Mercury goes Retrograde in Capricorn

 Hermes (Mercury) at the Grand Cascade of Peterhof

photo credit: Yair Haklai

It’s December 10th…it’s five minutes after twelve (in the afternoon) and you’re in the +0 time zone – the United Kingdom…somewhere not unreasonably close to Greenwich.

So what’s happening?

Mercury’s going retrograde, that’s what’s happening.

We’ve talked about this some already, yes. We’ve talked about how Mercury going retrograde at a first decanate degree like 5 Capricorn (first decanate meaning between 0 and 9 of some sign)…that this is personal. It’s about your physical self, what you’re doing, your Capricorn responsibilities or some Capriocorn-ish need to take care of life’s structural issues.

Because this is about Capricorn (and this implies a Saturn flavor), there’s a whole societal, commerce and commercial theme. There’s a governmental, leaders and ‘rules’ theme. There’s a kidneys, knees and spinal theme. The limits of capacity, the limits of what we can get done given what time we have today, this week or in our life – that’s all in the hopper.

And because this is a Mercury station, we’re all thinking about it. We are focused on it – or trying to embody the ‘anti-focus’ and not think about it at all!

As with any planetary stations, events, encounters and situational dynamics of note (including announcements and decisions) are ‘markers’ in life or in some ongoing process. So don’t ignore what happens in the two days prior to this station (indications of what is yet to come), in the two days after this station (a playing out of things which have already happened) or – in particular – on this date.

Things which happen ON the date of a station – any celestial station – are important. And that applies whether we’re talking planet, dwarf planet, asteroid, comet or TNO.

In this case, we’re talking about a real planet. Yes, Mercury may be a pretty dinky planet, but it’s a planet, nonetheless. Science ‘demoted’ Pluto, but nobody’s even peeped a pipe of a pip about demoting Mercury. (At least not that I’ve heard.)

So back to the astrology here…With Pluto, the North Node and Mars just behind Mercury (at 4, 3 and 1 Capricorn respectively) and Sappho (poetic universalism) just ahead, we’d like to think the ‘tough stuff is all behind us.

Uh…probably not. We are definitely in a moment of change. There are Black Holes a-plenty in this picture – one right under Mercury at 5 Capricorn, one behind at 4 Capricorn (conjunct Pluto) one right under the North Node at 3 Capricorn plus one in direct opposition to Pluto at 4 Cancer.

This is a sure sign of a changing society. Black Holes represent an ‘alternative perspective’ or ‘alternative’ possibility, point of view or way to go. And with Pluto-Mars-North Node-Mercury clustered in early Capricorn we may be sure that the entities which ‘rule’ our lives are hotly debating what alternatives exist.

But Capricorn is not just about ‘the world’ and ‘world forces.’ Far more importantly, it’s what we do IN that world, and thus how we harness our abilities and what we aim to do or accomplish.

One interesting note here is that there is a Quasar at 6 Capricorn. Quasars being ‘brilliance’ and ‘that bright light’ we all want to get to, that Mercury is going retrograde just shy of that Quasar tells us there is something ahead. Or that we can reach for. Or aim for.

But this either isn’t quite yet the time to “do it,” “go for it” or – given this is Mercury, symbol of thought, mental effort, communication, organization, the learning process – we may need to do a bit of work to get where we need to be in order to step out our launch our new effort.

Of course, for many, this is just about the holidays. Everything else is going on hold for a bit. And given that Mercury goes direct on December 30th – just as New Years rolls in – that doesn’t seem unlikely.

But there is also that on the other side of New Years is a new year – the classic time to start something new, no matter what that may be.

Thinking back a few days, we are reminded also that a bunch of astrological ‘factors’ (asteroids) moved into yang signs. So we want to ‘go’ and ‘do’…there’s a natural assertiveness in the air, in our minds, in the pace of life. Things are buzzing. Maybe it’s just noise. Maybe it’s a bunch of business we aren’t going to indulge in.

But maybe it’s the energy of wanting to change our life...an intention to dedicate some time to figuring out what we can and want to do and how to do that. All that ‘alternative vision’ Black Hole energy combined with all the yang factors suggests we may be very frustrated with others – or our situation because something is ‘blocking us’ or keeping us from being able to do what we want to do.

Yet if we think of life as ‘unfolding as it should’ (the great metaphysical mantra: whether or not we know it, the universe is unfolding as it should) …then there’s a reason for whatever delay or bollox is tying up forward progress.

