Some of this is taken from my earlier article on Reese. One thing that struck me (I wrote this originally for the National Ledger site) is yet another marriage that ends in seven years. Some of you will remember this earlier article I wrote correlating the Seven Year Itch with the Saturn cycle and speculating about a Saturn cycle in the composite chart (the chart of the relationship between two people). Saturn takes twenty-eight years to orbit the Sun, and astrologically the 28-year cycle is made up of four seven-year phases which challenge and encourage growth. Here we seem to have more proof of this hypothesis.

Graphic from Mythinglinks.org

Halloween truly is a pagan practice, recognizing that this so-called holiday is actually rooted in the old Celtic festival of Samhain. Although Halloween is commonly celebrated on October 31, the festival of Samhain is a cross-quarter holiday that occurs at the midpoint between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice on November 7.

Astrologically, Samhain (along with the other cross-quarter days of Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasad) is celebrated at the midpoint of the fixed signs of Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius and Leo. Fixed signs are the signs of power – like the square, their stability and fixed nature leads to a buildup of energy that opens up a doorway to an explosion of raw power. In Scorpio, that power is directed within, fearlessly exploring the invisible dimensions of life and reaching across dimensions to discover what awaits there.

Samhain was celebrated as the New Year in pre-Christian Celtic lands, and it was thought that during this time the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest. Communication with the dead was widely practiced during Samhain rituals, not surprising because of the association with Scorpio and the underworld of darkness that it rules.

When Christianity attempted to subsume the pagan Celtic festivals into Christian holidays, All Saints or All Hallows Day was established on November 2 with the night before being the Eve of All Hallows which has come down to us as Halloween. Participants still celebrate the souls of the dead during Hallows Eve, but now the creatures from the other side were reviled as evil. Wise women became the evil witches; offerings of food and drink were left out for the dead souls to placate their evil spirits.

Sig Lonegren from Glastonbury writes about Samhain and Scorpio:

So as this Samhain approaches, what is ending in you? What do you have inside that it is time to let go of? No healing is complete until you get beyond recovery. Use Samhain to take the thirteenth step: Transformation. In the Tarot, the thirteenth card of the Major Arcana is Death, and it is ruled by Scorpio. Samhain occurs in Scorpio. The card of Death doesn’t necessarily mean physical death (though it can mean that), but more productively, it can be seen as an inevitable heavy change or transformation. Something old must be gotten rid of to make room for something new to be able to come in. Use the magic of this time to say good-bye to an old habit or addiction, an old relationship, or anything else it is time to leave behind.

Excellent advice! Magic is afoot, we have only look and the veil between the worlds will part.

Art by Leif Leith
In ancient times, humans were more intimately connected to the tides of nature and consequently felt more subject to the whim of fate than we do today. The ancient Greeks viewed Fate as three sisters that made up a single triple goddess: the Moirae, most likely from the ancient word “moera” meaning a phase. The Moirae did not decide the fate of humans, but they supervised it.

Each of the three Moirae, or Fates, were represented by a phase of the moon: Clotho spun the thread of life from the cosmos and was represented by the New Moon, goddess of the spring;
Lachesis measured the thread of life and assigned each man his destiny; she was represented by the Full Moon, goddess of summer; and Atropos, the Crone-goddess of autumn represented by the waning Moon, who cut the thread of life with the “abhorred shears.”

The triple nature of fate is mirrored in the working of the planetary cycles that we call “transits.” These cycles occur when planets in their current orbits make an angle to planets in our birthcharts, creating an atmosphere where change and transition can occur. The hard angle transits (90 and 180 degrees or squares and oppositions) can be challenging events that force us to make changes in our lives. The harmonious transits (60 and 120 degrees or sextiles and trines) tend to open up doorways that encourage growth rather than force it. In any case, these events unfold in a series of three phases.

The “applying” phase occurs as the transiting planet approaches the degree of our natal planet. This is the phase of initiation, where the first shift occurs. The second phase occurs at the exact alignment of the transiting planet to our natal planet where the fullness of the cycle is experienced. The third phase is the “separating” of the transiting planet to our natal planet where the integration takes place and we are cut loose from the energy of that cycle, just as Atropos cuts the thread of life.

Occasionally, because of the retrograde phenomenon, a transiting planet will retrograde back over our natal planet and extend the transit cycle; sometimes hitting our natal planet two and three times and occasionally, in the case of Pluto, even five times. In this case the three phases are opened up into a longer time period, with the first “hit” marking the applying phase of the cycle and the final hit marking the separation and completion.

