January Dateblog

The funny thing (maybe not to you, but to me…!) is how every time I come to do one of these dateblogs I wonder whether it’s the big or little astrological features which really clue us in. Our daily lives are such a product of details, and yet overhanging trends surely, twue-ly, twue-ly matter.

As for January...? Well! This is a month with a couple of big-time, bad-ass events SO noteworthy that even an astrologer with the most twiddly and curious mentality (that would be me, in case you care...)- even that kind of astrologer is going to go through their huffery and puffery then stop and, with a resigned nod say ‘well yes…of course…there is THAT.’ 

As for when this post is getting posted, it's going up a little sooner that the 'usual' dateblog. (As if any dateblog is a "usual" thing?)

My thought here was three-fold. For one, as it turns into New Years Eve where I live in Los Angeles, it's already turning into 2011 on tomorrow's side of the time zone gauge.

Then again, there is that 'just in case' thing. You know, in case you're going to be bleary-eyed tomorrow?

Or maybe you're staying home this evening? In that case, here's tomorrow's news today!

Whatever your situation, let's now get to it, shall we? I shall pronounce myself duly huffered and puffered...and thus off we go, with a Happy New Year to All!

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January 1 thru 3: Stiffly effusive (awkward, perhaps?) and staunchly held in line (not wanting to do the wrong thing?), emotionalism rules this period. It's just an emotional time...and a time when dealing with things which evoke emotions are hard to avoid. You try to get away and somehow...somehow they just rear their little heads.

This can be a time all about finding/adopting solutions which work for everyone...but human nature being what it is, it's far more likely to manifest as people being out to serve their own personal interests.

And yet in the long run, which works? With Mercury just coming off its station/direct and Venus-Neptune-Uranus in uncomfortable aspect, the real question is why we are doing what we do - and with said planets all in 3rd decanate degrees, its others who decide our success, not us!  

January 4 through 6: Pluto having just exiting the shadow of its 2010 cycle sets a ‘new phase of experience’ marked by the Solar Eclipse on the 4th. 

Dissolution of veneers which look solid (but which aren’t) leaves some aghast and underscores how old patterns simply aren’t working and being thought of as 'acceptable' any more.

With Mars moving into Capricorn’s 3rd (public) decanate, news is getting delivered and we are each going to have to respond in our own way...probably because we have no choice but to respond!

Bottom line, the real question is whether what you are aiming to do (or become) has lasting merit, feasibility or 'timely' application(s). No, change isn't easy. But it may be really time to change!

January 7 thru 10: Some now scramble to figure things out while others recognize the validity of new plans decided on weeks, maybe even months ago. Are you in a ‘determining’ mode? Or one of ‘determination? Haste is not advised yet things do need doing; how you resolve the gap between these two statements ideas is far more about you than the circumstance.

And that’s just the point!

What is going on in this moment is really all about you; the more you learn now, the better off you will be! So listen to ideas, but don’t take anything for granted. There are those who will use present circumstances in order to advance a personal point of view (theirs) which may or may not be a good fit for you. Yet to dismiss ideas out of hand is not all that good either.


Learning how to recognize that which you may have overlooked is a big thing now, so even if other people have stories of their own or suggestions which just seem totally strange, consider what these concepts have to say. You just may benefit from it!

January 11 thru 12: These are a couple of very hot-doggy pushy days! Whether you’re on the march or in the position to receive marching orders, these are a couple of days when ‘just coping’ seems all one can do.

Yet again, the point is to think about things before and as you do them. Those who keep their cool and operate from the high/productive side of their nature (and not the desperate side) can win big points from others.

This doesn't mean you have to 'stuff' or deny your feelings - just be sensible. Feel what you need to feel but don't allow that to distract you from the realistic side of whatever is in the works. People do want to see your human side - that, they can relate to! But this is not a time to play helpless, so don't ask for someone to do something for you...ask (and think about) how everyone can benefit by working together.

January 13 thru 15: A ‘stilling of the mind’ causes these days to feel more clarified that those which have come just before. There’s enough energy (and need) to be productive to get most of us up and into gear...just don't get so focused on one thing and one thing alone that you forget other responsibilities!

January 16 thru 19: Strange and sometimes wacky moments dapple and dot these days. For some it’s just bizarre…for others, hilarity rules the day.

Yet whoever we are, there’s a nostalgia – for some, a fragility – of emotion reflective of Jupiter moving through 29 Pisces, the last degree in the zodiac. What have we learned? What hopes do we simply have to get go of? There is a sense of ‘passage’ now which you can focus on purposefully in your moving forward…or which you can use in the service of nostalgia.

Or yes, maybe even romance.

