Other highlights of this week from Monday 16 to Sunday 22, 2009 are the square between Venus and Mars and the Sun moving into Sagittarius. After a month of intense feelings and reactions to things that seem to be out of control in our live we will experience a little more lightness and change in our perception and mood. But not right away!

Moon Astrology
To follow the Moon waxing and waning throughout the different zodiac signs is an elegant way to be more aware of your own constant change in the emotional landscape and how your emotional outlook is coloring the perception of events and circumstances. The Moon is the fastest moving planet we observe in astrology and is known for her fickle nature. Every 2 ½ days there is a variation in the way we subtly feel and react from that gut level instinct. The Moon is representing our emotional filter and the way we perceive life. The position of the Moon in your personal chart is one of the most important points of an astrological reading.

She represents the inner woman we need to find expression for in our life as a woman or hints at what outer manifestation she will take for a man in his attraction to the feminine.

The New Moon and Full Moon
The New Moon and Full Moon are very special culminations points of power in the dance between the male and female, because they involve the conjunction of Sun and Moon in the New Moon and the opposition of both in the Full Moon.

As a child I was always enchanted by the almost visibility of that far away, yet close heavenly body. The story of the man in the Moon sounded more believable to me then Santa Claus. As a child is seemed natural for me that there would be others on other planets out there somewhere and it translated itself for me into a love for science fiction and fantasy books early on. Looking up at the sky and feeling the mystery of life in our known universe is something many of us have in common. And the study of astrology seems to answer many of those questions about those mysterious universal mechanics.

Even if the Moon is not a planet in the strict definition, she always seemed to hold our imagination in her constant change and fluidity. Her reliable motion over the night sky was one way of perceiving time in its unfolding since ancient times. The connection between the tides of the ocean and the successful planting and harvesting cycles of the crops were obvious to our ancestors from long ago and paid attention to. Also the inner connection with our emotional constitution is an empiric fact as it would show up in sleepless nights around the Full Moon, more violence and civil disturbances calls for the police then usual, more accidents and drunk driving.

The New Moon
The New Moon is of more subtle nature. When this Moon touches the Sun she doesn’t reflect any light. The New Moon is invisible to our eyes. The light of consciousness is gone for a short period of time and with it the self perception and self awareness. This moment signifies a clean slate, a new beginning into the next round of the Moon circling the Sun, the center of our universe representing the highest consciousness and life giving force for all the inhabitants of our earth.

The magic of the New Moon is the promise of redemption and a new start. For me it is the time of the month I use for some inner contemplation of where I am and where I want to go with my life. It is a great time to decide on what is really important for me and where I want to put more attention towards. The goals I set for myself can grow towards manifestation and ripen with the Moon growing into its full glory.

This Month New Moon is in Scorpio on Monday
Sun and Moon are in Scorpio, in the most intensely felt sign of the zodiac with its deep undercurrents of passion, determination and will power. Scorpio energy is driven by instinctual desires, deep unconscious motivations for control, domination and power. Scorpios are complex, charismatic and interesting people. They usually excel at where they choose to point their energy and you will always feel alive and kept on your toes around them. They will never be boring, but always a little mysterious and maybe feel just a little out of reach.

You can use this universal stage to your advantage to plot a new course for your life and getting a head start with it in the coming month. Sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and your journal and contemplate.

Venus is Squaring Mars On Thursday
Venus, the goddess of love, harmony and beauty is fighting with her lover Mars over their very different point of views. Venus is in Scorpio and wants deep commitment and honesty. Mars is in playful Leo and likes to play, seduce and tempt the goddess. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus and they are often very different if their perspectives, needs and desires. I always thought that book from John Gray was genius in playing on the deep archetypes we all have in us.

We all will have time this month with this conjunction to discover deeper layers in our relationships of all kinds. Man or woman, we will not feel so agreeable and compromising with our loved ones right now and we will feel more in touch with what is truly important and needed for us. There is more inner strength and daring to stand up for our needs and express our desires and make changes in our relationships.

If you have looked away from areas and subjects which are not right and satisfying in your intimate relationship, now is the time to look at it or it will blow up into your face. Ask yourself what it is you might have put under the rug? Maybe you want more commitment in your relationship? Maybe you need more autonomy? Whatever it is now is a good time to be honest and daring to go for your inner vision and dreams. If you don’t communicate clearly your desires and needs, you can bet on the outcome of not getting it.

