Virgo Full Moon today!

February 28, 2010 By

Full Moon art by blind artist Brooke Williamson.

The Full Moon occurs at 11:38 am EST. In a Full Moon the Moon and the Sun are opposite each other from our earthly perspective, and the Moon’s light of instinctive emotions and the illumination of the inner world shines brightly, unrestricted by the call of the Sun for a more conscious experience of the world.

This Full Moon is in Full Moon in Virgo so the Sun is in the opposite sign of Pisces.  In Pisces the Sun is less Self-oriented and more transcendent, and a conjunction of the Sun to Jupiter seeks a broader experience of the world than a Self-centered orientation can provide.  The alignment of the Sun to Jupiter offers the possibility of great success and a powerful vision.

With four planets in Pisces and three in Aquarius during this lunar event there is an intensely idealistic quality. Aquarian idealism is intellectual, and Piscean idealism is emotional – combining the two offers up a banquet of visionary longing for a world that offers greater perfection than the one we actually live in.

The Virgo Moon resists this broadening of the scope of our experience and prefers to be grounded in the mundane details of life in physical form. It anchors us into a heart of practical reality where we are able to make the small changes that can ultimately result in the satisfaction of the larger Aquarius/Pisces vision. In any case, this lunation will impel us to seek more from our lives – to align with our center of Spirit and from there, create change in the material world in which we live.

This enlightening Full Moon will lead us into March which will be a much quieter month from a planetary perspective. For a few weeks we will have an opportunity to integrate much of what we have assimilated over the past few months with so many powerful planetary alignments. This Full Moon can be an opportunity for us to realign our vision and move more fully into the future with greater conscious awareness.

I will be sending out the Planetary Illuminations for March report on the 1st, so if you’re not already on my email list please sign up at my website or in the sidebar.

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Filed Under: Moon

The astrology of depression: Andrew Koenig

February 26, 2010 By

photo montage from CNN. Andrew Koenig, the son of Walter Koenig who played Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series, has been missing since February 14th.  He was last seen at a bakery in Vancouver.  Koenig is an actor who is best known as Kirk Cameron’s sidekick in the long-running television series “Growing Pains.”  Some of Koenig’s friends fear the worst, reporting that he had been depressed and fed up with his life in California. He sold all of his possessions and walked away from his home in Venice on February 4.

Koenig (8/17/1968, time unknown, LA CA)  is 41, the age at which transiting Uranus opposes Uranus in the birthchart, and because he is one of those “Uranus/Pluto” people who were born between 1962 and 1968, that Uranus opposition is particularly intense.  Briefly, Uranus is the planet of rebellion and revolutionary change, and Pluto, the planet of death and rebirth, presides over experiences that transform us from the ground up.  This cohort of people carry this archetype of revolutionary change within them.

The Uranus Opposition is a planetary cycle in which Uranus in the sky opposes Uranus in the birthchart.  It occurs at age 40-42, and is the most intense of the “midlife crisis” transits, generating an urge to break free of whatever is holding us back.  For this age group, because Uranus opposes not only natal Uranus but also natal Pluto, this time period is even more urgent and powerful and necessitates a letting go of the past in order to move forward into the future.

Pluto squares his Moon, or his emotions, and Andrew’s former landlord told TMZ that Andrew did not have a good relationship with his mother (the Moon often, but not always, represents the mother in the natal chart and Pluto is the planet of destruction, death and rebirth, emphasizing an intensely emotional nature).

He has also had a number of challenging planetary cycles over the past couple of years, including Saturn transiting not only his Sun but also his lineup of Virgo planets which can be quite stressful.  In addition, transiting Saturn and Pluto have been facing off in challenging aspects against Chiron in his chart, the planet of psycho-spiritual wounds and emotional pain.  As if that weren’t enough, transiting Chiron was opposing his Sun, bringing more of that pain to the surface so that it could be processed and released, and transiting Pluto has been in a square to the Sun in his progressed chart, adding a tremendous amount of intensity to his life and experience.

