If you happen to be stargazing this week, don’t be startled if Venus appears to have reversed course and is traveling backwards. It isn’t a sign of the Apocalypse, nor have the laws of physics been suspended—it is just Venus in retrograde.

Planets in retrograde appear to move backward due to an optical illusion related to concentric planetary orbits and our vantage place here on earth. It’s akin to the illusion we experience when we stop for a red light and another car slowly rolls past us, making us feel like we are moving backwards. Planets regularly go into retrograde for periods of time—in Venus’s case, it is for six weeks every 18 months.

Although the reverse motion of a retrograde planet is illusory, it’s astrological effect on us is very real and can be profound. The energy of retrograde planets is more subjective than that of a planet in direct motion; it is an energy we tend to internalize rather than project. This dynamic internalization pushes us to reflect on our lives (and our pasts) through the lens of the retrograde planet’s specific qualities and attributes. In the case of Venus, those qualities and attributes are embodied in our approach (and the value we attach) to love, romance, pleasure, beauty, creativity and finances.

So for the next month-and-a-half we may find that Venus retrograde is stirring up memories of bygone relationships and of how we treated others; the worth we assigned to ourselves, to our time, our jobs, our passions, our loved ones, and to money and the material possessions money gets us. This period of intense self-examination can be isolating, making us appear neglectful, self-absorbed, standoffish or just plain rude. But, if we take advantage of Venus retrograde by making an honest and thorough inventory of our values and actions, we can learn important lessons about why we love the people and things we love, who we truly are, and who we want to become. The self-knowledge we can potentially acquire during Venus retrograde can be a driving force for dramatic, personal growth.

We should be mindful not to alienate our loved ones during this period, but to honor the truths we discover when reflecting on our lives. If we happen to have Venus retrograde in our natal chart, we can expect the next six weeks to be even more intense.

Venus is in retrograde until April 15th.

 

Would you like to know about how Venus retrograde can affect you, or discover the impact of having Venus retrograde in your birth chart? Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or click here to book a consultation. We are here to help.

Jupiter in Virgo opposite Uranus in Pisces: February 20th—March 12th

If you feel like you are a prisoner of fate, now is a good time to break free and shape your own destiny.

The surging energy of transiting Jupiter in Virgo—directly opposite of Uranus in Pisces—is likely to trigger a deep inner yearning to rebel against routine and shed the shackles of circumstance and expectation. Jupiter is the planet of expansiveness and Uranus is the planet of revolutionary change—the dynamic tension created by their opposition can shock us out of complacency and hurtle us to new and unexplored horizons. If approached with an open heart and mind, this can lead to profound self-growth and a new level of self-awareness.

The type of change induced by this rare transit (it occurs only once every 14 years or so) can be sudden and life (or world) altering—think of the kind of sweeping change that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall, which, by the way, happened during a Jupiter-opposite-Uranus transit.

Change is never easy and this could prove to be a challenging time for you and your loved ones, so treat others as kindly and as considerately as possible over the coming weeks. However, the rewards of making a bold, and hopefully positive new start is well worth the discomfort of ruffling some feathers.

Try to make the most of this unique and powerful transit, which ends on March 12th, by making changes that are for the better. With the help of Uranus, you can revolt against the tyranny of negative thought patterns and ingrained bad habits; tapping into the expansive drive of Jupiter will allow you to broaden your consciousness, deepen your humanity and develop a higher spiritual awareness. The Cosmos is showing you the road to freedom; it is up to you to choose where that road will lead you.

 

We can show you how to get the most benefit from Jupiter opposite Uranus. Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

The Cosmos is sending out a Valentine’s Day message for lovers everywhere this year—on February 14th you will win over more hearts by practicing patience and kindness than by handing out flowers and chocolates.

Why? Because on Valentine’s Day the Moon is in Virgo, a sign of exacting nature and high expectation, which places it exactly opposite to Mars—the most forceful planet in the solar system—which is in the romantic sign of Pisces. Venus, the planet of love and passion, is also in Pisces and is conjunct with pushy Mars.

