Our experience of the world has changed greatly over the past few months.   We are undergoing a collective experience in a manner that most of us have never encountered within our lifetime.   Never has it been so abundantly clear that we are all connected, everything is connected. 


As we consciously work to evolve, to experience more coherence between our inner and outer worlds, our unfoldment implicitly and explicitly nourishes others and offers sustenance to to the world on a collective level as well. 


The concept of the butterfly effect, that when a butterfly flutters it wings in Japan it essentially affects the air currents thousands of miles away, is part of what is known as Chaos Theory.  An interdisciplinary idea that spans both science and mathematics, Chaos Theory holds that that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnectedness, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals, and self-organization.  


In essence Chaos Theory explains the core of astrology.


Astrologers use the practice of astrology to see through the moment to something more. We look at patterns reflected in the chart experienced that are experienced  both physically and psychologically by the individual. The intricate mathematics used to erect astrological charts unfailingly reflect the interconnectedness both within the  microcosm of the individual and the macrocosm of the collective whole with the breathtaking accuracy.  You would recognize this as predictive work.  


Those who work with me doing depth work using their chart in a process I like to call Alchemical Midwifery know that I am all about the embodiment of the energies symbolically represented in the chart.  It is after all the map(personalized alchemical compass) not the territory of your life. 


We work to experience their chart as living entity that mirrors their experience, a sort of alchemical compass that is their companion on this journey.  A Daimon (guiding spirit) of sorts that reflects both the inner and outer landscape.  We explore uncharted territory together bringing  the subconscious and unconscious world to the surface of awareness where we can harness the energy and reimagine the path available enabling them to more fully live the lives they desire.   In essence we are working to actualize more consciously the potentialities expressed within.


I deliberately use the word Alchemical because we are always changing and transforming, in the actual process of alchemy nothing ever stayed static. It was a dynamic process that began with the Nigredo, the blackening, which Jung referred to as the dark night of the soul.  In other words to symbolically go from lead to gold took something and involved a lot of soul work.  The process of transformation is beautiful and intense but it certainly isn’t just pretty vistas along the way.


The journey of life is the ultimate Alchemical process for us both an individuals and as a collective.  2020 has been deeply discussed by astrologers for years as there was so much happening from a planetary perspective we knew it symbolized a time of great change. The implicit invitation of the present moment being offered is abundantly clear when we examine the transiting Nodes of the Moon.


The Nodes represent the point where the Moon, representing the entire repository of our past experience in the material world (in many lifetimes, if belief accepts it) crosses the ecliptic, or path, of the Sun in relation to the earth.  It is, in essence, the conjoining of two pathways, the material (represented by the Moon) and the spiritual (represented by the Sun) as viewed from the earth.  The Nodes symbolize the experience of life crossing with the infinite potential of the life path.  


In our individual charts the the Sun and Moon, known as the luminaries,  are more than planets; they are the lights of our inner sky, our inner universe.  Most people know their Sun Sign, yet it is the moon with its more reflective light that we live much of our life from on a daily basis. Acting as a mediator between our inner and outer worlds it contains our experience. It illuminates our sense of belonging, our sense of safety, our instincts, our body both physical and emotional.  Often operating unconsciously, it acts as the repository of our past experience in the material world both in this lifetime and others.  


When I was a baby astrologer in my 20’s  I often was willing to play the skeptics game of “Guess My Sign” and I would inevitably be wrong only later to find out that I had correctly guessed the sign of their their moon. This is because while we may think we know our selves though Sun in its beaming brightness, we live our day to day lives from our Moon and this is reflected in our unconscious habitual behavior. 


The Sun on the other hand, represents the spirit’s way forward.  It the present moment the here and now.  It is the new energy, the path our soul is sojourning on.  The luminaries are both essential in this pilgrimage we call life.  


Also known as the Dragon’s head (North Node) and the Dragon’s tail (South Node) are profoundly revealing both individually in our Natal chart and also as they move though the various signs.  They illuminate both the past and the pathway forward thus providing a guiding light in the present moment.