This would have been a difficult time for anyone, and unless you are on a path of emotional healing and spiritual development – and frankly, even if you are – this kind of planetary intensity can drive you to the wall where change must occur.  Koenig’s chart is short on water, the element that offers an outlet for the emotions, so the processing of emotions does not come easily to him.  With no water and this collection of planetary influences, he would have been at a loss to know how to handle all of the feelings that roiled within him.

US magazine reports that Koenig’s parents received a disturbing and direct letter from their son and contacted police immediately.

Unfortunately, astrology cannot tell us whether or not Andrew will be found.  For that we just have to wait.

Update 2/26: Andrew Koenig was found dead today in a park in Vancouver.  He took his own life, the victim of depression.

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Filed Under: Celebrities, Death Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Mars Station and road rage

February 23, 2010 By

I wrote a post with this title back in December when Mars was slowing down in preparation for its retrograde turn, and now Mars has slowed down as it prepares to turn direct on March 10.

Mars typically is a fast-moving planet, spending on average two days to travel one degree.  At the moment Mars is traveling only 11 minutes of arc (about 1/6 of one degree) a day, and will only move another degree or so before making its turn to move forward again.

When there was a great deal of celebration back in December over the passage of health care, we astrologers just laughed.  ”Mars just turned retrograde,” we said, ‘It’s not over yet.”  Once again, we were right!

As Mars slows down, the intensity of the aggressive energy that it brings will become more pronounced, especially if it hits a sensitive point in your chart (the early degrees of the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius).  It’s very important to be able to express and release this intensity so that it doesn’t back up into some sort of explosion.  We are seeing this amplified on the world stage with political rage reaching new heights in every area of the world.  And recently there have been vicious accounts of road rage incidents in Miami, Orlando, Dallas, Pennsylvania, Sydney Australia, Massachusetts, Lincolnshire and West Cumbria UK, even Utah and Iowa.

Even after Mars turns direct it will take another two weeks or so to pick up the pace of its motion, so we will be in a Mars-y period for the next month or so.  Mars is impulsive and rash – it tends not to think through a problem or situation but instead to react instinctively.  This is our opportunity to learn how to handle that aggressive energy and channel it constructively: to set good boundaries and assert ourselves calmly and appropriately.

But don’t be surprised if there are plenty of people around you who just allow Mars to light a fuse that sets them on fire instead!

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All about Pisces: Musings on Astrology radio

February 21, 2010 By

Tune in at 11 am Eastern for a discussion about the sign of Pisces.  The Sun has just entered Pisces so we now have four planets in Pisces, a strong Piscean influence.  It’s a great time to learn more about this mysterious sign!

If you listen live (click on the player below at 11 am Eastern or before noon) you can participate in the chat (register for free at Blog Talk Radio to participate and ask questions in the chatroom) and I’ll be taking calls about halfway through the show so you can ask questions about your own chart (first time callers only please!).  The call-in number is 646-478-5731 and you can also use that number to listen to the show by phone f you’re not near a computer.

You can also download the show and subscribe to the podcast.  For more details and instructions, along with the archived shows, visit the Radio page of my website!

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Pluto in Capricorn: Death to the Corporation

February 18, 2010 By

See below for update on the chart of the shooter.

I’m a little late on this subject because I was out all day yesterday preparing for a lecture so I missed the big news event: the crash of a private plane into an IRS building by Andrew Joseph Stack.  I’m hunting hard for a birth date for him and will post a character analysis as soon as that becomes available.

I did find a cache of the pilot’s online diatribe at the Smoking Gun.  Some Tea Partiers are acclaiming Stack as the hero of their cause, but they are missing the point.  Stack’s diatribe appears to favor communism over capitalism when he says “Capitalism: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.

