UAC is one of our favorite events. Not only does it happen only once every 3 years, but it brings together our friends and colleagues from all over the world for an entire week of workshops and camaraderie.

We’ll make your horoscope jewelry on the spot, and have a selection of our zodiac wares to be shipped straight to your home.

Sam Bowling will join us in the booth for psychic readings and other hijinks. Speaking of hijinks…yes, we are planning our “secret” prank! All Voodoo Priests and Priestesses are encouraged to contact Alicia if you want in…

We’ll be in Booth 303 again, and speaking on Sunday from 11am to noon in Room 1:

How can you use Astrology and Gemstones to manifest your dreams and desires? In this multi-media interactive workshop, Alicia explores the history of gemstone lore, explains the basics of astrology, and brings the two together so that you can create your own personalized power talismans. You’ll also get to see videos of Tony Dovolani, Nadia Bjorlin, C Thomas Howell and other celebrities wearing and talking about their Wandering Star Designs. Which zodiac pieces did they choose, and why?

Stop by for a free mini-astrology reading, and be sure to give the secret phrase, “Neptune in Pisces” for 10% off your entire purchase!

The New Moon is on Tuesday, February 21 at 2:35 PM PST (3 degrees Pisces). There is an abundance of Pisces energy now as 4 planets, 2 asteroids, and wounded-healer Chiron are tightly packed together in the sign of bursting illusions to open to your enlightenment. The high side of Pisces is to open to and trust your inner knowing. The low side is to get lost in fantasy or believing what you want to see and hear rather than what is actually there.

Of course, it is also Mardi Gras and Pisces rules alcohol spirits just as it does your spiritual connection to guides and healers. You get to use your free will to choose your preferred vibration. Regardless of your choice, it would be wise to take some private time this week  to open to your inner vision, or just to stop the busyness of your external life.

During the past two weeks, numerous people have called with financial concerns or fear, or just told me that their business was very slow right now.

Saturn turned stationary retrograde back on February 8th and is just being “stuck” this month at the final degree of Libra- so a re-balancing is going on. Review your relationships and commitments now, connect with old friends, and know that Saturn moves into Scorpio next October and much will change. The action will pick up soon, so make use of your down time to clean up and reorganize while ambitious Mars is retrograde in cleansing Virgo.

The New Moon that is upcoming in Pisces, taking place in the early degrees of the sign on Tuesday, February 21st, is an exciting one. The inter-galactic newsreels have lately been featuring the story of Neptune into Pisces, for the first time in over 160 years, and the symbolism that this event brings. This New Moon accentuates this phenomenon and gives it plenty of juicy energy. Neptune represents mystical dimensions beyond what is immediately available to our five senses of this physical world, and so this New Moon that is so connected with Neptune brings this perspective to bear as we attempt to deal with what we lovingly and laughably call the “real” world. Neptune is a trifle ungrounded, and perhaps even spacey in its application, being connected with a higher vibration than we can actually see, and could also manifest as overly enthusiastic idealism or even deception. And yet it has its advantages also. It might help to recognize that what we can concretely see and touch is only a portion of the story, and perhaps the smaller one at that.

The other powerful planetary factor in Pisces at this time is Chiron, the Wounded Healer, now at 4-plus degrees of the sign. The reason that this New Moon in Pisces brings these combined factors of Neptune and of Chiron into greater focus is that the New Moon, at 2-plus degrees of Pisces, takes place almost exactly at their midpoint, in conjunction to both planetary archetypes. Interestingly, the date when Chiron first entered Pisces was April 20, 2010 – the day of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – reflecting a sense of painful process for the ocean, ruled by Neptune and Pisces. Now, with Neptune moving into Pisces in conjunction with Chiron, we might see further developments concerned with that disaster, which was a tragedy of mis-management as well as of failed technology. On the positive side, we might as a culture develop a concerted attempt to make the oceans a higher priority and this determination could even extend to global warming, a factor that threatens to raise ocean levels worldwide.