This year at the beginning of April the transiting Nodes changed signs, moving from Cancer/Capricorn to Gemini/Sagittarius symbolically meaning that as a collective for the next 18 months the conscious path forward has shifted. 


Now, what does that mean on a personal level?   


The South Node, now in Sagittarius,  is more connected with the Moon, the habitual response AKA unconscious, our past. 


Ironically a sense freedom is very important to Sagittarius at its core and on a collective level as the Node shifted signs we found ourselves on lockdown which is a very literally experience of the node in this sign.  


To be able to use this energy we need to examine the invitation it extends. From my perspective as it moves through Sagittarius we are being asked, both personally and collectively,  to let go of unconscious patterns of belief, ways of seeing, of imagining our world, that are no longer serving us. 


Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, meaning symbolically Jupiter is the guardian of this particular area of the Zodiac.  Jupiter,  the principle of expansion, is connected to our beliefs. When Jupiter is afflicted we lose confidence and have to work to reclaim it.   Certainly we can all see this currently reflected around us in a myriad of ways on a collective level.  


One of my favorite Carl Jung quotes is “What we Don’t integrate on the inside shows up on the outside dressed as fate.”   


To be able to personalize this moment and consciously use the energy of the transiting nodes I offer these these questions as a leaping off point.  I invite your o use them as  them to  as a means of contemplation whether though journaling, meditation or though any activity that helps to assist you in exploring the uncharted territory within.


Where do you consistently find yourself stuck in life?  What happens again and again?  How is the external world acting as a mirror of your internal assumptions of what is possible for yourself and your life?   What are you afraid of or what triggers your anger?  What are you clinging to even though it hasn’t really nourished you for some time?  


There is a hidden belief underneath any  pattern that is deftly helping to shape the outcome of your experience. It filters everything you perceive.  It’s not about recrimination or blame.  We developed these beliefs, these defenses, in many cases as children or even young adults in response to a very big world we couldn’t control or we were conditioned to believe certain things about ourselves. 


The path forward, the North Node,  now lies in the Gemini.  The clue to this lies in Gemini’s planetary ruler Mercury, the God of communication, travel, thresholds and the crossroads. He literally could be dubbed the God of reinvention.  This is a period of exploration, of discovery, a fork in the road. This is a moment to try many new things.  A  time reinventing yourself and reimagining what is possible for yourself and your life.  A metamorphosis.


In Greek mythology Mercury was known as the way finder, the God who was always sent in to move the story forward when the hero or heroine had become mired in their circumstances.  


Explore what thresholds are beckoning you to enter or are you already standing at one in your life?    What new curious horizon is calling you forward? What urge might be hovering just below the level of conscious awareness?   Most importantly, what may have worked in the past,  “what you know” isn’t going to work the same way right now.  Just look at what has happened for most of us in our work life, everything changed in a moment.  


Whether it is emphasized or not we all have the Gemini/Sagittarius polarity somewhere within our natal chart.  


Aries and Aries Rising:  


The nodal axis is moving through your 3rd and 9th houses until January of 2022 so the transit of the North Node in Gemini’s overall message of letting go of what you know and being willing to discover and explore is tantamount right now as it is being doubly emphasized in your solar chart.  Aries is always  up for a challenge so this should be an exciting period as there will be a lot of movement both in your inner and outer worlds during this period. In other words, boredom should not be a problem.  The 3rd house is connected with communication, our neighborhood and siblings.  You might find yourself moving to a new area or getting a new job which would be a new work neighborhood from an astrological point of view. Listening is going to be key through this period.  Don’t make assumptions that you know what someone is thinking. In a similar manner don’t make assumptions about your own life and listen deeply within.  Seize the moment to initiate the changes you have been hungering for. Use your experience but approach everything from the perspective of beginner’s mind. 


