Astroblog

The Libra Equinox and the Revolution

2011-10-01T15:35:00.000-04:00

The Cardinal Ingress charts that correspond to the 4 seasonal points, set a tone for the duration of that seasonal quarter to come. When the outer planets occupy Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn), these are indicators for change, innovation, and initiation. This is because they have recently crossed and now occupy, the World’s axis. Currently Uranus (in Aries) and Pluto (in Capricorn) have been stirring up all sorts of commotion in the world.

Uranus and Pluto are still in the early degrees of Aries and Capricorn, and therefore very volatile and dynamic in these Cardinal Ingress charts. In the Libra Equinox on September 23rd, the Sun, Uranus, Pluto t-square was hugging the angles tightly. Over the next few years, Uranus and Pluto will be even more exact. They came close this Summer, but will not perfect until next June. And then will do so 6 more times.

“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders ... and millions have been killed because of this obedience. ... Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves ... [and] the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.” ~ Howard Zinn

Uranus/Pluto are the harbingers of revolution, change, transformation. In this Equinox chart, the Moon (the people) was closely aligned with Mars (anger) in the sign of Leo (children), and we saw throngs of people descend on Wall Street in order to bring attention to the greed and inequity in the American financial system. Their civil demonstration took on dramatic and even violent overtones on September 24th, when police were caught on tape brutalizing demonstrators, and macing young women trapped in an orange mesh enclosure.

Hundreds of young people had been occupying a private park near Wall Street, for 8 days, before any sort of real media coverage ensued. It was probably wistfully hoped that these young people would just fade away into the night if they were ignored. However with the evident abuse on the 24th of September, the NYC police department (Pluto in Capricorn) kind of inadvertently ensured that they got the world-wide attention the demonstrators needed, and the movement has only been growing exponentially.

If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. ~ Malcolm X

The people holding the fort down on Wall Street are self-described as over-educated and under-employed. In an interesting article entitled, “The Cancer Stage of Capitalism”, John McMurtry suggests that “our social immune system is being overwhelmed by a growing out-of-control money market cancer.” He describes a ‘cancer’ as an uncontrolled and unregulated agent in the host body that:

is not committed to any function of the host body;
increasingly appropriates nutrients from the host body in its growth and reproduction;
is not effectively recognized by the immune system;
possesses the ability to transfer or metastasize its assaultive growth to sites across the host body;
progressively infiltrates and invades the host body until it obstructs, damages or destroys successive organs of its life-system; and
eventually destroys the life-host in the absence of an effective immune-system recognition and response.

These young people occupying Wall Street are a healthy immune response to the Cancer in our system, because they are drawing attention to its existence, so that the host body will recognize it, and then do something to correct it.

Next week there is going to be a demonstration and occupation in Washington, DC, which carries the banner “Human Needs, not Corporate Greed” and beseeches to: “get money out of politics” and “put workers before profits” as well as to “protect the planet”.

This general unrest is being felt globally, not just here in the US, with demonstrations erupting spontaneously everywhere, and in solidarity with the young people. And this... is just the beginning.

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Of Neptune and the Environment

2011-08-31T21:48:00.000-04:00

Joplin, MO, after mile-wide tornado

What have we learned?

For the past 13 years, Neptune has been in the sign of Aquarius. It made a brief entrance into Pisces this Spring, but has returned this Summer to complete the Neptune in Aquarius cycle, before finally re-entering Pisces in February 2012. Neptune represents the global zeitgeist, the mores, customs, the universal pathos and culture. It represents the idealistic backdrop within the human community. Neptune recognizes no boundaries or limits, its essential essence reflects universal expressions of compassion, inspiration, and connectedness. While in Aquarius we were challenged to not only recognize our interconnectedness, but to make it a more ‘conscious’ reality, through inventive technology and reaching beyond our previous comfort zones.
the collective, scientific exploration and discovery, the collective consciousness, invention

Throughout the Neptune in Aquarius era we’ve been inspired to experiment and question the status quo. Aquarius is a detached, intellectual sign.. and through its auspices, we have woven our connections through the Aquarian world of the media, the internet, networking, and the global web of ‘communications’. Our culture has been redefined by our relationship to the internet, through technology and greater global access... we truly have become a global village.
individuality, the iconoclast, the revolutionary, freedom, the non-conformist, the acceptance of differences in culture and orientation

One of the negative sides of the ready access to information and global influence has been the Murdochian ease of manipulation of the collective by sowing misinformation and lies through this same media. Ideally, Neptune in Aquarius has enabled a broader understanding and immediate access to injustices throughout the world, raising awareness and compassion, and a desire to help.
But Neptune also rules masks, fakes, manipulators and liars, who have used the evolving technology and accessibility to the collective, in order to deceive and manipulate the public.
thinking outside the box, genius, networking, computers, revolutionary changes, crises

Floods in Vermont from Hurricane Irene

In the Neptune in Aquarius era we had the opportunity to consciously recognize our inter-relationships with each other on this planet... and that what anyone does on one part of the globe, affects us all. Part of this has been coming to understand our relationship to our environment, and our affects on it. And in recognizing what effects we were having.... do something about it.

Nine out of 10 of the hottest years on record occurred in the past 13 years (the Neptune in Aquarius era), with the hottest years ever measured (since the system began in the 1880’s) in 2005 and 2010.

With increased heat, there is increased moisture in the air, resulting in unprecedented monster storms and flooding. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina was not only the most costly hurricane, it was also one of the 5 deadliest hurricanes in US History. In 2010, unprecedented monsoons in Pakistan resulted in 20 million people being displaced. In January, Australia also saw unprecedented floods encompassing an area that was larger than France and Germany combined. For the past year it has rained in Columbia almost continuously resulting in their facing their worst natural disaster in history. Terrifying mile-wide tornadoes cut whole swaths out of towns and villages in the Midwest of the US this year. And record snow falls blanketed the Northeast US last Winter, while record amounts of snow and rainfall resulted in unprecedented flooding of the Souris and Missouri rivers. And monster Hurricane Irene, the size of Western Europe, dumped heavy rains in the Northeast US, destroying whole towns, and devastating the entire state of Vermont.

“What’s happening with the planet’s climate right now needs to be a wake-up call to all of us.” ~ Dmitry Medvedev

With larger storms, there are also going to be increased periods of time between these monster storms that suck up all the moisture, resulting in record droughts. Droughts have more than doubled since the 1970’s. We’ve seen this in Russia last year... and currently in Texas and Arizona, China and France.. and the poor beleaguered nation of Somalia. The National Center for Atmospheric Research warns that huge areas of the world’s most populated areas will be experiencing extreme drought conditions within decades resulting in famine and starvation for millions.

Ironically with all this flooding.. the end result is a scarcity of fresh water and food. Paleontologist from the University of Washington, Peter Ward, has predicted: “The scary thing is that we’ve got an intersection of declining freshwater and too many people... And the freshwater decline is due to global warming. The lowest lying lands have the richest soil, and these are the lands that the rising sea level is going to salinize.”

"The only plausible explanation for the rise in weather-related catastrophes is climate change," Munich Re, one of the two largest reinsurance companies in the world, recently stated. "The view that weather extremes are more frequent and intense due to global warming coincides with the current state of scientific knowledge."

So why aren’t we hearing about this across the air waves? Why isn’t this being made a priority? We can partially blame the astrological weather... Neptune in Aquarius.. the manipulation of the collective through lies and misinformation. And we can also blame ourselves.

Selfishness is essentially conservative, and hates being disturbed. It prefers an easy-going, unexacting lie to the greatest truth, if the latter requires the sacrifice of one’s smallest comfort.
~from The Key to Theosophy by HPBlavatsky

In Al Gore’s article, The Climate of Denial, he points out that the major polluters themselves, along with the Ideologues that promote them, are actually bankrolling ‘pseudo-scientists’ in order to create doubt about climate change.. despite the fact that 98% of climate scientists say that the evidence is irrefutable. These same corporations and individuals buy elected officials with bribes that the politicians themselves have now made legal. And they spend millions of dollars on misleading ads in the mass media. There are 4 anti-climate lobbyists in Washington, DC for every Senator and Representative in Congress.

We were being given an opportunity to make radical and necessary changes. Yet the United States, has not only refused to keep up with the rest of the Western world in acknowledging that there is a problem, and doing something about it, but have made concerted efforts to refute the actual evidence.

With Neptune back in Aquarius... we’re being beckoned to have another chance, before Neptune enters Pisces again next February... the sign of dissolution. Through Pisces we have the opportunity to work together, as one common community, swimming in this same ocean of life together. We can be willing to make small sacrifices for the greater good of humanity and our world, or we can ignore and deny all that we have been consciously made aware of... and suffer the toxic consequences.

Libya finds Thor's Hammer

2011-08-22T15:50:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend, rebel forces in Libya virtually took over Tripoli, the capital of Libya. Coined “Operation Mermaid Dawn”.. rebel fighters came into Tripoli by sea, where they joined forces with sleeper cells within the capital. The operation took place just as a forceful planetary combination, sometimes referred to as Thor’s Hammer, was moving into position. Right on critical points of the Libyan chart for Independence (dated 12/24/1951; 12:00 AM). It will become exact on Wednesday-Thursday.

This configuration is made up of at least 3 planets, where 2 planets are square to one another, while each is then sesquiquadrate (135°) to a 3rd planet.. in this case retrograde Neptune, which has returned to Aquarius for some unfinished business. Neptune is the planet of ideology, and in Aquarius, can represent a somewhat unusual form of ideology. Saturn has been sesquare Neptune on and off from the sign of Libra, the sign of agreements, equality and fairness. When Saturn comes up against Neptune, ideology is tested for soundness in the face of reality.

Gaddafi has certainly proven to be extremely detached, not only from his own people, but often from reality in general. Referred to as a ‘mad dog’ by President Reagan, he has had a reputation for being at least, somewhat, if not totally, out of touch. Beset with delusions of grandeur, he rose to power on the wings of socialist ideals, only to abandon those principles in favor of despotism and tyranny. It’s almost as if Neptune has come back to meet Saturn in order to route out yet another mad dictator of the day.

Libya is currently experiencing a Saturn Return, in which Saturn is at the same degree as it was at the time of its independence in 1951. This is a time in which the leadership and structure of the country would be tested for soundness and strength. And with Neptune in Aquarius (idiosyncratic ideology) undermining the stability of that structure, all it needed was a decisive shove. People will put up with a lot when restrained by fear or apathy... which is kind of the way that sesquiquadrates operate, until those things that are oppressing the people are exposed... and then along comes an active square from Mars, as it did this weekend, and what had appeared to be an irritation became an all out force to be reckoned with. And with Mars on the Libyan Uranus, it came on swiftly and to many, unexpectedly. They found Thor’s Hammer.

Inspired by the Uranus/Pluto (Revolutionary) Spring Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Libyans began holding peaceful protests after the arrest of Fathi Terbii, a human rights attorney, about 6 months ago. Gaddafi, not one to pander to insolent protestors, gave a televised speech in which he promised to hunt down protestors “inch by inch, room by room, home by home, alleyway by alleyway.” Demonstrators were soon besieged with military force and violence, which only escalated the resistance into an all-out civil war. NATO intervened in order to protect the civilians... eventually siding with the rebels.

Thor’s Hammer is anchored in place by a Saturn/Neptune sesquare that perfects on the 24th of August. Under such weather, delusions confront reality, ideals struggle to find purchase... and madmen can be toppled from their thrones. Mars, currently raging in Cancer, the sign of the people... is joining the configuration this week bringing to a head, the anger and frustration of a society that has struggled against what have appeared to be at times, insurmountable odds.

There’s another Thor’s Hammer configuration coinciding with this one. This week, Mercury is slowing down to its station next Friday... and as it does so it will set off the revolutionary Uranus/Pluto square. Mercury is communications, messages, news...and is sitting on the Libyan Pluto, the planet of rebirth and transformation.. we’ll be talking a lot about revolutionary activity in Libya this week... And as the walls come tumbling down, as the crumbling out-worn institutions are unable to keep up with the new generation.. the next step will be the rebuilding.

Uranus in Aries, the revolutionary warrior, is within a few degrees of Jupiter (freedom) in the Libyan chart, and when people celebrating on the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi over the weekend, were asked what this all meant to them.. people replied simply, “Freedom.”

Uranus ~ Pluto: The Underbelly Revealed

2011-08-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

There is always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher.

~ Victor Hugo (Les Miserables, 1862)

Pluto in Capricorn is showing us where power has become overwhelmingly leveraged towards the few, at the expense of the rest. Pluto engenders the seeds of revolution, and the fall from power of those in high places, if need be. It’s about the redistribution of power. In Pluto weather the dark underbelly is revealed... And when in Capricorn it lays bare the underlying problems and weaknesses in the existing structures, governments and seats of power. And when planets come to stress this position...as they have been this year, those structures are challenged for stability, strength and soundness.

When Uranus in Aries (freedom, initiative and individuality) comes up against Pluto in Capricorn (plutocracy, oppression, fascism) there is a desire to be free at all costs. When Aries ruler, Mars, entered the Cross through Cancer (the sign of the people) in early August we saw a lot of passion and emotion erupting. Mars the planet of action, incited by a strong urge to defend and protect, entered the arena with Uranus and Pluto. But the passion and anger that ensued did not arise out of nowhere. It was due to circumstances that people had been tolerating for some time. Powder kegs were ready to explode... all they needed was the spark to ignite it.

London Riots ~ 2011

Astro-weather manifests in the areas that are most vulnerable and fertile.. where the circumstances exist for just this sort of explosion to occur, as we saw in London last week. At the roots of those riots, are causes that had been festering, relative to the fact that power has been gradually concentrated at the top (Capricorn) at the expense of the people (Cancer) at the bottom, creating a state of unstable inequality. Without a strong base to sustain the weight at the top, the result will lead to inevitable instability.

MSNBC world news pointed out:
The looting and rioting had nothing at all to do with the killing of Mark Duggan. That was the spark. The bonfire had been prepared by years of neglect, fueled by the anger of young men with no stake in the system, angry at everybody and quick to exploit fury at the killing of a local man....

London was not the only place to see violence last week. In Santiago, Chile, violence broke out when student protests for changes in public education, got out of hand. The protest began peacefully, just as they did in London, but then masked protesters broke off from the main crowd, in order to burn cars and barricades, loot storefronts and confront the police. The police responded in kind with tear gas and water cannons.

If a problem is revealed... you can try to ignore it in hopes that it will just go away, you can blame the victims, or you can do something about it. Ultimately, not being part of the solution, means that you are part of the problem. And in ignoring the problem, it will only get worse, and that much more difficult to fix later on. Among the many hot spots of unrest in the world today, one of the most heart-rending and frustrating is Somalia.

Drought in Somalia

Somalia, a country that is no stranger to war and drought, is experiencing what is being called the worst humanitarian disaster in history. Over 3 million lives are at stake, where the risk of dying of starvation is imminent. Over 29,000 children under the age of 5 have already died of famine. War-torn and ravaged, politics has played a heavy role in this area of the world, where competing warlords, and a violent civil war have terrorized its citizens. A 2-year drought, incessant conflict and poverty have created one of the most vulnerable places on the earth.

This crisis was not created overnight. Twenty years of conflict in the region has resulted in serious consequences that can no longer be ignored. And there has been a cry out for both the Somali government, as well as the International Community to sponsor peace-making initiatives in the nation. Compound this with a flagrant disregard for the environment that has contributed to climate change... and global disasters are bound to be imminent in our most fragile areas such as this.

The catalyst for change during Uranus/Pluto cycles, usually comes through a series of events that allow people to see that things are not as they thought they previously were. A lot of upheavals occur at these times, but also a lot of good reforms can take place, changing the world in a very positive way, such as has been seen with civil rights movements throughout the Uranus/Pluto time line. The reforms that do take place are often revolutionary in themselves, in that they change people’s perceptions on a grand scale.

Pluto in Capricorn: 2008-2024
Uranus square Pluto: 2011-2015
Mars square Uranus opposite Pluto: Aug 3-13th, 2011
another hot week to watch next year:
Mars opposite Uranus square Pluto: July 14-21st, 2012

Mother of Liberation

2011-06-20T21:55:00.001-04:00

'Son of your race! As you are striving for the sake of sentient beings in the Land of Sorrows, intercede in their suffering, and I shall be your companion in this endeavour!' so it was beseeched by the reverend Tara, born of the tears of Chenrezig, the Buddha embodying the compassion of all Buddhas.

The Solstice on Tuesday invokes the splendid cosmic fracas between Uranus and Pluto that seems to cull images of a Ragnorak age of fire and brimstone raining from the sky, and volcanic lakes engulfing civilization as we know it. The Solstice, which is a Cardinal Ingress into the sign of Cancer, will bring back this theme of impending change and the spirit of revolution, as Uranus and Pluto are still in the early degrees of Aries and Capricorn, and are very close, but not exactly square to one another. But with another angle quite different from the fire and brimstone variety.

Indeed, historically, Uranus and Pluto have been associated with periods of great change, political and cultural revolution, and rebellion... as pointed out previously on the Uranus/Pluto Timeline. And although revolution and change often appear to be precipitated by things that happen to us from without.. this process of revolution is also dependent on an inner evolution... an unfolding from within, out. In order to revolt, there must first be a sense of discontent. These are times when humanity has reached the climax in which they will no longer tolerate repressive, or oppressive situations. That intolerance, that realization that something needs to be changed... starts from within.

With the Sun’s Ingress into Cancer the sign of women, mothers, home and hearth, this week, the first aspects made are actually a trine to mystic Neptune in Pisces and then a sextile to Jupiter. Neptune is the planet of conscience, of humility, social welfare and enlightenment. Jupiter is the planet of ethics, morality, justice and philosophical exploration.

I’ll be celebrating this Solstice by attending a meeting led by the venerable Robina Courtin, a feminist and activist who also happens to be a Buddhist Nun. I can’t think of anyone more fitting to exemplify the planetary climate of the current Cancer Ingress chart. The reverend Robina also leads a Tara retreat meditating on the virtues and practice of achieving compassion in action.

As the female Buddha of enlightened activity, Tara is known as the “Mother of Liberation”. There is a story related to Tara, that millions of years ago in a previous cycle she was a young princess named Yeshe Dawa, who through many lifetimes of devotion achieved bodhicitta, the opened heart mind of a bodhisattva. Upon achieving this level, it was suggested to her, by some misguided monks, that she pray to be reborn as a male in order to be able to progress even further. Tara rebuked this idea, pointing out that only weak minded ‘worldlings’ would see gender as a handicap to achieving enlightenment. And so the Goddess Tara, who took a vow to always be reborn a woman, came into being. The Dalai Lama says of Tara:

There is a true feminist movement in Buddhism that relates to the goddess Tārā. Following her cultivation of bodhicitta, the bodhisattva's motivation, she looked upon the situation of those striving towards full awakening and she felt that there were too few people who attained Buddhahood as women. So she vowed, "I have developed bodhicitta as a woman. For all my lifetimes along the path I vow to be born as a woman, and in my final lifetime when I attain Buddhahood, then, too, I will be a woman."

On May 21, a brave woman named Manal al Sharif dared to defy the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that forbids women to drive cars. For the following week, she sat in a Saudi prison. But, within two days of her detention, hundreds of thousands of viewers had watched the YouTube video of her defiant road trip. As a result, thousands of Saudi women, vowed to stage a “driving day” protest on June 17, which was met with great success.

For the women of Saudi Arabia this was not just a staged kabuki dance about driving cars, this was about the opportunity to speak out against their second-class status in a country that is stultifying in its repression of women. This protest allowed the women of Saudi Arabia to have their voices heard.

the Venerable Robina Courtin

While studying music in London during the volatile 60’s, in which the spirit of the Uranus/Pluto conjunction was thriving, Robina Courtin became actively involved with a radical left-wing movement aiding prisoners of color. This was followed by a period of radical feminism when she returned to her native Australia in the 70’s. However, it was also in the 70’s that she discovered Tibetan Buddhism... and who else would she find a divine form through which to mentor, than through the Goddess Tara, the Mother of Liberation?

The discovery of these teachings led Courtin on a spiritual quest to Kathmandu, where she was eventually ordained a Buddhist Nun. Relinquishing all but her innate radical principles, she has become one of the most popular teachers of Buddhism in the West, renowned for her direct no-nonsense approach. She founded the Liberation Prison Project in 1996, which works with prison inmates who practice buddhism in the United States. Some of these individuals are on death row, or languishing in prison on life sentences. However, Courtin understood that although their bodies may be imprisoned and shackled, liberation, true freedom, is really a state of mind.

Robina Courtin embodies in this way, both the spiritual path of the Jupiter/Neptune transcendent vision, as well as the radical, leftist, revolutionary embodied in the Uranus/Pluto opening square, striving to be free. Compassion in action, indeed.

The above photo of "Green Tara" is courtesy of Spirit-fire at http://www.flickr.com/photos/spirit-fire/

The Beltane Moon

2011-04-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

The Tuatha dé Danann once ruled Ireland, so they say, in ancient times. A people of mythic proportions, they came at Beltane, arriving in ships borne on the mists of the sky. They conquered by means of their magical powers, but would eventually be overcome by a following wave of invaders, who drove them into the hollow hills, where they continued to live as the Sîdhe, or fairy folk. In legends they are pictured as tall and regal in bearing... but it is said, that over time, with the loss of their connection to ordinary human-kind (and starved of their spiritual sustenance), they diminished in size and stature to become what are known as, the wee folk, or the little people.

Lilac Fairy by Cicely Mary Barker

May 1st, or Beltane, is one of those corners of the year when the veil between the ‘seen’ and the ‘unseen’ worlds is thin. It is said that May is the time when the fairy folk can be seen among us, if we but look for their sign.

In the Spring time, the Weeping Sisters, the Pleiades, rise just before sunrise.   So this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, is also associated with the ‘waters’, the rains that nourish the growing plants, bringing the blossoms out on the trees, and the blooms on the vine. It is also the time when the Fire of the Sun, meets the rich fertile soils of the Earth, bringing all to a quickening and rebirth. Beltane was often celebrated with bon fires, and lusty liaisons in the forests and fields... said to bring fertility and bounty to the harvests. And so we welcome in, the lusty month of May.

However, with Saturn opposing Taurus ruler, Venus, as we commence this week, there’s a little haze on the lustiness. Disagreements, breakups, and a little heart-break mar the pre-Beltane festivities... or perhaps a sense of duty, a sense of poverty or despair, loneliness, separation from loved ones, or a strong sense of reality settling in that wakens us from our presumed assumptions... but not to despair! Lustiness, creative fertility, and hope come in the wake of the ancient one’s magical ships... The New Moon in Taurus on Monday/Tuesday brings both joy and hope, and maybe just a little creative magic.. and we could all use some of that just about now.

Remember to read your Rising sign as well if you know it:

Aries
If you can’t have what you want, love what you have. And what you have, charging into the weekend is an indomitable sense of purpose, and energy. If you set a goal for yourself.. nothing and no one will be able to break your spirit, your drive, and confidence, and keep you from getting it. You’re flying. The Taurus New Moon, is the time of year for Aries to set financial goals, and to reaffirm faith in themselves, and their own self-worth. Seek to attract to yourself, those experiences, things and people who will let you know how good you are at what you do, and reinforce your own belief in yourself.

Taurus
As you approach this weekend, there is a sense of poverty of the soul, or a feeling of unfulfillment. A sense of responsibility has you going through the motions, but your heart has not been in it. There’s a difference between that which you desire to do, and that which you have to do. But do not be daunted for long... There is much joy for Taurus in the month of May... so break out your fairy wings, and be ready to alight: a sense of gaiety and lightness arises, as you rediscover your Taurean soul. “‘Pan, who and what art thou?’ Hook cried huskily. ‘I’m youth, I’m joy,’ Peter answered at a venture, ‘I’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg.’” - JMM Barrie.

Gemini
We don’t have much Morris dancing here in the US, but I understand it can involve a lot of bells attached to one’s legs, handkerchiefs tossed about, and various other festive accessories. It’s the festivity of it all that is rather attractive, as well as the idea that you have to do this with others in a group. If you don’t have Morris dancing in your neck of the woods either, look forward to other excuses to get together in a festive manner over the next few weeks. Sing, play music, and dance with bells on, if you so desire. But also seek out some alone time as well, for it will be in those moments of stillness that you will be inspired.

Cancer
This is the wishing New Moon for Cancer. This is because the capacity to make your dreams come true is implicit in the fact that the Moon is in the fertile sign of Taurus, the 11th sign from Cancer. And it will soon be followed next month by expansive Jupiter. New Moons are always good times to set intentions, make wishes, or initiate a project. But this week, for Cancer, it has that much more positive strength. Therefore sow seeds of confidence and joy and peace... visualize, make a whole list of wishes if need be, and just remember to request that these be fulfilled in only the best of ways, harming none, and for the good of all concerned.

Leo
Having a little wander lust? A desire to explore new places, new environments, new ideas? This is a great week to embark on an adventure, especially in the company of like minds. Seek new horizons, seek freedom and open spaces. However, this is also a very good week to make an impression on the boss, or to be noticed, especially for any creative proclivities. You won’t need to be seeking out the spotlight, for you will be illuminated with floodlights wherever you wander this week. Bask in the glow.

Virgo
If you want to ask for a favor, or a loan, or you just need a little help, this week is a good time to ask... though this may be hard to believe at first. This will become even more so as the week moves on. A lot of what seemed so limiting these past few weeks, is being relieved. You could also find your attitude shifting as the result of a conversation shared with others. Sometimes all it takes is a change in perspective, in order to open up a whole new world of possibilities, and a whole new passel of creative ideas.

Libra
Coming into this week feels like you are carrying an extraordinary burden, with little to show for it, and not much help from others, and this curious feeling of procrastination and malaise. But it will soon become evident that things are not quite so worrisome as they seemed, and others will be there for you, if you need them. Expect a surge of creative inspiration amidst pleasant social activities this week. If you are hoping to make a change, eliminate a bad habit, or remove something from your life that you are not happy with, this is the week to do it.

Scorpio
Whatever problem has been irritating you, it will either become inflamed to the point where you are forced to contend with it once and for all... or it will suddenly just go away. Poof! Either way, if something needs to be fixed, fix it, and you will be filled with a sudden surge of energy and freedom from what was previously irking you. This is a good week to make a whole new start or commitment within a partnership or close relationship. Doing so will bring possibilities beyond your wildest dreams.

Sagittarius
Love makes the heart grow fonder. If anyone is fertile these days, it’s Sagittarius with everything piled in your house of love, children and creative self-expression. And if anyone is seeking adventurous and lusty liaisons in the fields and woods, it’s you guys. But don’t overdo too much of a good thing, as Sag is often inclined to do. You’re supposed to be paying some attention to your health this week too, whether this means eating more consciously, or just taking it a little easy! Okay, we give up....

