Today is Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011. The Moon is in Cancer all day, working its way through the early and middle part of that sign. As Eric and Gary have mentioned in this space the past two days, the approaching equinox — which entails the Sun changing signs to Libra — means there is a lot of tension in the air. Also in the background is a Sun-Neptune aspect that is playing with our perceptions and communication in a way that has been called “slippery.” So there’s a lot of potential for frustration and misunderstanding. With the Moon moving through emotional Cancer and squaring first Venus and then Saturn, this is likely to trigger reactions based in parent-child dramas.
As the Moon moves trough Cancer, it activates a number of planets, mostly those in cardinal signs — though by virtue of the water element, it also energized Chiron in Pisces last night and will do the same for Ceres late in that same sign. One of the most striking contact points the Moon makes is a square to Venus in early Libra at about 5:38 am EDT. This combined with the rest of the sky is basically a study in emotional nourishment and emotional needs — including not getting these things met.
Moon in Cancer square Venus in Libra is saying something about looking for love: how we look for it, why we do it, what happens when we do it. And if you happen to find yourself defaulting to a parental model, it can say something about how we often tend to mess it up. How do we get to the adult-adult level of relating in our intimate partnerships? I’m still not sure, myself. It seems this Moon is going to be playing the child as it applies to a trine with Ceres in Pisces on Thursday — a Ceres that is retrograde, no less. So in that corner we may at least have something resolving in some way, something opening up. Ceres retrograde in Pisces has been about withholding emotional nourishment. Have you noticed that anywhere in your life? It may feel more palpable in the next day or so.
Now with the Moon moving on to square Venus, the same story is starting to repeat itself. How do you negotiate availability and getting needs met with a lover versus with your mother? And then, as the Moon moves through Cancer today to square Saturn at about 11:37 pm EDT, the Moon becomes Mother to Saturn’s Father. The archetypes are opposites, but they’re thrown into a square aspect. So this tension has a feeling of immediacy, a sense of needing to make a choice. But about what? Can you get past whatever emotional knee-jerk reactions you may be having to see what your choices are? Juno nearby in Libra, pulling away from its conjunction with Saturn, is keeping the tally of hurt feelings close to the surface. And as the Libra equinox nears, we edge closer to a tipping point. Something has to give in order to find some balance.
Whatever it is, see if you can detach just enough from whatever current of emotions you may be caught up in so that you can sort out where any feelings of hurt, neglect or powerlessness are coming from. If your reactions to a partner currently look a lot like your reaction to your mother or father — or if they mirror your parents’ dysfunction — try to work out that level first. Yes, the equinox will bring a transition; but you deserve to make sure any changes you make are made from a place of clarity and maturity. The urge to run away from emotional stress and join the circus may be compelling right now; validating your dreams and goals for yourself — rather than railing against someone else’s perceived agenda for you — may be crucial to finding your balance with minimal trauma or drama.
Amanda Painter with Eric Francis and Gary Caton
Looking for insights on how this week’s astrology affects your personal Sun and rising signs? Try out Planet Waves Light, our streamlined horoscope service. For deeper cultural context and astrological investigation, the premium Planet Waves subscription includes the same horoscopes, plus extensively-researched articles on Fridays.
Mark me down as ‘bust’. I’m used to being choked to suffocation by full moons and Merc Retro’s, but the equinox? Damn. Looking to pack up and join a circus out west, where at least the scenery might make the ongoing absurdity of all this a little more bearable. Cosmos, your resounding indifference is duly noted.
cool Carrie. FYI there are still clown colleges. Ringling Bros college is in FL.
Speaking of circuses….my husband was a professional circus clown who traveled all over the world with various circuses (but not Ringling; he wasn’t “chosen” by them when he completed Clown College…yes there was a clown college once). He shoveled shit, helped with animals and met people from all over. The smell of elephant shit still makes him long for it again. Clowning is in his soul. He loved the sense of a small community of like-minded people from all different cultures moving in tandem from place to place every few days. The places changed but the people were a close-knit and supportive community.
He still does birthday parties and company parties for cash; he especially likes the birthday parties because he loves interacting with the kids. He does magic tricks, makes balloon animals and watching him “work the room” full of kids and getting them laughing is a joy. Now he is an elementary teacher, a vocation he came to late in life but loves. Old clowns never die, they just slow down a bit and their “face” gets more wrinkles (which equals character).
Stellium – Good one. Thank you.
child-mother?
how about sister-sister (who is now a mother..err maybe, don’t know, not talking now)
_______drop down w/ exhaustion.
tough one, that one.was.
what else is going on? aaaaaa ya. I’m behind an 8-ball trying to catch up on my reading stack, suggested reading stack, notes. as the Wizard waits for me to catch up to speed; I can do it, I can do it!
jeeezzzuzzzzzz. circus Jere, circus, as in circuitous. Love you, Jere, just like back in the day at 1 or 2 am going the wrong-way on the seemingly one-way street.
downtown. back in the day, man!
faaaaaaaaaaaaaa. god. when is the podcast coming out? when? WHEN
I need to hear that velvety smooth voice speak the words, set a tone. any tone.
need my intuition & my spidey-sense to keep me weaving, keep weaving
triangulation.
sensation.