As always your own level of consciousness and honesty with yourself and your partner is the key to success. I don’t know about you, but I often catch myself groaning over a couple in a movie or book getting themselves in the most complicated entanglements just because they don’t speak up and communicate honestly. If they just would speak up they would have a better chance in working things out.

So this is your time! Use it wisely my friend! Give yourself that chance of honest communication and the intimacy and deepening connection which can come out of it.

Sun Moves into Sagittarius on Sunday 21
With the transition of the Sun into the next sign of Sagittarius we will move into a more extroverted and expanding flow of energy with many ideas and inspirations.

Sagittarius: The Adventurer Searching for Deeper Meaning in Life

Nov 21–Dec 21
Ruling Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Gender: Masculine

It’s hard not to like Sagittarians, for their openness, generosity, and sociable nature. They are deep thinkers in search of universal wisdom, attracting them to philosophy and religion. Their minds can grasp both the details and the bigger picture: they can think with intellectual precision but also intuitively. That unusual combination of thinking skills allows them to be at the forefront of creative ideas. They are idealistic and care about the state of the world, leading them to take up vocations in medicine, education, religion, and politics. They need to be highly independent in their work and in their personal lives.

Sagittarius role, after the introspection of Scorpio is to take the hard won wisdom and create something worthwhile from it and spread it around.

The Birthstone of Sagittarius is the Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is one of the birthstones of this global thinker. Lapis is a stone for the third eye and deepens the connection to your own inner wisdom, intuition and truth. It is an opaque blue stone with the magical power of the earth to help manifest those creative impulses and insights into something tangible. Lapis was one of the sacred stones used in abundance in Egyptian jewelry in combination with gold and coral.

Lapis Lazuli is the bringer of the new dawn with Jupiter foresight and humanitarian vision. If used in meditation it is a stone to quiet the mind and bring a state of peace and overview from a higher perspective. If your mind is over stimulated and exhausted, Lapis can bring you back to balance and focus.

It is not a very expensive stone and is made into necklaces or bigger pieces for jewelry purposes. I especially like the deep, dark blue version with golden pyrite sprinkles creating very unique patterns mined only in Afghanistan. The lighter blue, grayish variety is found in Chile.

If you enjoyed my astrological insights and pointers, I invite you to sign up for my free weekly newsletter where I discuss the highlights of the week to inspire you to use them wisely for a successful and more joyful life.

Have a wonderful week, aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

Shakti Carola Navran: Astrologer, Jeweler and Author

Shakti Carola Navran has written the book: Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones that Delight the Eyes & Strengthen the Soul and  many articles about the healing properties of gemstones and their use in daily life for meditation, balance and meaningful jewelry making. She teaches you about true Birthstones which are based in astrology and their possible application for Soul Jewelry.

Today I will only discuss this very impacting constellation  because it is so far reaching in its meaning for all of us even if there is a lot of other interesting stuff happening in the heavens this week. Just to keep you posted:

The other highlights of this week are: Scorpion Sun Squares Jupiter, Sun Trine Uranus, Sun Squares Neptune, Mercury enters Sagittarius. We have plenty of action in the stars and many good reasons to tune it with the universal energies to gain understanding of what the heck is going on. Also the Sun is still in Scorpio adding to the intensity of the moment.

The Saturn Square to Pluto is one of the Major Culmination Points in our Recent History
The exact Square between the Saturn who had just entered Libra and Pluto in the beginning of Capricorn will be Sunday November 15.  This is a major cultural turning point, challenge and start into an unraveling of structures in our society we all have dreaded since the financial markets meltdown started and the economy started to fall apart on us. Each one of us is impacted as an individual and called to action with adjustments in our personal lives.

All the abuse of power, driven by greed by people at Wall Street and big corporations is being exposed and needs to be looked at. I think you all agree that drastic change is needed. Right now we are facing the high point of the first wave of destruction and exposure of the old power structures with this astrological constellation. The second one will be on January 31 and the third in August 21 2010. In that time frame we will be facing the theme introduced now. Hopefully after the third square there will be some resolution and new direction coming out of all this.