It's wild! It's gay!
Depraved in every way
The birds and bees with all of their vast
Amorous past
Gaze at the human race aghast,
The lusty month of May. ~ (Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Lowe “Camelot”)

Capricorn
It often feels like if you want something done, you’ve just got to do it yourself. And one can get kerfuffled when you see everyone sitting on their butts while you’re slaving away. But sometimes, all you have to do is ask, and you’ll be amazed at how much people really do want to be there to help you out. Feeling less inspired than usual lately, it will come as a relief to know that things are beginning to open up creatively in your life. It’s time to rediscover your deep connection to the rhythms of the earth, and to those people and things that you hold near and dear to your heart. It’s time to sing.

Aquarius
There are times when one feels isolated from everyone.. they seem so far away. And it feels hard to believe in fairies these days. But in only a matter of days your world is going to be filled with laughter and happy voices, and you’ll be wondering what all the forlorn woe-begotten meanderings were all about. This is a good week to make changes at home, or to make a new commitment to family, home or country in a way that promotes peace, security and your sense of connection to the earth that you live on. The fairies are in your own back yard.

Pisces
Now if anyone is capable of seeing fairies, it’s Pisces. Although they may not be fairies you are seeing. But you’re still seeing something, so let’s just call them fairies. However, don’t listen to them if they try to give you advice about money. You’re more inclined to take financial risks this week... However, by the same token, you’re also more likely to win... provided you keep it real, especially if you are planning any large purchases. Get all the practical information you can, provided you get the information from reliable, non-mythical sources.. you know what they say about an educated consumer.

Neptune enters Pisces

2011-04-05T23:08:00.004-04:00

Neptune entered Pisces April 4th

Silence of the Mists by Prozac1

Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colors from our sight.
Red is gray and yellow white.
But we decide which one is right.
And which is an illusion?~the Moody Blues

conscience, compassion, humility, oceans, water, gases, poisons, oil, unity, art, film, artists, music

In society, Neptune is the idealistic backdrop in the human community. Its entrance into the various signs, and the major aspects Neptune makes, are reflected in the culture, through the Neptunian lens of essential unity and conscience. This is the inner understanding of our connection, not only to other human beings, but to all sentient beings everywhere, as well as to all of life, including the planet we live on. The more we identify with Neptune, the more the attributes that are associated with that Oneness are expressed: compassion, humility, inspiration, imagination, artistic expression and a realization of that which is spiritual within: interconnectedness with nature and humanity, a healthy conscience, and ultimately transcendence and enlightenment.

imagination, inspiration, deception, confusion, delusion, illusion, addiction, victimization, sacrifice

When the channels to Neptune are filled with filters made up of paradigms, rationalizations, and preconceived notions, these same attributes become distorted and confused... leading to the erroneous idea that spirit or deity is separate from us, or that we are the sole possessor of deity. This in turn can lead to other more malevolent distortions of Neptune, such as thinking one is superior to others, and conversely, thinking of oneself as inferior, helpless and hopeless: the victim/savior dichotomy; glamour and enchantment which leads one down the garden path of deception; and a detachment from the material world due to mental illness, or deliberately through drugs and alcohol.

charity, social welfare, altruism, transcendence, escapism, enlightenment, enchantment, glamour, deity, fairies, magic, myths

Neptune in its home sign of Pisces, allows Neptune to be expressed in all its glory, for the good and the ill. It is pure Neptune. So the same planet that rules transcendence and enlightenment, also rules mental illness and escapism. And the same planet that rules the imagination, and artistic expression, also rules liars and con artists. But the difference between the con artist and the Buddha, is the degree to which the essential quality of Neptune, its essential conscience and link to the divine, is expressed without the distortions of rationalization and selfishness. Without what Buddhists refer to as the deception of self-cherishing.

The Mind is the great Slayer of the Real. Let the Disciple slay the Slayer.
The Voice of the Silence

The last time Neptune was in Pisces (1848-1862), we saw the emergence of Spiritualism in the United States, and Spiritism in Europe. The belief that man was able to communicate with the spiritual world was not new, but the modern movement began with two young girls in upstate New York, in March of 1848. The Fox Sisters had moved into a home, that had been plagued with curious knocking sounds and a history of ‘haunting’ presences. The girls boldly figured out a means to communicate with the knocking sounds, that responded with accurate answers to the questions they asked. Within a very short period of time the news of their discovery spread like wildfire. The girls became an instant sensation, and spiritualists and mediums emerged from every nook and cranny, Spirit Guides in attendance.

The Fox Sisters communications, were seen as proof, that man is more than just their human bodies, that there is existence beyond the material world, and that ‘we’ do not ‘die’ when the body perishes.   With Neptune newly ensconced in Pisces the time was ripe for the exploration of supra-terrestrial realms. By the time Mary Todd Lincoln was engaging in spirit circles in 1862, historian Jean Baker noted that prior to the Civil War, there were more spiritualists than abolitionists.

In the years that followed the discovery of the Fox sisters, variations on mediumship proved to be popular, not only from a spiritual point of view, but from a profitable one as well. The Fox sisters were able to earn a living... and before long there were many and sundry ‘entertainers’ who would follow their lead, the result of which was often fraud, and extravagant tableaus.

While the Spiritualists were gathering en masse in upstate New York, Henry David Thoreau had just returned from Walden Pond, and was devoting himself to the exposition of all that he had surveyed while he had been living in his remote ideal. In September of 1847, he left Walden, and began his manuscript, which was published in 1854 as “Walden, or Life in the Woods”

Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.~ Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau, naturalist, philosopher, transcendentalist, anarchist... he was also one of the first ecologists. He wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” He believed in a spiritual state that transcends the physical, and that insight is gained through one’s inner or intuitive connection to the divine, rather than through religion. “Heaven is under our feet,” he would write, “as well as over our heads.”

Thoreau was also an avid abolitionist and supporter of John Brown. So was fellow transcendentalist, Harriet Beecher Stowe who wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, published in 1852, which brought to light the conditions that African-americans were subject to under slavery. Although it created many stereotypes of African Americans that have continued to this day, its popularity was instrumental in inspiring and widening support for the abolitionist movement in the Northern States.

A Ride for Liberty~Eastman Johnson

It was between the years 1854 through 1859, while Neptune was in the sign of Pisces, that battles between pro-slavery and free state settlers in Kansas reached such a furor... that it eventually led to the American Civil War. It was also during the 1850’s that the Underground Railroad reached its height. It was the zeitgeist of compassion, a stirring of feeling for the disempowered and the disenfranchised, and a belief in the redemption of the soul that lay the backdrop of the Neptune in Pisces era.

Also, interestingly, was the unintentional saving of the whales. Neptune rules the oceans and the water. With the increased use of ‘kerosene’, which was developed in 1846, and the ability to ‘fractionate’ oil... oil and kerosene would soon replace our reliance on whale oil as a source of light and energy. Neptune also rules oil. So perhaps we should look for more issues and resolutions surrounding our present reliance on oil.

Diaspora: A series of revolutions in Europe in 1848, led to mass migrations of refugees to other countries, but particularly the industrial cities. And in response to the Industrial Revolution, many inequities in factories were addressed at this time, concerning working conditions. The first trade unions were formed in the 1850’s and 60’s. So perhaps we should see more issues surrounding refugees, immigration, and workers’ rights.

So, what can we expect in 2011 through 2025? It’s the principles we need to observe. The desire for spiritual confirmation, that we are not our bodies, that there is more to life than just this one mere terrestrial existence. And if we were to know God, or Spirit, where would we look? What about conscience? What about our relationship to nature, the earth, and to each other? Neptune in Pisces inspires us to consider those among us who have the least, who are disempowered, disenfranchised, the vulnerable or disowned, and issues of inequality. These were the questions that arose in the previous Neptune in Pisces era, an era of enlightened conscience. We can expect now to see more of the same.

Revolutionary Timeline: The Uranus/Pluto Cycle

2011-03-13T17:41:00.000-04:00

When Uranus, the planet of freedom and independence, meets authoritarian, transformational Pluto in hard aspect the key words are: revolution, social activism, rebellion vs. authoritarianism, reformation, freedom against oppression, and transformation. These are times in history when it becomes apparent that what people had been tolerating for some time, will not just go away by themselves, but in fact feel to be getting worse. There is a universal urge to make much needed changes and reforms... even revolutions. People feel as if they are forced to make changes or take a stand. The catalyst for change usually comes through a series of events that allow people to see that things are not as they thought they previously were. A lot of upheavals occur at these times as seen below, but also a lot of good reforms take place, changing the world in a very positive way, such as with civil rights movements, and the rights of man. The reforms that do take place are often revolutionary in themselves, in that they change people’s perceptions on a grand scale. Changes on a world scale. Sometimes environmental, but often political and bent on civil rights and social reform.

1758-59 Uranus in Pisces square Pluto in Sag
The Seven Years Waractually a Global conflict that involved North and Central America, Europe, the West African coast, India and the Philippines. It is sometimes divided between 4 separate theaters: French and Indian War (1754-63); the Pomeranian War (1757-1762); the Third Carnatic War (1757-1763); and the Third Silesian War (1756-1763). These wars were driven by empirical control of colonies and trade throughout the world. Over all some 1-1.4 million people died.
“No taxation without representation”
First coined at this time, this statement summarized the main grievance between colonists in the 13 colonies with Great Britain eventually leading to the American Revolution in the 1770’s. Since the colonists did not have representation in parliament, they declared that taxation of the colonies was unconstitutional.

"Any law which violates the inalienable rights of man is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all." - Robespierre

1793 Uranus in Leo opposes Pluto in Aquarius
French Revolution:
Old ideas about hierarchy and tradition succumb to the New Enlightenment principles of ‘citizenship’ and ‘inalienable rights’. Replaced the monarchy with a radical democratic republic leading to major social changes. The revolution was instigated by mass hunger and malnutrition among the poor with an apparent indifference on the part of the wealthy. France was near bankruptcy especially as a result of its participation in the American Revolution and 7 years War. Taxation subjected the lower classes to a heavy burden while numerous exemptions existed for the nobility.
Reign of Terror 1793-94
16,594 people were executed in France after being accused of counter-revolutionary activities. Some historians say as many as 40,000 were executed, including the famous execution of Marie Antoinette.
Haitian Revolution
The St. Domingue slave revolt which led to the elimination of slavery and the establishment of Haiti as the first republic ruled by people of African ancestry. Although they gained their independence, it would be an uphill struggle for this society which had deeply entrenched traditions already imposed on them by French rule, and an unconscionable debt as they were required to pay reparations to the French slaveholders in order to receive French recognition. It was a no-win battle.

1820-21 Uranus in Sagittarius square Pluto in PiscesRevolutions and declaration of Independence of the nations in Central and South America
Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Santo Domingo, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
Europe
Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, with revolutions and revolts in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France.
Many Revolutionary figures born during this time:
Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony

"I was a stranger in a strange land, my father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were (in Maryland). But I was free, and they should be free."

1850 Uranus conjunct Pluto in Aries
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Tubman escaped slavery in 1850 and joined the Underground Railroad, bringing family and friends out of slavery and into safety. This was the same year that the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, forcing law officials to recapture fugitive slaves, even in states that outlawed slavery, and punish those who aided and abetted their escape. Tubman became known as “Moses” for her brave exploits.

“ The midnight sky and the silent stars have been the witnesses of your devotion to freedom and of your heroism. Excepting John Brown—of sacred memory—I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than you have.” ~ Frederick Douglass.

Taiping Rebellion began
a widespread civil war led by a Christian convert, Hong, whose goal was social reform, replacing Buddhism, Confucianism and chinese folk religion with a form of Christianity. Considered one of the deadliest of conflicts in which 20M people would die.
Irish Potato famine
“the Great Hunger” The Irish Famine was the basis for a great deal of embittered anger between the disenfranchised Irish and the British. Huge quantities of food were exported from Ireland to England throughout the period of the famine, when the people of Ireland were literally dying of starvation. In fact exportation actually increased during the famine. The food was shipped under guard from the most famine-stricken parts of Ireland, and the poor had no money to buy food at all.

“My lands are where my dead lay buried.” ~Chief Crazy Horse

1877 Uranus in Leo square Pluto in Taurus
The Indian Wars
Chief Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the US Calvary in Montana. He said “A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky. I was hostile to the white man…we preferred hunting to a life of idleness on our reservations. At times we did not get enough to eat and we were not allowed to hunt. All we wanted was peace and to be left alone. Soldiers came and destroyed our villages. Then Long Hair (Custer) came…They say we massacred him, but he would have done the same to us. Our first impulse was to escape but we were so hemmed in we had to fight.” After their final battle, Crazy Horse would surrender. A few months later he would die as a result from a stab wound from a bayonet.
Russo Turkish War
The Russian Empire declares war on the Ottoman Empire in 1877.
From 1873 onward the Ottoman government was being brought to its knees by wide-spread drought and famine in Anatolia. People were hungry. Taxes were unable to be paid to the Imperial Treasury. The Ottoman government had to declare bankruptcy in 1875. Uprisings occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1875 due to high tax burdens imposed on them. This in turn triggered the Bulgarian uprising in 1876. Revenge was taken on the Bulgarians, committing untold atrocities against the people. There was an international public outcry condemning the Ottoman Empire. The strongest reaction came from Russia, whose sympathy for the Bulgarian cause led to a nationwide surge in patriotism. Russia also saw their intervention as a way to regain territories lost during the Crimean War (which occurred during the Uranus Pluto conjunction in 1850).

"I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred."~ Booker T. Washington

1901 Uranus in Sagittarius opposes Pluto in Gemini
Booker T. Washington is invited to the White House by Theodore Roosevelt
Washington was the leading figure in the African American community from 1890 to 1915. When Washington’s autobiography, Up from Slavery, was published in 1901, it became a bestseller, and made a major impact. As a result of this, Theodore Roosevelt invited him to dinner at the White House. The racist Southerners, including the outspoken foul-mouthed governor of Mississippi, and Senator from South Carolina, reacted to this with extreme anger and retribution through increased racial rhetoric and violence.
Panic of 1901
1st Stock Market Crash on the New York Stock Exchange, caused by power brokers trying to take full control of the Railroads. The moguls involved remained relatively unscathed, but as a result of the panic, thousands of small investors were ruined.
JP Morgan buys mines and steel mills in the US making this the 1st Billion$ deal ever made.
Theodore Roosevelt asks Congress to curb the power of Trusts.
These were business entities intending to monopolize businesses (such as the Railroads), restrain trade or fix prices.
Disasters:
Great Fire of 1901 in Florida ravaged most of Jacksonville leaving over 10,000 people homeless
Hurricane in Texas kills 8,000
Earthquake in Guatemala kills 2,000
Mt. Pelée erupts in Martinique killing 30,000 people

"Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange

1930-34 Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Cancer
Franklin Delano Roosevelt initiates The New Deal
The New Deal is a widespread social welfare strategy, which included the Social Security Act, to combat the economic devastation caused by the Great Depression, which began with the collapse of the Stock Market in October of 1929. This was the largest stock market crash in American history, causing devastating effects worldwide. As a result, authoritarian regimes emerged in several countries including the Third Reich in Germany and Japan invading Manchuria. This in turn led to the collapse of the League of Nations.
The Dust Bowl
Severe dust storms caused major ecological damage to prairies in the US and Canada from 1930-36. These were caused by extreme droughts as well as poor farming techniques leading to erosion. The results of these were mass migrations, food shortages, multiple deaths and a severe decrease in wages.
The Salt March

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”

Mohandas Gandhi leads the non-violent Declaration of Indian Independence. The Salt March was part of this campaign, and was a show of resistance against the British owned salt monopoly in colonial India. This march would later have a significant influence on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his own non-violent peace march protests in the 1960’s.
Hitler and the Third Reich

“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think.”
“We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strike.” ~ Adolf Hitler, May 2, 1933

Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party (commonly known as the Nazis), were able to rise to power forming a fascist regime, following the failure of the German Banks in 1931. As a party they were committed to repudiating the Treaty of Versailles, persecuting and removing Jews and other minorities from Germany, opposing Communism, and expanding Germany’s territories, which eventually led to the Second World War.

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”

Mao Zedong forms the Chinese Soviet Republic

1964-1967 Uranus conjunct Pluto in Virgo
Decolonization of Africa
32 African countries gained their independence in the 1960’s.
The Americanization of the Viet Nam War and the Peace Movement
US combat troops are deployed to Viet Nam in 1965, peaking in 1968. A series of attrocities committed by troops along with the advent of photo journalism, brought the war home, and resulted in a public outcry against the war, leading to huge peace marches throughout the nation that eventually put pressure on the government to end the US involvement in the war. Provocative actions by police and by protesters would turn anti-war demonstrations in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention into a riot. But for the most part the movement gained national prominence and support across the country.
The 6 Day War
Also known as the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict, in which Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights. The results of which effect the politics of the region up to this day. As a result of the war 300,000 Palestinians left the West Bank and Gaza, most of whom settled in Jordan. In addition, another 100,000 Syrians had to leave the Golan Heights. The Israeli government announced that it would allow the return of Palestinian refugees who desired to do so, but were given no more than a month’s notice. Under pressure from Jordan, many signed up to return, but only 14,000 of the 120,000 who applied were actually allowed by Israel to return to the West Bank.
The Civil Rights Movement

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Selma to Montgomery marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the peak of the American civil rights movement. They were initiated through a movement for voting rights, which began in Selma, Alabama. The first march, referred to as “Bloody Sunday” took place on March 7, 1965, in which the civil rights marchers were attacked by the police with billy clubs and tear gas. The second march took place on March 9. It was not until the third march on March 21st, which lasted five days, that they made it all the way to Montgomery, Alabama, 51 miles away.
The Feminist Movement
During the 60‘s there was a strong campaign against the inequality of women. Women began to address certain aspects of their own personal lives as being also political in expression, and a result of the inequality of power in society.
Assassinations:
Medgar Evers of the NAACP in 1963
JF Kennedy in 1963
Malcolm X in 1965
Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968
Robert F. Kennedy in 1968

2011-15 Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn

Uprisings in the Middle East: Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, with unrest in Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia as well.

Union Busting in the United States with huge protests in Wisconsin.

Japan earthquake and Tsunami, March 11, 2011
Occupy Wall Street which began Sept. 17, 2011 and continues to grow.

From the Middle East to the Midwest

2011-02-26T21:43:00.000-05:00

What we’ve been seeing this past month is a combination of Jupiter in Aries (moral outrage) coming up against Pluto in Capricorn (oligarchies, plutocracies and dictatorships) with Uranus at the very, very end of Pisces, about to charge full-steam into Aries (revolutionary new movements).

Currently Uranus is in the last minutes of the last degree of Pisces, which lends this sense of almost emotional despair. In the Guardian this week, Martin Chulov encapsulates this despair in the story of how residents of Benghazi, Libya attempted to dig through a patch of dirt in the back of a now deserted military base. “We know they’re there,” a man declared, “The people heard their voices.”

It is believed by the people that the soldiers buried dozens of people in underground vaults before they ran from the city last weekend. And so they dig, because they don’t know what else to do.

"Anyone who upset him (Colonel Gaddafi) either ended up dead on his own doorstep, or in one of these holes," said Hussein Abbas, pointing to one of the two giant mounds atop the underground cells. "We have to get these people out."

Uranus in 29° Pisces brings us to the point where we need to let go and move on. But it is also about being willing to sacrifice something for the greater good. This is necessary, we need to do this, in order for the new beginning, the new cycle, to start.

Up until now, no door, nor lock was found to the underground dungeon, but people came from far and wide to search.. in this evil place. Up until last weekend this base was occupied by thousands of soldiers until they were evicted by thousands more people armed with bulldozers and explosives.

"This camp was the darkest fear of all of Benghazi," said one man, Nouri Kaskas. "Everybody had a relative somewhere who was in one of these holes."

Uranus is coming to the end of a grand 84-year cycle, and about to embark on a new cycle in a few weeks, replete with revolutions, surprising results, new beginnings, and a great deal of excitement in store. As Uranus enters Aries this March, it will also square the Sun in Capricorn in the Libyan chart, just as it did in the Egyptian chart these past few months. A signature of a changing leadership.

On Friday, at the UN in Geneva, diplomats from Libya declared they were defecting. At an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, a Libyan diplomat asked the council to stand for a moment of silence in honor of the revolution, and then informed the council that they were all quitting the government. The Council members responded with resounding applause.

Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

Back here in the US, the budget crises we’ve been hearing about were caused by the banks and Wall Street. A crisis contributed to by deregulation and greed. Yet some how the workers (along with their pensions and benefits) are being blamed and held responsible for the evils of Wall Street. But if the issues have to do with a financial crisis, why attack the Unions? These Tea Party Republicans are trying to break the Unions. That’s what it has to do with it. Breaking the Unions. In Wisconsin. In Ohio. In Indiana. In Tennessee. They’re squeezing the unions by trying to eliminate collective bargaining. Denying them a voice.

In the previous election the two major donors to campaigns were the Unions (Democrats) and the Koch Brothers (Republicans). With the Unions out of the way.... well, the Koch Brothers would own the elections, and thereby the country. With the government in their pockets, the obscenely rich can become even richer... you know, eliminate regulations, not have to pay taxes, lower the minimum wage, not have to worry about the environment or worker safety. All that stuff that gets in the way of getting richer. Pluto in Capricorn begins with revealing the gross inequalities in power and wealth.

The workers paid for their benefits, and are now being given less than they paid for, and were promised. They have reluctantly agreed. After all, there’s a budget crisis, which they had no hand in creating. But they will not give up their rights to collective bargaining, without which they would have no power.

George Lakoff tried to explain the conservative mind set and moral system in the context of a ‘strict father family.’ In such a moral context, the people who are not prosperous are in the predicament they are because they don’t have discipline, and without discipline, “they cannot be moral, so they deserve their poverty. The good people are hence the prosperous people.”

Moral outrage in the time of Jupiter square Pluto has come to the US as well. In this video, Wisconsin Assembly Republicans held a vote at 1 AM in the morning this past Friday, for only a bare few seconds, forcing through Gov. Walker’s radical bill to take away workers’ rights. Right now, the only thing keeping this bill from becoming law are the state Senate Democrats, who courageously left the state in order to block the Senate from voting.

In a deeply moving tribute, the police officers in Wisconsin have joined the workers, still demonstrating within the capitol building in Wisconsin. One officer gave this message to Governor Walker:

“We took an oath to protect the members of our community. This is not a budget issue this is a civil rights issue. We know pretty well who you work for Mr. Walker, let me tell you who we work for, we work for all of these people here. We’re not here to do your bidding, we’re here to do their bidding. This is not your house Mr. Walker, this is all our house.”

What's Happening in Wisconsin?/ Jupiter square Pluto

2011-02-18T22:04:00.000-05:00

So what is happening in Wisconsin? Scott Walker, newly-elected Republican teabag governor, with control of both houses was elected into his office on the platform that he was going to create jobs. When a Democrat says they are going to create jobs, they create jobs. When a Republican says they are going to create jobs, they give tax cuts to the wealthy. And then they turn around and lay off 6,000 state workers. Which is exactly what Walker wants to do.

Pluto in Capricorn: Plutocracy.... a government or state in which the wealthy class rules. Autocrat... an absolute ruler, especially a monarch who holds and exercises the powers of government as by inherent right, not subject to restrictions... a person invested with or claiming to exercise absolute authority.

Walker came into his office with a surplus. Solution? Cut taxes in your first month in office, and create a deficit in order to lay off workers, and have an excuse to bring those unions down to their knees. Now he has a budget deficit... so now he can fire 6,000 workers and cut the salaries and benefits for another 175,000 workers. Now, a government worker making $50,000 gross, will have to pay out of that, an additional $5,000 per year in order to maintain their benefits and pension. 10% of their income. But that’s not all. And this is not what the thousands of workers in Madison are protesting. What the workers are protesting is that the Republicans are trying to break the unions: take away their bargaining power, and make them powerless. The Republican teabagger agenda: give money and power to the wealthy, and take it away from the working class.

Jupiter in Aries: Fighting for truth, freedom, rights and justice.

Presently, all is on hold, as the Democrats have absconded, preventing a quorum from being established in order for a vote to take place. The Republicans are short one legislator.
Scott Walker, in the footsteps of George W. Bush, felt that since he was elected, he no longer needed to listen to those who voted for him, for now he is ‘the decider’, and he can do anything he wants to do. Republicans were surprised at the huge turnout for the protest. They haven’t been watching the astrological weather, and what’s happening in Wisconsin is a reflection of what is happening across the country, and across the world.

Wisconsin is also symbolic because they have been the stronghold of the labor movement, the birthplace of one of the largest labor unions, with a long history of battling, and winning rights for workers. They initiated workers compensation for any loss of life or injury on the job, they are responsible for initiating unemployment insurance. The concept of having the 8 hour work day and 40 hour week, was fought for, with their lives, by workers in Wisconsin. Because of the negotiations of unions for wages, for benefits, for fair working conditions, the minimum wage is modeled for the whole country. If Gov. Walker is successful in stripping the unions of their bargaining rights, it will set a precedent for other conservative governors across the country.

Jupiter square Pluto becomes exact February 24th: Fighting for truth and justice against an oppressive or autocratic government or authority. Standing up for what is right against huge odds. Autocrats or dictators in a position of authority who fear, and try to prevent, break down, and control those who dare to fight for their freedom and rights.

When people were asking where Mubarak was, former Rep. David Obey (D-WI) answered that “he was ensconced in the governor’s mansion in Madison.” Now it may seem a stretch to compare Walker to Mubarak, but Walker is indeed modeling an autocratic dictator in order to achieve political ends.

When asked what would happen if the bill goes through, Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin state AFL-CIO, couldn't say. "All I can do is say what the emotion is, what the feelings are," he said. "There are thousands of good and committed people who are not going to let go of this thing. As far as what's going to happen on Monday, I'm not sure. But I can tell you one thing: there's going to be people reacting to this until it turns around." ~ the Huffington Post

Mubarak Steps Down

2011-02-11T18:16:00.001-05:00

February 11, 2011; 6:05 PM 2E; Cairo, Egypt

“The story of the Tahrir Square is not about who is with Mubarak and who is against; it is about a truly civilized, very peaceful people who decided to regain control of their destiny... They will forever be responsible and work to rebuild the whole country.” ~Olga Tantawi

“Egypt will now be rebuilt!” cried the people in Tahrir Square this morning, when Omar Suleiman announced that Mubarak had resigned. There was utter jubilation, which spread on the wings of tweets, and prayers, ululation and song, reverberating in the streets of Algeria, Jordan and Morocco.

Pluto in Capricorn challenges power brokers and governments built on the backs of the people through corruption, autocracy and intimidation. Jupiter, the planet of ethics and morals, has ridden his fine mare into the warrior sign of Aries, and comes up sharply against Pluto this coming week, just in time for the Full Moon in Leo opposing the line up of planets in rebellious Aquarius, the sign of the People en masse. Arab leaders across the East must heed that they need to make much needed reforms in their own countries, in order to maintain stability.

