Get instant access now | The Story of I AM — 2020 Autumn Reading
Mars retrograde in Aries is the final transition, the emotional, psychological and experiential bridge, to the last event of 2020: Jupiter conjunct Saturn in Aquarius. Mars retrograde represents the work of individuation and of self-actualization that will make the group experience in Aquarius more relevant and more easily workable.
Borrowing a line from Lou Reed, “Self-knowledge is a dangerous thing — the freedom of who you are.” Dangerous perhaps to a way of life that involves allowing yourself to disappear and be insignificant. Mars retrograde in Aries invites boldness and embodiment and the exploration of your will. Order here for instant access, or choose your individual signs here.
Aries (March 20-April 19) — The way is opening for you. You will only know, however, if you dare to take the first few steps to your chosen destination. You don’t need to plan the whole trip, nor must you worry about whether you have enough resources to get there. When you move with your heart and soul, providence will move to you, and shorten the way. Be aware, though, that you are tapping into a power you consider greater than yourself, and yet it is you. You are reaching well beyond what you think of yourself, and yet, it is you. Make friends with how much you are, how much stronger, how much more intelligent, and how boundless, and live in that reality. Confidence is not a psychological state. Rather, it is the condition of moving with your whole being. Right now the direction of movement is into yourself. That is the symbolism of Mars retrograde, which begins in just over a week. For you, that is the true path, as it will lead you anywhere you need to go.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel like you’re coming up against a limit or experiencing a loss. If so, I suggest you pause any process where you’re making decisions that do not work well for you, and reevaluate your options. Get a grip on your spending, and tap into other reserves if you need them, for example, using what you have on hand. Yet there is another possibility here, which is that things may not be all that bad; it is your interpretation that needs to be reassessed. Does your thinking remind you of anyone? If you’re feeling like you lack potential, resiliency or freedom, does that have anyone’s name or fingerprints on it? This would be someone historically close to you and very influential in your past, though potentially not directly present now. Shift your point of view and rethink matters. Keep current with yourself, and respond to life in the moment you’re actually existing, without all your usual reference points to history. That was then; this is now.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Keep an eye on your money this week, and delay any investment decisions till you are working with more information. There are likely to be factors you’re not aware of, though it might seem like everything is solid and copacetic. Other people know things you need to know, and they are not necessarily the types of people, or topics, that lend themselves to casual conversation. So you will need to pry a little bit and get a sense of what is in people’s files. In personal, intimate situations, you will see that you cannot always base your sense of personal value on how you believe others feel about you. Ultimately that must come from you, which is not always easy, though it is necessary. Self-worth is not your emotional market value as you perceive it. Rather, it is born of your intimacy with yourself, and your quest for understanding your true nature.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Do not be deterred by any tension between you and others related to the work you’re now doing. You know you’re invested for the long haul, not for immediate gains. Anyone who might judge you or get in the way is being short-sighted, and responding out of fear. Those are false luxuries in which you have no interest. You are up to the challenges you have accepted. You have the determination and the energy, and you have the ability to develop a flexible strategy that you keep to. Most significantly, true to your Cancerian nature, you are able to keep your own counsel and do not need much in the way of approval to feel like you’re doing the right thing. That’s good, because you have a diversity of perspectives that others lack, which is why your contribution is necessary. That said, you have powerful allies who will do what they can to help you. Make sure you know who they are, show your gratitude and treat them well.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You will have a breakthrough at work this week, though don’t let your own stress break you first. Allow your mind to do the work. The more space there is between your thoughts, the better. You are just as likely to figure something out at lunch or while taking a bath as you are at your desk. If you are clear on the idea level, you will then see the easiest way to get the job done. Consider that step an essential part of the original idea: your action scheme is part of your design scheme. One tool to work with is the time constraint. Add to action and design a point in time when you want to get the work done — and then do it. You may not think you can be ingenious in a relaxed kind of way simultaneously with a schedule you intend to keep, though I would propose that is exactly the order of the week. You know you have all kinds of talents and resources you barely dial in.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mercury in your birth sign is still in a close opposition to Neptune in Pisces. This may have arrived with a diversity of blurry situations or difficulty figuring out where people are coming from, and also with technical issues that seem to have been running around recently. As of Sunday, the aspect is separating, though the Neptune fog may take a few more days to clear (as Mercury engages other aspects, such as to Pluto and Saturn). You may have some catching up to do, though you do have help. Make sure that you cultivate relationships with your friends and allies. You’re in the process of learning how to assert your true being without making people into enemies, or engaging them in needless conflict. You don’t have to fight to be who you are; you simply need to be that person. If there is some seeming controversy or matter of dispute, you will gain more by being respectful about it.