The question really is: which is most apt to this moment?

January 20 thru 21: A shifting of gears from the ‘what does this mean to me’ into ‘how does this work’ mode typifies these days.

Understanding applications and ramifications is important and worth gaining now.

January 22: A day of sensitivities, emotionality, inspiration and/or despair, depending on the overall sense of life. What have we learned?

January 23 thru 25: Jupiter entering Aries as Saturn goes on station to go retrograde is a portrait of aims against readiness. It’s time to begin working on ourselves and some of us are well prepared to go there, some aren’t.

How these days feel to you is not about life or the world and all about how you relate to this inexorable shift towards what may feel like an incoming time of ‘isolation’ which is actually room in which to build anew. Yes, it feels strange, but that 'strangeness' is all about growth - allow yourself to feel it!

January 25 thru 27: External circumstances drive the conversation. But the real question is only partly what you can do about ‘it.’ The other side of this coin is what are you going to do so that difficulties associated with ‘it’ are not applicable to you?

The more you resist changes, the more things get in your way. You can use this time or be used by this time – your choice!

January 27 thru 31: With each day things get less stiff and more feeling…which means how well you deal with emotions determines how comfortable you are during this time.

For those able to relate to their world, a new bank of opportunities are there for the exploring. Nothing is being handed to you, but there are ways to go now which didn’t exist even a short time ago. Are they for you? It’s something to consider…and in some cases, accept or even jump on!

Mercury Direct (in Neptunian light)

 Westclock's 'Big Ben' clock

by JVGJ

As we tick-tock past 12:05 (UT/+0) on December 30th, Mercury goes direct.

Apart from the general ‘oh, thank goodness!’ most of us heave whenever Mercury goes direct, what does this edition of said (generally) four-times-yearly even tell us?

Well, that Mercury is going direct at 19 Sagittarius signals a deal of fervency – the fire sign version of emotionality. For some this will be exasperation…too much to do, too little time! For others it will be about wanting to be heard. Or feeling like you’re not being listened to. And there are, of course, those who will be trying to ‘get somewhere’ – whether literally or in some task – who will for plus or minus be hitting some sort of ‘turning point’ in the process.

Then again, this is Mercury in Sagittarius, right? Sag being opposite one of Mercury’s two signs of rulership (where it functions well), this is Mercury as a signal of going overboard. Or at its most underwhelming. Or maybe its signaling sloppiness. Or the ever un-popular pig-headed, self-determined right to ignore details and damn facts in favor of what we want to be true!

Before moving on, the usual chatter with goes with any planetary station: the two days before and the two days after being generally part of the station, take events and “turning points” in conversations, efforts and relationships which happen in this moment seriously and/or to heart. They may not be the final word, but they sure-as-shootin’ are telling you something.

Because this is Mercury’s station, there is also the fact that there is often enough some moment of information or inspiration (understanding?) important to any given process which happens just after Mercury goes retrograde.

So those are the concept-de-jour most general, to which we add that at the very moment of Mercury goes direct how the ruler of Sagittarius (Jupiter) is in a volatile conjunction with Uranus (change, outbursts, breakthroughs) AND Tantalus (temptation).

That marks this station as one where some fateful choices get made, undertaken, committed to or resisted – despite temptation – all depending on your situation.

19 Sagittarius being a degree known for difficult trials (indeed ‘trials by fire’) does suggest that this transit is to some great degree really some sort of test. But then, isn’t everything Mercurial a test at some sort of level? Can we think it through? Do we know how? Will we take the time? Are we aware? Are we behaving in a manner we would respect if it was somebody else? Are we right? Does being right give us rights?

It’s the thinking through all of this which takes us back to the metaphysical threads of the moment. Mercury is in Sagittarius. And Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. And Jupiter is in Pisces, and Pisces is ruled by…what, Jupiter?

 Planet Jupiter with it's famous bands of clouds

driven by high speed winds (and the Big Red

Spot) superbly evident. 

photo credit: NASA/JPL - Caltech

But wait! Pisces is a two-part process – sort of like the sign itself – two fish swimming in opposite directions connected by a golden (and thus immutable) cord. Sometimes the cord stretches, sometimes the cord restricts, sometimes the cord guides, keeping us from straying from our path.

Yet all signs with dual rulership, one planet (here, Jupiter) governs the “lesson” under which we go into the process indicated by the sign…and another planet rules the outcome of the sign…and thus the  overarching lesson.

The easiest of these dual-process signs to understand (and probably the most popular!) is Scorpio. Scorpio is ruled first by Mars, then by Pluto. Scorpio being a water sign, its operational venue is our world of emotions.

