday, December 6th as Mercury argues with some of the outer planets.

Things will calm down on Sunday, December 7th, but the heat will rise again by Tuesday, December 9th. We may find ourselves making lots of mistakes and doing sudden stupid things, with the Sun and Uranus fighting, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The flames will get even hotter on Thursday. We may feel like our energy is low or jerky. And, be very, very careful driving, because, Mars, the ruler of cars, will be moving into the Sun's place to argue with Uranus. We will hit the Gemini Full Moon and the peak of our planetary energy on Friday, December 12th, and on that day we are going to be dealing with a grand cross between the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Uranus, and Mars. There will be lots of accidents, fighting, jealousy, and criminal behavior going on this day, so tread lightly.

We may wake up feeling a little "shell shocked" on Saturday after all the turmoil, but we will also be ready to clean up the mess and help out the "disaster" victims as the Sun winks at Neptune. We may find our energy is low or that we are focusing our energy begrudgingly on extra duties all the way through Wednesday, December 17th, but there may also be a bit of change and excitement in the air.

Things will calm down after that, and the weekend of December 19th should be great for holiday parties and get-togethers. People may be a bit more passionate than usual through the second day of Hanukkah, December 23rd, and we may receive some special messages (maybe even from Santa) on Christmas Eve. Our minds will be in tune with family and our inner beings through Sunday, December 28th, but we may also be ready to act on our passions. All of my Muslim friends should find the Islamic New Year (December 29th) will be one hell of a celebration this year.

And for those of us who follow the Christian calendar, with the help of Mercury and Jupiter, New Year's Eve may turn into the adventure of our lives. But be careful, we are going to have a strong Capricornian influence on that day, so "the man" will also be watching. Also, the Moon will be in Pisces that night, so many of us will be overindulging in our holiday "spirits." Practice moderation, or you may spend New Year's Day in jail.

Don't get too comfortable, people. We got lucky and had some great holidays this month, but Mercury's retrograde and the eclipses will be back in January. So check back next month to stay up to date.

Janet (Sparrow) Moon is a professional psychic and astrologer. You can visit her web site for more articles about upcoming events in astrology, and to read her daily astrology general tendencies forecast. (This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this bio are included.) http://www.sparrowmoon.com/