The highlights for this otherwise quiet week are Mercury redirecting his energies and a Full Moon in Aries. Even if these are notable astrological events we are having a little breather after being hammered by all those strong constellations lately. This astrological forecast is for the 40th week from September 28 to October 4. You will be able to find satisfying information about the specific constellations beyond the time frame, because it applies in general to the constellations we talk about.

Moon in Aquarius with a Trine to a Libra Sun on Tuesday
This Moon position will strengthen the presence of the wide conjunction of the threesome Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune. Aquarius as the rebellions spirit and trendsetter is forging ahead into new adventures. Change is in the air and we need to release our resistance. We will feel socially inclined with Moon in Aquarius and Libra Sun, both in air signs. We will be mentally busy and active and it might start us into new directions, interrupting the flow of the old. Flexibility is demanded but also easier achieved as usual.

Moon Floating into Pisces Opposing Venus on Wednesday
The mental framework will soften and feelings will be dreamy with the Moon in Pisces. We might feel a deep inner longing for the divine, for a deeper connection with ourselves and our loved ones. Pisces has this inner knowing of our oneness and invites us to experience that connectedness through unconditional love, meditation, nature, art and contribution to the whole. Moon and Venus, the two archetypal feminine figures challenge our self identity as women. We are invited to bring the Virgo and Pisces energies into alignment inside of us. There are the mental qualities, sense for detail and order of the Virgo opposing the seemingly chaos of the divine order of Pisces. They meet in the middle where trust and faith into the divine can be added to our earthly actions.

Moon Blazes into Fullness in Aries on Saturday
A Full Moon means that the Moon is in opposition with the Sun shedding light onto the opposing sign. Each Full Moon will be different because of the different themes. Full Moon means the emotional lunar cycle has reached its fullest expression and energy. We all feel that to some extent. Full Moon keeps us up at night and bathes the night in her silver rays. My cats are all revved up and keep going out all night, having important cat business to tend to. My husband who is a Cancer does not sleep well around Full Moon. You want to be aware how this Full Moon might impact you in your own chart and see what planets and houses it might trigger. This is the area where the emotional tides may go high and sweep you along with it.

In astrology it always serves us well for our interpretation of a planet in a specific sign to look at the opposing one and see where both of them can meet and compliment each other. With a Full Moon that is especially important if we do not want to become overwhelmed by impulsive reactivity.

With Moon in Aries and Sun in Libra we perceive the conflict between individuality and responsibility, impulsive action versus thought out choices, freedom of the individual versus loving relationships or as simple as me versus you. With Aries Moon we will feel stronger emotions, more easily irritated and more ready for a fight then usual. Subjects and sore themes in relationships will be pushed to the forefront of our awareness and we have to deal with it. Emotions which might have been building up throughout the Moon cycle will not be ignored any longer.

The good news is that the warrior spirit of Aries can be harnessed for honesty and truth in the service of love and connection. He can be a knight and warrior of the heart in service of the Goddess Venus, a loving consort. It will serve you well to make time for your partner, your friends, maybe have a little party. And it is a good time for love making and romance, after you cleared the space off obstacles.

Mercury Goes Direct again on Wednesday
With Mercury turning direct we do not have any more excuses to get our communication channels going. Everything in life is dependant on our ability to communicate and everything related to Mercurial devices like computer, transportation and electrical devices. Most of our communication these days we do via computer, phone or iphone devices.

I know with Mercury retrograde there is always the temptation to blame it all on good old Mercury if something does not go right in that arena. But even with the retrograde Mercury we are responsible and able to direct our attention where it is needed and adjust to the challenges of the moment. Now we will have a few wobbly days of transition and some things might get easier from now on.

Mercury is in his Own Sign Virgo in a Wide Conjunction with Saturn
The Mercury position in Virgo is a mental frame for us where we pay attention to details and think things through. We can come up with practical solutions and find better ways (Saturn) to deal with problems. Some problematic knots will come undone now easily. It is a time for answers if we ask the right question. It still takes our intention and attention to unravel the mysteries and find a balance between Virgo and Pisces. As we talked about with the Moon in Pisces in the beginning, we need to find the middle path. The balance is found between the need to control and tending to details in the physical world on one hand. On the other hand is the spiritual guidance from the divine forces in our life and our willingness to listen and move from a place of faith and gratitude through our physical activities.

Alexandrite, the Miracle Stone
To help you in that process of adjustment for this week I recommend the Alexandrite which is a wonderful gemstone frequently used in jewelry. It is a stone which very unique nature has a lot to offer. His astrological signature is created out of his color, chemical composition and crystal structure which give him his unique qualities and applications.

Alexandrite has Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars qualities to share and balance for us.
--Alexandrite is one of the most astonishing gems because it changes its color from green in daylight to red in artificial light. Alexandrite is a variety of Chrysoberyl and is very rare and expensive. Today it is mined mainly in Sri Lanka and Rhodesia.

This is a stone for the queen or king in us because of its great value, both monetary and metaphysical.

As it changes from green to red, Alexandrite shows us that our so-called objective perception of the world of objects may change drastically by shining a different light on it, encouraging us to view experiences from different points of view. This gemstone strengthens the heart by opening our awareness of different perspectives. It reminds us that it is never the experience itself that is good or bad; what is important is always our perception, evaluation, and judgment of events.

Alexandrite stays by our side as a faithful friend, helping us through transitions in our relationships with friends and loved ones. It nourishes the heart during the process of grieving and letting go of a beloved one, whether our loss is due to death or other forms of separation. -- (This part is taken from my book: Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones That Delight the Eye & Strengthen the Soul, published by Llewellyn)

If you like my way of approaching astrology, I invite you to visit me on my Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems Blog for a regular, weekly update on the universal flow and planetary positions. What I like about the abilities of the gemstones is that they offer a remedy to relax stressful aspects and positions in our chart. There are so many mysterious ways how we find something on the net, but now you can come directly and visit me.

I am looking forward and hope you enjoyed my musings, aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

Shakti Carola Navran: astrologer, jeweler and author