NorthPoint Astrology Journal: Your guide to planetary energies for August 24 to 30, 2015 By Pam Younghans

NorthPoint Astrology Journal
Your guide to planetary energies for August 24 to 30, 2015
By Pam Younghans


Highlighted Aspects This Week:

WED: Mercury sextile Saturn, Sun conjunct Jupiter

THU: Mercury enters Libra

FRI: Mercury conjunct North Node, Sun sesquiquadrate Uranus

SAT: Mars quincunx Pluto, Full Moon 11:35am PDT


JUPITER AND THE SUN come together in the sky once a year, the largest planet in the solar system aligning with our source of physical light and warmth. That alignment occurs in a different sign each year, when the Sun catches up to Jupiter about 13 months after their last rendezvous.


Jupiter is known for accentuating or exaggerating the qualities of the sign it is transiting; when the Sun travels through a sign, we tend to identify more closely with that sign's needs and motivations. As the two planets travel together through the first few degrees of Virgo this week, they encourage us to embody the positive qualities of the sixth sign. Some of these traits are selflessness and a desire to be of service, and the discernment and practicality needed to make improvements in any situation.


The exact conjunction between the two planets, when they are aligned at the same degree of Virgo, is on Wednesday at 3:02pm PDT. This alignment should enable us to focus on the positive while also helping us stay grounded and providing plenty of support for us to get necessary work accomplished.


ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, a Mercury-Saturn sextile helps us keep our minds on the task at hand -- a nice assist in fulfilling the promise of the Jupiter-Sun alignment. With Saturn in Scorpio and Mercury in Virgo, we're more able both to see what's been going on behind the scenes and to analyze what needs to be done to make things work better.


Mercury then enters Libra on Thursday, making it easier for us see another's point of view and make decisions based on what will allow everyone to come out a winner. The Mercury-North Node alignment on Friday then helps us take our next steps on the path of personal and spiritual growth, as we more clearly see the value of maintaining both inner and outer balance.


THE FLIES in the ointment in an otherwise very supportive week are two smaller flies, occurring in the form of minor aspects on Friday (Sun sesquiquadrate Uranus at 9:48am PDT) and Saturday (Mars quincunx Pluto, 3:28am PDT).


These two aspects represent the parts of us that still are unwilling to fully participate in the win-win process -- the Sun-Uranus aspect is concerned mostly with its own agenda, and the Mars-Pluto aspect wants to remain in control of the proceedings. If we stay self-aware and understand that cooperation does not have to mean abdication, we can use these more reactive aspects as indicators of where we still need to make adjustments in our perspective.


THE FULL MOON on Saturday could be called mystical. When it occurs, Jupiter is aligned with the Sun in Virgo, and the Moon is aligned with Neptune in Pisces.


These planetary placements create an energy field that links two signs that are often seen as polar opposites -- Virgo being pragmatic and analytical, and Pisces being spiritual and intuitive. But given the sympathetic vibration shared by Jupiter and Neptune (Jupiter was the ruler of Pisces before Neptune was discovered in 1846), this particular polarity may come into balance more easily than some.


THAT MEANS that this lunation provides a special opportunity for us to integrate our spirituality more fully into our daily lives, and to elevate our work and healing capacity to new levels. And, while most Full Moons emphasize our psychic senses and ability to perceive through our emotions, with this lunation in Pisces and conjunct Neptune, those qualities come even more fully into our awareness.


The Sabian symbol for the location of the Moon at the time of the lunation sheds more light on the potentials of its energies:


"Illumined by a shaft of light, a large cross lies on rocks surrounded by sea mist: The spiritual blessing which strengthens individuals who, happen what may, stand uncompromisingly for their own truth."


AS ASTROLOGER Dane Rudhyar tells us in his interpretation of this symbol:


"The symbol tells us: 'Be true to thine own self, and in the midst of the outer confusion displayed by those surrounding you, you will realize what you really are as an individual -- a child of God.' This symbol implies the supreme worth of a life guided by an inner voice and manifesting a high degree of self-assertion."


It sounds like next Saturday's Full Moon provides the energetic framework that can help us come to new awareness about the nonphysical support that is available to us, while at the same time acknowledging the value of our unique human contribution. By embracing the potentials in growth that are offered, we reap the benefits of both the physical and the spiritual realms.


Copyright Pam Younghans 2015. All rights reserved.