Happy 2017!
The New Year New Moon in Capricorn – Dec 29, 2016
WED. DEC 28, 2016: Spend some time alone today mulling over where you are in life in order to align yourself with the New Moon in Capricorn, the New Year, and the resolutions that are knocking on your heart. The New Moon is exact Thursday morning, Dec 29, at 1:53 AM Eastern. And as the Moon becomes dark today, with no visible crescent… this is when we can tap into the fruitful, fertile darkness of our psyches. When we go into our internal darkness digging for rich, redolent emotional fodder with which to grow, we are often rewarded with evolutionary bounty that was previously locked in our unconsciousness. Be fearless and completely honest in this dark space of the unconquered Self. Now is absolutely the time for this kind of inner questing. It’s also the time to retreat away from others in order to reflect, restore, and rejuvenate.
Themes of this New Moon are Capricornian in nature – so ponder these words and phrases to help you capture the spirit of this Cosmic moment meant for regenerating your Self, renewing your emotional structure, and planning your new beginnings:
integrity
conscientiousness
structure
foundation
groundedness
framework
commitment
determination
perseverance
achievement
goals and goal setting
work and career
responsibility
practicing reliability
self-security
self-control
being or becoming supportive
security minded
tradition
status-quo
the time-tested
time
patience
This New Moon is more than simply about Capricorn however.
First, there’s a distinct emphasis on Mercury, and Mercury is Retrograde. To me this emphasizes the right timing to retreat, if only for short time, into alone-ness and into the unconscious, while using Mercury to delve into the ways of your mind… how do you process? How do you communicate? How do you “travel” through your life? Could your mental workings benefit from being more grounded, more serious, more pragmatic… or less so?
Then, there’s a connection to Neptune this new cycle that lends a less defined edge to this straight-laced Capricorn Moon. Neptune offers opportunities to deeply spiritualize this process, to open to grace, to seek the sublime. There’s the potential for a softer, more yielding sensation around this new emotional cycle than straight Capricorn energy would afford. There may be artistic possibilities – whether being artistic or appreciating art – to tap into that would enrich your New Moon experience. And while the Capricorn Moon may feel the need to retract away from emotionalism, its connection to Neptune and Pisces brings the need for connecting, for union – for communion. So try to make efforts to be alone for a period of time, but if you’re feeling the need to be with loved ones or to make deep connections, move gently into that space as well. It’s a very interesting combination of energies that wants to be both practical and dreamy simultaneously.
Mars is also in this mix of very different energies… Mars in Pisces, is also closely aligned with Neptune. Playing with the symbols we can come up with 1) taking action on dreams 2) the non-violent warrior 3) conquering through yielding 4) yearning for the Divine
5) striving for the boundless 6) love conquers all. There are certainly other possibilities that aren’t quite as positive… but we’re not going there right now.
By 7 pm Eastern the evening of the 29th, the Moon encounters Pluto… deepening and intensifying this New Moon moment. Again, there’s emphasis on diving deeply emotionally, and going into the dark. Pluto assures us that there, in that blue-black space, we can emerge with gold if we dare to see and experience totally, fearlessly, and without holding back. Extremes are probable. 🙂
And finally, this New Capricorn Moon connects with the North and South Nodes of the Moon, connecting us with the past and pushing us toward the future. It may be that emotions arise around things that happened some time ago. If that’s your experience, honor those emotions and see how you can distill something that can propel you forward – toward you purpose.
So, I’m wishing for you this New Moon and this New Year the experience of going deeply, profoundly into your being – going there with beauty and compassion, with imagination and with vision – and finding something concrete, some kernel of self-truth and integrity, that you can form a solid framework around. Something new that you can commit to, work hard toward and bring into manifestation… something that will grow stronger and better over time. I wish for you to do your best so that you achieve your best – not just for you, but for all of us who will receive the bounty of the gifts you provide to the world.
Happy New Moon. Happy New Year!