Do not Loose Hope
We have to buckle up for a long intense ride into the shadowy dark side, exposing the secret dirty life of our government, corporate world and society. It is hard to face that extend of corruption, dysfunction and greed. Personally:  it makes me sick and depressed to watch the news.  I only skim the highlights on line to keep informed. I try to keep my focus on good things happening and there are many of those as well.

Many say that we are nearing the changes of 2012 and this process we are undergoing will either launch us into a new level of consciousness based on oneness and living life from the higher perspective of a flowering heart or we will be the dinosaurs who make place for a different form of consciousness of life in one of its endless forms. And I tend to agree.

Life is Indestructible
Have you ever seen an old stump of a cut down dead tree sprouting again? Or grass growing out of a paved street? Or a tree growing out of a wall of sheer rock in the mountains? Have you ever wondered about the amazing life force we are surrounded with? Life is such an indestructible force and it takes all these different forms. We as humans are just one form life takes out of many infinite expressions. And we think we are the most evolved version of consciousness on this planet. How do we measure that? Maybe we are not the pinnacle of evolution?

In the bigger picture we are just this tiny little speck of a planet in this vast universe neighboring other universes. Life and consciousness is limitless and forever and we are part of that. And we are living in this amazing time now where humankind as a whole is asked to step up into the next level of evolution, beyond the instinctual level of survival and domination of the strongest and fittest driven by the ego.

Newer research has proven Darwin’s theory of surviving of the fittest is wrong. The species which is working together for the highest good of the whole has the best rate of survival. And the highest good for the whole is based on how well we take care for the weakest members of our species.

What Can You do?
On a personal level you can do a lot. You can make sure you live your life from the level of kindness and love you wish for this world. You can make choices by asking yourself: What would Love do?

And you can examine your own life structures and become aware for where you hold on to rigid old structures instead of allowing change and transformation to happen easily. Your resistance and struggle is what creates the pain and suffering.

Most of all you have enormous power of influencing the dynamics of economy by your choices of where and for what you are spending your money. Buy local, support your own community, the small businesses instead of The Wal-Marts. Spend your money on organic products from farmers close by. Support green technology with your dollars. Drive your old car a little longer and then trade it for an electric car or other new technology. Save on electricity and water as much as you can by being smart.

The Berlin Wall Came down 20 Years ago to the Day– A Miracle
The wall came down with a Jupiter opposing Saturn, Venus and Neptune and a Moon square to Saturn in Capricorn. Moon is the people, mass consciousness and Jupiter is the expanding urge for freedom and a deeper sense of truth to live from. Venus the Goddess of love was softening Saturn with a conjunction. And Neptune is connected with our deepest truth of oneness. Saturn is his own sign Capricorn was crystallizing into his most rigid and inflexible position and facing the anger of people inspired by many years of oppression and occupation by a foreign reign. When structures are at their most rigid, they crumble easier.

Real change is always working its way up from the ground by people changing their consciousness. At some point the leaders and people in charge have to yield to the mass consciousness. It was a true miracle when the wall in Berlin came down 20 years ago without any bloodshed. Considering the usual Russian way of squelching any opposition violently, it was a truly amazing historical event. Leading up to that was that many thousands of people gave up their life as they had known it and had been leaving East Germany through neighboring countries illegally and with a threat to their lives. Their sheer numbers made it impossible for the old power structures to remain the same. And it shows that we, the people have amazing power.

Remember Gandhi, who was the first man who made the English, an occupying world power leave his country by changing and elevating the consciousness of his fellow men and women. Grass root movements are the most powerful and unstoppable movements because they represent a change in the global consciousness. And then there is no way back. Consciousness is always evolving and unfolding to new levels, carrying evolution forward.

We Can Make a Difference
Change your own consciousness and you change the world. Balance your own busy, anxious and agitated mind with meditation to find inner peace. Feed your mind with uplifting books and movies to lift you up. Approach others with kindness and an open heart and act from that. Be courageous by facing your own inner dragons of anger, greed and righteousness and you are indeed doing a lot.

The Gemstone of the Week is again the Herkimer Diamond
I have suggested the Herkimer Diamond before because it is one of the most amazing gemstones able to support our inner growth towards balance between the polarities because it is a double terminated crystal. I believe the Herkimer Diamond is a must have gemstone in these turbulent times.