The cumulative energy of this planetary alignment is a driving desire for love and a powerful yearning for passion and fulfillment, which can place a lot of expectation on our loved ones and sweethearts. The overall effect of these primary forces can leave us feeling emotionally volatile, making us easily agitated and quick to anger—especially if our wants or desires are thwarted and left unfulfilled. Feelings of frustration could lead us to pressure those we love to give us what we want, when we want it—a sure-fire way to kill any romantic mood and put a damper on this special day.

It is important to remember that true love—which St. Valentine’s Day symbolizes and celebrates—is not based on passion or personal gratification; it is a selfless love that arises from compassion. So be especially patient, gentle and kind with your Valentine (and everyone else) this year, even if you feel that your love is not being immediately acknowledged or returned in the way you would hope.

Connect with the boundless love radiating within your inner spirit and allow that tenderness of heart to guide you in your interactions with others. The feelings of warmth and goodwill generated by a kind action will last far longer that a single day and will return to you many fold.

Of course, chocolates and flowers are always appreciated!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

To promote and celebrate lasting love, we are offering a 20 % discount on all one-hour Zoom (Skype) consultations with Guylaine during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day! If you want to bring the romance back into your relationship, or anything else you heart desires, give us a call at 866-428-3799 or click here for a consultation. We are here to help.

Rahu in Leo / Ketu in Aquarius

With the holidays truly over and all those New Year’s resolutions we made staring us in the face, it might be a good time to take stock of what we’ve accomplished, where we are, and exactly where we’re heading—or should be heading.

And there is no better cosmic mirror for providing an honest assessment of our past, present and future than the shadow planets of Rahu and Ketu.

Rahu and Ketu represent our karmic bank balance—a tally of the lessons we’ve learned and still need to learn as we journey through this life and from one reincarnated lifetime to the next. The ultimate destination of every soul is freedom from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. We can only reach this destination by freeing ourselves of the illusion that fulfillment can be found in the finite, material world. Rahu and Ketu help us achieve that goal by reminding us of the steps we have already taken and the steps we have yet to take in order to be liberated from this illusion.

Ketu represents our past, the foundation upon which we build our present, and Rahu represents our present environment and how we can develop it into a positive future. For the past 12 months Rahu has been in Leo and Ketu has been in Aquarius, where they will remain until October of this year.

So, what are Rahu and Ketu telling us right now? Well, Ketu in Aquarius relates to the humanistic sign of the water bearer, urging us to be philanthropic, altruistic and acquire a more humanitarian world vision. Rahu in Leo reveals the need for us to share that humanitarian vision with the world—an effort that will benefit everyone. In short, this karmic placement calls on us to widely relay Aquarian wisdom through the creative energies of Leo.

But this is more easily said than done. Rahu in the sign of Leo, the proud lion, feels the need to bask in the light of its own uniqueness and creativity and not to share the stage with others. Therefore, the great challenge during this particular Ketu-Rahu alignment is to balance our self-interest with our concern for others—an exaggerated sense of self can jeopardize even the noblest of intentions and rack up negative karma.

So, whatever New Year resolutions we may have set for ourselves—be it losing weight or getting a pay raise—Ketu and Rahu are telling us our real resolution should be to become better and more humane individuals and help others do the same. These are the lessons we need to learn during this transit—learning them will not only benefit the wider world, it will help balance our karmic ledger and place us that much closer to freeing our souls.

Ketu and Rahu change signs approximately every 18 months—so you have until October 9th to do all you can to master the lessons you’ve been assigned in this current transit.

 

Want to know where Ketu and Rahu are in your chart and what they have to teach you personally? Give us a call at 866-428-3799 or click here for a consultation. We are here to help.

Venus in Pisces: January 26th to May 30th

It may be the dead of winter, but a current alignment of planets could soon be warming our hearts!

Venus—the planet of love, relationships, creativity and beauty—entered the mystical water sign of Pisces on January 26th. This is a most welcome transit and one that, happily, will be with us for an extended period. Venus normally moves in and out of a sign in roughly 30 days, but thanks to a unique set of planetary conditions, it will remain in Pisces until the end of May.

