Today is Friday, Sept. 16, 2011. The Moon is in Taurus all day today and tomorrow, before moving to Gemini at 4:05 am EDT on Sunday. The Moon is said to be exalted in Taurus and this means that you could feel relatively comfortable emotionally — safe, secure, nurtured and with a solid sense of self worth.
Visually, the most notable thing about the Moon this weekend is that she will be with the planet Jupiter and the stars of the Pleiades. This conjunction is easily visible if skies are clear. The bright star near the Moon is a nearby planet 1,200 times the size of Earth. Jupiter (or Zeus, in Greek mythology) had sex with just about anyone he wanted. He was always on the move trying to seduce someone.
The Moon is also near a constellation, the Pleiades. In mythology, the Pleiades were nymphs who served as the attendants of Artemis (or Diana, Goddess of the Moon). They were doggedly pursued by Orion, the great hunter, after he fell in love with their beauty and grace. Artemis asked Zeus to protect the Pleiades and in turn, Zeus turned them into stars. Zeus or Jupiter himself had quite a reputation as a pursuer, using all kinds of tricks such as turning himself into a swan in order to win the objects of his affection. So the Moon is moving past both a planet and a group of stars this weekend that highlight the theme of amorous pursuit.
With both the Sun and Mars nearing their changing of signs, and so crossing into new territory, the tension within our masculine/active drive is palpable. Mars moves into fiery Leo Sunday evening, reviving the passion and heat of summer, at least metaphorically (it’s starting to get chilly in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere). The Sun is also nearing the end of Virgo, before the change of seasons. Planets near the end of signs often become more intense, as if there is a mission to complete before they can move on. Like the Buford T. Justice character in the film Smokey and the Bandit, the Sun and Mars could find us “in hot pursuit” and fixated on something.