With the Herkimer we can find an easier way towards inner peace and balance in our own heart. He helps raising our frequency and consciousness finding the Middle Path. This stone is also keeping us safe from electro smog weakening our energy field in front of the computer, which we are all exposed to. Because it is made of crystal it is enhancing our consciousness with more clarity, focus, concentration and brings white light into our aura. It is a stone of true wonders and you can read more about it in other articles I have written.

As people we need to focus on what we want, more then onto what is wrong. What is wrong is just the starting point of where we want to go. Keep that vision as a guiding light in front of you. We are the creators of our own reality and that is where our power lives. Energy goes where your focus is. Keep that better world in your mind, heart and soul and align yourself with that the best way you can.

We might be looking back from the future and be grateful for these powerful times of change and events which helped us to become really clear in our vision and needs, laying the foundation for a world functioning from a higher level of consciousness of oneness and equality.

I would really like to hear back from you and your thoughts about all this and I am sending you as always many blessings on your journey, Shakti.

Shakti Carola Navran: Astrologer, Jeweler and Author

Shakti Carola Navran has written the book: Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones that Delight the Eyes & Strengthen the Soul and  many articles about the healing properties of gemstones and their use in daily life for meditation, balance and meaningful jewelry making. She teaches you about true Birthstones which are based in astrology and their possible application for Soul Jewelry.

We have an astrological active week ahead of us. With the gift of awareness through astrology, we can be better prepared for difficulties and challenges and even turn lemons into lemonade. This weekly forecast is designed to give you deeper understanding of the universal background as well as tools from the world of healing gems to help align and balance yourself with the planetary principles ruling the heavens. The aspect connections we are discussing hold the same basic meaning for you if you have them in your personal horoscope. We are looking at the activities of week 42 from October 12 to 18, 2009.

Mars and Venus are moving into new signs and a New Moon joins Venus, Sun and Mercury in Libra the sign of balance, beauty and relationships.

Venus Dances in Libra
On Wednesday, October 14, the goddess of love, harmony and beauty moves into her own home Libra. Whenever we have several planets visiting one sign, that sign and what it represents gains strong importance for us. We will have 4 planets in Libra by the end of this week. Also by the end of the month Saturn enters Libra, which will cast high waves and marks a significant historical impact onto society. Saturn needs almost 30 years to move through the zodiac and around 2 ½ years to move through on sign.

Each planet can be compared with the personality of an actor in a play. The actor can only perform the way the play is written and the stage is set. The astrological sign is the play, giving the theme for the actor and determines how well the hero can perform his role. Therefore let us have a closer look at Libra.

Libra: The Judge, Lover and Harmonizer
Libra is ruled by Venus and is considered a sign of air. Air is very mental, flexible, between things and connecting different people or points of view.

The symbol for Libra, a scale, indicates Libra’s strong need for balance. Libras are very oriented toward other people and skillfully tuned into their needs and emotions. Their preference in relationships is for harmony and love—they are peacemakers. Their love of harmony and balance draws them to beauty in the arts and wherever else they can indulge their aesthetic sense.

The Opposing Sign of Aries
As I have pointed out before, one sign can only be balanced in its alignment with the opposing sign. That means for a Libra that the ego drive of the Aries needs to be integrated and vice versa.

In Libra it is easily all about relationships and the “other” out there. In Libra we are called to find a balance between our own ego drive for what we need and want (Aries) and the people we are relating to in our lives. If we don’t find that balance we get lost in placating our friends and partners, trying to make them happy and loosing ourselves along the way. Does that sound familiar?

Making somebody else happy is not really possible as many of us can testify to because we have tried. We also wanted our beloved partners to make us happy and maybe tried to do the same for them. Did it ever work?

The responsibility for happiness and joy lies solely on our own shoulders. It is a result of our conditioning, our values, the thoughts we are thinking in a habitual way and the decisions we make. In consciously taking on that responsibility there is freedom! Freedom lies in taking that happiness into our own hands, the possibility of making it a daily practice.

Four Planets in Libra
With Sun, Mercury, Moon and Venus in Libra it is a time for us to gain clarity in that dance between intimacy and autonomy, relating with others from a place of inner strength and clarity, meeting our own inner woman, ( yes, even if you are a man you have an inner woman) her needs and finding our own inner truth and expression of it.