Venus is exalted in Pisces, which simply means that, in Pisces, Venus’s best qualities radiate most powerfully and impact us most beneficially. This Venus-Pisces combination provides a major boost to all forms of interpersonal relationships; it allows us to feel and express love and devotion with a greater degree of truth, depth and compassion. The positive emotional power generated by this celestial aspect makes it an ideal time for connecting with the people we care about, and those we would like to care about. (Don’t forget that Valentine’s Day occurs during this transit!)

Venus in Pisces offers us a unique opportunity to make the world a better place by using its energy to practice love and compassion in all we do, and by being of service to others. When we act with love and kindness we inspire others to do the same.

This is also an excellent time for expressing creativity in every field, whether we choose to do so by championing a worthwhile cause or by expressing ourselves artistically. If you have never been involved in the arts but have always wanted to be, now would be the time to act upon your creative impulses. Search for a project that excites you, find a mentor or sign up for a course in something that will connect you with your passion.

On a cautionary note, feelings of nostalgia can run high during a Venus-Pisces transit—so be careful not to waste this cosmic gift by drifting into fantasy, or escaping into dreamy expectations that might frustrate or crush you when reality kicks in. Make the most of every moment by connecting to what and who you love with both your heart and your eyes wide open. Make your feelings count by ensuring they are real and honest. As always, the surest way to achieve this is by communicating with your higher self (or higher power) through yoga and meditation. Emotion is always most authentic and long-lasting when rooted in devotion.

 

Want to make the most of this powerful transit? Click here to book a consultation. We are here to help.

If you woke up at dawn this morning with an overpowering urge to cock-a-doodle-doo, there is no need to panic—today is Chinese New Year and marks the beginning of the Year of The Rooster.

In a 12-year cycle of Chinese astrology, the 12 signs of the zodiac are represented by different animals. The year of The Rooster—the tenth sign of the Chinese zodiac—most closely corresponds to Jupiter in Virgo in the Vedic system.

Overall, the message for the Year of The Rooster is to keep focused on the big picture. Pay attention to the details, but don’t let them bog you down or sidetrack you from long-term goals. The same holds true for the way in which we view ourselves—don’t become so preoccupied with your own concerns that you fail to hear what others are telling you. Be expansive of spirit—don’t be critical or take offense at insignificant slights.

This can be a challenging year both emotionally and career-wise, but it can also be a year of good fortune if restraint, patience and common sense are regularly practiced. Think before you speak, double check your facts before making assertions and don’t needlessly complicate situations that are simple and straightforward.

Most importantly—enjoy the New Year!

Mars in Pisces: January 18th, 2017

If you feel you’re still suffering from a holiday hangover—don’t blame it on an excess of Christmas turkey or too much tippling on New Year’s Eve. Even before the festive season began, we were all stuck in an uncomfortable cosmic gridlock known as a Kala Sarpa Yoga—a topsy-turvy cosmic alignment with all the planets bunched together on one side of the Rahu-Ketu nodal axis.

Kala Sarpa Yogas are notorious for giving us a one-sided view of the world, stirring up intense emotions, creating interpersonal friction and causing feelings of loneliness and isolation. It can be a very emotionally draining aspect, especially at a time when we are drawing on all our energies to tackle the challenges of the burgeoning new year.

Luckily, Mars, the noble warrior planet, is coming to the rescue! On Wednesday, January 18th Mars broke away from the pack of tightly knotted planets and entered Pisces—in doing so it single-handedly shattered the Kala Sarpa Yoga.

Mars entering Pisces is good news for all of us. Mars a very close friend of Jupiter and flourishes in Jupiter-ruled Pisces. In Vedic astrology Jupiter is referred to as the “Guru” or “dispeller of darkness” and considered the most expansive, benefic planet in the solar system. Jupiter bestows wisdom, luck, respect, generosity, justice, and a deep sense of spirituality. And while it is in Pisces, Mars will absorb and be directed by Jupiter’s many beneficent attributes, which will enhance its own positive characteristics of courage, bravery, energy and passion. The Jupiter effect will soften Mars’ rough warrior edges, rendering its combative nature into that of the vigilant and conscientious peace keeper, guiding its forceful energy toward civility, graciousness, compassion, spiritual vitality, and spurring it to fight for worthy and charitable causes.

