Tag Archives: Neptune

Mar 21 2025

Aries Season! The Art of Renewal: Spiritual Growth and Purifying Shadow Work at the Spring Equinox


Happy Spring! Each Spring Equinox offers its own unique energy to mark the beginning of the return of warmth, life, and light. And while the hours of daylight and darkness may be equal, sometimes the energy of the moment may not feel quite as balanced as the hours. The astrological chart of the moment the Sun moved into Aries at 5:03 AM Eastern on March 20, 2025, ushered us into themes both light and dark for the duration of Spring. This Aries Season offers influences of spiritual growth, beauty, self-reflection, and also the opportunity for intense transformation. With intense transformation, balance is often hard won, but is absolutely the goal.

This year our initiation into re-burgeoning life is unhurried and the threshold between Winter and Spring may not feel entirely clear. This new season also arrives with an infusion of the potential for spiritual awareness and the desire to reach for the Divine. The Sun (our conscious awareness), newly in Aries, conjoins Neptune (divine inspiration, compassion, beauty) blurring the edges between Self and Other. Besides the spiritual, other ways of living through this Neptunian lens include exploring our artistic gifts, opening our imaginations, or offering something that inspires others. Still another way is to feel like hibernating in our internal fantasy for just a little while longer…

There are some fiery energies to tap into, with the Aries Sun, Venus and Mercury being in an easy conversation with the Moon in Sagittarius, which lends itself to an expansive and excitable emotional environment. But even this fire is more like firelight than a blaze of glory, since Mercury and Venus are both Retrograde in Aries. They are encouraging us to retreat to our internal world to analyze and evaluate our patterns of communicating with our loved ones. And they’re encouraging us to suss out whether our relationships support and uphold our values. If they don’t, these Retrograde planets beg the question: what are we going to do about it?

There’s also a very intense undercurrent to all of this via Pluto, who is at large in this year’s Spring Equinox energy. His transformative presence is felt through our relationships, the way we think and communicate (how’s your self-talk?) pulling at our deepest emotional yearnings. There are potentially obsessive leanings with this dark presence, further holding the normally straightforward fire of Aries in check. But the purpose with Pluto is to get to the truth and to purify those areas of our lives he’s touching. So as we evaluate ourselves, our thought patterns, the ways in which we communicate (including with ourselves), and our relational values, we must be honest about what we find. And then we must take the path of the Spring caterpillar. Without dissolving in her chrysalis, she’ll never become the glorious butterfly. So, this year, in order to meet Spring in right alignment, we must go into our depths before we fly joyously into the sunlight on the fragrant breeze of Spring. But when we do, we’ll have done a little purifying shadow work, and will feel even lighter and happier for having done it.

For those of you interested in diving into the astrology chart for the Spring Equinox 2025, here you go! If you have any questions about what you see, feel free to be in touch! astrology@michellegregg

Spring Equinox Chart drawn for March 20, 2025 at 5:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time from Decatur, GA, USA

Sep 22 2024

The Autumn Equinox and the Moment of Balance – September 22, 2024

(This is a repost of an article I wrote in 2017, updated with the astrological energy for this Autumn.)

Balance.

This is the word we reflect on at the Autumn Equinox. As we see and feel the shifting of the light and the crisping of the air, the Sun, just entering the astrological sign of Libra, continues its descent across the Southern sky, gradually weakening in light and height. This day is the day of equal day and night hours, when light and dark are not battling for the sky, but equal in strength. The equinoxes, both Spring and Autumn, are the only times when the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are equally illuminated. In the Northern Hemisphere we are now in-between the extremes of the heat of Summer with its long, languid days just past, and in anticipation of the short, dark, cold days of Winter. We are betwixt and between… a time of equilibrium, a time of balance. A time of transition. It is as though we are between a deep inhale and a powerful exhale, where the moment hangs shimmering and poignant, before it passes away.