Mars, which takes its own innate coloration from the “I Am” (or Who Am I?) sign of Aries, is primary ruler of Scorpio. As such, the Mars part of Scorpio says that the choices we make to get into a Scorpio situation…be that a sexual relationship, an investment or a business partnership, (just to name a few)…those choices are based on our Mars/Aries feelings (Scorpio) about ourselves. How well equipped to we really think we are to do well in this situation?

So we choose, and then events play out. And the glory or ouch of how such Scorpio situations play out transforms us – which is the Pluto part (Pluto being Scorpio’s secondary, ‘outcome’ ruler).

In the case of Pisces, Jupiter rules the ‘entrance’ dynamic. Jupiter being all about the knowing, the ‘how to’s and function (or achieving functionality) of life, as primary ruler of Pisces – another water sign – Jupiter represents how well we understand our feelings. Or how our feelings work. Or how well we deal with feelings when they crop up – in our own life or in that of others. Does that ability (or lack of same) enhance or limit us or our life? How well do we deal with the concept of belief and the ability to believe in Self, others, life or anything beyond that we can see, touch or prove?

Remembering that Pisces is not about the feeling itself – rather about our ability to deal with feelings, it’s worth taking a moment to contemplate Uranus as well. Having entered Pisces in 2003/2004, the Uranian symbolism of ‘destabilizing’ and shaking things up has been doing a good job in every area of life which tends to evoke emotions: our safety, our security, our feelings that life itself is going to go on as it has.

That ‘shake up’ (and ability to shake us up) has become almost a knee-jerk reaction. Then, as Jupiter began its year-long transit of Pisces in January 2010, some people got really realistic. They figured it out – life is life and life is as it ever has been.

Then again, some left realism entirely behind.

So what’s this got to do with Mercury going direct?

Really, a good deal – starting with the fact that the outcome ruler of Pisces is Neptune, a planet which has just completed returning to its own point of scientific discovery. It’s “return” in the human sense.

 A close up view of Neptune - notice the cloud

formations and storms so reminiscent of Jupiter?

photo credit: NASA/JPL

Neptune’s infamous qualities of illusion, confusion, idealism, insecurity, delusion and indecision could hardly be more apparent than they are in general society right now. Between our willingness to be disillusioned, fool ourselves and ‘spin’ facts – all of which went into double-heavy-duty mode as Neptune went into its return in 2008 (with some reasonably arguing that this started as Neptune came into orb with its return back in 2007)…

….The point is that combinations of Mercury and Neptune are all about ‘a lack of truth.’ This could be just not knowing. Then again, it’s also deceit, the bold-faced lie, the swindle, the delusion.

So let’s go back to the top: Mercury is going direct in Sagittarius. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is in Pisces – and at this moment is united with explosive/revelation-oriented Uranus.

The outcome of all things Piscean is symbolized by Neptune. And Neptune is just now leaving its point of return.

Given that Neptune (and Pisces) are also known to symbolize ‘giddy intoxicants,’ there is that New Years thing to observe about drinking and driving. Anyone whose chart is seriously aspected by Mercury’s 19 Sagittarius station should be particularly careful.

But in general? The overarching concept is that this is a turn in the way we all think. Ahead lie some huge disappointments (for some). Some dispelling of ideals (for some). Some will put their own egos aside and come up with great ideas which will enlighten, enliven and entertain. But against this we can expect some giant falsehoods to be attempted and a few – much to our gasping astonishment – to be put over.

Yet in the end, the lesson is really not about what others get away with or what anyone else 'can do.’

It’s about what we do or don’t require of ourselves – whether we do or will think things through (yes, in true Mercurial style!). Are we willing to stand for and stand up for what we really believe in? Are we willing to deal with the difference between our ideals and life’s realities?

And let’s not remember…all of this is happening in mere days after a Lunar Eclipse which rocked the water for many…the annual shift from reactive to proactive mode which came with the Capricorn ingress and…(lest we forget)…but a few days prior to the incoming Solar Eclipse.

It’s an interesting moment which no one wants to become their precautionary ‘would’a, should’a, could’a’ tale of regret or self recrimination.

Does this mean a little abstaining now prevents kicking one’s self in the tush later one? Maybe.

Let’s just say this truly a moment to make sure the cart stays behind the horse and that said horse does gallop out of the barn or carry us away to somewhere which sounded good in theory but which in reality, really isn’t much fun at all! 

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For those with a planet, axis point or nodal placement between….

14 and 24 Sagittarius: The extremes of knowing, not knowing or not caring are your benefit and bane. The expression ‘all things in moderation’ should be your mantra, for sure! Don’t get overextended – and that means going in, you need to really know and be realistic about your capacities. How well you know you is the point here.