Planetary transits are fated events: like the Moirae, their timing is predestined and out of our control. However, we do have control over how we handle the energy of the cycles and the choices that we make when faced with the challenge of change. From moment to moment we are faced with the choice to let go of the things that hold us back and move into a future that brings us closer to our truth.

photo by Rainer Holzm courtesy of Corbis

THOU art the sky and thou art the nest as well.
0 thou beautiful, there in the nest it is thy love that encloses the soul with colours and sounds and odours.
There comes the morning with the golden basket in her right hand bearing the wreath of beauty, silently to crown the earth.
And there comes the evening over the lonely meadows deserted by herds, through trackless paths, carrying cool
draughts of peace in her golden pitcher from the western ocean of rest.
But there, where spreads the infinite sky for the soul to take her flight in, reigns the stainless white radiance. There
is no day nor night, nor form nor colour and never, never a word.

From: ‘The Gitanjali’ Rabindranath Tagore

Mercury turned retrograde early this morning, turning our attention inward for increased self-awareness. Added to the heavy Scorpio influence, this is a very good time for introspection and writing, for psychotherapy and psychodrama, and for going back and re-doing anything that needs it. Mercury Rx periods have a bad reputation, but that is only because our Western minds place a priority on outward progress and accomplishment.

While it’s true that it can be difficult to complete projects that are begun while Mercury is retrograde, it is the perfect time for going back and REdoing anything that needs to be REvised or REconsidered. “RE-” is the keyword for Mercury retrograde, and often a difficult project or business deal that has been bogged down in delays may suddenly find a REsolution. And those of you with Mercury retrograde in your charts will find that communication is easier than usual because the whole world now operates the way you do normally.

Mercury will conjunct Jupiter on October 30 which provides an expansive opening for our ideas, but may also make us impatient to make our views understood. When Mercury is retrograde it is often more difficult to communicate and this can lead to frustration during the square to Jupiter. Jupiter, being the King of the Gods, has a strong need to be Right and arguments can ensue as a result. This will make for an lively campaign season here in the US!

Daylight Savings Time ends on October 29 as Neptune turns direct. Throughout October Neptune has slowed its motion down to a crawl as it prepares to change direction after having traveled retrograde since May of 2006. Neptune is the planet of mysticism and spiritual experience – it encourages us to step back from what we consider to be our reality and embrace the bigger picture. In its negative form it can bring confusion, illusion and delusion and make it difficult to see that “reality” that makes up the material world in which we live. While Neptune was retrograde it was opposed by Saturn (see the complete article on the Saturn/Neptune opposition) and now that Neptune is direct the confrontation (Saturn) to the illusion and deception (Neptune) that we have been witness to will be more pronounced. This is a time to wake up but at the same time embrace the dream. The Saturn/Neptune opposition is like lucid dreaming, “the conscious perception of one’s state while dreaming.”

As you know if you have been following this column, we had a very rare period of six retrograde planets this summer which created a great deal of problems in moving forward with any venture. With Neptune’s turn direct we have now only one planet (Uranus) retrograde and we will be seeing much more forward momentum. The set has been staged over the past year for some major transitions, and the energy is there now for them to occur.

There will be a transit of Mercury across the Sun November 8, just in time for the US elections. This is a different event than a simple conjunction of Mercury and the Sun; it is more like an eclipse where we are actually able to see Mercury silhouetted against the disk of the Sun. See the NASA site for the technical information. There are only thirteen such transits of Mercury in a century so they are a relatively rare event. The last one occurred in 2003, and we won’t see another until 2016.

Transits of Mercury occur at the midpoint of the Mercury retrograde period and because eclipses tend to mark crisis points that instigate change, we may notice a shift in focus at that time. The last Transit of Mercury occurred May 7, 2003 and during the following week there were two suicide bombings in Chechnya, a bombing in Riyadh Saudia Arabia, and a suicide bombing in Casablanca. In addition, the week of May 4 through May 10 marked a period of 393 tornadoes in 13 US states, more than during any period in US history. At the time Mercury was locked in a stressful T-square formation with Mars and Jupiter that no doubt had an influence on the week’s events.

The previous Transit occurred November 15, 1999 (these events always take place in either May or November) and was not associated with any major events such as this. At that time Mercury did not make any stressful aspects. The chart for the upcoming Transit event on November 7 is very complex, and occuring one day after the US election I would expect some sort of major political crisis.

(Geeky astrological details: We have five planets lined up in Scorpio within 16 degrees: Mars, Sun, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. Jupiter is still within range of its final square to Saturn and the Sun/Mercury/Venus are tightly square to Neptune. The Moon opposes Pluto exactly that day, Saturn and Neptune are still within range of their opposition as well. This is a volatile mix.)

