Chewing Food---How Virgo!

Last week I visited with my friend Linda who I had not seen in several months and she looked terrific. She's always looks great but there was something extra vibrant going on and I asked "What's the deal?" And she said, "I'm chewing my food longer."

She then told me about a book she received when she was in Germany during the summer and how the author lost weight, became more vital, changed his health in general all by chewing his food longer. Chewing it until it almost dissolves in the mouth.

Chewing things until they dissolve, what could be more Virgo? And of course, Linda has pronounced Virgo in her chart so it would be natural that she would be the one to tell me about it. I have a Pluto in Virgo in the 6th house so I am keen on these stories of simple health improvements and in truth I had heard this theory before but never gave it the time that I wanted. So, I researched it further and apparently chewing food longer activates saliva which aids in digestion, fills you up faster and improves absorption of nutrients.

My Pluto in Virgo decided to give it shot. So, a few days before Virgo New Moon and on the new moon I slowed down my eating. I really focused on the chewing. What would have been eaten in about 10 seconds now took 30 seconds. And I have to say it has been less than a week but I have felt a difference. I don't eat as much and I feel more satisfied longer.

If you do a search you will find a lot of articles on this process but HERE is one.

Why don't you try during this Virgo lunar cycle to slow down your chewing. See if it makes an impact. Who knows it may be a new part of your routine for ever. Wouldn't that be perfect (Virgo word) for the grand trine of Jupiter/Pluto and Sun.


Doing my part to help the cause---bit by bit.

Jupiter Retrograde

Jupiter retrograde August 30, 5:17am EDT
10 Taurus 21
Sabian symbol: A woman sprinkling flowers


Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and he does everything BIG!

He is the thunder and lightening god who resides on the top of mountains and because he hangs out in lofty position he is our philosopher and education planet. When Jupiter retrogrades we redefine our philosophy on a subject and in Taurus we will be looking at our philosophies on money, properties, capital, assets and valuables. We will also 're-educate' ourselves on financial and 'valuables'.

Jupiter is the judge planet and all of us will judge our portfoloio with a keen eye. Even if you don't have a portfolio you have things in your life that are valuable and during the retrograde you will decided if they are serving you. Some people will have buyers remorse, others will want to double down. Or perhaps you have given no attention to money and business, valuable assets etc and you are feeling vulnerable that you have goose egg.

Whatever you have or don't have in your 'valuables' category you will mull over your position for the next four months.

Jupiter is retrograde until December 25 5:08pm-- so we have four months to "get our money on". Not just the money we earn but our investments. We can right the wrongs during the retrograde. Probably not a great time to actually launch a new business but if you get the idea for the business during the retrograde you can do the research during the retro.

Jupiter will move from 11 degrees to Zero Taurus---Look at your natal chart and see if Jupiter is making any aspects during the retrograde to any of your planets. Jupiter presents opportunities and doors can open in a retrograde. But even in the harsh apsects you will later find the oopportunity. It will sting (no shit) at first and a lot of it will be activated by your opinionated mouth (Jupiter) and probably an unwillingness to change (Taurus is stubborn) but by the end of the transit you will have learned a lot (Jupiter) about yourself and THAT is invaluable (there's a great Taurus word).

I personally think this is a fabulous retrograde at the right time. I know you have all read my new moon so you are aware that Jupiter is in grand trine with the Sun and Moon and the fact that he is turning retrograde in the cycle is asupicious. This is a gift!

And remember, we will NOT have another Jupiter retrograde in Taurus until 2023---ask yourself, can you really afford to wait until then to fix any holes in your money? Use this time thoughtfully for the next four months let's see where we all land by Christmas!

Virgo New Moon is up

Virgo new moon has a lot of positive aspects, Jupiter, Pluto & Venus to name a few. There is also some crank from Neptune and Chiron and yeah, we are still feeling the Mars Saturn Square which is still in the chart.

But the bottom line is we all can take care of a lot of business this month and more importantly start to work towards our future.

the whole article is HERE.


Here's a snippet:



Work & Serve: BFF

And what about this Virgo lunar cycle? On the New Moon the Sun and the Moon make a trine with Jupiter and with Pluto. This is a ball out of the park astrologically speaking—when 3 planets are in trine with each other we call it a grand trine. This has double impact since it involves both moon/sun. Do you think spirit wants us to get our organized Virgo on? You bet.

Jupiter spends a year in a sign and right now it is in Taurus. Taurus rules assets, money, materials and real estate. It is the things that we hold that we value. It is an earth sign like Virgo and both of them compel us to be grounded and practical. For 28 days the accent will be on building things. With Taurus we start from the ground up. Then there is Pluto in Capricorn which is the third earth sign and he is saying, “If we are weak or corrupt at the top then we gotta work down.” So, he is working from the top down. And of course Virgo is in the middle earth sign, and she says, “Okay, whether it is from the ground or from the top, I’m ready to work!”