No, you can’t have everything. But if you get the big things, will it really matter that you didn’t get the little stuff?

14 through 24 Gemini: The choice is the thing. What you do or don’t participate in, believe, listen to or rationalize? That is either your best aid or the biggest axe you can imagine undercutting of your own foundation. This comes down to now only knowing yourself, but knowing what’s acceptable and accepted. Overstepping those bounds isn’t likely to play well (in terms of whatever chart point is positioned in these degree)…are you willing to stretch yourself? Or is that just an unnecessary risk?

Right here isn’t ‘I might…’ It’s the might which comes of knowing what’s really right!

14 through 24 Pisces: Old habits die hard. They just do. Knowing which of your convictions and well-tested parameters are reasonable and useful (or even just preferred!) versus which are real limitations is the question here. Whether you say yea or nay isn’t as important as whether you are willing to think things through and understand – for yourself – what really matters to you.

We’re talking peace of mind, heart and soul here. How important is that?!

14 through 24 Virgo: Pragmatic? Realistic? Traditional? Easy? These are the questions not only of the moment but going forward. Where (and how) have you been cutting yourself short by opting out of your own real capacities? It’s shocking to realize, but like as not everyone else has known what you were doing even though you’ve been kidding yourself. The emperor was wearing no clothes – oh no!

And yet…people still like you. So what does that say?!

14 through 24 Aries (AND) 14 through 24 Leo: Some status quo is big with you and not so big with others. The best thing to do may be to compromise – a little of this, a little of that. A little of my thing, a little of yours. Where you are blithe to the feelings of others ill feelings may result – so if you care, ask. Vulnerability wins big points now, as does honesty!

16 through 22 Aquarius (AND) 16 through 22 Libra: This is a time to figure things out, mend damaged relationships and in the greater scope of things, clear the way for all those things you want to get done in the new year. It’s an excellent time to socialize and make connections providing you know what you’re getting involved in and – of course – providing you keep your wits about you!

Charm is on your side, as is authenticity. Willingness trumps being a know-it-all and recognizing everyone’s limits earns respect.

17 through 21 Taurus: On the Taurus side, learning better requires letting go or making corrections to some plan or idea. Annoying? Quite possibly. But better to make changes while the changing is relatively easy, right? If the object is enjoyment, best to get through all the bubbles in the plan up front so then you can let go and enjoy!

17 through 21 Cancer: Letting go of some emotional position which seems particularly important feels a bit threatening…so what about simply adapting to include the needs and wants of others? You can have at least part of what you want if you will prioritize making sure (and making it obvious) that you are trying to also cater to the desires of others.

Go ahead – be a hero! (You’ll enjoy all the hugs.)

American Poli-ticking: Senator Mitch McConnell, Chart USA and the Cosmic Clock (redrafted post)

 Senator Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr.

(Official US Senatorial Portrait)

The US just held a big mid-term election. In this election, some of the Congressional power shifted out of the hands of the Democrats and into the hands of the Republicans.

Some things, however, remain the same. One of those constants is that Senator Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell (Jr.) remains one of the most powerful men in America. And thus, probably in the whole of our world.

Here's the chart for Senator's McConnell's birth date...

 

Senator Mitch McConnell - February 20, 1942

(Aries wheel - no time or location known)

With no known time of birth or specific town of birth, this chart is drawn as an Aries wheel - with zero degrees on every cusp. That's so that we don't think of this as a 'real' or complete horoscope. Not having the birth time for Senator McConnell made me think to it sensible to post this chart without any Moon - the Moon (with house cusps) being the most variable object in any chart.

As I went to do this, I realized I might be giving many a person quite a chuckle. After all, the Moon stands for (among other things) feelings. and how many of us think of politicians as heartless?

For the record, the Senator's Moon is either in late Aries or early Taurus. But without a time, we can't be sure.

Anyway...this isn't a blog about politics. Not even about  political aspirations. This blog is about how astrology works.

And why would this make Senator McConnell's chart such an apt pick for examination? Well, there is how the Lunar Eclipse of this past week (December 21st) focused on the Senator's Gemini Betelgeuse/MakeMake in opposition to the figure of Medusa as found in his chart.

This also suggests many things, among which may be  how easy things can seem in theory...but with Betelgeuse equaling ease and MakeMake being about bringing things into being...perhaps the Senator had a realization about how big a gap there was between legislation as proposed and that which got passed?

Or maybe...given Medusa sitting in opposition to the Moon of this figure (and thus conjunct the Sun, figure of vitality and life energy) he came to some new  recognition as to the difference between conservative theory and real life resurrection of the US (and world) economy?