New Moon in Capricorn – Dec. 29, 2016 at 1:53 AM Eastern – yellow lines show connections from the New Moon to Mercury, the Sun, and Pluto. Green lines show connections from the New Moon to the South Node, Mars, Neptune, and the North Node.
Happy Winter Solstice! The Sun at Midwinter: A Meditation, by John Matthews as read by Michelle Gregg
Father Yule…
Listen to The Sun at Midwinter: A Meditation by John Matthews, as read by Michelle Gregg
The longest night of the year is upon us and it is time to reflect on the year behind us and ponder the year ahead… a time to cozy up in front of a fire and let go of any negativity that we’ve experienced during the past 12 months – and make wishes for and welcome the fresh new year that’s coming.
Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate or sip a glass of wine and then listen to the Meditation below as I’ve recorded it. It is a very special way to bring in Mid-Winter at the Winter Solstice. The meditation is called “The Sun at Midwinter” and was written by John Matthews. You can find it in a book titled The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas. (
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Fasten Your Seat Belts, It’s Gonna Be a Bumpy Ride! ~or~ Perspective on Our Current Undulating Foundation (the Full Moon & Integrating the Saturn/Neptune square) Plus Fall & Holiday Specials!
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New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo Guided Imagery Meditation – Please Join Me
Please click the audio bar below to begin listening to the meditation.
Welcome to the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo guided imagery meditation. I’m Michelle Gregg, Counseling Astrologer. Please join me for a few minutes of quiet, relaxation, and beautiful imagery, so that we can align together with this powerful lunation, this brand new beginning, and raise the vibration of this energy for the world.
The New Moon Solar Eclipse occurred on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 at 5:03 AM Eastern time. The energy of this event is potent and compelling and will be felt for months to come. The energy of an eclipse generally unfolds over time. Feel free to do this meditation whenever you choose over the next year.
The New Moon is the time to retreat into the darkness to reflect, to restore your soul, and to set intentions. An eclipse is the time to consciously let something go that no longer serves you – the beginning of a new cycle.
Ideally, come to the meditation with your New Moon intentions to hand. You could even imagine that you have placed them in a sheaf of wheat… and as your intentions change, re-align them in a new sheaf of wheat and revisit the meditation.
For those who may not be able to access the audio file above, here is the entire meditation in written format:
“Welcome to the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo guided imagery meditation. I’m Michelle Gregg, Counseling Astrologer. Please join me for a few minutes of quiet, relaxation, and beautiful imagery, so that we can align together with this powerful lunation, this brand new beginning. The New Moon Solar Eclipse occurred on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 at 5:03 AM Eastern time. The energy of this event is potent and compelling and will be felt for months to come. The energy of an eclipse generally unfolds over time. Feel free to do this meditation whenever you choose over the next year.
The New Moon is the time to retreat into the darkness to reflect, to restore your soul, and to set intentions. An eclipse is the time to consciously let something go that no longer serves you – the beginning of a new cycle.
Find a place that’s quiet and restful, away from your daily routine, and preferably in the dark. Sit comfortably in any position that feels good to you. Gently close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Begin relaxing your body. Breathe slowly. Relax your feet, ankles and legs. Breathe deeply. Relax your hips and belly. Breathe slowly. Relax your solar plexus and ribs and breathe deeply. Relax your back and your chest and breathe slowly. Relax your hands, your wrists, and your arms and breathe deeply. Relax your shoulders – let them be loose, and breathe slowly. Relax your neck. Relax your chin, and now your face. Breathe slowly. Relax your eyes and your brow, and now the top of your head. Breathe deeply………………. Breathe slowly.
Now, see yourself on a very dark night, no moonlight at all, standing on a beach, with the ocean rolling in, wave after glorious wave, bringing the sea closer with each moment. Beside you is Virgo, the Goddess of the Grain, holding aloft a sheaf of wheat, both hands raised to the sky. You realize as you look at her face and her arms raised high that there a millions of stars above you, constellations clearly visible, and the Milky Way is enormous, filling the darkness with hues of pink, blue, gold, and green, breathtaking in its glorious diaphanous beauty as it descends toward the water.
