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Skyvibe Serial 2023: Week #3

Clarity comes as Mercury finally stations direct, and by the end of the week we'll have the entire sky at least looking, if not moving, forward in unison. Full steam ahead is not in the cards quite yet, though.
Skyvibe Serial 2023: Week #3

Skyvibe Serial #3

Forecast for the week of January 15th - 21st

Doing "Nothing" is Still Something

The Good

Clarity comes as Mercury finally stations direct, and by the end of the week we'll have the entire sky at least looking, if not moving, forward in unison.

The Meh

Full steam ahead is not in the cards quite yet, though. It's more like we've finally found the coal for stoking the steam engine's furnace so that we can get to motoring before Jupiter leaves Aries.

The mounting potential energy you're feeling will snap-catalyze-and burst into kinetic manifestation before long.

The Oh Fuck Me*:

The retro-station hijinks aren't quite over. There's a void of course Moon along with Mercury stalling out. Not a great week for pushing one's agenda or angling for productivity.


*please note: "oh fuck me" is my way of subverting the normalization of conventional beauty standards; I'm not at all suggesting these outcomes are guaranteed, or that everyone is going to experience these undesirable manifestation. Rather, that in the RPG of life, these would be the chaotic evil playthrough of the same energies described by the good and the meh.


Week in (wal)Nut Shell

pardon the pun

Week in (wal)Nut Shell:

Sunday: tough cookies.
Monday: raw nerve.
Tuesday: mounting tension.
Wednesday: Mercury stations.
Thursday: restful reprieve.
Friday: Aquarius Season!
Saturday: New Moon


Day by Day

Sunday the 15th

The Moon is in Scorpio. Not a great day for electing things.

And with the Moon's looking to Mars - stockstill and unbudging - there's a whole lot of frustration and motivation that itself is locked up. The passion is bubbling, with some difficulty, to the surface, but there's not a whole lot of movement.

Early AM (midnight - 08:00, PST):

00:39 am - the Moon at 28° Libra squares Pluto
04:08 am -
the Moon enters Scorpio

This isn't particularly fun. The Moon's squares with Pluto tend to mean intense emotions. These are followed up by the Moon's entrance into Scorpio - Hir* least favorite place to be.

Given that Mars is unwilling to participate, and can't see Scorpio right now anyways, we can think of this as a circling, or maybe even wallowing.

I'm thinking of this like a mud bath gone wrong. Take that as you will.

Midday (08:00 - 16:00, PST):

There are no classical aspects among traditional planets.

Late PM (16:00 - midnight, PST):

7:46 pm - the Moon at 8° Scorpio sextiles Mercury retrograde at 8° Capricorn
9:49 pm -
the Moon parallels Saturn

The Moon's sextile to Mercury is interesting. Mercury will station direct this week, and should be coming upon the final missing puzzle pieces any day now, not to mention the one's already retrieved over the last couple of weeks. With the Moon making a gentle sextile from Scorpio there's at least an opportunity to make use out of the information at hand.

Even if that information is that you're missing vital information and are frustrated with your current circumstances. That's information too.

The Sun Surmises:

So... what passions of yours are frustrated? What structures or problems do you find frustrating?

I'm not suggesting that you'll re/solve them today or even this week. But identifying them is a necessary ingredient if unraveling the gordian knot of discontent is going to happen.


Monday the 16th

If you don't have to process the relational stuff that's up today, then don't. But do take note of what's coming up for you.

Ideally, get clear about the origins and the roots. We're in the final few laps of working on the emotional material (Scorpio) that makes up the fundamental basis (Taurus) of our relationships (the ongoing Moon-Venus-Saturn

Early AM (midnight - 08:00, PST):

00:56 am - the Moon at 11° Scorpio sextile Hygeia at 11° Capricorn
03:47 am - Moon parallel Uranus
07:16 am -
Moon opposite Uranus

Technically, the Moon doesn't make a traditional aspect to a classical planet. That being said, we all know that a Moon-Uranus aspect in the sky feels like something. A jolt of lightening, a chaffing urge for urgency, lightning strikes of genius inspiration and innovation.

The combination of the parallel - like seeing eye-to-eye - along side an opposition suggests that a potential for perspective. Maybe your dreams or shower thought will pose a proposition for processing a paradox?

Midday (08:00 - 16:00, PST):

09:37 am - Moon parallel Venus
11:09 am -
Moon at 17° Scorpio square Venus at 17° Aquarius

Once again we've got a declination-based connection that's at odd with the longitudinal-based one (i.e., parallel declination; longitude-based zodiacal degree).

The Moon is on the same wavelength as Venus, just on the opposite end of the spectrum. Considering the Moon is still traveling through Scorpio - where neither planet is truly comfortable - if there's something to be "worked with" or "utilized" today it's in the way that discomfort points to where a change would be welcome.