There has been a full line up in the sign of Aquarius these past few weeks, which reaches its climax at the Full Moon on the 18th. Egyptians, inspired by the recent protests in Tunisia that ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and motivated by the beating death of Khaled Said at the hands of the police, protested the outlandish corruption in government, excessive poverty, unemployment, and the rising cost of staples, such as wheat (Ceres in Aquarius) and other foods. Egypt has been subject to a police state, known as Emergency Rule, since Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. This Emergency Rule prevented political parties (other than the National Democratic Party) from organizing, establishing a one party state. There’s going to be a lot of hard work ahead to establish a true democracy.

Once a structure has been removed, demolished, or brought down, under Pluto in Capricorn, it then needs to be rebuilt on a much firmer, more stable and secure foundation. This is the work of Pluto in Capricorn.

At the time of the uprising in Egypt, and the eventual withdrawal of Mubarak, Uranus, the planet of sudden change, uprisings, and revolution, as well as the Midheaven, the Head of State, were being heavily aspected by Solar Direction and transits, in the chart for the Republic of Egypt (June 18, 1953; 11:30 PM GMT). Uranus sits in the house of the people, opposing the Midheaven, implying an innate instability between the people and the government, that could, indeed, be easily triggered, if the people were not given utter freedom and participation. Whether or not anything would happen at this time would be determined by how rigidly and autocratically the people were being controlled. The more they were controlled, the greater the tension, like a taut wire, reaching its breaking point. Conditions that the people had been putting up with, became unbearable, and the only solution was change.

After Mubarak announced last night that he was refusing to step down... even though there had been an implicit agreement that he would... journalist Richard Engle tweeted this message: “Army using its credibility to tell people ‘We’ll guarantee that change happens... Trust Us!’ “ In such astrological weather, even for those who resist change, or are in denial about the need for change, they will then find that circumstances force them to change against their will. Change is inevitable.

Uranus is approaching its square to Pluto over the next several years. This is the aspect of revolution. Of broad and irrevocable change. During the uprising in Egypt, Uranus was square the Egyptian Sun. This is the aspect of unexpected events necessitating the answer to the questions about whether or not you are truly on the correct path, and whether or not this is truly what Egypt is all about. Change is implicit... and once again, the more off the path the country became, the more necessary it is to implement changes. Change happened.

So what can we anticipate this year? This Summer there will be a lot of heat, anger, contention and possibly even violence, as Uranus comes up against the Egyptian Mars. The Egyptian people proved that they could make revolutionary change through peaceful protests, and a strong united front. This anger comes from within this Summer. From some dark hidden corner with ties to the past. It is loud and it is fiery. Issues related to old crimes, secrets about violence and torture, that had been hidden, but now come to light. People are going to be asking: Who is responsible? These are the sorts of crimes, symptoms of dark corruption, that led the people to exclaim, “We are all Khadem Said.”

But it is swiftly followed by Saturn, now Direct, making the same square to Uranus and Midheaven, as it did at the time of Mubarak’s resignation, followed soon after by a Saturn Return. Corruption will need to be weeded out. Change is inevitable. These coincide with the time of the elections, which are likely to be contentious, as the old guard hopes to continue to manipulate the proceedings as they have up until now. Hopefully imperialists, and power brokers overseas (Pluto in the 9th House widely opposing Mars), do not try to force their way into the proceedings as well. Democracy is an ideal that is difficult to implement in the real world.

Yet I have hope for Egypt. Saturn returns are indicative of times of growth and maturity. An old part of life expires, as a new one is beginning, hopefully grounded on the experience of the past. There is a change of guard. A new government (Saturn), preferably founded on Libran principles of equality, legality, and justice. By the time of the elections Jupiter will be in the 1st house of the Egyptian chart, conjunct Venus the planet of peace. This marks a time of remarkable growth and a positive and optimistic outlook for the future, smoothing the way for more peaceful times. Here’s to hoping only the best possible outcome for the people of Egypt. They have earned it well.

Revolution - Uranus square Pluto

2011-01-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

Inspired by the recent takeover in Tunis, the Egyptian populace, exhausted and debilitated from severely low wages, unemployment, homelessness and lack of opportunity have reached their tipping point. In the past, protests in Egypt have amounted to maybe 400 people at most... easily disbanded, arrested and dispersed. This time the protests are universally charged, where thousands unite, willing to lay their own lives and liberty on the line for the sake of truth and justice. This is the season of Aquarius.

We are approaching a New Moon in Aquarius on the 2nd of February. The New Moon is closely aligned with Mars, the planet of anger, war, demonstrations, and fire. The active protests in Tunis were inflamed and inspired by the self-immolation of fruit vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi after his cart was destroyed by police, and they slapped his face. He had dropped out of school to help support his family the only way available to him, by selling fruit and vegetables in the street. Harassed by authorities for illegally selling in the streets, in debt for far more than he could possibly afford, he went to the authorities for help where he was made to feel powerless and humiliated... and so he set himself on fire as an act of desperation.... igniting anger, and frustration throughout the region.

In times of extreme Aquarius, news, anger, revolt, can spread with the speed of electric currents, and erupt spontaneously like bolts of lightning.

Protests and challenges in Tunis, Egypt and now Yemen have been fueled and strategically organized by, and advised through the internet, whether on Twitter or Facebook, or by mass emails. The irrevocability of the unity of humanity, is placing the power back into the hands of the people, and away from the oligarchy. This is the stuff of Aquarius, with ruler, Uranus, approaching its square to regime toppling Pluto, combined with Jupiter in warrior sign Aries, and the New Moon aligned with Mars. This is the stuff of which revolutions are made.

Although these protests seem sudden... they have been building up for years. This is what happens with Uranus/Pluto. Those things that you may have tolerated up until now, because you thought yourself powerless... eventually reach their tipping point of discomfort, and will no longer be tolerated. With the successful regime change in Tunisia, there was a sense of hope, and sense of charged unity and ambition, that has incited the Egyptian populace to dare to step out of the stability of their lives, and into a state of revolution. Part of the reason, is that their lives are not secure or comfortable... with high prices for food staples and severely low wages... people go to sleep hungry, and hunger leads to revolt.

And then, thousands of Yemenis took to the streets on Thursday to demand that their president resign after being in power since 1978. The protests and organized resistance in Egypt and Tunisia have inspired the Yemeni demonstrators as revolutionary fervor has spread across the Arab world. Up till now, the US government has notoriously supported the crippling dictatorships in these countries, however according to the Washington Post, the Obama administration is now openly supporting the protesters and their freedom of peaceful assembly and speech.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that "the Egyptian government has an important opportunity . . . to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people." She urged "the Egyptian authorities not to prevent peaceful protests or block communications, including on social media sites."

Asked whether the administration supports Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs replied only: "Egypt is a strong ally."

Administration officials say they will pursue a dual-track approach in the coming weeks, both speaking with civil activists in Egypt and meeting with officials to encourage reform in the bellwether Arab nation.

Such an approach comes with a degree of risk in the region, where democratic reforms have often empowered well-organized Islamist movements at odds with U.S. objectives. As a result, the United States has often favored the stability of authoritarian allies in the Middle East over the uncertainty of democratic change.

Welcome to the dawning of the Uranus square Pluto era. Fuelled perhaps by Jupiter’s recent entrance into Aries, and thisNew Moon aligned with Mars.... Uranus square Pluto is Revolution... In effect through 2015, the revolution has just begun.

Libertas - Venus enters Sagittarius

2011-01-07T16:22:00.000-05:00

About 15 years ago, a reporter from the Amsterdam News entered our shop in New York City. He said he had something important to talk about. That he was telling everyone who would listen. And he was doing this even though his life was being threatened, and he was being denounced as a liar. The story he told was about slavery. And the fact that in some part of the world it still existed. He spoke specifically of the country of Sudan, where people from the southern part of the Sudan were being taken from their communities, terrorized, raped, tortured and forced into slavery. Over the years, more and more people were speaking out on the atrocities in the Sudan. Our friend was no longer the voice crying out in the wilderness.

On the 7th of January, Venus enters Sagittarius, symbolizing Lady Liberty, Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. Libertas was revered by the ancient Romans, as the goddess associated with the emancipation of slavery. And she has continued to be revered throughout history in poetry, art and literature. The early colonial Americans strongly identified with her theme of freedom, eventually giving rise to Lady Liberty who sits atop the dome of the US Capitol building... as well as the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York City.

At the dedication ceremony of the Statue of Liberty no women were allowed at the ceremonies except for a few relatives of the creator of the statue. However, a group of Suffragettes commandeered a boat, and through the use of a bullhorn, appraised the choice of the figure of a woman for the statue, but also strongly advocated a woman’s right to vote. The Cleveland Gazette, and African American newspaper also protested, saying that the torch should not be lit until the US became a free nation in reality.

This weekend, the Southern Sudan will be holding a vote deciding whether or not to secede and form their own separate country, apart from Northern Sudan. Almost four million people have registered to take part in Sunday's referendum on whether Africa's biggest country - Sudan - should split in two. The vote was a condition of a 2005 deal to end almost two decades of conflict between the north and south, which was responsible for the escalation of the abuse as well as the slavery of the people in the South.

The ruler of Sagittarius, Jupiter, is currently in Pisces, the sign of oil. Much controversy revolves around the fact that the Southern Sudan is oil rich, but also much subjugated by the Northern Muslim nation. As a result, the Southern region, despite its wealth of resources is extremely poverty stricken lacking roads, access or any sort of infrastructure. Therefore if this referendum is passed, as it is believed it will, and they become an independent country in the Summer of 2011, they will have a rough road to travel, with many obstacles to overcome.

Venus in Sagittarius brings a sense of idealism, optimism, hope, where ethics and morality play a huge part in the equation. We wish the people of the Sudan well in this time of Libertas, with Venus moving into Sagittarius.

Thomas Paine, the much maligned freedom lover who inspired the American Revolution with his pamphlet, “Common Sense” (he was also credited with writing the first article proposing the abolition of slavery in the US), wrote:

Freedom had been hunted round the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing.

the above picture is entitled "Statue of Liberty Unveiled" by Edward Moran, from the Museum of the City of New York

The Pact with the Devil

2010-12-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity.
~George Bernard Shaw, "The Devil's Disciple", act II

I am not a Christian, but my family and I celebrate this time of year in all its Pagan glory, with a whimsical attachment to magic and merriment reflected in my young grandchildren’s eyes, and a gentle feeling of sentiment and love. It is a special time of year. So, I find it ironic that so-called professed ‘Christians’ seem to have missed the whole point. This is a time traditionally associated with compassion, charity, and giving of the heart... it seems that Mephistopheles has been competing for critical corner space with the dwindling forlorn bell-ringing Santas.... we turn around twice and all of a sudden Congress repeals DADT, and The US Congress has passed a bill to fund health care for workers involved in rescue and clean-up efforts after the 9/11 attacks on New York City after struggling to get the necessary votes. Why the sudden turnaround?

In the classic German Faustian legend, Mephistopheles promises Faust that he will give him everything that he desires, but in exchange, Faust will then have to serve the devil in Hell.

In January of this year, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the McCain-Feingold act of 2002 which regulated the finances of political campaigns, was in violation of Corporations’ rights. After this decision, corporations were no longer barred from promoting candidates with unlimited hordes of money, which would then be funneled through PAC’s to their chosen candidates.

We saw the consequences of this decision during the 2010 mid-term elections, where PAC’s, such as Karl Rove’s American Crossroads, and the clandestine American Crossroads GPS, funneled millions of dollars into Republican campaigns. Only a handful of billionaire donors donated millions of dollars to these PAC’s. And as a result of this windfall, an unprecedented 63 seats in Congress would be won by Republicans.

This is why, this Fall, the Faustian Republicans, felt obligated to dig in their heels and block every piece of legislation, unless the Bush Tax Cuts for their wealthy donors were extended for another 2 years. It was time for the Republicans to serve the devil in Hell.

When debating the Bush Tax Cut extension to the rich, Bernie Sanders, the determined and indefatigable warrior on the Hill, held a day long vigil.

“Greed,” he said, “in my view, is like a sickness. It is like an addiction.... But I would hope that these people worth hundreds of millions of dollars will look around them and say: There is something more important in life than the richest people becoming richer.”

Matt Taibbi wrote in the Rolling Stone on 12/15/10 (Bernie Sanders puts Obama to Shame):

“This tax deal, frankly and unequivocally, is the result of a relatively small group of already-filthy rich people successfully lobbying an even smaller group of morally spineless politicians, to shift an ever-bigger share of society’s burdens to the lower and (what’s left of the) middle classes. This is people who already have lots of shit just demanding more shit, for the sheer rotten sake of it.”

If you make money your god, it will plague you like the devil.
~Henry Fielding

This is Pluto in Capricorn conjunct the North Node, highlighted in the recent Lunar Eclipse. ‘Plutocracy’ on the Hill. We can allow ourselves to be swept along by the general wave of the Karma of a nation, which is what we do, when we don’t speak out, or try to not get involved; or you can stand out and be separate. Let your voice be heard. Pluto is big money, power and control, the North Node represents the consequences of previous actions, and Capricorn is government and the infrastructure.

One advantage to Mercury being Retrograde is that when agreements, including unethical agreements are signed during this period, it usually has to be adjusted or revoked some time in the future. What is apparent is that the full impact that such a decision will have is rarely taken into full consideration while Mercury is retrograde. The consequences will be revealed later on.

Waking up in January, after the euphoria of the holidays, the majority of Americans may come to realize that they were just relegated to second class serfdom. This is not likely to rest well on the shoulders of the hoi polloi. The uber wealthy and the powerful might well consider, that a sense of disenchantment and futility lays fertile groundwork for rebellion and revolt, which hovers just over there... on the brink of the horizon... There’s going to come a time, when the people, are going to wipe the sleep out of their eyes, and come to the conclusion that they just won’t take any more.

Outrageous!

2010-11-20T12:40:00.000-05:00

Wodan throwing his hammer

Full Moon in Taurus ~ Sunday, November 21, 2010; 12:28 PM EST

I have a right to my anger, and I don't want anybody telling me I shouldn't be, that it's not nice to be, and that something's wrong with me because I get angry.
~Maxine Waters

This Full Moon occurs in the last degree of the sign of Taurus, the culmination of the end of a phase.... You will notice that there was a lot covered in the news this week, falling in the realms of both Taurus (finances, security, safety) and the Sun’s sign of Scorpio (wealth, power, corporatism, insurances companies, and personal privacy). Are we, or are we not, (here in the US) going to extend the tax breaks for the super wealthy, or are we going to extend Unemployment benefits? Which are our priorities?

Alan Grayson gave some brilliant suggestions for what the mega wealthy can spend their tax breaks on; Nicholas Kristof wrote an editorial about the US’ new status as a “Hedgefund Republic”; we were made privy of the massive profits made by health insurance company’s this year; while new Congressman Andy Harris wanted to know why he had to wait so long for his government sponsored health care to kick in! All the while 50 million people in the US have no insurance at all, unemployment remains at 9.6%, and the gap between the rich and poor is the greatest it has ever been in this country where the richest 1% possess more net worth than the bottom 90% (see Kristof’s article here).

And then there are the TSA scanners.

Enough said. We deserve a little outrage, bluster, and protest!

With Jupiter’s recent station, and the Sun about to join Mercury and Mars in the sign of Sagittarius, everyone is going to have an opinion... everyone is brimming over, having had it up to here, with apparent injustice, unethical practices and immoral behavior. So joining the hero, Mars in Sagittarius, Mercury, and now the Sun (entering Sagittarius on the 22nd) have come to help him to carry the banner for truth and justice, revealing hypocrisy and exposing lies everywhere.

What we all have to watch out for is getting carried away with ourselves. Things are nerve wracking.. the pace is quick, and words will flow out without caution or thought for the consequences over the next week. Beware. This is a great time to negotiate, to debate, to broadcast... yet you first have to make sure that you are all speaking the same language, and not impulsively saying whatever it is that’s in your head, without carefully thinking it through first.

We can use the ensuing energy to be the Knight in Shining armor fighting for ideals, or Joan of Arc leading us on to glorious victory. We can be the hero flying in to save the day, such as Alan Grayson, or even Ron Paul exasperated with the X-rated x-ray machines. Or we can also be a source of agitation, getting everyone pissed off with our arrogance, audacity and hubris, such as Andy Harris did, when he complained about not getting his health insurance, after running on a platform to repeal Health Care Reform.... or like the Republicans did this week when they voted unanimously not to extend Unemployment Insurance for the unemployed, while pushing to extend the tax cuts for the mega-wealthy!

Is it time to be outraged? You bet it is!

The Karma of Pluto/North Node

2010-11-03T11:58:00.000-04:00

Nor would the ways of Karma be inscrutable were men to work in union and harmony, instead of disunion and strife..... We stand bewildered before the mystery of our own making, and the riddles of life that we will not solve, and then accuse the great Sphinx of devouring us. But verily there is not an accident in our lives, not a misshapen day, or a misfortune, that could not be traced back to our own doings in this or in another life. If one breaks the laws of Harmony... one must be prepared to fall into the chaos one has oneself produced. (Secret Doctrine, Vol I, p. 643-44)

The North Node in Capricorn phase, is a phase in which there is a strong emotional identification with one’s own country, and what it stands for. Unfortunately this seems to be manifesting as a selfish construct in the design of what some people perceive to be their country. Not anyone elses. The weakness in this nodal period is in clinging to the past, to what was, or could have been... with an unrealistic sense of nostalgia and innocence. The most difficult Karmic lesson for humanity, when North Node is in Capricorn, is a willingness to let go of the past, and move forward. It is a growth period. A time of grave responsibility. And to continue to act like children, wanting someone else to make decisions for them, having someone else take the blame instead of shouldering the responsibility, will only create more deeply embedded problems.

Pluto represents power, which in our society usually means those who have accumulated large amounts of money and resources. This in itself is not evil. It depends on what those in power do with the power once they have it. Do they redistribute the wealth in the hopes of making our world a much better place? Or do they invest it in themselves to become even more powerful?

Selfishness is essentially conservative, and hates being disturbed. It prefers an easy-going, unexacting lie to the greatest truth, if the latter requires the sacrifice of one’s smallest comfort.
-from The Key to Theosophy by HPBlavatsky

North Node in Capricorn, is a critical point in our development as a race of humanity. The choices we are making now will stand up to judgment many years down the line. Pluto now exactly conjunct the North Node just makes those decisions even more powerful. Pluto is going to be compelling us, with very serious karmic repercussions, to step up to the plate and do the right thing. To take responsibility in an awesomely mature and reasonable manner. There are big changes that need to be made, and the more we resist those changes, the more devastating and difficult the karmic results will be.

We just held a mid-term election here in the US where a huge number of seats went over to the Republican side.... the consequences are well outlined in this Bloomberg article on Wednesday:

The Republican gains in Congress mean U.S. companies from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to Wellpoint Inc. may be able to weaken or block what they consider President Barack Obama’s anti-business policies on health care, the environment, taxes and financial reform.

Republicans will use their perch as the new majority in the House of Representatives to try to eliminate funding for parts of Obama’s health care bill opposed by business as well as curb regulations and government spending, Jay Timmons, senior vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers, a Washington-based lobbying group, said in an interview before the election.

With a large majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives, there will be a strong push to:

repeal health care regulations (and with some newer members, the desire to eliminate health care reform altogether).
repeal regulations for pesticides, ozone standards, carbon emissions, and mining (!)
repeal limits on outsourcing jobs
weaken unions and organized labor. Republicans have opposed union-backed federal stimulus spending that would have created jobs for teachers, police officers, and construction related jobs.

We need to face our wounds head on without cringing, face what is indeed broken in our society, and fix it. Capricorn represents the infrastructure, the government, those who have the power. Pluto indicates that those who have the money and a great deal of power already, are trying to keep that power, and use us to achieve their ends. If we believe in the lies, the manipulation, the twisting of the truths, we become their slaves, doing their bidding. If we the people, rise up, with clear sight, openness, honesty, and the courage to face hard truths, then we can transform society in magnificent ways. We can be helpless slaves to the plutocrats, or we can reclaim the power that was always meant to be ours, and take the reins ourselves. Congress has to answer to us. We have to remember this. It all depends on how powerful we really think we are.

Bellerophon

2010-10-26T22:51:00.000-04:00

The Mars in Sagittarius Story
Mars enters Sagittarius, October 27/28th.

The hero Bellerophon began his story as many heroes do, by being forced into exile, after inadvertently (woops!) killing his brother and/or rival. Consequently, he would meet the inevitable romantic trysts, brave deeds and adventures which are the hallmark of the mythic hero adventurer. His most famous feat was the capture and taming of the winged horse Pegasus, with whose help he was able to slay the multi-genetic-fire-breathing-beast Chimera. The term chimera has come to mean in modern times, an impossible or foolish or even scary fantasy... one that is really hard to believe.

No one carries the banner for truth and justice quite like Mars in Sagittarius. Slaying the chimera, Bellerophon reveals hypocrisy, exposes lies, and fights for freedom and rights. Standing at the vanguard of Sagittarius this year, we need our warrior leading the parade, astride his winged horse. Never did we need this knight in shining armor, quite like we do now: In August, 41% of Republicans polled, believe that President Obama was born in a foreign country! Ads are polluting our air waves with threats of “government run health care!” (as opposed to insurance company run health care), Tea Party people re-write and/or misinterpret the constitution saying there are no grounds for the separation of church and state!

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” - The First Amendment

Freedom of religion, or the right to have NO religion are also a signature of Mars in Sagittarius.

Mars in Sagittarius is also very open-minded and inclusive when it comes to people of different backgrounds, ethnicities or traditions. Sagittarius looks beyond the boundaries. For some this means defending and fighting for all people regardless of their race, color, or religion, or immigration status. For others, apparently it means saying you are “Asian” in order to clumsily show people (from whom you are culling votes) that you are a little ethnically ‘different’.... just like them!

And that brings us to the point that there is one weakness, and a heart felt warning for our hero, Mars in Sagittarius, and that is arrogance and self-righteousness.

After his triumphant success in killing the chimera, Bellerophon became quite full of his own importance, and astride Pegasus, he tried to fly to Olympus, the land of the gods. Zeus was not pleased with this pretender to godliness, and sent a gadfly to torment Pegasus, who bucked and bridled, causing Bellerophon to fall back to earth. Pegasus, however, continued to wing his way to Olympus without the hero, where he took his place in Zeus’s stable.

So even as Mars in Sagittarius can inspire many to want to wave the banner for truth and justice, there will be others who will loudly proclaim their illegitimate claim to the throne of power without any substance behind it. For example, political pretenders such as Rand Paul, Christine O’Donnell, Sharron Angle and Carl Paladino, seem to be in this race strictly for ego and power. No substance.

"Gadfly", the bug that brought down Bellerophon, is a term for people who upset things by posing controversial, trick, or novel questions, or are just being irritating. Perhaps daunting questions such as:

“which decisions that have come from our high court recently, do you disagree with?”

“do you believe in evolution?”

“what are your views on global warming?”

"what do you like to read?"

Sharron Angle won’t be tricked up, she runs from her gadflies! These questions, are the weapons sent by Zeus to upset the pretenders to the seats of power: questions that undermine and reveal the inadequacies, as well as the hypocrisy and lies.

Mars will be doing his work. It is up to us to pay attention.

Vote with intelligence.

Inside Job

2010-10-07T20:28:00.000-04:00

The Venus Retrograde in Scorpio Story- October 8th, 2010

The banks are figuring out new ways to screw the consumer. After writing my New Moon/Venus R essay for my website, I discovered that there was a ‘discrepancy’ on our business account. Trying to straighten it out at the bank, I was basically told I was ‘out of luck’, and there was ‘nothing I could do’ to remedy the situation. After some sleight of hand maneuvering, I was able to cover the losses, but who knew? When did the rules change? “Ohhh... about 2 months ago.” Thanks for telling us Mr. Bank! But why do I feel like I just got robbed?

A new movie is coming out on the same day as the Venus station, on Friday, October 8th, entitled “Inside Job”. This is a documentary film that states the facts about how and why the economic crisis of 2008 occurred and who is to blame. It shows how the banking industry and Wall St. committed a gigantic fraud and theft against the public, and, because they have such a strong influence on the political establishment via lobbying and payoffs, they’re getting away with it. Hence the title, “Inside Job”.

The last time Venus was Retrograde, in the Spring of 2009, the country was rocking with the disclosure that AIG had awarded $200 million in bonuses to their executives, after Congress gave them $170 billion of our money, without any strings attached or stipulations. Scorpio, where Venus is this time around, is a sign associated with big money, banks, insurance companies and Wall Street. It is a sign co-ruled, with Mars, by Pluto. In 2009, Venus was applying to a square to Pluto at the time of its Retrograde. With that came demands to some how get out money back. Very Venus Retrograde.

Now, Venus is stationing Retrograde, there are issues about a good amount of these foreclosures having to be reassessed because no one knows who owns the mortgages (thanks to tricky financial maneuvering)... very Scorpio topics...

Venus rules money, finances. Scorpio rules (among other things) big money, corporate money, banks, lenders, insurance companies, syndicates, Wall Street, finances controlled by ‘others’, as well as secrets, hidden assets, debts, loans, endings, transformation, and negatively, greed, avarice, power, jealousy and manipulation. When Venus stations, and turns Retrograde, we often see financial adjustments being made.

New York Times writer, Gretchen Morgenson, simplistically refers to (JP Morgan and GMC) lenders suspending foreclosures as having to do so, due to “flawed paperwork”. Most reports seem to indicate that there are just simple typing errors that need to be rectified before big banks and lenders can proceed again with foreclosures. However, it is not just a case of having the appropriate paperwork. Apparently there is a huge case for fraud and deception emerging amid fabricated documents, ‘foreclosure mills’, and ‘robo-signers’. All deceptively complicated and illegal. The not so light side of a typical Scorpio crime syndicate.

Obama thankfully just vetoed a bill that would have made it more difficult for homeowners to challenge foreclosures, citing that the repercussions of such a bill (which passed unanimously in Congress) need to be more thoroughly explored. A lot of this tricky banking, just makes my eyes water with confusion. They lose me with their Wall St. jargon and shenanigans. However, even I can figure out that there’s a lot of fishy maneuvering going on. And some how the consumers just keep on getting screwed. And the criminals just keep on getting away with it. Where is our Elizabeth Warren when we need her?

Surprise!

2010-09-21T22:51:00.000-04:00

Fall Ingress

September 22, 2010; 11:09 PM EDT; Washington DC

With the Fall Ingress on Wednesday evening, swiftly followed by a Full Moon in Aries, we bring in a new quarter. The dregs of the Cardinal squares that brought in the Summer Ingress in June, has shifted, and is separating. But there are still conflicts and stressors, lingering like a bad hangover. Jupiter and Uranus are no longer in Aries, but have shifted back to Pisces, and Saturn is slowly leaving the scene. Nonetheless, with the influence of the contentious Aries Moon hot on the heels of this Ingress, this should be an interesting quarter.

Placing the Ingress chart in Washington, DC for the US, the Moon in (democratic, socially responsible) Pisces places prominently in the house of leadership and government, closely conjunct to Jupiter/Uranus. On its own this would strengthen the party in power, and bring strong support and success. It certainly would seem that some sort of legislative changes whose time is well overdue will be implemented or applied. Case in point, some of the first provisions of the recently passed Health Care Reform bills, will become effective this quarter, beginning September 23rd.

