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Today marks an entire year of writing daily astrology posts—first on my blog and Facebook, then on Instagram and Twitter. I have learned so much from sharing these daily contemplations of the movements of the planets, especially as they began to constellate with the work of feminist and queer writers who shape how I see the world. This practice has developed into a really beautiful kind of bibliomantic astrology—or astrological bibliomancy—where the words I put to the dance of the planets draw me into deeper relationships with the writing that has made my life more possible. And now it is time for a hiatus. I’m taking a break from daily posts, at least for the next month. I’m going through my own intense transits right now—amidst a global pandemic and ongoing struggles for justice as well as the start of an academic semester in which I have a heavy teaching load. I need to ground, reorient, and find how the work needs to come through during this time. I may return to writing these dailies. I may need to find ways to support this work financially if I continue. It’s possible that it will take a new form on the other side of this hiatus. I will probably continue to post from time to time as I take these weeks to reorient. But in the meantime, here are places you can connect with my work: -I am booked up for consults through the end of September, and I have a waitlist for October. I will be adding my availability for October to my scheduling calendar later in August. You can book a consult with me on the Bookings page. -You can find a really lovely selection of podcast interviews I’ve given in the last year—with Daniel Bernal and Drew Levanti on Queer Skies, Mary Grace Allerdice on the home|body podcast, Sabrina Monarch on Magic of the Spheres Podcast, and Mel LeFara on Energetic Principles Podcast—on the Resources page. -You can register for the Queer Astrology Conference 2020 at: https://qac.queerastrology.com/learn-about-and-register-for-qac20/register/ to get access to an amazing set of talks, including two of mine. -And you can purchase an all-access pass to the Fresh Voices in Astrology Summit 2020 to access my talk "Celestial Corporeality: Astrology and the Body," available here: https://www.freshvoicesinastrology.com/all-access-pass/. I am so grateful for your time and attention, and I look forward to how we can continue to co-create meaningful experiences, healing, and liberation in the days ahead. 
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Today the Moon in Cancer moves through an opposition to Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn, a trine to Neptune retrograde in Pisces, and oppositions to Pluto and Saturn, both also retrograde in Capricorn. The Moon is dignified in Cancer, a shelter from which to connect to our aspirations and dreams as we confront ongoing regressive politics and systems of control. Alongside these lunar aspects, the Sun in Leo makes a trine to Mars in Aries. Both planets are vibrant and strong in their domiciles, and together they describe focused clarity, assertive vision, and courageous drive to advance that to which we are devoted, particularly in areas we might think of as agency, autonomy, and self-determination. With both Mars and the Sun in fiery signs in which they seemingly depend upon none but themselves, the ease of this trine could promote the sense of a self-sovereign subject, independent in influence and authority. But it is perhaps in the trine itself—the relationship between them across elemental triplicity—that we recognize what Judith Butler describes as the limits “to any notion of autonomy that establishes the individual as alone, free of social conditions, without dependency on social instruments of various kinds. Autonomy is a socially conditioned way of living in the world.” As we reside in confidence and reassurance in our access to resources we need in order to bring about our will, may we also recognize that whatever feels like individuation or autonomy is profoundly shaped and supported by a world of others to whom we belong and on whom we rely.  Today the Moon makes a conjunction with Venus in Cancer. Both the Moon and Venus draw us toward one another, into connection and union, and together they prioritize safety, comfort, equality, and justice. bell hooks teaches us in All About Love, “There can be no love without justice … Without justice there can be no love.” And adrienne maree brown teaches us in Pleasure Activism, “Liberated relationships are one of the ways we actually create abundant justice, the understanding that there is enough attention, care, resource, and connection for all of us to access belonging, to be in our dignity, and to be safe in community.” What if we understand justice as there being more than enough attention, care, resources and connection for all of us to access safety, dignity, and belonging? And what if our intimate and familiar relationships are a primary site at which we practice and create this kind of justice? Uranus stations retrograde in Taurus, marking a turn inward for reflection and introspection in the longer process of radical change that Uranus is describing in whatever area of our charts is occupied by Taurus. Uranus began its transit through Taurus in 2018 and will be retrograde until January 2021. What movements toward radical change have you been experiencing over the last two years, and how might this retrograde period offer a time for review and reorientation? Finally, the Moon makes a sextile to Uranus, perhaps describing a felt physical, emotional recognition of this outer planet shift, hopefully in the form of subduing some sense of urgency.  