Pluto’s entry into Capricorn, as we have been discussing over the past two years, is indicative of destruction and transformation (Pluto) of the foundational structures of our society (Capricorn).  Chiron and Neptune are still nearly exactly conjunct, bring up the anxiety and emotional wounds (Chiron) as well as creating potential delusion (Neptune).  I’ll know more when I have a birthtime, but it appears that the Chiron/Neptune conjunction was likely nearly exactly opposite Pluto in his own chart, activating a deep need within him to make some kind of permanent change.

I’d also like to reiterate something I’ve been saying for quite some time – that this kind of “lone wolf” act is what we have to look forward to when Uranus (radical revolutionary behavior) enters Aries (warfare and aggression) and begins to demand justice.

In other news…I’ve also been looking at the Tea Party phenomenon as being illustrative of the opposition between Saturn (conservative status quo) and Uranus (radical change and new ideas), but it’s starting to look more like Pluto in Capricorn:

Whatever you may think of it, the Tea Party Movement has become one of the biggest business success stories of the Great Recession. Using the Internet, various fairs and the machinations of what amounts to a highly-reputable public relations firm (FOX News), the Tea Party movement has become a successful business franchise.

It’s amazing but true. The once small company that started in Roger Ailes’ basement has actually become quite a profitable company. Just look at the goods that are offered online: one could purchase a Tea Party mug for just $19.99; “NObama” bumper stickers are available for the low, low price of just $2.95.

The Tea Party also provides recreational services. On a weekend, you can go to a public park with the family and enjoy the carnival and vendors that the Tea Party organizers set up. It’s also an educational experience because you have the opportunity to hear the wise the insights of the Philosopher King Glenn Beck as well as those of his disciples — all hawking this month’s book.

Or, if you want an atmosphere without all the plebs, I would suggest going to one of the Tea Party’s exclusive parties. Last month, the Tea Party Nation organization held a Tea Party National Convention in Nashville, Tenn. Each ticket was sold for $550. The headline speaker at this event was Sarah Palin, who charged the small fee of $100,000 to speak directly from the hand. Not a bad way to spend all those extra tax-break dollars President Obama set in place.

WIth my Capricorn Mars I appreciate a good business venture as much as the next girl.  But the necessity to make a dollar off of every idea that comes along is taking the Capricornian virtue of business acumen to an appalling (Plutonian?) extreme.

Update:  This site has a DOB of August 31, 1956.  ouch! Saturn is exactly square to Pluto, and being affected right now by the Chiron/Neptune conjunction, exactly.  Sun/Jupiter conjunction suggesting an overblown sense of importance; Venus and Moon both in Cancer, personalizing his connection to the world and causing him to feel everything extremely personally.  Mars is in Pisces, with a grand trine in water including Venus and Saturn in Scorpio.  Watery Grand Trine people can sometimes find it difficult to have any objectivity with respect to their emotion, and his chart is very short on the air element which would provide that objectivity.

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Blog roundup!

February 17, 2010 By

I’m preparing for a class tonight so I thought I’d post some interesting links for you today:

Sasstrology covers the Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler romance, something I’ve been meaning to do myself but haven’t.

Elsa beats her cookie addiction.

Robert demystifies the house cusp question (for more advanced readers).

Dharmaruci returns to the site of the sweat lodge madness.

Frederick Woodruff dissects the Hanged Man (this card came up in nearly every reading I did Saturday night at a Mardi Gras party – can you say Saturn/Pluto?)

Julie explores the meaning of Jupiter in Pisces.

Enjoy!  I’ll be back tomorrow with more interesting astrological news.

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Filed Under: Celebrities, Events, Miscellany

Pope facilitates the beginning of healing under Chiron and Neptune

February 16, 2010 By

Better late than never I suppose:

The sexual abuse of children is not just a “heinous crime” but a “grave sin” that offends God and wounds human dignity, Pope Benedict XVI  said Tuesday after a two-day meeting with Irish Catholic bishops at the Vatican.

The weakening of faith has also been a “significant contributing factor” in the sexual abuse of minors, the pope said, adding that “current painful situation will not be resolved quickly.”