Taurus and Taurus Rising:  


The nodal axis is moving through your 2nd and 8th houses until January of 2022 when the transiting Node moves into Taurus and it will be a personal time for  new beginnings.  On a certain level the insight for Taurus echos Scorpio’s message of letting go as the 8th house rules elimination.   But in your case it is South Node in the 8th.  The North node, the path forward, is in the 2nd so much of your focus will be rediscovering, or perhaps truly discovering for the first time on a conscious level what profoundly matters to you. Taurus more than any other sign appreciates the comfortable and familiar so it can settle in long past the time to move along and thus you might find this period a little discombobulating. The invitation, the opportunity now if you want to harness the energy for your own benefit is to dig below the surface and find what  treasure is buried below.   The 2nd house rules money and possessions but at its core it is all about self worth and value. Questions that might be helpful to ask yourself are: What do I own literally, or metaphorically what can I take ownership of that gives me a sense of value?  Where am I undermining my sense of self worth by just surviving?  How am I devaluing myself? If you listen within the answers you receive may surprise you. 


Gemini and Gemini Rising: 


For Geminis, more than any other sign, the period between now and January of 2022 when the nodes move into Taurus/Scorpio heralds a  time of  new beginnings. Whether it is a new relationship, new vocation, new home you are very personally being impacted by this period.  This is the moment to prepare to launch what you’re going to do next from the small to the more significant.  The nodal axis is moving through your 1st house (North Node)which rules you personally, from your body to your personality and your 7th house which rules committed relationships, which can be anything from romantic to people with whom you have a contract.  People will be moving in and out of your life.  Those that you have outgrown will move on and  those that arrive will more reflect who you are becoming.   Ask yourself what new horizon to I want to take a step towards? 


Cancer and Cancer Rising:  


The nodal axis is  moving through your 12th house(North Node) and 6th House ( South Node).  The path forward currently is in the 12th which on the positive side rules our unconscious mind, and intuitive abilities. On the more challenging side rules escapism and addiction.  It is a house of letting go. Keeping a dream journal during this period could be particularly rewarding. Meditation also will be especially gratifying.   This is a gestation period, pay attention to signals from your unconscious mind. It might be that  there is a lot going on behind the scenes, this could be a very creative period but it is important to ground yourself and expect the unexpected.  Don’t try to control the uncontrollable by holding on to what is no longer serving you so you will feel more secure. 


Leo and Leo Rising: 


The nodal axis is  moving through your 11th house(North Node) and 5th House ( South Node) which means the 11th house of Tribe (community/friends) and goals is being highlighted.  It’s time to reach out and connect or reconnect to close friends. Getting involved with people in your community, even virtually (the 11th rules the internet) will bring great rewards.  Look to the big picture.  Shake the dust off of your dreams and reimagine what’s possible. If you are a creative type or have creative aspirations now is the time not just to o plan but to take action by being in the area and connect your vision with the world.  








Virgo and Virgo Rising: 


Your professional life and who you are in the world is in the spotlight.  The big question to be asking yourself is does my outer world reflect my inner world?   In other words am I living authentically?  There is a line in a sacred Hermetic document known as the Emerald Tablet that almost everyone knows “As Above so Below.”  Symbolically that is a reference spiritually in the natal chart to the 4th and 10th houses, the 4th being below, our roots, foundation and innermost self and the 10th which represents how we are known in the outer world, our reputation, what we are known for.  This is a time of opportunity, between now and January of 2022, to harness the energy and align your inner and outer worlds creating a seat of power that transforms your place in the world.


Libra and Libra Rising:  


Yours is in interesting conundrum right now.  The 9th and 3rd houses of your solar chart are being activated.  With the North Node in the 9th, You are being asked to expand: to expand your beliefs, your territory, in essence to journey from knowledge to wisdom. To explore what gives you life meaning.  This could take many forms. The 9th house rules long distance travel, higher education, publishing.  It’s time to sojourn, hold the attitude of a pilgrim, one who journeys a long distance to a sacred place as an act of devotion though they don’t know what they will encounter along the path..   In the Tarot this would be resented by the Fool card, someone taking a leap of faith as they set out.




