Category Archives: current events in the sky

26-27 July 2010: Those Sassy Virgins

26 Monday Jul 2010

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My attention is grabbed right away by a line-up in Virgo–I can’t look away, in fact, from those sassy virgins! We have Venus, Vesta, and Mars, each one five degrees from the one before. This would seem to say very little on the surface, and yet I feel that it may be the heart of a major dynamic through tomorrow. Virgo says attentive to detail, but critical; fussy, but open to nature; counting the harvest, but personally accountable, as well. What we have, then, are the basic man-woman drives, indeed, the drives that literally keep the human race going, in a dynamic tension around the Vesta component, and that could center on those things to which we dedicate our lives, that are sacred to us, and involve the home, and the sex life. Within the individual, it suggests an ego or action urge that must bow to relationships, values, and perhaps finances. Among individuals, we’ll likely choose either Mars or Venus–if we’re Mars, we’ll be the one pushing to act, to get our own way, or to express the Self, while if we’re Venus we may be saying, ‘Hold it! Our relationship, our finances, or the things we both hold as important should stop you!’ with the implication that whatever Mars wants could be destructive to existing assets. Vesta suggests that those things most honored, our home, or our intimate relations are threatened if Mars expresses–or at least, that’s what Venus wants him to think.

Resolution may lie in the quincunx Mars makes to both Neptune and Chiron, with his energy falling just between them. This could say that Mars may act if he’s willing to adjust, allowing for ideals (Neptune) and utlizing skills (Chiron) rather than just his usual lancing about. The Moon in Aquarius will move on through today and tomorrow to conjunct Neptune and Chiron and quincunx Venus, Vesta, and Mars. Expect an emotional opening up that arrives via intellectual understanding, probably starting around 1 AM PDT of the 27th, and continuing through the Void that begins at 12:21 AM on the 28th.

I think everything else is mostly a continuation of energies we’re already familiar with (and some that feel like they’ll never end!) There are a few things: Of course, today saw the Sun quincunx Pluto, which likely re-acquainted us with some things we’ve been able to ignore lately; the up side is we now know what needs to be handled, cleared out, tackled, or reformed. Mercury enters Virgo, 2:42 PM PDT on th 27th, emphasizing that whole Virgo vibe and upping the critical thinking quotient, and Juno may give Mars some assistance as she moves early evening of the 27th to sextile Mars in Cancer and offer empowerment through simple caring–she offers a gauge for the Martian assertiveness that helps the Self take others into account.

The Summer issue of ECLIPSE is here! http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/new-summer-2010-eclipse/

Full Moon July 2010: Culminatous Interruptus

24 Saturday Jul 2010

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The Full Moon for July occurs on the 25th at 6:36 PM Pacific time at 2 Aquarius 59. First we’ll look at it using our strict 2 degree orb for events, then we’ll expand our view slightly, and see if this might bring in other, more subtle factors.

The Moon/ Earth conjunction in Aquarius has only two aspects, a sextile to Jupiter in Aries, and a semi-sextile to Pluto in Capricorn (and of course, the opposition to the Sun that is the reason for the event in the first place!) A meeting of Moon and Earth in a sign that’s all about cerebral concepts is not a great fit; the emotions and intuition ‘ground’ themselves in the material environment–an excellent concept in itself, connecting the emotions and extrasensory input to the physical surroundings, creating an understanding that is greater than its parts–but the sign in which this occurs, Aquarius, is mental, rather than intuitive, and doesn’t get any more physical than electricity, itself essentially invisible. That means our Moon/ Earth meeting, a time when the combination of these most ephemeral attributes in interplay with our material world should be coming to intuitive and emotional culmination through both the spirit and material results, will likely not reach a fulfilling conclusion, not because this isn’t available, but because we will try to translate things through the mind (Aquarius) only; there will be influences from our own dark or practical nature and from external destructive forces (Pluto in Cap) and pressure from the social sphere to perceive things in a particular manner that emphasizes ego fulfillment and separateness (the ‘I am society, and society is me’ of Jupiter in Aries).

