 Erotic Ecologies + Embodiment: Maps for Making + Revelation
A Threshold Event hosted by home—body I am very excited to be participating in this public conversation “Erotic Ecologies + Embodiments” at 1:30pm eastern on February 13, 2022. This event will be hosted by Mary Grace Allerdice with guests Alkistis Dimech, Anicka Austin, and myself. We will be exploring connections between the erotic and creative embodiment, the erotic as a way of seeing and knowing the world(s) of which we are a part, the power of the erotic, and more. In addition to the live discussion, we'll dedicate 20-25 minutes to answer questions specifically from the live audience. This event is FREE and open to the public. You can sign up here. I hope you join us!
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I was recently delighted to sit down for a conversation with Kelly Surtees of Kelly's Astrology. Kelly is one of my astrology teachers and mentors, and I am a teaching assistant in many of Kelly’s online courses. We sat down to discuss what the Sun and the Ascendant mean in a birth chart, and ended up discussing differences between ancient and modern astrology, the nature of personhood, the foundations of a feminist understanding of astrology, and more. The video is available on Kelly’s YouTube channel, and I am so grateful to be able to share a conversation I found so rich and satisfying with you all!
 On January 11, Mars in Sagittarius will make a square with Neptune in Pisces, both at 20º. Mars often describes fiery, assertive, driven, and even divisive action, and in Sagittarius, this can be directed toward expanding one’s territory, striking out beyond familiar borders, and conquering that which demands courageous adaptation. However, as Mars squares Neptune, we may find ourselves charging into a tidal wave that sweeps us off our feet, swirling us around and disorienting our plans. It might be challenging to accomplish your intentions around this aspect. At best, you might surrender to the current, adjust your plans to move with the tide, even if it takes you off course. With Jupiter in Pisces ruling both Mars and Neptune, it does feel as if there is some oversight, some promise or potential that even if you find yourself wrestling with the waves or surrendering to their force, this confusion might lead the way to something greater than you could have anticipated.
[Image reads: 11 January 2022 Mars in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces in light lettering on a starfield that fades from a reddish tint to a teal tint]  Juno is the Roman goddess of the feminine, marriage and commitment, the counterpart to Jupiter and protector of the community and the state. Astrologer Demetra George describes Juno as “the principle of relatedness and commitment to the other,” “one’s capacity for meaningful relationship and commitment to another person.”
On January 7, Venus will make a conjunction with the asteroid Juno as part of Venus’ longer retrograde journey. Our capacities for commitment within our most significant partnerships are being woven into the larger process of reflection and review described by this Venus retrograde. Feminist philosopher Judith Butler writes on the subject of love and commitment: “Commitment would be the agreement to commit oneself anew, time and again, precisely when circumstances change. And this would mean changing the concrete meaning of commitment as circumstances change … if commitment is to be alive, that is, if it is to belong to the present, then the only commitment one can make is to commit oneself again and again. ‘I love you and I choose you again and again.’ I did not just choose you once, but I continued to choose you, and what there is of me in my speech is given to you again and again through this speech act, declaration, vow, and promise, one that binds me to you in the present, whatever present that happens to be.” As Venus makes this conjunction with Juno, you may find yourself assessing your commitments, committing yourself anew, once again, making your commitment to those you love alive in this present moment, choosing those you love again and again. Doing so may require considerable reflection, asking the questions: why is it that I choose this love, this commitment, now again? How can my love be more than simply a habit or pattern and instead emerge as a clear choice under these current conditions? Venus will make another conjunction with Juno this year, at 21º Aquarius on March 28. You may notice reverberations between these two connections on January 7 and March 28. [Image reads: 7 January 2022 Venus Rx conjunct the asteroid Juno at 19º Capricorn in light lettering on a dark starfield]  Today is the third and final exact square between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus, both at 11º. These are degrees where they have already been: Saturn was here around March 28 and July 21, Uranus was here around May 8 and will be here again on February 12, 2022. So, not only is this the third of three squares, it is happening on familiar territory. While Uranus can be unpredictable, it is unlikely that this third square will break new ground. Rather, this aspect may be more like an aftershock, the ongoing reverberations of internal and external events that have been in motion since at least the first square in February.