Chiron with Neptune can also be thought of as the wound of separation from the divine; in other words a spiritual connection that is perceived but is also perceived as lacking. This surely defines our present era. The ingress of Neptune into Pisces contributes greatly to the tenor of these times that we are living though, and asks of us, as the Uranus-Pluto square gets ever closer and moves toward its first exact contact in June, that we seek the soul solution. This is the paradoxically fruitful vertical connection with Spirit that sees every trial as a chance for increased growth in awareness of what is really going on. The New Moon also strongly aspects Uranus in active Aries, reminding us that we need all our powers of intuition to see through to the core of the important matters that we face. It might be a case of the water glass half-full. With the right perspective we can rise above circumstances and make of our current situation what the Chinese phrase calls to mind regarding the ideograph for crisis – a combination of danger and opportunity.

We are accustomed to the importance of dream life and inner imagination, and what clues these complex messages from the subconscious can provide us for better understanding ourselves. And it is helpful to note that so-called real life can also be interpreted in much the same way, at a symbolic level; providing thereby necessary clues to understanding. Our deepest desires are seldom really known to us without extensive examination, and this time period therefore provides us with some necessary fuel for that journey of exploration. This needn’t be so dire but it might be that issues do arise for us to look at more closely within the area of relationship: issues such as possessiveness, jealousy, or the fierce currents of desire represented by compulsion and obsession.

If untoward events associated with the important relationships of our lives do transpire it will be for the useful purpose of bringing to greater consciousness some of the deeper areas of our psyche. This is especially true with the coming week’s events since Mercury crosses into nebulous Pisces on Monday, the day before the Quarter Moon, there to conjunct Neptune and to begin to conjunct Chiron, reaching it by Thursday. Therefore from Tuesday onward a process is initiated revealing to our conscious minds the places within us where we might exhibit behavior patterns resulting from earlier wounding, perhaps going as far back the parenting we received in early childhood. And these patterns can color our relationship experiences in the present moment.

The prescription for this time period then is to watch and wait; to let our unconscious process reveal itself to us without judgment and with as little drama as we can manage. Taking the largest possible picture into account we can begin to see where the value is, in providing the necessary raw material for advancing our progress. We go notch by notch and step by step, spiraling upwards around the mountain of our inner soul-assignment in movement toward the spiritual destiny that we secretly crave.

The Full Moon is on Tuesday the 7th in the signs of Leo and Aquarius. Leo urges you to open your heart and project your creative passion into the world. Aquarius asks you to step back and see the larger picture. So you need to get involved, but not dragged into the drama of others.

This full moon is aligned with the star Sualocin in the constellation of the dolphin (Delphinus). It represents the need to bring forth your natural talents and mastery. Use the next few weeks to allow yourself to show the world what you can do.

At the same time, spiritual Neptune moved into psychic Pisces on Feb. 3, and will be passing through this illusion bursting sign for the next 14 years. It is time for a new vision; time to open to new paradigms. Be willing to open your inner vision to allow that which is next in your life to come to you. 

There is a story that tells about how the South Pacific Islanders discovered Hawaii. As they journeyed in their boats, they called Hawaii to them.So instead of wearing yourself out searching for your next project, open up to allow it to come to you.

Restructuring Saturn is also turning retrograde until June 25th. Begin to finish shifts in relationships, as well as changing beliefs & behaviors in relationships.  The old ways of doing relationships are birthing a new way, so practice adaptability as you open to all types of new relationships.Valentine’s Day activities are more romantic this weekend; and more social-friendly on the 14th.

Finally, Venus enters Aries for the rest of the month.It is time to pioneer a new path in areas of love and money. On a spiritual level, Venus is associated with healing and stepping into a higher value system (see 5th Ray explanati) Practice self-love this Valentine’s Day.

