signs

Venus rules Taurus and Libra

Our current transits today include sun in Taurus and moon in Libra. Feels like a good day to discuss how both are ruled by Venus, the energy of love, beauty and values. Big difference:

Taurus is an earth sign. Libra is an air sign.

Taurus is more about what’s tangible, about endurance, about sensual pleasures.

Libra is more about harmonic connection, aesthetics, relationships with people.

A Libra type artist is more likely to have an idea and then express it artistically. The idea often precedes the picture, song, etc.

A Taurus type artist is more likely to immerse themselves in the media, e.g., pottery clay, paints, etc., and then have the material inspire them to create.

Do you see how the more you understand the planetary rulers and elements, the signs become clearer?

aspects

Moon square Venus

In karmic astrology, your natal chart is read as a painting of your past lives. The beliefs, talents, struggles, goals … all that you bring into this life is connected to experiences in other lives.

Squares to the moon in a natal chart are often challenging, because they show past life conflicts with family, feeling cared for and even survival. Squares create a forced awareness and there’s almost a competition between the two energies.

Moon square Venus is an especially challenging aspect to deal with in relationships. Please know that people with this can have loving, lasting relationships. I’ve seen it. Don’t despair if you have this, or any other thing in your chart that someone has told you is bad.

When someone tells you something in your chart is hopeless, they have shown you that their understanding of astrology and experience reading charts is limited.

Why does this Venus/Moon square show up? There’s karmic history where your values and emotional needs were at odds with each other. This could have played out in many ways. For example, marrying for money or someone your family forced on you.

The moon is also food and survival, so your karmic past could include doing things to survive that went against your values. Sometimes people with this aspect think they are horrible people, when they haven’t done anything really terrible in this life.

If you have this, you may struggle with feeling fulfilled in life and even wonder what it feels like to be truly satisfied. The more you can own your values, act with integrity and open yourself up emotionally (even when it’s hard) the more you will become aware of what this aspect is teaching you and learn how the energies can work together.

The square doesn’t doom you, it’s a window into some wounds that need healing so that you can joyfully live your life.

astrology basics, signs

Aries (spring) is coming!!

Spring is on the way! This year the vernal equinox happens on 20 March 2022 at 11:33am ET and with it the tropical zodiac resets to zero degrees Aries.

I LOVE Aries energy 💜♈️

Yes, I love all the zodiac signs 🙄 each is special and amazing. Spoiler alert: you have all of them in your chart. 🤔😍🥰

I also have Venus in Aries 🙈☺️ so that makes Aries my go to style for love. ❤️🔥

The signs show our karmic history. The sign of Venus in your chart gives insight into your past life experiences around love, values, and worth. 💗

Aries is the most spontaneous sign in the zodiac and it’s about new beginnings. It’s the moment fire ignites. Aries in your chart shows your innocence, passion for what’s new, willingness to start fresh, when and what you tend to learn experientially.

Aries is ruled by Mars ♂️so Aries is fueled by action. Wherever Mars is in your chart is an area that energizes you and where Aries is in your chart shows you where you can thrive using a style of inspired action.

While there may be 🙏 an end to changing our clocks, I always remember the spring forward of skipping ahead as such an Aries moment. 😂

Try something new next week. Give someone a chance, regardless of what you heard about them. Make a snap decision. Jump in your car and drive somewhere. Be humble and learn as if you are a novice. Freshen up something in your life.

Enjoy! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️

Still on a break from readings and regular posting … popping in so WP doesn’t completely forget I exist 😂🙄

Learn Astrology

Crystals and Astrology

Do you ever associate crystals with particular people in your life? When I do, it gives me a deeper personal connection with the crystal, and makes me curious to see if that crystal is reflected in their natal chart.

If my mom were a crystal she’d be a rose quartz. She was unconditional love. 💗Everyone that met her felt it and loved her.