Where have you been experiencing the collision of insistently revolutionary change with unwavering and potentially limiting beliefs about the world as it is or as it can be? How have the longings of your body propelled you toward a path of liberation this year, despite the constraints of rigid ideology? Where are you feeling destabilized or disrupted, and what structures might you build to hold the changes you have been experiencing? These conflicts that have been set up and intensified throughout 2021 will continue to unfold throughout the remainder of Saturn’s time in Aquarius and will no doubt play an important role in defining Uranus’ transit through Taurus until 2026. While this is the last exact square between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus, they will come very close to an exact square at multiple points in 2022. If you would like to learn more about how this story continues to unfold in the year ahead, my Astrology Guide for 2022 is currently available for immediate download. [Image reads SATURN SQUARE URANUS 24 December 2021 in light green letters on a dark brown background.]
As the Sun enters Capricorn on December 21, we observe Yule or the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere—the longest night of the year, as the Sun crosses the degree of its maximum southern declination, when the north pole is inclined furthest from the Sun. It’s a time for turning inward, for honoring the fallow period of winter, for drawing close to those we love and creating light and life with one another to see us through the darkness. It is also a moment of rebirth for the Sun, as from this point the days will gradually grow longer.
This year as the Sun enters Capricorn, it joins Mercury, Pluto, and Venus, just a few days into its retrograde and still closely conjunct Pluto. This Venus retrograde invites us to reflect on our commitments, examine the ways that power operates in our most enduring relationships, unearth the ways in which we re-enact our experiences of trauma or harm in our patterns of relating, and build foundations that can support our ability to love well. At the time of the Sun’s ingress into Capricorn, Mercury is also conjunct the asteroid Juno, the queen of heaven and goddess of loving commitments. How do you express you love to those with who you are committed? How do you commit yourself in words to being in practices of love, even when they require work or facing what might be difficult? This is the context into which the Sun is moving as we mark the start of winter. The brilliant bell hooks, who is now a Black feminist ancestor, writes in All About Love: New Visions, “Love is an action, a participatory emotion. Whether we are engaged in a process of self-love or of loving others we must move beyond the realm of feeling to actualize love. This is why it is useful to see love as a practice. When we act, we need not feel inadequate or powerless; we can trust that there are concrete steps to take on love’s path. We learn to communicate, to be still and listen to the needs of our hearts, and we learn to listen to others. We learn compassion by being willing to hear the pain, as well as the joy, of those we love.” May we all recognize love as an action, moving beyond the realm of feeling to engage in the practice of loving, learning to communicate, to be still and listen, to hear the pain as well as the joy of our own hearts and the hearts of those we love. Blessed Yule. [Image 1 reads: Astrology of the Wheel of the Year Yule Winter Solstice 21 December 2021 in gold letters on a dark green background of flowers and stars. Image 2 shows the chart for the Sun’s ingress into Capricorn on 21 December 2021 in Columbus, OH.] Several months ago, I had the opportunity to discuss one of my all-time favorite artists, Meredith Monk, through the lens of her natal chart with astrologers, colleagues, and friends Drew Levanti and Òscar Moisés Díaz. You can listen to our whole conversation on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G43kSBGrtA4 
While no longer the mathematical midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, Samhain is a time at which we celebrate the symbolic passage from the point at which daylight and nighttime were equal through the increasing darkness toward the longest night of the year. It is the witches’ new year, the ending of one cycle and the beginning of the next. It is a time when the veil between the worlds is said to be thin, when we honor our beloved dead and the inescapable truth that death is part of Life.
This year as the Sun sets on October 31, the Moon in Virgo is in the Waning Quarter phase, surrendering its light and moving deeper into shadow. It is also separating from a trine with Uranus in Taurus. Sometimes the process of letting go of what is no longer necessary for our journey leaves us trembling, shaken and unsettled as we part ways with what is no longer ours to carry. The Sun in Scorpio is separating from a square with Saturn in Aquarius. What comes into view as you move beyond the places you never thought you would pass? Sometimes the only way through the barricades of rigid ideology is the swim deeper beneath the surface into the depths of where our established logics no longer hold. Mercury in Libra is applying to a trine with Jupiter in Aquarius. How can you practice your most generous communication—both speaking and listening—with the living and the dead? What becomes more possible when you not only speak in a voice that is already more than your own but listen that way as well? Venus in Sagittarius is conjunct the asteroid Juno, the Queen of Heaven and wife of Jupiter. You may find that as we move farther into this dark season, you long for the commitments capable of holding the wildfires of your passions. To whom are you devoted, and how do you sustain the blaze of love and desire within the partnerships to which you are committed? May you release what is no longer yours, dive deep beneath any unyielding formations of your rational mind, practice listening and speaking in ways that are larger than any individual self, and devote yourself to love that can carry you through the long nights ahead. Blessed Samhain. [Image 1 reads: Astrology of the Wheel of the Year Samhain 31 October 2021 in gold letters on a dark green background of flowers and stars. Image 2 shows the chart for sunset on 31 October 2021 in Columbus, OH.]