Jupita out!
peace
LOL! “Circus” just about sums it all up, doesn’t it? The clowns, the shit-shovelers, the broken backs, the illusions.
No doubt it’s time to bring the big top down.
Len, good catch; out of the frying pan into the fire isn’t useful.
Good read, Amanda. Thank you.
LOL also means Lots of Love; that includes you, Jere! xoxoxoxo
..I dug irrigation trenches for a while.. It sucked. But I’d do it again for a good cause..
(..the circus, too me, is all about living. I’m hip to experiencing this life. I just get frustrated with it now and then.. I know what I need to do..)
Jere
Hey Len,
was that because you were digging yourself out of a hole, or because you came in contact with the dangerous bareback rider?
curious minds wanna Know
well, my version of “the circus” is usually some sort of touring theater production. i don’t think i’d actually enjoy touring for more than a few weeks — i’m too home-centered & need to feel grounded — but i think the fantasy speaks volumes about something i want, just magnified to an extreme due to the emotional push to “run away” from (or to?) something.
Jere: Your buddy is right about love. And i love you. So, whatever your plan is, just please keep yourself available to loved here on Planet Waves.
..I’ll join the circus.. I’m pretty dexterous and flexible.. plus, I’ve always wanted to be a clown..
(Gotta tell myself, don’t watch the news, don’t watch the news…)
..I’m gonna go crazy if I can’t figure myself out… I know I got buddies,.. they’re cool as all hell,.. but shit man!,..
..I guess it does all come down to me workin’ my shit out. If I can’t do it, we’re all fucked…
It’s alright cats,… I gotst me a plan….
catch ya on the flip…
Jere
..Oh yeah, as one of my buddies says, “Love is the greatest power in the universe.”
The last time i ran off to the circus i ended up working long hours with a shovel. Do your back a favor and think twice on that notion.
Think I might stay inside Friday. +:>)+
this is a great post, Amanda. My “run off to join the circus” drive is a powerful one; that desire frequently comes up in situations like these -but your mention of it reminds me that, curiously, it’s not here right now…hmmm. thank you, will have to contemplate on that one…things are getting curiouser and curiouser 😉
gc
Interesting how NASA is as of today predicting that their Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is going to re-enter the atmosphere the day of the equinox, Friday. After which it will come crashing down upon the earth somewhere, in pieces.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html
The satellite is the size of a small bus, but will break up upon reentry and create a debris field some 500 miles long — they don’t yet know where. The odds that a person will be struck by a piece of the debris are reportedly 1 in 3200, which seems significant.
Not that I’m particularly nervous about this, just intrigued! Hope I won’t be looking apprehensively at the sky all season.
believe me, i’m feeling a bit of whiplash from it, myself. wish i could say i was handling better than i am…
Spot on for me too. Thanks,
xxzoey
“so that you can sort out where any feelings of hurt, neglect or powerlessness are coming from.”
So perfect for today. Yes, I am sorting things out in that area of my life. I am working on stopping the negative self-talk that I have inside me from my dysfunctional parents. It is a hurt-based thing but these days I am not feeling the hurt so much as I am feeling the determination to stop the self-destructive ways.
“With the Moon moving through emotional Cancer and squaring first Venus and then Saturn, this is likely to trigger reactions based in parent-child dramas.”
This, too, is spot on; my family has experienced my reactions this week and they have brought these to my attention. Thankfully I can see this and work to change it. I am fortunate to have a loving family (husband and kids) who don’t allow me to remain blind to these reactions I am having.
“How do you negotiate availability and getting needs met with a lover versus with your mother?”
That’s a good question because I have cut off ties with her but I am still dealing with my father and that relationship is fraught with resentment, compassion, and discomfort. Yet I keep remembering snapshots with my mother this week and I feel a softening in me because I am not the self-absorbed person she is. I have to remember that interacting with her is always going to be painful and degrading to me. All that baggage (or the bag of shit as my Aunt calls it; we all bring a bag of shit into every relationship) is there when I interact with David (my husband) and his bag of shit (not as scrutinized by him yet) is also there. It (the bag of parental dysfunction shit) does get in the way sometimes. I have snapped at him and the kids this week and couldn’t seem to stop it but on hindsight I realized it was a reaction to how my parents made me feel bad about myself and wrong all the time.
Thanks to all of you for bringing these dailies here for us; they help me a lot.
“Emotional equilibrium or bust”.. No shit! I’ve had it these days.. I’m fuckin’ done with all this bullshit that people call reality. I’ve stayed off these pages ’cause I thought I was going nuts. I’m not the insane one… this world is fuckin’ up bad! I can’t watch the news these days without getting sick enough to want to fuck this world over… (This will probably get me arrested but,) I want to put a bullet in some of these politicians heads. (I won’t do it,… freakin’ pacifist… but I daydream…)
..sorry for throwin’ my shit down on you guys,.. but I’m gonna explode if I don’t get it out somewhere.
I do really love you all.
Jere
Just so extraordinary – so describes what I’m going through right now. And once again, can’t thank you, enough sets me up for the day (and days to come…), helps me through it all. xxxx