Venus Conjunction with Saturn on Tuesday
If you have a stressful Saturn/ Venus connection in your chart relationships will always be an area of challenge and learning. There is the need for autonomy, distance, freedom and independence always struggling with the other need for love and intimacy. The life’s lesson is to find a place in us for both, honoring both as equally important needs. How that will look like will be different for each of us.

Maybe you choose a partner who is much older or younger then you are. Maybe your partner has a different nationality and cultural background. Maybe you live in different cities or keep your own apartment or house.
There is nothing wrong with you needing your own space and independence. Just find somebody who has acceptance for that out of his or her own make up.

The Saturn/Venus conjunction this week will bring up that theme to some extent for everybody. We might be a little bit more inwards oriented or want to stay home at night. We might inquire into our desires and needs in relationship and distinguish between the two. If we do the work Saturn requires of us, the gift is always more clarity and the shining light of awareness. Saturn is a tough teacher who forces us to confront our issues and deepen our insight.

You want to pay attention where this conjunction is taking place in your chart and which aspects it will activate with your personal planets.

The New Moon in Libra on Saturday 17
The New Moon is always in conjunction with the Sun. There is no light reflected and it is a moment of rebirth out of the darkness of the womb into a new cycle of creation. It is a most powerful time of the month. In that moment the dormant forces of creation form the seed of the plant that will evolve out of it, the miracle of life.

Each month the New Moon is in a different sign representing a different theme. Armed with the astrological wisdom we can consciously set the tone and decide which kind of plant we would like to grow this month. We can set our intentions and goals within the universal flow of the universe and watch the unfolding throughout the month.
The New Moon in Libra gives us the chance to allow and invite changes for the better into our intimate relationship. With her friend Venus, both female planets are in the same sign, working into the same direction.

This week is especially powerful for us women to deepen our self confidence about ourselves as a woman and lover. We have so much to give if we  take care for our own needs first. Only if we are full and replenished, we can overflow and share from our bounty. Because of the big emphases of relationship I want to share this exercise with you I have mentioned before.

The Relationship Inquiry
My husband and I are married now for 13 years which has been a record for both of us. We have used one extremely helpful structure which helps us to really listen to the other which I believe has saved our marriage through hard times. We have been doing this for many years as a means to connect on a deeper, non judgmental level. We call it an inquiry. We especially do it if we have trouble in paradise…Here is how it works:

We set a timer for 15 minutes and one of us starts to just talk about where we are in our life and how we feel in our professional life, with friends or with the relationship. The other person just listens, no interruptions or comments are allowed at this stage. After the 15 minutes there can be 5 minutes feedback and then it is the others turn.

This structure is so powerful because it doesn’t allow you to argue or react immediately. It forces you to listen with an open heart and a willingness to perceive the other in his world of thoughts and emotions. Sometimes we don’t do any feedback if we are too charged or upset about something. We just listen to each other and maybe get back together at a later time in the day.
Relationships are like plants! They need attention and proper care according to their needs. Having the monthly Moon visiting Libra always helps us the refocus and make it a special two days, like a mini honeymoon.

Mars Strides into Leo on Friday 16
Mars is the lover to Venus. Mars represents our life force energy, our juice and sexual energy, our potential for aggression and implementation of ideas, and how we do things in life. With Mars in Leo there is abundance of creative energy and self confidence in accomplishing goals we have set for ourselves. There is the potential for joy, generosity and heartfelt enthusiasm. The dark side is an ego which is driven by aggressive control and dominance of others.
I think this Mars position goes well with all the Venus activities this week. Make sure to find time for your lover, do something special, and water your relationship plant with attention, appreciation and love.

Morganite: A Venus and Moon Gemstone
I always suggest gemstones which are appropriate because of their special signature and frequency to help balance and align our flow. They also can become an anchor for the theme they represent. The individual signature and planetary frequency is the result of their color, chemical composition, crystal structure and light reflection. We have discussed the Morganite before but it is the perfect stone for any Moon/Venus activities we want to support.

–Morganite is the pink to violet variety of the Beryl family. This is the Divine Mother, a delight for our heart because it magnifies our ability to feel loved.