Late PM (16:00 - midnight, PST):

5:05 pm - the Moon at 20° Scorpio trine asteroid Vesta at 20° Pisces
9:47 pm -
the Moon at 23° Scorpio trine Neptune at 23° Pisces
11:27 pm -
the Moon at 24° Scorpio square Saturn at 24° Aquarius

The only traditional planet classical aspect combo during the tail-end of the day is the square between the Moon and Saturn. The Moon is in a Mars-ruled sign, and Saturn is in the part of Aquarius where Mars sets the terms.

The trines between the Moon and Vesta / Neptune are ones that bring focus and imagination into the mix. ...for better or worse.

Monday's More or Less:

What image are you stuck or fixated on? Or what story? What's "tape" is playing in your mind on repeat, and what about it isn't your cup of tea?

This isn't about dwelling on the negative, and it's not about cultivating cynicism or pessimistic attitudes. It's about getting clear about what you can't think your way into or out of.

That thing that isn't quite sitting right?

It would like a word.


Tuesday the 17th

Mounting tension. Intense dreams. Things roiling to the surface from the brackish depths of your psyche?

The image I get in my head is one of a jack in the box, or the scary movie scene with pop goes the weasel playing in an ominous way that ratches up the suspense and puts you on the edge of your seat.

Or, in musical metaphor: today is a day of waiting for the bass to drop.

Early AM (midnight - 08:00, PST):

00:01 am - the Moon parallel Mercury
03:25 am -
Moon parallel Sun
04:35 am -
Moon at 27° Scorpio sextile Sun at 27° Capricorn
06:26 am -
Moon at 27° Scorpio sextile Pluto at 27° Capricorn

You know that thing you've been chewing on since the eclipses started happening in the Taurus/Scorpio axis? And the way that its' related to the Pluto-in-Capricorn transformation you've been going through?

Well, this morning is about digesting some of that. Unless you've got something in your natal or solar return charts that's getting picked up at 27° you'll probably just notice a strong feeling that's hard to shake.

If you don't try to do anything with / make it mean anything, can you hear what that feeling is trying to communicate to you?

Midday (08:00 - 16:00, PST):

09:32 am - the Moon enters Sagittarius
3:01 pm -
Moon parallel Pluto
3:41 pm -
the Moon at 3° Sagittarius trine Jupiter at 3° Aries

This oughta feel like a surfacing for some fresh air after swimming through heavy emotions for a couple of days.

The Moon's trine to Jupiter, from Jupiter's sign, should bring levity, laughter, and some much deserved joy. Though, it can potentially be a little indulge-y.

Late PM (16:00 - midnight, PST):

6:02 pm - Moon parallel Hygeia
11:38 pm -
Moon at 8° Sagittarius opposite Mars at 8° Gemini

Once again, the Moon is forming an exact aspect with Mars, now stationing direct in the sky. Mars is still at 8° Gemini, a degree they'll occupy for the rest of the month.

Whatever comes up will be related to the overall Mars retrograde cycle. I wrote a bit about that here:

A Few Thoughts on Mars Retrograde
Mars retrograde words: rebuild, remove, renovate, retreat.

Tuesday's TL;DR:

Is something terrible on the horizon? No. We don't do fear mongering here. It's more that the thing that had you reviewing relational patterns in your Capricorn house in 2022, and has you now reviewing the way you communicate your Capricorn house stuff in 2023, has been coming up for awhile.

Tomorrow it finally arrives. Today, we digest the thing we haven't yet been willing to see, acknowledge / admit, or believe we've really seen.


Wednesday the 18th

Mercury stations direct, the Sun joins Pluto in the degree of Mars's exaltation, and the Moon translates light between Chiron and Venus.

In some ways, I think that this day is one of the quiet but quite consequential days of the year. If you've been following the last few weeks, or if you happened to catch my year ahead for 2022 that I presented back in December of 2021, then you'll know that I've been eyeing this Capricorn-Aries square involving Pluto plus the Venus and Mercury retrograde cycles as being one that's revealing core relational wounding. I think it's been presenting us with an opportunity to excavate outworn relational patterns and to innovate with new ones that are more sustainable and more likely to bring about the future that you wish to experience one day.

Today's small part in that story?

Revealing a thing we can't unsee. One that probably externalizes and confirms the feeling we couldn't shake when the Moon in Scorpio sextiled Pluto in Capricorn the previous day.

Early AM (midnight - 08:00, PST):

00:52 am - Chiron at 12° Aries square Hygeia at 12° Capricorn
02:43 am -
Moon contra-parallel Mars
05:11 am - Mercury stations direct
06:12 am -
Moon at 12° Sagittarius trine Chiron at 12° Aries
06:44 am -
Sun conjunct Pluto at 28° Capricorn

Well, this is likely to be an high intensity morning.