Health coverage cannot be arbitrarily canceled when people become sick just because they made unintentional mistakes on their paperwork.
Children can no longer be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
Health plans can no longer put a lifetime limit on health coverage.
Annual limits on coverage will be phased out over three years. In 2014, all annual limits are prohibited.
Insurers must cover recommended preventive services, such as mammograms and flu shots, with no co-pay.

These are good provisions. Not perhaps as radical as some people would have wanted.. but important provisions. However there is already a deal of rumbling in Congress by conservatives who, if they can’t repeal these bills, will try to roll back health care reform, by trying to withhold money. At this point they are not very likely to be successful. However Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee... referring to mid-term elections coming up in November, stated wistfully “The more Republicans we have here, the more changes we can make.” In other words, they’re just getting started.

The latest polls, as of today, project that Democrats will lose 7 Senate seats and 37 House seats. Jupiter/Uranus can also bring unexpected changes, upsets, or surprises. Now, if Republicans do take these seats, it would bring a definite, and unfortunate change to the balance of the congressional seats. However, this would not be terribly unexpected, or much of a surprise, as this is often business as usual in mid-term elections.

If you look at the aspects on the day of the general election, once again there are indications of unexpected results in the elections as Moon comes to oppose Uranus that evening. Surprise! But what sort of surprise will this be? Will more seats fall to Republicans than anticipated? Will less? We could only hope. But there definitely appears to be some sort of upset or change.

Some key seats are also being threatened, not just by Republicans, but by teabagger Republicans! Sharron Angle took down conservative Sue Lowden who would have been a shoe-in over incumbent Harry Reid in financially strapped Nevada. At this point Angle is neck and neck with Reid, at least giving him a fighting chance, but also threatening to have wingnut Angle threatening to destroy Social Security and Medicaid, while packing heat.

ANGLE: You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves (with guns) against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years.
I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies (the right to keep and bear arms) and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.

Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Christine O’Donnell (who at this point doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance... but then, who knows?!)

Some well ensconced incumbents are having their seats threatened. O’Donnell already unseated conservative Mike Castle in Delaware... probably the only Republican who considered that we should take some responsibility for global warming, or that global warming exists. Could she actually beat Democrat Chris Coons in an unexpected upset? Not very likely, but Mike Castle was an established pol in Washington. Harry Reid has a weak hold over his seat against teabagger Sharron Angle; Barbara Boxer has an equally weak hold over her Senate seat in CA, against corporate CEO Carly Fiorina. Progressive sweetheart Alan Grayson is trailing to home boy Dan Webster in his district in Florida. And blue dog Blanche Lincoln is slated to lose in Arkansas.

With Retrograde Venus in Scorpio (bleeding tax dollars and subsidies; Bush tax cuts?) sextile Pluto (power/big money), and Pluto conjunct the North Node on the day of the election... who will be the big winners here? How about BIG money: the banks, big business and corporations.

Well, no surprise there.

Dream

2010-09-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

Sweet joy befall thee as in your own
Bosom you bear your heaven and
Earth and all you behold; Tho
it appears without, it is within,
In your Imagination, of which
this world of mortality is but a shadow.

-William Blake

Last night I had a dream that woke me in a tizzy. I dreamt that I was in an apartment where there was a huge leak coming from the ceiling. It was not an ordinary leak, but came down in cascades, flooding the floor and pouring down the walls and through the fixtures. If this wasn’t bad enough, there were exposed wires hanging from the ceiling, and as the water met the wires, huge flashes like lightning splayed, erupted and smoldered. As I ran from the apartment to get help, the door slammed behind me. And when I tried to unlock the door, the key that I had bent in my fingers, broke in pieces and was useless. There was more to the dream, which belied my ubiquitous underlying anxiety... but all I could think, as I awoke, was “How Jupiter conjunct Uranus Retrograde in Pisces!”

When Uranus and Jupiter meet, they can create sweeping changes for either the good or the ill. Electricity, the stuff of Uranus is powerful. It can do great things when it is contained and directed, and if you hold the right keys. It can be scary and destructive when unrestrained. Water, the element of Pisces, too, can be powerful in its own right. Necessary for life, too much of it causes insidious damage and destruction. Jupiter inflates. Neither Jupiter nor Pisces respect or understand boundaries. This is the stuff that storms are made of... but also the inspiration to do great works that benefit all of life. Running rampant, and uncontrolled, it can wreak mayhem and destruction, much as a hurricane would. Contained and controlled, it can produce great energy, much as a hydro dam would.

When Jupiter is traveling in its apparent direct motion, it’s focus is projected out onto the world, through expansion, abundance and application of what we have learned. When Retrograde, the Jupiter energy is turned within. We explore where and how we stand in relationship to each other, the other creatures in our world, to Mother Earth, and to the universe at large. Issues of ethics, truth and justice arise. In his home sign of Pisces, circumstances encourage us to rediscover our connection, through compassion, fairness, and a realization of our interconnectedness with all of life.

On the 18th, Jupiter will greet Uranus, also Retrograde in Pisces. This is the 2nd of 3 conjunctions that these planets will make in this cycle. The first was in the fiery and impulsive, but inspired, sign of Aries, on June 8th. The 3rd will be in watery Pisces, again, on January 5th, 2011.

When Jupiter meets Uranus sudden events transpire, that encourage us to think about universal justice, the rights of one and all, and most of all, freedom. These are also a vortex for creative realizations, as we are being brought into close alliance with that universal bank of knowledge... Jung referred to this as the Universal Oversoul, some refer to it as Universal Mind. This is the well of inspired ideas, whose ‘time has come’, and those sensitive to these particular ideas, will find themselves the welcome recipients of ‘inspired’ ideas, that suddenly and spontaneously arise. In Pisces, these creative ideas are more inclined to benefit humanity and life as a whole, or to inspire through some sort of artistic medium. Because the planets are retrograde, these may be difficult to manifest, or implement right away, and could haplessly fade away into the ether. But do pay attention, for it may well be that all that is needed is a little refinement and cultivation, and the right circumstances.

Pisces is a sign that is democratic, altruistic, imaginative and compassionate. What it lacks in reality, it makes up for through inspiration. It is a boundless sign that does not limit people or circumstances through circumscribed boundaries. When the planets of freedom and anarchy come to call in Pisces we are being asked to go beyond the limits of who and what we think we are, and are encouraged to visualize, and to redefine our beliefs.

So, where do you need to free up your life? Are there ways that you can reach beyond what you previously believed were restrictions? It may be that there is a different way of approaching a problem that you hadn’t seen or realized before. Dream. But instead of being the recipient of chaotic dreams lacking control and direction, visualize and plant the seeds for what you perceive to be the ideal. Ideals are hard to fully achieve in the ‘real’ world, but even if you are only partially successful, it could still change your life in remarkable and unexpected ways.

*the above photo "Lightning Dual" is courtesy of jennifer renee on freedigitalphoto.net

A Time to Heal

2010-09-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

Mercury stations Direct on Sunday, September 12th, and though its slow motion pace would have most people in freeze tag mode.... I suddenly had all this urge to organize, clean, and set my life in order, once and for all. Then on the way to the market, by way of the post office and gym this morning, I passed the Fire Station. All the firefighters were in their dress uniforms, gathering in front of the station, in remembrance of brothers lost, and lives unconscionably taken on a similar beautiful September morning, nine years ago. My heart welled up, remembering what day this was. I thought I had escaped the inescapable.

The dark Moon in Scorpio took over, and I could not watch. Nor could I watch the repetitive PTS tapes that began to course through my brain, even as I commiserated with my fellow Post Office neighbors, and raced through virtual reality on the stationary bike. Every trauma I experienced and witnessed from childhood on, had their day... Then I stopped. So much of my retrospective involved facing my adversaries, and some how getting, if not revenge, at least some sort of restitution. Towards the end of my reverie I found myself seeking imaginary rapprochement. That’s when I stopped.

What was so devastating about 9/11, wasn’t just the horrific crime that occurred, it’s also what came after that. The feelings of revenge, and desire to get even, drove us to allow unthinkable acts to be committed as retribution. We achieved this by dehumanizing others... and trying to find some elusive other to be the scapegoats of our wraith. We have terrorized countless others, wreaked destruction in our attempts to restore order after the chaos we created, and in the process, bankrupted our country, and sacrificed our own children. It is time to stop, cut our losses and move on. And figure out ways to heal, rather than to keep reopening and worrying the wounds.

Nicholas Kristof published an article in the New York Times on Wednesday, in which he wrote about the efforts of two 9/11 widows who sought healing for themselves by reaching out to their fellow widows in Afghanistan in an attempt to educate them, and give them opportunities to be self-sustaining. Through bonding, and mutual support, and an ability to make a difference, these women filled the empty sorrowful spaces.

There was also the story, this past week of a Palestinian-American who had built a synagogue in Arkansas (the heart of the bible belt) at no charge. This was his individual way of creating a healing bridge.

Let's talk to one another, not yell at one another; let's disagree, but do it with the great American spirit of respect and tolerance; let's get to know one another and model for the world how we can live, with all colors, religions and stripes of humanity, together, one nation, under God. That is the American way. ~ Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater

When is Food Actually Food?

2010-09-01T19:13:00.000-04:00

photo courtesy of Evgeni Dinev (freedigitalphotos.net)

When is food, food, and when is it not food?

New Moons are generally markers for new beginnings, a time to plant seeds and make new starts. But what about a New Moon in Virgo (such as we will have on September 8th), where the ruler of Virgo, Mercury, is Retrograde? In Virgo. And what about the fact that at the time of the New Moon, 2 planets, Venus and Jupiter, are just about, but not quite, changing signs? It feels like a beginning, that is not quite a beginning, because in order to make that new start, some things that are broken, unhealthy, or simply not working the way they should, have to be fixed first.

In recent news we learned (some poor people first hand) about a huge outbreak of salmonella from eggs produced in apparently (appallingly) filthy conditions. Virgo rules foods and foodstuffs, it rules the harvest, it also rules health and cleanliness. Reports released the end of August by the US FDA show numerous possible sources of contamination at the targeted “farms” including rodent, bug and wild bird infestation, uncontained manure (lovely), and holes in the walls that allowed the alleged infesters to come in. It’s enough to turn Virgo’s stomach in utter horror at the mere thought....

Then I spontaneously picked up a book that my daughter had given me, entitled “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. I could barely get through the first few chapters without having nightmares about inedible corn, fake tofu and artificially fattened cows, and the corporations that orchestrate this colorful tableau. Cargill, the largest privately held corporation in the world, and ADM, manage how corn is grown, how much is grown, what grows it, and how much it costs. They provide the pesticide and fertilizer, operate most of the grain elevators, broker and ship most of the exports, perform the milling, feed the livestock and slaughter the corn-fattened animals; distill the ethanol made from the corn; and manufacture the high-fructose corn syrup and all the myriad of other things derived from field corn. Corn is in 1/4 of all the items in the supermarket. It is everywhere and in everything. It is omnipresent. And most of the corn grown is inedible.

Then I went to Facebook to escape reality and someone had posted a “link” about “GMO” foods escaping their laboratory mutated fields for some wild herbal cohabitation, thereby mixing their mutant seed with normal, non-carcinogenic, real-food foods. The title of the article is subtly called “8 foods that could be disastrous for your health”. I naturally had to download the brochure on GMO foods and how to avoid them. When you hear that Canola oil and Soybeans are not safe any more, where can you turn?

All this just begs the question, “When is food actually food, and when is it not food, or just pretending to be food?” Or, “When is food actually nutritious, and when is it poison in disguise?”

Perhaps what we really need to do, this New Moon, is explore what it is that we are ingesting, assimilating into our systems, and allowing to poison our environments and ourselves, before we can take full stock of what it truly means to have a healthy body, a healthy mind, and a healthy planet. Ahhh.... Virgo, alchemists of the harvest and the midwives of the fields, we need your healing guidance now more than ever.

The goal of life is in living in agreement with Nature. ~Zeno

Time for some Grand Reconstruction

2010-08-14T16:51:00.000-04:00

Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.
~Francis Bacon

August 16th through the 21st is framed by two heavy aspects: Jupiter will oppose Saturn on the 16th, followed by Saturn’s square to Pluto on the 21st.

Pluto in Capricorn, who stands in the middle of the Jupiter/Saturn opposition, is about breaking down the infrastructure, and the ingrained institutions that have become out-moded, decayed and repressive; in order to rebuild more solid and dependable structures that we can rely on. But initially what we have been witnessing is this apparent collapse. And when Saturn comes to meet Pluto, that whole process meets with resistance, denial, selfishness and withdrawal.

Saturn/Pluto indicates that resources are not going to be available, because those that have the resources are holding on to them, refusing to let go. Jupiter/Pluto is big money, those that have the keys to the locked box, the vault, and want to fill it up with more. Saturn/Pluto is resistant to change, even when change is necessary, even when the circumstances that exist are obviously working against the common good, or not working at all. Throw Jupiter in there, and we have a recipe for corruption, and a belief that the ends justify the means. We also have a resulting moral crisis, where both optimism and hope are locked between a rock and a hard place.

Unemployment? All well and good for the corporations. It keeps the minimum wage down, since people are too scared to risk asking for raises.
Education? So long as people learn to follow orders and regurgitate memorized sound bites, that’s what the slave-wage economy relies on in order to supply enough drones. Keep the workers intellectually incurious and uninformed.
Health care? If they can’t afford it, they don’t “deserve” it.
Housing? Same as above.

In an article by Paul Krugman in the New York Times (8/9/10 editorial), Mr. Krugman discusses the current erosion of the infrastructure in the US.

“In effect, a large part of our political class is showing its priorities: given the choice between asking the richest 2 percent or so of Americans to go back to paying the tax rates they paid during the Clinton-era boom, or allowing the nation’s foundations to crumble — literally in the case of roads, figuratively in the case of education — they’re choosing the latter.”

The argument is about making government “smaller”, which really reads: don’t provide services, even those services that nobody else will provide if the government doesn’t. Such as street lights, paved roads, health care and a decent education. But in doing so, as Mr. Krugman points out, we go backwards, instead of forwards. The government is just not spending, at least not on the infrastructure. And certainly not enough in a way that will promote growth and prosperity. Preserving the tax cuts for millionaires, keeps money out of the system. They don’t spend it. People in the middle and lower brackets have to spend their money. They do spend it. They just don’t have it. What we really need is a New Deal type plan, to really put America back to work. It’s not happening.

The result? Righteous indignation. We see a lot of this on the right, with the tea party, the militias, the birthers, and right-wing activists, with their call to bring the government down to its knees, but with no real plan for rebuilding or reconstruction, leaving things to "alter for the worse spontaneously.."

We don’t see enough indignation on the left. These aspects are not meant to lull us into a state of comatose demoralization. It is a call to action. The resources are being withheld, therefore we need to depend on our own ingenuity, and initiative. It is, indeed, a time to create a plan to rebuild America. But it is a time to initiate a long-term plan and goal to restore our country and put it back on its feet, not just tear it down, and leave it to its own inevitable demise. And as Mercury idles, and stations Retrograde on the 20th, let’s use this time to reevaluate, reconsider, research, and reorganize. This is what these aspects are good for. Long term, reliable, equitable and fair plans for restoration, and rebuilding. Some Grand Reconstruction. It is time.

The Internet, Deluges and Peak Oil - Uranus returns to Pisces

2010-08-11T21:19:00.001-04:00

Uranus retrogrades back into the sign of Pisces on the 13th of August. Astrologers refer to these brief returns of the outer planets... as having to take care of some unfinished business... in this case in Pisces, the sign of the dreamer, the musician, the escapist, the poet, the social worker, the altruist and mystic. Pisces rules oil, oceans, liquids in general, fogs and fairies. As Uranus re-enters Pisces, it also reestablishes its connection with Neptune in the Uranian sign of Aquarius, through their mutual reception (they rule each other’s signs).

I saw this relationship between these two outer planets as a progressive urge to embrace all peoples, of all faiths, of all backgrounds, genders, nationalities... to come to realize our interconnectedness with each other and with all of life. And we have done this in a curiously Uranian fashion: via the internet. If you were to ask what Friendster, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter all have in common, the answer is, they were all founded while Uranus was in Pisces*. Uranus rules computers, cutting edge technology, the internet included... but it also rules freedom... the Universal Mind, as it were, expressed through the medium of computer technology and virtual networking platforms. Pisces has no boundaries. It is elusive and ephemeral, and all-inclusive. Pisces does not discriminate. It also rules music, hence YouTube. Which is why, every time the issue of regulations comes up regarding google, the internet, or social networking sites, everyone’s hair is on fire. Uranus in Pisces is about the ultimate, unregulated freedom of informational access.

Also in the news while Uranus was in Pisces/with Neptune in Aquarius, where Pisces/Neptune rule oceans, water, and oil; and Uranus/Aquarius rule sudden, altering events, and humanitarian crises:

The invasion of Iraq occurred in March of 2003; (though this was also a decidedly Saturn opposing pluto in Sagittarius event, as well, many have good reason to believe the true basis for the invasion, was to regain control of Iraqi oilfields, ruled by Pisces/Neptune)....

In 2003 Global oil production began a 4 year plateau, and subsequent decline, in the face of rising demands. This caused many new price increases.

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, caused a tsunami in which 227,898 people died. The earthquake had a magnitude between 9.1 and 9.3 making it the 2nd largest earthquake ever recorded. It caused the entire planet to vibrate, triggering other earthquakes as far away as Alaska. Measured in the amount of lives lost, this is one of the 10 worst earthquakes in recorded history, as well as the worst tsunami in history. As a result of the reported casualties, there was an unprecedented humanitarian response worldwide, where more than $7 billion dollars were donated in aid.

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina was not only the most costly natural disaster, it was also one of the 5 deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It single-handedly exposed the raw underbelly of poverty, inequality and neglect of the classless in American society... all very Pisces/Neptunian subjects. Interestingly, the storm also brought forth a much stronger role in blogging, and web-based news (Uranus/Aquarius). NOLA.com, the affiliate of the New Orleans’ “Times-Picayune”, was awarded the Breaking News Pulitzer Prize, and shared the Public Service Pulitzer with the “Sun Herald”, whose coverage had to be carried exclusively on NOLA’s blogs for several days, as the newspaper had lost its building and presses due to flooding, in the wake of Katrina.

Earlier this year, in April, we saw the explosion of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of Mexico. Uranus was still in the last degrees of Pisces. Issues surrounding oil, the sea and its environs, as well as questions about our dependence on fossil fuels, and reconsidering alternative (Uranus) fuels reemerged.

In the news this week as Uranus heads back to Pisces?

A huge unstoppable island of ice is drifting across the Arctic Ocean after breaking off from a glacier in Greenland. There is the possibility that if this island continues on its current path, it could mow over oil platforms and through shipping lanes where it could cause all sorts of havoc and damage. This is part and parcel with unprecedented heat, wildfires and floods as an inevitable result of the continuing warming trend on our planet. This ice island, is only the “tip of the iceberg”, of untold consequences of global warming and its effects on the environment.

While Uranus is revisiting Pisces, we may find ourselves revisiting some of the issues of his previous sojourn here. Keep your eyes peeled for more newsworthy events re: oil, water, oceans, alternative fuels, internet issues, music and film, with sudden events and innovations concerning these through March of 2011, when Uranus will then re-enter Aries once again.

*Friendster was founded in March of 2003, soon to be followed by MySpace in August of 2003. Facebook was launched in February of 2004. YouTube was founded in November of 2006, and Twitter in 2006 as well. Uranus entered Pisces in March of 2003. (this is according to information posted on Wikipedia, founded in 2001, when Uranus was in its own sign of Aquarius)

photo at top of page is by evgeni dinev: freedigitalphotos.net

Saturn/Uranus and Proposition 8

2010-08-05T14:19:00.000-04:00

Since Election Day, November 4th, 2008, we have had 5 exact oppositions of Saturn and Uranus. The last opposition occurred on July 26th.

Saturn/Uranus cycles are notorious for financial instability, as well as extremes in weather patterns. They can also be associated with periods of great calamity. In 1918 Saturn opposed Uranus and 25 million people died as the result of the flu pandemic. In 1930 during a Saturn/Uranus square, a volcanic eruption and earthquake in Japan would kill 10’s of thousands. In December of 1941 with the conjunction in Taurus, we witness Pearl Harbor. When Saturn and Uranus were exactly opposite in 1965, the first US troops were sent to Viet Nam. They are also evident with revolutionary, scientific breakthroughs such as with the first controlled nuclear reaction in 1942. Saturn was conjunct Uranus in Sagittarius at that time. And in 1965, during the opposition, the first man would walk on the moon.

But what is most notable are the radical movements in society, that bring forth advances in our civilization. In 1930 radical revolutionary changes were initiated through Gandhi’s famous peaceful civil disobedience “Salt March”. And in 1965, when Saturn was opposing Uranus, yes, we saw the war in Viet Nam escalating, and we saw the first man walk on the moon, we also saw Martin Luther King lead his famous Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The 1960's are legendary for birthing civil rights movement, the women's movement, and a greater environmental awareness, among others.

This time around, the 1st 4 oppositions occurred in the signs of Virgo (health care, jobs, workers) and Pisces (social programs, oceans, oil). With Saturn/Uranus cycles, the more you resist them, the more likely the instability is going to transpire. It’s like a pressure cooker. If it doesn’t have an adequate valve, the pressure becomes overwhelming and things explode. We saw this in evidence with the West Virginia Mine disaster back in April, as well as the BP oil well explosion in the Gulf. It takes wisdom to understand our relationship with nature, and how to work with her, rather than against.

One good thing that did come out of this, was the Health Reform bill that was finally passed... weakened, diluted and apparently negligible compared to what many of us hoped for, nonetheless after decades of trying, it was passed! Recently I received this notice, with some interesting highlights, which are certainly nothing to be sneezed at:

Report: 30M American women to benefit from health reform law
Approximately 30 million women will benefit from the new health care reform law over the next 10 years, according to a recent report from The Commonwealth Fund.

  The report says that the law will serve to stabilize or even reverse women's growing exposure to increasing health costs by subsidizing health insurance for approximately 15 million women who currently have no health insurance coverage, and by strengthening existing coverage for an additional 14.5 million women who are underinsured.

  The authors found that provisions pertaining to women include expanded eligibility for Medicaid; provision of subsidies to purchase health insurance; limiting out-of-pocket expenses; preventing insurance providers from charging higher premiums or turning down coverage based on gender or health status; and mandatory new plans to cover pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care.

  In addition, the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance plan (PCIP) is a key provision that will aid approximately 100,000 currently uninsured women with pre-existing conditions in getting provision coverage.

And then Uranus moved into the warrior sign of Aries, and Saturn into the sign of marriage, and equality. These are cardinal signs, signs of initiative. And on August 4th, San Francisco Supreme Court Judge Walker, overturned California’s Proposition 8. Proposition 8, passed in 2008 with 52% of the vote, in order to overturn a newly appointed law which would allow same-sex marriage in the state of California. Two couples sued the state of California, stating that this Proposition violated their rights. And it turns out that the Judge agreed with them.

Judge Walker stated that the referendum’s outcome was irrelevant, because “fundamental rights may not be submitted to a vote.” He then tore apart the sham of a case presented by the supporters of Prop 8. One of his most cogent statements, is actually revolutionary in scope, bringing us forth, into the 21st century, to another plateau of the expression of civil rights in our culture.

One of Judge Walker’s strongest points was that traditional notions of marriage can no longer be used to justify discrimination, just as gender roles in opposite-sex marriage have changed dramatically over the decades. All marriages are now unions of equals, he wrote, and there is no reason to restrict that equality to straight couples. The exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage “exists as an artifact of a time when the genders were seen as having distinct roles in society and in marriage,” he wrote. “That time has passed.”

You can read the full article in the New York Times here.

Happy Birthday Mr. President

2010-08-03T08:39:00.000-04:00

August 4th

Every Friday morning, for the past 10 years, my friends and I have met in the local laundromat. Because of our common political views it wouldn’t be long before we began to refer to our Friday morning rendezvous’ as our “summit meetings”, as we hashed out our own strategies to save the world. I mention this, because looking at Obama’s chart, I can’t help but believe, in his heart of hearts, (esp. with his Moon in Gemini in the 4th House) he would fit right in with us in the laundromat, progressive to the bone, wearing his mis-matched left-overs from the week, eager to solve all the ills of the world, one by one, as he folded his t-shirts.

So what has led progressives, including my husband, to proclaim, “He’s just another lying, manipulating politician.” I believe my husband is only half right: he is a politician; but I’m not so sure about the lying, manipulating part. Politician, yes. Actor, yes. Leo, 100%.

I blame it on Neptune.

Neptune is idealistic. It rules fogs, gases, and mirrors, masks, and actors. Neptune rules illusion, as well as disillusionment. There is often confusion about one’s stance and identity when Neptune travels through one's Rising Sign, as it is with Obama. One becomes too concerned with the expectations of others to the point of losing one’s personal identity in the collective. The picture that he presents of himself, therefore becomes contradictory and confusing. People tend to act on the basis of who they want to be, or who they want other people to think they are, rather than who they really are. It could very well be, that who he is, has become less important, is fading into the background. For this can also be an extremely idealistic time in which people are willing to sacrifice their personal desires, their personal lives, for a much higher cause... Once again, Neptune is idealistic in its highest expression.

With Obama’s South Node in Aquarius, and Neptune sitting right on this degree, on his birthday, one can see that he’s been trying to release, lose, dissolve any radical feelings of antipathy, feelings of it’s us against them, through the realization, that as the President of the United States, he represents all of the people, not just the ones who agree with him. Even the ones who hate and fear him. And if that means reaching across the aisle, if that means, meeting with, hiring, listening to people, who would just as soon string him up than be in the same room as him, then so be it. This approach to conciliation with people who have no intention of cooperating, bewilders and frustrates us, but is Obama’s life path. It is what he is meant to do. And at times it may seem exasperatingly hopeless, and useless, maybe even to him...nonetheless, it is his path. And it may seem to those of us on the progressive side, that he is too conciliatory, too accommodating.. but that’s mostly just because we’re not seeing everything there is to see. There is a higher purpose here.

Interestingly enough, the transiting aspects that are influencing President Obama on his birthday (and therefore for many months to come), are pretty hard core. Mars, Jupiter and Pluto are in an exact t-square, joined with Saturn and Uranus. Pluto, the ruler of corporations, big money and perhaps, those that feel they own and/or control the country, is transiting Obama’s house of “friends”... this is also the house of Congress in mundane astrology. Pluto squares, and is in conflict with Saturn and Uranus, the rulers of Obama’s Aquarian ascendant. Coincidentally, Obama also has Aquarius rising in his Solar Return chart (placed in Chicago, where he is reported to be celebrating his birthday).

