Greetings, everyone! Here's your weekly Womanrunes card reading, a new video offering from Bright Star. More written content is coming to the Bright Star blog soon. 

In the meantime, explore this week's themes from a more intuitive perspective with a four-card spread: current influences, helpful points to remember, what to avoid, and next steps (and bonus outcome) cards.

If you're looking for weekly horoscope videos, click on the Weekly Horoscopes tab in the Astrology drop-down menu.

Many blessings,

​Jen

Greetings, everyone!

If you've been wondering about the less frequent updates to this blog lately, I've been busy with weekly horoscope videos that can be found under the Weekly Horoscopes tab, along with other new projects and even getting up to speed with our sister business Stellar Weddings as the winter goes on!

A couple new posts are in the works, but for now, I felt the nudge to do a Womarunes card reading for the week ahead. I've drawn one card for themes at the beginning, middle, and end of the week, along with an action card (and a clarification card that jumped from the deck!). You can look forward to more mixed media posts on the Bright Star blog in the future.

Enjoy, and feel free to share with those you know who might gain some insights from it, too!

Many blessings,

​Jen

Interested in getting a Womanrunes reading for yourself? Click here to contact me.

Monday's CANCER FULL MOON SUPERMOON at 11 degrees brings a powerful, emotionally-charged start to the year. As Uranus stations direct on the 2nd and MARS moves toward an exact conjunction with JUPITER in Scorpio on the 6th, major change is brewing that can help us awaken, heal, and flow in matters of the heart. 

Major change, fruition, and culmination points are brewing. Can you feel it? 
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You'll find Parts 1 and 2 of the full moon forecast below. Part 1 contains the astrological breakdown of the full moon, while Part 2 is the Womanrunes Card Reading for the full moon (and what a reading it is!). 

Honor what's in your heart. Take time out to feel, release, and heal. Get clear on what your greatest passions are and what's ready to be acknowledged, and then share it with those who need to hear it most. 

*~Many blessings for a powerfully transformation full moon, and a very happy new year!~*

© Jen Howell, Bright Star Astrology & Healing Arts, 2017. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to this writer with appropriate and specific direction to the document containing the original content.  

Greetings, everyone! Today marks the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sun moved into Capricorn today, marking a profound turning points as we embody greater stability, resolve, and maturity.

The Sun also joins with SATURN today, marking the beginning of a new yearly cycle of career efforts, building our dreams, and finding more of our inner authority. These themes also carry through the next few years, as this conjunction sets the tone for Saturn's journey through Capricorn until December 2020.

As a solstice birthday girl, this day has always been deeply special and magical to me. To celebrate, I've published a YouTube video with my thoughts and experiences of the power of this time, plus a WOMANRUNES CARD READING with insights for those watching. (It's a bit on the lengthy side, but I didn't have it in me to skimp on such an important topic and day!)
Many Solstice blessings and warm wishes to you! May magic find you as we rest in the belly of midwinter.
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© Jen Howell, Bright Star Astrology & Healing Arts, 2017. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to this writer with appropriate and specific direction to the document containing the original content.  

​Solid. Sturdy. Steady. Grounded.

This is how I found myself feeling after Saturn moved into Capricorn late last night. As I took a few quiet moments out to meditate before bed, I felt the shift immediately...and boy, did it feel good!

Part of this heightened sense of connection to Saturn's big move is because Saturn is still conjunct my Sagittarius Sun, giving me a sense of confidence, surety, and "calm, cool, and collected" that I can't say I've ever felt before. I sense the tangible physical blessings of this transit already on their way, feeling more connected to and at home in the physical world than before (and believe me when I say that grounding is not my strong point!).

Sagittarians, it's time to pat yourselves on the back - you made it. You faced the hard lessons, you grew, you got real about who you were and what you came here to do. Now you can carry the gifts of those lessons forward as you work toward manifesting the potentials of your deep digging as Saturn enters the sign of manifestation for the next three years.

Capricorns, you're up - it's your time to be reborn again, stronger and more confident and wise and resolute than ever before. Nobody can handle Saturn's lessons better than you, as Saturn is your ruling planet and are wholly attuned to its energies. You'll emerge from this transit a different person, more aligned with truth and values and a sense of purpose than ever before.

Regardless of whether Saturn is contacting personal planets in your birth chart now or not, we're all about to benefit immensely from this shift. Saturn is now in its home sign for the first time in about 30 years, bringing us back to lessons in maturity, physical manifestation, and acting as a catalyst for everyone to reap exactly what they've sown during the time between. And that's only bad news for those who have abused power or acted unjustly - the consequences of those actions will be stark wake-up calls, indeed.