In astrology, Venus is human love. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus and is unconditional love. Rose quartz is often associated with Venus, and Mom had Venus at a karmic degree conjunct her north node (life’s purpose) and both made a trine to Neptune. Mom was rose quartz.

rose quartz, smoky quartz, clear quartz

If my dad were a crystal he’d be a smoky quartz. 🖤 He had a horrific childhood, and it’s stunning to me that he was able to be the man he was given the life he had growing up. Though Dad had his inner demons and flaws, he embodied transmuting and moving on from pain and negativity.

In astrology, Pluto is our capacity for transformation. It’s our ability to perceive we have a choice, and to align ourselves with divine will. Dad had strong Pluto aspects and his sun was at a karmic degree in Scorpio. Dad was smoky quartz.

When you dig into every metaphysical tool, you find overlap between all of them. Funny how that oracle card you keep pulling lines up with an astrology transit touching your natal chart or a crystal you just had to have. It’s all connected, different languages saying the same thing.

My fluency happens to be in astrology. When clients ask me about what crystals they need, I talk with them about intention and what kinds of lessons and opportunities seem most important to them now and then send them to my favorite crystal sellers.

There are so many amazing options. Something like 2000 or so different minerals have been discovered, and then there’s raw, polished, carved, clusters, and we’re often drawn to particular ones during different times in our lives. So, I suggest they ask the seller for recommendations based on what we discussed. Even more importantly, when you’re looking at shop listings or you’re in a live sale, go with what gives you that ping! The ping knows.

Is there a crystal that you feel expresses either your essence or someone you know? Tell me about it.

Moon Phases

March 2021 new moon

We are heading into the Pisces new moon on Saturday, March 13th at 5:21am ET and there are a couple of things I want to point out about this one.

First, since last fall our new moons have been happening at 23 degrees and this is the last one. So fitting we are finishing this series of new moons at 23 degrees (the degree of sorrow) with Pisces.

The other is that the current Pisces sun is conjunct both Venus and Neptune, which is the higher octave of Venus. The moon will touch each of them as it forms the exact new moon.

New moons are about fresh starts, setting intentions and new beginnings. I feel like this new moon is an especially poignant opportunity to get real with yourself. It’s an opportunity to love yourself and others so much that you not only see the best in them and in yourself, but you also are willing to see and own something you’ve been kidding yourself about, that you’ve been in denial about.

This new moon may be bringing up a lot of painful feelings, and some of you may be releasing a lot. It’s cleansing though and it frees you up to realize your dreams. It takes a lot of energy to maintain denial and when we sustain illusion we may be delaying dealing with stuff we don’t want to face but it comes at a price of delaying the realization of our dreams and of feeling more love for who we are.

This new moon invites you to release denial and in whatever intention you chose to set be intentional about wanting to be real. Imagine making your dreams real while releasing any denial you’ve been holding on to. Dream big and open up to your heart’s desire while intending to see things as they really are.

New projects are more exciting and fulfilling when they include goals that are actually achievable. Romance is more delicious when we are with someone we really love and who loves us back. When someone really sees you, when they see through you and into your soul and loves you, well that’s amazing.

There is an incredible payoff to releasing denial and illusion, because the real you is exquisite and extraordinary.

Have a beautiful new moon everyone.

aspects, planets

Denial always has an expiration date

Venus is how we give and receive love and rules every way in which we assign value. Venus opposes Mars early in the month, then continues with a series of squares to Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn and ends with an opposition to Uranus. All these challenging aspects to Venus urge us to get clear about our priorities and to ask ourselves what really matters to us.

So this month, intention is everything.

While transits are experienced most strongly if they touch your natal chart, there is such a strong theme this month, it feels like most people will feel this in some way.

These Venus transits are challenging us to become fully aware of our priorities and intentions. The confrontations we may experience this month are opportunities to learn why we may put a lot of energy into something and not get what we want, or when we get it feel as though it doesn’t fulfill us as the way we thought it would. We are facing ways we believe life isn’t fair, where we believe our choices are limited or non-existent, we are seeing how relationships may be out of balance and how we have isolated ourselves from people and things we love.