Neptune in Pisces rather than Aquarius represents an important characteristic of the remainder of this year, and indeed for the remainder of this decade and for years beyond. This energy is highlighted now. At the time of the Full Moon, Venus, in the final degree of Pisces, makes a close inconjunct aspect to Saturn while Jupiter and the Moon aspect Neptune. Since the initial degree of Pisces, the degree that Neptune now occupies, is also aspected by Jupiter, Uranus and Chiron, there are cosmic harbingers of this event that have been felt as an increase in synchronicity over these past few weeks, going as far back as the recent holiday season. The Neptunian archetype – also represented by Pisces, so now doubled – transplants us to the mystical spaces behind and beyond our conscious minds. This energy literally takes us out of this world, or at least the world of physicality that we normally operate in, or that we operate within as far as our conscious brains are concerned. In truth, there is a numinous reality underlying and underpinning that visible world that we can perceive with what William Blake referred to as our senses five. This world is available in dream and in vision but these visions are often not trusted by our smaller viewpoint. Blake also famously stated that “if the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.”

In contrast to the other-worldly energy of Neptune that is now so very prominent, Saturn, representing the physical world, has been stationing or standing still in the sky and strongly aspecting Neptune. In another reflection of this same polarity, Saturn has also been powerfully aspecting Jupiter, an out-of-sign opposition that is now beginning to fade. Saturn is the sense of limitation and restriction that presents the perfect counterpoint to the idealism represented by Neptune and Jupiter, but in fact we need both modalities to function in this world. There is a way of seeing this Saturnian influence, which has been difficult, as also a grounding of the Neptunian vision into the reality of mass consciousness and of concrete action. The Occupy movement, at least in the non-violent part of its activity, is one indication of this contrast. The ideals of millions of people, outraged by perceived injustice, is able to be concretely realized and even to affect social outcomes. The President, who knows what to say to engage the American public if anyone does, included in his State of the Union a veiled reference to the 99 percent, the rallying cry of this movement, and to higher tax rates for the wealthy, with the possibility that legislation might be forthcoming. So that is action.

In our individual lives, with this Full Moon event and the Saturn retrograde, we might reflect on how well our actions match our ideals and where we are forced to surrender to the restrictions of physical reality. This does not mean that our dreams are dead or dying; far from it. But it does imply that we have to take a balanced approach to life and to give over as necessary to what actually works.

Some of us may have experienced a particularly stern or restrictive weekend, some may even say a power struggle was had. We ought to reflect on our experiences so we can learn and and make capital gains from them in the future.

Breaking free of that administrative Capricorn moon Sunday evening feels great! An Aquarius Moon to start our week influences fresh ideas; the right environment for brainstorming, and the right atmosphere for socializing with people out side of our typical social scene. The intellectual take priority over the emotional under an Aquarius moon phase.

We could find ourselves thinking of how we will better our current life situation in the evenings this week. We may even have a few dreams that may reveal insights to resolve our issues. Our thoughts are constructive and we communicate these ideas with an air of authority during this time. The ideas generated now will have tangible results in the future when applied with intention.

By mid-week early Wednesday morning we will have moved under the influence of Pisces Moon. When the Moon is in Pisces we have a more loving, friendly, compassionate nature about ourselves. Our empathy is strong and that can cause us to take on emotional burden of those around us, and if this emotional energy is not channeled effectively we may find ourselves floundering under the influence of the fishes; if we choose to escape with just one more drink. It would be wise to have a nice meditative retreat in your bath tub instead.

Keeping our emotions and feelings to ourselves around Wednesday night’s happy hour would most likely foster the best results. All of our thoughts and emotions are all over the place this week. Solidifying your opinion when you are emotional is inadvisable. Don’t give weight to a feeling just yet, you’ll see it truly was in your best interest not to.

Thursday and Friday watch your step; this could even be interpreted into it’s literal meaning especially because Pisces rules the feet. We are much more prone to accidents; be aware of potential slip ups an missteps.

We may find a flash of clarity perhaps a solution to a problem Friday evening. This insight could also manifest itself in a dream and turn out to be quite prophetic. Friday and Saturday mornings would be best for talking with business partners or for having a heart to heart with your children. Be careful not to exaggerate Saturday night; We don’t feel we are being recognized or understood we could be left saying things like, “You know what I meant!” and end up losing the support we so hoped to gain. Take it easy and take care.

