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I write regularly at jessicashepherd.substack.com — soft, human words on healing, astrology & intuition:
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Saturn In Scorpio: The Irresistible Pull of Transformation
"..light's blinding no way dividing what's yours or mine when everything's shining/Your darkness is shining, my darkness is shining, have faith in our selves..." Truth by Alexander Want to do that life-changing thing you’ve been putting off for so long? Are you ready for transformation-- and deathly afraid of it? Want a deeper relationship to your self, your body, the people you love -to life itself? They say to truly live, we’ve got to be willing to die; to claim our power we must look at...
Aries Full Moon: Your Wild And Precious Life
Since the last new moon I have faced a few obstacles: a head cold, a broken pipe that led to no water for six days, more signs of a rapidly declining website, a printer refusing to print…each obstacle requiring more time and attention than I wanted to give. And each obstacle in and of it self, felt disempowering. Days of going without water, days spent problem solving- probably my least pleasurable activity in the world –trying to master technology, and days laying low nursing a cold. These...
Virgo New Moon: The Critic & The Crepe
This morning I tried my hand at a new skill: Making buckwheat crepes. Everything was going along smoothly. The sunshine is out, the birds are singing, and I’m making…crepes! I fantasize about buckwheat crepes becoming the specialty I am known for. Friends invite me over for the weekend for my crepes. Working along with the recipe, I don’t accurately gage the batter pour when I learn lesson number one: Crepes are best consumed as extremely paper-thin, delicate wrappers and are meant to...
The Venus Return: Cinderella 0, Saturn 1
In the years of Venus returns, some are diamonds and others are stones. Coasting on the high of meeting some personal goals, on Friday, day of Venus, I went to the mall- a Venusian venue- a "happy place" and halfway meeting place for my sister and I to visit and catch-up.... when I felt incredibly sad. I didn’t want to be there. What was going on? I was broke. One quick look at the ephemeris confirmed that the poor shopping astrology day featured Venus square Saturn, and my Venus return. Damn,...
Pisces Full Moon: Broken Open
This morning I sat down with my Virgo Sun journal, and made a list. I wanted to measure the difference between where I am now, and where I was six months ago. Six months ago I was in a radically different space. I was feeling disempowered, defeated, sick, chronically tired. Everything I’d try to do or change didn’t take. I was utterly alone, scared and in the dark. I’d work on one health issue and another would come up; my relationship, once a source of joy, no longer was. Home & family...
The Nodes: Get Ready For Scorpio North Node To Rock Your World
Awh Gemini, baby. I love me some Gemini, but these past 18 months with Gemini South Node have been… confusing, to say the least. Gemini revels in opinion, information, and the shadow side (which the South Node represents) dissipates itself with too much talking and thinking, not enough consideration before action, and too many ideas lacking big picture perspective. Having Gemini SN around has been like living in Opinion-nation with a lot of talking heads – everyone has a voice, and a personal...
Leo New Moon: Health of The Self
How are you doing with your Self expression lately? For some folks, the Self expresses easily. These people are self-directed, clear, focused and on purpose, are confident enough to take up space, and make choices while recognizing that every choice doesn’t need to work out, that mistakes come with the territory. They have an ego, which in healthy doses, is good. Of course we all have a Self, but some of us.. we question our Self. We might waver a little more than a person who somewhere along...
Venus in Cancer: Moon Maven
While Venus transits the sign of Cancer some will find partnering, nesting, stoking the fires of heart and hearth desirable. Others will be challenged to address the emotional defenses keeping us from giving and receiving love. "I don't want to live- I want to love first, and live incidentally." -Zelda Fitzgerald, Venus in Cancer "What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." - Helen Keller, Venus in Cancer "The great gift of human beings is that...
Aquarius Full Moon: Eyes Wide Open & Uranus Transits
At night we sometimes sleep with the curtains open, allowing the moonlight into our bedroom. Moon-bathing under her silvery mystical rays can be calming, healing, soothing. But sometimes the full moon’s energy has an opposite effect; instead of a soothing lullaby, she enlivens the night air with an electric feel, making it impossible to sleep. Last night was one of those nights of restless kids, cats, lovers. The kids stayed on the computer and in animated conversation well into the wee hours;...
Cancer New Moon, The Twig & The Apple Tree
One morning, my husband and I were driving into the city and I was happy and felt good. For no good reason. First, I’m not a morning person. Second, I had just stopped drinking coffee. Third, I was having a massive Pluto-Uranus-Sun-Mars-Pluto transit, which had just about altogether wiped out my capacity for optimism. This was weird. Suspicious of this new positive development, I warily said, “Hmmm, I’m experiencing what I can only describe as unfounded optimism...” John, the quintessential...