In my experience one of the root stressors basic to our human condition is that we don’t allow ourselves to be loved because of deep feelings of unworthiness, pain, and despair. We think, “If God loved me, he would not allow me to experience all this suffering, pain, and disaster. And if God doesn’t love me, how could anyone else love me?” Morganite brings us the message that we long to hear: that indeed God does love us. This message of God’s love becomes a deep inner spark of knowledge that sustains us in our search for a deeper, richer, more meaningful life—the longing for happiness and joy that is our heritage and our way home to our deepest selves.

Morganite is the queen among the heart stones. Its beautiful, noble appearance raises up our spirit so we may start feeling love by sharing our love. We come to understand a simple truth: that whenever we express love by caring for the plants in our garden, our children, our pets, our friends, our neighbors, our fellow humans we are sharing love. Morganite reminds us that we are never truly alone, for we all have the capacity to give love and care. — (This is taken from my book: Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones That Delight the Eye & Strengthen the Soul, published by Llewellyn)

I hope you will enjoy nourishing the plant of your relationship and love to hear your feedback. If you enjoyed my astrological insights and pointers, I invite you to come back and visit my Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems Blog for a weekly update on the universal, astrological forces. I like to inspire you to use them wisely for a successful and joyful life.

Have a wonderful week, aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

Astrologer, Jeweler and Author

Shakti Carola Navran has written the book: Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones that Delight the Eyes & Strengthen the Soul and  many articles about the healing properties of gemstones and their use in daily life for meditation, balance and meaningful jewelry making. She teaches you about true Birthstones which are based in astrology and their possible application for Soul Jewelry.

The highlights for this otherwise quiet week are Mercury redirecting his energies and a Full Moon in Aries. Even if these are notable astrological events we are having a little breather after being hammered by all those strong constellations lately. This astrological forecast is for the 40th week from September 28 to October 4. You will be able to find satisfying information about the specific constellations beyond the time frame, because it applies in general to the constellations we talk about.

A Personal Notice

My blog has been up and running for half a year now. I have written a lot about the Moon astrology in addition with the other important activities of the planets. I have been growing bored with all the Moon descriptions which are pretty similar every month after all. You know that I am an advocate to go with the joy and do what lights us up. I have been thinking hard and have come to the decision to change the format of my blog to a weekly forecast covering the highlights of the coming week. You can check in at any time of the week and always find current insights and forecasts.
The new Plan
Yes, I will still touch on the Moon astrology because I think it is very helpful to our alignment to have awareness for the position of the Moon and how it will correlate with our ever changing feelings. But I will keep it short and you can read more about it on former blog entries if you feel like it. You will have your weekly orientation and then I will give you a birthstone article or a special astrological article once in a while. That also will give me more time for writing my next book. I am currently working on an astrologically based life planner for 2011 and want it to be available for you middle of next year. I am very excited about my new project and will keep you informed.

Moon in Aquarius with a Trine to a Libra Sun on Tuesday
This Moon position will strengthen the presence of the wide conjunction of the threesome Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune. Aquarius as the rebellions spirit and trendsetter is forging ahead into new adventures. Change is in the air and we need to release our resistance. We will feel socially inclined with Moon in Aquarius and Libra Sun, both in air signs. We will be mentally inclined and it might start us into new directions, interrupting the flow of the old. Flexibility is demanded but also easier achieved as usual.

Moon Floating into Pisces opposing Venus on Wednesday
The mental framework will soften and feelings will be dreamy with the Moon in Pisces. We might feel a deep inner longing for the divine, for a deeper connection with ourselves and our loved ones. Pisces has this inner knowing of our oneness and invites us to experience that connectedness through unconditional love, meditation, nature, art and contribution to the whole. Moon and Venus, the two archetypal feminine figures challenge our self identity as women. We are invited to bring the Virgo and Pisces energies into alignment inside of us. There are the mental qualities, sense for detail and order of the Virgo opposing with the seemingly chaos of the divine order of Pisces. They meet in the middle where trust and faith into the divine can be added to our earthly actions.

Moon Blazes into Fullness in Aries on Saturday
A Full Moon means that the Moon is in opposition with the Sun shedding light onto the opposing sign. Each Full Moon will be different because of the different themes. Full Moon means the emotional lunar cycle has reached its fullest expression and energy. We all feel that to some extent. Full Moon keeps us up at night and bathes the night in her silver rays. My cats are all revved up and keep going out all night, having important cat business to tend to. My husband who is a Cancer does not sleep well around Full Moon. You want to be aware how this Full Moon might impact you in your own chart and see what it triggers.