Along with Jupiter and Uranus, the planets of progressive change on Obama’s side, these aspects give tremendous drive and determination. This is the sort of energy that knows no limits, that works persistently into the night, day in and day out. With this energy behind him, the President is going to feel very determined to achieve his goals at all costs. The result is tremendous success. But there is a caveat here. It has to do with honesty, integrity and sticking to the rules. The opposition will stop at nothing to try and find a way to undermine his authority, and to stop him in his tracks. There are powerful forces afoot, determined to bring him down, and stop his momentum. Now an attack against the President, is an attack against the country, but these attacks and roadblocks, although apparently coming from without, are actually coming from within, from those who wish to “seize the throne”, or take back control. Or fear that they are losing what control and power they have... There is an inference of huge corporate or financial backing working against the President and the policies that he is trying to promote. But it looks like they’re going to have a big fight on their hands. Saturn in Libra, ruler of Obama's Aquarian ascendant, can be the iron fist in the velvet glove. And he will be called out to defend both himself, and his policies. And he will do so with his usual eloquent style.

From the day I took office, I've been told that addressing our larger challenges is too ambitious; such an effort would be too contentious. I've been told that our political system is too gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while. For those who make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold?

State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010

Obama’s ace in the hole? His Moon in Gemini sextile Mercury in Leo. In his Solar Return chart, the Moon returns to its natal place, only a degree away. This is what gives him his eloquence.. his ability to reach out and tell us about those uncomfortable truths in ways that strike home and resonate. His Moon is in the 4th House, the house of the home, the country, the people, and even laundromats, which is why he did so well in his town hall meetings. And with this Moon strategically placed in respect to the powerful Cardinal planets, he’s in position to convince even the most stubborn, and obstinate opponents. He’s got a gift, and he’s going to have to use it.

Astrologically? My money’s on Obama with this one, especially if he fights on the side of truth and justice. But he’s got a perilous and exhausting fight ahead of him. And if all else fails, we have a washing machine waiting for him... our laundromat door will always be open.

We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it's easy, but when it is hard.

Nobel Lecture, Dec. 10, 2009

Full Moon in Aquarius -Sunday July 25th

2010-07-24T22:41:00.000-04:00

"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be laid low—and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain—"(Isaiah 40:4-5)

Last week Obama signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010, which had been languishing in the Senate for an indecently long period of time. Yet the story that dominated the air waves and the news media, was not about finally getting some kind of regulatory reform on Wall Street after they sent the country into a nose-dive recession... it wasn’t about finally making sure that the happlessly unemployed were not being left to rot, no, it was a fabricated fiasco created by some off-the-wall teabaggist, defaming a woman of integrity, by deliberately editing a tape to make her sound like a racist against white folks.

Faux News ran with the story, and when legitimate newscasters pointed out how Fox News was greedily running after the ratings while promoting an insidious agenda against the administration and this country, they also got attacked. But brilliant Rachel Maddow fought the good fight with Bill O’Reilly of Fox News, as is her wont:

....FOX News, continually crusades on flagrantly bogus stories designed to make white Americans fear black Americans, which FOX News most certainly does for a political purpose even if it upends the lives of individuals like Shirley Sherrod, even as it frays the fabric of the nation, and even as it makes the American Dream more of a dream and less of a promise.

For this crazy pushing-us-to-embrace-alternatives Aquarian Full Moon, Neptune will just be peering over the horizon when located in Washington, DC. Neptune rules lies, deception, scandals, slander, oil, oceans, gases as well as gasbags. It opposes Mercury in Leo (the media). Something really good happens, so it becomes imperative for the right to distract the public with some sort of made up rumor... and even when the stalwart Shirley Sherrod was vindicated, time and again, the supreme gasbag himself, Rush Limbaugh still kept beating that dead horse, appealing to the teabagging party base of white fear.

And it is a distraction.

What we’re really needing to address with this Full Moon in Aquarius looking wistfully at the cardinal t-squaring-4 (soon to be 5, when that cuddly ball of fire, Mars joins the party on the 29th), are issues about the unequal distribution of power and inequality, and how these need to be addressed. They will not and can not be ignored, or avoided, no matter how many Neppy smokescreens are created. We’re all going to be feeling this one, one way or another.

The rulers of this Aquarian Full Moon, Saturn and Uranus are exactly opposing one another. Mars enters Libra on the 29th, yells at Uranus, across the room on the 30th, and joins forces with Saturn on the 31st. This is kind of an ouch moment. Very uncomfortable. Or at least very, very loud, and potentially explosive. It’s kind of like choosing sides in a kickball game, where all the kids are really hyped up on speedballs. Do you really want to get in the middle of this?

This is the sort of activity that pulls us in 3 to 4 directions, all at once. Some may identify with one leg of the t-square, trying to maintain some sort of plan or structure, others with another, just tossing all propriety to the wind, but more often than not, they’re all doing their own thing at once. What becomes evident is that some sort of major change is afoot, but exactly how that is supposed to play out is dependent on so many existing and conflicting factors, that it will be really hard to decide, where and how to make a commitment and which side to stand on. However, action is imperative, and especially when Mars joins the picture, unavoidable, and even explosive if resisted. This is the stuff of which all out warfare is made of, and in which sudden and/or impulsive accidents occur.

It can also be the impetus for revolutionary movements for progressive change, and evolutionary changes in the world of cutting edge technology. It’s about the incentive for invention, and learning how to adapt to extraordinary events in volatile times. Change is inevitable, and a more equitable distribution of power is needed. There is great potential at times such as these, and it’s up to us, all of us, as to how it’s going to be used.

Healing Mother Earth

2010-07-10T20:57:00.000-04:00

There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.~ Mohanda K. Gandhi

With the Solar Eclipse in Cancer on Sunday, we are reminded of the things that Cancer rules and brings, what our losses are, what we strive to protect, and what we need to let go. Cancer rules mothers, home, family, country, our native roots, including our planet... it rules the sea, and all those who depend on her for their livelihood and survival: sailors, fishermen, and the creatures who live at and feed from her shores.

Solar Eclipses occur at the New Moon, and similar to the New Moon, the energy is like a wave rolling forth into the future, carrying the seeds of intention planted with her. Its energy is most potent the first few hours after the Eclipse, it continues for a few days, and carries forth the affirmation into the future, not for days or even weeks, but as a super new moon, it carries forth for several months, even years. Therefore this is a critical time to visualize and form our intentions in a positive manner that is for the good of all concerned.

Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain, For strip-mined mountain’s majesty above the asphalt plain. America, America, man sheds his waste on thee, And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea. ~ George Carlin

Let us lay the intention that those who have the power to easily find the right people with adequate knowledge and capable of the right actions will successfully restore the Gulf of Mexico and its environs to perfect health and beauty. The Christian Science Monitor reported in its article, Six lessons from the BP oil spill:

a Taiwanese company has retrofitted a supertanker with skimming equipment that it says is capable of vacuuming up to 21 million gallons of oily water a day. By comparison, the entire emergency response from the time of the accident, April 20, to July 1 had collected only around 28 million gallons. Though the ship, now in the Gulf, is untested, BP officials are giving it a try. Experts say similar supertankers were used to suck up much of the contaminated water after a massive spill off Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s.

Government and BP officials are also testing 32 centrifuges that can separate oil from seawater, devices being championed by actor Kevin Costner. Some experts, such as Norman Guinasso, director of the geochemical and environmental research group at Texas A&M University in College Station, believe such machines hold promise. He can envision a fleet of 100 or so boats equipped with the devices that could be quickly dispatched to the site of a major spill. "That's what I would like to see," says Mr. Guinasso.

Onshore, authorities are experimenting with a microbial sand scrubber that emulsifies tar balls and injects oil-eating bugs into the sand to consume the hydrocarbons. The device, which uses microbes from the Gulf of Mexico, was designed to pull oil from the tar sands of Canada.

We need to be weaned off fossil fuels. This is what we need to release and let go, like a bad habit that is eating us up inside. What is standing in the way? Ralph Nader stated it simply in 1980 (Loose Talk ~ Linda Botts):

The use of Solar energy has not opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun.

Uranus Stations Retrograde

2010-06-29T21:03:00.000-04:00

On July 5th, Uranus stations, and turns Retrograde. Stations represent periods of intensity, when those things represented by the stationing planet come to a head, or reach a point of overwhelming consequences. Uranus is associated with energy: electricity, computers, technology. Therefore with the Summer heat blazing in the Northern hemisphere, expect to see some power overloads, even blackouts, as generators and distribution systems become overloaded. We can probably expect to see some other things heated up as well.

Further, in the mundane world, Uranus represents freedom from restraint, the necessity for change, even rebellion against the status quo. And certainly in the sign of Aries, the need for energy independence, the need for reforming our way of doing things. As we approach the Station, the need for these things will become intensified and reach a climax... and then due to some shocking revelation, the reality of a situation comes home to roost. It’s no longer a matter of stuff happening to them, it’s happening to us as well.

Saturn/Uranus aspects also often coincide with periods of economic instability.

As Uranus stations, Saturn is still in the sign of Virgo, the sign of the worker. Saturn is where we need to be putting our attention. Paul Krugman stated clearly in his New York Times article, “The 3rd Depression”, that we are stuck in the mind set that it’s the deficit that is bringing the economy down, when in fact it is long term unemployment that is undermining the economy. He writes:

It’s almost as if the financial markets understand what policy makers seemingly don’t: that while long-term fiscal responsibility is important, slashing spending in the midst of a depression, which deepens that depression and paves the way for deflation, is actually self-defeating.
So I don’t think this is really about Greece, or indeed about any realistic appreciation of the tradeoffs between deficits and jobs. It is, instead, the victory of an orthodoxy that has little to do with rational analysis, whose main tenet is that imposing suffering on other people is how you show leadership in tough times.
And who will pay the price for this triumph of orthodoxy? The answer is, tens of millions of unemployed workers, many of whom will go jobless for years, and some of whom will never work again.

We voted for a President with a platform for change. Unfortunately it is assumed that the President has as much power as say, Prime Ministers do in European nations. He doesn’t. This makes the legislative process in the US look like something of an awkward uncoordinated dance. Hendrik Hertzberg recently pointed out in his (June 28th) article in the New Yorker that a strong and comprehensive energy and climate bill was passed by the House a year ago. However, Hertzberg writes:

“That bill languishes in the Senate, where its weaker counterpart is on life support, with the filibuster poised to cut it off.”

Much like the greatly watered down health care bill, Obama realizes that a perfect bill cannot get through the Senate, and that its all he can do to get a tepid bill passed through. A ghost of its former self. Uranus, the planet for reform is retrograde and weakened. But there are other groups of people who see their ‘way of life’ threatened (Saturn) who are calling for a different type of reform (Uranus).

There are things that we need to live without, fossil fuels for one. However, avoiding jobs programs, not extending unemployment, cutting social security, raising the retirement age to 70, in order to solve the deficit? All of these radical ideas are being bandied about as well by the tea bag groupies. Changes are going to begin to take form and materialize over the next few weeks. But what sorts of changes are these going to be? Saturn, although repressive and orthodox on the one hand, is also reminding us that we need a certain amount of stability from which to orchestrate well thought out changes. And we must be able to discriminate between those things which are valuable and need to be protected (such as the environment, social security and our fragile work force), and those things which really are stifling and smothering us as a humanity (such as toxic methane gases). We need change. But we need to make sure it’s the right change.

The Solstice and the Cardinal Cross

2010-06-18T19:14:00.001-04:00

The first Fact of existence is the law of change or impermanence. All that exists, from a mole to a mountain, from a thought to an empire, passes through the same cycle of existence--i.e. birth, growth, decay and death. Life alone is continuous, ever seeking self-expression in new forms. ‘Life is a bridge; therefore build no house on it.’ Life is a process of flow, and he who clings to any form, however splendid, will suffer by resisting the flow.
-Christmas Humphries

With the Summer Solstice arriving early Monday morning, followed by the Lunar Eclipse on the 26th... we usher in the Cardinal Cross. At the 4 corners we have Jupiter and Uranus at the vanguard in Aries, opposing Saturn. Pluto is in Capricorn, opposing the Solstice Sun in Cancer. Cardinal signs have to do with initiation, initiative, innovations and new beginnings. Although Saturn is still in the last degrees of mutable Virgo, he will move back to cardinal Libra in July, and is close enough to be drawn into the cardinal axis for the Solstice. When many of the outer planets are placed here, as they are now, the need for dynamic change is not only implicit, but inevitable.

The Solstice Chart for June 21, 2010 (7:28 AM EDT) has Jupiter and Uranus at the top of the chart when placed in Washington, D.C. Jupiter/Uranus can bring truths, revelations and opportunity. Jupiter/Uranus opens doors. Impediments to progress that have been standing in the way are torn down, or fall away due to circumstances, allowing new initiatives to take place. There is an unexpected, almost accidental nature to Uranus that alters the perspectives and re-focuses the priorities. Another thing Jupiter/Uranus brings, is the ability to see that there is always a solution to existing problems, but that sometimes these solutions require a different perspective. Or a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. Perhaps circumstances are finally pushing us in the right direction towards considering and fully embracing responsible, renewable energy (Uranus) resources, that will free (Jupiter/Uranus) us of our reliance on fossil fuels that are limited, and have the additional burden of polluting our environment. This is a truth that has been brought home to bear in extremely graphic and gross proportions recently with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Saturn’s energy is antithetical to most of the other planets. Jupiter and Uranus are no exception. Saturn is cold, restricting and conservative. Jupiter wants to expand, Uranus wants to liberate and start a new revolution. Saturn is where we are afraid, and/or don’t want things to change. It is fear of the unknown, and stepping off into the abyss. Some of this is purely just fear based, and refusing to see another point. This is evidenced in the rise of the far-right and their perception of change and initiative, as a metaphor for destruction to their way of life. But Saturn, at this point, is also in the earth and environmental sign of Virgo, and can also be seen as wanting to save the environment against wanton, and aggressive, uncontrolled (Jupiter/Uranus!) actions committed without thought for the consequences. So, through Saturn, we see the need to conserve, save and control, and we need to ask ourselves what is truly worth saving and conserving in the midst of dynamic change: more tax breaks for the wealthy? deregulation for corporations? or trying to conserve and maintain a healthy (Virgo) environment for our and our children’s futures.

Pluto in Capricorn compels us to explore the ways in which we have created structures upon which we have become dependent, perhaps to our own detriment. Because we think we are dependent and need these particular structures, and we are limited by what we think we need, Pluto stands as a huge, apparently insurmountable challenge that stands in the way of progress. We need to ask ourselves, what structures, what stuff are we holding on to simply because that is what we are accustomed to. If we can recognize those things that need to be discarded, because they stand in the way of progress and reform, then reconstruction and renovation are more easily achievable. But it’s not easy to let go of, or change what we are used to, and we quake in the face of having to part with those things that we assumed would always be there.

With the Sun standing in bas relief against the backdrop of Pluto in Capricorn, it becomes apparent as to what needs to be purged, perhaps even demolished, and then renovated and rebuilt. It’s not that we don’t need structures... it’s just evident that periodically we need to update, and shore up, and rebuild better and more appropriate structures.

Immediately followed by the Lunar Eclipse on the 26th of June, those changes that are not voluntarily made, may be imposed. Eclipses bring inevitable, even karmic events to bear, and the upcoming eclipse is exactly conjunct Pluto this month. Symbolically Pluto stands for death and resurrection... an emergence out of the labyrinthine depths into rebirth and renewal. But in order to make that new beginning, there first has to be a breaking down process, a letting go, a purging. Pluto also represents the seat of power. Some say that’s where the big money is. And Capricorn represents structures, such as government, corporations, banks, even infrastructures, and physical structures such as mountains and buildings. Capricorn represents those things that we assume would always be there. Traditions, conventions, and even habits. It’s what we are accustomed to. It’s the way things have always been done. Pluto begs otherwise. Pluto shows how too much reliance on certain structures veer towards too much dependence, even fanaticism and extremism... There is an overabundant inequality between the haves and the have nots, and ambition runs rough shod over everyone else in order to claim the prize.

Later on this Summer, towards the end of July, the Cardinal square will begin to tighten up and get ignited by the presence of Mars which will enter Libra shortly after Saturn does. From the 27th of July through the 5th of August things will be particularly seething and tense, though we’ll be riding the rocky wave of the Cardinal cross all Summer. Look for a lot of angry, explosive behaviors towards the end of July. People will be wanting to take things in their own hands, frustrated with what they perceive to be daunting limitations and repression. People may be driven to do things that they wouldn’t normally do under other circumstances. Take chances that may indeed be foolhardy and dangerous. It would be wise for all of us to take heed and see how our actions are affecting others in every thing that we do... and rather than react to the stress and tension that arises, find positive ways to respond that will not escalate the energy even further out of control.

Mars is the warrior, the soldier, the gladiators in our midst's, and everyone will seem to be taking up arms at this time. But sometimes changes do need to be made, and Mars is the great instigator. Although often weak and overly conciliatory in Libra, it is still a cardinal active sign. And Libra is the sign of open enmity. At this point we could easily see the breaking down of certain partnerships or associations, and the establishment of different partnerships.. we may see some strange bedfellows being made, and as the gauntlet is thrown down, someone else is going to choose to pick it up. It’s going to be a hot, hot Summer. And everyone is going to be feeling a little feisty.

When anger rises, think of the consequences.
Confucius

New Moon in Gemini

2010-06-11T05:27:00.000-04:00

Saturday, June 12th, 2010, 7:14:30 AM EDT

“Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp.” -BP Rep., Randy Prescott

Gemini is the sign of communications, travel, the media, transportation, news, speeches. It also has to do with ingenuity, expertise and resourcefulness. With the New Moon you get a surge of new energy, a flurry of excitement. Interestingly, when the New Moon chart is placed in Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the first places to be devastated by the oil spill, the New Moon is within only a few degrees of the Ascendant. This may be that this area of the country is going to continue to be spotlighted in the media over the month ahead... but it also implies a new beginning. A new beginning that is being thwarted by some, but supported by others.

When placed in Washington, DC, the New Moon falls in the 12th House, the house of self-undoing, weakness and hidden enemies. Now, I know everyone loves to blame the media, but in this case it seems to be playing a huge part in this perception of ineffectuality and weakness on the part of the country. Much of the self-undoing is related to a very vigorous campaign from those within the country itself, and supporting the opposition political party. It is also undermined by the depressed state of the populace. No New Deal to help out the unemployed, a sham of a health care bill without a public option for the uninsured. A lot of paperwork, with little to show for it on the ground, leaves little support for a beleaguered administration.

The 12th House also rules the past. And this is when that past comes to bite the US in the ass, and where they really have to begin that mass clean up both within and without. We may all have our own versions of an oil spill in our lives these days... with a lot of catch up to make up for the conditions that have led up to this situation. But with the US, there’s a lot of history related to ties in the past, with the US government and big oil corporations. The former Vice President, Dick Cheney, as well as former President George W. Bush had strong ties with big oil. The Bush administration had an ideological mission to relax governmental regulations on corporations in general. There was the belief that self-interest would self-regulate. But, as we have seen, corporations are more than willing to cut corners, often catastrophically, when it comes to the bottom line. Their self-interest lies in making money, not protecting people’s lives, or the environment.

The effectiveness of the country and the administration, our attempts at stabilizing the economy, for getting its citizens back to work are being undermined, both from within, and without. Within, through political opposition, that has the country stale mated and backed into a corner. Without, through its own alliances which are proving to be both deadly and catastrophic. The general popular outlook is dismal and pessimistic. This in turn does not help the economy. And those who are really responsible, say, for the oil spill in the gulf, are trying to escape their responsibilities. BP, the biggest corporation in the world, does not want, and does not feel, that they have to pay for all the damages they have caused to oceans, the wildlife, and to life in general.

British Petroleum, in an attempt to whitewash their own image has contracted $50M worth of TV advertising. In addition, BP will be paying $10.5B in dividends this quarter to their shareholders. This led President Obama to respond:

And what I don’t want to hear is, when they’re spending that kind of money on their shareholders and spending that kind of money on TV advertising, that they’re nickel-and-diming fishermen or small businesses here in the Gulf who are having a hard time.

In addition, Bernie Sanders is pushing a bill to end tax breaks for oil and gas companies. He proposes using the $35B in tax breaks they are given to help pay off the deficit, and help fund energy efficiency and conservation. He states:

"If there is anything we should be learning from the Gulf disaster, it is that it is time to move aggressively away from polluting and unsafe fossil fuels, which are getting more and more difficult to produce as we move further and further offshore to drill for them,“ he said in a statement. “And, with a $13 trillion national debt, the last thing we need to be doing is giving tax breaks to big oil and gas companies that have been making record-breaking profits year after year after year."

In the New Moon chart, Neptune is involved in a Yod configuration, which is sometimes referred to as the finger of God. Neptune is at the finger of another Yod in the Lunar Eclipse on June 26th. The New Moon is also applying to a trine to Neptune in the New Moon chart. Yod's are referred to as the finger of God, because there are often miraculous if not intensely karmic events associated with the planet at the point of the configuration. Neptune rules oil, it rules oceans, sailors, people who work on the sea, who make their living there. Neptune also rules deception, escapism and smoke and mirrors. Neptune can rule loss, helplessness and hopelessness. It can also rule divine intervention, being saved, and a willingness to sacrifice for a higher cause. In mundane astrology, Neptune rules democracy, because it levels the playing field: all lives are sacred, all swim in the same ocean of spirit.

Neptune is in the sign of Aquarius, and Uranus, one of the rulers of Aquarius, recently entered Aries and is now conjunct Jupiter, the planet of freedom and justice. With Uranus now in Aries, we will be talking a lot more about breaking away from our dependence on oil (Neptune), being more self-reliant (Aries), and willing to break out in a whole new direction (Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Aries). We need to seriously explore renewable energies: wind power, solar power, tidal power, wave power, biofuels, algraculture. As a tree hugging mother of an Air Force Tech Sgt., I am exceedingly proud to say that in March there was the news that the American Air Force had successfully flown planes using clean burning biofuels. Some of our most innovative inventions have come directly or indirectly through the military.

It is time to step out into new territory, and if this means breaking down old corporate alliances, if this presents the first steps towards the separation of corporation and state... then we will truly see the end of an era and the breaking of a new dawn. But in order to do this, we are all going to have to be willing to make some sacrifices, to redirect our focus, and consider the sacred value of all of life. We are all on this planet together, and everything that happens to devastate one area of our planet, inevitably affects us all.

A human being is part of a whole, the “universe.” Our task must be to free ourselves from the delusion of separateness, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature. - Albert Einstein

the grains of sand...

2010-06-06T18:20:00.000-04:00

Mars enters Virgo
June 7th through July 29th, 2010

Most of us think ourselves as standing wearily and helplessly at the center of a circle bristling with tasks, burdens, problems, annoyance, and responsibilities which are rushing in upon us. At every moment we have a dozen different things to do, a dozen problems to solve, a dozen strains to endure. We see ourselves as overdriven, overburdened, overtired. This is a common mental picture and it is totally false. No one of us, however crowded his life, has such an existence. What is the true picture of your life? Imagine that there is an hour glass on your desk. Connecting the bowl at the top with the bowl at the bottom is a tube so thin that only one grain of sand can pass through it at a time. That is the true picture of your life, even on a super busy day, The crowded hours come to you always one moment at a time. That is the only way they can come. The day may bring many tasks, many problems, strains, but invariably they come in single file. You want to gain emotional poise? Remember the hourglass, the grains of sand dropping one by one. -James Gordon Gilkey

Although Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Aries is the really big story this month, this week there are bound to be some distracting tasks, burdens, problems and responsibilities that will need to be tended to, as Mars, the ruler of Aries, moves into Virgo on Monday, June 7th. Mars in Virgo is environmental activism, and fighting for the right to adequate health care. It is the organized workers fighting for workers rights, or simply jobs. Mars in Virgo is the soldier and the policeman whose personal will, and martial skills, are subordinated to the state. We will be hearing a lot from Mars in Virgo over the next 2 months. And in order to reap the most out of the miracles that await us, there are still a lot of details to be taken care of, and hard work ahead of us in June and July.

On the positive side, by Mars moving out of Leo, we can now get back in touch with our inner Neptune, and regain some of our lost peace and tranquility. Neptune’s retrograde motion allows us to revisit our center, our past, our sorrows and regrets, as well as our joys. And meet them all, not with guilt or shame, but with equanimity.

However, even as we try to get in touch with our soul center, there are bound to be some distractions. For as Mars enters Virgo it does so with a lot of busy-ness and perhaps a little angst that could very well be at the expense of Neptune’s inner search, as well as the Jupiter/Uranus intention for excitement, newness, revelation and freedom. Virgo is where we pay attention to details, and are usually pretty neat and organized, but tossing the Incredible Martian Gladiator into the room, can rend this area of our lives into a bit of a frothy frenzy of activity for the next 2 months. To keep the perspective, remember that problems come in single file. Remember the hourglass, the grains of sand dropping one by one.

Aries

With your ruler, Mars, heading into your 6th Solar House, you can anticipate a lot of sped up activity in the work scene and your everyday schedule. Your first reaction, as Mars enters Virgo, is to engage in a lot of frenetic ‘catch up’ activity, waking up early, and working well into the evening. A lot of this stuff is rote work with deadlines. What all this activity will do at first, is to distract you from what you are really excited about doing, what you really want to be doing, which could leave you scattered and exhausted, as you are caught between responsibilities and obigations. But you have to take care of these necessary details in order to get on to the big stuff. Pace yourself, as if that’s an option for Aries. Aries tends to work through their pain, at lightning speed, and not listen to their bodies. Listen! After the first week of Mars in Virgo, you’ll begin to find your groove, but don’t expect anything to really slow down at work for the next few months. With Jupiter meeting Uranus in Aries on the 8th, there’s a lot of excitement and anticipation about the future to keep you motivated. It’s a pity there are just so few hours in a day.

Taurus

When Mars initially enters Virgo these first few weeks of June, you’ll be faced with a sudden flurry of activity. It’s enough to have a Taurus dust off their dancing shoes, and get all excited. There’s something invigorating about having Mars here... in a positive way. You may even be inspired to take on some sort of exercise regimen... right after that glass of chardonnay. This is a very good time for Taurus to consider making positive affirmations, or make some sort of constructive changes.... Start riding the bike to work, or try to perfect your moves at the gym, maybe take up tap dancing. After that it’s off to the bar to hang out with the locals. All that physical activity is definitely going to have a positive effect on your health, especially after the New Moon. If you’ve been feeling under the weather, worn out, injured and limp, now’s the time to fix all that... a little reconstructive activity, followed by a little night music and some friends. It’s time for Taurus to take a break, forget your travails, and kick up your heels. Look out world, the bull is on the loose for the next few months.