Pisces is the sign of mystical awareness and devotion. So as Mars travels through Pisces over the next several weeks, it will embrace the role of disciplined spiritual soldier, making this an ideal time for us to channel that powerful Mars energy into our own devotional practices. Adopting the fierce intensity of Mars can be unsettling at first, but if we direct that passion to our hearts to make a spiritual connection, the benefits to our lives and our souls will be incalculable.

Mars will be in Pisces until February 28th, so please use this period wisely—find the time to reflect on what matters most to you, commune with nature, pray to your higher power, meditate and practice yoga. Devote yourself to being devoted.

 

Let us help you get the most benefit from this important Mars transit and show you how it is affecting you own astrological chart. Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

A major cosmic shift is underway that will dramatically affect all our lives into early 2020.

On January 13th Saturn, the slow moving planetary giant embodying discipline, duty and self-awareness, completed it’s 2 ½-year sojourn in Scorpio and entered into Sagittarius—the auspicious 9th sign of the zodiac.

Saturn is the personification of the Lord of Karma—it casts an unflinching light on our past (and past life) deeds and illuminates the aspects of ourselves most in need of attention, repair and development. While our personal natal chart dictates the exact areas of our individual lives Saturn wants us to focus on, Saturn’s three-year presence in Sagittarius is of great significance to each and every one of us.

Saturn is a strict and formidable taskmaster; if we learn the lessons we need to learn, the next few years will present great opportunities and rewards that will be deeply gratifying and potentially life-changing. However, if we choose to ignore those lessons, we will likely encounter some dire challenges, painful circumstances and difficult times.

So, what are the lessons Saturn expects us to learn while it is in Sagittarius? Well, Sagittarius is all about transparency, veracity, wisdom, faith, exploration and the search for divine knowledge, so first and foremost, we must learn to be honest with ourselves and with others. Falsehood, deception and self-delusion should be avoided at all costs and entirely rooted out of our consciousness during this Saturn-Sagittarian transit. Our mission for the next three years—if we choose to accept it—is to be truthful in all our dealings, to confront our personal deficits honestly, develop our higher selves and buttress our faith in a higher power.

Sagittarius is a mutable sign ruled by beneficent and expansive Jupiter, making this an excellent time for engaging in higher education, exploring philosophical principles, embarking on an inner spiritual journey through meditation, becoming more flexible in body and mind by practicing yoga or tai chi, or broadening our horizons by learning a new language or a creative art—anything, as long as it ignites our hearts and helps us to help others with our accumulated knowledge and wisdom.

Saturn can be a very tough teacher, but working together with auspicious Sagittarius and fortune-shaping Jupiter, it can make miracles happen. If we are prepared to listen with an open, honest and willing heart to what Saturn in Sagittarius is telling us, the truth will set us free.

 

Want to make the most of this powerful transit? Click here to book a consultation. We are here to help.

Hitting the Mark in 2017

The full Moon of January 12th—the first full Moon of the year—is shining a bright light on how we can achieve our goals and fulfill our responsibilities in 2017.

Astrologically, the 28-day lunar cycle can be viewed as a series of beginnings and completions. The new Moon is ripe with potential—it symbolizes our intentions and the possibilities of things to come; the full Moon represents the fulfillment or completion of those possibilities. The most recent new Moon occurred during the final days of 2016, so today’s full Moon not only forces us to deal with the ramifications of the intentions we held as last year drew to a close, but it sets the stage for the year to come.

Exactly what does this first full Moon of 2017 have to say to us? To begin with, it became full just after dawn this morning, placing it in the sign of Gemini and exactly opposite of the Sun in Sagittarius. Gemini represents our mental vigor while Sagittarius pertains to our highest ideals—making this an excellent time to employ intellectual rigor to scrutinize our belief systems. In doing so we can design realistic strategies to achieve what is best for ourselves and in the best interest of those around us. This is most beneficially accomplished by looking deep within ourselves and examining our true motives, by following what our heart tells us is morally correct, and by seeking the advice and counsel of those we most trust.