Our intentions can dominate our experiences and often override the stories we tell ourselves and the actions we take in the world. One example I use often is this: imagine that you are doing a favor for someone, but you feel so put out by it and resentful while doing it that instead of the person feeling helped or supported by you they feel awful. They feel like a burden, like they are worthless or helpless and wish they hadn’t asked you or you hadn’t offered. What you do for them may even fall apart and end up not being that helpful. Chances are you told yourself that you wanted to help, and some part of you did, but it was a cover story for your deeper intention that came from a place of guilt, obligation or something other than the pure desire to help.

This month, Venus is pulling back the curtain and showing us what we truly value and who is really there for us. We are seeing where love is in our lives, what we value, and where we actually want to be, what we want to do, and how we derive our worth.

We’re also revisiting balance in relationships and seeing where they may be one-sided. This includes both relationships where we do not ask for enough and where we give little of ourselves.

We are being challenged to be honest about what we really value so that we stop putting our energy into what we tell ourselves is important, and instead focus on what and who we truly love.

Some of this may not be easy, but facing it is worth it. 

It’s worth taking the time to get a pair of shoes that really fit your feet. You can quickly buy a pair that look good and you tell yourself will work, but your feet won’t participate in the lie. The shoes may work out okay for a short time, but eventually your feet will feel the pain of your choice and make you regret buying them.

Denial always has an expiration date.

This month Venus is urging you to be honest with yourself about what matters to you. If there is any area in your life where you are pretending that something or someone is in alignment with your values, but is not, you’ll feel the friction and it will be a bit harder to pretend.

The good news is that the pain of disappointment or fear that you may feel opens the door to more of what you really love. You gain the focus and willingness you need to bring more of what you love into your life.

signs

Moon vs Mercury vs Venus in Virgo

Someone new to astrology, on Reddit, asked about the differences between having Moon, Mercury and Venus in Virgo. The person posting indicated that the descriptions all seemed to be the same and wanted help on how to differentiate them.

I’ve decided to share my reply here. One note, a reply asked about the meaning of “creature comforts.” This is a phrase that refers to things that are physically comforting.

Speaking of comforting, this pic looks completely delicious to me.

Here is my response …

The planets are energy processes. The moon is emotions, nurturance, food, family. Mercury is the rational mind, communication via language. Venus is values, giving and receiving love.

Signs are styles of expression. Virgo is mutable earth. Virgo wants to get it right, to perfect, to analyze.

While there are elements of seeking perfection, analysis, and service in all of the general descriptions for these planets in Virgo, you have to go deeper into the planet’s energy to see the differences.

Moon in Virgo people have a Virgo temperament. They need to feel useful, to be of service. They are often drawn to work in healthcare and music. They need to be busy, to multitask. They take care of people by doing things for them. They need creature comforts.

Virgo in Mercury people have a mind that wants to analyze everything and pick it apart to understand it. They want to know the why of everything, how things work. They think logically and seek to apply what they know in practical applications.

Venus in Virgo people love perfection. They will pick things apart to find the beauty and perfection in it. They want to give tangible presents to people they love.

Venus in Virgo loves puzzles and may be drawn to problem solving, but doesn’t necessarily want to take care of others or be of service to them like the Moon in Virgo. They may more drawn to research versus medicine.

Venus in Virgo may love words and read a lot, but aren’t necessarily drawn to writing or working in a library like Mercury in Virgo.

Does that help?

aspects

Moon Square Venus and an Amazon Giveaway

First the amazon giveaway: Win an Astrology Chart Notebook

No cost to enter, and you don’t have to like anything or watch anything. Just tap the bouncing box to see if you are one of the random winners. I’m giving away three copies of my Astrology Chart Notebook.

astrology-chart-notebook-8x10-front

It’s an 8×10 larger version of my Astrology Chart Journal.

Screen Shot 2018-06-26 at 11.31.04 AM

Now to Moon square Venus …

I have rediscovered reddit recently and have been answering some Astrology questions there. This morning I replied to a guy with Moon square Venus and thought I would share my answer in a blog post:

Moon square Venus is a really hard aspect to deal with in relationships. Squares create a forced awareness and there’s almost a competition between the two energies. People with this aspect can have loving, lasting relationships. I’ve seen it. I get that it feels really frustrating right now, try to resist the urge to tell yourself it’s hopeless. It’s not.