Gemini

Okay, now that you’ve got that transportation issue figured out, chaos breaks out on the home front. Or so it seems. Especially around the New Moon when Mars faces off with your ruler, Mercury. When things are disorganized at home, Gemini’s get very nervous and scattered. And things are feeling disorganized, and unsettled in the area where you usually expect things to be perfectly scheduled and everything and everyone in their appointed areas. It gets confusing when Aunt Betty comes over to reorganize the closets, and you can’t find where she put the detergent, and Uncle Fred decides that he wants to move in, with the full drum set. But first he has to move all the furniture around (to make room for the drums). It’s time for them to go to their own homes. You were kind of hoping that home would be your peaceful sanctuary over the next few months, especially since you’ve got all these exciting prospects with work. But don’t count on it, at least not for the next few months. Some of this will be good activity, like when you organize the bake sale and have all the neighborhood kids in to help... or doing that yard sale. Either way, after the New Moon on the 12th, you’ll begin to get a handle on things, and harness that energy constructively to attack your own home project. So there, Aunt Betty.

Cancer

Cancer is not usually directly confrontational. It’s all you can do to get them to speak up... but if you give them a reason to over the next few months, watch out. Normally cautious Cancer has a few things to say these days. You may feel inclined to push others in order to get a clear answer or decision, or at least some sort of commitment! If you find that you are pissing off neighbors and friends.... then apparently you’ve made your point. Sometimes it’s even more impressive when the crab emerges from its shell in uncharacteristic fashion, as you will over the next few months. You have a lot to say, and say it you will. Just be careful of not impulsively blurting out something you will later regret around the New Moon on the 12th of June. It will also seem that you will be running here there and everywhere, may be having to shuttle people around, seeming to drop someone off, to turn around and pick someone else up, pick up the groceries, then drop off the other kid somewhere. Commuting and transportation issues can arise in the first week after Mars enters Virgo, and then, after that, you will be cruising.... keeping it all under control.

Leo

Gadget alert! Give a wide berth to the Best Buy’s and the Hammacher Schlemmer’s, for these will be your Achilles’ heel. But then again that iPad seems to just be calling to you. The gadgetry are enticing you to part with your hard earned gelt. So be warned. Arguments with friends over money are possible leading up to and around the New Moon... just don’t get involved in any sort of business deal or transaction that can otherwise be avoided, and do separate checks. It will be less flinty after the Gemini New Moon on the 12th of June. This is a good time to take care of the necessary details concerning your income or financial state... maybe get some serious advice from an expert and take it to heart. After the Sun enters Cancer on June 21st, then you can be prepared to engage some intuitive and creative ideas for finding new ways to earn cash. Just don’t spend it all in one place!

Virgo

“The Faster I go, the More Behinder I get...” should be your motto for the next few months, as you are besieged by activity. Obligations and attention to details seem to keep you from being able to see the big picture. However, these details are necessary in allowing you to make those big changes. Do not jump into things impulsively, or make drastic decisions without full deliberation before the New Moon on June 12th. Step back and realize that this is a time in your life for extraordinary change, and don’t settle for less than that due to impatience and nervousness. You know something big is happening, and it’s just around the corner, just don’t push it before its time has come. Now is the time to get all the information, and gather all the details... but make sure you have all the facts first... and then create your plan. If you find yourself overdriven, overburdened at the center of a circle surrounded by dozens of things to do and figure out... then remember the hourglass, and imagine the grains of sand dropping one by one.

Libra

Sleep eludes you. Mildly irritated and anxious, and knowing that something big is coming in a few months time... you’re desperately trying to tie up loose ends. So if we see you buried in old bills from the last few decades, or collapsed under a mountain of paperwork... just attack each item one at a time, one day at a time. The next few months can prove to be a time of frustration and self-denial, and it irks you that you can’t turn the record off in your head. If things are just too overwhelming, and you’re feeling like can’t get to what you really want to do, focus on what you can get done in front of you. This is an excellent time for Librans to make plans and prepare for the flurry of activity that’s going to be taking place a few months from now. Do the research. Take care of all the necessary details first. Remember, the better prepared you are, the more graceful and simple you will make it all look when the time comes. Little will the world know all the preparation that went into it before hand!

Scorpio

Scorpio loves their self-help and motivational groups and meetings. So if you’re not painting protest placards for some animal or environmental cause, or organizing a union meeting with your fellow workers to reestablish your rights, you will be leading some sort of 12-step, self-help, rediscovering the hidden meaning of your psyche group over the next few months. Not only will people be amazed at how organized you are, and at how much you are getting accomplished... what you are amazed about is how much self-discovery and learning you are making in the process. Scorpio rulers Mars and Pluto are working harmoniously together in the Earth signs Virgo and Capricorn... with these two working together in your favor, it’s as if there is nothing that you can’t figure out, no puzzle that you cannot solve, utilizing the probing determination and single-minded focus that only a Scorpio can have.

Sagittarius

Sagittarians love to be in charge and directing things. That’s why they often have their own business which allows them a certain element of freedom and control. The next few months you are going to be called up to the plate and it’s your job to take that leadership position head on. However, if you push people too hard though, you will arouse their ire, and make them feel antagonized. There may even be problems with the government if you really overstep your bounds. However, do not take your eye off the prize. You will be so busy having to take care of necessary details, and oversee the tedious, that you worry that you could miss a really important opportunity... nothing less than being able to make a whole new start in a wonderfully creative fashion. However, you need to take care of these details as part of the process. Just be careful not to spread yourself too thin, and watch out for chronic Sagittarian foot in mouth disease leading up to the New Moon on the 12th of June. Remember, Sag’s great gift is being able to see the big picture, but if you get caught up in too many details, you won’t be able to see the forest for all the trees.

Capricorn

It seems that you have a purpose that you are aiming for, and there is very little that you will allow to get in your way. You are very very directed with Mars in your solar 9th House. Be very clear about your motives though, because you may be called on to have to defend your views and ideas. Be prepared, and you will impress even the most stalwart opponent. However, don’t expect to be able to force other people to see your point of view. Rather focus on what it is that you can learn from the experiences you have over the next few months. Knowledge is power, and also allows you to gain a better perspective. Learn from others’ points of view. The attention is in the details. The next few months present opportunities for self-improvement, and also learning how you can be better able to be a force for change in the world around you, provided you are not too forceful with others in the process. If you see everyone avoiding you, and crossing to the other side of the street as you approach, then this will be a clue. Capricorn wants to be respected, not feared.

Aquarius

It seems you’re going to have to make some concessions over the next few months, even if you don’t particularly want to. There’s a bit of a sea change in the air, and although on the one hand, things are looking really positive and hopeful... you’re still waiting for the other shoe to fall. There is going to be some sort of change over the next few months as a result of your actions, or over some sort of conflict with someone else. This could affect the over all financial picture... and this has you on pins and needles. Don’t be too anxious to do anything precipitously as yet... just wait and see what the universe has to offer you, and then learn to dance with whatever that may be. Things will be a lot less tense and anxiety provoking after the Gemini New Moon on the 12th of June, when it will then become apparent as to what you can and should do to try and repair the situation. Until then it will do no good to try and make things any worse than they already are, anticipate things before they happen, or force things before they are ripe. Take things one thing at a time, one day at a time, with one foot in front of the other. And before you know it, you will be on the other side.

Pisces

Pisces people are certainly not the most aggressive people in the zodiac. So when they come out to take a stand, people have to take them pretty seriously. Mars entering your 7th Solar house is about you having to contend with, and learn how to eventually positively deal with, conflict. And aggravation. Especially as Mars first enters Virgo. Someone is in a fighting mood, and the energy could get a little out of control at first. And confusing. Could even involve some sort of arbitration or litigation. Pisces always hates confrontation though... but before long, and in league with a willing partner, you can harness this energy to take on even the most daunting challenges. Now this might require a certain amount of compromising, which you are really not feeling like you want to do right now, but if you must, you must. And then when you win, you can go back in your corner, and concentrate on finding your inner Neptunian bliss again, and that wonderful future that awaits you, which is where you were when all that aggravation began in the first place, those first few days of June. Neptune’s retrograde motion allows us to revisit our center, our past, our sorrows and regrets, as well as our joys. And meet them all, not with guilt or shame, but with equanimity.

The following poem by Rumi is for everyone, but I present it as a special gift to Pisces this week:

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whomever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

-Rumi

Stepping out of your Comfort Zone

2010-06-03T15:20:00.001-04:00

Jupiter conjunct Uranus

June 8th 2010

There was an article in the New York Times 2 years ago by Janet Rae-Dupree about habits, and stepping outside of our usual comfort zone. Not to the point where you become stressed out and overwhelmed, but by stretching yourself just beyond your comfort zone, and into the awkward and unfamiliar territory of the new and untried. With Jupiter joining Uranus in the cardinal sign of Aries we are being encouraged to stretch into the unfamiliar, to take a chance, to test our luck in some area of life. To take a walk on a less familiar path. Ms. Rae-Dupree quotes William Wordsworth when he said:

“Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting herd.”

If you are willing to take that step, Jupiter/Uranus can bring a fresh and exciting new perspective. Knowledge, invention and ingenuity bring unexpected success. It can also bring unexpected opportunity to either solve an existing problem, or relieve yourself of some burden. The keynote is freedom. Freedom to explore, to begin that project you’ve been wanting to, to branch out in a whole new direction, to try on your wings. To be fascinated by revelation, and the changes that it brings. In some department of your life, things will never be the same again.

Below are some keys to how Jupiter/Uranus might be stretching you. Be sure to check your Rising sign as well, if you know it.

Aries

One thing Aries hates, and that’s feeling powerless and unable to solve a problem. This past week has been miserable as you’ve had to sit back and watch your loved ones suffer, not to mention your own wrenching gut. However, that’s all about to change. Or rather you are! If anyone is being dared to step out of their comfort zone it’s Aries! Jupiter and Uranus in your own sign are pushing you to begin some grand new adventure. One that is a truer expression of yourself. Embarking out in your own direction, you’re more concerned about finding a way to establish yourself independently. It’s as if you’re intuitively perceiving that you won’t be able to depend on others to be there to help you over the next few years. So why not do something that you truly love, that you’re good at, and stretches you creatively as well? Something that you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t have the courage to pursue on your own? Jupiter and Uranus are now giving you the luck and inspiration to go out and try! Do your own thing, Aries.

Taurus

Taurus has been getting kicked around a lot over the past 10 years or so, so that they don’t know if they’re coming or going.... So the house got gobbled up by a tornado and the place where you’ve worked the past 15 years has gone down the tubes. Now some thief snuck in last week, behind your back, and stole your last precious possession, your signed Ginger Baker album. Taurus is in a pretty weird place right now. The thing is you did everything right, everything according to the books, and still you got screwed. You’ve already been out of your comfort zone to the point of being stressed out. Now before you pour yourself that martini, what Jupiter/Uranus is telling you, is that now you need to really let go. Clear up old resentments, issues and problems that have been festering in your subconscious, and then just let them disperse into the universe. It’s all about priorities, and what is truly important, and submitting to a higher power. Taurus hates these types of intangibles... but ultimately what you really want and need is inner peace and security. As stuff arises, some of it from the distant past... (hey you never knew Aunt Gladys was really a man!) All of these realizations can be really enlightening, and even pretty hilarious if put in the right perspective, but then you need to let it all go. And then you will find your inner peace.

Gemini

Yes you were deceived and humiliated, and this has you scattered to the winds, unable to sleep or concentrate. And then there’s all that bad news, one thing after another! One thing is true, and that is that you have some pretty amazing friends. Another thing that is true is that if you want to get something done, sometimes you need a united force. This is where Gemini can step out of their comfort zone. Gemini’s are not usually activists by nature. But what does become apparent, is that one voice in the wilderness can be ignored. But if you join forces with other people of like mind, who have the same aims and issues, it’s amazing what you can get accomplished! Nothing less than seeing a cherished dream realized. Gemini’s are multi-talented. And you could very well be recognized in your field, in some outstanding or innovative way! Look for some sort of unexpected opportunity through friends or some group that you are associated with... could be a welcome surprise.

Cancer

Okay, you just spent your last buck, and the bank says there’s no more where that came from. All you want to do is crawl under a rock and hide, ignoring the dunning calls, and the wolf at the door. If you pull down the blinds, maybe they’ll think you left town. But then if you do that you’re going to miss something. Something miraculous. And this is where you’re going to have to stretch outside your comfort zone: you’re going to have to be visible. There is some sort of amazing opportunity hovering around you concerning your professional life or your reputation. Something that will free up your life in some remarkable way. Even if it just means changing your hours, or working free-lance, or getting a new computer at work, whatever it is, it will make all the difference. So don’t worry about the bills, they’re probably going to resolve themselves when Mars goes into your solar 3rd house on Monday any way, there’s something so much more important happening that will eclipse all that. So open up the blinds and crawl back out from under that rock, before you miss the show!

Leo

People are being very sneaky and deceptive. Someone is trying to undermine your authority and your first reaction is to be defensive about it. This seems to have backfired some how, and now you need to recoup your dignity. Rather than relying on your usual ways of doing things, or making assumptions, remain flexible, keep an open mind. You could in fact find that your whole point of view is changing, as the result of information that you receive. If you allow yourself to receive it. Leo’s can be very stubborn, and are not usually very good at backing down and admitting that they may be wrong, or that there’s a better way of handling things. Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. It’s time for a readjustment, and once that is done, it will open up a whole new world of realizations and knowledge and perspectives. Keep an open mind! You’ll be glad that you did.

Virgo

Virgo likes their routines and their patterns. They like everything to be in its place. Guess what? If you’re not willing to move out of your comfort zone, you may just be forced to. It’s easier if you make some preemptive moves, especially if you see the writing on the wall. In some respects you feel like you’re diving into the unknown. But in our article we are cautioned that “You cannot have innovation, unless you are willing and able to move through the unknown, and go from curiosity to wonder.” Think of it as some sort of exciting Machiavellian adventure in which your old way of life is coming to an end, bringing about a whole new phase of life, with newer and better opportunities.

Libra

Libra is renowned for sitting placidly in the eye of the storm, calmly sipping their chamomile tea, while sniffing the lovely bouquet of flowers. No one knows what is going on behind that cool calm exterior, how you’ve been worrying about the kids, trying to figure out how to get that new business idea launched, and trying not to freak out when you discovered that your husband has a secret life playing dungeons and dragons, and has decided to segue that into some sort of full-time avocation. Or that your best friend has just tattooed a huge butterfly across her chest, and has moved in with the motorcycle dude she’s had her eye on. Actually it’s all rather fascinating. Give your important people as much room as they need. The more freedom you give them, the more they will respect yours. They’re needing to do their own thing right now, and they’ll be depending on you to be there, keeping it real. You’re being swept along for the ride, which could mean having to redefine yourself in the process. It’s time for the big guns... Numi makes a heavenly jasmine green tea.

Scorpio

The home environment has been unstable for some time, and somewhat of a sore spot lately. Feeling undermined, rootless, and now the basement flooded. What’s next? Peace will probably return after Monday when Mars enters your solar 11th house, and you can rediscover your inner Neptune. In the mean time, Jupiter and Uranus are encouraging you to switch things up a bit. “Getting into the stretch zone is good for you,” Ms. Ryan says in “This Year I Will... .” “It helps keep your brain healthy. It turns out that unless we continue to learn new things, which challenges our brains to create new pathways, they literally begin to atrophy, which may result in dementia, Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. Continuously stretching ourselves will even help us lose weight, according to one study. Researchers who asked folks to do something different every day — listen to a new radio station, for instance — found that they lost and kept off weight. No one is sure why, but scientists speculate that getting out of routines makes us more aware in general.” Jupiter/Uranus are trying to lift you out of a rut, and on to a path for opportunity, growth and change. Whether it’s learning a new, useful skill that will lead to a better job opportunity, or just changing up your routine... it’s change you can live with.

Sagittarius

I’ve never met a Sagittarius who wasn’t willing to take a gamble... and there is no better time than this to dare to plunge into the unknown. After a week of one bad news story after another, you’re not going to sit around and wait for the other shoe to fall. You’ve got your bag packed and ready for adventure, wherever that takes you. If you have not been allowed to express your inner self as fully as you would like, you will feel especially restless and confined, like a caged wild bird that has had its wings clipped. Situations and opportunities will arise that will allow you to escape from your cage, although this may seem sudden to others, and totally out of character. One thing Sagittarius is good at, is stretching themselves out of their comfort zones when they need to. Could also be a mad infatuation threatening to break off an existing relationship, especially if you feel that your partner has been too controlling. You’ll be out of there. Just remember though, that relationships started at this time, although fascinating and exciting, are not very likely to be long lasting.

Capricorn

If anyone has been anticipating (or perhaps dreading?) the inevitable changes inherent in the Cardinal Cross this Summer, it’s Capricorn. More ambitious and driven than ever, now that Saturn turned Direct last week, you need to remind yourself now more than ever, that the end NEVER justifies the means. One area that often suffers when Capricorn gets into ambition mode, is in their personal lives. If things are disruptive there, if you feel like the rug is being pulled out from under your feet, it’s because Jupiter/Uranus are trying to force you out of a rut. So if that relationship doesn’t work out, or the landlord refuses to extend your lease, moving out may be the best thing that ever happened to you. It is usually much easier to initiate changes yourself... so if you realize that perhaps moving to a better locale will not only offer you a great deal more freedom, but also prove to be more lucrative, then go for it.

Aquarius

Aquarius already walks to the beat of a different drummer. As a result you never quite know how you should act, how you should dress, or what is the right thing to say in social situations. And if people seem somewhat annoyed with you lately, don’t even pay it any mind. Jupiter and Uranus are now encouraging you to learn a new skill, something different from what you are accustomed to, and perhaps could even feel a little awkward at first, but will ultimately be very rewarding. If you face life with curiosity and wonder, then you will discover things that you hadn’t ever realized before. Kind of like the light bulb thing on top of the head. If you’re looking for your life to be secure, routine and expected, this is not the time. But if you’re willing to be flexible, there is so much to learn that will be of benefit to you in the future. Your every day world will be a source of excitement and sometimes bewilderment, as you are led to experiences that will literally change your life.

Pisces

Okay, let all the tears out, take a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. Just a you thought you were entering a period of peace and finding your inner Neptune in the still calm waters of your psyche, you ran into Mars. Some of you may have even become ill, or just simply anxiety-ridden... either way, it should be less of an issue after Monday. Actually, through creativity and ingenuity, you are your own greatest resource. Whether it’s a creative idea that you’re hoping to capitalize on, or an innovative idea whose time has come... at first you fear that you’re going to have to lay out a chunk of change... and you’re a little worried with all the newness of it all. Well, guess what? You are in the position of actually making an avocation or hobby into a lucrative vocation... so take the plunge, you may suddenly gain or lose possessions, and money will both come and go, but in the end, this will all be for the best. It’s time to be flexible, and not depend on the old ways of making money and supporting yourself... the change that comes is definitely change you can live with.

Loss, Surrender and Sacrifice

2010-05-31T13:58:00.003-04:00

Neptune stations and turns Retrograde today in the sign of Aquarius, and as she makes her turn, she comes face to face with the planet Mars in the opposite sign of Leo. When Neptune stations Retrograde, it is time to ask ourselves, where we have put ego, will, pride and selfishness forward at the expense of compassion, altruism, and the recognition of our connection with all of life? Neptune is about surrender of the will for something higher, surrender of the ego for the benefit of the all, surrender to the Divine. We need to ask ourselves how we are serving our own interests perhaps at the expense of others. Never is this more so than now, as Neptune in the humanitarian sign of Aquarius, comes head on against Mars, the warrior, in arrogant Leo.

When first starting to write this article, I thought it would be all about the oil spill. Neptune rules oil, the ocean, toxins, poisons, gases and epidemics. When opposing Mars, it’s often the things that we cannot see, or are not being told, that are the real problem. Yesterday, there was speculation that BP was not telling us the whole truth about the oil spill, and that there might be more than one leak. We’ve also been given weak platitudes about how the ocean will correct itself, clean itself up... and all will return as it once was in its pristine clarity. Philippe Cousteau (grandson of Jacques) has been trying to redress this misinformation this past week.

Then today, we are confronted with another incident. A Freedom Flotilla of international activists were on their way to deliver humanitarian (Neptune in Aquarius) aid to the Gaza strip, loaded with wheelchairs and a dental clinic. They were defying Israel’s draconian embargo on certain types of aid. While still in international waters, Israeli war (Mars in Leo) ships surrounded the smaller boats, and commandos boarded the Mervi Manara, opening fire with machine guns as soon as they landed on the deck, killing numerous activists on board. Israel is trying to claim that the activists were armed and instigated the violence. But the Mervi Manara was carefully screened for guns before leaving port.

Neptune stations exactly opposite the Israeli Mars (aggression, war, violence) today, in the proud sign of Leo, even as Mars by transit will return to this place this coming week. Neptune is also the planet of deception, smoke and mirrors, and even as the smoke is just starting to settle, Israeli officials are redefining, rewriting, and recreating the surrounding circumstances: the activists instigated the violence, they were armed... etc., none of which is true.

Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, and Uranus just entered impulsive and aggressive Aries on the 27th of May. This brings a whole new element to the Neptune in Aquarius aura, in which activists and humanitarians will be more willing to take a more aggressive posture. But it certainly also contributed to Israel’s impulsive actions, the results of which could be pretty far reaching internationally.

Neptune is about loss and defeat and a willingness to let go. Surrender to a higher cause. Neptune is also about sacrifice, or committing actions that benefit the whole, rather than the self. Sacrifice literally means to make sacred. Whether you surrender to music, or art, or give of your personal time to help others in need, or surrender your personal will and desires to those of the Almighty, it’s the sacrifice of the lower, and the personal, to the divine. In order to do this we are being compelled to accept the things we cannot change, have the courage of our convictions to change the things we can, and to have the wisdom to know the difference.

More on Pluto in Capricorn

2010-05-29T15:18:00.000-04:00

Last time Pluto was in Capricorn the Colonies were struggling under the oppression of the British Empire and King George III. Pluto was in Capricorn from 1762 through 1778. Back then the big profits made by the British were in the import and export of opium and slaves. However, coming at the end of the 7 Years War (which actually lasted about 9 years), Great Britain was bankrupting itself, the opium trade wasn’t going as well as hoped, and so she sought to recoup her losses. Hence the Stamp Act of 1765. This was a tax imposed on the colonies to help pay for the troops stationed in North America. After all, the troops were supposedly there for the benefit of the colonists. The colonists resisted, vehemently, to taxation without consent, and soon after the Act was repealed. However, this was the first of several steps that instigated the growing movement that eventually led to the American Revolution. This is when the people looked around them, and started to ask, “Hey, wait a minute, do you want to run that by me again?”

This time around, big power is in the hands of the corporations and money brokers. Whether it’s Drug Lords in Mexico or Jamaica, or the other Drug Lords, Big Pharma, Anthem or United Health Care here in the US, or Big Oil, Big Banks and Wall Street in the West, it’s all about the bottom line. To think that the Drug Lords in Mexico and Jamaica don’t have some sort of financial deal with the powers that be, or that Oil Companies don’t have the US Government in their pockets, would be ludicrous indeed. This is politics as usual. The dark side of Pluto in Capricorn.

Wall Street executives and traders are clearly to blame for many people losing their homes, their savings, their jobs... even as these same Banks and Wall St. traders are continuing to collect huge bonuses and salaries.

Massey Energy did not use the necessary safety equipment, nor follow procedures that would have saved the lives of miners killed in the recent mine disaster in West Virginia. And it’s becoming apparent that BP was not beholden to regulations either when it rushed to meet the bottom line with the devastating explosion of the Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. Corporations have one goal, and that is to make as much money as possible. They certainly do not care about human lives, the environment, or have any other priority, but making money.

The government becomes part and parcel with the problem when it is allied with these corporations. However, they can become the solution if they take control of the corporations. Since the Reagan administration, right wing Republicans, as well as these Tea Party people with their silly hats, have attacked any form of governmental regulation. And now we are reaping the results of having given so much unregulated power to the corporations. Pluto in Capricorn is showing us where the power has become overwhelmingly leveraged towards the few, at the expense of the rest. Pluto is also revolution, and the fall from power of those in high places. It’s the redistribution of power.

It’s time for the separation of Corporation and State.

Pluto’s job is to reveal the dark underbelly. Only weeks after approving off shore drilling on the east coast of the United States, we see the destruction of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and its resulting disaster, the environmental effects of which will only boggle the mind. Pluto shows where power is being used in a selfish and destructive manner. And often Pluto will use very dramatic means to bring his point across. What is astounding is how many people still support off shore drilling even as they’re bathing in the slime of the 10 mile oil slick and the fish that they eat will be contaminated with toxic dispersants and petroleum.

This is where Uranus now in Aries comes in. And Jupiter, the planet of truth and justice, entering Aries next week, is going to put in his 2 cents worth as well. This is the beginning of the Cardinal Cross, which marks the inevitability for change and reformation, challenging and revealing the issues of Pluto in Capricorn.

It is time to take off the rose colored glasses, and open our eyes. Time for the corrupt and the greedy to fall. And for a new era to be reborn out of the ashes of the old. If, after the housing crisis, the hemorrhaging of jobs, the loss of lives in the Middle East (as if you haven’t figured out by now that Iraq was all about oil), the poisoning of the Gulf of Mexico, people are still not getting it, then Pluto will continue to uncover, reveal and disclose the dark underbelly, even if he has to repeatedly bang us over the head to get through to us. Until, finally, we are forced to ask, “Hey, wait a minute, do you want to run that by me again?”

Uranus in Aries

2010-05-22T18:36:00.000-04:00

With Uranus entering Aries on May 27th, we’re entering a phase of illumination and dynamic change. As with any ingress of a major planet into a new sign, we can anticipate a broad spectrum of effects. These are often even more dramatic when they enter Cardinal signs, because these signs are more conducive to change. At the higher end of the spectrum, Uranus in Aries brings a lot of good stuff: births, new beginnings, new enterprises, especially those that require the courage to think outside the box, and provided you are willing to strike out in a new and different direction. Preferably your own true direction. It’s about independent initiative. Doing your own thing. Taking that chance that you’ve secretly been wanting to take.... but were a little too nervous to act on... Uranus is compelling us to break down boundaries, and Aries is giving us the courage to do so. Uranus in Aries is about creating change based on truth, honesty and transparency.

And then there’s the Tea Party. And Rand Paul. The fact that Rand Paul won the Republican Senate primary in Kentucky wasn’t such a surprise considering his huge lead in the polls. What was surprising has been his outspoken association with the Tea Party, and his controversial comments about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. You see, Rand Paul is against big government. Paul—who has called for the abolition of the Federal Reserve and the Department of Education, spoke ambivalently, and yet clearly, against the Civil Rights Act:

Mr. Paul said in an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC last Wednesday night that he supported the sections of the Civil Rights Act that applied to public accommodations but had concerns when it came to its applicability to private business.

Asked by Ms. Maddow if a private business had the right to refuse to serve black people, Mr. Paul replied, “Yes.”

“I think it’s a bad business decision to exclude anybody from your restaurant,” he said, “but, at the same time, I do believe in private ownership.” ...“This is the hard part about believing in freedom.” says Paul.