Scorpio and Scorpio Rising: 


With the transiting Nodes activating your 8th and 2nd houses.  The North Node, the path forward, is moving through the 8th a house of transformation.  It literally rules elimination.  This is a profound time of letting go of what is no longer serving you or your life.  Where have you put off moving forward in order to “stay secure?”  This won’t work any longer, and if there is anything I have learned from my own experience is that it is better to move forward into the unknown even if it is scary, or the universe will “help” you take the steps you know must be taken through a series of circumstances.  What are you trying to make work that really has outlived its time? The 8th house, ruling death, reminds us that everything in our lives has a cycle. If you have been considering therapy or some type of inner work it will be particularly rewarding currently. The 8th also also rules inheritance and other people’s money, including wealth, debts and taxes.  


Sagittarius and Sagittarius Rising:  


The North Node is traveling through your 7th house of relationships, which means the South Node is moving though the 1st house of self.  Now is the time to cultivate your relationships with others whether a more committed romantic relationship or a business partnerships.  Remember the north node is in Gemini; work on discovering your partner anew in each moment rather than “knowing” who they are. Let go of your preconceptions and really be present with the people in your life as you continuously become in your journey together.   Practice the art of deeply listening. 




Capricorn and Capricorn Rising:  


The North Node is moving though your 6th house, the South through your 12th.  The 6th house is connected to our day to day life, our work, our habits, our health, our diet, our digestion. It is the house of mastery and devotion. It asks us what we serve.   Use this time to focus on the smallest details of your day to day life and explore them to build habits, or rather rituals, aka conscious habits, that serve your daily existence. That danger, so to speak, lies in the fact that the south node is traveling through the 12th in your solar chart, which can be the house of self undoing, our blind spot.  The more you discover things you simply hadn’t noticed before and then consistently consciously practice actively taking care of what needs to be taken care of the more your world will open up.


Aquarius and Aquarius Rising: 


The North Node is traveling through your solar 5th house which in Hellenistic Astrology (ancient Greek) was the house the Venus the Goddess of love and creativity found her joy.  It is the house of pleasure.  It is the house of children, both literal and creative.  It is the arena of self expression.   Make Love, dance in the rain or under the full moon, paint, reclaim your creativity and break your inner child out of jail.  Allow yourself to be a beginner and try a new form of self expression.  Rediscover your sense of play.  Call on the muse for a creative project.  Have a love affair, revamp your social life.  Not networking, not saving the world.  Your social life.  Cultivate the joy of simply being with people you love.



Pisces and Pisces Rising:  


Since the beginning of April your inner world, roots, physical home and family are all being highlighted with the transiting North node in the 4th house.  A certain type of movement is being called for, this might be literal as in a physical move or you might finding yourself metaphorically looking for where you feel you belong in the world.  You might be feeling  a great push and pull between the inner world and the outer world. With the South Node in the 10th house the universe is asking you to put your career on the back burner if it is not in alignment with who you really are.  You will feel  pushed to make sure the two are in closer alignment. Authenticity is the word of the day.  Letting out your deeper expressions of feeling to another can make things especially intimate right now, but make sure you express yourself clearly and are not misunderstood. The perfect time to feel “at home” with someone, either literally or figuratively. Where you stand is sacred ground, now is the perfect time to reclaim it. 


​Click here to download the slides from the Day of Pace Music Festival 

Consciously Using The Virgo Pisces Polarity

 Similar to life, astrological understanding requires reconciling opposites.  So how do we go about balancing the polarities with our lives and ourselves?

There are twelve signs and six polarities.  Aries/Libra, Taurus/Scorpio, Gemini/Sagittarius, Cancer/Capricorn, Leo Aquarius and finally Virgo/Pisces.