It's said that the first 24-hours of a planet's shift into a sign is the most powerful time to set the tone for how the rest of the cycle unfolds in our lives. With Saturn in my 3rd House, I've been multi-tasking like a pro today, making business plans for the coming year, and my natural procrastination instincts are already fading away. Hallelujah! 

Tune in to where you feel called to put your focus, time, and energy today. As the moon waxes in Capricorn, the light of Monday's new moon is carried on as the earliest potentials of those "new beginning seeds" begin to crack open slowly. It's a powerful time to begin formulating plans and taking action, no matter how small.

Saturn remains in Capricorn through December 17, 2020, except for its first dip into Aquarius from late March through mid-June 2020.

It's time to get real about our greatest aspirations and make them come to life; to build the most solid life foundations that we can; to connect to the gifts and wonder of the physical world in ways that benefit the all, perhaps even regaining lost connections to what we might call "old wisdom" - the wisdom in the rocks, trees, soil, waterways, all the ancient pillars of life and structures that support us throughout all time.

It's also the perfect opportunity to honor that which provides the foundation in our lives, and to create our own to make our dreams a reality. Look to the house that contains Capricorn in your birth chart to see where potential is about to come to live in the next three years (generate a free chart at www.astro.com, or book a reading with a qualified astrologer to take it even deeper).
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Where are you feeling the shift?

Are you feeling the call back toward calm? To peaceable sanctuary? To simplicity, self-care, and nourishment on many levels? That's the call of Saturday's TAURUS FULL MOON supermoon, which reaches exactitude at 1:23 AM EDT at 11 degrees, 59 minutes. Though Taurus as a pure archetype really is about tranquility and physical solidity, there's been a deeper call to slay the proverbial dragons that are rising up, threatening to steal our peace unless we seek resolution. 

The Gifts of Taurus

​Psychological intensity aside, this is a full moon of celebrating the abundance that's already manifested - gifts of financial wealth, a safe and happy home, the blessings brought by the third and final harvest season of the year as we move closer to astrological Samhain on November 7. It's a full moon of firming, solidification, and resolve; of putting down more stable foundations upon which our lives and sense of personal worth and purpose can be built up higher and more indestructible than before.

​A Rumbling Down Below

As JUPITER opposes this full moon from Scorpio's depths, it's an all-out tale of mythic proportions for some as emotions are dually heightened, and we're faced with healing issues that are emerging from our subconscious and unconscious realms. Monsters emerge from the closet; issues with those closest to us we thought had long since passed might be coming to the surface in what could be a tipping point in a significantly powerful healing crisis. Dealing with the darkness and Shadow within and without comes to the forefront, impelling us to deal with issues at hand, lest things spiral farther out of control. 

Jupiter's influence might also lead some to feel a deep hunger and yearning for wealth and peace - something that might be sought externally, but a quest in which the first steps to experiencing greater abundance lies within.

​Big blessings are available now for those who rise to the occasion and meet challenges eye-to-eye, knowing that as we peel back the layers of our own fears, anxieties, and wounds, we can release and transmute the energies at their core to live a much happier, more blissful life.

​The Element of Surprise and Revelation

This full moon has been bringing shocks aplenty in the days leading up to its exactitude. With Taurus's ruling planet VENUS in an opposition to URANUS Rx between Libra and Aries, aspects of the week's vibe have been confrontational, rattling, and dishing out plenty of "wake up calls" for us to process. Flaring tempers followed by moments of clarity bring powerful realizations; we discover what we do, hopefully using logic and rational intellect to sort through what we've discovered. Lessons of balance, respect for other's differences, and knowing when it's time to throw off the chains of the past and go our own way are the way of the day. 

​Points for Contemplation

​How are you feeling called to revolutionize relationships, love, or money matters to enjoy greater peace and tranquility at home? Are you ready to shed the layers that hold you back so you can ground, pad your nest egg, and restore peace to frazzled senses? Do you know your worth? Are you ready to shed the weight of other's expectations, or efforts to dull your shine, so you can root into your identity and purpose in an ever-deepening, flourishing way?

More surprises are surely in store as the year comes to a close, and this weekend brings a beautiful chance to do one crucial layer of inner work to clear the way for the manifestation of our desires more fully.

