Author Archive
Heads Up! The May 2012 Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts on May.01, 2012, under Forecasts
Happy May! We start on Tuesday (the day of the week for Mars) with the Moon conjunct Mars in Virgo. Let this be a month of care and consideration as well as a month of merriment.
Wed May 02 the Moon is void of course in Virgo for most of the day but enters Libra in the evening. Have a methodical, productive work day, then a more relaxed social evening.
Fri May 04 the Moon conjuncts Saturn in Libra then goes void of course until entering Scorpio in the evening. You can smoothly deal with obligations, then ease into a serious but still pleasant weekend.
Sat May 05 the Moon is in Scorpio when Mercury exactly opposes Saturn. Self-criticism, indeed all crilticism, can be constructive and free of pointless doubts. That night, we get the Full Moon at 16 Sco. Heads Up. This is also Wesak, the celebration of the birth of the Buddha. Visualize tea and flowers falling from the sky. Apply yourself to improving your world as well as your work. My plan for this lunation is to wage peace, and have a cup of tea.
Tue May 08 the Moon is void of course in Sagittarius most of the day, entering Capricorn that evening. The day may seem scattered, but you can get back in touch with a lot of people. Three hours later, Mercury changes signs, leaving Aries for Taurus. If thinking gets a bit slower, it may also get more practical and intent on basic niceness.
Wed May 09 the Moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn. Let people leave you voice mail. Get a lot done.
Sun May 13 the Moon enters Pisces in the early morning. Look forward to dreams rich in emotion. Two hours later the Sun conjuncts Jupiter. Think lucky, the whole world over. Four hours later the Moon conjuncts Neptune in Pisces. Don’t even bother trying to think. Three and a half hours later, though, Mercury makes a trine to Mars. Perhaps thinking may resume. As creators and lovers of life, happy Mother’s Day to us all.
Mon May 14 the Moon is in Pisces all day. Dream material may find its way into your waking world. Mercury trines Pluto today. You might discover that sometimes it’s fun to dig in and work on something serious. Seriousness does not have to mean grim.
Tue May 15 the Moon is void of course in Pisces when Venus goes stationary retrograde at 23 Gemini. Heads Up. Make an effort to not take personal offense at anything and expect slightly less elegance and glamour in the world, and you’ll get through this retrograde just fine. Don’t overanalyze anything. From now till June 28, aesthetic taste, politeness and charm may go slightly underground. On the up side, Venus gets to spend a lot of extra time in Gemini. (This could be a good time to crank out that revenge-filled divorce from hell romance novel. Just a thought.)
Wed May 16 the Moon is in Aries all day. Now that should be energizing! In the morning, the Moon conjuncts Uranus in Aries. Work on something surprising or totally unscheduled, but don’t get so derailed that you work on nothing. Four hours later Mars makes a trine to Pluto. This can be a serious big gun for the good. Do something good with all this energy. Heads Up.
Sat May 19 the Moon conjuncts Mercury in Taurus. Work on clever schemes but don’t expect prompt results. And, Heads Up. It’s the day before the New Moon (which will also be a solar eclipse).Be safe and alert. Caution is good; paranoia is not. Plus, it’s the last day of the month when the Sun is in Taurus. Don’t be surprised if a lot of people are extra stubborn today. Tomorrow the pace of everything may be faster and crisper. Heads Up again.
Sun May 20 a very dark crescent Moon conjuncts Jupiter at 24 Taurus. Resolve to let today be lucky, no matter how things feel. Perhaps your best luck will be of the private kind. Three hours later the Sun changes signs and enters Gemini. See the world with a fresh pair of eyes, and be sparing in commenting on it all. Almost nine hours later, the Sun and Moon finally meet up to make the New Moon at 00Gem. This is also a solar eclipse, visible from the western US, but the Sun won’t dim because it’s an annular eclipse (the Moon is slightly too far from the Earth and therefore too small to cover the entire face of the Sun). This is your basic major Heads Up kind of day, profoundly energetic and intense, second only to that Full Moon in Scorpio that happened on May 05. Stay calm, centered, and share your serenity with everyone. Tomorrow you may have brilliant fresh new tales to tell.
Mon May 21 the Moon is in Gemini all day. Near the end of day, Mercury conjuncts Jupiter. Take advantage of this applying conjunction to think and create on as big a scale as you can. You can get a lot done today. In fact, you can start some amazing projects that will need the rest of the year to finish. Don’t be shy about anything, but don’t overdo it and chase people away. With tact, you could successfully pitch a project or sell something big. Why not?
