Good Stars Jyotish

In today’s episode I talk about the New Moon in Taurus on May 11 and take it through the houses.

With no major aspects involved, this New Moon is not a particular intense one, but it is pleasant in steady Taurus, which is the moon’s sign of exaltation. As for me, today the weather was great in Berlin and I spent a lot of time lounging lazily outside in the sun and treated myself to a tasty slice of carrot cake. #taurus.moon.at.its.best

But, for this year, the Taurus New Moon symbolizes a shift into Gemini season. On May 12, the Moon ingresses into Gemini, where it meets up with Mercury and Venus who are already there. The Sun joins the Gemini Twin’s party on May 20.

Since Gemini will also be the sign of the Annular Solar Eclipse on June 9/10, the house in your natal chart ruled by Gemini is going to be getting a whole lot of action in the coming weeks.

For some insight into what this might mean for you personally, check out the podcast.

Photo by Vivek Doshi on Unsplash

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Today I’m presenting you with a new “guess the writer” natal chart game for one of my favorite all-time writers.

They also have quite a chart, as you will see. Here are the various points and aspects I describe (to find out what it all means, listen to the podcast ;) ):

Aries ascendant conjunct Uranus

Ascendant ruler: Mars in Cancer in the 4h house

Moon in Aquarius in the 11th house

Sun in the 9th house in a Sagittarius stellium together with Mercury and Saturn

Hope you have a fun time guessing!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ageofair.substack.com

Today I’m presenting you with a new “guess the writer” natal chart game for one of my favorite all-time writers.

They also have quite a chart, as you will see. Here are the various points and aspects I describe (to find out what it all means, listen to the podcast ;) ):

* Aries ascendant conjunct Uranus

* Ascendant ruler: Mars in Cancer in the 4h house

* Moon in Aquarius in the 11th house

* Sun in the 9th house in a Sagittarius stellium together with Mercury and Saturn

Hope you have a fun time guessing!

Get full access to Crossroads Astrology at crossroadsastrology.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to May and the joys and hopes of Spring. We could definitely use some of those at this point, and as you’ll see in the May 2021 astrological forecast, this month offers just that!

I go into more detail in the podcast, but here’s the mini version:

Mercury will move into the Gemini on May 3/4, which is a sign the planet rules. Having a strong Mercury will be good for things like commerce, business, travel, communication and education – sounds pretty darn good at this point, for sure!

The strength and focus on these topic will be amplified on May 9/10, when Mercury conjuncts the North Node. On May 11/12, Mercury enters into a flowing trine with Saturn in Aquarius, and at this time we might be hearing positive news about new plans to get business going, open schools and ease travel in many places in the world.

On May 9, Venus enters Gemini. In Mercury’s sign, Venus will be very much about communication and lots of it. This lady yearns to socialize! On May 19/20, Venus will also trine Saturn, which means we may have some news and communication around the arts and entertainment and ways to bring this back into our lives.

Gemini is a chatty sign and Gemini in Venus loves fun and games and word play. If possible, May will be a great month for socializing, witty banter and gathering together to play games and enjoy ourselves in a way that has not been possible for far too long.

Photo by Brianna Santellan on Unsplash

Other great news: on May 13/14, Jupiter will be entering Pisces, which is a sign it traditionally rules. Jupiter rules things like wealth, justice, higher knowledge and learning, growth and optimism.

We’ve had nearly 18 months of Jupiter in a Saturn-ruled sign. The planet was in Capricorn all of 2020, which is the sign of its detriment. Since Saturn was so strong last year (it was also in Capricorn, a sigh it rules), Jupiter was really offline last year, and therefore couldn’t help us much.

Now in Aquarius, the planet is still in Saturn’s domain, albeit in a better condition. Jupiter in Aquarius has been leading us to focus on topics like social justice, building progressive structures and humanitarian aid. But since Saturn is still in charge, restrictions, limitations, sternness and slow growth and progress are still the name of the game.

When Jupiter enters Pisces, a sign which symbolizes boundlessness, we will likely see many of the restrictions we’ve been under for over a year start to lift and life will gain momentum. However, this freedom will be relatively short-lived: Jupiter will go retrograde in late June and return to Aquarius for the rest of the year.

Although this placement may offer much needed relief on many fronts, it is more a preview of 2022, when Jupiter will be in Pisces for the entire year, than a return to “normal” life.