The Sun conjunct Pluto brings our awareness to what's feeling intense for us. Pain, trauma, obsessions or compulsions – these are the things Pluto trades in. The most neutral adjectives I can think of pertaining to Pluto are intense, powerful, and relentless. The function of Pluto is to transmute / transform / compost.

The combination of Mercury's station, and the Sun's union with Pluto suggest that we're finally seeing with clarity what doesn't (or maybe hasn't ever) work.

Midday (08:00 - 16:00, PST):

There are no classical aspects among traditional planets. Which is just as well after this morning and the previous days this week.

Late PM (16:00 - midnight, PST):

7:04 pm - Moon at 20° Sagittarius sextile Venus at 20° Aquarius
9:18 pm -
Moon  at 21° Sagittarius square Vesta at 21° Pisces
11:22 pm -
Sun parallel Mercury

The Moon's sextile to Venus is sweet. If we listen to Ficino, then we might think that the Moon has some secret affinity for Sagittarius. In fact, the Moon's domicile (Cancer) does have a secret relationship with Sagittarius.

The first long format experimental essay-style writing of Myxticism is about just this thing in Beyond a Culturally Bound Astrology.


Fair warning, it's a piece in progress I published because I want to be in conversation with folks about these ideas. It might be best read as 4 short chapters of a book that is slowly revealing itself to me, rather than attempting to sit with it in a single session.

You can read that here:

Beyond a Culturally Bound Astrology
Marginal musings on magic & mysticism = Myxticism.

Thursday the 19th

Relatively quiet compared to previous days this week, in terms of the number of aspects (of any kind) made by the Moon.

Of course, that transits that are loudest for you will always depend on a combination or your natal chart and the planets that are activated for you based on various timing techniques.

Early AM (midnight - 08:00, PST):

00:17 am - Moon at 23° Sagittarius square Neptune at 23° Pisces
02:08 am -
Moon at 24° Sagittarius sextile Saturn at 24° Aquarius

This is a little interesting aspect between the Moon and Saturn. Most of North America will be asleep for this one. But its effects should hold through the rest of the Moon's transit through the Sagittarius.

Saturn is in the decan of Aquarius that belongs to the Moon, while the Moon is in the decan of Sagittarius that belongs to Saturn. Decan dignity isn't like the others; it's not about rights and responsibilities, but about image and perception.

That dream journal really might be revealing a few months from now, if you're logging this now.

Midday (08:00 - 16:00, PST):

11:11 am - Moon enters Capricorn
2:26 pm -
Venus contra-parallel Uranus

There are no classical aspects among traditional planets during this portion of the day.

Late PM (16:00 - midnight, PST):

5:29 pm - the Moon at 3° Capricorn square Jupiter at 3° Aries

The Moon doesn't love Capricorn. Neither does Jupiter. If we think about the digesting conservatively (Moon in Capricorn) in a way that motivates expansive action (Jupiter in Aries) we can start to apply the phrases that come to mind to the houses that hold those signs in our charts.

Cancer rising, you're digesting relationships conservatively in a way that motivates you to expand your presence or work out in the world.

Aries rising, it's your role in the world you're digesting and it's motivating bodily and personal expansion.


💡
Want to know how the astrology of this week's Mercury Stationing Direct, the Aquarius New Moon, or Jupiter's recent entry into Aries mean for you?

You can book a 30-minute reading for a personalized overview of what early 2023 astrology holds for you.

Save 10% when you book before Mercury stations direct (the 18th) when you use the code STATION.


Just Jot this for Jupiter's Day:

The "work" of being the ones we've been waiting for sometimes involves sitting silently (Saturn) with our inner-vision (Neptune). That's part of what the Moon brings into the sphere of the possible today.

And sometimes the way forward into expanding (Jupiter) something involves getting clear about the constraints that we're working within, or what it is we want to ensure we conserve in the process.

Example: Economic growth and expansion isn't worth anything if we don't conserve biodiversity and healthy living ecosystems. IMHO.

If you dream of expanding your abundance, considering what resources you wish to convserve in the process might be the ticket to "making the most" of this week's astroweather.


Friday the 20th

Traditional planets-wise, there's only the conjunction of the Mercury and the Moon early in the morning. This is a relatively quiet, or else rather subtle kind of day.

Unless you're particularly sensitive or in-tune with the outer planets and asteroids, or have some rather direct 'hits' to your natal chart from the aspects today it's more than likely going to feel like a void of course Moon type of day. In other words, don't expect to go charging bushwacking your to-do list today.