Tue May 22 the Moon conjuncts Venus retrograde in Gemini. Cleverness can be good if dressed in a bit of pleasantry. Smile at least as much as you talk today.
Wed May 23 the Moon enters Cancer in the early morning. We are enjoying a month of Wednesdays with the Moon in cardinal signs, and today may be the most calm and comfortable Wednesday, conducive to getting work done, especially in more domestic settings. Have a cup of tea, maybe more, and write.
Thu May 24 the Moon is still in Cancer when Mercury changes signs and moves into its home sign of Gemini. You may have more ideas and desires to start projects than any human can contain, so take notes. You have all year to pace yourself. We have from now till June 25 to enjoy Mercury working his communicative magic in his home sign. Don’t waste a day of it. Take this as a prolonged and good Heads Up.
Sun May 27 the Moon is in Leo when Mercury conjuncts the Sun. Write with extra pride today. You can show it to the world later. Or, heck, maybe it’s a good day to schedule a public reading. I just love it when someone reads to me.
Mon May 28 the Moon conjuncts Mars at the close of day. This is especially appropriate for Memorial Day in the US. Be strong, brave, and dignified today, and let your work reflect your skill, training, and self-discipline. Recall, in this month of thirty-one days, we’re getting this conjunction for the second time. The rest of the sky, of course, is different.
Wed May 30 the Moon is in pleasant Libra when Mercury exactly squares Mars. Even the most contentious, controversial subjects can be discussed calmly and constructively. Go for the constructive criticism and skip the ruffled feathers, especially your own.
Thu May 31 the Moon conjuncts Saturn in Libra, then goes void of course. End this month with at least the veneer of agreeability and respect for the opinions of others. Respect your own opinions, too, and don’t hesitate to politely share and explain them to willing listeners, operative word ‘willing.’ There’s no pleasure or profit in capturing an audience that will rebel later.
As is fitting for a month on the crest of high spring, this May is classic in its energy, growth, vivaciousness, and colorful glory. You may prefer to work on more serious subjects or even on things nearly engulfed in shadow, and if so you’ll find plenty of help from the sky to do that, too. Take a firm grip on your dreams and plans, and bring at least a small part of one of them to brilliant life. Everything wants to live and grow. That includes you and your work. Let the sun shine on your efforts. Bask in the luxury of doing something that you love. Heads Up!
Head’s Up! April 2012~The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts on Apr.01, 2012, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
April 2012
Happy glorious April! April the First, All Fools’ Day, starts off on Sunday, the Sun’s day, with the Moon entering Leo. Let this be a month of bright golden moments, and I’m not fooling around. It’s true, we still have a few more days of Mercury being retrograde, but that can add focus as well as slow down the fast pace. The Sun is in the heart of Aries. You can make this month work for you.
Tue Apr 03 the Moon is in Virgo when Venus changes signs and enters the sign of Gemini. For all the rest of this month, Venus is a guest in Mercury’s house. May your writing (and all communications) be at their most beautiful and charming. The Moon also conjuncts Mars today. Take that as an extra dose of energy to pour into your work. Perhaps it’s a good day to do some hardcore editing. (continue reading…)
Heads Up! The Writer’s Astrological Almanac Heads Up!
by Kathy Watts on Mar.02, 2012, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
March 2012
Happy windy month of March! We begin on a Thursday (Jupiter’s day) with the Moon in Gemini all day. Start big, or at least think and plan big. Sprouting and growing are big parts of what spring is all about.
Fri Mar 02 the Moon is still in Gemini when Mercury changes signs and enters Aries. Our words can be more fully and truly our own. (continue reading…)
Heads Up! The February 2012 Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts on Feb.01, 2012, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
Happy February!
Wed Feb 01 gives us the Moon moving into Gemini. We start the month off with a writing bash that lasts until Friday evening. Put on that extra sweater, socks, maybe turn up the heat, or cuddle closer to your laptop, and indulge your writing passion while the outside world does its chill winter thing (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere or not in the tropics, Hawaii or Key West or some other classic writer refuge). Also today, Venus exactly opposes Mars retrograde. Ah, Love on the tips of both horns. Perhaps paper (or bytes) are the best place to put passions today.