Before we started buying our food at grocery stores and super centers, the Autumn Equinox was a celebration of the harvest – the time when, both exhausted and jubilant, we’d successfully brought in the fruits of our labors, preparing and storing them for the winter. It was a time to mark the importance of working together for a common cause, a time to revel in our community as the stronghold of our survival together. This is an idea that is central to the energy of Libra and to this time of year: equality, balance, community, peace, beauty – the peace and beauty of the dying sun, of the vibrancy of the trees in their final blaze of glory, of our relationships and what we create when we are equal together, honoring all sides, balancing all views, and coming to diplomatic solutions that strengthen and protect us all.

Equinox is from the Latin aequinoctium, meaning equal night.” Today the night is equal to the day, yet as we move through time away from the Equinox and toward the Winter Solstice, the days become shorter and and we have less light to live by. What was known to our ancestors, before technology gave us permanent days with electric light, is the part darkness plays in the work of spiritual transformation. The darkness, to which we are absolutely heading as each day passes, is a place that restores us, a space where we germinate, and regenerate. But before we reach the full darkness of the Winter Solstice, we have the opportunity to learn from the harmony and symmetry of the Equinox. We tap into the beauty of internal balance, that sense of equilibrium we

The glyph for Libra represents both the scales and the Autumn sun setting over the horizon, a symbol for equilibrium and peace.

need in order to start preparing for the darkness. In this space of anticipation, when the light is gorgeous, the air is temperate and cooling to the skin, and the riotous, rich colors of ‘Nature in her Fall’ imbue our spirits with gratitude, with generosity – and because we are feeling externally delighted – we find it easy to extend ourselves in love, open to both giving and receiving. The crispness of the season is reviving to the spirit, and for as long as we dare, before the dark and cold drive us inside, we strive toward company among others, pleasures, beauty, harmony, and love. This is the message of Libra.

The particular message of this Autumn Equinox, found in the astrological chart drawn for the moment the Sun moves into Libra at 8:44 AM Eastern on September 22, 2024, carries a call to change; transitioning into a brand new paradigm of how we see ourselves as we are mirrored by others.

The feeling tone of this Equinox is compassion, empathy, and recognizing that we are all one – subtley, yet powerfully connected. With the influence of Neptune, this is a time to explore your deep spirituality, and to live through your imagination, through your creativity, and to put forth effort in powerfully visualizing a future that supports your purpose. There is a dynamic of curiosity, and stepping into the Unknown. And there is also a call to action regarding balancing the Self with Others.

Balance is always the key this time of year, and the focus of our balance this year must be that of seeing and honoring others – those we love and humanity at large – while also clearly seeing ourselves. It is the classic Aries (Self) / Libra (Other) dichotomey. How do we honor our own will, and also that of others, while creating well-being and harmony? This is the question to find answers to this Autumn.

Enjoy this transitional season! It is filled with beauty, in the light and in the shadows.

(Sun in Libra, trining Moon in Gemimi and Uranus in Taurus, trining Pluto in Capricorn, opposite Neptune in Pisces, conjuncting South Node in Virgo and oppositie North Node in Aries.)

Astrology Chart for the Moment of the Autumn Equinox / Sun in Libra / Sept. 22, 2024 / 8:45 AM EDT
Sep 20 2017

The Virgo New Moon – A Calling – September 20, 2017

pottery-cracks-filled-with-gold-text

This early morning New Moon feels like a calling to me.

At 1:30 AM Eastern today, September 20, 2017, the Sun and Moon conjoined in one of the most astute signs of the Zodiac: Virgo. And, the degree of this New Moon set off the degree of the Solar Eclipse just past – so there’s an intensity, and a force behind this moment.

The combination of this intelligent Virgo New Moon with the Autumn Equinox in two days, on Friday, Sept. 22, is asking us to work on something that is bigger than we are, even if it requires personal adjustment, and long-term effort. We can begin anew for our families, communities, and our country – and the goal is to serve the greater good with our intellect, with our genius, with our actions, with the certainty that the future will be better than our now. And we can begin anew with our vulnerable, wounded hearts on our sleeves – the same sleeves that we must roll up so that we can get to work.

The business at hand in this new beginning is action in service toward healing each other.