Any way we look at it, at some level, this moment is about looking at, and into ourselves. This is about seeing who we are, who we can be, what we can do, and what we need to learn or accept or deal with in order to – in some way, even just mentally – get out of our own way.

So yes, this may well be a season for good thoughts. But it’s also one which calls for realism about ourselves and our life. Mars will conjunct the North Node on the 12th (at 9:34am UT/+0) – just as we move into Gemini territory – the Geminids being the last of the yearly meteor showers. As that happens, needs are ‘set off.’

And but a few days later, Mars conjuncts Pluto.

 

Mars as photographed by NASA/JPL in 2001

All of this will be discussed as things happen. But the point is that this is a Mercury retrograde period loaded with dynamic, transformative energy. There are things which will happen in life and in the world which you cannot prevent. What you can work towards is making the most of your life.

Thus so I ask: have you had a good think today? How’s life working for you as a whole.

It’s Mercury’s station/retrograde. If there ever was a moment made for thinking things over and getting to the nitty gritty of what you really need to change (whether you really want to or not)…this is it.

So I repeat: have you had a good think today?

Pluto/North Node: Society Signs

Diagram of the Pluto/North Node

conjunction of November 27, 2010

6:36am (UT/+0)

In the United States, the Friday after Thanksgiving has come to be known as "Black Friday," a day when shoppers newly fortified by a day of rest and much food descend upon malls, shopping with a vengeance. (Or at least storekeepers hope.)

Originally the name of a stock market crash which occurred in 1869, in modern times 'Black Friday' has come to be about a different bottom line, one where SO much shopping gets done (over the weekend following Thanksgiving, now including 'Cyber Monday' online sales)....that this is when retailers traditionally "go into the black" for the year.

In other words, it's when they finally get out of the 'red' (debt) and begin clearing profits for the year.

Anyway...that's the tradition. You know - in your basic 'pretty good' year. But this year has been anything but - and not just in the United States, but in many places around the world.

And we're not just talking retail - we're talking about this having been a hard year for Earth (and its inhabitants) in general. So when we say that the US goes shopping this weekend as we contemplate Pluto conjuncting the North Node, that's not a specific issue. It's more of a bell-weather. And it's not just about money - it's about how we feel about our life. How life, as a whole, is reacting to the pressures being put upon it.

We all together now on that? This is not about shopping or consumerism except as that is one form of human expression of obligation, wish fulfillment, escapism and/or the ever popular concept of the holidays as the time to 'give the gift' but have it be something useful.

No, I'm not sure how many people are delighted with strictly utilitarian gifts. But sometimes, when life is hard, to have what you need actually is a delight. Yes, even if it's socks, weatherstripping, a new shower head or a vacuum.

(And don't get me started on how much vacuums cost. Never was I ever so happy as when the carpet was removed from my house, taking with it the need to have one. We all have things which just irk us. The price of vacuums is on my list. Petty? Maybe. Honest? Definitely.)

That said, what about this Pluto/North Node conjunction which as we have now noted, is happening late on the USA's biggest shopping day?

 Kyoto's Nishiki market

photo credit: Kazutaka Nakano (March 2009)

The North Node is what we should do. And the simplistic reaction to North Node dictates when astrologer mentions them to client? NO! UGH! BLECH! I've ever seen people get up and walk out of the room when confronted with North Node 'musts.' 

But here's the lore: if we will 'do' our North Node thing, then we can have all the South Node we want. And everybody likes the South Node part of the deal.

So let's start there, with the South Node positioned in a degree of 'garbled messages' which tend to be so unclear that we ignore them. This is a metaphysical signal for 'being isolated in my own thoughts and feelings' which doesn't help matters - whether it's a family budget, a national agenda or a company looking at its own bottom line regardless of the general market or societal trends.

Meanwhile, the North Node and Pluto are both in a degree which is about 'curiosity which can get you into trouble.'

Known vastly and over-simplistically as 'transformation,' Pluto is above all the experience of emotionality...and thus emotional transformations. Pluto symbolizes 'the result of the choice' and the experiences which go along from realizing what has 'come of' what you choose to do, or not do.

Coupled with the North Node, we might think this could be a moment when we go to do whatever we're doing and curiosity draws us in and fascinates us to a degree we do what we had promised ourselves (or others!) not to do. And with two Black Holes bracketing this 4 Capricorn position, the fascination and 'alternative reality' quality associated with Black Holes may do exactly that in many cases.

However...this entire dynamic could have a diametrically opposite effect. Pluto's 'transformative' qualities, often known as create, deny or destroy and which in a natal chart often signify a quality which manifests as an obsession and drive at many, many levels...that may well here represent the changing of habits.

