Archive for category What to do now

Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – May 10

May 9

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Week, What to do now | 5 Comments

Phases of the Moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere will see a mirror image of this phase. (Source:Wikipedia)

Hello, everyone.

This is a strange week. When I checked the planetary aspects for the week, there were none. There is the New Moon on Thursday, which is always a major turning point, and Mercury returning to direct motion on Tuesday, but other than these two events there are no other major planetary aspects. This is the first time since I’ve been writing this weekly forecast, almost a year ago, that there have literally been no major aspects!

Knowing Mercury is still retrograde while I write this, I checked and rechecked: surely there was something wrong with my software! But no, no other major aspects.

Maybe this is a good time to explain some details of these Weekly Forecasts. To begin I run an inquiry in my astrology software for the period of the coming week. I ask for all aspects except those involving the Moon. The Moon moves so quickly in its orbit it traverses the entire zodiac every month. Within that month it forms every imaginable aspect with every planet.

The Moon represents the daily happenings of our lives, who we meet, how we feel, the moment to moment activities that bring form and structure to each day. The Moon’s aspects are the subject of the Astro4Business Forecast Today series, examining the tenor and opportunities of each day. I only include the Moon in the Weekly Forecasts if it is New or Full as these represent important pivotal points in the month.

The other planets’ activities are indicative of longer lasting and more impactful impulses and they are the subject of these Weekly Forecasts. These aspects give a tenor to the week as a whole.

A Rare Week

So what is the meaning of this rare week, with Mercury changing direction and the New Moon but no other major aspects?

The New Moon is always a time of stillness. The couple of days before the New Moon are for winding up projects, the actual day of the New Moon is for conception, and the couple of days after are for the first emergence of the new idea, the new plan, the new intention, the new endeavor.

And the days just before and just after Mercury turns direct are also emergent; yes, it is time to move forward with plans, negotiations, and contracts but it takes a few days to really wake up, to turn our conscious attention toward the outer world of sales and commerce. It’s like those first transition moments when we come out of a particularly deep meditation. Our normal brain wave activity returns slowly as we focus back on the physical world.

In Sanskrit there is a term for this: the madya. It is described as the point of awareness between the in-breath and the out-breath. It seems to me the universe has given us a madya this week. There are huge astrological events coming this summer signaling change, adjustment, opportunity, and destruction: the Cardinal T-square with Pluto, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter; the ingress of Jupiter and Uranus into Aries; this summer’s solar and lunar eclipses. This week serves as a week of stillness, a time to let go of the past and steady ourselves for the future.

What to do when there’s not much to do

You may find that you’re not that busy this week or you may feel you’re spinning your wheels. Believe me, it’s just the calm before the storm! The events of this summer will require you to be responsive, intuitive and nimble. If you feel like you’re standing still this week, take it as a necessary pause to gather your energy and prepare for the weeks ahead. Here are some concrete actions you can take to use this week to your advantage.

Restock your shelves
Catch up on your bookkeeping
Check your account balances; make sure your cash position is solid
Take some time off
Lead your staff through a strategic visioning exercise
Spend time team-building
Make sure machinery is in good working order
Do a cost/benefit analysis of a project you have in mind
Spend time with customers, getting to know them better, and finding out how you can serve them in the future

The Moon will continue its normal active romp throughout the week and form aspects to all of the planets one after another as it moves through the signs. For daily guidance, be sure to check back in every weekday for the Astro4Business Forecast Today.

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – May 2010

For tips on how to use these last couple of days of Mercury Retrograde to your advantage, see 10 Best Practices for Mercury Retrograde.

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

Tags: astrology, business, Mercury, Moon

10 Best Practices for Mercury Retrograde

Apr 20

Posted by Ellen in Current Events, Retrograde Motion, What to do now | 13 Comments

Hello, everyone.

Mercury Fastening his Sandal by Francois Rude. (Wikimedia Commons)

Mercury resumed retrograde motion on Sunday and already I’m seeing posts in Social Media sites along the line of, oh, no, not retrograde Mercury again! First I want to remind everyone that Mercury is in retrograde motion fully 20% of every year. That’s an average of one day out of five, although it goes more like 3 weeks out of every four months. I’d say it’s time we learned to put it to work for us.

Mercury rules our thought processes, and as the messenger of the gods, Mercury was able to traverse freely everywhere, from Jupiter’s realm on Mount Olympus to Pluto’s realm in the underworld. When Mercury is in retrograde motion, it’s like there is an uncoupling of time and space: time still moves forward day by day but the planet appears to move backward in space. This uncoupling symbolizes a three week period of magnificent potential – it’s like we can look through the normal barriers and see our world in surprising new ways.