Let me just say that again. The business at hand is action in service toward healing each other. Healing you and me. Healing them. Healing us. And that means letting others in to help you heal you – while you’re doing all you can to help heal others. Another way to put it is reciprocity in love, service, and compassion.

The tools at our disposal are both practical and spiritual in nature. Call on your ability to discern what is useful and what is pointless – what is healthy and what is sick. Call on your ability to ground and stabilize whatever is necessary to create new structures, structures that are built with compassion and acceptance for everyone. Call on pragmatism. Call on determination. Call on commitment. And do the details… while keeping a broad view.

Show your broken heart – the heart that is full for those who have lost everything, for those who now live in fear, for those who are maligned and beaten and murdered – and know that in showing the cracks, you become stronger by the loving compassion of others that fill them in. Accept the love and compassion with gratitude and give it back in full. This is the most powerful tool possible.

Will you accept the call?

Aspects in the New Moon chart referred to in this article:
Sun conjunct Moon in Virgo
Sun/Moon in Virgo in opposition to Chiron in Pisces
Saturn in Sagittarius square to Sun/Moon in Virgo and Chiron in Pisces
Mars/Mercury in Virgo in Opposition to Neptune in Pisces
New Moon at 28 Virgo (Sun/Moon) semi-sextile to Aug. 21 New Moon Solar Eclipse at 29 Leo.
Sun/Moon in Virgo quincunx to Uranus in Aries (also eclipse degree)
Sun/Moon in Virgo semi-sextile Jupiter in Libra (eclipse degree and in opposition to Uranus)
Jupiter in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries

New-Moon-Virgo-Sept-20-2017

Chart for the New Moon in Virgo, Sept. 20, 2017, 1:30 AM Eastern, from Atlanta, GA

Jun 21 2017

The Summer Solstice and the Wisdom of Spiritual Action

Summer-Solstice-Spirtuality-2017

From our earthbound perspective, as we watch the Sun on his apparent path around us, he reaches the fullness of his heat during the Summer. Today, actually this morning at 12:25 AM Eastern, the Sun moved into the cardinal sign of Cancer, heralding the Summer Solstice, the height of his annual golden reign over the sky. In the Northern hemisphere there’s no question that we’ve left behind the experience of freshness, newness, and possibility that Spring brings, as we achieve the high point of our journey living life through the fullness of long, hot days.

The word Solstice is derived from the Latin “solstitium”, and means “the sun stands still.” So I like to think of each Solstice, both Summer and Winter, as a moment when we pause, take stock, reflecting on our connection and experience to our own “hero’s journey” which is symbolized by the Sun. In mythology the characters at the center of all hero stories are “solar characters.” In astrology, the symbol for the sun is a circle with a dot at the center, and from a personal perspective the circle represents the perfection of life around you, and the dot is you. Each of us has the Sun somewhere in our birthcharts, meaning that it is our birthright to live as a solar hero, or a golden child – at the center of the perfection of life surrounding us. The path to that experience is called the “hero’s journey” in which we live our life experiences with consciousness, moving ever closer to ourselves as the rightful center of our own lives. For some, this journey might be challenging and fraught with fear, obstacles, and challenges. For others it may be easier… but whichever is your experience, it’s a perfect day to pause and reflect on where you are in your own “hero’s journey.”

What can be helpful in that reflection is to understand the energies available to us in this particular Solstice, which I like to think of as being the “background energy” informing the entire season. This morning’s Summer Solstice astrological chart shows that taking action on our beliefs may be somewhat challenging, but also supported by the Divine – and if we take the challenge we may be rewarded with the wisdom that the task accomplished brings. (Mars in Cancer applying to the square to Jupiter in Libra. Mars in Cancer applying to the trine to Neptune in Pisces.) This energy creates the impetus we need to allow our inner Divine nature to inform and support our quest for wisdom through right, if perhaps challenging, action.

There is also emphasis on analyzing our ideas, and allowing our curiosity to push us into new ways of thinking, and communicating whatever we come up with. Through these new ways of thinking is a potential kernel for healing a wound, or wounds – perhaps wounds around playing the victim, loss, needing redemption, or feeling outside the realm of God/Spirit/Universe/Wholeness. (Mercury conjunct the Sun, both in a square to Chiron.)