One way we would decide - astrologically - whether this is so, or what this might mean would be to look at the ruler of Capricorn, the sign the North Node and Pluto are in. The ruler of Capricorn being Saturn, we see Saturn here positioned at 14 Libra, the 'mask' and whether we live behind it, or come out from behind it.

With Capricorn being 'the goal' and the 'upheld tradition,' we have to wonder if this combination is about changing (Pluto) the way we deal with the traditions and celebrations we share with others (Libra) and as a society (Nodes) in a very real (Saturn) way.

 United States Federal Reserve Chart

(set for noon as a governmental agency)

With a Quasar (brilliance) just ahead of Saturn and a Black Hole (alternative reality) just behind Saturn and Edisonia (the 'bright idea') in opposition to Saturn...this is if nothing else, a rethinking of what we do and why we do it.

And this may mean a change of attitude on the part of all - whether that means shoppers using cash instead of credit cards. Debt and the pressure/debates which come of same (and which are infamously known for wreaking havoc in marriages) is Pluto. It is the emotional consequence of a (Mars) choice made in a given moment.

That Mars is in Sagittarius' 3rd decanate at this moment guarantees a lot of advertising and going back to our 'Black Friday/Cyber Monday' shopping model, a genuine desire to have things be as they "always have been" on everyone's part - whether you're the merchant trying to promote sales, the buyer wanting to 'have it all' or the anti-commercial person who would like to just go back to a time when holidays were about quiet times of family or contemplation or gratitude...or however anyone thinks of them.

Then there is also a bit of 'indicator history' to contemplate here. The world-wide economic fracas which led to such anguish in 2008 happened as Pluto moved over the MC of the US Federal Reserve's noon (governmental functionality) chart.

With the great heat of the American presidential campaign (replete with name calling and mud slinging) having ignited during March/April 2008, President Obama actually took office as Pluto completed its transit of the Federal Reserve Sun. This is a mark of a previous 'round of thinking' which would have begun one Pluto orbit ago.

Pluto's orbit being 248 years long, that would put the initiation of this 'theoretical' round (theoretical since the Fed wasn't yet in existence) as being in 1761. As it happens, 1761 was the year when George III became King of England - just in time to deal with the American revolution (lucky him!).

 King George III of England in

coronation robes

painting by Allan Ramsay

In the process, the English (and general political situation) also managed to annoy an already vastly over-extended French monarchy - one then headed up by Louis XVI - into entering the war on the side of the (American) colonies. And that exacerbated France's own problems to the degree that it ignited the French Revolution, bringing about the execution of Louis XVI and his wife-of-political mandate, Marie Antoinette.

Link to article on Marie Antoinette.

In short, cycles repeat.

As noted by astrologer Ray Merriman, the US Federal Reserve opened it's doors for business earlier in the day on December 23, 1913. And that chart, I've written about elsewhere (link). But as a US governmental entity we set any applicable chart to noon - under the theory that the government is the 10th house (the uppermost house in any chart) as the Sun is at its zenith at noon and as citizens of any country, we look 'up' to the government as top dog power in our nation.

(No jokes here, please. Several names went through my head too, but we're not going to wax frivolous. At least not at the moment!)

Okay...so when you set the chart to noon, what you come up with a wheel (above) which shows 29 degrees on all four axis points: what the Fed does is critical to the country - and arguably, the world. Cycles repeat and financial controls-markets-reserve banks do not exist in isolation.

Staying with the Fed's governmental chart, the current  conjunction is taking place as Pluto is moving away from the Sun (indicating a great change/upheaval already having taken place and now in motion) heading towards 7 Capricorn, where it will encounter Ceres.

Ceres alone is a symbol of what you have worked for and earned, so you harvest. Ceres success depends on not just wanting the results, but being willing to do all the hard work such as that farmers do in raising their crops.

Link to an article which describes the nature of Ceres in more detail.

In this Federal Reserve chart, Ceres is pictured as being opposition Charybdis, meaning there has to be a constant willingness to keep after various problems. Those problems - again, as described by this chart - are about debt. But not just debt as a concept - debt more specifically as a matter of home-family-real estate and desires.

Considering the interconnected nature of world economics, this clearly denotes the 'consumer culture' as a whole. A 'dominating whole.' If this was only a matter of 'consumerism' (Charybdis ruled by the Fed's governmental 8th house Scorpio Moon), then regulation of interest would be the one key. But Charybdis is an asteroid. Ceres is a dwarf planet.