Lackadaisical is a good word for the day.

Early AM (midnight - 08:00, PST):

00:29 am - Sun enters Aquarius
00:30 am -
the Moon at 8° Capricorn conjunct Mercury at 8° Capricorn
06:44 am -
the Moon at 12° Capricorn square Chiron at 12° Aries

Happy birthday my weird and wonderful Sun siblings!

The Moon coming to join Mercury in Capricron and then square Chiron might spell out some healing wisdom coming through our dreams.

Did I mention I think a dream journal would be really beneficial this month? (It's on account of the timing of some of the Moon's aspects. Sun sibs based in the Eastern hemisphere may find a notepad, or their notes app to be equally beneficial.)

Midday (08:00 - 16:00, PST):

08:08 am - the Moon conjunct Hygeia at 13° Capricorn
10:54 am -
the Moon at 14° Capricorn trine Uranus at 14° Taurus

There are no classical aspects among traditional planets. That said, the Moon linking up with Uranus certainly 'hits'. And the Moon's conjunction with Hygeia is one that is worth noting: what do you notice when it happens?

Late PM (16:00 - midnight, PST):

10:24 pm - the Moon at 22° Capricorn sextile Vesta at 22° Pisces

Venus Votes:

If you're the type inclined to view every thing and each moment as a teach, then consider this:

Healing (i.e., coming into a state of integrated wholeness), particularly relational healing, asks that we're clear about where our wounds lie, and how/where/when/why they're reactivated or triggered.

We're never responsible for our trauma, abuse, or oppression. But we are responsible to ourselves for how we treat ourselves and those around us. We're not to blame for conditions beyond our sphere of influence, be we are responsible for what we do with the agency that we do have, in the places where we are able and/or empowered to act.

Today isn't about actions, or answers. Is about figuring our where our agency lives within our existing relationships. In order to that, we have to figure out who and with we're in relationship, and to take an honest inventory of our patterns of behavior within them.


Saturday the 21st

Early AM (midnight - 08:00, PST):

00:00 am - the Moon at 23° Capricorn sextile Neptune at 23° Pisces
07:52 am -
the Moon conjunct Pluto at 28° Capricorn

There are no classical aspects among traditional planets. Technically we're still in void of course Moon land until the Moon enters Aquarius and becomes new. Technically.

Practically speaking, a particularly dreamy dreamscape (or confusing late-night Friday activities) give way to an intense and potentially emotionally raw morning.

Midday (08:00 - 16:00, PST):

10:28 am - Moon enters Aquarius
12:53 pm - New Moon in Aquarius
01:52 pm -
Moon contra-parallel Mars

The New Moon in Aquarius is that last one that triggers the Fixed sign Fuckery. By the time we see the New Moon in Aries (an eclipse...) Saturn will have moved in Pisces.

I'll post the next Fortnightly Lunacy soon and drop the link here, as well as in the email with the next "issue" worth of Myxticism.

Late PM (16:00 - midnight, PST):

5:08 pm - Moon at 4° Aquarius sextile Jupiter at 4° Aries
11:26 pm -
Moon parallel Hygeia

The Moon's sextile to Jupiter occurs while the Moon is still completely dark, or has yet to show a sliver above the horizon. Still, the light of the Moon is waxing, suggesting that this is actually an okay Moon for manifestation work.

Saturn's Summary:

The first aspect the Moon makes after renewing bonds with the Sun is a beneficial one – both for us and for Jupiter.

This New Moon is actually pretty close to the degree of Jupiter and Saturn's Great Conjunction back in December of 2020.

What have you been growing towards since then? Can you see any connections between the long-term goals and dreams that emerged for you then and what you're working through and with right now?

Are there relational patterns that need to shift, if you're to create the solid sustainable structures that align with your sense of what's right for the next generation, and the next 6 after that?

Today and this week as a whole is one where we can achieve a lot of clarity about where we've been struggling, and what types of questions we can/could/need to ask if we're to move through it.

Let me make my final words here clear: "doing nothing" but existing, surviving, and doing the same the next day is more than enough. That's proactive growth and healing too. Just like with rehabing an injury, sometimes doing nothing is the most important thing you can do.

You got this Sun siblings. I belive in you.


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Bear Ryver is a professional astrologer helping his clients hone strategies for grounded growth and embodied empowerment by bringing them back to the BASICS. Winner of OPA’s Most Promising Astrologer in 2018, Bear has lectured at conferences like NORWAC and ISAR. He holds certifications in Hellenistic, Electional, and Horary astrology, and specializes in Intersectional Astrology. He was a teacher for the Portland School of Astrology, and has volunteered as a mentor for AFAN. When he’s not talking stars, or pulling cards, you can find him climbing rocks and playing guitar.