This New Moon, coming up late on Sunday evening, January 22nd on the American West Coast, or early Monday morning – like all the New Moons lately – triggers both Jupiter and Uranus on the one hand, and the Chiron-Neptune combination on the other, making it yet another in a long sequence of potent New Moon configurations. Since this New Moon is in Uranus’ own sign of Aquarius, and closely squares Jupiter, the presence of these two planetary archetypes is very pronounced and even startling in their immediacy. Jupiter is a particularly appropriate archetype for combining with Uranus since its exuberance matches that of the trickster planet. Jupiter amps up whatever he touches and Uranus does not need much encouragement to get way out there. Surprising events await us and unexpected epiphanies that will come to us as a result of keeping our eyes wide open.

The Sabian symbol of this New Moon supports this idea. It is “A deserter from the navy” and Marc Edmond Jones has this to say: “the disregard of all consequences for the sake of immediate liberation of the spirit. … Except as a man creates his own allegiances, his destiny has no depth.” This is a message that we all need to take to heart right now since this is in fact 2012 and the time for action is at hand. As Bob Dylan remarked in song during the sixties, the seed period for this turbulent decade of our own:

Come senators, congressmen please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it’s ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.

In order for our destiny to have depth, as Marc Edmond Jones puts it, we must stand and be counted, and be counted upon as we ride the rapids of the cultural changes that are upon us, or else be discounted in the world process that we are in any case all part of.

Another factor aspected by this New Moon is Chiron, in conjunction with Neptune and aspected as well by a stationing Mars. With Mars turning to retrograde motion we are driven to look inside ourselves for answers and to meditate on our true motivation. Similarly Chiron, the Wounded Healer, contains within its symbolism the theme of tuning to the inner voice, understanding and forgiving ourselves at the deepest possible level for our reactions to the ancient wrongs that were done to us in the name of socialization and of parenting, in spite of our actual needs. We do well when we can proceed with the resolution to no longer allow ourselves to be beholden to a dead and increasingly irrelevant past; and to heed rather the beat of the distant yet distinct drummer that no longer moves in lock-step with consensus thinking. This is the voice inside us that stands for truth and for moving on with our lives in peace and wholeness, in spite of everything.

Time Passages from AstroGraph Software has released an iPad & iPhone app that allows you to carry all your charts with you. They include fabulous daily transit interpretations. I use it every day! The $29 version gives you unlimited charts. There’s also a free version, but it’s $.99 per chart. Both sync charts with your copy of Time Passages on your computer!

We sell both the Mac and PC versions of the Time Passages software starting at $49, and Henry Seltzer, the author, is a regular columnist on Wandering Star’s website.

Now, if that wasn’t exciting enough, Dennis at Graphic Astrology has released a new Solar Returns module for Io Astrology, already the most comprehensive astrology software available for the Mac!

Io Solar Return, for  $195, allows you to cast charts for your annual Solar Return, the time at which the sun is once again in the exact position it occupied at the time of your birth. Usually this is on your birthday, but not always, and usually not at your birth time. This event marks the beginning of a new cycle and can determine the tone, tenor and potential of the upcoming months. Your moods, attitudes, feelings, and actions are all influenced by this annual event. Understanding of these influences and your freedom to choose from the options and opportunities that will be available to you can help you make your new year a positive step forward in your life, your success and personal development.

If you already have Io Astrology, we have the Solar Return module
on sale for $175, $20 off, now through Feb 29. Use coupon code SOLARRETURN. 

The sun enters Aquarius on January 19. Read about Aquarius here!

Mars turns retrograde on Jan. 23 through mid-April, so it is time to turn your ambition towards organization, efficiency, healing, cleansing and simplification. There is a more extensive explanation in the winter column at www.astromark.us. Be careful of impatience in the days ahead because the shifting of direction can be annoying.

The New Moon itself on Sunday the 22nd sets up a challenging pattern called a T-Square (insert “motivational” if you prefer that to challenging). An Aquarius New Moon is good for expanding your circle of friends or exploring new groups, ideas, or changing aspirations. The challenge the new moon makes is to Jupiter which wants to expand in a large way, and Saturn with wants slow-but-sure changes. Find your balance between these two polarities or you are likely to find yourself in hurry up and wait situation.