With the Mars/Jupiter emphasis, there are other ways that we might see this energy manifesting: pushing beliefs on others, courage of our convictions, the conquering spirit, ambitious aims, the need to travel or “go far,” a pioneering spirit, daredevil actions, righteous vindictiveness, the “means justifies the end” mentality, gambling or taking risks toward an ideal. There are many ways to combine the energy of Mars and Jupiter, but consciously choosing to elevate your actions with optimism and grace is one of the finest, and a good choice to strive toward.

Happy Summer Solstice everyone!

Summer-Solstice-2017

Summer Solstice 2017 – Sun moved into Cancer at 12:25 AM Eastern / Drawn from Atlanta, GA

 

Dec 28 2016

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: 

new-moon-breath-flippedintegrity
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

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.

Aug 31 2016

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo Guided Imagery Meditation – Please Join Me

Neptune-Amphitrite-1560-by-Paris Bordone

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. 

virgo-with-wheatThe 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.

Milky-Way-over-the oceanNow, 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-with-Wheat-3Virgo 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.”

May 15 2015

Mercury Retrograde in Gemini – May / June 2015

Heart

(Pre-Shadow: May 4 – May 18; Mercury Retrograde: May 18 – June 11;
Post-Shadow: June 11 – June 27, 2015)

There are SO many ways to look at this powerful Mercury Retrograde in Gemini that’s coming right up, especially with this dynamic Neptune influence…  I’ll start with this in case you don’t make it past the first paragraph: First, the practical advice: BACK UP all your data, no matter where it lives or how secure you think it is. Get your tires and your oil changed and your 5,000 mile check-up. Replace that head gasket or that timing belt that you’ve been putting off – but do it quick. Now the good stuff: If you have a spiritual practice, turn to it fully and embrace it wholeheartedly – it will support you beautifully now. (If you don’t, and have always wanted to, then go get one – prayer, meditation, yoga.) It’s not the time to embark on a completely new idea or project, but if you have artistic or design talents that have been sitting on a shelf, take them down and dust them off. If you’re planning to travel… perhaps rethink your plans until later-ish June, unless your journey is spiritual, compassionate (I’m thinking about Nepal), or artistic in nature. If you’re thinking of signing a contract or pushing a project, it’s truly time to step away, allow the Gods their due, and get a more artistic, more inspired, more elegant appraisal of what you’re doing and what you’re expecting – and listen to your intuition around this process – instead of what your ego craves. If you’re musical or poetic and haven’t been practicing, GO! Give you instrument and your voice free reign! If you have addictive tendencies or are prone to overdo ANY feel good props, it’s time discover that inner strength you know is there and just say no. And if you’re into intellectual, inspired beauty, boy howdy, this is the time for you. Deeply connect to that beauty and love…

Bottom line? STOP PUSHING. LISTEN TO YOUR INTUITION. OPEN TO YOUR ARTISTIC NATURE. LET GO AND LET GOD. GET SOME PERSPECTIVE. SURRENDER. ALLOW. RELEASE INTO THE SUBLIME. TURN ON YOUR LOVE BEAM. THINK AND SPEAK YOUR INNER BEAUTY.  (It’s the THINK part, right? Yes, you can think loving thoughts to and about yourself. )

We’ve been in the pre-shadow period of Mercury Retrograde since May 4.  So even though Mercury doesn’t officially go retrograde until May 18 (just 2 days from now!) for all intents and purposes, WE’RE ALREADY IN IT, and have been for almost 2 weeks. Probably not a surprise to those of you who are sensitive to this one.