In other words, if black people, brown people, gay people, or some other group wanted to eat at a private lunch counter, and the owners wanted to prevent them from doing so, they should have the freedom to make that decision. At least according to Paul. Uranus in Aries can be equated with freedom at all costs... but in this case, it’s being expressed as tolerance of discrimination. As Abraham Lincoln said, "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

And then at the very lower end of the spectrum of Uranus in Aries is the party of “I”. Instead of just having the courage of one’s convictions which is a positive effect of Uranus in Aries, we see passionate rebellion against the establishment, in the form of militias and egocentrists. Self-reliance is taken to a new extreme of centrism, and xenophobia. Fighting for freedom, truth and justice is perverted into selfish rationalism and violent extremism. These are the impulsive crackpots who step in where fools rarely go. With ammunition.

We’ll just be seeing the first baby steps of the Uranus in Aries effect this year. Uranus is just putting its toe into the water, and then drawing it back. It will enter Aries for good in the Spring of 2011. But until then, as Uranus enters Aries this year, it is making noises like, and acting like it is challenging Pluto in Capricorn, which represents the bureaucracy, corporations and big business, as well as the government, and then take it all back. This flirtation with premature acts of rebellion that we see brewing, are the seeds of a much larger movement that will be emerging in 2012-15. The truth is, Pluto in Capricorn really is about breaking down structures, customs and ideologies, that are no longer relevant, and may in fact be holding us back, and preventing us from growing. And there are certain things that really do need to change. To the Tea Partiers big government is the big bad dragon standing in the way of freedom and progress. But what about institutions that have been a part of the culture for way too long, such as racism, homophobia, and sexism. What about unregulated corporations putting profits before people and the environment. Some things really do need to change.

Clinging desperately to what is familiar, or trying to revert to the past, brings some element of comfort to those who try to hold on to crumbling, or out dated ideologies. There are people still trying to hold on to, or recreate things, the way they used to be. This week, conservatives in the Texas Board of Education approved a new social studies curriculum that will alter the content in textbooks, stressing the superiority of American capitalism, questioning secular government and trying to put conservative Republican philosophies in a more positive light. Pluto in Capricorn demands that we let those things go that need to be let go. Progress depends on looking forward, not trying to rewrite the past.

This Summer, Saturn enters Libra, and will perfect its opposition to Uranus in Aries. For the first time in this series of oppositions, it is in cardinal signs. New partnerships, new, more meaningful alliances are going to be made and created as old alliances and treaties break down. What will become apparent is that we can no longer live a lie, or associate with partners that undermine our integrity. Opposing forces will feel like they are being forced to have to cooperate. In the face of this, coalitions will be formed on one side or the other, as a Survivor Series mentality ensues. We’ve been seeing a little of this, as politicians switch parties, old parties seem to be floundering as they are becoming irrelevant and infiltrated by new factions. Strange new bed fellows are made, as they were recently in England with an alliance between the Conservative and Liberal Democratic parties. Conservatives won the election over Labor and Liberal Democrats, but did not obtain enough votes or seats to get the majority needed to govern. Conservative leader, David Cameron, found himself compelled to form an unholy alliance with the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg.

New structures, new ways of doing things, new alliances are going to arise. It’s about rebuilding structures that are out dated and no longer sustainable. We’re entering a new era with new rules, and those who refuse to acknowledge this will be left behind, stumbling around in the darkness of a reality that no longer exists. Jupiter, the planet of truth and justice will be joining Uranus this June. New structures, new perspectives are needing to be based on an even broader understanding of truth, honesty and disclosure. We’ll all be looking at things a little differently, with a new perspective, and hopefully somewhat enlightened as a result. And once that happens, like Lot’s wife in the Book of Genesis, you can not look back, you can never go back to the way things used to be.

Plutonomy: or what was the Oil Rig Disaster

2010-05-03T22:03:00.000-04:00

In looking at the recent Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster off the coast of Louisiana last month, I expected to see a Neptune event, and it was Neptunian. Neptune rules oil. Or at least a Piscean event since Pisces is ruled by Neptune, which rules oil and oceans. Cancer and the Moon also rule seas, and the Moon was rising in Cancer at the time of the explosion on board the Deepwater Horizon. So it was both a Pisces and Cancer event.

If you were to ask why here, why now? Looking astrologically, the first event I thought of was the exact opposition of Saturn Retrograde in Virgo opposing Uranus in Pisces on the 26th of April. Saturn/Uranus events can certainly be associated with disasters on a large scale, and there seems to be something inevitable about this event and its relationship to these opposing forces. Saturn/Uranus also points to the necessity for change.

First off, Saturn is Retrograde in Virgo, the sign that I associate with the environment, as well as the 'workers' and the working class. Jobs have been drifting off into the ether and down the drain over the past few years that Saturn has been in this sign. Saturn rules governments, leaders, CEO's, the guy in charge and with the keys. The person or persons who are supposed to be responsible, and Saturn is Retrograde. In Virgo. The sign of jobs and workers. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, which went Retrograde (human error?) 2 days before the accident and was applying to a square to Mars (accident). Saturn is about regulations, who rules, what the rules are, and whether or not they are being followed. BP apparently has broken laws and violated its own internal procedures in the past. Don't let them fool you with those clean energy commercials they've been flaunting over the air waves. And Halliburton, yes, good old Halliburton, is under scrutiny for its role in cementing the drill site. And then there's those remote control shut off switches.

Other countries like Brazil and Norway require these remote control shut off switches which protect against underwater spills. The US considered requiring them several years ago, but the drilling companies questioned their effectiveness and most of all their cost. It was Cheney's energy task force that decided that the switches were too much of a burden on the industry. Add to this that after the Exxon Valdiz oil spill, a law was passed capping the liability for oil companies at $75 million. The oil companies are under-regulated and the consequences are nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Saturn Retrograde. In Virgo. The long term consequences are that numerous jobs are going to be lost and/or threatened as the fisheries and the tourism industries, not to mention the birds, all the birds that will die as a result of this disaster. It will take years for the wildlife to be restored to this area, and for the industries to be revived. Obama says that he holds BP responsible, but to what extent? Not nearly enough.

Saturn opposing Uranus, sudden event warranting change, in Pisces which rules oil and oceans. Jupiter which makes everything huge and massive and larger than expected, approaching Uranus. Pisces is ruled by Neptune, which falls in the 8th House of death in the disaster chart, and financial losses. Neptune squares Venus, re-emphasizing the 'loss of revenue' theme. Lots of revenue lost. And then you have to ask whose revenue? BP's revenue? But also our revenue! That's not BP's coast guard out there trying to mop up the mess!

In the chart for the founding of BP Oil, Neptune is in the same degree as the South Node, Moon and Ascendant of the disaster chart.... oil. South Node has to do with inevitable consequences due to past and/or accustomed ways of doing things, doing business as usual. It's not working. It has consequences. Only one month after Obama announced a plan to open the Atlantic coast for oil exploration... there seems to be a little kismet working here.

Uranus has another purpose, and that is illumination. As a consequence of this massive oil spill Obama has halted any plans for off shore drilling on the Atlantic coast, and California is following suit with its off-shore drilling plans. When pollution levels reached catastrophic levels years ago, so that you could not see through smog, rivers were igniting, dead fish were washing up on our shores, and oil globs littered the Pacific coastline... people took great measures to start taking care of the environment. It was visible. Since then the problems have not been as visible. We became apathetic. This catastrophe, is at least drawing us to consider the state of our environment, and our responsibility for it.

And then there's Pluto. Good old Pluto in Capricorn, representing the plutocracy. If you were to place the Aries Ingress chart at the site of the oil rig disaster... Pluto would sit exactly on the descendant, opposing the Cancer Ascendant. Cancer rules the sea... but it also rules the people. Democracy. Yeah, what we're talking about has to do with weak regulations... but why? Or maybe some sloppy mistakes... yet again, why? We have been summarily giving away our power to the corporations over the past few decades, and now that Pluto is in Capricorn we are reaping the consequences of our own apathy and compliance.

On Bill Moyers' final broadcast on PBS he discussed why Plutocracy and Democracy do not mix, and talked about 'Plutonomy', or an economy and government that is partial to and favors the extremely wealthy and corporations... for at the basis of the vast majority of ills that plague our nation these days... this is it. It always gets back to Pluto in Capricorn.

Mercury Retrograde in Taurus

2010-04-19T08:02:00.002-04:00

April 17th - May 11th, 2010

It's not unusual for transportation to be interrupted when Mercury stations Retrograde, as it has this week. That's just classic Mercury Retrograde. Combine that with a Pluto station in early April, and the 4th Saturn/Uranus opposition the end of this month... and you get the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption in Iceland, with the airlines in Scandinavia and northern Europe being grounded as a result of the volcanic ash that is being spewed into the sky. When Hades rolls over in the Underworld, we feel its effects here on the surface of the Earth (Taurus). So therefore we have had interruptions in transportation (Mercury Retrograde) due to a disturbance in the ground (Taurus).

And while Saturn (delays, obstructions, challenges) opposes Uranus (air flight), for its 4th go-round, not only have airplanes been grounded, but NASA's moon program as well:

“We are proposing canceling the program, not delaying it,” Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Sunday.
The proposal would officially end aspirations to return astronauts to the Moon by 2020 — President George W. Bush’s “vision for space exploration” developed in the aftermath of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003.
In place of the Moon mission, Mr. Obama’s vision offers, at least initially, nothing in terms of human exploration of the solar system. What the administration calls a “bold new initiative” does not spell out a next destination or timetable for getting there.

Taurus is the sign of finance and security. The repercussions of the airlines being grounded in northern Europe and Scandinavia is having its effects rolling throughout the globe. Not only have airlines lost $200,000,000 per day in revenue (Taurus), passengers are stranded, events have been cancelled or put on hold, tourist economy is suffering, and the rippling effects in commerce are being felt internationally.

Another Mercury Retrograde in Taurus event is the recent news that the Securities and Exchange Commission is suing Goldman Sachs. Goldman had created a way to bet against the housing market, even while including investments in the housing market in their portfolios that they sold to investors. In other words they were betting against their own investors winning... while holding all the cards. As a result, while investors' portfolios plunged, a prominent hedge fund manager (how Taurus can you get!), John Paulson, made some $3.7 billion in 2007 betting that the housing bubble would collapse.

As a result of the suit, Goldman's stock fell 10% on Friday eliminating more than $10 billion of the company's market value. That's Mercury Retrograde in Taurus.

So what does Mercury Retrograde in Taurus mean for us? Taurus has to do with security, with finances, and Mercury Retrograde brings us dilemmas, choices, opportunities to correct previous mis-judgments or mistakes. It shows us what is, or is not working. And is asking us to consider our own attitudes towards security, income, values and setting our own priorities. It may be that you may not be able to get what you want. Perhaps it is time to explore what it is that you really need... what is really necessary to invest in. You may have to ultimately make a choice between the better and the dearer.. taking the less costly choice over the one that may be better. Another thing to explore is what you consider to be your own self-worth.. Explore your own talents. What is it that you truly enjoy doing? Can you turn something you like into something you would love to do? Or could it be that you were chasing will o' the whisps, and now it's time to face economic reality? Or have you stubbornly pursued a goal in such a way that you are distracted from what you are really supposed to be doing? Mercury Retrograde is compelling us to stop, step back and take inventory, and then re-prioritize. It may be that what you want, is not what you really need.

Neptunian Fog and the Tragedy of Pluto

2010-04-14T22:30:00.000-04:00

The Polish plane crash in Smolensk Russia

April 10, 2010

When a military plane loaded with Polish dignitaries attempted to land in a fog so dense last Saturday, the tops of the trees were rendered invisible in the haze. The Moon was in foggy Pisces, conjuring its mystical miasma that blinded the pilot’s vision as well as his common sense. The trickster, Mercury, has been doing his own dance, slowing down in preparation for his Retrograde station on the 18th. On this fateful day, Mercury came head to head with impulsive and irrational Mars in arrogant Leo, and rational thinking was pushed aside in favor of urgency, impatience and schedules. The pilot should have taken the advice to land elsewhere, but with a plane full of politicians and military leaders, who knows who was insisting, and ordering who, to foolishly venture a landing in such unfavorable conditions. In 2008, a different pilot of Kaczynski’s plane, was pressured by the president when he refused to land in unsafe conditions. Kaczynski later referred to the pilot as a coward. Nevertheless that pilot had held his own, and was decorated by the defense minister for following correct procedures. In this case, this sense of integrity was disallowed. A wing on the plane hit a tree, and everyone on board was killed, including President Kaczynski, his wife, and numerous high ranking officials.

Hindsight is always the best foresight, but if we were to look at the Ingress chart for Poland this Spring, Cancer was at the Midheaven (leaders, government), and the Moon, the ruler of Cancer, was posited in the 8th House of death, square Neptune (ruler of fogs) in Aquarius (airplanes). One might surmise that what we had here was a uniquely Neptunian event, yet there is so much more than fogs and accidents to this dreadful story..

The reason that so many of Poland’s dignitaries were on this plane, was that they were going to mourn and commemorate a previous massacre that occurred 70 years earlier in the Katyn Forest in Russia. In 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, and Western Europe watched from the wings, Russia saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. They launched their own invasion, gathering up hundreds of thousands of Polish policemen, soldiers, and nationalists. Many were eventually released, but many were not. And in 1940 Stalin orchestrated the assassination of about 25,000 prisoners and Polish soldiers with the intent of crippling and weakening Poland, so that they would be unable to be a threat to Soviet security. Among those first executed were included an admiral, 2 generals, hundreds of other officers, a prince, physicians, professors, engineers, journalists, teachers and writers. The first transport of those murdered, occurred on April 4, 1940, just prior to a Solar Eclipse on the 7th, with the rest of the executions continuing throughout the month of April.

Using the November 5, 1916 noon time chart for the Independence of Poland (this chart may be disputed.. but certainly it commenced the establishment of modern day Poland as we now know it), we see Saturn and Neptune closely allied in the sign of Leo. Saturn represents the government, weak in the sign of Leo, and further weakened by its proximity to Neptune, Poland has been repeatedly occupied, and controlled by foreign invaders. In April of 1940, Pluto the planet of ruthless power and control, was conjunct Saturn in this chart. Rather than fight the Soviets, the Polish police and military (Saturn) were ordered not to resist, and the Soviets strolled right in and took over. When Pluto comes to Saturn, one feels powerless to resist, and in resisting things only become that much more oppressive. All that you know is being taken from you, and the changes that occur are inevitable and unavoidable. More Polish people died in World War II than any other country, including the overwhelming majority of Polish jews.

In the Aries Ingress chart for Poland, Mars came to this same degree where Pluto met Saturn those 70 years ago. Mars, the planet of action, could be seen as something of a trigger for renewal, but Mars is also the planet of violence, accidents and injury... and as Mars then came to Neptune on the 10th of April, the planet of fogs, and illusion, and abandonment, a new Polish tragedy unfolded. Pluto sits in the bottom of the Ingress chart, in the sign of Capricorn, representing the destruction and reformation of governmental structures. This area of the chart also represents the opposing party. President Lech Kaczynski was not terribly popular with the people. He was extremely conservative, and far right on the spectrum, aggravating allies as well as people within his own government with his extreme ideology. His death was indeed a tragedy, along with other high level dignitaries including the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and other senior military officers and government officers. But this event also represents, or contributes to a departure from the past, in a way. This Pluto in the Ingress chart opposes the Polish Pluto in Cancer. An old order is departing. This is a time for the Polish people to allow the future to be reborn from the ashes, and the wounds of the past. Out of death is an opportunity for rebirth. Poland has historically redefined itself time and time again... and it would seem that it will do so yet one more time.

Pluto the Lord of the Underworld

2010-04-08T17:29:00.005-04:00

I pointed out in my previous blog on the Aries Ingress, that two of the issues affecting the nation this quarter, and probably for a good part of the year, involves the collapse of the infrastructure, which could indeed lead to casualties; and moral outrage.

The planet Pluto was named after the Greek god of wealth. He is also often associated with Hades, the lord of the underworld. After the fall of the Titans, Pluto and his brother Zeus (Jupiter) and Poseidon (Neptune) divided the universe between them, giving Pluto everything under the ground. It would be easy to understand in this context, how Pluto would be associated with mines, and tunnels. And on Tuesday, April 6th, Pluto stationed Retrograde in Capricorn, the sign of rocks, minerals, mountains and the earth beneath our feet, which has been trembling and rocking as Pluto has come up against Saturn. Saturn, on his part, has been also retrograde and heading back to Virgo, the sign of the Worker.

As Pluto stations Retrograde he compels us to explore our relationship with power, and the responsibility inherent in having power, as opposed to those in the forsaken position of finding themselves 'powerless', and overwhelmed by insurmountable conditions. On Monday morning, the Moon in Capricorn passed over Pluto, and later that afternoon, as Neptune (toxic gasses) was setting in the West, a huge gas explosion rocked the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, killing at least 25 people.

Pluto has this way of revealing the dark underbelly. Massey Energy Co., the owners of the mine, were cited for numerous violations, including those concerning the necessary air filtration units, that were either missing, or malfunctioning. If Massey Energy Co. had been at all compliant with federal laws, this explosion would have been prevented. In the past 2 months, miners were evacuated 3 times because of dangerously high methane levels. We need to ask, how come if stricter federal laws were supposedly put into effect in 2006 (due to a previous mine explosion) to protect miners, why didn't they prevent this tragedy? How many corrupt politicians (Pluto in Capricorn) turned a blind eye as they had their palms crossed with silver?

At 2 Am Tuesday, when Massey CEO Don Blankenship (escorted by at least a dozen police officers) arrived at the mine to announce the death toll to the families, people become enraged, yelling at him for caring more about profits than lives. In this scenario, Blankenship and Massey represent Pluto in Capricorn at his worst, the wealthy Lord of the Underworld, while the miners are represented by Saturn, returning to Virgo for some unfinished business. And the workers, are not taking this one lying down.

Moral Outrage and the Aries Ingress

2010-03-21T21:48:00.005-04:00

The 2010 Aries Ingress on the 20th of March, in Washington D.C., is characterized by the following:

Housing, homelessness.... and yes, more foreclosures.
the collapse of the infrastructure can lead to casualties.
Moral Outrage!
Obstructionism from conservative factions
Women’s Health Issues (read... abortion issue and health care reform)

The housing situation looks bleak... there are more foreclosures on the horizon... perhaps worse than before... but this time Congress is prepared. Quick foresight and intervention may help to quell some of the more horrendous consequences of creative deceptive mortgages with the consequence of more mortgages defaulting... and people losing their homes.

There are other reasons why people are going to lose their homes and/or be displaced, and this has to do with a crumbling infrastructure. This can be both physical and metaphorical. Which brings us back to the Summer of 2007, with the collapse of a Minneapolis Bridge during rush hour. The calamity which occurred not only disrupted transportation, but aimed a spotlight on public infrastructure. Pluto was in the last degrees of Sagittarius, about to switch signs to Capricorn (structures). It had even been proposed that as part of the economic revival program that a program similar to the public works programs of the 30’s. But these were dismissed as being too slow, and not enough of the quick fix that was necessary to revive the floundering economy. This is despite the fact that these programs would also supply jobs, and repair potentially dangerous roads and bridges in long need of repair. Do we need another catastrophe to put this program back on the table? Hopefully not.

But it is apparent that there has been a gross neglect of the working man, and we will continue to see unemployment grow over the next quarter. We need businesses, or some sort of public works program, to provide work for the unemployed... otherwise something dark and menacing is going to be brewing, and potentially rising up from within the masses, and the newly disenfranchised populace. With loss comes grief, denial, and anger as people think in terms of survival and moral outrage.

One lesson this administration is coming to learn is that you can’t please everyone. Bipartisan cooperation, albeit ideal and a righteous attempt to put a positive face on Washington, isn’t working. At the Ingress Uranus is in the last drops of Pisces, ruled by Neptune in Uranus’s sign of Aquarius. This mutual exchange between these two planets, almost makes people think that for the sake of the Greater Good, for the sake of the poor, the unemployed, the victimized and the invisible... you could appeal to the better nature of even hard core politicians. As I write this the House of Representatives is poised to vote on health care reform. Looking at the Ingress chart, it doesn’t look like health care reform stands a chance... and certainly not women’s health care rights. conservative Democrats refuse to vote for the bill as it is unless something is added to prohibit paying for abortions. Pelosi meanwhile has stated the bill will stand as the bill, without any additions or changes. I suspect the conservatives win...looking at the Ingress chart.

Republican leaders, meantime, are vowing to repeal the legislation if it becomes law (this is in hopes of recapturing control of Congress in the mid-term elections in November). They predict that passing health care reform will be the downfall of the administration.

According to the Ingress chart, there are hard truths that need to be told, and a lot of misinformation (lies) being put forth in the guise truth, but which is actually concealing another hidden agenda. Or at least just trying to obstruct the current administration. But there are strong opinions on both sides of the aisle... or at least a determination to have one’s way, whether it be ethical or not. Thus the moral outrage, both real and pretend. There are a lot of ethical and moral questions here! The right, the anti-abortion people have their moral outrage. Those who, up till now, were steadfastly fighting for the now defunct public option feel as if they are being forced to vote for something that they do not believe in... because it is the lesser of two evils... the worse evil being doing nothing. It seems difficult to imagine that anything will get passed in this environment.

It remained nasty this weekend. Several thousand “tea-partiers” gathered on Capitol Hill on Saturday, as lawmakers met to lay down the rules for yesterday’s vote. “Born in the USA not the USSR” and “Buck Ofamacare” said their placards. A protester called representative Barney Frank, who is gay, a “faggot”. Another spat on representative Emanuel Cleaver, who is black. Two other African-American congressmen, John Lewis and André Carson, were jeered as “niggers”. This is all symbolized by Saturn the planet of conservatism and fear opposing the Sun (the President) and Mercury (the bill) while square Pluto (prejudice and trying to force their agenda).

Republicans are going to hold this thing up as long as they can.

The days of bipartisan politics is coming to an end.

The Agony of Obstructionism

2010-02-20T17:01:00.004-05:00

Never underestimate the power of Retrograde Mars. Stifling, frustrating, internally writhing.... one's hands are tied and actions curtailed. At the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2009, President Obama had set a Christmas deadline for health care reform. It didn't happen. It couldn't or wouldn't happen. Mars was Retrograde and applying to oppositions to Moon-Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron in Aquarius (health care reform), all sitting in the House of Congress.

It's not enough that Mars is Retrograde and opposing all those democratic planets (representative of a popular and democratic cause) arousing ire, outrage and defeat through confrontation, and partisanship. It's not enough that Saturn the planet of delays and obstruction is sitting in the house associated with the health of the nation. And it's not enough that Pluto, representing big money and corporations is squaring Saturn. Health care didn't stand a chance of being reformed in this climate.

Mars Retrograde has been merely frustrating this quarter in the US, as little has been accomplished and a lot put on hold. But probably the most nationally influential event this quarter has to do with a certain legal precedent that took place in January. On January 21st, a Supreme Court Ruling (Sun, Pluto in 9th; Venus in Sagittarius - aka wealthy and powerful corporations) now allows Corporations, Unions and other organizations to donate directly and openly in order to influence political campaigns. Previously corporations were barred from supporting candidates freely, although this has always been done surreptitiously. Now they can do so wantonly and in full regalia. The result? The Supreme Court with a vote of 5 to 4, just sold the country to the corporations. This is not terribly new.

The so-called regulatory bodies that were supposed to be regulating the banks and big businesses such as AIG turned a blind eye to questionable financial wheeling and dealing... because those who are supposed to be the regulators are being paid by the people they were supposed to regulate. There are no real regulators. They're just pretend regulators. And even if they were to do the job they are supposed to do, they don't have the power. The euphemistically named Office of Thrift Supervision, which was supposed to be regulating AIG, haven't the funds or the man power to come up against a multi-national corporation. Nor did they particularly want to. They courted big businesses with the promise that they would circumvent whatever regulations were in place. After all, they needed to have corporations to 'regulate' in order to stay in business.

I bring this up, because this Supreme Court ruling in favor of corporations vs. people, occurred at the first leg of the approaching Cardinal Cross. As Saturn square Pluto rocked the very foundation of Haiti killing hundreds of thousands of people, we have this open demonstration of oppressive politics. Saturn square Pluto is the rock, coming against an immovable force. With great power. Saturn is in Libra, the sign of agreements and treaties. Pluto is in Capricorn, the sign of government, those that are in power, as well as the bedrock. Pluto often represents big money. Those who have the real power and control. Pluto sits in the house of judgment and law, squaring Saturn in the 6th House (the working people, the lack of health care, the unemployed). In this atmosphere there is no chance of bipartisan agreement. Everyone thinks that they are right. Everyone wants to be the one in control. And will ruthlessly do all that they have to do to gain control. It looks like the only way that any health care reform can be passed is by forcing it through. It won't be easy... but when you're between a rock and a hard place sometimes you just have to shove one of them out of the way.

Opportunity for Change?

2009-09-07T15:49:00.004-04:00

Fall Ingress - Sept. 22, 2009; 5:20 PM EDT

Born with the planet Uranus strongly defined in Obama’s destiny, he’s finally in a position, as President of the United States, to be an instrument for change. Uranus is the planet that influences us to think outside the box, and not just accept conditions, because ‘that’s the way they always were.’ When strong in our charts we have a greater willingness and ability to think for ourselves... and choose the path that is best, rather than the one defined by customs or the society in which we live. For those who do not have Uranus strong... it can feel a little threatening, and to them, those people who do work with the Uranus energy are seen as trouble-makers... and disruptive.

With Aquarius Rising and Uranus as ruler angular and conjunct his North Node (his Karmic path), being where he is, is a position Obama has been working towards for many lifetimes of intention. For lifetimes he has perceived injustices in the world, but did not have the capacity to do anything about it. Now with his Sun, Uranus and North Node in Leo, he has attained a strong leadership position founded on principles of democracy, hope and change.

This quarter, Aquarius is also Rising in the Ingress Chart when calculated for the US in Washington, DC, very close to Obama’s natal Ascendant. With Jupiter (justice), Chiron (the capacity to heal those who have been wounded, or left out) and Neptune (compassion, and equal rights for all), are all rising in the sign of Aquarius (we are all of the same group, all in this together). With these so closely aligned to Obama’s Ascendant, this is a good time for him to make his move, make his mark.

On the other side of the spectrum, representing those who probably are feeling threatened by the impending changes... changes that are necessary and inevitable... sits Retrograde Mercury (confused, misleading and misunderstood information) conjunct Saturn (refusing to consider any other point of view, narrow minded, conservative & limited perception). The combination of these will tend towards thinking that is very one-sided and narrow, simplifying complex problems and issues into simple, and misleading terms that have simple answers. It also tends towards indignation and a feeling of self-righteous superiority when other people present alternative perspectives to their ideas. Mercury rules the 4th (the opposing party) and 5th (famous people in the media - Gemini) houses in the Ingress Chart, as well as the 12th (secret enemies) and the 1st (home grown enemies) houses.