On a more positive note (it is Jupiter after all!), Jupiter in Pisces is a great time to embark on or deepen a spiritual or magical practice, especially when Mercury, the planet that rules magic, is strong and in its own sign. The planet will be in Pisces from May 14 to July 28.

Enjoy the month ahead! I’ll be back with more on the lunar cycle and some tarot readings in the week(s) to come.

Get full access to Crossroads Astrology at crossroadsastrology.substack.com/subscribe

Today I’m talking about the full moon in Scorpio, which will take place on April 27, 2021. This is a really intense full moon that has the potential to lead to confusing, volatile feelings that may encourage people to lash out emotionally in ways they may later regret (think angry drunk).

This full moon also activates the Saturn Uranus square, which means it may trigger this rebellious, revolutionary energy with potential disastrous results.

My advice is, lay low for this moon. Stays away from protests or twitter wars, as well as irrational spats with others in general, because they have the potential to get out of hand in destructive ways.

You may particularly feel the energy of this full moon if you have either Scorpio or Taurus rising or planets at around 10 to 15 degrees of the fixed signs (Aquarius, Taurus, Scorpio and Leo).

This energy will subside by the end of the week.

Photo by Leon Pauleikhoff on Unsplash

Writing prompt for the April 2021 lunar cycle

As promised, here is the creative “plot line” any writers out there can take away from this lunar cycle. Feel free to steal it and write your award winning novel!

Exposition (New Moon):

The protagonist of the story is an assertive, action-oriented person (Aries) who is direct in speech and does not shy from conflict (Mercury in Aries), in fact, they relish in debate and heated discussions, whether verbal or written (Mercury in Aries in mutual reception with Mars in Gemini).

Rising Action (The Crescent Moon, Quarter Moon, Waxing Gibbous):

The protagonist becomes very ambitious about some sort of mercurial pursuit, which could be either business, writing, mathematics, or similar intellectual field (Crescent Moon in Gemini conjunct the North Node). An older authority figure who can help provide structure for their ambitions comes into their lives (Moon in Gemini trine Saturn in Aquarius).

The person wishes to be the center of attention and/or receive recognition for their achievements (Quarter Moon in Leo), but they are experiencing some resistance or conflict from several people (Moon in Leo square Sun, Mercury and Venus in Taurus). The Sun could be a solar figure such as a leader, famous or influential person, or a father, Venus could be a woman, love interest or romantic partner and Mercury could be a younger sibling, a writer or messenger or even simply the Internet. Since Taurus is the sign, there could be pressure (internal or external) here to settle down, i.e. buy a house or start a family and live a more life based on comfort and stability.

By the Waxing Gibbous, it appears that this person has solved the conflict. They are now in the rational, practical sign of Virgo, and have a harmonious relationship with the person symbolizing Mercury and Venus (Virgo moon trine Mercury and Venus). Inspiration is flowing (trine to Uranus), but they do feel an itch and/or conflict around their former hungry ambition (sure the North Node in Gemini). A new person/emotion enters the scene, Mars in Cancer. This is either an unstable person (possibly male) with poor impulse control who tends to be emotionally manipulative or lash out without thinking to perceived slights. They may struggle with alcohol and may even have issues with aggression or violence. If this isn’t an action person, it could stand for these impulses or weaknesses within our protagonist

Climax and Culmination (Full Moon in Scorpio):

Oh my, this is where the s**t hits the fan! Or protagonist seems to have been stirred up by the Mars in Cancer character/impulse and a sense of anger and resentment well up to the surface. These two are in cahoots and getting each other into trouble, possibly by getting drunk at an office party or family picnic and lashing out at people in hurtful ways that they will regret when they sober up. These people they confront or have a falling out with are the same characters we’ve met before, who are represented by the Sun, Venus and Mercury (Sun, Venus and Mercury in opposition to Moon in Scorpio). The opposition to Uranus suggests or protagonist may do some sudden and reckless, and the square to Saturn suggest that for this action they will get in trouble with the authorities or even land in jail.

Falling action (Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter Moon, Balsamic/Dark Moon):

After the shenanigans our protagonist got into, which may have cost them quite a bit, they do some philosophical soul searching (Waning Gibbous in Sagittarius). Although they may get off track by falling for something illusory (i.e. a spiritual charlatan or a glamorous idea that ends up to be a delusion), they also will ultimately meet a spiritual leader (probably middle aged up until their late 60s) who will help them find their path, which might be the path of social justice (Sag moon sextile Jupiter in Aquarius).