Thu Feb 02 the Moon trines Mercury, a nice touch to add when the Moon is already in Mercury’s home sign of Gemini. Ideas should be in generous supply today. Take notes. (continue reading…)
Heads Up! 2012 The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts on Jan.02, 2012, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
Heads Up!
The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts
January 2012
Happy New Year! Jupiter is no longer retrograde and few things shine brighter or higher in the sky than Jupiter. May this be a beautiful, benevolent year when we are happy to be good luck for each other. It also promises to be a very mercurial year, in that Mercury participates fully in the dance with all the planets. May we be prolific and widely appreciated for the good work we do.
Let’s start at the beginning. The Moon is in Aries on Sunday, the Sun’s day, January 01. Be willing to shine all year, even on days when enthusiasm sags. Heads Up in all good ways.
Mon Jan 02 the Moon conjuncts Jupiter in Taurus. Look for good luck to share with other people.
Wed Jan 04 the Moon is in Taurus all day. Love your work and make it gorgeous.
Thu Jan 05 the Moon enters Gemini and gives us from now till Saturday night to write with the best. Start the year strong and don’t hold back.
Sat Jan 07, with the Moon still in Gemini, Mercury sextiles Saturn, Be a little more careful with your words, because they’re powerful. Seven hours later Mercury then sextiles Neptune. Relax and be a bit more fanciful. These aspects carry extra punch because Mercury is in the final degrees of Sagittarius. Think big while you can. Midday, the Moon opposes Mercury, then goes void of course until the Moon enters Cancer an hour or so later. What you say and write and will be noticed. By end of day, Mercury leaves Sagittarius and enters the hardworking sign of Capricorn. Tomorrow things will sound more constrained and serious.
Sun Jan 08 the Moon is in its home sign Cancer when Mercury trines Jupiter. Be generous with your ideas. Five hours later Mercury squares Uranus. Be constructively self-critical and make some discoveries. Late that night comes the Full Moon at 18 Cancer. Make this a month to work on projects of meaning and substance. (continue reading…)
Heads Up! The Writer’s Astrological Almanac December 2011
by Kathy Watts on Dec.02, 2011, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
Heads Up!
The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts
December 2011
Happy December. As the solar year wanes, the holiday season kicks in. Mercury is retrograde for the first two weeks, so social interactions may be a bit more scrambled than usual, but that can be considered part of the fun. Resolve to enjoy this month!
Thu Dec 01 we begin the month with the Moon conjuncting Neptune in the end of Aquarius, then going void of course. Dreams are rarely as strong as they are now. Two and a half hours later Venus exactly conjuncts Pluto. Keep the level of excitement under control, except perhaps in your works of fiction. An hour after this, the Moon enters the sign of Pisces. Sensitivity peaks, but remember, Mercury is retrograde so don’t get maudlin.
Fri Dec 02 the Moon is in Pisces all day. In the very early morning, the Sun exactly squares Mars. Heads Up. You don’t have to be impatient with yourself.
Sat Dec 03 the Moon enters Aries, and conjuncts Uranus an hour and twenty minutes later. The Moon will be in Aries until Tuesday morning, so feel independent and make time to work on some of your own stuff. (continue reading…)
Heads Up! The Writer’s Astrological Almanac November 2011
by Kathy Watts on Nov.02, 2011, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
Heads Up!
The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts
November 2011
Happy November! Autumn and the closing of the year is upon us with its usual vengeance.
We start on a Tuesday (the day of the week ruled by Mars) with the Moon void of course in Capricorn. It’s easy to work hard on something already started. In the wee small hours Mercury exactly squares Neptune. You may dream dissatisfaction, but on waking things will be fine. Before dawn, the Moon enters Aquarius. Enjoy a focused day.
Wed Nov 02 the Moon is in Aquarius all day. Work with a clear mind. In the early hours, Venus changes signs and enters the expansive and uplifting sign of Sagittarius. This will lighten anyone’s mood. Eight hours later, in the late morning, Mercury leaves Scorpio behind to enter Sagittarius. You can be serious in a bigger, less brutal way.
Thu Nov 03 the Moon is in Aquarius when Venus trines Uranus in the wee smalls. Dabble with some small quaint experiment. Six hours later Mercury trines Uranus. Dabble more cleverly. As Mercury and Venus slowly perfect their conjunction, we’ll see these mirrored aspects get closer together in time. That night, the Moon conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius, then goes void of course. Dream your to-do list for tomorrow.