I started hearing the lamentable stories right at the beginning of May… and simultaneously began to hear the incredulous question, “Why does it feel like Mercury is retrograde?” I was surprised at first, knowing the retrograde was a couple of weeks away, but when I started looking at it I realized how this particular retrograde is probably a precocious one. 🙂

Understand then that from a FEELING PERSPECTIVE Mercury IS and HAS BEEN retrograde since May 4. The trickster planet is really slowing down in its orbit right now, which is the initiation into the actual retrograde. And that phenomenon is made extravagant by the fact that Mercury is in its own sign of Gemini – the sign it naturally rules. AND, Mercury is in a square aspect to Neptune… confused much? That’s frequently what Neptune combined with Mercury brings on when operating at the lower vibrational level… lots of confusion and chaos in processing information, communicating effectively, memory, travel, technology, basic intellectual understanding, etc. etc. etc.  So even without the retrograde motion of Mercury, due to the connection between Mercury and Neptune, we have this type of non-focused energy as a base line…

God-MindAND THAT’S WHY YOU WANT TO ELEVATE THE ENERGY. Consciously operate from the higher vibration level of Mercury Retrograde in its own sign of Gemini squaring Neptune.

HOW??? is obviously the question.

This is all truly about the God Mind, so the answer is by doing the suggestions I gave earlier: connect to God(s) and your spiritual core; align with your artistry – whatever form that takes; surrender your ego and listen to your intuition (it will pay off I promise). TELL YOUR STORY WITH TRUE FEELING… because in the telling will arise insights and aha’s that need to be pulled from your unconsciousness.

Let your thoughts, your speech, your writing, the way you move through your life reflect the goodness within you.  If you’re having a hard time connecting with that loving place within, then mentally AND emotionally go inside… Mercury Retrograde is the king of digging deep and coming back with amazing personal insights that inform the current energy pattern.

During this time, between now and June 27 (when we’re past the post-shadow), if you’re challenged by a choice between logic and compassion – go with compassion. The purpose behind this retrograde is to learn to find the peace of compassion and grace despite a busy mind; to connect to your inner divinity even while questioning everything; to engage your dream now and in a few weeks give it a voice rather than simply staying in the dreaming. The goal is to rest and restore your mind with indulgences into fantasy and beauty so that they can inform your future with a new, divinely inspired perspective.

Obviously this Mercury Retrograde impacts everyone, but if you have the Sun, Moon, or personal planets in Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces, this Mercury Retrograde is especially for you! 🙂

 

To get you in the proper head and heart space for this Mercury Retrograde, please enjoy watching this video: 40 Acts of Compassion
I promise you’ll love it!

 

If you’ve never read my Mercury Retrograde article, this is a great time!
Mercury Retrograde – The Unlikely Healing Gift 

Mar 5 2015

Full Moon in Virgo Today, March 5, 2015, 1:05 PM Eastern – The Light of Love

Virgo-Pisces-Full-Moon

I’ve been thinking of this Full Moon in Virgo from a spiritual perspective because of the very strong Pisces elements involved… The Virgo Moon is a very earthy and practical energy, and today it is opposite the Sun in Pisces, which is flanked by Chiron and Neptune, also both in Pisces. One way of looking at all that heavy emphasis on Pisces/Neptune is Universal Love or Christ Consciousness. For those of us really connected into this Full Moon, our intuition can be heightened and our loving compassion strongly roused, while emotionally we want surety… i.e. to read the instruction manual and ask for directions before setting out on the journey. Two obviously very different energies to balance.

But there is a flavor of loving service, and healing cosmic/karmic wounds to both sides of this Virgo/Pisces coin, and that’s where my mind is wandering…

Here are some key phrases to get you connected to this lovely moment:

*your spiritual center

*being in service as a mentor and guide

*receiving guidance

*bringing light to your purpose as a divine spark of infinite love

*healing wounds through opening the heart to love

*using discernment and attention to details as your guide

*bringing balance between flowing and defining

*being found after being lost

Dichotomies that may come to light that need balancing:

Victim vs. Savior (with a splash of Martyr on either side)

Order vs. Chaos

Reality vs. Dreams

Practicality vs. romanticism

Details vs. Vastness

Control vs. Addiction

And maybe all some of us want to do with this energy is to clean up a bit and then plan, prepare, and eat a lovely meal with a gorgeous bottle of wine while we get lost in a novel, movie, or book of poetry – or a great love… 🙂

The Full Moon in Virgo opposite the Sun, Chiron and Neptune in Pisces. March 5, 2015 - 1:05 PM Eastern. Natural Aries Wheel.