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Please don’t let personal drama distract you from the important tasks that you’ve taken on, and which you are doing so well. This is not a time for push coming to shove. You are good at sidestepping conflict, until you slip up and get caught in it. So stay conscious as the Pisces Full Moon passes through town. This may feel like a wave, and you may not be able to get out of the way. All kids who grow up near the ocean learn that if you see a wave coming, dive right into it, and you will emerge on the other side. If someone has a complaint, calmly ask them to state it, and let them state their position. If you have an issue with someone, you will do better by gently probing them for their viewpoint prior to asserting yourself. The more information you have, the better this will work out. Be aware that people may be feeling all kinds of triggers with this Full Moon, from past events that have nothing at all to do with you.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Hold steady and hang loose. You don’t have to make any major moves. Rather, size up your environment, map out where you are within it, and notice who is in your life and what purpose they are serving. Run your engines cool, and take a circumspect view, checking out the scene from various directions and angles. This will keep you from getting stuck in a fixed point of view. The Pisces Full Moon washes through the most dynamic, creative and passionate angle in your chart. True creative awareness will make use of anything that comes along, including anything that might trigger you, or even dissuade you from expressing yourself. Yet it will not help to retreat in any way. Just gently move toward what it is you might want to avoid. You don’t need to charge; remember, steady and loose. Approach any challenges with a self-reflective quality, and see the beauty in whatever you observe. Ultimately, you are responsible for your state of mind. That is your privilege and your pleasure.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — This week’s Full Moon in Pisces may stir up your deepest insecurities about whether the universe is really here to support you. You might draw your boundary in a little closer to your personal space, and start with the building you live in, and the room that you occupy, and design them in such a way that what you need is in reach. Call on yourself to take sincere and meaningful responsibility for how you feel. Notice if there are any irritants in your environment, which could be anything from people to toxic substances you might not have considered a problem in the past. You want as much fresh air and sunshine as you can get, and as much fresh night air and moonshine as you can arrange. Remember that what seems like your intuition is not necessarily the truth. This is especially true if subtle fears are arising, or if you feel unloved. Your actual intuition will be telling you that you’re in pretty good shape and you are most surely loved.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Pay attention to any self-critical thoughts you may experience as the Full Moon builds to a peak Monday and Tuesday, including any ripples later in the week. These thoughts may come in the form of subtle emotions, judgments projected at others, anger, or anxiety. Anything that disturbs your peace of mind would count, though the common thread would come back to some sense of personal inadequacy. You can expect more of this to come up over the next 12 weeks or so as the Mars retrograde experience reaches a peak, making many aspects to planets in your sign. It is essential that you focus on resolution and completion. This includes personal healing projects you’ve been working on for the past three years of Saturn in your sign, and some issues that have been hanging around since 2008, when Pluto entered your sign. You are too accustomed to these matters lingering in the air, making it difficult to breathe. A new life will soon be upon you. You don’t want the problems from the old one trailing along. But only you can do something about this.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — If the Full Moon has you worried about your finances, I can assure you that’s not the real issue. There is something else, something deeper, something that could rightly be called a spiritual matter. Finances are about ‘worth’ and what your chart is about is self-worth. This has been a persistent issue for you, and you deserve to have some resolution. However, that’s going to come from you. You will need the strength and clarity to rise above any sense of lack you may feel. It will help if you figure out that any deficiency you may feel is not necessarily true, and may have a source outside of yourself. From the look of your chart, this is likely to be an ancestral source: one or both of your parents, or beyond. While many strive to accept their parents as they are, it will help if you are honest, and thorough, about actually understanding who they are. It relates directly to your situation: how you experience yourself and how you feel about yourself.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — One thing in the nature of Pisces is to have a guilty conscience. When someone somewhere is responsible, it must be you. In a similar way, Pisces tend to take on the burdens of others. It is time to give back to people what is not yours. Yet these tendencies describe factors that are much deeper than you may imagine, relating to how you were raised, and potentially going back generations. It is also likely that someone laid their burden on you when you were younger, and said, “This is the way you are, therefore, I’m putting this on you.” It’s time to question this whole way of being, including testing the logic of anyone who did this to you. Here’s how you can identify it; it goes like this: “I’m right even when I’m wrong,” which in turn served to make you wrong as a foregone conclusion. Yet you are not wrong. Your existence is not wrong. You belong here, and you deserve to live with a clear conscience. Yet this calls for doing the one thing that most people finally encounter as the most difficult challenge in life, which is taking full responsibility for your existence. The buck stops with you.