May you clear the way for peace, harmony, and self-care this weekend. Enjoy a nourishing meal with those you love; pamper your body with a massage, soothing bath, with warm blankets and hot tea; take a walk in the woods, adopting a pace that allows your senses to bathe in the autumn goodness and rich wonders of the wild world. You just might find that a renewed sense of inspiration, gratitude, and awe in the magic of life awakens as you do. 

Many blessings to you and yours!

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© Jen Howell, Bright Star Astrology & Healing Arts, 2017. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to this writer with appropriate and specific direction to the document containing the original content. 

Are you ready for an ultra-productive, satisfyingly challenging Virgo New Moon this week?

La Luna joins with the Sun at 27 degrees of Virgo on the 20th at 1:30 AM EDT, along with a host of other planets in Virgo: Mercury, Mars, and Venus. If you've been feeling the tug and pull of responsibilities - and have been in total "go mode" lately - you've been tuning into the celestial vibes of not only the planets currently transiting the sign of The Virgin, but also the building energies of this lunation.

It's a busy time of juggling upkeep in pertinent parts of life - putting in the effort to take our talents to the next level, staying on top of daily responsibilities, and finding the pockets of time that allow for recharge and rejuvenation.

Each new moon kicks off a new 2.5-year cycle in all things related to that sign, and to the life themes and issues it activates within our personal birth charts. If you're familiar with your chart, look to see the house that contains 27 degrees of Virgo. This is where new beginnings are about to be set in motion in your life.

​The Virgo Archetype

No other sign holds all the details of life together quite as well as Virgo. This is the part of the Zodiac where talents undergo intense scrutiny and honing; where we examine what is in need of a practical overhaul to streamline processes; where we examine what's no longer needed, toss it out, and put the relevant pieces back together so our processes can run like clockwork. 

Themes of health and wellness and being of practical service to others are also strong Virgo themes. It's a wonderful time to reflect on what's been tugging at you in these parts of life, and to make a plan as to how you can align with goals such as these.
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​The Saturn-Chiron Plug 'n Play: Heal Those Wounds, Ground Those Visions

​With this new moon in a T-square configuration with SATURN in Sagittarius and CHIRON in Pisces, we'll be experiencing a fair amount of stress around how to reconcile seemingly incompatible facets of our personality, desires, or life circumstances. The Virgo-Pisces opposition is one of working with different kinds of focus and service. Virgo is oriented toward the practical "here and now" bits of life, while Pisces is far more dreamy, emotional, and prone to offer love or potentially imbalanced forms of help that might be expressed as unhealthy sacrifice.

​With Chiron opposite this new moon, it's a lovely chance to take action toward healing any aspects of our lives through whole-self care (bonus points if you seek the deeper emotional root to what has manifested as imbalances in the body, as this is where many healers believe that dis-ease begins). Integrating even the smallest changes in routine, whether it's adding an important nutritional supplement to your diet, deep breathing, or using essential oils to heal a health condition every day, can truly make a difference over time.

​As this opposition forms a square to Saturn, the crux of the thing lies in continuously zooming out from the minute details to grasp the bigger picture of what we're working for. What is our ultimate goal? Can we learn to balance the realms of body, mind, and spirit to live a life that flows more smoothly and efficiently? Can we toggle between the realms of self - the mental, emotional, soul plane? Between the old stories of limitations and outworn beliefs of where we once were, of healing issues that have held us back as we're able to now, and keeping one eye on the future? 

An Upgrade for the Mind & Relationships

Though the ultra-ambitious Mercury-Mars conjunction in Virgo is beginning to separate, this influence is still quite strong, and we may have a more solid idea as to how we can integrate what we've  learned since Mercury went retrograde on August 12.

Mercury will have just moved out of its Retrograde Shadow period for the new moon, allowing for greater clarity and forward movement, but there's a catch - Mercury and Mars stand opposite NEPTUNE in Pisces. On one hand, frustrations around health and wellness, or control over the flow of daily life and schedules, may emerge. But on the other hand, this aspect presents wonderful opportunities to balance over-attachment to analytical thinking and hard and fast plans with the need to allow a situation to take its course. Trusting our gut and the unfolding process of life as we navigate confusing terrain can teach powerful lessons in balancing intuition with logic, and allowing for greater Divine inspiration to flow through. 