For Obama to compromise or even listen to those individuals who seek to take him down, and are not at all interested in compromising or achieving productive change would be a mistake. Bill Moyers addressed just this issue back on September 4th:

...we've posted on our website an essay by the media scholar Henry Giroux. He describes the growing domination of hate radio as one of the crucial elements in a "culture of cruelty" increasingly marked by overt racism, hostility and disdain for others, coupled with a simmering threat of mob violence toward any political figure who believes health care reform is the most vital of safety nets, especially now that the central issue of life and politics is no longer about working to get ahead, but struggling simply to survive.
Poor Obama. He came to town preaching the religion of nice. But every time he bows politely, the harder the Republicans kick him.
No one's ever conquered Washington politics by constantly saying "pretty please" to the guys trying to cut your throat.

Pluto is now in Capricorn. Pluto destroys structures that are no longer working, and ideally, allows for the transformation and rebuilding of new structures. Capricorn represents the infrastructure, the bare bones of the society, and so we will see previously powerful structures, such as seen in governments and corporations, crumbling and collapsing. This is Pluto’s work, which will be helped along next year when Uranus enters Aries, and later this October/November when Saturn enters Libra. With the collapse of structures will also come a lot of rebuilding. And restructuring. So Bill Moyers also urged:

Let's get on with it, Mr. President. We're up the proverbial creek with spaghetti as our paddle. This health care thing could have been the crossing of the Delaware, the turning point in the next American Revolution — the moment we put the mercenaries to rout, as General Washington did the Hessians at Trenton. We could have stamped our victory "Made in the USA." We could have said to the world, "Look what we did!" And we could have turned to each other and said, "Thank you."

This health care thing is make or break for your leadership, but for us, it's life and death. No more Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. President. We need a fighter.

Unfortunately for us, Mars the warrior planet, is in the sensitive and retreating sign of Cancer. Not a fighting sign. There will be a lot of simmering anger... but not a lot of it coming from the President... he's identified this quarter with that Jupiter (justice, confidence, and a deep faith), rising in the Ingress Chart... which means that our Mr. Nice Guy president, does indeed have the control, the ability to be an instrument for change... not by fighting... but simply by doing what is right, and just, and standing on the side of truth. All for one, and one for all (Aquarius), when he speaks this Fall, and what he does, will be with all of us in mind.

Kennedy's Passion

2009-08-26T21:14:00.004-04:00

For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy

Late Tuesday night, just before midnight, Senator Ted Kennedy died from complications from brain cancer. This was no surprise, Senator Kennedy had been ailing for well over a year. But what he leaves behind is both a family legacy, as well as his own.

Senator Kennedy was not without a murky past filled with tragedy, loss, weakness and irresponsibility.. a past that seems to go much further back than even this one lifetime. On the night of his death Uranus (the planet of change, and radical reform) sat on his natal North Node while Saturn was moving towards the South Node. In the tradition of Jeff Greene and Steven Forrest's evolutionary astrology, the South Node is the doorway to our past lives, and the baggage we bring in with us.

Senator Kennedy's South Node sat in his 8th House, the house associated with death. He certainly had a lot to experience with tragic death in this lifetime... but apparently this is something that was brought forward from previous experiences as well. South Node in Virgo, the sign of health, illness and medicine leads us to imagine a few possibilities. One might imagine a doctor, one who had a position with great status (South Node trine Saturn), and who had the power to decide whether or not to treat and/or save individuals. Perhaps he chose to treat and save only those people who could afford to pay. Perhaps he was unable to treat and/or help all the people that he was capable of saving. Either due to inability or refusal (due to classicism, social status) to help those who needed the help the most, either way, the experiences of his past life, his responsibility for the deaths through negligence... weighed heavily on his conscience. He came into this life with a commitment to make amends. This commitment was reawakened with each tragedy in his life... the loss of his brothers, the illness of two of his children with cancer.

When his son lost a leg to cancer at the age of 12, he was struck by the fact that other families with similar ailments did not have the insurance that he had, because he was in Congress, and would have to sell their possessions, their homes in order to pay for life-saving treatments for their children. The spark of altruism, inclusion and desire to serve all of humanity was awakened in his soul... Now it's not a matter of only a chosen few being saved, but a right of everyone in the society. And so he has used his position and his power with that strong Saturn in Capricorn in his first house, to fight for the right of every individual to have adequate health care.

On the night of his death the North Node of the Moon was exactly conjunct his natal Saturn in the last degree of Capricorn. Saturn strong and angular, the statesman, who not only preached inclusiveness, he lived it, through his Pisces spirit, and path. Uranus had come back to his North Node to remind us of the brave liberal lion who governed in an age when true bipartisan politics existed. Through his legacy (Saturn in Capricorn), perhaps we can all take a page from his book, and help to take some personal responsibility (North Node in Capricorn) to promote the dream and goals that he was so very passionate about.

The Boston Globe wrote on Wednesday:

Ted Kennedy played a leading role in perhaps the greatest political drama of the 20th century - the dawning of the New Frontier and the soul-crushing assassinations that followed - but he will be remembered by history for his legislative achievements in health care, education, civil rights, and immigration.
The fact that his tangible accomplishments transcended his mythic role in the Kennedy drama attests to the vast extent of his legislative impact. In each of four areas, he dominated legislative politics for more than four decades, spanning ten presidencies, and played a large role in transforming the government’s relationship to the people.
Bill by bill, provision by provision, he expanded government health support to millions of children and the elderly, helped millions more go to college, opened the immigration doors to millions of new Americans from continents other than Europe, and protected the civil rights bulwark of the ’60s through a long period of conservative domination.
And by the time his life ended yesterday, surrounded by loved ones in a gentle scene that contrasted sharply with the violent deaths of his brothers, Ted Kennedy had built a nuts-and-bolts legacy to stand beside that of his presidential brother as a figure of hope and his senatorial brother as a figure of compassion.

What we have here is failure to communicate...

2009-08-16T21:28:00.003-04:00

Summer 2009

In “Cool Hand Luke” Strother Martin whacks Paul Newman in the head and tosses him into a ditch extolling the famous line: “What we have here is failure to communicate...”

We can expect more communication failures as Mercury (the planet of communication, transportation and currently in the sign of health care) slows to its Retrograde station on September 7th, while under siege. Mars has been in Gemini (Mercury’s sign) since July 12th (angry words, shouting, screaming, angry discourse)... which found a venue in local town hall events this Summer. In August, Mars wandered into excitable territory as it stirred up the extant Saturn/Uranus opposition. Those who fear change, and are in denial of its necessity... are now seething, and have found support from Republican leaders desperate to regain control, organizations such as “Freedom Works” (responsible for organizing protesters at the town hall meetings) that have been tied to them, and right-wing media (Mars in Gemini) such as Fox News.

The Christian Science Monitor reported on Friday that right wing militia groups are on the rise after almost a decade of obscurity. Militia training events are growing, with sales of guns and ammunition spiraling. The Southern Poverty law Center reports an increase of militia activities including the murders of 6 law enforcement officials over the last several months, by people espousing anti-government, and racist rhetoric. The chance for intelligent debate on such life threatening issues as adequate health care for all is besieged by those small minds who fear that all that they know and have and believe is being destroyed. By progressive liberals.

Saturn constricts, and makes things small and limited. And Saturn with Mercury, as it is this week, believes that it is always right. It is authoritarian, and will not listen. This does not bode well with the possibility of debate. The 3rd of 5 oppositions between Saturn and Uranus will culminate in mid-September. The conversation and the media will be weighing in with the conservative factions who fear inclusion, what they perceive to be “big” government and “socialism”. The first Saturn/Uranus opposition occurred when President Obama was elected, the second around the time he was inaugurated. The third occurs when it becomes inevitable that some sort of decision needs to be made concerning health care reform. Uranus in Pisces is the enlightened leader. An enlightened leader who can help to sever the Saturnian chains that prevent and retard the inevitability of change and evolution.

As I’ve written before... the thing is with these Saturn/Uranus cycles, is that the more you resist them, the more likely the instability, the hard stuff, is going to transpire. It’s like a pressure cooker. If it doesn’t have an adequate valve, the pressure becomes overwhelming and will explode. Literally and figuratively.

There’s another situation brewing and emerging around this period of transition, a situation that wreaks of instability and danger the end of August. A situation that will need to be reined in and controlled. Obama receives as many as 30 death threats a day. Death threats have also been made towards representatives who are supporting health care reform. There is much turmoil and anger in the world. There are those who are so determined to succeed and have their way, that they will use any means of force and domination to achieve their ends. Aggression and violence, frustration and resentment are escalating as Summer winds down.

This energy can manifest through other outlets as well. Saturn/Uranus cycles have been associated with both periods of great destruction as well as movements for hope and change. The Spanish flu pandemic, volcanic eruptions, and major earthquakes have all occurred during Saturn/Uranus cycles. Economic upheaval. But you add fear of loss of control, misinformation, lies, hostility and deeply embedded prejudices... and you have the resulting impending danger on so many levels. This stuff is like a pressure cooker about to explode, and if it doesn’t have an adequate valve, it will do just that. It will take a great deal of enlightenment, and wisdom to be able to navigate these treacherous waters.

Summer Solstice....

2009-06-21T14:58:00.004-04:00

The Summer Solstice, on June 21st, marks the first juncture of the astrological year which began on March 21st. The highlights of the 1st quarter of this year included an outbreak of a new flu strain that has since risen to ‘pandemic’ proportions (the likes of which we will truly not see until this September); the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to take the departing David Souter’s seat on the US Supreme Court (which of course incited the conservative right to protest on flimsy ground); Cheney kept popping up in the news attempting to vindicate his apparently illegal actions during the previous administration; North Korean little dictator, Kim Jong Il tried to flex his fading bipolar muscles with a show of “nuclear” and missile type detonations and holding a couple of western reporters hostage; President Obama gave an immensely courageous, brilliant and honest speech at the University of Cairo that had Nobel Peace Prize written all over it; an Air France plane inexplicably went down in the Atlantic (probably from bad weather); home grown terrorists struck, killing a doctor who gave abortions, and killing a guard at the US Holocaust Museum; and finally Iran declared the other little tyrant, Ahmadinejad, the winner of a highly disputed (in the style of Bush in Florida in 2000?) “election” rife with fraud. Quite a mouthful... but that’s Pluto entering Capricorn, whilst Saturn opposes Uranus.

So what can we anticipate for the next quarter? To begin with, Jupiter, Neptune and the renegade asteroid, Chiron, have been closely conjunct in the sign of Aquarius all Spring, and will continue to do so through the Summer. I addressed this issue and its relationship to the H1N1 swine/avian flu in a previous post. Neptune (immune system) and Chiron (the wounded healer) have a definite relationship with illness in general, and Jupiter makes things large, as in pandemic. And as was mentioned, neither Jupiter nor Neptune respect boundaries. As for that matter, neither does Chiron who’s orbit obliquely sweeps it across our Solar System intersecting the orbits of both Saturn and Uranus. The only reason this virus has not had the mortal consequences initially feared, was simply because it arrived ‘out of season’.

Saturn in hard aspect to Uranus has historically been associated with mass casualties either through war, weather, earthquakes or epidemics (including the Spanish flu of 1918). Coincidentally, Saturn in Virgo, the sign of health and illness (and in the house of health and illness in both of the Ingress charts), will be exactly opposite Uranus on September 15th, followed by a square to Pluto (some say the ruler of viruses) in the cardinal signs implying that we will be faced with severe challenges on many levels, not only in health care.

Speaking of health care... for most of this quarter, Saturn will bring positive growth in health care, and most importantly, in health care reform. Saturn/Uranus is about the necessity for change and progress: being willing to let go of those programs and policies that no longer work, and may in fact be retarding our growth. Saturn in both the health sign and house, is positively and strongly aspected in the Solstice chart ensuring that some form of health care plan will be addressed. Unfortunately, although all the aspects are strong, disciplined, and determined in this quarter, Mars is still weak and overly conciliatory in Taurus, and dominated by Venus, the ruler of Taurus, in her own sign. Some version of health care reform will be passed, but it will probably be only a shadow of its former self, in order to ‘appease’, and make nice, with the opposition.

With Aries rising in both the Ingress and the Solstice charts, for the Washington, DC chart, one would expect progressive, affirmative and forthright action. Aries is the sign of the warrior. It is also Obama’s Progressed Ascendant sign... meaning that he has taken on this mantle of the warrior, and defender of causes for a good part of his adult life. In the annual Ingress chart, Mars, the ruler of Aries was in Pisces in the 12th House, operating from a position of weakness, based on the transgressions of the past. In the Solstice chart, Mars is again weak, but this time submissive, and not wanting to rock the boat, in the sign of Taurus. So, although there is an atmosphere of initiating change, and promoting new ideas, and new policies, the desire to be all inclusive, and to placate, both weakens, but at the same time, accomplishes more in other ways, than a more aggressive Mars would. This is because of the exact trine to Saturn in Virgo and conjunction to Venus. For this very reason, there is a greater chance for something to be accomplished, even if it the original concepts are watered down as a result.

Obama’s speech in Cairo was remarkable for its brilliance, sensitivity and courage. With his natal Moon in Gemini, the President is a natural born orator. It looks like we’ll be hearing more from him again, this quarter. With the Solstice Moon and Mercury in Gemini, and also conjunct the US Uranus, the ruler of communications, media, and news, in the US chart, communications are wide open. President Obama has used the information highway with abandon, and there is no doubt that this trend will continue. Chances are, he has another brilliant, and perhaps historical, speech up his sleeve.

With 3 powerful eclipses this Summer, we can anticipate all sorts of changes in the world. Eclipses imply some sort of Karmic inevitability... that one order has to come to a close in order for another to begin. These eclipses coinciding with the recurrence of the Saturn/Uranus opposition in September, could bring a lot of turmoil, change and disruption this Summer. While some will welcome the changes that are necessary and help to implement and further them, others will fear these changes and perceive them to be portents of the end of the world as they know it. The truth of the matter is, in order to evolve to the next level, we have to be willing to let go.

There could be some more financial turmoil. The eclipses fall in the financial houses of the US chart. Saturn/Uranus aspects coincide with economic downturns, as we have been experiencing ever since these two have been in orb. With Uranus in Pisces, and the Jupiter/Neptune conjunct in Aquarius.. there could also be a fear and backlash against what the right refers to as emerging ‘socialist’ programs... or rather, programs that are all inclusive and created for the benefit of all the people in the country. But the fact that Uranus (humanity as a whole) is in Pisces (social democracy, recognizing that we are all in this together) and Jupiter and Neptune (socially inclusive programs) are in Aquarius (progressive), this is what all of humanity is supposed to be working on and promoting. The time for progressive social conscience is now.

There could also be some issues with transportation here in the US, especially in August. Also around that time are issues with aggression overseas. A potentially tense situation can evolve, involving someone, or some group, trying to dominate or control others in some way, resulting in anger and frustration. If involved with compulsive or obsessive people, there could also be a potentially dangerous situation brewing. Fanatical criminals and little tyrants may try to rear their ugly heads again.

And then again there’s the flu. Lingering and incubating over the Summer months... viruses hate the sunlight. Then as people wander back indoors, and spend less time outside... that’s when flu season begins to gain speed. And that Saturn/Uranus opposition is just adding fuel to the fire. Also, in September, Mercury will be retrograde for several weeks, going back to meet Saturn in Virgo, the sign of health and illness, just about the time of the Fall Equinox. It would be wise for us all to take heed and precautions.. and pay attention. Practice practical preventive measures all indicated by Virgo: wash hands frequently, take extra vitamin C, get plenty of sleep, eat whole organic foods, exercise, and avoid alcohol, stressful situations, and foods that weaken the system, such as sugars and saturated fats. The best defense against the flu, any flu, is a strong immune system. And we can start with that program now.

Mercury Retrograde

2009-05-19T15:25:00.006-04:00

Mailing out all of your time sensitive bills last week without realizing that they raised the postage rates?

That's Mercury Retrograde.

The computer doesn't want to turn on when you want it to?

That's Mercury Retrograde.

Not knowing what Nancy Pelosi was or was not told, or if she was lied to by the CIA?

That's also Mercury Retro.

Missed signals, missed flights, missed phonecalls.... whew! It's just till the end of May!!

The Joker

2009-05-07T17:47:00.007-04:00

Full Moons have a way of disclosing information. They're supposed to be revelatory and bring things to a climax. But with Mercury just turning Retrograde yesterday in the trickster sign of Gemini, who knows what to believe?

As it turns out, Mexico was indeed in the news since the New Moon, but it wasn't about the inherent violence of the drug lord gangs and the abuses thereof... it was about this H1N1, swine, avian flu with pretensions towards a pandemic that never materialized. It was a lot of angst, which is that persistent Saturn in Virgo, retrograde atmosphere... About a lot of nothing (Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius), but with a lot of potential to be something. Many people died in Mexico, but no where else... Today the genetic code of the virus was revealed (full Moon stuff). What it revealed is that it is not particularly virulent (Saturn is retrograde after all), and that it is made up of a stew of different strains, with a history that leads back to overcrowded pig farms no doubt. It is due to the way that the pigs are kept in these close quarters, snout to snout, that these viruses spread so easily from one beast to the next.. and then are easily passed on to us. This is that whole Jupiter/Neptune lack of boundaries thing I went into in the last article. Virgo rules farm animals. Saturn Retrograde reveals inherent problems that need to be fixed. Whether they will or not is another story.

Banks need at least $65 Billion in Capital
Headline (May 7, 2009)-Wall St. Journal

The Full Moon chart this month has Capricorn Rising in the Washington, DC chart. That places the ruler, Saturn, in Virgo, Retrograde, in the House of banks, foreign exchange, and loans. For the Scorpio (others' money, banks, loans) Full Moon, the results of the "Stress Test" on the financial institutions was revealed, which was supposed to determine whether or not our banks and financial institutions would be able to continue to withstand the stresses of the recession in some model of a continued downturn. Mega banks such as Chase and Amex will survive and not need more money. Yet they would have to repay their TARP loans, and in order to do so, would they have to borrow more money from somewhere other than the government? Mmmmm.... like China(8th House foreign loans stuff)? However it was also determined that other banks that are not so solvent, or hugely monopolizing, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo will need more capital...like $65 Billion worth... and that's a lot of unwieldy capital, with very few limits. Oh yes, we're back at Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius, this time in the House of the country's leaking treasury.

There seems to be such a hypocritical dichotomy here between helping out these huge wealthy financial institutions, that are, in essence, responsible for the present fiscal crisis, and letting Joe Citizen flounder in an economic wasteland...

Onion Newswire:
Resumé consists of Name, 45 years at GM plant

At the New Moon there was talk of GM closing some of their plants for 9 weeks. It is now revealed that they are shutting down plants for 11 weeks this Summer, affecting 18,000 workers. This is part of their compulsory (Pluto in Capricorn) restructuring for taking their bail out money. Well, who's going to bail out the workers? Saturn in Virgo is never a wonderful time for the working classes.

Mercury stationed in Gemini on the 7th, the sign of cars, transportation, communications, negotiations, education, and is going to go back to Taurus (money and stuff), where it will play with economic turmoil and confusion for 3 weeks until the 30th of May. Mercury Retrograde periods are good for correcting mistakes, for reviews, for revisiting the past... but with Mercury's return to square Jupiter/Neptune in Aquarius, it does not bode well for the economic climate. Oh there will be some progress in some social programs.. but the lack of limits and boundaries, the lack of control and regulations, inherent in this Jupiter/Neptune climate: the over-optimism, the assumption that there will always be more where that came from, the illusion and delusion of grandiosity.. could find us in a very difficult, or at least misleading, pecuniary state by mid-June. Or maybe we're just being lied to about something. It may take several weeks to realize that what seems to be true at present, will have all its faults and deceptions revealed later on when Mercury has turned Direct again.... Mercury sits in the house of the well-heeled. Perhaps yet another ponzi scheme will be eventually revealed? This is also the house of the "Market" as in stock market.. and this does not bode well for a stable market. What use does it do to bail out Wall Street, and banks, if they're just going to turn around and continue to do business as usual?

Steve Weissman queries in his article, "Betting on a Global Crapshoot":

...the defenders of financial engineering insist on remaining free to create ever more complex derivatives, with all the incalculable risks they pose to the global economy. Will Obama and the Democratic-led Congress leave Wall Street with the freedom to rule and ruin? Or will wiser heads prevail? The debate has only just begun.

Swine Flu and Epidemics

2009-04-27T08:10:00.013-04:00

Looking at the New Moon chart in Mexico City on the 24th of April, we see Saturn Retrograde in Virgo (health/illness) high and in close conjunction to the Midheaven of the chart. Over the past week there has been much in the news (3rd House) about the Swine Flu outbreak there, that has affected not only the elderly and infirm, but the young and hardy as well. And although the flu virus has spread to other countries, it has not had the dire consequences that it is having in Mexico, where many, many people are being hospitalized for pneumonia. Saturn on its own, limiting and constricting, can indeed be a harbinger of health concerns for a country, when it sits on an angle, especially in the sign of Virgo. Saturn on an angle suggests having to put other concerns aside in order to deal with the situation that is presented right in front of you.. and in this case it is the public health.

On the day of the New Moon, Mercury was exactly square Neptune/Chiron. Much has been made of the Jupiter/Neptune/Chiron conjunction which spans many months, and reaches culmination in May and June of this year. In Aquarius it points to the vast and furious growth of instant information, technology and reception through the air waves, or the internet highway (as in the Twitter and Facebook explosion). It also suggests a lot of misinformation, and difficulty sifting out relevant information... kind of like an overload of information. This is a good thing. But Neptune/Chiron has a decidedly illness biased relationship. And Jupiter makes things grow, sometimes out of proportion, out of containment. It implies a potential for pandemic.. and this is certainly the fear of epidemiologists as they turn their watchful eye towards Mexico.

Neither Jupiter, nor Neptune have a respect for boundaries, and this virus is a reflection of that. This particular strain of flu is a polyglot of different viruses, which normally only affects pigs. People who have had close contact with pigs could get this strain of flu. In the past though, it was rarely transmitted from human to human. Now it is easily being passed around. And with the easy accessibility of travel (Jupiter/Neptune in Aquarius) world wide, the potential for pandemic rears its head. So we see the boundaries broken down geographically, between different species (combination bird/swine flu thing), and between humans.

In the New Moon chart for the US, Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron fall in the 2nd House of finances. The health industry, including certain Pharmaceutical companies, are already looking at ways to cash in on the Swine Flu. It may also be that the danger of this epidemic may be grossly exaggerated (Mercury square Jupiter/Neptune), or also that the severity of the flu cases which seems to be limited to Mexico, may be due to something else, or some other factor that is not readily apparent. One of the advantages to Jupiter/Neptune in Aquarius is the easy access to information and sharing of this information with other countries, health departments, etc., that can help to stem the tide of the spread of disease. However, this same ease of information can help to blow things out of proportion. Even so.. the potential for the easy spread of disease is inherent in this configuration and needs watching.

Saturn opposite Uranus has been seen before associated with mass casualties, either due to catastrophic weather, earthquake or health epidemics. This includes the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 which killed millions of people world wide. This Saturn and Uranus opposition will be exact, once again, in September, followed by a square between Saturn and Pluto in the cardinal signs. So, although the severity of this flu seems to be limited to Mexico presently, it would seem that the potential for growth, and spread exists... kind of like a wild fire being blown by a heavy wind.

The Passion

2009-04-23T22:39:00.006-04:00

New Moon in Taurus

April 24, 2009; 10:22 pm edt

The New Moon in Taurus initiates a time to promote stability, endurance and positive affirmations concerning the economy, and developing self-worth. It is a time to work on re-building solid foundations that can be depended on. There is a desire to portray the country as reliable and trustworthy, as well as being an inspiration for others. This is a time to create the first steps towards reform, change and transformation.

Pluto sits in the 1st House, the planet of change and transformation. A great deal needs to be reformed, from the ground on up, and this is an excellent month for taking the necessary steps, in order to make those changes possible. Therefore, this can and should be a positive time to make intentions manifest. To re-shape our world.

Pluto can also represent power, violence and ruthlessness. So although this is a cycle for initiating positive change and transformation, with Venus and Mars having just entered Aries, and squaring that Pluto, there is also a lot of potential for violence and abuse. And a conviction that the end justifies the means. Venus/Mars in Aries is extremely fiery, passionate and potentially combustible. With their square to Pluto, these can symbolize rape. And with Uranus thrown into the mix, in the same house, we could also be reading about conflagrations, explosions, accidents. The 3rd House represents the media, the news. The 3rd House also represents our neighbors, immigration, and contention concerning these. The border violence in Mexico, fed by an illegal, but lucrative gun trade, is bleeding over the border into Arizona. Rape trees, kidnappings, and gang violence have instigated a great deal of backlash against immigrants in that state... which could even threaten Senator McCain's political standing, due to his involvement in an Immigration bill which promoted allowing millions of illegal immigrants, to, yes, become legal.

The 3rd House also represents transportation. General Motors just announced that it will close its plants for 9 weeks this Summer. They're feeling pressured by the government (Pluto in this case), to come up with a restructuring (Pluto) plan by June 1st. This would be just the time to create such a plan, due to the easy aspect between the New Moon and Pluto, but the 3rd House (transportation) planets, are short sighted, and at a loss to make ends meet (Venus in Aries).

Then there's the singleton Saturn taking all the attention this month... Retrograde in Virgo in the house of foreign countries, judgments, and morality. President Obama has been sitting on the fence when it came to prosecuting those who would apparently be responsible for authorizing and "legalizing" the use of torture on foreign detainees. Saturn retrograde indicates that we are being held back and prevented from establishing trust and building relationships with partners overseas, because of atrocities committed in the past. President Obama said he didn't want to lay blame for the past, but the past has come to bite us in the butt, and the only way to remedy the situation is by first acknowledging that these acts are immoral (Saturn in the 9th House), and then prosecuting those responsible for these crimes committed. Saturn, Retrograde and unaspected, indicates that there probably won't be very much done about this over the next several weeks. At least not yet. Yet Saturn sits as a thorn in our side... preventing us from meeting others half way and gaining the trust and cooperation that Obama went to great pains to court this past month. The public sentiment is changing, as is Obama's fence-sitting stance, now that reports have been declassified, and the extent of the abuse has come to light. Prosecution is back on the table, and under consideration in Congress:

Coming on the heels of the "torture" memos, the Armed Services Committee report puts enormous pressure on the Obama administration and Congress to immediately launch a full-scale inquiry into the Bush administration's policy of torture, in violation of federal and international laws.
On Tuesday, in a departure from statements he has made since his January 20 inauguration, Obama said he was open to the idea of a 9/11-type commission to probe the Bush administration's torture policies, but he said he was concerned "about this getting so politicized that we cannot function effectively, and it hampers our ability to carry out critical national security operations."

We have a lot of work to do. And this month is the first step towards re-making our image, from that of an evil Darth Vader type empire, imposing its 'values' on the rest of humanity... into a country that realizes that we are all in this together (as personified by the ruler, Jupiter in Aquarius), and in order to make this New Order of Humanity work, we have to take into consideration the needs of everyone, everywhere...