Fri Nov 04 the Moon enters Pisces. Five hours later, the Moon squares Mercury, and thirty-one minutes later, the Moon squares Venus. Note that it happens to Mercury first, as Mercury is still catching up with Venus. The gap is closing fast, though. Emotions may be near the surface. Write something romantic.
Sun Nov 06 the Moon conjuncts Uranus in Aries. Surprise yourself with an abnormally busy weekend.
Mon Nov 07 the Moon is in Aries when Mars exactly opposes Neptune. Write with extra deliberation because you can make unusually strong impressions today. (continue reading…)
Heads Up!The Writer’s Astrological Almanac October!
by Kathy Watts on Oct.03, 2011, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
Heads Up!The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts
October 2011
Happy October! Where is this year going?
We start on Saturday (Saturn’s day of the week) with the Moon in Sagittarius. Think society, adventure, and yes, publication! Think this all month long. Not quite a couple hours after midnight, the Moon trines Uranus. You could discover something useful in a dream. Midmorning, the Moon trines Mars. Have a lively weekend and still get things done.
Sun Oct 02 the Moon is still in Sagittarius when Mars exactly squares Jupiter. It’s okay to decide that some other project is more important.
Mon Oct 03 the Moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn. This gets the work week off to a smart start.
Wed Oct 05 the Moon enters Aquarius in the early morning. Three out of four Wednesdays this month will see the Moon in a fixed sign. Make up your mind, and don’t be distracted from your work.
Thu Oct 06 the Moon is still in Aquarius when Mercury exactly conjuncts Saturn. Aquarius is traditionally ruled by Saturn, so look forward to a day at a slower pace with fewer mistakes.
Fri Oct 07 the Moon conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius, then goes void of course. Maybe it’s better to be social and let people inspire you.
Balance! The Autumnal Equinox 2011
by Kathy Watts on Sep.24, 2011, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
Happy Autumnal Equinox. Go balance something.
Seriously. This is one of the two days of the year when there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night, everywhere, all over the world. (The other day, of course, is the vernal equinox, the first day of spring.)
On the first day of autumn, the Sun crosses the celestial equator, heading south. The Sun rises exactly due east on the horizon, and sets due west. Go out and look. Be careful driving, though, because a lot of streets run due east-west, and you could get sun-blinded at sunrise or sunset. If you’re familiar with the neighborhoods, of course, you already know this.
It also means that in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter and the nights longer. Being a hardcore stargazer, it pleases me to think of the nights getting longer.
This year the Moon is in the tropical sign Leo when the Sun reaches 0 degrees Libra. In 1999, though, we had the Moon in mid-Pisces when the Sun entered Libra. Had the Moon been nearer the end of Pisces, or at 0 degrees Aries, we would’ve had a full moon to go with the autumnal equinox. This was close enough, though, that (in the San Francisco area at least), if you went outside at sunset you’d see the new risen Full Moon. If you faced north (or south, I don’t care) and reached out your arms, you could “hold” the setting sun in one hand and “hold” the Full Moon in the other. Now that’s balance!
Checking the ephemeris, it seems we won’t have another autumnal equinox Sun and (almost) Full Moon until September 2018. For the Sun and Moon to (almost) repeat their positions in 19 years tells me that the Metonic Cycle is involved (something we normally only think about in terms of eclipses).
Enjoy having a little extra balance in the world, if only for a day!
Heads Up! The Writer’s Astrological Almanac September
by Kathy Watts on Sep.03, 2011, under Forecasts, Traditional Astrology
Heads Up!
The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts
September 2011
This month begins on a Thursday (Jupiter’s day of the week)
with the Moon in Libra, entering Scorpio by early afternoon.
I take that as a trend for the month, beginning smoothly
with big plans, and ramping up as the days go by. Let’s see
how much we can get done!
Fri Sep 02 the Moon is in Scorpio when the Sun exactly
trines Jupiter. Keep your eye on the big project and don’t
get complacent if it’s going well.
Tue Sep 06 the Moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn. We see
this at least once a month, but it’s good for getting work
done (especially today, on a Mars day) if we can stay calm
enough to do it.
Wed Sep 07 the Moon is in Capricorn all day. It’s another
month of Wednesdays with the Moon in a cardinal sign. Start
things, but don’t let them languish. The Moon makes an
opposition to Mars in midafternoon, then goes void of
course. If you decide on a major rewrite of something, be
brave but not manic. (continue reading…)