This also begins the new year of the dragon, a free-spirited energy which does not like to be held down. It represents an enthusiastic do-it-big year, so a good time to review your ambitions.

As always, the week by week forecast is atwww.astromark.us/report.htm.

We just started a new shopping cart system, and all our customer feedback went back to Zero, even though we’ve had 10,000 satisfied customers over 17 years!

Alicia would be grateful you’d help our products shine like the stars they are!

As you surf through our Shop, click the Facebook Like buttons. Send a Tweet. Add us to your Google +1.

If you own one of our jewelry designs or a zodiac product, please leave a testimonial under Customer Feedback.

It’s easy and fun!

Check out these videos and thank you notes from your favorite celebrities!

Click here to see more on our YouTube Channel!

Click here to visit our YouTube Channel and see all our videos!

He’s wearing his Meaningful Bling with style, and wrote to us, “This is Scott Krinsky whom you met at the Steve Stein gift suite at Paramount.   I just wanted to thank you for the necklace you made me. It’s awesome, totally love it!!  I have received many complements and of course have let people know who made it .   Thanks much! Best, Scott”

Take a look around, and let us know what you think!

If you already own a piece of our “Meaningful Bling” or any of our zodiac gifts, please revisit that item in our shopping cart and leave a testimonial about it!

If you’re subscribed to our newsletter (or if you were and you haven’t received it for awhile), it will have this same red theme. Look for it in your email soon! Add “inthestars@wearyouruniverse.com” to your address book so it doesn’t land in your junk folder! Fill in the form on the right to subscribe.

Want to play but need help? Contact us!

Click for a printout of how to use and take care of your jewelry!

To read your necklace or bracelet, you must first line it up in a circle so that it is properly oriented. Look for a small blue-and-green Azurite-Malachite bead that looks like the Earth. It’s right next to a ribbed silver bead.

This Earth bead and silver bead together mark the Ascendant, or the beginning of your chart. Place on the table in a circle at 9:00, with the silver bead OVER the Earth. You may need to flip the jewelry.

This silver bead marks the first house, the first pie slice in the chart. The Earth tells you which way to read, counter-clockwise.

Moving counter-clockwise (downwards), look for a smooth silver bead. That’s the marker for the 2nd house, the next pie slice on the chart. Now look for the next smooth silver bead – that marks the 3rd house. The next silver bead is again ribbed; not only does it mark the 4th house, but it’s one of the Angles, one of the main house cusps marking North, South, East and West. Continue around the circle, looking at all 12 houses.

As you work your way around, you’ll also find tiny gold beads. These mark the 12 zodiac cusps, where the sky changes from one zodiac constellation to another. The Sun Sign for your jewelry is where the sun falls between two gold beads.

The Planets are the semi-precious gemstones – they look like the planets in color and size. The postcard tells you which stones are which.

The colored glass or gemstone 4mm beads count the degrees around the circle. The whole circle equals 360°, and there are 30 degrees in each of the 12 zodiac segments. Each bead equals a specific number of degrees depending on the length of your jewelry.

The degrees are counted from 0 to the degree number, so just as you turn 1 on your first birthday, a planet landing at 15° 03′ will be found on the next bead after 15. If two planets or a planet & house are in conjunction and land within the same degree range, they’ll be side-by-side and still count as one bead.

Throughout your life you’ve had good things and bad things happen to you. You’ve made decisions about who you are, and how the world works.

When you wear your horoscope, you get to return to the moment you were born, removing all those masks you’ve donned, cutting through all those decisions you made. You now have the opportunity to start all over again!

Prepare to embrace the person you came into the world to be, and experience the unique benefits astrological jewelry brings to your life.

1. Use your report to learn what each bead does in your personality.
2. Find the bead responsible for your positive traits and play with it to enhance them.
3. If you’re trying to break a bad habit, or looking for guidance, play with the bead that represents that bad behavior. Think about what you can do differently RIGHT NOW!
4. When you want to call on one of your strengths, play with the bead that represents the trait you love about yourself.
5. Incorporate the jewelry into daily mediations, use it as a tool to read your astrological chart, or just wear it and casually allow the universe to work its undeniable power upon you.