Those of you wishing to research the historical significance of the Transit of Mercury more extensively may want to check out the Seven Century Catalog showing transits of Mercury since 1601. Also, safely watch the webcast the day of the transit at this site (thanks to John & Susan Townley for the link!).

We’ve had a rough time astrologically over the past year, which may account for the explosion in new astrology blogs. We get a brief respite in 2007 (except for the opposition of Saturn to Neptune), and then the countdown starts to 2012.

Astrologically, the period around 2012 brings a number of major aspects that are big and challenging, but that also have the potential to bring tremendous change and transformation. The square of Uranus to Pluto, heralding a cultural change that will echo the changes of the Uranus Pluto conjunction in the 1960s, begins in 2011. Uranus will be in Aries, the god of war, with Pluto in Capricorn, the sign of structure and society. Here’s what’s coming up before then:

• Pluto enters Capricorn 2008 where it is likely to begin the breakdown (Pluto) of our social and governmental structures (Capricorn) so that ultimately they can be rebuilt.
• Saturn will oppose Uranus 2008-2010, bringing about a clash of authority (Saturn) with rebellion and cultural change (Uranus) (beginning right at the US presidential election).
• Saturn will square Pluto 2009-2010 with the addition of Jupiter and Uranus during a portion of the cycle. When the two dark lords face off it usually isn’t very pretty.

Difficult times bring transformation and that can be a magnificent experience if we are able to keep our perspective on what is occurring on a spiritual level. Robert Wilkinson has some inspiring words to help keep us focused as we approach these times:

By ancient sources we are told humanity is on an arc of return, and past the depths of its ignorance, though there are a few throwbacks still flailing against history. I believe these times are the last effort for those clutching at a way of life that is already fading, as the vast majority of us do NOT think torture, starvation, violence, greed, and smashmouth politics and economics are part of a desireable or sustainable reality.

::snip::

We are now becoming aware of global issues that transcend nations, and affect everyone on Earth. This is the wave of history, and we have some ability to determine whether the transition into the era dawning after 2020 will be unnecessarily difficult. It will be rough enough, but eventually we will break free of the mindset that is gripping the planet at present. This too will pass.

It’s like humanity is the planetary brain, and one part of it has awakened to some much greater possibilities of how to live in this 3 dimensional place we call Earth, while the other part of the brain has a diseased tumor destroying everything it seeks to possess through its desires with no thought to the destruction it has caused. However, eventually we will learn we must work together as we have always learned since the dawn of humankind. We have grown separate through an illusion that is divisive and exploitive, and this is contrary to evolution. What confronts us is a decision to change focus due to forces beyond our control forcing us to adapt to future needs.

It will all turn out to be ultimately “good,” since we’ll move past the destructive mindsets and emotional toxicity presently plaguing the public health. During this time, many we encounter will still try to frame “success” and “failure” in terms of the old reality systems, whether they are realistic or not. Often we find ourselves moving through experiences pushing and pulling us in confusing direction.

Our practice is to remember that we are Eternals participating in shaping the future by our thoughts, feelings, and deeds in the present, despite the oppositions, polarizations, dualisms, and crashing philosophies and views that are inherently unreal. Maybe they used to be real (or not!) to whatever extent, but they are no longer, as everything is giving way to the evolutionary necessities that are presenting themselves with greater and greater frequency as we all come to realize our connectedness with the Earth we live on.

So relax a little, and to the degree you’re able, enjoy the passing soft parade inside the gold mine. We are the trailblazers of a dawning era that will make this one seem like a grand illusion. We just have to stay focused, balanced, of abundant view and generous in our goodwill in living our lives on this beautiful, fragile Earth.

It will get better after it gets worse for awhile, but that will make the goal all the more wonderful by its contrast to this old dying era. We’re playing for the long haul, which promises so much we’ve never known or experienced that it will stagger the imagination. Our job is to open the door and greet that which shows us our freedom to be greater than we were.

I am the first one to admit that astrology cannot predict the future, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. I was not the only one to look at the astrological signatures and predict financial doom in September and October with the eclipse series and the square of Saturn (pessimism and realism) to optimistic Jupiter. Many of us also expected the addition of Neptune to the mix to bring the end (Saturn) of illusions (Neptune).

And it wasn’t just the astrologers – financial experts also predicted a downfall. Bill Fleckenstein, a columnist for CNBC and MSN, wrote:

“The stage is set for some real fireworks, especially since this has been such a straight-up, bulletproof rampage for the last 2 1/2 months. In fact, given how we’ve powered through the large pre-announcement season into an earnings season that I expect to be pregnant with disappointment … (we’re) more ripe for reversal than at any point in time since the fall of 2000.”