With Gemini analyzing where we personally want to go, and Sagittarius, the idealistic archer, altruistically aiming the bow and arrow, we have an excellent chance of hitting our mark this month and throughout the year.

 

We can help you derive the most benefit from this important full moon and to chart a successful course for the coming year. Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

Here is an astrological glimpse of the year ahead based on a planetary chart calculated at precisely one minute past midnight on January 1st, 2017 in Cheneville, Quebec.

In short, 2017 promises to be challenging both personally and globally—but the challenges we will face, if properly managed, can present us with great opportunities for growth and prosperity.

chart-of-2017The most significant aspect of the New Year chart is that planets are aligned in a Kala Sarpa yoga, which means they are clustered together on one side of the chart between the shadow planets of Rahu and Ketu. (Although Mars is located slightly outside of the planetary cluster in the New Year chart, it is separated by only five degrees, so all in all the Kala Sarpa yoga effect is maintained.)

The Kala Sarpa yoga is often considered a negative alignment—but it doesn’t have to be. When we are aware of the challenges this planetary combination can produce, we can take steps to avoid its undesirable influences and turn its collective energy to our advantage.

The difficulties associated with Kala Sarpa stem from its lopsided nature. There are twelve houses in a chart. Having all the planets on one side of the chart focuses a kind of hyper-cosmic energy onto the occupied houses that, while directing great energy and momentum to those areas, which can result in undreamed-of success, leaves the other houses empty and neglected. This dichotomy can result in a tunnel vision that can upset our equilibrium, potentially isolating us from others and leaving us feeling alone and alienated.

In a balanced chart, the planets are distributed evenly above and below the horizon, indicating a balance in all areas of our lives. But in this unbalanced, Kala Sarpa New Year chart, nearly all the planets (with the exception for Rahu in the 12th house) are below the horizon, occupying houses one through six. These houses reflect deeply personal aspects of our existence—our sense of self and self-dignity, our finances, our interpersonal relationships with our siblings and our community, how we feel for our home life, our homeland and our mother, our romantic life, our individual health, the manner in which we respond to opposition and competition and our ability to deal with the consequences of our past actions. Having all the planets placed in these houses denotes a strong tendency to be preoccupied with our personal problems, doubts, worries and insecurities. This can push us into ourselves and pull us away from other people—even the people we care for the most. And because the first six houses represent areas of our lives established during our formative years, they are more difficult for us to control or change than the six other houses, which are above the horizon and more readily conquered using freewill and discernment.

Therefore, it is imperative for us to be calm and reflective in our personal life over the next 12 months, to resist the urge to isolate and to be proactive instead of reactive in our dealings with others, particularly in the way we treat ourselves and those we love. Don’t beat yourself up for missteps made during 2016—it was a difficult year for everyone and will have lingering effects we can properly address in the coming weeks and months. Use the struggles of the past year as a lesson in how to best overcome the new hurdles in the year ahead.

A Kala Sarpa yoga can also cause us to cast a fretful eye on the national and international scene, pushing us to internalize the growing unrest and uncertainty in world affairs—this can intensify our emotional and psychological stress and threaten our overall health and peace of mind. It is therefore imperative to keep our equilibrium by maintaining a philosophical long-view when it comes to current events. For example, don’t allow an upswing in global political anger and fear-mongering to arouse internal feelings of anger, bias or bitterness. Try to raise the level of discussion through positive debate and dialogue—this will raise your own consciousness as well as the consciousness of those around you, which ultimately create a better world.

The best news offered to us in the New Year chart is that while planets, although not situated in a sign in which they are at home, are directly connected by aspect to their home signs. So while we may face some initial struggle in knowing the right course of action to follow, or expressing our feelings, we still have access to an intuitive sense of what to do to ensure success at every level. We can tune into this intuition most effectively by using our discernment, wisdom and the deep-rooted insight derived through regular meditation.

If we follow this simple remedy, 2017 is sure to be a happy, harmonious and prosperous year for ourselves, our loved ones and all of humankind.

 

Want to know how to make the planets work best for you in 2017? Give us a call or book a consultation by clicking here. We are here to help.