Money jewelry helps you be financially rewarded for the good you put into the world.
If you’re trying to overcome your “poverty consciousness” or increase your income, these bracelets and necklaces can help!

Point at each bead to see what it does:

Click here to read more!

If you want your relationship with your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend to be deeply loving, these bracelets and necklaces can help!

Click here to read more!

Health jewelry focuses on your body being strong, vital, and well. If you’ve been sick, have a medical problem, or just don’t seem to have the energy you used to, these bracelets and necklaces can help!

Point at each bead to see what it does:

Click here to read more!

by Gil Zeimer

Astrologer Alicia C. Katz is the artist and visionary behind Wandering Star Astrology Chart Jewelry. For 15 years, the entrepreneurial Cancer (with a Libra moon and ascendant) has offered ways to “wear your universe” by creating charts and readings, custom jewelry, zodiac gifts, books, software, and more, which she sells online.

She got her big break in Hollywood, the day before the Oscars in February 2011.

We recently chatted with Katz about her Academy Awards experience, the origins of Wandering Star, and promoting her small business.

GP: How did you take your “meaningful bling” to Hollywood?

Katz: The company that puts together the pre-Oscar gift bags found me online and invited me to Hollywood. I was excited to finally get some national exposure after 15 years of being in business. I met more than 50 TV and film celebrities and took each person’s date, time, and place of birth. I then created astronomical necklaces, about 25 of which were customized with both an astronomical sky map and an astrology chart.

Who did you meet there?

A few celebrities in particular asked me to help them select the perfect astrology jewelry, so I created custom pieces for C. Thomas Howell, who got a Sagittarius necklace; Tony Dovolani of Dancing With the Stars, who got a Cancer necklace; and Nadia Bjorlin from Days of Our Lives, who got a custom horoscope necklace.

What did this one event do for your business?

It gave my company great visibility, with celebrity endorsements (video and written testimonials) on my website and on YouTube. My business became an overnight success.

Since the Oscars, how has business been?

To be honest, we didn’t get a lasting boost in business, but we did get a great opportunity to talk to celebrities and show them what we can do. We will follow up with many of them soon for holiday gift orders.

How did you get started making astrology jewelry?

While studying astronomy in Santa Fe, N.M., in 1995, I wanted to make jewelry that was not only pretty, but also practical and powerful. I discovered that I could balance the science of astronomy with the art of astrology. The first pieces were made as Christmas presents, then friends started asking for them and a business was born. Wandering Star grew from a tackle box at my kitchen table to a community-based business that now has stores and customers all over the world.

How do you promote your business?

We run print ads in Us Weekly and Men’s Journal and online, but the bulk of our marketing focuses on our website. The majority of our sales occur through Google searches and someone just buying a gift item through our online store. It’s very satisfying to see them come in throughout the day.

How far do you travel to display at trade shows?

I go to holistic expos on the West Coast and occasional large conferences in other cities, as well as astrology conferences like the New Orleans one, slated for 2012.

What’s your biggest challenge?

Educating people about what my products can actually do for them as a power tool or power talisman. In stores, my customized astrology necklace looks like any other necklace, but when I’m able to talk to someone face-to-face at a trade show or via phone after they see my website, I’m able to explain how each bead affects their personality, so they can use it as a tool to break a bad habit or to call on their strengths.

What do you like most about GoPayment?

For trade shows, I’ve loaded all of the options for my gift items into the GoPayment system, so I can actually build a specific product from myriad choices to fulfill each customer’s particular wish list.

The Libra Ingress is always, at least on some level, about relationships and / or communications, so those become underlying potentials for us this time of year. It suggests an opportune time to put some greater than normal energy and thought into how we relate to others in a one-to-one manner, and to how we communicate with those people in our lives. While we should, of course, always be aware of these issues, not everyone has Libra strong in their natal chart. The cosmos seems to send an annual message when it’s time for a tune-up.