​Venus lends a supportive  hand to the new moon. As she sits at 0 degrees of Virgo, she forms an exciting trine to URANUS Rx in Aries. This is dynamic energy for seeing where we've been stuck in money or relationship ruts - or perhaps not using our resources effectively - and plugging into a whole new paradigm for balance and success. We'll also get a big jolt toward healthy lifestyle changes, perhaps finding it within ourselves to make that change we've been struggling to make to support  our wellness. It's time to break out of the norm and use the revolutionary insights of Uranus to lead the charge as it dances with a "misses no detail" energy of Venus as she travels through fastidious Virgo.​

​For a broader horoscope overview, here's where it's ripe for planting "new beginning seeds" in your life based on your Sun and Rising Sign:

​ARIES: 3rd House of Contracts, Learning, & Local Involvements
​TAURUS: 2nd House of Finances & Possessions
​GEMINI: 1st House of Identity & Initiation
​CANCER: 12th House of Mysteries & Secrets
LEO: 11th House of Community Organizations & Future Goals
​VIRGO: 10th House of Career & Public Identity
​LIBRA: 9th House of Foreigners, Travel, & Higher Education
​SCORPIO: 8th House of Intimacy & Shared Resources
SAGITTARIUS: 7th House of 1-1 Relationships
​CAPRICORN: 6th House of Routines, Wellness, & Vocation
​AQUARIUS: 5th House of Romance & Creativity
​PISCES: 4th House of Home & Private Life
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​MARS-SATURN: Up Against the Wall

Yesterday brought the exacting of a tough Mars-Saturn Rx opposition between Gemini and Sagittarius, and we're still well within its range of influence. Themes of confronting old material in our spiritual/philosophical paradigms (facts vs. faith, and better yet, learning how the two are intrinsically connected to one another) are woven into today's lunation. Expect a previously held idea or two to get the "battering ram" treatment on the conceptual level...but expect inner resistance too, even if new ideas are healthy for you to entertain. Saturn doesn't do change easily, or take it lightly for that matter. We've got a chance to rewrite outdated scripts for the better if we're willing to expand into brave new territory.

VENUS-PLUTO: Going Deep in the One-on-One

All this ties directly into relationship and money themes, as red-hot Venus in Aries forms a most provocative square to Pluto Rx in Capricorn. Talk about door-busting in relationships - whether it manifests as sorting through so-called "taboos," fears and insecurities, or how and when to set boundaries, these themes also play a huge role at present. How and when do we let someone in, and when do we close the door? Financial independence is also set to be a major factor, whether it relates to our desire to have greater abundance to generate more for ourselves or to break free from those who drain our peace and resources.

NEXT STEPS

So what do we do with all of this? First things first: do the mental sorting work, but take time out to quiet the mind. With so much Gemini energy influencing us, the tendency is to think/talk/perseverate non-stop. It's important to close the door on external stimuli and opinions and get back in touch with the body. This is a fantastic day for a nature walk or meditation to ground and clear the senses.

An important factor to keep in mind is that the Sun and Moon are forming a semi-square to Venus - an aspect that creates a sense of stagnation, of frustration with parts of life we wish were moving forward more quickly. But with alignments like this, the solution is to give it time. Things will unfold as and how they should, but we must be willing to step out of a "forcing" pattern and allow things to bloom in their own time.

As the waters settle and the silt drops to the bottom of the pond, we'll get the answers we seek. This is a perfect analogy for the energies at present, and a lesson for Gemini season - a time when minds work on overdrive and patience is harder to come by.

NEW MOON WISHES

As always, this is a wonderful time to explore your desires, taking time out from the busy-ness of the external world to get in touch with the peace at your core. Write, draw, move, sing, or play your desires out; let the awareness come; and when you're clear on intentions you'd like to set, declare it so God(dess)/Cosmos/The Great All can get to work in assisting you in the most powerful of ways.

Wait at least twenty-four hours after the new moon for taking action on a new plan (approximately 3:45 or later on Friday, May 26) for best results. As the moon grows in light over the coming weeks, so too will our motivation to act.

How will you be celebrating the new moon today? Wishing you a magical time full of peace, healing, and blessings!

© Jen Howell, Bright Star Astrology & Healing Arts, 2017. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to this writer with appropriate and specific direction to the document containing the original content.   

Wishing you all a very happy Monday (even though it may not be the cheeriest of days astrologically)! It's a big day, as the SUN has moved into ARIES. This signals the official first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, a time when the hours of darkness and daylight are once again equal, as the days only grow brighter from here as we move toward the Summer Solstice.