So here are 10 Best Practices for Mercury retrograde.

1. Remember MBWA – Management by Walking Around? Mercury retrograde is a great time to ask your employees and customers what they think, and then really listen. Everyone has the potential to speak and listen from a more thoughtful space at this time.

2. Have you been racing ahead and leaving your team in the dust? Mercury retrograde is a good time to pause and allow others to catch up.

3. Do you have a nagging feeling that you missed something or forgot something important? Go back and retrace your steps on a key project and don’t continue until you’ve found what you’re looking for.

4. If you’ve been on a fast track, handling one thing after another without a breath, use the next three weeks for assimilation. Let all the new information really land. Make it your own.

5. If you’ve been wrestling with a seemingly unsolvable dilemma, put it on the back burner for the next three weeks. Even money worries. Constant attention siphons energy away from creativity. Give your intuitive self time to work on the problem.

6. Speaking of creativity, give yourself some space to zone out. Three weeks every four months should be declared mental sabbatical time. Every couple of days, sit at your desk and do nothing. Makes you too nervous? OK, play an online game.

7. All the “re” words: rewrite, rework, return, resubmit, research.

8. Mercury retrograde is perfect for performance reviews and giving feedback. Use this time to reflect on how far your employees have come and honestly discussing mistakes. Then leave it behind.

9. There’s an ongoing debate in the business blogs about whether or not to consider the past when planning for the future. “Only if you expect the future to be like the past” is how the nay argument goes. Whatever you do the rest of the year, Mercury retrograde is the time to analyze past data. You will see the information in new ways that will inform the future when the time comes.

10. Have you been meaning to get back in touch with clients or colleagues? Rather than making new contacts, reconnect with people from the past. If they’re on your mind, get in touch. Something important can develop with Mercury retrograde.

All the normal cautions still apply for the Mercury retrograde period: avoid signing contracts, initiating new business, and making major purchases until after May 11. As the mind turns reflective, it’s not as incisive in outer situations. But for three weeks, that’s OK. There’s another kind of progress to be made now.

To explore Mercury and retrograde motion, check out these posts:

Astro4Business Basics – Mercury

Elegant Stillness

Retracing Your Steps – Retrograde Motion

What did you miss?

Welcome Back, Mercury!

Tags: astrology, business, Mercury, Mercury Retrograde

Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – April 19-25

Apr 18

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Week, Saturn Uranus Opposition, What to do now | 9 Comments

Phases of the Moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere will see a mirror image of this phase. (Source:Wikipedia)

Hello, everyone.

A little different format this week, because, well, that’s the nature of the week!

Mercury

This is our first full week with Mercury retrograde. Here are a couple of Mercury retrograde quotes I really liked:

This is from an artist I follow on Twitter. She’s wasn’t specifically referring to Mercury retrograde, but she expressed it well anyway:

“Working on images & ideas for various exchange projects. (One brain with too many ideas equals a creative brain freeze.)”

I love that image for Mercury retrograde, “brain freeze.”

And this quote from Ray Merriman, at Merriman Market Analyst. He’s speaking about investing, but we can all take this advice to heart in our businesses over the next three weeks:

“Mercury retrograde is never an easy time to trade. What is spoken or intended, and what is heard and understood, are oftentimes not the same thought. It would be wise to repeat what you thought you heard, or said, just to make sure you are understood, especially if talking to your broker. Those who rely upon technical studies for guidance are encouraged to remember that such studies tend to be unreliable at this time. Buy and sell signals are more frequently “fake outs.””

Venus

Venus is very active this week with three major aspects, a change of sign, and the Sun also transitioning into Venus-ruled Taurus. Venus rules our social instincts and long-term professional relationships. Public relations, design, and marketing are also influenced by her. And when she is in Taurus, she is very focused on actual material security.

On Tuesday the Sun enters Venus-ruled Taurus. This is the time to bring our ideas down-to-earth. You should push those ideas generated when the Sun was in Aries into implementation. Register the name, open the bank account, obtain financing, set up the legal structure. Begin to make it real.

On Friday and Saturday, Venus gets involved with the Saturn/Uranus opposition which is exact the following Monday. But before she does, she meets up with Neptune. Venus with Neptune can lead to confusion and over-impressionability. If you’re confused your judgment may be temporarily weakened, which could lead to purchases or agreements you will regret.