Our protagonist has become more mature, rational and disciplined (Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius conjunct Saturn). Perhaps they have become ascetic and solitary (same energy), but either way they feel at peace with their former ambition and insatiable drive (Moon in Aquarius trine North Node in Gemini). However, a sudden change to their life in the monastery or spiritual retreat center creates conflict (square to Uranus) which may have been initiated or lead to a renewal of conflict with the character represented by the Sun. While the Sun character had the upper hand in the conflict when the moon was in Leo, this time our protagonist is the one who gets to call the shots (Moon in Aquarius in a superior square over the Sun in Taurus).

After this experience, our protagonist grows spiritually once again because they plunge the depths and face their fears to an even greater degree (Balsamic/Dark Moon in Pisces sextile Pluto). The novel ends with them reconciling with the Venus character (Moon in Pisces sextile Venus in Taurus). This story has a happy end, with emotional and spiritual growth which brings joy and possibly a renewed spark into estranged relationships/romance.

Pretty nice story, thanks moon!

If this writing prompt inspires you, good luck and keep me posted! Of course, you are free to change any of the details around as you wish–when it comes to lunar cycle writing prompts, there are no rules. :)

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Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash

On April 22 or 23, Mars will enter the sign of Cancer. Since Cancer is the sign of Mars’ fall, it’s not the easiest sign for this planet to be in. I go into more detail about what this means in my podcast, but in a nutshell, when Mars is in Cancer:

* your actions may be dictated by your emotions more than is usually the case

* it may be harder to be disciplined and get to work, especially when you’re not in the mood to do so

* you may be prone to being overly sensitive to slights and lashing out emotionally

* confrontation and conflict may be difficult and you may feel more (emotionally) angry and weepy than usually and crave retreat

On a more positive note, Mars is Cancer also has a protective, mama bear kind of energy, so this is a also a great time to fight and stand up for any issues having to do with mothers and children, vulnerable and endangered groups or really anything about which your feel particularly protective or emotional.

However, watch out for going too far or flying emotionally off the handle and doing things you will later regret in the heat of the moment, as this is always the danger with Mars in Cancer.

Mars will be in Cancer until June 11 or 12, depending on your location.

I’ll be back with the writing prompt for rising action in the lunar cycle at the beginning of next week.

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On April 15, 2021, Venus ingresses into Taurus, which is a sign she rules.

To find out why this might bring more harmony into your relationships, and be a great time for baking bread, listen to the podcast.

In the meantime, here’s my tarot spread for the question:

What is the best way to take advantage of the Venus in Taurus energy?

I really love the work of the cartomancer Camelia Elias, who I’m currently studying with. Rather than considering the tarot to be an esoteric path towards higher spiritual development, she really uses the cards (Marseille Tarot, not RWS) as a tool to achieve clarity in the here and now.

The cards tells stories, and that’s what I dig.

In her book, Read Like The Devil she points out that you do not need to read the cards in a spread in a consecutive order. What you need is a clear and precise question, then look for the story in the cards (there’s more to it than this, of course, but that’s the short version).

The story I see here is as:

We are living right now in a time of constant change (Wheel of Fortune). The Corona numbers go up, and then they go down. In battling the virus, some countries do well and then fail, and the other way around (e.g. Germany and the US). How can we make plans a few weeks from now, let alone a few months?

But we still need to relate to one another. How does Venus in Aries do so? As the Empress, a woman of action, who gets the ball rolling. Sometimes there is a need to sacrifice harmony for assertiveness to get the job done.

Thank you, Venus in Aries. You may step to the side until you reemerge next Spring to get us in the mood for the beauty in an energetic bout of Spring cleaning.

Venus is in Taurus now, her nocturnal home, which is pictured here as the Star. Harmony, patience, beauty and joy, they will flow much easier now. The woman in the picture is (care)free and trusting and secure enough to get naked and enjoy herself under the stars.

What the heck? If that’s your thing, then go for it. If not, another great alternative would be the other card I pulled.

The message here? When Venus is in Taurus, take time to smell and enjoy the flower or, better yet, plant some of your own!

Venus will be in Taurus from April 15 to May 11.

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How is a raven like a writing desk?

Beats me.