Yet the Dow Jones average is soaring above 12,000, London’s FTSE index is trading at a 52-week high, Germany’s DAX is at a five-year high and Tokyo’s Nikkei index closed at a five-month high. The relentless optimism that we’ve seen since Pluto entered Sagittarius and began this reign of financial expansion continues unabated. Writer Alan Hall writes, “A whole thesaurus of words fails to describe the degree of investor optimism.” The stock market increase of the Pluto in Sagittarius era has been fueled by consumer spending and the desire for extravagant lifestyles. Second homes, luxury cars – much of which is funded by equity loans.

Perhaps it is the overarching influence of this compulsive (Pluto) optimism (Sagittarius) that is continuing to fuel the increase in the markets despite sobering financial news. The Federal Reserve decided today short-term interest rates will remain unchanged and that is likely to have a strong effect on the markets. In any event, the underlying climate is still challenging for financial growth and security but could be positive for short-term speculation.

Barbara Palliser digs into Wuthering Heights to find the archetypal theme of this heavily Scorpionic time:

“And I pray one prayer – I repeat it till my tongue stiffens – Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you – haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always – take any form – drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!… I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”

This is the thing with Scorpio. When it’s important, it’s life and death, all or nothing. No middle ground. No grey areas. It’s an all encompassing, utterly absorbing, and inescapable power that Scorpio deals in, and touching on this kind of energy can drive people to do strange things. They can turn unrecognisable even to themselves. Even the quiet ones, who of course by Scorpio standards are the worst.

But don’t forget that Scorpio, like all other signs of the zodiac, is ultimately positive, purposeful and well designed as a medium to experience the best that the mystery of life has to offer. It’s through Scorpio that we come to know Love by first meeting what Love is not. It’s up to us how much we allow ourselves to be impacted by that knowledge, and how much we are willing to let go of what Love is not.

The letting go of what love is not is an aspect of Scorpio has to do with the connection of Pluto with Scorpio. Pluto requires that we let go of that which no longer serves us; it reduces us to the bare essentials of our humanity and face the raw power that lies within. It can be an excrutiating experience but an exhilarating one as well. I love the use of Wuthering Heights to illustrate this process: the dark mists and brooding passions are such vivid images.

Dharma over at Astrotabletalk has an interesting take on Neptune’s change of direction next week: Like me, Dharma is intently exploring the application of the new planet Eris and brings her into the equation as well:

Neptune is due to change direction in about a week. This means we can expect a new phase in the current Saturn-Neptune Opposition, which lasts for about a year, to begin. And the most obvious manifestation of this transit is the developing political realism around Iraq, which any decent mundane astrologer could have predicted a long time ago. [and many of us did]

::snip::

[T]he phase shift in a transit usually begins, I have noticed, in the run-up to a planet changing direction, and we have certainly seen this in the case of Neptune’s upcoming change of direction. The news has been full of politicians admitting to the need for policy change in Iraq. Neptune coming up to turn round has been like a bubble bursting. It began with a trickle, and now every day some senior official in either the US or UK governments is admitting to the need for change, and then another official will come along and deny it. They are obviously fudging their way to something more realistic, and doing their best to save face along the way, as you’d expect.

Even though it’s not being said, George Bush is obviously in the middle of a political disaster of the first order. But the acknowledgement of this belongs to a slightly later phase of the Saturn-Neptune Opposition. It’s the Iraq reality that is currently being acknowledged, and we can expect to see the momentum developing further over the next week as Neptune moves towards changing direction. The next phase-shift will be in early December, when Saturn changes direction: the run-up to this begins soon after the November mid-term elections. So I think we can fairly confidently predict that the phase after next will involve GWB getting his political come-uppance. Neptune changing direction (which it hasn’t quite yet) is proving to be about the bursting of illusion. Saturn changing direction could well be about GWB reaping the political consequences of his actions over Iraq.

And it seemed to be that Mars-Eris Opposition of a couple of weeks ago that catalysed the present momentum behind policy change. [This remember occurred the day of the nuclear test in North Korea.] Eris, the Goddess of Strife, is a newly-named ‘dwarf planet’. She was the one who mischievously threw an apple into a wedding feast and ended up occasioning the Trojan War. Eris can be seen as having the keyword ‘Catalyst’. The word catalyst comes originally from chemistry, where a small amount of one substance can make a chemical reaction occur much more easily and effectively, without that substance itself being changed by the reaction. The planet Uranus can also have a catalytic quality. What, I wondered, was going on when catalysts first came on the scene? The term was coined in 1835… at the end of an Eris-Uranus conjunction at 23/24 Aquarius!