We contain all of the signs/polarities within our charts and thus within our lives.  Each one is asking us to develop certain qualities.  Some may be more emphasized than others but they are all part of our journey. All of them bring wisdom that we can consciously develop.

For longest time the Virgo/Pisces polarity was somewhat mystifying to me.  I understood the cookbook definitions but what was it asking from me?  From my clients where it was emphasized?  In other words, what did it really want? 

Both signs have the idea of serving or suffering associated with them.   But serving what?

On many levels I often feel that Virgo is the most misunderstood.  It certainly has had a bad rap, often being associated with anal, fanatically neat personalities…perfectionism.   And the dark side of Virgo can certainly go there.

At its best Virgo is about bringing order to chaos, about consciously choosing.  Used well it helps us focus and direct our energy.  Virgo is about being willing to do the work necessary to bring our creations into being.   It is the vessel.

For Pisces on the other hand it is easy (natural) to experience the all.  Boundless, it senses everything.  It is full of compassion and creativity and yearns for the connection with everything it senses.   And it can get lost in all that boundless possibility experiencing disillusionment not quite knowing how to connect this vision to everyday reality and feeling overwhelmed as a result. 

It needs the polarity of Virgo to bring all this boundlessness into being.  Pisces needs focus, Virgo needs inspiration and compassion, and together they feed each other.   Virgo is the vessel that is the receptacle of the universe’s (Pisces) boundless creative energy so that it can be contained and focused.  Without the compassion and vision of Pisces the vessel is empty. 

While this just scratches the surface, here is one of the more powerful ways that you can use to look at this polarity:  Wherever Virgo/Pisces lies in your chart you are being asked to consciously look at what you are devoted to and then to focus how you demonstrate that in the actual nuts and bolts of everyday life.    In other words how do you make  your visions a reality?

Consciously or unconsciously we are all devoted/committed to certain things within our lives.   If you are not sure what you are or have been devoted to look around your at the details of your daily life.  Those details will reflect the current commitments you have both conscious and unconscious.  Life will reflect who you are being. Then it is up to you to choose and practice (Virgo) who and what you are going to serve.  You can either serve the greater vision or your insecurities (Pisces). 

Consciousness is the substance between the matter of dreams or nightmares. 

As I write this I am reminded of the statement -Before enlightenment: Chop wood carry water. After enlightenment: Chop Wood and Carry Water.  To master the Virgo Pisces Polarity you must serve the greater vision that you carry within. 

A few years ago a close friend of mine would ask me about the women he was interested in and then when I gave him the information he asked for (both the smooth and challenging matters at hand) take issue with any incompatibilities between their charts. “I refuse to believe that this is just how it is!” he would claim indignantly, “We have free will, you can’t tell me that these ‘problems’ are just the way it is!”

We all do this; I know that personally I too feel this way when it is someone I really like.  I will happily justify an aspect between our charts that I would warn any client will be highly challenging.  But the question remains…is it written?  

If we have a basic incompatibility between our chart and that of another person, is there nothing we can do about it, can’t we just make it work?

On an individual level, aspects represent energy between planets in our chart – our own personal constellation.   There are energies that flow more readily, and energies that create a certain amount of friction.  In synastry  (which describes the effect you and your partner have on each other) our chart meets another’s personal constellation, and where they line up we are sensitive, receptive to that person and they are to us as well.  We literally energetically resonate -magnetic attraction at its’ core!

While these aspects represent the initial energy that pulls us together, underneath the attraction there are deeper things at play. The energies or aspects, between our charts are telling. 

Here is one example; let’s say your moon, the part of you that yearns for security, filters your emotions, represents what you need and hunger for on a primal level, is in a hard (challenging) aspect to someone’s mars – the part of the chart that deals with how you assert yourself, take action and express anger.   

The good news is there are sparks…big ones!