The Goddess is offering her wheat, the staff of her physical, tangible life, and the bearer of her intentions, to the glory of the sky and the power of the sea – to the Universe, to Source, to the Divine. She turns to look at you, and you instinctively know that it’s your turn to raise your wheat high, lifting your arms in a promise to serve yourself, to serve others, and to serve the Divine with the purpose of your life, with your new intentions, with discernment, with competence, and with the gifts that only you possess. You promise, with a whisper to the winds and the roar of the ocean, to live your life from the spark of your own inner divinity, and to serve life from a place of perfect love.
Now, you realize that there are many others all around, standing on the beach to either side of you as far as you can see. Each one is holding aloft their sheaf of wheat – offering their lives, their intentions, in service to the glories of the Earth, to the wonders of the Divine, to themselves and to all. Now, as the Goddess lays down her wheat in the wet sand, everyone follows suit, bringing their sheaves to create an enormous cairn. As the offering is being built, one sheaf at a time, the waves of the ocean become bigger, and louder, and closer, until a mighty figure appears far out in the ocean. He is enormous and powerful, with seaweed hair and beard streaming all about his face. He is holding up a trident – and with a sharp communal intake of breath everyone present recognizes Neptune, God of the Sea. He comes closer and closer to land, very close to where you all stand, and as he does, you see that his face is creased with lines of kindness, his eyes shine with love and compassion, and his gaze seems to encompass everyone at once, leaving each of you with the feeling of acceptance, just as you are.
Virgo walks into the shallow waves to meet him – earthy, grounded, beauty meets the mystical, boundary-less transcendent. As they embrace, calm and gentle waves roll in at your feet, and begin to disperse the alter of wheat. Each intention, each promise being carried into the sea to become one with all that is.
As you watch the sheaves being taken away you feel a sense of calm and deliberation flow through you. Your intuition is powerful. You know your course. You feel as though this magical experience has imbued you with fearlessness and has ignited the passion of right action, and a practical plan to begin to realize your intentions. You are strong in your sense of self-worth. You course with authority over your own life, even as you stand in your certainty of service to others.
As you turn to leave this wondrous beach, you are strengthened with the wisdom that moves in you, knowing that when the time is right, when the Moon wanes her gibbous light and Mercury moves forward again, you will rise to your new course of action. All is well.
PAUSE
Now, impress those images you’ve just experienced into your memory, so that later they will return with ease. Continue to breathe deeply and slowly for a few moments more… and now, when you’re ready, open your eyes. Begin to feel at one with your body again. Stretch each limb and muscle, pulling the Virgo energy of the physical into your being.
Thank you for sharing this moment with me.
Go into your daily life and bring balance between the real and the sublime, with beautiful intentions, and practical service.
And so it is.”
Mercury Retrograde – August 30, 2016 – Heart before Head
Yes my friends, it’s that time again! Mercury has stationed (the appearance of standing still) and will turn Retrograde in Virgo tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. I’d love for you to read my now classic article called “Mercury Retrograde – The Unlikely Healing Gift” here. I think you’ll find it very helpful in navigating this sometimes tricky time.
This Retrograde coincides with the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 at 5:03 am. That’s a lot of energy! What I want to impress on you about this Retrograde and Eclipse is to let your heart come before your head… allow Luna (your emotions and the expression of those emotions) to feel her way into where you are; and let Mercury (your mental processes) take a back seat. He is going backwards after-all. 🙂
Trusting your intuition and making space for emotional connectedness is a great way to make new beginnings at the New Moon. Go into the dark of the moon and let yourself explore emotionally while letting your mind’s whirling have a rest – internalizing thoughts and reevaluating how your process is appropriate – just please be sure that you’re also tuning in to the feeling aspect of who you are.