The Full Moon in Virgo opposite the Sun, Chiron and Neptune in Pisces. March 5, 2015 – 1:05 PM Eastern. Natural Aries Wheel.

Oct 20 2013

It’s that time again – Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio, Oct. 21 – Nov. 10, 2013

Mercury-Retrograde-Samhain-Halloween

Just a reminder that Mercury has been slowing down over the past few weeks and stationed (meaning he appears to have stopped) at 18 degrees of Scorpio on Friday, Oct. 18, and will turn Retrograde on Oct. 21. He will be Retrograde until Nov. 10, reaching back to 2 degrees of Scorpio. (Read the article Mercury Retrograde: The Unlikely Healing Gift here for an in-depth look at the meaning of this phenomenon in general, a bit of Mercury mythology, and how to navigate the Retrograde with better ease and understanding.)

If you’ve been feeling, like I have, that it seems Mercury Retrograde has already been happening for a while, remember that there are two shadow periods during every Retrograde phase. The pre-shadow that occurs for about 2 weeks when things feel as though they’re slowing down prior to the actual Retrograde and when, if you pay close attention, you are getting clues as to how a particular Retrograde period will impact you; and the post-shadow that occurs for about 3 weeks afterwards, when things are picking back up, but you are still integrating and seeking resolution. So really, the entire Mercury Retrograde phase takes about 8 weeks.

Mercury-Retrograde-diagram-of-movementOur typically fleet footed planet appears to slow down, stop, and then turn and trudge in the opposite direction once every 4 months. This phenomenon occurs when Mercury is at his greatest distance from the Sun (when he appears as the Evening or Morning Star), and then turns back toward the Earth, appearing to us as though he’s going backwards. It’s as though Mercury is conferring with the Sun who gives him information to bring back to Earth for the use of us mere mortals – thus Mercury’s ancient reputation as the Messenger of the Gods. 

If you know your birthchart, look to the house that contains Scorpio, and to any planets in that house to gain understanding of how this particular Retrograde period will impact you. Also look to any planets in your birthchart that fall between 2 and 18 degrees and find what sort of angle (the geometric distance between) this Mercury in Scorpio is making to them. This will give you further insights.

Folks born between 1956 and 1970 all have Neptune in Scorpio. If you were born between late 1956 and late 1966 your Neptune is somewhere between 0 and 22 degrees of Scorpio, meaning that it is in range of being impacted by this particular Mercury Retrograde. If your natal Neptune is also in aspect to (having a significant geometric distance between) any of your natal personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars), then this Mercury Retrograde period could be a significant one for you. 

Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio brings our inner attention to probing topics like sexuality, long-standing emotional issues, death and dying, our deepest psychological fears, profound shamanic healing and making the unconscious conscious. The tendency and purpose is to thin the veil between our typical movement away from these somewhat taboo areas of life and bring them into greater awareness – and ultimately greater integration. Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio can help us heal our Shadow. (What more perfect energy could be afoot for Samhain / Halloween / All Saints Day when the veil between the living and dead is reportedly thin, allowing connection between the two worlds!)

Mercury connected to Neptune (just for those late forties and fifty-somethings among us that I mentioned earlier) is a complex combination of energies. On the one hand Mercury and Neptune combined can bring up visionary experiences, loosen the imagination, prompt us to express our dreams and give voice to the images that arise from our Souls. On the other hand we can feel muddled in our thinking, express ourselves chaotically, or tune in to our fondest modes of escape – which can translate into a Mercury Retrograde double whammy. Watch for your tendencies, one way or the other, but understand that you have the choice of which way to direct yourself.

If you’d like help figuring this Mercury Retrograde phase out in your own life, please contact me ASAP for a Mercury Retrograde consult by emailing astrology@michellegregg.com. It will only set you back $25. Mayhem possible during Mercury Retrograde = frustration and anxiety. Navigating Mercury Retrograde with confidence = priceless. 🙂

Jan 21 2013

January 21, 2013 – By the Light of the Moon – Today’s Moon in Gemini and lots of exciting energy!

