We have an astrological active week ahead of us. With the gift of awareness through astrology, we can be better prepared for difficulties and challenges and even turn lemons into lemonade. This weekly forecast is designed to give you deeper understanding of the universal background as well as tools from the world of healing gems to help align and balance yourself with the planetary principles ruling the heavens. The aspect connections we are discussing hold the same basic meaning for you if you have them in your personal horoscope. We are looking at the activities of week 42 from October 12 to 18, 2009.
Mars and Venus are moving into new signs and a New Moon joins Venus, Sun and Mercury in Libra the sign of balance, beauty and relationships.

Venus in Libra
On Wednesday, October 14, the goddess of love, harmony and beauty moves into her own home Libra. Whenever we have several planets visiting one sign, that sign and what it represents gains strong importance for us. We will have 4 planets in Libra by the end of this week. Also by the end of the month Saturn enters Libra, which will cast high waves and marks a significant historical impact onto society. Saturn needs almost 30 years to move through the zodiac and around 2 ½ years to move through on sign.

Each planet can be compared with the personality of an actor in a play. The actor can only perform the way the play is written and the stage is set. The astrological sign is the play, giving the theme for the actor and determines how well the hero can perform his role. Therefore let us have a closer look at Libra.

Libra: The Judge, Lover and Harmonizer
Libra is ruled by Venus and is considered a sign of air. Air is very mental, flexible, between things and connecting different people or points of view.
The symbol for Libra, a scale, indicates Libra’s strong need for balance. Libras are very oriented toward other people and skillfully tuned into their needs and emotions. Their preference in relationships is for harmony and love—they are peacemakers. Their love of harmony and balance draws them to beauty in the arts and wherever else they can indulge their aesthetic sense.


The Opposing Sign of Aries
As I have pointed out before, one sign can only be balanced in its alignment with the opposing sign. That means for a Libra that the ego drive of the Aries needs to be integrated and vice versa.

In Libra it is easily all about relationships and the “other” out there. In Libra we are called to find a balance between our own ego drive for what we need and want (Aries) and the people we are relating to in our lives. If we don’t find that balance we get lost in placating our friends and partners, trying to make them happy and loosing ourselves along the way. Does that sound familiar?

Making somebody else happy is not really possible as many of us can testify to because we have tried. We also wanted our beloved partners to make us happy and maybe tried to do the same for them. Did it ever work?

The responsibility for happiness and joy lies solely on our own shoulders. It is a result of our conditioning, our values, the thoughts we are thinking in a habitual way and the decisions we make. In consciously taking on that responsibility there is freedom! Freedom lies in taking that happiness into our own hands, the possibility of making it a daily practice.

Four Planets in Libra
With Sun, Mercury, Moon and Venus in Libra it is a time for us to gain clarity in that dance between intimacy and autonomy, relating with others from a place of inner strength and clarity, meeting our own inner woman, ( yes, even if you are a man you have an inner woman) her needs and finding our own inner truth and expression of it.

Venus Conjunction with Saturn on Tuesday 13
If you have a stressful Saturn/ Venus connection in your chart relationships will always be an area of challenge and learning. There is the need for autonomy, distance, freedom and independence always struggling with the other need for love and intimacy. The life’s lesson is to find a place in us for both, honoring both as equaly important needs. How that will look like will be different for each of us.

Maybe you choose a partner who is much older or younger then you are. Maybe your partner has a different nationality and cultural background. Maybe you live in different cities or keep your own apartment or house.
There is nothing wrong with you needing your own space and independence. Just find somebody who has acceptance for that out of his or her own make up.

The Saturn/Venus conjunction this week will bring up that theme to some extent for everybody. We might be a little bit more inwards oriented or want to stay home at night. We might inquire into our desires and needs in relationship and distinguish between the two. If we do the work Saturn requires of us, the gift is always more clarity and the shining light of awareness. Saturn is a tough teacher who forces us to confront our issues and deepen our insight.

You want to pay attention where this conjunction is taking place in your chart and which aspects it will activate with your personal planets.

The New Moon in Libra on Saturday 17
The New Moon is always in conjunction with the Sun. There is no light reflected and it is a moment of rebirth out of the darkness of the womb into a new cycle of creation. It is a most powerful time of the month. In that moment the dormant forces of creation form the seed of the plant that will evolve out of it, the miracle of life.

Each month the New Moon is in a different sign representing a different theme. Armed with the astrological wisdom we can consciously set the tone and decide which kind of plant we would like to grow this month. We can set our intentions and goals within the universal flow of the universe and watch the unfolding throughout the month.
The New Moon in Libra gives us the chance to allow and invite changes for the better into our intimate relationship. With her friend Venus, both female planets are in the same sign, working into the same direction.

This week is especially powerful for us women to deepen our self confidence about ourselves as a woman and lover. We have so much to give if we  take care for our own needs first. Only if we are full and replenished, we can overflow and share from our bounty.

Gemstone for this Week is the Morganite

One of the most beautiful stones for all Venus and Moon constellations is the Morganite. You can read more about the stone on my blog.

I hope you will enjoy nourishing the plant of your relationship and love to hear your feedback. If you enjoyed my astrological insights and pointers, I invite you to come back and visit my Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems Blog for a weekly update on the universal, astrological forces. I like to inspire you to use them wisely for a successful and joyful life.
Have a wonderful week, aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

by Shakti Carola Navran