Today the Moon in Gemini moves through supportive sextiles with the Sun in Leo and Mars in Aries before ingressing into its home sign of Cancer. The Sun and Mars are both powerful in their respective domiciles, with access to abundant resources that they can share through these sextile aspects. Both offer courage, with the Sun emphasizing bold visibility and enduring prominence, while Mars extends ambition, drive, and assertiveness. Today may be a day for putting yourself out in the world and demanding that others take notice, getting clear about what it is you want to accomplish, and taking steps to make those ambitions a reality. With the Moon in Gemini, this may require thinking in new ways, making connections that excite and animate us, and discovering how these ways of thinking propel us into action. Audre Lorde writes in “Poetry is Not a Luxury,” “But there are no new ideas still waiting in the wings to save us as women, as human. There are only old and forgotten ones, new combinations, extrapolations and recognitions from within ourselves—along with the renewed courage to try them out. And we must constantly encourage ourselves and each other to attempt the heretical actions that our dreams imply, and so many of our old ideas disparage.” As the Moon then settles into Cancer, we move back inward, toward comfort, care, and sensitive connections. After the energy and effort of the day, how can you move intentionally toward the things you already know allow you turn down the intensity and move toward rest?  Today Mars in Aries perfects a square with Pluto retrograde in Capricorn. The rulers of rage and the underworld clash in this tense aspect, dragging conflict up from what has been buried, confronting abuses that have been repressed or forgotten, demanding transformation in the places where rage propels us toward destruction. As Judith Butler has said, “How often is sorrow effectively shouted down by rage? How does it happen that sorrow can bring about the collapse of rage? Is there something to be learned about the sources of nonviolence from this particular power of grief to deflate rage of its destructiveness? … Mourning has to do with yielding to an unwanted transformation where neither the full shape and nor the full import of that alteration can be known in advance. This transformative effect of losing always risks becoming a deformative effect. Whatever it is, it cannot be willed. It is a kind of undoing.” What is the grief or mourning that is covered over by rage? Beneath the intensity of whatever anger or righteous indignation that you may feel, what is the mourning that you carry that—if given the opportunity—has the potential to transform you in ways that can be neither willed nor known in advance? The Moon in Gemini makes a sextile with its ruler Mercury in Leo. In the wake of breaking open whatever part of us resists the immensity of the grief we are holding, the light of new understanding finds its way through. Perhaps we find that we can share parts of our hearts that have been bound up in the crypts of rage and grief to which we denied ourselves passage. 
I am so honored to be included in the upcoming Fresh Voices in Astrology Summit 2020, happening THIS WEEKEND, August 15-16. I'm giving a talk entitled "Celestial Corporeality: Astrology and the Body" on Sunday, August 16 at 6pm eastern. And I am presenting alongside an amazing lineup of astrologers, brought together and hosted by
Shakirah Tabourn, including: Mychal A Bryan Zamboni Funk Alice Sparkly Kat Deon Mitchell Drew Levanti Sabrina Monarch Tracey L Rogers Bear Ryver Six BlackWomenCry Aaya Samadhi Taylor Yates You can register for the summit for FREE by signing up at freshvoicesinastrology.com. While you’re there check out the all-access pass: the all access pass gives you access to view the entire summit at any time. You won’t miss a lecture, and you can pause them or replay them as many times as you need. You’ll have access to watch the files or download them through the website. PLUS your purchase has two awesome side benefits. You can feel good knowing you’re directly supporting the livelihoods of these gifted astrologers, AND you enable us to fulfill our mission to bring astrology to those financially unable to pay, making quality astrology accessible to anyone who wants it.