Both of these events, Mercury Retrograde and the New Moon Solar Eclipse, activate Virgo and Pisces – so bring balance between analyzing and blurring the details, between discernment and “it’s all good,” between feeling in-control and out-of-control – and most of all, between being a martyr and being a victim. Both the darkness at a New Moon and Mercury Retrograde ask us to introspect and to restore – not to push forward hastily without feeling or thought.
Here are a few specifics to know about this Mercury Retrograde: Mercury will travel backwards from 29 degrees of Virgo to 14 degrees of Virgo… so that Virgo/Pisces axis is being strongly impacted, as is the Gemini/Sagittarius axis. If you have have planets in any of these 4 signs, this Retrograde is very much yours. 🙂 Especially if your planets are between 12 and 30 degrees of those mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, & Pisces).
This is the chart for the beginning of Mercury Retrograde in Atlanta, GA – Aug. 30, 2016 -8:59 AM Eastern
Jupiter and Venus Shining Together TONIGHT = Big Love!
If you’re very, very lucky you have a perfect view of the Western horizon. If you don’t, you might want to go find that perfect view, because tonight (Saturday, Aug 27, 2016), about a half hour to 45 minutes after sunset (sunset in Atlanta is 8:08 pm – check your local time), you’ll be able to see Venus twinkle out from the darkness just above the Western horizon, very shortly followed by Jupiter in almost exactly the same spot. A beautiful moment!
Venus and Jupiter are the two brightest lights in our sky after the Sun and Moon – when they come together it’s quite a show! Bear in mind however, that light around you and light from our planet may make these two beauties challenging to see unless you’ve found a nice dark spot. Pair that with the fact that Venus and Jupiter will be setting by 9pm Eastern, so it’s crucial to be in your viewing position on-time, a little before sunset. And you WILL want to see this – this visual event doesn’t occur again until Nov. 22, 2065, and the last time we were able to see this encounter was Nov. 14, 1660. Very rare.
But let me say, that whether you see this lovely event or not, these two planets create something pretty special when they shine together. A few words that describe the combination of Venus and Jupiter energies are: big love, happiness, a noble heart, beautiful art, happy gatherings, extra confidence, a beautiful future – you get the idea. The heart swells with well-being and generosity, and seeks pleasant company and beautiful surroundings. And the effects of this meeting of planets is not just valid for this evening. They’ve been dancing together since about August 18, and will be fading in energy by the first week of September. But energies experienced and lessons learned are not forgotten. 🙂
Tonight’s Venus/Jupiter meeting of worlds in Virgo also includes little Mercury – he will be very close to the two much brighter planets. With the inclusion of Mercury, we may just experience a coming together of minds on some level, or find some peace within our own minds where we have been restless or anxious. There could also be an expansive, inclusive nature to our thoughts, and some very expressive communication. Perhaps through music or art, which would be very appropriate. Perhaps through beautiful words. Poetry – loving murmurs.
This whole lovely shebang occurs across the Virgo/Pisces axis in an opposition to Chiron, The Wounded Healer. Deeper analysis leads to the possibility of relationship wounds finding rest through forgiveness, and the potential for seeking a future in which we don’t play the role of victim or stay lost in co-dependence or addiction – both very prevalent Virgo/Pisces themes.
I like to think that with this beautiful emphasis from the heavens, in the sign of Virgo and opposite Chiron in Pisces, that we’ll feel compelled to open our hearts to ways of being in true service to others – in service to, rather than serving (or being a door-mat) – meaning that we don’t lose or forget ourselves when we serve, but rather serve from a strong sense of Self (the Jungian, individuated capital “S” Self); from self-worth in the spirit of unconditional BIG love, for both ourselves and others.
It is thought by more than a few that it was a Venus/Jupiter conjunction that led the wise men to discover the Christ child 2000 years ago. The two planets connecting so closely together, especially if both are in full light, create the illusion that they are one enormous, amazingly bright star – perhaps the Star of Bethlehem. You can read more about that possibility here and it’s very interesting. And here’s another article offering several different possibilities on the Star of Bethlehem.