But later she comes into harmonious relationships with Saturn and Uranus, who are poised at a stand-off. If you’re experiencing an either/or situation, this is a good time to allow someone else to negotiate between the two parties. These are the best days all month to come to a reasonable, practical solution to a long-standing dilemma.

On Sunday, coming off the win/win of Friday and Saturday, Venus enters Gemini. This takes our eye off of practical creativity and on to enlisting others to help. Just be careful that too much chatting doesn’t dissipate your energy so that you don’t get anything done…

…Especially with Mercury squaring Mars that day. Mercury retrograde in Taurus pulls your mind toward the past, digging around in the dirt to see what you may have missed that still has value. Mars in Leo wants to surge ahead and promote yourself and your business. You may feel pulled in these two directions, or members of your team may act it out. What to do? Both viewpoints are valid and need to have their place.

And then the week ends with the Sun in Venus-ruled Taurus getting together with Pluto in Capricorn for a powerful pow-wow. Try to take time on Sunday to tune in to your own determination to finally overcome an entrenched but useless attitude or intention. It may be subtle, so “dig down deep.” If you can unearth what’s holding you back, the insights will support you throughout the year.

That’s it for the week! For day to day guidance, check out Astro4Business Today, here each day Monday through Friday.

For more on the Saturn/Uranus Opposition check out this post: Flaws and Perfection – Handling the Saturn/Uranus Opposition

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – April

For more info on the planets influencing the week, see

Tags: astrology, business, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Saturn/Uranus Opposition, Sun, Uranus, Venus

Astro4Business Today – April 16

Apr 15

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Today, What to do now | No Comments

Source:Wikimedia Commons

Good Day!

The Moon continues its waxing journey through Taurus, inviting us to continue to solidify the inspiration we gained at the New Moon on Wednesday.

Early in the day Venus and Jupiter, both indulgent and extravagant, put us in the mood for a little Friday relaxation, maybe getting a jump on the weekend. Why don’t you meet for coffee with some business associates or a few of your staff so you can pretend you’re working? And why don’t you pay? Generosity leads to opportunity this morning. Actually it always does; it’s just tangible this morning.

Later in the day it’s another story. The Sun in Aries is exasperated with the methodical Moon in Taurus and with Neptune on the scene we run into inconsistent advice that leaves us confused and uncertain. Someone we trusted may lack discretion or come up with a bizarre suggestion. Don’t give in to impractical fixes no matter how impatient you feel.

The day ends with the Moon sextile Uranus. Surround yourself with friends and associates you trust; they’ll help you to discriminate what has real traction and what’s just a diversion.

Keep it realistic!

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Week – April 12

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – April

For more info on the planets influencing today, see

Tags: astrology, business, Jupiter, Moon, Neptune, Sun, Uranus, Venus

Astro4Business Today – April 15

Apr 14

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Today, What to do now | No Comments

Good Day!

Source:Wikimedia Commons

Taurus Moon all day today. Taurus focuses our attention on what is reliable, doable, and practical. The Taurus energy takes the ideas generated by Aries and begins to bring them into form. This energy is good for product development and establishing a customer base. Oh, yes, and stowing away a little cash for the future. Practicality, persistence, and patience are the keywords of the day.

Very early in the morning, EDT, the Moon and Pluto exchange energies. This will give you a very deep understanding of exactly what you need to do to push your product into the market and gain a foothold. This knowledge comes from the depths of your Soul so you can trust it completely – that is if you’re awake enough to catch it!

A little later though, with the Moon challenging Mars, your staff may be aggressive and competitive with each other, or maybe you’re the one who finds it hard to control your temper. People are caught up in their own need for recognition and it will take the patience of that Taurus Moon to bring all parties to the table.

But when it all simmers down, a Moon/Mercury alignment makes for a great meeting or sales presentation. This is a perfect time to pitch a new product or take a short buying trip. It’s also ideal for taking time to chip away at an intractable problem – you’ll have the persistence to stick with it until you resolve it.

Keep it practical!

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Week – April 12

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – April

For more info on the planets influencing today, see

Tags: astrology, business, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Pluto

Astro4Business Today – April 14

Apr 13

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Today, What to do now | 2 Comments

Good day!

Source:Wikimedia Commons

When the Moon and Sun align in the sky that’s the New Moon and that’s today. In business terminology, the Sun represents you, the leader, and the Moon represents your team and your customers. When everyone’s on the same page a lot can be accomplished and in Aries, there is such an uprising of energy no one can stop it. And yet, there continue to be obstacles and resistance.

Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter, in the form of your business advisors and colleagues, all want to chime in today, telling you to look back, that there’s still life in some of those old ideas. And there may be. But today your entrepreneurial spirit wins and you can’t resist the new idea, the new product launch, the new location, or the whole new business concept.

You do have support from Neptune in Aquarius, so get your team together for some imaginative mind-mapping. Later today the Moon enters Taurus for a couple of days. Today’s ideas can be uncensored; tomorrow you can narrow them down to what’s practical.

Keep it passionate!

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Week – April 12

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – April

For more info on the planets influencing today, see

Tags: astrology, business, Jupiter, Moon, Neptune, Saturn, Sun, Uranus

Astro4Business Today – April 13

Apr 13

Posted by Ellen in Astro4Business Today, What to do now | 4 Comments

Good Day!

You want to be starting something, you got to be starting something.

Source:Wikimedia Commons

With the Moon in Aries today, you’re itching to get something going, get some project off the ground. Enough aiming, it’s time to fire! But…

None of the other influences support you today. First of all we’re at the very end of the Lunar Cycle which is the time of finishing projects begun in the last month. And with Uranus semisextile Neptune, the general trends are contradictory when what we need is clarity. Even your own dreams, which seemed so clear last night, seem foggy this morning.

You may even have too much information. With input from every direction it’s hard to know what’s valuable and what’s just static. This is the question of the day: what does the customer really want in this time of upheaval?

With Mercury in Taurus your computer systems can be sluggish and your purchasing or negotiating efforts bog down. Mercury turns retrograde later this week so it’s best to just patiently address each situation. Try to discipline yourself for the long-term fix rather than an expedient solution.

Later in the day Venus in Taurus slows you down again, only this time a colleague may seem stubborn and purposely inflexible. Don’t misread the situation. They want to move forward too. They are just being extra cautious about the financial aspects of the deal. Better to listen and collaborate than to proceed without them.

Let me know how it goes!

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Week – April 12

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – April

For basics on the planets in the mix today see these links:

Tags: astrology, business, Mercury, Moon, Neptune, Uranus, Venus

Random Thoughts – April 1

Apr 1

Posted by Ellen in Uncategorized, What to do now | 1 Comment

Hello everyone.

Woman with Stylus and Wax Tablets from Pompeii

Some random thoughts today.

U.S. Tax Day

In the U.S., April 15^th is the day income tax returns are due. This message may be late for many of you but a warning: this year be extremely conservative and careful with your return. I wouldn’t venture too far into any grey areas; stick to the white side of the line. Astrologically I’m saying this because of the tension this year of the Cardinal T-square between Saturn in Libra, Uranus in Aries, and Pluto in Capricorn.

I’ve seen several cases where federal and state governments are aggressively pursuing taxpayers on the most minor issues. I believe they are trying every way they can to fill their coffers. Their potential bankruptcy is one of the impacts of Pluto in Capricorn and since that transit is affecting all of us we may be tempted to lighten our own economic turmoil with a little sleight of hand with our tax returns. Not this year! Walk the straight and narrow. This will keep you out of trouble.

Here’s an article on audit red flags, IRS Audit: How to Avoid One. If you claim any of these deductions, make sure you’ve documented them completely. http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/article/irs-audit-how-to-avoid-one/406206/

Do You Know Your Score?

Since we’ve been examining Uranus lately and will continue to do so, I want to make sure you’ve found your way to Donna Cunningham’s scoring technique. She assigns point values to various chart factors to see if you are strongly influenced by a planet.

Do you know your score? Visit “How Strong is Your Uranus? Here’s the Score.” She also has tests for the other outer planets. If you know which planets are strongest, then we can discuss how to take advantage of your strengths, and what weaknesses to watch for, to bring success to your business.

Let’s experiment!

This month we’re testing an astrological theory. This theory states that on the day a planet changes signs or changes direction there is often an event in your life that symbolizes the change in energy. Is this true? Let’s all conduct the experiment. These are the dates to watch, with maybe one day before and one day after. I’ve added a general category of experience but I don’t want to bias your observation.

If you notice something, please share it in the comments. And null answers are as important as positive ones: in other words, let us know if nothing happened too.

April 2 – Mercury enters Taurus Communications

April 6 – Pluto turns retrograde Disclosure

April 7 – Saturn retrograde enters Virgo Rules, regulations

April 18 – Mercury turns retrograde Communications

April 19 – Sun enters Taurus Leadership or vision

April 25 – Venus enters Gemini Relating

This means that today or tomorrow we’re looking for a communications event that signals something new. Anything yet?