Medusa is always a 'frightening truth.' It's one of the core precepts of the Medusa myth as a whole. (article on Medusa). But whether we 'see' Medusa or we 'are' Medusa...or that which we need to face represents the 'frightening (Medusa) truth'...that is always the variation.

This Lunar Eclipse has seemed to be a universal turning point in many a person's life. It isn't Medusa to all of us, but it seems to have been a moment of recognition which presents us with a struggle about who we really are, who we want to be, who we should be - or who we won't be happy not being.

Considering this was a lunar, not a solar eclipse (that is yet to come, oh joy!) there's also that lunar/monetary note which would be applicable in each of our lives, yes. But certainly a huge factor in the life of a powerful US Senator.

So...did Senator McConnell find out some 'fearful' truth? Did he realize something in his life was far more 'costly' than he (or his family, or his nation) could afford?

There is also how the Senator is a wealthy man who  holds power in a nation (and world) where millions are trying to keep the roof overhead and food on the table. Does the recent shift in Congressional power and/or some of the legislation signed at/around the time of the Lunar Eclipse have revealed something problematic? Is it personal? Is it Congressional? Is it national or international?

As the 2010 turns into 2011, a Solar Eclipse will hit the Senator's Lust/Vega - a 'charismatic championing of that he is fixated on.' This is a curious image in that it pictures the Senator's fixation on something which just as power shifts in the US Congress is proverbially 'wiped out' by the Solar Eclipse.

The opposition points to this Solar Eclipse? Those are  curious too. The Senator has Huya/Sirius in direct opposition to this eclipse.

Huya is a TNO - one of those objects orbiting waaaay out there beyond Neptune. But it's also a Plutino - a cousin of Pluto (yes) which by definition is under the orbital magnetic resonant control of giant blue Neptune.

In operational terms, Neptune is idealism vs. illusion with the question always being to what degree we deny our ego (1), how deeply we are vested in our ego (2), or whether we are able to acknowledge our ego, but be in service to others (3).

It's kind of the Goldilocks thing. It's odd, but where Neptune - and all things connected to or controlled by Neptune - are concerned, martyrdom and total self sacrifice doesn't work. Nor does being totally vested in our 'vision' of how things are "supposed" to be.

Neptune precepts require realistic acceptance. And thus anything controlled by Neptune begins on that basis.

Huya is an interesting example of this as Huya appears to be a quality we learn through great trial which we then use for the benefit of others. A 'rainmaker' god, Huya asks that we 'make rain' (improve things) for others and thereby become the recipient of their appreciation - or good times in general.

If you know anything about US politics, this could make you wonder as regards Senator McConnell, especially when we add in Sirius the dog star. A much beloved fixed star, Sirius teaches that small things can have big consequences and that sometimes we have to put our personal pleasure aside for the benefit of others. Or in this case, maybe a nation. Or the world.

 US Capitol Building, Washington DC

Being that Solar Eclipses begin their work six to eight weeks prior to the actual event, I leave it to you (and the pundits) to think about what this means as regards a major Republican player in the US Senate.

But the real reason I thought it was interesting (and maybe important) to post this blog (which obviously met up with a little Mercury retrograde snafu - hence the re-post) is because come Gemini time 2011, we will have the first of two Solar Eclipses (and one Lunar Eclipse) inside of two months.

This first Solar Eclipses will occur at 11 Gemini.

And Senator McConnell's Jupiter...? It's at 11 Gemini. Moreover, this Jupiter is in a perfect trine to Mercury-Icarus at 11 Aquarius.

Mercury-Icarus is a 'too quick' to say or act or think signal if we ever saw one. Being in Aquarius, we can bet this is social,  societal, economic, systemic....or having to do with acceptance. What we 'do' in an Aquarian setting often causes our star to rise...or fall.

Aquarius also signifies every type of system from schooling to plumbing to governance to electricity, communication or humanistic.

But it's Senator McConnell's Jupiter being conjunct Pandora and Orcus which makes this all so...worth note.

Pandora is that 'box of ills' which curiosity gets us to tinker with despite knowing that we shouldn't.

Orcus is a symbol of the consequences for things done which can't be undone.

Considering that eclipses (particularly Solar Eclipses) tend to reveal things which are hidden and wipe out things we have decided to rely on even if we know we really should be doing something else...what does this mean?

Does an eclipse here mean McConnell's beliefs will change in some dramatic or drastic way? Maybe. And lets not forget - eclipses manifest in many ways. Personal, professional, public and private. So we probably won't ever know the whole story (unless he writes a memoir) ...but it's likely we will see some of what this very public figure encounter and does.