 Dwarf Planet Ceres

photo credit: Hubble - ACS/HRC

Guess which one is more important? Or to put it another way, which needs to be our greater priority?

Yes, that which we understand is necessary needs to empower the consistency of effort. This cannot be about passion or beliefs or fear - that's anti-Ceres and plainly Charybdis in negative form.

Like as not, this whole discussion comes down to a couple of questions: will we make sacrifices now or later? What does 'sacrifice mean to us? What do sacrifices made in the past which have allowed us to get where we are today - what do they mean to us?

Who are we and what do we really value? What is the difference between what we want (Pluto) and what we should want, or should want ourselves to want (Pluto/North Node)? Where do we talk the talk but totally not walk the (Pluto/North Node) walk, hiding behind our (Saturn) mask of what should be changed and done (Pluto/North Node) but which we're just as happy to leave up to others (Libra) to take on the (Saturn) hard work and the (Saturn) challenges of doing?

Pluto will arrive at 7 Capricorn - the Fed's Ceres - in spring 2011. What we are going through now is a 'lead up' to that. Given how hard it is for societies and nations to change, we all know what 'should' happen, but which won't happen until the proverbial shoe falls.

Or kicks us in some providential part.

March/April 2011 has Pluto going station/retrograde right atop the Federal Reserve Ceres. That transit ends in January 2012, describing 2011 as a year of serious change.

So you can either fiddle and dance now, or pay the piper then. And maybe you'll do some of both. How much is probably up to you, and starts now.

It will be definitely interesting to hear reports of how retailers do over this long holiday weekend. It will tell us much about ourselves...what we're dealing with and what we're choosing to ignore now, and face later.

Stay tuned!

Jupiter's Station

Planet Jupiter - source: NASA

On July 23 (at 12:04 GMT: adjust for local time) Jupiter goes retrograde.

The whole la-dee-dah of what this means and why it means it (the where-science-meets-metaphysics stuff) we'll leave for another time. Meanwhile, what's important to you is that from July 23rd until November 18th when Jupiter goes direct, your growth and learning process will be internal.

When a planet is in direct motion, we learn from and through external prompts and situations. When a planet is retrograde, we learn through experience of those planetary precepts within ourselves.

Given that Jupiter is about 'growth,' that means these months ahead are more about you learning about yourself IN the world than the world you are in. This can be fun, tedious, disappointing or exciting by turns. But whatever it is, through this process you become more aware and more focused on where you're taking your life, why that matters to you...and yes, maybe where you might need or want to make a few wee changes.

So here's the chart:

And because I've heard from a few of you who don't read astro-glyph, here's a little diagram which may make things easier:

The whole of this figure is a four-sided figure known as a 'Grand Cross' - meaning all four 'corners' are separated by ninety degrees (a 'square' or challenge). When you have four squares in a chart, there's a tendency to bounce from one 'corner to another' - the implication being that the months ahead may be full of 'but if I do this, then that would happen...and if I did that, this other thing couldn't get done' and the like.

But if you will notice, the "bottom" line is dotted. And the reason it is dotted is that there is no actual planet in that bottom group. (I've put true planets in yellow to make this easier). Though all which Is counts, planets represent major components "of vital mass" in our lives.

Since we thus have only three of the four 'corners' of the alleged square with planets involved, what we actually have is a t-square instead of a grand cross...though you may well have this lurking 'grand cross-ish' but...but...but... feeling as we move through the months ahead.

And just to make this a little more rigorous, that little cluster of symbols at the bottom of the chart are all about what we want. What we think would be easy (or easier) to do or on us. So expect a lot of those 'but's to be tinged with an internal red flag which says "I'm not going to enjoy that!'" printed in bold on it.

Is that true? Are you really doomed not to enjoy doing what you need to do? No! But as the cosmic wrench in the works here, that's going to be one of those bug-a-boos which arise now and again. Even frequently. Truth is...you may have a blast. If you take on the doing and the growing, you may discover things more fun and more rewarding than anything you can think of from where you're standing now.

It's just you have to let go of today's conceptions in order to get there. And that's the Jupiter 'grow' (or 'grow up') part of the equation. That big giant planet out there does throw its metaphysical weight around, and this time it's all about grasping the idea that we so don't know all that life holds. There are things out there which would delight us beyond what we know now...we just have to let go of our definitions of 'good' in order to get hold of 'even better!'