New Blogroll

Have you noticed I develop a blogroll? Look to the right toward the bottom of the site to see some astrologers and blogs I’ve been following that I really like.

Want to write a blog post?

Next week I’m going to London for three weeks and when I return in May I’m moving across the country (again). While I’m going to do my best to keep up with my blogging, I’m sure there will be days I’ll miss. Are you an astrologer who would love to write on a business topic? Or a business person who would like to share an experience you think would help everyone? I’d love to feature your work sometime in the next month or two. Contact me at Ellen@astro4business.com.

Tags: astrology, business

Begin Anew Today

Mar 16

Posted by Ellen in Long-term Planning, What to do now | 2 Comments

Rangoli

Gudhi

Hello, everyone.

Today is Gudhi Padwa, regarded by Hindus as one of the 3 ½ most auspicious days of the year to begin something new. In fact, it is said that every single moment of this day is auspicious for new beginnings.

This holiday is primarily celebrated in the India States of Maharashtra and Kerala. It marks the first day of the Marathi calendar, and the first day of Spring. According to Hindu electional astrology, any work begun today will bring success.

In Hindu mythology, this is the day the great God, Brahma, created the world. It marks the instant that time began. I’d say time and space are pretty successful endeavors, wouldn’t you?

The Gudhi (decorated flag) is hoisted outside a doorway or window, and bright rangolis made from colored ground stone are created in front of doorsteps. It is a day of spring cleaning, new clothes, and traditional sweets.

If you are beginning a new endeavor, today would be a great day to start. This day supports taking even a small action toward the new project. Design your own ritual, maybe even sitting down with a cup of coffee, and write your intention for the endeavor. Put your heart into it and offer your wish to the universe.

Have a wonderful, auspicious, awe-inspiring day!

Tags: astrology

It’s Time to Find the Jewel

Mar 3

Posted by Ellen in Introduction to Astrology for Business, Mars in Leo, Retrograde Motion, What to do now | No Comments

Hello, everyone.

Next week, on March 10, Mars resumes direct motion. Let’s review where we are so we can take full advantage of these last few days of retrograde motion. Many people feel they are standing still right now, and it’s true. When a planet is coming close to changing direction it does move very, very slowly through the zodiac in the days just before its reversal.

Was that gold?

Gold on Quartz “The Dragon” (Wikimedia Commons)

We’ve conceptualized retrograde motion as a hiker who has covered a certain portion of a trail, but then stops, turns around, and walks back to a certain point. Then she stops again, turns around, and moves forward again. Why did she stop and turn around in the first place? What was it she missed the first time that made her want to retrace her steps?

Perhaps she saw something shiny and intriguing but then dismissed the thought: oh, it was probably just some Fool’s Gold. But as she walks on it starts to bother her. What if it was real gold, or a diamond shining in the soil? So she goes back for a closer inspection.

Right now, a few days before Mars turns direct, is like our hiker just reaching the point she headed back to. She is slowing down because she is nearing her destination. She’s looking for that shiny object. Can she find it again? If she does, what will she discover?

A Second Chance

In the days before a planet turns direct, it’s important to ask these questions. Mars has returned to the very beginning of the sign of Leo. It’s like we’re being given a second chance, a chance to start over on some creative project we had in mind last October. This project may have been stalled since December, but soon the energy will move. Have we learned what we needed to learn? Have we uncovered the missing clue? Have we gained wisdom? Are we more ready to face the challenges of self-expression that are the mission of Mars in Leo?

In these last few days of stillness, look around, listen, observe your instinctual responses and what is drawing your interest naturally. These few days are loaded with opportunities for insight. They are packed with possibilities if we can uncover them. Whether you notice something bright and shiny or something more subtle, we have come back here to this point for a reason. Now is the time of discovery. Now is the fertile opening, the pause filled with potential.

When Mars resumes direct motion, our business lives will gradually become more and more busy and we will forget the stillness of this time. So in these last few days, let’s find the jewel, the gift of this waiting period so it’s in our backpack when we move forward again.

Here are some earlier posts about Mars in Leo. Reading them may reveal what you are looking for, or where you should be looking. As you find the gems, share them in the comments with all of us.

Mars in Leo

Let Your Light Shine

The Creativity of Business

4 Ways to Benefit from Mars Retrograde

Life doesn’t stand still – how to work with Retrograde Mars

Retracing Your Steps – Retrograde Motion

Are You Stalled?

Tags: astrology, business, Leo, Mars, Retrograde