Obama-inauguration-2009-2

That lustrous orb that sweeps our oceans to and fro is also the harbinger who describes and defines our day-to-day fluctuating energy. As the face of the Moon is ever changing, so are the feelings and intuitions that push and pull us through our daily rounds. The sign of the Zodiac the Moon occupies changes about every 2-and-a-half-days and as she orbits she makes different connections to other planets, touching all of them in different ways as she speeds her way through the sky. Each of us will resonate to the energies of the flirting, capricious Luna in different ways and with different reactions according to the energies of our own birthcharts – our own dispositions and levels of consciousness. However, this comes as a guide to help you understand which fickle face our Lady Moon is showing today.

If you know your birthchart, or at least your Sun, Moon, or Rising signs (or better yet – all three – and if you don’t know any of them, maybe it’s time for you to send me an email) knowing where the Moon is playing and who she’s playing with will help you understand how to navigate your day and why you may be feeling the way you are or why you’re having the reactions or responses that you’re having. 

I’m going to try to write this everyday for you – or at least, most days. No promises being made here, but I hope the days I manage it, that you’ll find some peace, and maybe even gain a little edge, in knowing. I want to dedicate this effort to Kat. She told me that she missed my posts. So Kat – this if for you. If any of you enjoy this lovingly crafted energetic gift – please let me know! It will help to keep me motivated to continue…

(The above 3 paragraphs will be repeated each “By the Light of the Moon” post, so if you’ve read it before and know it by heart, just skip to the stuff just below.  All times given in this column are Eastern time. )

About 9AM Eastern (6AM Pacific) this morning the Moon moves from earthbound Taurus into heady Gemini, and because both the Sun and Mercury moved from Capricorn into another bright air sign, Aquarius, over the weekend, the heavens and our intellects could feel a bit clearer – a bit lighter. Mercury and Uranus connect honing our minds and sharpening our tongues as well, so this seems to be a pretty high energy day, especially for folks with lots of air signs represented in their charts (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius). The fire signs will be at home with this energy as well (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius).

Today should prove to be one during which our ideas flow easily and we feel the need to trample the box we’ve been living in to get a breath of fresh air outside it.  Expect a bit of the unexpected…

However, challenges may come from Neptune, particularly earlier in the day. Our emotions are being pulled toward optimism and the search for meaning, the need to expand and express via a very close connection to Jupiter, but simultaneously Neptune insists that we not let go of our fantasy, our addiction, our yearning or our loss – whatever the case may be. The Aquarius and Gemini influences want us to use our logic and mental fortitude, Jupiter wants us to learn and grow, but Neptune wants us to experience the spiritual, the psychic, the nebulous. There may be confusion and there may simply be daydreaming to take the edge off of our genius. It will be interesting to see how all of these combine together and what will result. 

It seems to me that Jupiter and the Moon in Gemini, and Uranus in Aries, will drive the day despite the either visionary or escapist tendencies of Neptune, and that means a restless spirit, clever action, and the wheels of the mind working smartly. It also means that we’re emotionally attached to putting our message or our mission out into the world with the certainty of our right-ness (rightousness?) – that’s the Jupiter part. And we could certainly be feeling the need for independence and freedom. 

Speaking of independence and freedom – today is the public inauguration of President Obama! The planets are really set up beautifully with his birth chart for this event, and it should be fun to watch how he uses these really positive energies. The Moon and Jupiter are triggering his Chiron/Pluto opposition though, so we should watch for any woundedness from the past and possibly some emotional power plays that could emerge. But I think for the most part we’ll see a very confident face and lots of optimism.

And again, speaking of independence and freedom – what a great sky we have for honoring one of our nation’s greatest heros, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ve got Neptune for his dream, Jupiter for his vision for the future, and Uranus symbolizing his life as a catalyst for new paradigm. All connected to the Moon – our emotional selves and our country. Perfect. 

For most of us, this can prove to be a very social day – so don’t sit still somewhere alone if you can help it. And enjoy! 

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