So...! With that now duly noted, what about this t-square thing? The 'rule' with t-squares is the "own" the issues described at the "t." So here we are starting with Saturn: structures, fear, limits self imposed or otherwise, responsibilities, time, dedication-willingness to dedicate your effort and time.

With Saturn at 0 Libra is Panacea - peace, feeling better, resolution of strife. Standing just behind Saturn are asteroids Lilith and Echo - which on one level represent that 'little voice' inside you may not want to hear...and which on another may well be a person (usually a woman) whose words you are echoing (or hear echoing through your mind) which you stand to lose by listening to.

This bring up another point about the 'grand cross-ish' thing. What that's likely to do is create a 'is it that person...or that person' quandary in your head. The instruction per symbol here concerns 'Lilith' as a person who tempts you (or who has tempted you) to betray some previous commitment, vow or promise.

Standing just ahead of Saturn is Black Hole M87 (a giant shift of reality), then a quasar (brilliance) and pulsar, both in Libra. The quasar shines a light on the challenge to show one's true worth through development of skills as yet not brought to true potential. Given the association with M87 and Saturn, this would seem to refer to an adaptation of a skill to a totally new (M87) concept or situation. The pulsar adds to this a great exploration of love in all its many facets - for self, for others, for one particular other, for mankind, for your own abilities...with the pulsar giving us the clue that the light will shift from one thing to another, illuminating one while plunging something else into the darkness of lack of focus or temporary unimportance.

Shades of the grand cross quality...oh, these months ahead are going to be testing! But remember...these tests are internal. This is not about your ability to exist, except with or within your own skin.

So that's where everything starts. Through accepting and moving through the dynamics presented by Saturn, M87 and the quasar/pulsar (either leaving Lilith/Echo behind or being pursued by it in the shadows of your mind)...then you get to the real challenge of the season - the 't' of the t-square.

The crux of this t-square is all about your ability to reckon with responsibility for your life, and the reality of feelings. This involves a search for a new form of personal identity which requires breaking down old concepts and rebuilding yourself from within. To the extent that you don't do that, you will end up being tossed back into the land of Saturn restraints and limitations - which being in Libra may affect your social outlets, your reputation or your ability to deal with your surroundings. What we don't accept here is like as not going to come back to us in projected form - at least, that's how it's going to feel.

Again...and this cannot be stressed too much: this is not about your actual ability to survive in external terms. It's not about the job or the partner or the roof over your head except to the extent that you can deal with same, given the turmoil or arguments or debates or refusal to grow or change or grow up or get real which are going on inside you.

Moon in Capricorn often indicating 'societal values,' if you don't change (or at least become willing to accept input, critique or moderation) others will own this energy for you and foist it upon you. With two black holes and a quasar involved here, you will feel like the world you thought you knew is suddenly something altogether different: you're suddenly the proverbial stranger in a strange land.

The goal here is a 'breakthrough' (Uranus) which involves being of service or having served your greater purpose (Hebe/Uranus in Aries). With Scheat standing behind Uranus/Hebe and the Jupiterian 'goal' position, there is some sort of 'disapproval' out there which dissipates, is resolved or is converted to a stunning asset providing you become willing to break through what in this moment are your own limitations - as represented here by the Saturn/Uranus-Jupiter opposition.

As pictured by the Aries Jupiter/Lust, everyone is going into this moment fixed (Lust) on something about their own life - that being the Aries part.

In the end however, Aries is not about what you want (the cheers from the crowd for having slayed the great dragon)...but the courage to be the person who because they know how to slay dragons is willing to go out there and save the kingdom. The parade and cheers are merely the icing - the reality and necessity is the protecting of life's integrity.

Your own life, that would be - and by implication, that of others as without other people, our world is empty and without most of its richest meaning.

 

Holey Eclipse, Batman! (by Alex Miller)

Probably best known for his work with galactics, my long-time friend Alex Miller has stopped by the blog today to give us all a few thoughts on Saturday's lunar eclipse.

Take it away, Alex !

Monster Black Hole - source: National Geographic

 Holy Eclipse, Batman!

  
...Black Hole-y, that is. The Lunar Eclipse of 26 June 2010 sets off a Galactic Grand Cross of Deep Space energies guaranteed to keep things hopping for the next six months.  With the Moon eclipsed at 4 Capricorn, opposed a 4 Cancer Sun, a primal polarity of Black Holes is activated; add in squares to the Pulsar at 3 Aries and a Quasar at 5 Libra, and we have the makings of a truly stand-out astrological phenomenon.