On September 22, the Sun ingresses into Libra, marking the Autumnal Equinox in the northern hemisphere. This time is celebrated as the sabbat Mabon in the witches’ Wheel of the Year. It is a time when the hours of day and night are equal in length, as the Sun crosses the celestial equator. From this point until the Winter Solstice, the days will grow shorter as we move deeper into darkness. Libra is described as the sign of the Sun’s fall or depression, in part because as it moves through this sign, its light and power diminish. Libra is also a sign concerned with cooperation, collaboration, and holding the needs of others together in balance and harmony, whereas the Sun is a singular, centralizing force around which all others orbit. In Libra, the Sun is challenged with distributing attention away from the one and toward others, building relations rather than blazing ahead alone.
This year as the Sun enters Libra, its ruler Venus is in Scorpio, the sign of its antithesis or detriment, applying to an opposition with Uranus in Taurus. Venus in Scorpio is traversing terrain far from its home sign of Taurus, seeking pleasure in the shadows and beauty in places where others might turn away. Uranus is the planet of upheaval, revolution, disruption, and radical change, demanding breakthroughs or breakdowns from established conventions. How might we become more capable of meeting one another’s needs and satisfying one another’s desires if we dare to unsettle or overturn what we have accepted as the standards of beauty, desirability, and superficial connections? As we move into this new season, may we each commit to diving deeply into the longings we have refused to acknowledge, subterranean passions that break open the ground of who we thought we had to be, sending fault lines through the social expectations that kept so much potential love and pleasure buried beneath the surface. [First image reads “Astrology of the Wheel of the Year: MABON, 22 September 2021” in golden letters on a dark green field of flowers and stars. Second image shows the chart for the Sun’s ingress into Libra and reads “Mabon, 22 September 2021, 3:21pm, Columbus, OH, USA”]
August 1 is the traditional date on which witches celebrate Lammas — or Lughnassadh — the First Harvest in the northern hemisphere, the midpoint between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. As a harvest festival, it’s a time for offering gratitude for the abundance of the Earth, for the crops that are starting to yield fruit, and for all the ways our lives are bringing forth bounty. This year as the Sun rises in its domicile of Leo on August 1, it’s in a tight conjunction with Mercury. This superior conjunction is a condition known as cazimi or ‘in the heart of the Sun,’ a time when Mercury disappears into the blazing daylight to be purified and clarified. It is a place of extreme favor and relief for Mercury halfway between its direct and retrograde stations. Messages come through with precision and authority, and the topics for which Mercury is responsible benefit from the good will of the dignified Sun. The Sun in Leo burns with courage, whole-heartedness, and authenticity, calling us to radiate more fully and persistently in our truths. However, this conjunction is also in a tight applying opposition with Saturn, retrograde and also in its domicile of Aquarius. Saturn is in the process of reviewing and revising systems, institutions, rules, and regulations, and in this opposition, we may encounter resistance to what is being revealed during the cazimi. There may be revelations we are harvesting that are not easy to recognize or receive. The waning quarter Moon is exalted in Taurus, separating from a conjunction with Uranus and a T-square with Saturn, Mercury, and the Sun. For this sabbat, may we celebrate the rich abundance of our lives, all the lessons that we are learning from our labor, daring to seek and uncover the truth even as we encounter fear or restrictions from within or without. Stay open to epiphanies and take responsibility for how or when you share what you are coming to understand. Trust that the wisdom of your body is already leading the way.
 On Thursday, July 8, Venus in Leo will form a square with Uranus in Taurus. Venus is separating from an opposition with Saturn in Aquarius and applying to a conjunction with Mars — and using only the visible planets, this is a condition of enclosure, in which Venus is flanked by the rays of Saturn and the body of Mars. This can describe challenges in our relationships and social dynamics, confronting barriers that seem immovable and reeling into the impulse to separate. Intimacy can sometimes feel threatening or even impossible, especially if we are holding trauma in our systems or if we were shaped by inconsistent care. In between the unyielding thought patterns and the instinct to bolt is Uranus, the planet of disruption and upheaval making a square with Venus, shaking up our ability to coregulate and feel safe with others.