Again...counting on the fact that Solar Eclipses tend to start manifesting six to eight weeks in advance, what with this Gemini Solar Eclipse being scheduled to happen on June 1st, that suggests we should all set our political alarm for early April - pretty much right after the equinox and Aries ingress.

Again, this is neither vote nor comment for, or against the Senator. We are just all about to see how astrology works. A cosmic clock is ticking, and as we all know, the cosmic clock waits for no one!

A few words here to those arguments about whether the lives of celebrities are "public property." We're not doing that. Major political figures are certainly people. But what they do (or don't do) can literally change our world. Those charts, we deserve to watch.

Jupiter is a symbol of knowledge, the intrinsic rights or correctness of justice and judicial proceedings...and a prime if not primal indicator of wealth. Without meaning a whit of insult to the Senator, this eclipse will affect him...and thus America as a whole.

One more note here...which is probably the benefit of this blog having gone through a Mercury retrograde rewrite. Remember Chart USA, the chart of modern America as (re)unified at the end of the Civil War?

 Chart USA

 Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, VA

The second of the 2011 mid-year Solar Eclipses will occur on July 1st at 9 Cancer. This hits the 10th house (governmental) Mars of this Chart USA. That 'early April' political alarm we talked about also syncs well with the 20 Aries Sun of this chart.

Oh, hmmm....the next solar return for Chart USA (which  takes hold on April 10th) will be an interesting one. Meanwhile, a whole series of blogs was written on this chart. You may want to go back and read some of them to get a feeling for how the Mars of Chart USA really works. Here's a link to PART ONE.

Of course, the synchronicity of Solar Eclipse #1 hitting the Senator's chart and Solar Eclipse #2 hitting the 10th house of Chart USA may be coincidental.

Then again, this is not a very coincidental solar system. So this April-May-June-July is likely to be interesting...to say the least!

By the by...if you're a regular at this blog you know how this post went up, and promptly got pulled back down. My civics was a little off (I'm so not a poly sci major!)...but maybe in the interim, it's taken on even more focus.

One hopes, at least.

Anyway...so you know, the real reason this post went back up was because of an email I got from a reader named Fong, who wrote to tell me what the blog had meant to her (and through her, her family) and to wish me luck with being a book author.

But besides all that, she'd missed seeing the post on Senator McConnell and was a little sorry that had escaped her.

It was all very lunar eclipse - as this past week or so has been for me and countless others. Not only had I gotten in touch with my own feelings but in communicating what I had realized about myself, I had connected better with others. That's the universal sort of meaning we associate with eclipses. The Lunars are emotionally based, the Solar Eclipses, more life and 'the theory of life' intellectually based.

So Fong - here's the re-post. I hope it was worth the wait!

A final few words here: for more on Huya, here's an article on Huya posted at Daykeeper Journal. And yes, it has occurred to me that maybe a look at the charts of other influential politicians could prove educational.

If I can get there, I will.

A Headache the Size of...Saturn?

 December 28, 2010

(Aries Wheel - afternoon)

The folks at SpaceWeather (dot-com) were nice enough to send out a little blurb today which in part said: A giant storm even brighter than Saturn's rings is raging through the planet's cloudtops.

Here's a link. Or just go to http://spaceweather.com  And if you arrive there at any point after December 28th, specify the date in the upper right corner to get to the page with the nifty picture of Saturn having a stormy day.

For us here on Earth, that this is happening as Mercury goes on station underscores the sense of challenge, need to think things through and decisions which may change the 'structure' of a situation or some status quo.

Let's call it a celestial exclamation underscoring of the point. What point? Well, with this photo being reported to us as the Moon has been moving through Libra (where Saturn is)...that suggests the need to think about our relationships and interactions with others. What are they worth? Where do we want to go with them? What are others responsible for, and what should we expect - or even ask - of anyone?

Yes, there will be more on this Mercury station in a day or so. But in the interim, I thought you might like to see Spaceweather's photo of Saturn. Somehow it makes me think the planet has a headache.

And if Saturn has a headache.... well! Need I say more? That's a serious bottle of aspirin needed - and maybe (just possibly!) for us as well? Hmmm....

Mercury Station Effects Begin

 Washford Station in West Somerset, UK

photo credit: Nils Oberg

With Mercury going direct on December 30th at 7:22am UT/+0, that means Mercury's 'station effects' begin early on the 28th and extend through January 1st.

Considering time zones, Mercury's station effects would actually begin for many on the 27th. And certainly with  giant travel snafus going on in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, this would seem to be the sounding of the Mercury train coming to a gradual stop.

In basic terms, this means that anything having to do with a thought, an idea…or how you express that idea or get it – or yourself - from one place to another…all that is now up for Mercurial grabs.