Black Holes, those virtual pinpoints in space whose gravitational pull is so intense that not even light can escape them, promote the volte face, the sudden, swift, unexpected and complete reversal of the status quo. Conditions change in the twinkling of an eye to ones wholly unrecognizable from what pertained before.  In essence, you have changed universes - you can’t go home again. They drain energy from whatever they touch, creating instability and uncertainty, but they also tap us into the limitless potential of the unknown, and make possible what was previously considered unthinkable, both good and bad.

Quasars are among the brightest and furthest objects in the universe; they shine a bright spotlight upon whatever they touch and promote notoriety, success, achievement and attaining of goals.  It’s just not possible to keep hidden what they illumine, it stands out in a crowd, like placing a beacon on a hilltop.

Pulsars, rapidly rotating stellar remnants that emit regular bursts of energy in the radio and X-ray frequencies, are informational in nature, often provoking media attention or newsworthy events.  They can provide “body knowledge,” a sense of “just knowing” a thing to be true which wells up into consciousness from a cellular level.

Put it all together, and you’ve got a formula for some cosmic fireworks.  Add Pluto with the Moon at 4 Capricorn, just shy of the 5 Cap Black Hole, and Mercury at 2 Cancer with the Sun, both within the grip of the Black Hole at 4 Cancer, and the picture gains some clarity.  Add Uranus at 0 Aries and Jupiter at 2 Aries, both conjunct the 3 Aries Pulsar and squared the eclipse, and there’s even more substance to the image.

The Moon with Pluto and the Galactic Grand Cross has a positive and a negative message to convey. On the plus side, Moon/Pulsar is incredibly intuitive, has its finger on the pulse of the possible, and with the Black Hole giving access to the potential realms in parallel universes and alternate dimensions, it’s within your grasp now to transform (Pluto) your reality, enacting a new one and grounding it here (Quasar), breaking free of the habitual conditioning of the past (Moon).  Go with your gut, and with Jupiter in the mix, think big, expansive thoughts; the Black Holes say that anything is possible, so you may as well dream big. Uranus urges us to envision a more enlightened future, using the technological marvels at our disposal to refocus our life energy (Sun) and establish plans and procedures (Mercury) to achieve success (Quasar).

But there’s a potential downside as well. Mercury opposed Pluto can seem hopeless, helpless, our thoughts (Mercury) too dark to allow of the possibility of freeing ourselves (Uranus) from the emotional morass (Moon/Pluto) we seem to be stuck in.  The Black Hole here can make it difficult to convey our message, even if we see the silver lining in the clouds that lower.  In thinking too much of ourselves (Sun) we can become stuck in old patterns (Moon) and outdated assumptions or life scripts (Jupiter), not allowing ourselves to shine (Quasar), hiding our light under a bushel.  It’s in focusing on others, and how we may be an aid or catalyst (Pluto) to their development, making connections and networking (Quasar), sharing ideas (Mercury), theorizing (Jupiter) about a more expansive, collectively beneficial future (Uranus), that we can truly transform our reality (Black Hole) and find the security and comfort (Moon) we crave.

Emotions are likely to be in particular flux at this time, with moods swinging rapidly and running the gamut from A to Z in the blink of an eye.  Pay special attention to dream images and impressions, as these can provide vital clues to future action or resolution of prior conflicts.  Thoughts, too, can be unstable, even chaotic, but Mercury with a Black Hole also grants a highly creative perspective, with heretofore unconsidered solutions to age-old problems presenting themselves.

Nationally, with the eclipsed Moon and Pluto opposed the US Venus/Jupiter combination at 3 and 5 Cancer, it’s time to face our propensity to over-spend, over-extend ourselves financially, and pass the fiscal buck.  It can’t go on forever, and Pluto’s recent focus on overhauling our monetary structures is about to be joined by some serious shocks to the system provided courtesy of Uranus in square to Venus/Jupiter next year, and the hard times and deprivation likely brought on by Saturn’s upcoming square late this summer. This Lunar Eclipse may be yet another warning shot over the bow of the US financial industry; expect further upsets and volatility in these markets over the next few months, with Black Hole instability guaranteeing some heart-stopping thrill rides like the infamous “Flash Crash” of May.

Probably the most potent fact about Black Holes is their unpredictability - but whatever they bring, you can be sure it will be record-breaking, sensational, and sweeping. If you have natal placements between about 0 and 8 degrees of Cardinal Signs, this eclipse is especially focused on you, but regardless, we all have to deal with the fallout. And with the Galactic Grand Cross activated, that could be considerable.