The pope’s comments came in a written Vatican statement at the end of the meeting, the largest one yet about the scandal that has rocked the church from Ireland to the Vatican and beyond.

A damning report by an independent Irish commission in November found the Catholic Church in Ireland had covered up the “widespread” abuse of children from 1975 to 2004.

Today, on the exact conjunction of Chiron (wounding and healing) and Neptune (spirituality and sacrifice) the Pope took a step towards healing the victims of the widespread sexual abuse that afflicted Catholic churches not only in Ireland but all over the world.

read more here…

The healing of wounds that is Chiron’s specialty has been in the news lately on another topic: thehealing of Iraq war veterans through talking about their experiences:

The act of killing is as fundamental to war as oxygen is to fire. Yet it is also the one thing many combat veterans avoid discussing when they return home, whether out of shame, guilt or a deep fear of being misunderstood.

But a new study of Iraq war veterans by researchers in San Francisco suggests that more discussion of killing may help veterans cope with an array of mental health problems stemming from war.

The study, published last week in The Journal of Traumatic Stress, found that soldiers who reported having killed in combat, or who gave orders that led to killing, were more likely to report the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse, anger and relationship problems. The study was based on data from health assessments conducted on about 2,800 soldiers who returned from Iraq in 2005 and 2006.

Chiron heals through exposing the wound to the light of consciousness where it can be managed and treated, and because Neptune rules deception and illusion as well as spirituality, in the conjunction of Chiron to Neptune the healing of damage by deception is a crucial part of the transformational process.

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Filed Under: Health & Healing Tagged With: , , , ,

Astrological financial update

February 15, 2010 By

Venus and Jupiter only conjoin for a day or two, but when the two “benefics” get together it’s usually a very pleasant and optimistic time.  Today they conjoin in Pisces, the sign of mystical wonder and illusion.  Jupiter is particularly strong in Pisces because Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces, so the positive energy should be fairly powerful today.

The financial markets are already reflecting this despite the fears over the amount of debt in Greece: Asian markets closed higher, as did Australia and New Zealand stock indexes.  Pisces rules oil, and oil prices took a big hike.

Following the stock market contraction that correlated with the challenging square from Saturn to Pluto at the end of January, planetary optimism is increasing which will likely bring about another rally in the markets.  The Pisces influence will continue as the Sun and Mercury both move into Pisces, and with them an increased ability to see the world through rose-colored glasses.  This is likely to continue until the beginning of March when Mars slows down before turning direct on March 10, followed by a challenging square of Venus to Pluto that will also slow things down or create reversals in the markets.

Disclaimer: This article is for general interest only and is NOT intended to be used as financial advice!!!

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Happy Chinese New Year!

February 14, 2010 By

Year of the TigerAs if Valentine’s Day, the Aquarian New Moon a Venus/Jupiter conjunction and the conjunction of Chiron and Neptune weren’t enough, we also have the Chinese New Year this week!

This is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese astrological pantheon; it is the year of Metal Tiger, which is great for wealth, but it is also the year of the White Tiger because of the association of the color white to the element of metal.  The White or Metal Tiger has the potential for power, but also for destruction and social disorder and change.

It’s an interesting synchronicity that Uranus (revolution and change) will enter the sign of Aries (war and agression) this year, bringing about a similar tendency towards chaotic social disorder and change that Chinese astrologers are predicting with the Year of the Tiger.