Stations are points of emphasis. Effects….linger. I could bore you with the science here, but let’s say it’s been proven by real live science types that the conditions known astrologically for thousands of years – yes, the actually do vary from the norm.

The way it comes out most evocatively is that a planetary station…being that point where the planet (as seen from Earth) appears to ‘change direction’…it represents a turning point. So, given that Mercury symbolizes all things thought, said or ‘communicated’ (verbally, via feet, mail, phone or otherwise)….such Mercurial issues now tend to take ‘a turn.

For you, this may manifest as a change of mind. Or someone else changing their mind, affecting what you do - or how you think about something. Anything. It might involve them...then again, it might just be something which their comment seems to connect to in your life.

Plans often get changed during Mercury stations. It's a premier moment of disruption, distraction, and interruption. But it's not all bad. Sometimes what goes on at a Mercury station which starts out seeming like a glitch can end up guiding you to something which is fortuitous and far more profitable than that you had originally planned on.

It's sort of like the 'turn of events' or the 'twist' in the story which comes out of "nowhere" but which leads somewhere totally interesting.

Mind you, many of us will sail our way through these days with nary a wrinkle to our perfectly starched schedule. Then again, some of us will bungle and botch everything - or deal with what has been bungled or botched.

Yet even those who are pretty much unaffected using sense a shift in dynamics all around them. Well, give or take those people who live so totally in their own world that they wouldn’t notice a bomb blast going off next door. (Don’t we all know one or two of those?)

With Mercury making this turn while in Sagittarius, people may be busy. Discussions could turn into  debates. Mercury in Sagittarius is often a very fervent combination, so don’t expect everyone to be placid. They could be frustrated, they could be full of conviction – or they could just be full of laughter and devil-may-care joie de vivre.

Events and things of note now are to be taken seriously. Like said, stations mark things which actually matter. It may be as simple as a remark having a real effect on you, sparking a realization or idea. Then again, that thing or person you’ve been waiting for, that phone may ring.

That envelope may arrive. That communication may actually happen. Or not happen - either way being for an unexpected reason.

With this station taking place at 19 Sagittarius, we know emotions are primed. We know there's a lot of emotionalism going around too - especially after the recent Lunar Eclipse at 29 Gemini, Gemini being the sign of thought, communication and 'how we choose to go about things' with the 29 part seeming to be a focus on whether we consider the matter of choosing as a choice.

Or how we go/have gone about choosing.

There is an undeniable sense of challenge (to put it mildly) which comes with 19 Sagittarius. So you may be challenged, or you may just be feeling challenged (which otherwise may be known as feeling defensive!) There's an urge to do it 'the unconventional way' which may or may not work. The Sabian Symbol for this degree speaks to a use of 'natural resources' with an eye to 'foresight' which certainly discourages doing things in haste. And  with Mercury in Sagittarius, that's always an issue - no question!

One big divider here is whether you think you are right...or right for you or right for the moment against all of time. 'Fixations' may not play well. 'Consideration' of all at hand...? That's like as not the better route - though be prepared to want to do what you want to do (and much frustration if you can't or decide you can't do that!)

There is no ‘good or bad’ defined here, merely the sense of heightened awareness and when something happens, the knowledge that this isn’t just a casual moment – even if the moment happens casually.

More on this when Mercury actually goes direct. But for now – all aboard! We’re Mercury station bound!

 

Astro-Factors: Tempering an Outlook

D Dwarf Planet Makemake as photographed by the Hubble telescope 

photo credit: NASA/JPL

Other weeks are have had more asteroids changing  signs and take their stations to go retrograde or direct. And just that ‘number’ of things going on reflects in our sense that there are lots and lots of ‘things’ we need to pay attention to.

Now, things are slowing down a bit. Does that mean  things are less important now?

Absolutely not. In fact, there’s a good argument to be made for the idea that when life offers us less to deal with…maybe that means each of those few things is more important.

Or maybe that we have time to see what each is, to think over where all fits (or doesn’t fit) in our life – maybe just having the time to do that is the point.

For each, it’s probably a little different.

There are only five ‘minor’ points to report on before New Years. The first is Hubris, which moves into Capricorn on the 26th. On the 27th, Icarus follows Hubris into Capricorn as Chaldea moves into Sagittarius and dwarf planet Makemake goes retrograde. Then Arachne goes direct on the 31st.

That’s it. But that’s enough. That say a lot!

Two objects moving into Capricorn – a yin sign – suggests we’re getting into a more receptive mood. Or it might except for the fact that one is all about arrogance (Hybris) and one is the idea of haste incarnate (Icarus).