The Sun, having moved 90 degrees around the Zodiac, is now opposite Uranus and square Pluto, instead of being square Uranus and opposite Pluto, as it was at the Cancer Ingress. Instead of being face to face with the transformational influence of Pluto, that energy now feels like it’s coming from somewhere off to the side, and is perhaps a bit less conscious. At the same time, the eccentric energy of Uranus, now opposite the Sun, becomes a bit clearer in our perception. We can more easily see where the impetus to make changes is coming from than we could three months ago. Keep in mind that both of these outer planets are harbingers of change, Uranus in its drive to try something new, and Pluto in its steady pressure to dispense with the old and no longer useful things, attitudes and emotions that are no longer productive to our aims.

Uranus, in Aries, can be said to be more impatient than usual to break the mold of past habit patterns. Aries adds the dynamic energy to “just do it” to Uranus urge to replace the old way of doing things with something – anything – different. The opposition to the Sun can often seem like this drive is coming from outside ourselves, and is often projected onto someone around us. But this push is really an internal energy. We are perhaps only vaguely aware of what we need to change within ourselves to improve the way we related and communicate with others. Take this time to honestly consider your style of relating, evaluate what still works and what you’re doing just out of habit. Old habits, no matter how outgrown they may be, are still hard to change. Uranus can provide the spark to start.

And Pluto, as the fulcrum of that T-square, can certainly increase the pressure to make some changes. His placement in Capricorn, the sign of the established order, signals that this order contains elements that need to go, no matter how dear we might think those things are to us. Pluto’s drive is to eliminate what is no longer worthwhile, and in this chart it reinforces the message of Uranus. Since the square often feels like it’s an energy coming from our blind side, be alert to unexpected events or situations that may seem confrontational, but are really asking us to consider what we are doing, and whether or not that still is really helping us achieve our goals in relationships, or is just an old strategy that, really, no longer works. Be willing to release those behavior patterns if they are no longer helpful.

Both the Moon and Mars are in the early degrees of Leo in this chart, making easy aspects (sextile and trine, respectively) to the Sun and to Uranus, and an awkward inconjunct to Pluto. They add a dash of ego awareness to the mix, helping us to hold on to our basic identity and emotional center while dealing with the stress of the needed changes. But beware a tendency to heated or rash emotional reactions to the pressures that will surely unfold over the next three months, as Mars can sometimes be a bit hard to handle, especially when linked this closely to the emotional and protective Moon. There may be an unconscious tendency to lash out at the perceived source of our tension when we forget that the push to change is really coming from within, as we start to process our habit patterns in the field of relationships and communication.

Mercury, in late Virgo, reminds us to seek precision in our communications and can help us to articulate clearly to our partners what the stresses we’re going to be going through are bringing up, and emphasizes the communication issues that are, actually, part of the stresses. If we can’t talk clearly about the pressure for internal changes we may precipitate the volatile emotional reactions that the Moon / Mars conjunction warns against.

Venus is now also in Libra, and suggests that what we really want is to improve our relationships, so by becoming more aware of what works well in that area of our life… and of what no longer does! We’re on the right path. Being willing to let go of the counter-productive behaviors, once identified, is the hard part. Saturn, still in Libra, can be the needed self-discipline to do so, if we take personal responsibility for our actions. On the other hand, if we don’t take that responsibility on ourselves, Saturn will still be an energy of discipline, except that it will be felt as coming from outside, and will likely reduce our options. Taking ownership of the energies of the chart and making proactive choices, rather than seemingly being boxed in and limited, is the best way to use astrology.

Of course we said yes!!

The watch face shows the position of the stars at the moment of your birth. Give us your date, time, and place of birth, and we’ll cast the chart used on your watch.

The 1.25″ watches are available in Silver or Gold tone, and you can choose a black-and-white or full-color watch face design. The Italian leather band comes in your choice of several lovely colors.

The watch comes in a gift box included and has a Limited 1-year manufactuer’s warranty.

Click here to read more!

The chart has a (slightly wide) “grand cross”, four planets all making squares and oppositions to each other. Mercury in Cancer completes the T-square of Saturn in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn, which is square Uranus in Aries, which is, in turn, opposite Saturn and (widely) square Mercury, which is also opposite Pluto.