But these aspects can also tell another story: Saturn can remind us of the boundaries we need to maintain in order to love well. Venus conjunct Mars can describe the fiery passion of coming together in shared desires. In this story, Uranus describes our liberation from old patterns that were never working in the first place. As we face our fears and ask for what we need, we find freedom that we did not know was available to us, an emancipation that sets us loose into blazing erotic satisfaction. The planets describe archetypal patterns. How they correlate with our lives is full of variation and often choice. As you navigate these transits, look back to April 22 when Venus was conjunct Uranus to understand what was planted then that is now breaking through the surface of your life. What will be your story for this astrology? [Image reads VENUS SQUARE URANUS 8 July 2021 in bright pink letters on a dark red background]  Today Mars in Leo will perfect its square with Uranus in Taurus at 13º. This square comes just two days after Mars opposed Saturn—and is still within 1º of that opposition. Here we may feel a similar combustibility as we did back around January 13 at the Mars/Uranus conjunction, a building of energy for change blazing against structures that resist such change. But here we may acutely feel the limitations of rigid ideologies setting the parameters of what is and is not possible. We may find our energy for radical change colliding into the walls of institutions that resist our efforts. Uranus inspires innovation, and perhaps it is at these limits that we will be pushed to generate new emergent strategies (adrienne maree brown) for addressing systems that refuse to respond to our demands. Notice where you are experiencing your drive and determination crashing into seemingly immovable structures that deny your momentum. How might the limitation itself provide valuable information for the kinds of innovations that are needed in order to forge another way?
[Image reads MARS SQUARE URANUS 3 July 2021 in light green letters on a dark red background.]  On July 1, Mars in Leo will oppose Saturn in Aquarius, both at 12º—in a T-square with Uranus at 13º Taurus, activating and potentially agitating the ongoing Saturn/Uranus square story that is unfolding throughout the year. Saturn is retrograde. Mars has no particular dignity in Leo, other than ruling the third decan at the end of the sign, and it is just at the start of Saturn’s bounds. Fiery Leo fuels Mars’ drive and intensity, but Saturn is setting the limits here. Mars will only be able to accomplish what Saturn allows—especially as Mars does not have reception from its domicile ruler, the Sun. Anticipate potential frustration, the kind of frustration that comes from having the energy and willpower to accomplish something with little or no latitude in which to make significant moves. With Mars applying to the exact square with Uranus—which will perfect on July 3—any opportunity for making things happen may come from abandoning the familiar and attempting a radically different approach. As Audre Lorde wrote in Sister Outsider, “For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.” In your frustration, it might be time for developing new tools and strategies, innovative new ways of encountering and confronting our conflicts.
[Image reads MARS OPPOSING SATURN 1 July 2021 in lavender letters on a dark red background.]
The Sun enters Cancer at 11:33pm eastern on Sunday, June 20, marking the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere—called Litha in the witches’ Wheel of the Year. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, at which point the days begin to grow shorter and the nights grow longer. From the peak of its strength, the Sun begins to move toward its symbolic death and rebirth at the Winter Solstice. This year, as the Sun moves into Cancer, its ruler the Moon is in Scorpio, the sign of its fall or depression. The brightest light of the year is revealing where our needs feel unmet, the places that feel neglected or abandoned. The Moon is in the waxing quarter lunation phase, a time of pressing through resistance, overcoming challenges, and establishing the viability of this cycle—proving what is possible even when the support we may be seeking feels absent or unavailable. The Moon is also square Saturn and opposing Uranus in Taurus, wading through the residue of this week’s exact Saturn/Uranus square. Our foundations may feel shaken and unsteady. But the Sun is also applying to a trine with Jupiter in its domicile of Pisces, and it is co-present with Venus in Cancer. Provision may not come from the sources we expect, but there are resources available to us is we follow where the currents are carrying us. As that which you have been grasping is shaken from your trembling hands, surrender to the flow, moving in the direction of abundance rather than clinging to the places where it feels as if there is never enough. May we each trust that our lives are simply tributaries streaming into tides that nourish us even as we pour ourselves into them. As we move from the longest day toward the longest night, may we remember that we are never alone.