In astrology it always serves us well for our interpretation of a planet in a specific sign to look at the opposing one and see where both of them can meet and compliment each other. With a Full Moon that is especially important if we do not want to become overwhelmed by impulsive reactivity.

With the Full Moon in Aries and Sun in Libra we perceive the conflict between individuality and responsibility, impulsive action versus thought out choices, freedom of the individual versus loving relationships or me versus you. With Aries Moon we will feel stronger emotions, more easily irritated and more ready for a fight then usual. Subjects and sore themes in relationships will be pushed to the forefront of our awareness and we have to deal with it. Emotions which might have been building up will not be ignored any longer.

The good news is that the warrior spirit of Aries can be harnessed for honesty and truth in the service of love and connection. He can be a knight and warrior of the heart in service of the Goddess Venus, a loving consort. It will serve you well to make time for your partner, your friends, maybe have a little party. And it is a good time for love making and romance, after you cleared the space off obstacles.

Mercury Goes Direct again on Wednesday
With Mercury turning direct we do not have any more excuses to get our communication straightened out. I know with Mercury retrograde there is always the temptation to blame it all on good old Mercury if something does not go right in that arena. But even with the retrograde Mercury we are responsible and able to direct our attention where it is needed and adjust to the challenges of the moment. Now we will have a few wobbly days of transition and then some things do get easier from now on.

Mercury is in his own Sign Virgo in a wide Connection with Saturn
The Mercury position in Virgo is a mental frame for us where we pay attention to details and think things through. We can come up with practical solutions and find better ways (Saturn) to deal with problems. Some problematic knots will come undone now easily. It is a time for answers if we ask the right question. It still takes our intention and attention to unravel the mysteries and find a balance between Virgo and Pisces. As we talked about with the Moon in Pisces in the beginning, we need to find the middle path. The balance is found between the need to control and tend to details in the physical world on one hand. On the other hand is the spiritual guidance from the divine forces in our life and our willingness to listen and move from a place of faith and gratitude through our physical activities.

Alexandrite
To help you in that process of adjustment for this week I recommend the Alexandrite which is a gemstone we use in jewelry. It is a stone very unique in his nature and what he has to offer because of that. His astrological signature is created out of his color, chemical composition and crystal structure which give him his unique qualities and applications.

Alexandrite (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars)
–Alexandrite is one of the most astonishing gems because it changes its color from green in daylight to red in artificial light. Alexandrite is a variety of Chrysoberyl and is very rare and expensive. Today it is mined mainly in Sri Lanka and Rhodesia.
This is a stone for the queen or king in us because of its great value, both monetary and metaphysical.
As it changes from green to red, Alexandrite shows us that our so-called objective perception of the world of objects may change drastically by shining a different light on it, encouraging us to view experiences from different points of view. This gemstone strengthens the heart by opening our awareness of different perspectives. It reminds us that it is never the experience itself that is good or bad; what is important is always our perception, evaluation, and judgment of events.
Alexandrite stays by our side as a faithful friend, helping us through transitions in our relationships with friends and loved ones. It nourishes the heart during the process of grieving and letting go of a beloved one, whether our loss is due to death or other forms of separation. — (This part is taken from my book: Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones That Delight the Eye & Strengthen the Soul, published by Llewellyn)

If you like my way of approaching astrology, I invite you to come back and visit me on my Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems Blog for a regular, weekly update on the universal flow and planetary positions. What I like about the abilities of the gemstones is that they offer a remedy to relax stressful aspects and positions in our chart. There are so many mysterious ways how we find something on the net, but now you can come directly and visit me.

I am looking forward and hope you enjoyed my musings, aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

Shakti Carola Navran: astrologer, jeweler and author
As you can tell I am very passionate about the abilities of the healing gemstones as healing allies for our journey. I have even written a book about it and the connection with astrology: Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones that Delight the Eyes & Strengthen the Soul published with Llewellyn.
In my book I teach you how to read a chart and recognize your main themes and challenges. If you know where your challenge and friction is, you can then take steps to support or balance yourself with gemstones, if that is something that appeals to you.