But one thing I do know: lunar cycles–as well as planetary cycles as a whole–are a heck of lot like a well-structured novel or film.

Wait, what?

Bear with me now.

Here are the steps of the “dramatic arc” (thanks, Wikipedia!):

* Exposition (i.e. establishing setting, characters, etc.)

* Rising action (includes an inciting incident that kicks off the action)

* Climax

* Falling action

* Catastrophe, denouement, resolution or relevation

Although this structure was created to analyze plays, it is also most definitely used in novels, at least those that are more plot driven (I mostly read literary fiction and, call me old-fashioned if you will, but I think novels should always have at least some plot, otherwise…snore).

Here’s an example of this arc in action with the fairytale Cinderella:

Exposition: Cinderella lives with her father and evil stepmother in a well-to-do household. Her two stepsisters are petty, plain and cruel and they are jealous of Cinderella’s beauty and kind manner. The stepmother makes her work as a scullery maid and her wimpy dad does nothing to stop this.

Rising action: (inciting incident) The prince invites all eligible young ladies to a ball, but the evil stepmother refuses to let Cinderella go. Oh, the despair! But wait–a fairy godmother (or little white bird and tree in the original version) come and provides a dress and transforms a pumpkin, mice and rats into a coach, horses and footmen. Cinderella can go to the ball!

Climax: The ball! Who is this mysterious princess that has captured the heart of prince? Even her stepsisters do not recognize her. But at the stroke of midnight, the spell wears off. Cinderella flees, leaving a crystal slipper behind.

Falling action: Cinderella goes back to being a scullery maid as though nothing has changed and the prince searches the kingdom for his beloved with the shoe she left behind. The Disney version speeds things up to the happily ever after rather quickly at this point, but in the Grimm’s original the step sisters try to cheat by cutting off parts of their foot so that the slipper will fit, but the bird warns the prince both times that blood is seeping out of the shoes. Very grim indeed!

Resolution: The prince finds Cinderella, the slipper fits perfectly, they live happily ever after. In the original story, the bird also pecks out the eyes of the evil stepsisters at the wedding, because forgiveness is for chumps, of course.

So what about lunar cycles?

Lunar cycles (and planetary cycles in general, like the Sun Venus cycle that just restarted at the end of last month) follow a remarkable similar arc:

At the New Moon, the scene is set/seeds are planted. What kind of energy are we dealing with, what characters (i.e. planets) come into play, what kind of atmosphere and tension is already built in (i.e. signs, aspects, etc.)?

Waxing=rising action. This comes in three steps:

The Crescent Moon, Quarter Moon, Waxing Gibbous.

Full Moon=Climax and culmination. Whatever was set in motion during the New Moon now reaches it peak.

Waning=falling action. This comes in three steps, with the final being the resolution:

Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter Moon, Balsamic/Dark Moon.

In this post, I compared the lunar cycle to a tree, which also works, but this dramatic arc is very dear to my writer’s heart.

Besides, Mercury in Aries and Mars in Gemini are in mutual reception right now, which means this is a great time to get a lot of writing done.

Therefore, I thought it would be fun to use this lunar cycle as a writing prompt!

New Moon Writing Prompt

Here are the details about the New Moon in Aries, which will take place on April 11 or 12 (depending on your location), 2021:

* Sun conjunct Moon in Aries

* Moon conjunct Venus in Aries

* Moon sextile Jupiter in Aquarius

* Moon square Pluto

* Mercury in Aries in mutual reception with Mars in Gemini

* Bonus: a whiff of the Uranus square Saturn energy when the moon moves into Taurus later in the day

To find out what all of this means from an astrological viewpoint, then listen to the podcast.

As for the writing prompt, this New Moon is the exposition (scene/character setting).

Here’s my summary for what you have to work with here:

The main character is an assertive, action-oriented person (Aries) who is direct in speech and does not shy from conflict (Mercury in Aries), in fact, they relish in debate and heated discussions, whether verbal or written (Mercury in Aries in mutual reception with Mars in Gemini).

They come from an environment that is supportive to their nature (so many Aries planets, sextile with Jupiter) and may be concerned with topics such as feminism, social justice, spiritual truth, etc. (Venus and Jupiter).