Astrologer Marvin Artley writes:

It is said that when the Emperor rules with absolute virtue, the White Tiger will appear. The White Tiger is one of the four sacred animals in Chinese astrology. It rules over the western direction and is symbolic of strength, daring, commercial prowess, the competitive spirit and willingness to fight for beliefs. Of course, the White Tiger referred to here is not the sacred, or heraldic, animal but the same principles apply to the Tiger as one of the twelve zodiacal signs. The year of 2010, starting from Valentines’ Day, will be marked by revolutionary tendencies, advances and accidents in transport, attempts at imposing draconian legislation, advances in media and a resurgence of the working classes. Metal (White) Tiger years typically see antitrust legislation and insurrections in the political arena. The sudden reversals and consequent engendered insecurity that we saw in the Rat and Ox years just passed (2008, 2009) have set the stage for overhauls of political and economic systems that are oppressive or do not work, with a consequent reactionary front from those who would rather keep those systems in place. The so-called War on Terror will take a decisive turn in 2010, with expected military action against recalcitrant regimes. Iran and North Korea come to mind. The Korean War started in the White Tiger year of 1950.

On the social front the explorer’s instinct and entrepreneurial spirit will be to the fore. New products come out in White Tiger years that tend to become ‘old standards’ later, such as peanut butter, Pepsi Cola, the sewing machine, corrugated boxes, hamburgers and beloved comic strips (‘Peanuts’ and Beetle Bailey’), so put on your thinking caps and see what you can come up with. The Tiger in Chinese astrology represents majesty, dignity and sternness, daring, power and passion and anyone who has those qualities in their nature will fare well in 2010. For those who are more sedate then those same Tiger qualities may just be awakened this year. It is said that the Tiger has no special magical properties. Tigers work best ‘in the trenches’ and in motivating others to get things done. It will be a great year to start an enterprise, work at self-improvement, prevail upon the boss for that raise you so richly deserve, do something daring and completely out-of-character, push your own and others’ boundaries, get over that fear of public speaking or just generally make a bold statement about your life. In all, find whatever stirs your passion this year and the Tiger in you is sure to come out!

Some Chinese astrologers warn that the year is good for business, but there is danger in becoming too greedy (the same can be said of the conjunction of Jupiter to Uranus in Pisces coming up in March through May of 2010).

Chinese astrologers differ as to whether the Year of the Tiger is good for romance or not.  But with the Wood and Metal elements in conflict this year under the Tiger influence, there will be a need for caution and patience.

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New Moon in Aquarius today!

February 13, 2010 By

Aquarius New MoonCrescent Moon art by Carl Homstad.

This has been an exciting astrological week, with Mercury having entered Aquarius on the 10th and Venus leaving Aquarius for Pisces. While Mercury is in Aquarius (for the rest of the month) the mind (Mercury) is full of new ideas and brilliant new discoveries, while Venus turns her attention from the realm of reason to the world of Spirit and flow. Venus in Pisces brings us additional creativity which is encouraged by the Aquarian inventiveness of the mind (Mercury).

That inventiveness begins to take form on the 12th when Mercury forms a harmonious trine to Saturn, stabilizing the mental process and encouraging avenues of expression in which something practical is created. This stability is threatened a bit the following day with a stressful opposition from Mercury to Mars (aggression) and the Aquarian New Moon

New Moons are times of new beginnings, when the solar principle of consciousness and ego development (Sun) conjoins the lunar instinctive principle governing that which is more hidden (Moon). This New Moon is in Aquarius and aligns within a degree with Chiron and Neptune, so the Sun, Moon, Chiron and Neptune are all powerfully aligned as a tremendous force for healing and integration on a soul level. With the energy of this New Moon it’s time to integrate all of the lessons of emotional balance that Chiron and Neptune have been teaching since February of 2009 when they first aligned, and move forward in a completely new direction. This visionary Aquarian influence is all about getting un-stuck and using the power of the mind and reason to move us out of dead areas of our lives and into new beginnings.

This New Moon also includes a harmonious sextile from Venus (relating) to Pluto (transformation) that helps us to get real in all of our dealing with others, and another pleasant sextile from Mars (assertiveness) to Saturn (discipline) which helps us to create a solid plan in our life to help us to move forward. These two influences culminate on the 15th, followed by the exact conjunction of Chiron and Neptune along with a fusing of Venus to Jupiter that showers good fortune and the ability to recognize it.

There’s a lot of good juju in this new moon!  All we have to do is take advantage of it.

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