​This is a powerful day to feel gratitude for what's blossoming in your life now; to give thanks for the potential for new beginnings that's always available to us; to see what new growth needs the greatest attention and nourishment from us for our next steps. We celebrate *life* in all its forms, acknowledging the resilience of creation to renew itself and rise over and over again, no matter how long or harsh the winter has been--both literally and metaphorically.

Though the day itself is the start of a new season, the 4th Quarter Moon in CAPRICORN brings a much more serious energy as the lunar energy winds down toward the ARIES NEW MOON on March 27. Quarter moons are challenging--they reveal where we need to align actions with intentions more fully, and oftentimes, that process is anything but comfortable. And Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) is a hard-lined, reality-based, and potentially pessimistic sign.

On one hand, we're yearning for a new beginning, and can see that light beginning to grow on the horizon; but on the other hand, there's something we have to square with, to move through/align with/reconcile, before we can see our desires come to fruition.

This moon phase is about learning to use an old skill in a new way; to integrate a new kind of wisdom to support our understanding of a current situation. We also see what needs to be released, or perhaps re-envisioned, as we start the journey within as the moon wanes.

If we use the power of this time to dream, reflect, give thanks, and do the work we feel called to do within and without, powerful shifts can happen. And with MERCURY squaring PLUTO and opposing JUPITER RX later in the week, that work and contemplation can be intense and rewarding, indeed. Trust that all that falls away at this time, especially as a new SUN-VENUS cycle approaches on March 25, will be for your Highest Good for experiencing fulfillment in all ways in the coming months.

​Many blessings to you on this sacred day! How will you celebrate another turning of the Wheel of the Year?


​©  Jen Howell, Bright Star Astrology & Healing Arts, 2017. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to this writer with appropriate and specific direction to the document containing the original content.

Tomorrow's  VIRGO FULL MOON at 22 degrees, which is exact at 10:54 AM EDT, officially closes the door on eclipse season...and what a ride it's been! It's a bit of an intense full moon, with so many planets in Pisces, and the Mercury-Chiron conjunction more or less standing opposite a very fastidious Virgo moon. We always feel the lunar energies building in the days leading up to a full moon. If you had a particularly challenge emergence of emotions or other issues in the past few days, this--along with the Mercury/Chiron conjunction--is likely the cosmic catalyst for it.

All full moons are great times for cleansing and release, but this full moon is an especially good time for it, since Virgo is all about sorting/getting details in order, releasing what no longer serves us, and working for purification on all levels. What needs to be organized in your home or office? Want to get a head-start on your spring cleaning? How about tending to physical health with more balanced dietary choices, exercise routines, or other detox work? This full moon illuminates where restoring order, routine, and attentiveness to detail is most needed, and will help us get down to work in the most practical of ways.
What is your body asking for? How can you be a vessel for the Divine to flow through your physical form, and the whole of your life, more freely?

Virgo might be "The Virgin," but in her most balanced form, she's anything but prudish. This is an earthy, sensual sign, and our cosmological virgin is more interested in making something clean and pure in its overall function than vowing herself to sexual virginity (if you know a Virgo well enough, you'll know that they are quite the physical beings when you get right down to it!).
Treat yourself to a purification bath fit for a Goddess: salts or baking soda, your favorite herbs and essential oils, water-safe gems or crystals (flower petals in the tub are oh-so-lush and sensual!). Find or create a massage oil blend or lotion that you like and get in your body more fully. Healing with energy work, singing bowls/chanting, crystals, or plant medicines are very supported this weekend.

Want to take the energies of this full moon with you in a more tangible way for support as we move through the year? Consider making moon water--filling a vessel with the water of your choice, leaving it under the light of the moon. Add oils or water-safe crystals to use for anointing, or keep it safe for drinking to receive these energies internally later on.
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As always, this is a great weekend for cleansing crystals or other sacred objects under the light of the moon. And if you get the urge to clean your space from the top down? Go for it! Clean your closet; mop the floor; wash the windows. They say that cleaning a closet can change your life, and Virgo would most definitely agree. This weekend is all about clearing away the old as to create a space for the new.

And a word to the wise: watch for overly critical, nitpicking behaviors (or potentially neurotic perfectionist tendencies), since this is Virgo's shadow side. And with Mercury/Chiron still active, speaking our truths with kindness, especially if we feel the need to point out a housekeeping issue to someone else, will go a long way.

​©  Jen Howell, Bright Star Astrology & Healing Arts, 2017. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to this writer with appropriate and specific direction to the document containing the original content.