Today the Moon in Taurus makes a trine with Saturn retrograde in Capricorn before ingressing into Gemini. Saturn invites us to slow down, to feel into the moment, and to set whatever boundaries are necessary in order for us to feel safe and grounded. In thinking through the work of transformative justice, adrienne maree brown writes in Emergent Strategy, “Real time is slower than social-media time, where everything feels urgent. Real time often includes periods of silence, reflection, growth, space, self-forgiveness, processing with loved ones, rest, and responsibility. Real-time transformation requires stating your needs and setting functional boundaries.” I think that astrology as a whole calls us into more slowness, into more real-time, but Saturn may be the great teacher of slowing down, giving space, resting in silence, and accepting responsibility. How can we listen to these lessons today as we work to create more support for our own well-being and the well-being of others? As the Moon ingresses into Gemini, we may find our curiosities awaken, our desires to learn and discuss and share ideas coming alive. Gemini may not always be the most suitable for sustained, deliberate focus, so what if over the next few days you let your attention move in different directions and considered the relationships between different thoughts and perspectives rather than trying to concentrate on only one thing? What becomes possible if we allow for this kind of mobility in our thinking?  Today the Moon in Taurus makes a trine with Jupiter in Capricorn, a square to the Sun in Leo—entering the waning quarter lunation phase—and a sextile with Neptune retrograde in Pisces, all within a matter of degrees. The Moon is exalted in Taurus, and Jupiter—fallen and retrograde in Capricorn—reminds us that we can become more whole when we learn to listen to the parts of ourselves that we continue to deny and integrate the parts of ourselves that we continue to ignore. As the Moon moves into the waning quarter phase and sextiles Neptune, we are moving away from what we have known and abiding in dignity as we push forward into what we do not yet know or what is not yet clear. What if we can trust that everything we need to know or understand is already available to us within the grounding wisdom of our bodies? As Aurora Levins Morales writes in Kindling, “My body and your bodies make a map we can follow … Our bodies are in the mix of everything we call political. What our bodies, my mother’s and yours and mine, require in order to thrive, is what the world requires. If there is a map to get there, it can be found in the atlas of our skin and bone and blood, in the tracks of neurotransmitters and antibodies. We need nourishment, equilibrium, water, connection, justice.” As the Moon forms a trine with Pluto in Capricorn, we can ask: what if coming into right-relationship with our bodies is how we begin to access the map toward living in a world in which we can be in right-relationship with power? What if there is no way to be in right-relationship with power if we still have not learned to trust that the body knows what is needed in order to be well—as a body, as a society, as a planet and a world?  Today the Moon in Taurus makes a sextile with its ruler Venus in Cancer, suggesting making time today for seeking comfort and pleasure in meaningful connections with others, relationships that support you in feeling safe and secure in your own body. Mercury in Leo makes a sextile with Uranus in Taurus, then the Moon in Taurus makes a conjunction with Uranus and a square with Mercury. Uranus in aspect with Mercury and the Moon demands revolutionary change that we can articulate, name, and embody—even in the most rigidly established areas of our personal and collective lives. Audre Lorde writes in “Learning from the 60s,” “Revolution is not a one-time event. It is becoming always vigilant for the smallest opportunity to make a genuine change in established, outgrown responses … Change is the immediate responsibility of each of us, wherever and however we are standing, in whatever arena we choose.” If you long for a world the refuses to be structured by domination, exploitation, and violence, how can you accept responsibility for creating change, for becoming always vigilant for the smallest opportunities to challenge and disrupt deeply entrenched oppressive systems—in how we think, how we speak, and how we embody new possibilities.  Today the Moon makes a conjunction with Mars in Aries before squaring Pluto and Saturn, both retrograde in Capricorn. Mars is dignified in its domicile of Aries, bringing forward its more functional qualities: courage, assertiveness, the will to pursue that which we desire, fight for what we believe in, and defend those in need of defending. But as the Moon moves into the squares with Pluto and Saturn, we may find ourselves in struggle as we encounter resistance to that actions we feel driven to take. Rather than surrendering to discouragement when we find ourselves in struggle for that which matters most to us, can we instead see that it is ourselves who are being forged through such processes? We are becoming more of ourselves as we are shaped by the forces that resist our intentions. As Audre Lorde writes in “Age, Race, Class, and Sex,” “Change means growth, and growth can be painful. But we sharpen self-definition by exposing the self in the work and struggle together with those whom we define as different from ourselves, although sharing the same goals.” In the midst of struggle, both with and alongside those who are different from ourselves, can we push forward into greater clarity in our own self-definition, sharpening our sense of who we are and what it is we are struggling for? The Moon then ingresses into Taurus, the sign of its exaltation, beckoning us back into the grounding comfort of sensual pleasures, our encounters with ourselves, others, and the world around us that not only bring us back to the immediacy of body but also invite us to feel good there, here, wherever we are.  