[First image reads “Astrology of the Wheel of the Year: LITHA, 20 June 2021” in golden letters on a dark green field of flowers and stars. Second image shows the chart for the moment of the Sun’s ingress into Cancer, and reads “Litha, the Summer Solstice, 20 June 2021, 11:33pm, Columbus, OH, USA”]  I am so excited for this talk I am giving with Fresh Voices in Astrology on Saturday, July 3, at 1pm pacific / 4pm eastern:
“Asteroids in Astrology: Nuance, Subtlety, and Direction In this talk, Michael J. Morris will introduce the use of asteroids in natal astrology, including both the asteroid Goddesses — Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Juno — as well as the use of minor asteroids. Asteroids are relatively small celestial bodies that are not visible to the naked eye. The first four asteroids were discovered between 1801-1807, and now there are over 1 million asteroids identified in our solar system. Michael will introduce participants to philosophical, mythological, technical, and practical considerations for working with asteroids in natal chart delineation. In particular, they will focus on the use of a specific set of minor asteroids named after Greek deities who are venerated in the surviving Orphic Hymns, with plenty of chart examples from their ongoing client work. Asteroids hold the potential to bring subtle details and nuance to our understanding of the purpose and life direction described by each birth chart.” I am SO grateful for the clients who have generously given me permission to share their charts and stories. Hearing what the asteroids have described in their lives is truly breathtaking. Not to miss. Link for registration on my Events page. [Image: a colorful collage with Michael’s face in a starburst shape in the center alongside the symbols for the Moon and Sun. Text reads: Asteroids in Astrology: Nuance, Subtlety, and Direction, Michael J. Morris Webinar, Saturday July 3rd at 1pm PST, Fresh Voices in Astrology, @astrologyvoices]  Jupiter is still in Pisces until July 28, but stationing retrograde later this week. Several nights ago, the Moon was in its domicile of Cancer, applying to a conjunction with Venus, both receiving a superior whole-sign trine from Jupiter. It was a night for ritual and reverence, connecting with these celestial bodies and inviting their support. May abundance and ease find each of you in the midst of all of that we are struggling for.    On June 10, there will be an annular Solar Eclipse at 19º Gemini—9º from the North Node. This eclipse is conjunct Mercury retrograde in Gemini and square to Neptune in Pisces, both of which are signatures for potential confusion, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. Mercury is within one degree of its inferior conjunction with the Sun — moving into the heart of the Sun or cazimi. It could be that just as we come to some kind of clarity regarding Mercury’s retrograde, a shadow is also revealed, a side of the situation that we could not see before.
Do not expect to fully understand the events around this eclipse and anticipate that more will become clear with distance. Gemini is often concerned with information and communication, gathering and synthesizing data to develop a particular point of view. But at this eclipse, these are precisely the kinds of processes that may experience disruption. Remember, eclipses can describe unpredictable events, sudden or dramatic changes unfolding in different areas of life. Most often, solar eclipses—which occur when a new moon is within close proximity to the Moon’s nodal axis—describe significant or dramatic beginnings. These events can unfold suddenly or over the next six months. Look to the signs in which the eclipses occur in your own chart to see which areas of life they might be describing. If they occur within a tight orb—I use 3º—of a planet or angle in your natal chart, these eclipses are more likely to indicate more significant events in your own life. [Image reads: SOLAR ECLIPSE IN GEMINI 10 June 2021 in yellow-grey letters on a dark background]  On June 3, Venus in Cancer will make a trine with Jupiter in its domicile of Pisces, both at 1º. I think this June 3 trine between Venus and Jupiter may be one of the most auspicious aspects of the year. Venus is the planet of love, union, relationships, desire, pleasure, beauty, aesthetic harmony, and justice. Jupiter is the planet of abundance, expansion, growth, wisdom, faith, and belief. Jupiter is in its domicile, and Venus is the ruler of the water triplicity by day. Together they create supportive conditions for collaboration, for investing in shared beliefs and values, for connecting our personal desires and pleasures with something larger than ourselves, for making art and love that can guide us to more expansive wisdom and perspectives of the world.
Consider prioritizing pleasure and connection today. Notice what feels good and move in that direction. Remain sensitive and responsive to your own shifting desires as well as what your friends, lovers, companions, and colleagues want as well. Follow ease and flow and see where they can take you. Venus made a conjunction with Jupiter in Aquarius back on February 11, which was the start of a Venus/Jupiter cycle. It may be worth recalling what was coming up for you around then and notice how it has grown and evolved to this point now. [Image reads: VENUS TRINE JUPITER 3 June 2021 in light aqua letters on a light blue background] |
AuthorMichael J. Morris is a witch, an astrologer, a tarot reader, an artist, a writer, and a teacher. Categories
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