My advice is to continue on a path of self-discovery and self-acceptance in a conscious, purposeful way. It’s important for you to understand what you value and live a life of integrity.
There’s likely some karmic history where your values and emotional needs were at odds with each other. This could have played out in many ways. For example, marrying for money or someone your family forced on you. The moon is also food and survival, so your karmic past could include doing things to survive that went against your values. Sometimes people with this aspect think they are horrible people, when they haven’t done anything really terrible in this life.

The more you can own your values, act with integrity and open yourself up emotionally (even when it’s hard) the more you will become aware of what this aspect is teaching you and learn how the energies can work together.

End reddit post.

Astrology is fascinating and can lead to many personal insights. It can be tempting though to generalize and idealize something like signs or aspects, and also the reverse, to write off someone or think you’re doomed because of something you see in a chart. Remember that the natal chart itself is neutral information and contains no inherent judgements. When you see something really challenging in your chart or someone else, look at it as an opportunity. It’s a flashing neon sign giving you information that can help you focus, rather than a doomsday warning.

You always have a choice, Astrology doesn’t remove that. Astrology can help you to understand why you’ve made some of your choices and help you to understand the choices available.

I hope someone reading this wins one of the books. Let me know if you.

Good luck!

planets

Higher Octave Planets

Time to dust off this blog!

The higher octave planets are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The planets represent energies in the chart, so think of these higher octaves as higher vibrations of the three personal planets they connect to, namely Mercury, Venus and Mars.

Mercury is the rational mind, how we communicate via language. It’s what we believe makes sense. Mercury can show how we learn, how we take in information, how we process information. Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury and it is the “ah ha” within it is. Uranus is the moment of discovery, our ability to see the connection between seemingly unconnected things. It is the stroke of genius that brings information together and forms something new – discovery, invention, innovation. Uranus is also how we differentiate ourselves, our sense of individuality. It is how we experience and express our uniqueness while staying connected to the whole, to the universe, to each other.

Venus is our value system. It’s how we give and receive love. It’s what we prioritize, what we value, what we are able and willing to love. It’s how we perceive beauty. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus and it is our ability to be love. It is our intuition, our compassion, our ability to empathize, to feel what others feel. Neptune is our creative energy and is visionary, dreamy, and our need to save and rescue. Neptune is transcendent love and a conduit for the soul’s expression in this life.

Mars is our vitality. It is our ambition, sex drive, physical energy. Mars is the energy that drives us to action. It relates to our body, how we move physically as well as the actions we take in the world. Pluto is the higher octave of Mars and is our will. It is our ability to perceive we have a choice. Pluto is about control, empowerment and transformation and our willingness and ability to surrender to a deeper wisdom that can guide our actions. Pluto is the phoenix that is reborn from the ashes. The soul expresses divine will through Pluto.

When looking at Mercury, Venus, and Mars in a chart always look at their higher octaves. Doing so will give you a deeper view of the energy. Pay attention to aspects formed between these personal planets and their higher octave. Look at how the energies may be working together or at odds and you will have insight into strength and struggles in the chart.

I am considering starting a podcast in 2017. If you would like to join me in the podcast and discuss some of your chart with you, email me at Lisa@karmicastrology.com.

© 2016 Lisa Wagner. All Rights Reserved.

planets

Moon & Venus in Aspect

Let’s talk about the moon and venus in aspect.

The moon represents our emotional energy. It’s our temperament. It’s how we relate to our environment, how we process feelings, what feels like home, what nurtures us and how we nurture others.  It shows us our beliefs about women coming into this life and gives us insight into our view of not only our own mothers, but also what mothers and mothering is all about.  The moon is our base of feminine energy, and also rules our memories and  how we attach feelings to anything.

Venus is how we give and receive love.  It’s what we value and how we relate to what we value. It’s our self-esteem, it’s what we feel we have to offer the world.  It’s our appreciation of art and our ability to see something as beautiful.