Head spinning yet?

The Grand Cross pattern is always one that asks us to integrate and adjust the planetary energies involved, and we can get discouraged in trying to do so as they all seem to be pushing us in, well, directions that are either opposite the ones we think we need to go in, or are pulling us off on a tangent from those directions. It’s often rather glibly suggested that we should “integrate” these energies, but there is seldom an easy or simple way to do that. More often, we feel like we’re being pulled apart like the Medieval torture of being drawn and quartered. But there are ways to pull these energies back together, first by understanding them individually, and then evaluating them in their aspects to each other. And the rest of the chart will also provide additional resources to balance these energies.

Since Mercury is the fastest of these, filling in the “empty” leg of a slower moving T-Square, we’ll consider him last.

Saturn opposite Uranus continues the struggle between order and chaos. Saturn is often considered to be the “old” order, and Uranus the drive to make sudden (and sometimes not well thought out) change. So there is pressure here to make changes – sometimes just for the sake of change! – versus a desire to remain with the tried and true old ways of doing things. It seems that change is needed, in whatever house Uranus sits at this time, but opposing that is a desire to stay in our comfort zone. Listen for what change is needed, but don’t rush into it. Conversely, be willing to move a bit out of that comfort zone, stretch your wings, and remain open to the idea of change.

Both of these planets are square Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto is even more about change than Uranus, and harder to ignore. That he sits in the sign ruled by Saturn definitely speaks about a need for change in the established order, in the usual way we do things. We’re being compelled to consider changes in routines and habits that we think are vital, and such changes are never easy or comfortable. Pluto doesn’t work that way. In what house does Pluto fall? That area of your life is where you’re being forced to let go of something, something that’s seemingly been an important part of your life for a long time. Pluto is saying that it’s been there too long, and no longer serves the purpose it once did. Time to let go of it, and open up some room in your life for something new, something more productive for your life.

Mercury zips through the empty leg for the Solstice chart, and brings along the energy to communicate the anxiety this T-square produces. Mercury’s energy can help us to identify and share the turmoil we’re in, and provides one way to deal with the tension. Whether we talk to a trusted confidante or to ourselves, verbalizing the options is one way to identify them so we can then evaluate them. There are always options even though we may not see them quickly or clearly. Since Mercury is in Cancer, his mental energy will be expressed in a way that is nurturing, caring, and protective, bringing our emotions into the mix along with our intellect. Indeed, even if Mercury was not causing the T-square to turn into a grand cross, one of the best ways to deal with the T-square is to look to the “empty leg” as an outlet for the energies, so Cancer would still be important. That Mercury is there provides us the energy to gather and process information. Try to do that before taking any of the actions the T-square pushes you towards.

Mars, the planet of dynamic energy, has just entered Gemini at the time of this solstice, and makes a tight square to Neptune, which is slowly backing out of Pisces before turning direct in November and making his solid entry into that Sign next April. Another challenging aspect here, and one between two energies that are also at odds, or, at least, not always a productive combination. Mars, of course, wants to do it now, no matter what it is. Neptune wants us to spend our time in dreams, dreams of an ideal that may or may not be attainable, but one that certainly is out of reach without some support to make it happen. While Mars can provide the energy to pressure those dreams, Mars doesn’t spend any time considering whether they are reachable or not, and doesn’t really care. Without some planning one could easily find one’s self going off on a tangent (it is a square!) instead of focusing one’s energy to reach Neptune’s goals. Neptune is trine the Sun and sextile Jupiter, offering us a way out. The area of your chart that contains 00 Cancer is being lit up by the Solstice Sun, and this area of life is where you need to be considering putting some extra effort into reaching your goals. Jupiter is at 03 Taurus, and where that falls in your natal chart (and aspects it might make to other natal planets) is highlighted as an arena that is ready to grow toward those dreams. Since Taurus is a Fixed Sign, not tremendously interested in change, you can use the dynamism of the grand cross to kick it loose to make some positive changes in your life at this time.