This is the chart of the moment of the exact Venus/Jupiter conjunction along with Mercury at 6:29 PM Eastern time. We won’t be able to see these two beauties at that point – the sky will have to get darker first. By 8:30 we should be able to see them, and certainly by 8:45.
This chart at 8:55 PM Eastern shows Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury setting – just about to dip below the Western Horizon.
Mars & Saturn Together – Oh My!
Today, Mars and Saturn, two of the glorious bodies orbiting ceaselessly with us, are coming together in the sign Sagittarius.
This alignment can be viewed in a couple of different ways, but I see this as a moment in time to take up a challenge with integrity and make something tangible happen via your serious efforts. Yes, there will be the naysayers who only want you to believe that Saturn’s ability to stifle and stymie will simply put the brakes on any right efforts you’re attempting… but this is the lower vibration of these two engaging energies. The higher vibration of this combination is what my mom would’ve termed “elbow grease.”
If you’re not familiar with that old fashioned phrase, it means – get down to work and put your back into it. Full effort. Full energy. And when you’re finished, you’ll feel great. A sense of accomplishment based not only on your efforts and strength of will, but on your sense of integrity – that part of you that operates from your highest ground and best intentions. Integrity means making whole – so let that be the impetus behind your actions.
That these two planets, Mars and Saturn, are together in Sagittarius lends us an even broader message. That message is to take responsible action not only with integrity, but also to fully engage your wisdom. And share it. And along the way you might find the rich positivity in going beyond your personal limits with strength and vitality – and with assurance of success.
So please – go and do! No complaints, just pushing through even beyond the hard bits. You might just surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.
Hey! Be sure to look for Mars and Saturn in the night sky… they’ll be aligning directly overhead tonight between 8 and 9 pm Eastern, with the fixed star Antares – a delightful threesome in a lovely line across the heavens.
Today is the 10 year anniversary of the demotion from planet to dwarf of our transformational friend-Dark Lord Pluto
10 years ago today our beloved Pluto was demoted from the status of “planet” to “dwarf planet.” Below is an incredibly interesting article about the process behind Pluto’s demotion. In my opinion, it’s just like Pluto to be the source that is transforming the way the world looks at what defines a planet. To be sure though, the demotion isn’t changing the way astrologers interpret him and his powerful influence – the intense God of Transformation – the harbinger of death and rebirth – of a purified life re-born from ashes. Pluto is well loved in the astrological community, as well as the astronomical. The article below provides us with the image that you see above of Pluto with a large heart shaped land region discovered in 2015. (!) British astrologer Liz Greene recently said, “Demoting Pluto from a planet to a planetoid might be appropriate from an astronomical point of view, but it seems that Pluto isn’t paying a lot of attention to having his potency reduced on paper.” As an astrologer I couldn’t agree more. Pluto is one of the most potent and transformational energies available to us, and orbiting in a square aspect to Uranus since 2008, has been impacting our society, our politics, gender roles, violence, government, etc. – and prompting the personal transformation of countless lives. I’m certain that regardless of his scientific status afforded by humankind, Pluto, God of the Underworld, will continue his evolutionary mission. You’l love the article below.
I’d Love for you to follow “Astrology with Michelle Gregg” on Facebook!
Hi my wonderful subscribers! Thank you so much for being here with me! Now I’d like to invite you to follow me somewhere else… my “Astrology with Michelle Gregg” business page on Facebook. Why? Because I frequently post stuff there – almost daily – so you get more info and more inspiration on a more regular basis. I can whip up posts there that are quick, short, and easy, and frequently those brief points are exactly what you need to know about your day. The shorter posts and insights work better on Facebook, and the longer, more detailed info seems to work better here. And also, I will sometimes post great discounted deals on sessions there as well. You might like to know about those! 🙂
So I’m extending the invitation… Here’s the link to my Facebook Page.
Hope to see you there! And thanks so much for following me here. All gratitude!!!
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Astrology with Michelle Gregg 