Snap, Crackle, Pop! Mars Trines Uranus on the New Moon

There is an expression in the United States, "Dance like no one is watching." Well, this is not the time to follow that philosophy. We are emerging from the Dark of the Moon on a Mars-Uranus trine; the New Moon occurs on Monday at 8:03 a.m. ET, just an hour and a half after said trine. This means you need to drive like the whole world is watching. No car, you say? No problem. Lace up your kick-ass-est boots or sneakers (both types of footwear are associated with athletic Sagittarius, where Mars is currently transiting) and push your geographical and philosophic envelope as far as it will go. On a trine, you may surprise yourself with how flexible you are. This is a fine time to learn a new language, explore new lands, exercise your body and your mind, taste a new cuisine, and/or examine your beliefs. (Great Pumpkin, anyone?)If it's exotic, it's exactly what you need. (Which is partly why I picked this week to travel to Berlin!)

Do keep in mind, however, that since this New Moon falls in Libra, you will want some pleasant company on your journey, whether it's a game "partner in crime" or a travel agent (either literal or metaphoric) riding shotgun. Being adventurous now will not necessarily translate into being 100 percent autonomous.

Progressed Moon and Transiting Jupiter in My 9th House

...and finally, I have made the jump across the Atlantic Ocean for a long-overdue long-distance vacation -- a classic read of 9th-house progressions and transits. But this trip has been in the making for a year, when my progressed Moon entered the mobile sign of Gemini. Although Jupiter retrograde is not supposed to be a good time for travel, it can indicate revisiting one's previous stomping grounds: in my case, Berlin, to visit an old flame from 14 years ago, now friend, who is married to a kind, intelligent woman, and father to a charming little monkey of a four-year-old (Gemini) daughter. I am writing this from the guest room of their charming apartment in the center of the city, prolonging my passing out for another hour or so in order to get myself on German time.

I still can only speak about a dozen or so German words/phrases, but the kleine fraulein and I manage to communicate pretty well anyway. In the aftermath of the easy-peasy Saturn-Neptune trine Wednesday evening, my last night in NY for 8 days, I hope this trip will change my water -- life in my own head has been neither entirely pleasant nor productive lately. Even with a headache and lingering congestion from two flights and barely any sleep for the past 36 hours, I am actually starting to feel a little bit better already.