Possible additional characters:

They may have a female lover/friend/partner who is very much on the same page with them and has a similar attitude towards assertiveness in relationships and/or action and boldness in the arts (Moon conjunct Venus in Aries)

The same may be true about a father, boss or influential figure they are close to (Moon conjunct Sun in Aries)

They may have a teacher who inspires them with ideas and idealism about justice, philosophy, higher learning or the law and how these may be restructured and analyzed (Jupiter in Aquarius in an overcoming sextile to Moon in Aries).

Conflict:

They may be facing some sort of external or internal power struggle which has a rather dark and foreboding (or underworld) feel to it (Moon square Pluto), but this is not yet at the forefront and/or they may not be fully aware of it yet.

Some sort of (emotional) call towards revolution/anarchy/rebellion/radical change against authority and structure may be on the horizon (Uranus square Saturn aspect being activated when the moon moves into Taurus).

If you’re feeling it, then get started!

Whew. That’s quite an energetic potential exposition for sure.

Sit with it, do some free writing and see where it takes you and what character(s) emerge.

I’ll be back next week with the crescent moon to bring in the flavor of the rising action (=waxing moon).

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Welcome to Aries season, everyone!

While March brought us a big puddle of Pisces energy, which was sometimes dreamy and other worldly and sometimes unclear and confused, April is bursting onto the scene with a whole bunch of Aries.

Pisces is a passive mutable sign, but Aries is a cardinal, action-oriented sign ruled by Mars. April will be the month to get the ball rolling and say what needs to be said in assertive, bold ways. However, as is always the case with Aries energy, make sure you don’t give way to too much impatience or shift from healthy directness to a combative bluntness that may batter and bruise too many people to be effective in the end.

Here are the astrological events I mention in the podcast:

* On April 4, Mercury moves into Aries. The planet joins the Sun and Venus, which are already in Aries, and will lead to assertive, at times combative, communication as well as give a boost to business and technology. This push towards action and moving things forward more rapidly is supported by the mutual reception Aries Mercury has with Gemini Mars (more on this in the podcast).

* Mars square Neptune on April 9. Neptune likes to dissolve and bring in the fog, which will slow down Mars’ forward charge. On the 9th, as well as a few days before and after, this means you may not know how to move forward, which could bring frustration. However, this will be a temporary turn, so try to have patience.

* Mercury sextile Saturn on April 10. This may bring up new thoughts and bold discussions about progressive structures, blocks or boundaries both in your personal life and the collective.

* Venus sextile Jupiter on April 10. Venus is about relationships and harmony, among other things, but Venus in Aries speaks to the need for assertiveness, even if it brings discord. Jupiter here helps both to boost Venus’s need to directly address relationship patterns, for example, and also brings in good luck that whatever you choose to work on along these lines will ultimately be beneficial.

Stay tuned for my astrological forecast for the second week of April next week – and Happy Easter!

p.s. The Aries ingress chart analysis video from Nina Gryphon isn’t available yet on YouTube (she released it early to patrons), but you can find it within the next few days here.

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Hi everyone,

This is the same post as before, but I’ve included the podcast this time. :)

Yes, it’s time for another episode of “Guess the Writer” (in this case, guess the writer/bohemian). As I did in my last episode, I describe many of the most important aspects about this person that can be seen in their chart and what this likely meant about them so that you can guess who it is I’m talking about.

In this case, the only clue I offer is that this person is no longer living and that they were famous for their bohemian lifestyle (and love affairs, as you’ll hear) as well as their writing. Gender, nationality, etc. I’m leaving out because we wouldn’t want to make it too easy, now would we?

Here’s what this person’s chart looks like:

The placements/aspects I talk about in the podcast are:

The ascendant in Libra

Venus in Pisces (sign of her exaltation) in the Sixth house

Venus square Uranus and Pluto

Sun in Pisces in the Sixth house

Jupiter in Pisces (sign of rulership) in the Sixth house, combust the Sun

Mars in Libra in the First house, conjunct the North Node

Neptune conjunct the MC

Moon in Capricorn in the Fourth house

Moon in opposition to Neptune and conjunct Uranus

Saturn conjunct Mercury in the 5th house

Last time I really only focused on the person’s ascendant, ascendant ruler, Sun and Moon as well as the planets that ruled the signs they were in. However, since this person has some important placements in angular houses, they really color their personality in a significant way that had to be mentioned.If you’re interested in what all this means and at guessing just who this person might be, then give the episode a listen!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ageofair.substack.com