It will be as if we all get a new CEO and a new flock of employees who are working on behalf of us! Watch and see who comes into your life this cycle that really is an asset. Perhaps it is someone new or perhaps it is someone you didn’t realize had skills exactly that you need. Perhaps a friend tells you one thing off handedly that becomes a life coach moment (Capricorn). Maybe they tell you about a friend who has just overhauled their life (Pluto) and the strategy and manner they did it stays with you (Taurus). You keep mulling the story (Jupiter) of how they did it and you wonder if that is in synch with what you would like to do (Virgo). Perhaps there is some area of your life that you can’t just figure out and lo and behold someone steps in with the right solution or skill to fix the issue. From the high and the low vantage--there is help as Jupiter and Pluto will be talking to all of us about how to do work bit by bit and how to recalibrate our goals and our daily life. Virgo is associated with timing and we would all benefit by beginning our days with the following affirmation: “I am happy and grateful that I have perfect timing.” See what your life looks like at the end of the cycle with that powerful morning ritual. You may be surprised

Mars Square Saturn

It is interesting that as we build towards tomorrow's Mars Square Saturn, Hurricane Irene is also building in intensity. The parallels between the storm and the aspect are notable. Cancer is a water sign and Mars in that position churns up our emotions. Like Irene's waves our feelings are building into large swells.

Libra is an air sign and Saturn is pushed by Mars which is intensifying our negative thoughts. Like Irene's wind the velocity of those stormy thoughts is growing. I have noticed in talking with people lately it does not take long for every story to take a negative turn. The overall work we are all doing while Saturn treks through Libra is looking for balance. And for some people Mars baring down on Saturn is pushing frustrations. Anything that feels unfair is pronounced.

The aspect is exact tomorrow but we are in this window for a few days and it does cross into the New Moon chart.

Things to ponder:

So, what do we do when feel life is unfair? How to we soothe our emotions? How can we build (Saturn) a proactive (Mars) solution that is balanced (Libra) that calls upon our roots (Cancer)?

And of course, breathe.

For those who possibly have Irene in their future please use this aspect to get proactive and take care of your family and property. BE prepared!

Tuning into this week

Sorry, for the delay. I usually like to put these up on Sunday or Monday but I was swept up in last minute summer stuff....


Sunday 8/21: Venus enters Virgo http://www.cafeastrology.com/articles/venusvirgocompatibility.html


Monday 8/22: Sun/Neptune: Strange energies, can’t put your finger on stuff, under currents are weird and tweaked. Fly low under the radar if you can.

Tuesday 8/23: Sun enters Virgo: Ask your Virgo to send you a link to something she/he needs and get that! Don’t surprise them with what you think they want. Get them the exact thing.

Thursday 8/25: Mars/Saturn The rubber hits the road today. If the actions are not in synch with the responsibilities it will be a sh**tstorm of a day. Better to live up to commitments today!

Thursday 8/25: Venus/Pluto: Regenerative love and money day. Shed and you will be more abundant.

Friday 8/26: Mercury Direct 6:02 PM: Hurray, the bumps are over!!!!!

Contemplating Fall

I'm beginning to get my mojo for Virgo New Moon which is a week away and it appears to be a nice moon. I will have it up by the end of the week.

However, like any good astrologer I also have my eye on all cardinal new moons and the next one will be at the end of September (27th). It is similar in tone to the July 1st Cancer Moon. If you remember that was the season of the debt ceiling debate. Rancor will be high, relationships will be stressed and there will be economic somersaults.

I don't bring up the Libra Moon to be DebbieDowner but more to remind you that you must make hay when the sun is shining. Make the most of the end of this Leo lunar cycle and the most of Virgo lunar cycle so you can be ready for Libra.

A Mercury Check in

Well we are more than halfway through Mercury retrograde. How are you doing?
How about those lost items?!!!

OMG, my husband, son and I have all lost things since August 2. A few items have found themselves back to us after we've done that trick I learned years ago. If you can't find something yell out the word "REACH". Yell it out a few times and inevitably the item will show up. It has something to do with our brain more than woo-woo. But yell it out and see what happens.

Of course, many items will stay lost during the entire retrograde which is definitely the case for my mini video camera. It may have been packed by my friend in her luggage but I am not going to know for awhile and I suspect it will be after the 26th.

As a reminder, you know that the retrograde is three weeks long but the actual swath of days that are influenced is greater. If you go from shadow point to shadow point It is about two and half month window. This does not mean you stop your life until the end of the shadow point. GOD, no!!!! It only means Mercury's purview is larger than the retrograde and will undoubtedly bring up subjects, moments, items for all of us to mull.

Consider what you experienced since July 15 and perhaps there has been a theme? Have things repeated? Are you in a thing with another person?
It will most likely lift after the 26th and perhaps resolve by September 9.

Here are the dates to note.

Jul 15, 2011 02:15 am 18 LEO 42' shadow point
Aug 2, 2011 11:45 pm 01 VIRGO12'Rx Stationary Retrograde
Aug 26, 2011 06:02 pm 18 LEO 42' Stationary Direct
Sep 9, 2011 08:16 pm 01 VIRGO12' shadow point


Last year I reminded everyone how a Mercury retrograde from shadow point to shadow point can be described by driving a car.

But as always, I remind you not to fear Mercury retrogrades. Make the most of them, contact people you have not reached out to in a long time. Book coffees with old friends. Send an email to someone who has been on your mind. Research, research, research anything you want to buy. Don't buy until the retro is over but get all your facts lined up. God, knows if you are measuring something, do it many times.

In particular, are you researching a way to find love? Love in another human? Love in a place to live? Love in your daily life? Work on this, that is the greatest gift you can give a Mercury retrograde (primarily in Leo) during this important Leo Lunar cycle.

Smooch.