Today the Moon in Aries perfects a brilliantly supportive trine with the Sun in Leo, its own domicile. Aries gives the Moon initiative and the Sun offers whole-hearted courage to not only advance but also sustain that which we are striving to bring into being. The Moon then makes a square to Jupiter in Capricorn. Although Jupiter is both retrograde and fallen in Capricorn, this is still a condition of bonification, Jupiter overcoming the Moon and offering whatever support and affirmation it can provide. Jupiter in Capricorn reminds us to find abundance in what might seem like scarcity, to make the most of what we have available, to pursue sustainable growth even when it seems as if we are doing so in obscurity. Whereas the Sun offers its support today from the radiant dignity of its own throne, Jupiter offers support from the margins, from what might otherwise escape our notice. This reminds me of adrienne maree brown writing about “visionary fiction” in Emergent Strategy: “Fiction that centers those who are currently marginalized—not to be nice, but because those who survive on the margins tend to be the most experientially innovative—practicing survival-based efficiency, doing the most with the least, an important skill area on a planet whose resources are under assault by less marginalized people.” What can you learn from the brilliant innovation of those who are most marginalized? When will we realize that the solutions for so many of the crises we are facing will actually come from those who have been surviving ongoing crises within exploitative systems all along—the wisdom of Indigenous people, Black and Brown people, women and femmes, queer and trans people, disabled communities, undocumented and displaced people, our elders, and so on?  Today the Moon in Pisces makes a sextile to Saturn retrograde in Capricorn and a square to Venus in Gemini. What boundaries do you need to maintain in order to remain your most compassionate self? You may find that your emotional needs and your desire for connection feel as if they are at cross-purposes, but with both the Moon and Venus in mutable signs, adaptation and compromise are more readily available. Then the Moon ingresses into Aries and Venus ingresses into Cancer. With the Moon in Aries, our emotions or felt experiences may drive us to action. Things can get heated, for better or for worse. Try to stay clear with yourself about why you feel compelled to take this action. What are your actually pursuing or defending? Venus has been in Gemini since April 3, and its transition into Cancer may describe a tonal shift in our relationships and social connections, moving from sharing ideas and comparing different perspectives to cultivating shared experiences of safety, comfort, and care. Finally, the Moon makes a trine with Mercury in Leo. Both in fire signs, this is an excitable aspect, potentially sparking conversations or correspondence that bring us into more abiding authenticity. What parts of yourself would you be willing to share if you knew that doing so would allow you to show up more fully as yourself, stoking the fires of your own becoming?  Today the Moon in Pisces makes a sextile to Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn, a conjunction with Neptune in Pisces, and a sextile with Pluto retrograde in Capricorn. This feels like a day for seeking support that comes from the beliefs that sustain us, the faith and hope that give us reasons for continuing in the midst of difficulty or struggle. Whether or not you practice any particular religious or spiritual tradition, what are the beliefs that connect you to something bigger than our immediate circumstances? Octavia Butler writes in Parable of the Sower, “Belief initiates and guides action—Or it does nothing.” And adrienne maree brown asks in Emergent Strategy, “What are the practices you need to line your life up with your values and beliefs?” Begin to articulate what you believe and the kinds of actions such beliefs initiate and guide, then ask yourself what practices you need to develop in order to move in alignment with those beliefs. Feeling into experiences of faith and hope may require us to shift out of ordinary reality, to drop into ways of sensing and perceiving the world that move with intuition and inspiration rather than what we are given as concrete reality. As we do so, we may find that we have access to the power to create meaningful change in ways that are unavailable to us when we rely only on our rational or reasonable faculties. What if we could not only imagine but sense and feel our ways into other possible worlds—and what if we could do so together?  Today the Moon in Pisces makes a sextile to Uranus in Taurus. Pisces often describes an immense capacity for feeling, for empathy and compassion, and the Moon can describe our instinctual needs for care and caretaking. Sextile Uranus, we may be given unanticipated opportunities to exercise compassion or we may find ourselves unexpectedly being held in loving acceptance. Pema Chödrön writes, “To relate with others compassionately is a challenge. Really communicating to the heart and being there for someone else—our child, spouse, parent, client, patient, or the homeless woman on the street—means not shutting down on that person, which means, first of all, not shutting down on ourselves. This means allowing ourselves to feel what we feel and not pushing it away. It means accepting every aspect of ourselves, even the parts we don’t like.” She also writes, “How are we ever going to change anything? How is there going to be less aggression in the universe rather than more? … Well, it starts with being willing to feel what we are going through. It starts with being willing to have a compassionate relationship with the parts of ourselves that we feel are not worthy of existing on the planet.” Uranus often brings the unexpected, and Uranus is also in a long transit, generating gradual but radical change in the area of our charts occupied by Taurus. Today we may be given the opportunity to not only cultivate compassion for ourselves as we move through this larger cycle of change, but also to practice compassion for others that is rooted in the radical self-acceptance we are practicing with ourselves.  