We all have both of these energies and we all have ways in which they relate.  What aspects show us is how these energies are particularly impacted by each other.  Think of dominos.  If the dominos are far enough apart, touching one does nothing to the other. However, if they are close enough together, then touching one can make it fall, and knock over the other.  Aspects show how energies interact with each other within us and give us insight into how we relate to and process these energies.

For people that do not have moon and Venus in an aspect to each other, there really isn’t any specific interaction or confusion regarding them.  These folks will still have their strengths and struggles etc., and much can be learned by their placement in the chart.  It just means that these folks process these two energies without each other. So using the short descriptions above, it means that can distinguish more clearly between how they feel about something and how they value it, between their emotions and self-esteem, between what feeds them emotionally and what they choose to be paid to do etc. versus someone with them in aspect to one another.

People that have these two energies forming a major aspect have strong interaction between the energies.  This interaction is influenced by the sign, degree, house placement and rest of the chart, but part of learning astrology is about understanding individual pieces, so lets take a closer look at each major moon/venus aspect.

If they are conjunct, they see them as the same.  They don’t distinguish between the two.  They need their environment to look pleasing to feel at home, they need emotional fulfillment via work they are paid to do, they assign value to feelings.  This means they can elevate them as well as sometimes judging them harshly and devaluing them.  They value nurturing and take care of those they love.  The energies work in a unified way.

If they are square, they see them in competition.  They can struggle with believing they can get their emotional needs met by someone they love.  They may have a hard time living with someone they love.  They may struggle to process their feelings or believe that people won’t love them if they know who what their moods are really like.  The energies force awareness of how the person has developed a karmic history that includes lives wherein their emotional needs conflicted with their values or the cultural values.

If they are trine, they experience a flow between them.  Emotions easily bring an awareness of what matters to them.  Getting their priorities straight, helps them to see how they feel about something.  They are emotionally available to people they love. The two energies naturally support each other.  There can be a tendency to slide too easily into taking care of people, so they need to remember to take care of themselves too.

If they are quincunx, the two form a neutralizing aspect to one another.  This means that  the person has a hard time accessing both at the same time. One tends to shut down when the other is very activated.  This means people with this aspect can have a hard time knowing how they feel about people or situations that matter a great deal to them.  They may have a tendency to be in relationships with people where they don’t feel safe to express their feelings. They may struggle to feel good about where they live.  It can be difficult to believe their feelings are valued or that anything they do is worth being paid to do.  They may have felt that their mother did not love them.  It’s difficult to fully access and express their moon and Venus at the same time. One energy tends to shut down the other.

If they are in opposition, it’s hard to know how to get from one to the other.  It’s like when you are driving down the road and you can see where you need to go, but you can’t figure out what exit to take to get over there.  There is an awareness of both energies, they are both active, but it’s hard to know how to make them work together.  This can tend to feel very frustrating, as if so much in life just never works out or fits together.  It can be a struggle to know how to nurture what matters and manifest it so that it is a part of life.  It’s as if the person feels they often come up short of getting what they want.

So if you have one of these aspects, does that mean you are doomed?  Not at all. It just means you have some challenges. It means you need to get honest with yourself about the stories you tell yourself. Get honest about what you really believe and be willing to admit when perhaps your beliefs are worth reconsidering. It means you need to face your fears and start to walk through them.  Everyone is lovable. Everyone has feelings. Everyone has value.  Everyone can find a place where they can feel at home, people that can nurture them, environments where they can thrive.  These comments are not meant to justify love lost or an unsatisfying life.  They are a wake-up that you have some work to do to honor both of these energies and integrate them together in your life.  It’s one of your reasons for being here and doing so will be well worth it.

Note:  In a conjunction, the two objects are within 7 degrees of each other. Square is 90 degrees +/- 7 degrees.  Trine is 120 degrees, +/- 7, quincunx is 150 degrees +/- 3 and opposition is 180 degrees +/- 7 degrees.

© 2016 Lisa Wagner. All Rights Reserved.