The challenging news is this is similar to a cross-cultural difference in relating to the world.   It is as though these two planets, both personal planets (meaning we feel them personally), speak completely different languages and come from different worlds: One modern American English and the other ancient Chinese. The cultures have vastly different ways of interacting with the world, different needs and different ways of expressing those needs.

What this means in a relationship is that you often just misperceive each other. They do something (mars) and you feel hurt (moon) by their action as though they have completely disregarded your needs. They feel you are being overly sensitive, they didn’t intend to hurt you.

In the early days of a relationship, while we are experiencing what I call the delightful hormone high, we don’t care.  We are just having too much juicy fun.  Then, little by little, the dust settles.  

A client of mine had this particular aspect between her chart and the chart of her new boyfriend.  I gave her this information and three weeks later she called to inform me that I was completely wrong – he was the kindest most sensitive man she had ever been with.  I told her to get back to me in six months.  Sure enough, this pattern of interaction between them had become one of the hallmarks of their relationship.  He did something; she was hurt.  This could be as simple as he wanted to watch television at the end of his workday, she felt like he was ignoring her and didn’t care.

Is this a death knell for a relationship?  No, but the people involved will have to work at it harder than they would with a flowing aspect.  This dynamic between the two will always be at play.  Successfully navigating it requires a certain amount of awareness.  These so-called “hard” aspects provide a lot of juice that feeds the attraction but also bestow a certain amount of volatility.  

From a larger perspective – we are all here evolving.  The energy between us that is so mesmerizing pushes us to grow in ways that our soul yearns for – often beyond current boundaries into new and uncharted territory. The trajectory of our lives in this moment is providing us the opportunity to become more conscious in the area of our life being activated in by the energy of the other person. 

In any relationship there will be times we are better at it.  I firmly believe that anyone we are powerfully drawn to, whether as a friend or something more, has arrived for a reason at that point in our lives.  Our job is to cherish the possibility and promise at hand without being attached to the outcome.  Kismet in motion;)

“Astrology is a language, if you understand this language the sky speaks to you.”   -Dane Rudhyar


I love to read.  According to my mother, I began to sound out words at the tender age of 18 months.  For as long as I can remember I have read each night before I go to sleep.  Even when I am exhausted I have to enact this bedtime ritual – at the very least one paragraph.  Stories, from fairy tales to epics, notable literature and the “you can ‘t put it down piece of pulp fiction” have always captured my imagination.

Why is this important to astrology?  Because to me, each chart holds a never-ending story, an epic journey full of mystery, magic and yes- fate. 

In this analogy, the natal chart would be the book. Here all sorts of themes are exposed about our hero or heroine.  Do you get obsessed, almost captured and dragged to the underworld by your relationships? I guarantee somewhere Pluto is involved and at best he is asking (ok it is Pluto so perhaps demanding might be a better word) you to let go of needing to call the shots and embrace change so that you can better understand your soul.  Or alternately Neptune might be the player and you are either being taken to new soul merging heights (usually the beginning of a Neptune dominated relationship) or learning just how self- deceiving you can be.  I have a Neptune dominated chart and I used to say self-depreciatingly of the relationship with my ex-fiancé “The writing was on the wall in huge graffiti and I was pretending that I was illiterate.”  In the end, all of the trials and tests along the journey are here to serve our soul and its greater purpose.  This may sound dramatic but for each of us our life is an epic journey – we are all the hero of our own story. 

I should add here that I fully embrace the view that we picked the journey and the astrological chart along with the transits to it and the progressions within it reflect “our itinerary” in this lifetime.  Is it that literate?  The truth is sometimes yes. 

This doesn’t mean that we don’t have free will.  But if we are on a divinely inspired journey who is to say when those choices took place?  From our family of origin to  our relationships and dreams I subscribe to the notion that we chose it all. There is a lot of inner peace that comes with this, and frankly, when I look at a chart my breath still gets taken away by the beauty of each soul’s travels. Think of your natal chart as a map, a form of sacred cartography.  Decoding it helps you understand (remember) the course that you have set.