Work vs. Family or Reality vs. Sentiment

Today's full moon in Cancer is tricky and you may find your feelings are being triggered all over the place. Sentimental, family-oriented Cancer is facing off a powerful union of the Sun and Pluto in the sign of Capricorn. The latter is squaring off with an excess of firepower against the crab. So if you feel like all the cards are stacked against you, you are not alone. There's overkill here and it can really dampen the sensitive Cancerian soul.

This may present as a tug of war between work and family. Maybe your spouse is working extra hours and spending less time with the kids. And the folks are feeling it! On the other hand, your spouse may be thinking, "I am working long hours precisely because I care for you guys. I'm working myself to the bone and I'm getting no gratitude! I can't win!" Yes, there's definitely a feeling that whatever situation the Universe has thrown at you is basically unwinnable. You don't have guns big enough to handle this war. And with Pluto my advice is: Don't even try. It will backfire. Pluto demands change and it doesn't care how much it hurts you. That's the bad news. This is war and it ain't pretty.

Today's Question: How Do You "Use" the Energy of a Planet?

Luna Angel asks: I don't understand how you "use" the energy of a planet, can you explain this? Thanks.

Excellent question! Let us take the current Mars/Pluto conjunction as an example. This combination can be very explosive and there's always the possibility it ignites angry outbursts. But Mars/Pluto also endows us with a lot of energy, particularly if the transit touches your natal chart. (You'd have to look up the transit against your own chart on astro.com.) However, allowing ourselves to blow up and bullying others into doing our bidding are not the only ways Mars/Pluto can manifest. We have a choice about how we use our emotions. If we become reactive, there's always the possibility that our reactivity will come bite us in the ass at some point. Anger is also incredibly energizing. I have certainly found that if I'm angry, I can't sit still and write. I need to DO something. Oftentimes, we end up using that energy to lash out. I don't need to tell you that at times this can be very destructive. But we don't have to use it like that. We could also go for a run. (This is how I handle my rage, to tell you the truth.) Other ways of channeling the energy could be: going through your closets and purging; taking up that huge project that you'd been procrastinating on; starting a campaign about an issue that rankles you, etc.

In short, this is a tremendously energizing influence and Mars/Pluto can help us power through an ambitious undertaking, particularly since the conjunction is in Capricorn, where Mars is happy (technically "exalted"). Capricorn is known for its stabilizing influence and its patient ability for putting all its ducks in a row. However you use the energy, it's important to know that we do have a choice, even if a transit is difficult.

How have you handled anger productively?

The Venus/Pluto/Uranus T-Square - Phantom Love Triangles

Yesterday Venus in its home sign of Libra opposed retrograde Uranus in Aries, and both planets formed a t-square with Pluto in Capricorn. A t-square is basically two planets in opposition making a 90 degree angle to a third planet. In a chart, this is a very tense aspect and represents challenges and conflicts. This energy is waning, but it is still in effect today. So, with Venus, the planet of love, in a stand-off with retrograde Uranus, the planet of sudden disruptions, and both squaring off power-hungry Pluto, there's a possibility that we're experiencing such things as love at first sight and love triangles. Pluto is stopping those two crazy kids from hopping into bed. Yes, Pluto might represent an actual person in this scenario. That person may not necessarily be a lover, by the way. It could be a jealous best friend. Or a controlling mother. Or even a demanding job (Pluto is in Capricorn, the sign of business, after all).

Today's Link - Dealing with "Change Back" Attacks

So you've finally lost all that weight after years of struggling with fad diets and exercise. Or maybe you've kicked the habit after decades of falling off the band wagon. Whatever your particular situation, you're feeling proud that you've persevered and begun to transform your life. Except that now it's dawning on you that not everyone is happy that you're changing. You don't understand. Your friends and loved ones have been hounding you for years to take control of your life, and now that you are taking charge, instead of being supportive, some of your near and dear are, well, downright hostile. What's going on? What do you do now? How do you keep on track and still keep  the relationships?

The awesome Martha Beck gives us some tips that will shed light on how your transformation is affecting others, and how to cope:

Because we are a species that fears the unknown, most people reject the continuous transformation that is human reality and try to lock others into predictable behavior. “Promise me that you’ll never change,” lovers whisper to one another, though only a model from Madame Tussauds Wax Museum could keep such an enormous promise. In short, anyone who thinks new thoughts or does new deeds is likely to garner disapproval and criticism from someone. 

Here's the link for the full dope.

Have you experienced a "change back" attack? How did you handle it?