Today the Moon in Aquarius makes a sextile to Mars in Aries, offering a boost of initiative and assertiveness to whatever you are working to accomplish today. Then Mars perfects a square with Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn. The square can be a hard aspect; in Hellenistic astrology, it is a condition of both bonification and maltreatment. Jupiter is offering its limited resources for support to Mars, whereas Mars—strong and dignified in its domicile—is hurling rays back to Jupiter, potentially instigating conflict or trouble. Depending on our particular charts, the places ruled by Mars may experience affirmation and modest expansion, and the places ruled by Jupiter—possibly already experiencing scarcity or some form of exclusion—may experience further impediments in the areas for which it is responsible. Then the Moon in Aquarius makes a trine to Venus in Gemini, a lovely aspect for building meaningful connections through conversation, dialogue, and sharing the ideas that matter most. Mercury ingresses into Leo, leaving Cancer where it has been since the end of May. Whereas Mercury in Cancer has been teaching us about emotional intelligence and communicating with care, in Leo, the emphasis turns to self-expression, committing to unwavering authenticity in how we put our ideas out into the world and persisting in our own authority regarding what we know and how we understand. Finally, the Moon ingresses into Pisces, reminding us that our own uniqueness need not separate us from others but actually has the capacity to bring us into deeper resonance.  Today is the Full Moon in Aquarius, with both the Moon and Sun in a T-square with Uranus in Taurus. The Full Moon is the climax of the lunation cycle, when the luminaries face one another in their full light, and the square with Uranus suggests that whatever we are now witnessing or revealing has the capacity to shake us, to radically reorient how we embody what we understand, the break open any pretense or façade that conceals the reality of who we are. With the Sun in Leo, this could be a call to wholehearted courage, which may require breaking down deeply entrenched patterns that resist change. Brené Brown writes in Daring Greatly, “Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.” Imagine the revolution if we were each living from such wholehearted conviction. Later in the day, Mercury in Cancer makes an opposition to Saturn retrograde in Capricorn. Wholehearted living does not mean we are without fear; it means we are capable of confronting and naming our fear, without allowing fear to shape who we are, what we say, and how we show up in the world. If you encounter fear today, acknowledge it, allow yourself to feel it, name it, then decide how you want to respond to the situation if fear is not given authority.  Today the Sun in Leo perfects a square with Uranus in Taurus. The Sun in Leo calls for us to shine more fully in our own authentic brilliance, and Uranus demands refusal of established orders that limit freedom. What would it feel like if you had nothing to hide? What kind of revolution would be possible if we each committed to more fully embodying the gifts and purposes that are particular to each of us rather than attempting to persist through conformity or sameness. As adrienne maree brown writes in Emergent Strategy, “Together we must move like waves. Have you observed the ocean? The waves are not the same over and over—each one is unique and responsive. The goal is not to repeat each other’s motion, but to respond in whatever way feels right in your body. The waves we create are both continuous and a one-time occurrence.” When you listen to what feels right in your body, how are you inspired to show up? Also today, the Moon makes a conjunction to Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, opposes Mercury in Cancer, makes a conjunction to Saturn retrograde in Capricorn, then ingresses into Aquarius. We are feeling our ways through our own complicity with systems of harm and control, the demands for our silent compliance, and accepting responsibility for the ways we have acquiesced to accepting so little of ourselves and one another. But we are also feeling our ways into the realms of new possibility, the promise that other worlds are possible and new ways of thinking are emerging. If we are moving toward a new era, what do you want it to be and who will you be in this forthcoming world?  Today the Moon in Capricorn makes a trine to Uranus in Taurus, a square to Mars in Aries, a conjunction to Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn, and a sextile to Neptune retrograde in Pisces. Uranus’ transit through Taurus describes an eight-year process of breaking up the ground in whatever part of our chart is occupied by Taurus, overturning what had been stable and reliable in order to make room for more authentic growth. The trine with the Moon today may offer a sense of how this larger cycle of change impacts our daily lives. But change often comes with conflict, and we may find ourselves at cross purposes with others who have insistent ideas about what we should be doing. If you encounter resistance or even adversaries on the outside, ground deeply into the affirmation of your own growth that comes from within. Reconnect to the dreams and visions of what you believe to be possible even if you are being told such futures are not possible. Also today, Mercury in Cancer opposes Pluto retrograde in Capricorn. This is a confrontational aspect which may demand that we name misuses and abuses of authority that have gone unacknowledged and unnamed in order to move toward healing. But what form must that acknowledgement and naming take? As Tarana Burke has said in relation to survivors of sexual harassment and assault, “We are in a time where the more you share about yourself, the more people like you; the more likes you get, the more attention you get on social media. So things are framed so that they have to be public and they have to be popular in order to be valid. What we’re trying to do is counter that narrative and say, ‘You don’t have to tell your story publicly. You don’t have to tell anybody what happened to you.’ You have to get it out—but it doesn’t have to be at a poetry reading. It doesn’t have to be on social media at all. It could be a trusted friend. It could be your journal.” What is the form of getting the truth out that moves toward healing?  |
AuthorMichael J. Morris is a witch, an astrologer, a tarot reader, an artist, a writer, and a teacher. Categories
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