Considering asteroids are about things we meet up with in life (and both are direct), what’s likely is that we meet up with things which could move us to act arrogantly or act impulsively. Or perhaps we’ll meet up with other people acting that way and reflect on when we’ve done just that very same thing. And maybe that will help us understand their behavior. Or learn from it.

That Icarus orbits from barely outside of Mars to inside of Mercury pretty much suggests it’s a patron of our times considering the story of Icarus is one all about exceeding one’s own capacities and the bounds of common sense. With Icarus’ failings taking place when he takes to the air having not listened to cautionary instructions is very much like how we get too busy doing to even think. Or how we never stop until we hurt our own cause by exceeding our own bounds, be those physical, mental, relational or situational.

The Fall of Icarus by Peter Paul Rubens

But then there’s Makemake going retrograde early in the morning (2:49 am UT/+0) on December 27th.

Who is Makemake? The mythological Makemake is a creator god of Easter Island fame – a ‘parent of humankind’ figure with a somewhat less ‘ethereal’ and somewhat more ‘mankind-as-part-of-nature’ sort of bent.

With Makemake going retrograde as it meets up with Juno at 27 Virgo, that Juno part adds a note of ‘protecting hearth and home’ to the mix. Which yes we can take personally (my heart, my home) or which we can see ecologically, planet-arilly, or naturalistically.

On the other hand, Makemake, as a ‘creator’ force going retrograde asks us what we are going to make of ourselves. In that sense, Juno asks what we are going to do to create that better world and that better human race.

Or maybe just ourselves – how are we going to ‘create’ ourselves as better people?

A whole other point of view to be mixed in or against the ‘no, not thinking’ quality of Icarus and the arrogant ‘I’m right, never mind about you’ Hybris qualities, both of which are now moving into structural Capricorn territory.

This suggests a ‘steeling’ of attitudes. Against which we have Makemake, a dwarf planet… 

Asteroids are ideas, concepts, facets of the whole, a consideration we meet up with and deal with along the way. A planet being a human attribute, a dwarf planet is a ‘lesser’ human attribute.

But that’s still with us all the time. It’s part of us. Makemake represents our connection to life, our awareness – even if its marginal – that we are the makers of our world and the world.

So Makemake going retrograde isn’t just a now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t sort of thing. That it goes retrograde conjunct one of the primary ‘guardian’ symbols (Juno) at a degree (27 Virgo) which centers on the whole tendency (and perhaps fallacy) to ‘think about it but do nothing’ …or be ‘all talk and no action’ …especially given what’s going on in our world….?

There are international tensions, economies mired in tar, populations struggling. There are nations beleaguered by their own body politic biting their own tail (by any other name known as….)

People are putting a game face on – they’re being ‘steely.’ But behind that?

That’s Makemake conjunct Juno. And you can expect to feel it and hear it around your home and in the news. With Chaldea, a symbol of ‘the old way’ moving into Sagittarius there is an ‘old way’ and an ‘old guard’ which makes a lot of noise now at every level, in every venue. We all will do well to remember the Sagittarian rule here too as the level of noise bubbles and cranks and otherwise gets louder.

Sagittarius is about functionality. The idea without the functionality is just an idea. There’s a strong tendency with Sagittarius to try and ‘insist and make it so’ but that doesn’t mean the thing works. Sagittarius requires not just fiery rhetoric, it requires a fire in your gut to get the thing right whether it’s a thing of elegance or some Rube Goldberg machine.

In short, what works, works.

Remembering that all this is happening as Mercury slows down to go station/direct in Sagittarius on December 30th there is a prevailing sense of frustration. Maybe some outrage, from places expected…and unexpected too.

Then Mercury does go direct. And after it does, before Mercury is even out of station…Arachne goes direct too.

 Orb weaver spider

acclaimed photograph by Wikipedia contributor Fir002

Arachne – the spider – has several different sides. Of course it represents ‘ensnaring’ and becoming ‘ensnared’…which perhaps it a bit of a warning to all those who tend to party a bit hard on New Years Eve!

Another side of Arachne has to do with a spider’s legendary patient perseverance. Spiders who build webs choose their spot, set their lines and sit and wait. If something rips apart a spider’s web, they rebuild. Spiders are resourceful and capable of spinning one of the strongest substances (ounce for ounce) known to nature or man – the spider’s silk.

Creepy? To many, yes. But spiders are rather amazing creatures, creepy or not.

That Arachne goes direct at 17 Taurus points us towards an examination not just of what our emotional positions are but why they are what they are. Moments, thoughts, conversations, interactions which call this quality into focus are apt for the moment.

And curiously in sync with Makemake going retrograde, no?

The end of this calendar year seems to be a bit of a cliffhanger! Thank goodness we won’t have long to wait for the next chapter, right?