What if we widen our orb? Does this make anything about the situation any clearer (or, what we’re really looking for, does it give us a way out of an inevitable misperception?) If we widen our orb to 3 degrees, we bring in a sextile to Uranus at the Aries Point, and a trine to Saturn in Libra. Hmm, this may help us pinpoint ‘trouble sources’ that could be what tries to push us in the wrong direction for a successful intuitive/ spiritual/ material culmination. The sextile to Uranus suggests, perhaps, two things: one, that our own rebellious nature, intellectual bent, Higher Mind, or wish to be different might steer us wrong–or, two, that a group or social cataclysm (not necessarily a disaster, but rather a group demand) might come forward and in effect disconnect us from our own intuitive nature–and so disconnect us from our chance to gain a sense of fulfillment and closure from this Full Moon moment. The trine to Saturn in the sign of partnership is amusing in this context: we may dig in our heels in a relationship that is just over, and that normally would be brought to an end with the energy offered by a Full Moon.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is ‘A Deserter from the Navy’–are we surprised? This is the abandonment of a cause by the most martial of water bearers–the individual who runs from something (in this day and age) to which he or she has quite willingly committed him- or herself. This suggests, in light of the Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto aspects, that the individual destructive and rebellious urges may win out, though with some caveats. Just because one runs away from the group doesn’t mean they are no longer a member–truly severing ties is quite different from the symbolic act, or the simply rebellious one. This may symbolize that ‘the ties that bind,’ which might normally end with this Full Moon, may drag on, with plenty of pointless rebellions, incidents of lashing out for freedom, and ‘pretend’ destructive or transformative episodes as a result.

The end of something may feel premature at this point; or, we just may not be done acting out, making our intellectual point to the other party or to the group. The energy is best handled with the understanding that the mentality is too active in the decision-making process to provide a truly accurate picture–and as long as we know that, we can accept that the rationalizing and reasoning that we may be inclined to will not get us to the heart of the matter. Understanding (Aquarius) that we are at a kind of midpoint, rather than a culmination, at least in energy terms, will help us embrace the positive portions of the Full Moon process (which strongly support mental accomplishment, original creative acts, and innovative activities) while minimizing the more dramatic, disaffected, or chaotic influences to our response.

Warning: the title is not a real Latin phrase–like in the old Roadrunner cartoons, I believe everything goes better with a sophisticated seeming taxonomic designation!

For a much more detailed, Sabian-centered analysis, see Today’s Link by the excellent Lynda Hill http://sabiansymbols.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/index.html

22 July 2010: Take-Out Emotions

22 Thursday Jul 2010

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The Sun moves into Leo today, and I think that might be good for all of us; it will trine Uranus and sextile Saturn, drawing some of the tension off the opposition. Leo is an energy of grace and enthusiasm, and this aspect can help align the individuality urges with the need for structure, focus, and containment, a dissonance that has been bothering everyone for some time now. Notice that natural channels appear for your expression, and embrace and use those that resonate for you at the deepest levels. This is a time for excellent progress in areas where you are both gifted and able to concentrate–make sure both elements are present to insure best use of this influence.

Mercury is closely square Sedna and still within trine to Ceres; this suggests we just don’t know what we’re communicating, especially about ourselves (Leo placement). The trine, however, does allow us to do this with authority! The result may be that we are revealing ourselves to others (and this is not a bad thing, just perhaps more real than we’re actually bargaining for), but that what we’re pushing/ promoting, consciously and unconsciously, is accepted as having worth, and that we have some clout or knowledge behind our assertions. Great for getting our message across and accepted, but we can end up having others give us credit or responsibility we didn’t earn (or aren’t prepared for).

3 PM-ish PDT we see the Moon quincunx Juno and square Mars; our personal effectiveness and power become an issue, in the realm of what’s important to us, on the home front, and in intimate relationships. We may wonder why this is coming up, as it seems we’ve done nothing to warrant it, but the reality is we’ve been asserting our emotions, reaching out with them (Sagittarius), and we’re letting our wants be known–and not everyone cares to hear about our demands! It’s not that we’re so adamant, it’s just that others are easily irritated, just as we’ll be with them. Giving everyone a lot of slack (we have to remember that part of the tension is related to the coming Full Moon), and not responding too quickly, will keep us from wasting our energy on trivial sparring–because what’s sure about this is that not much will change–everyone’s too Willful!

Sextiles to Neptune and then Chiron finish out the Sag Moon, either uniting creativity and skills and backing them with the emotions, or pulling the emotions (because this is easy, with a sextile) into a round of hurtful brooding and fantasizing–your choice.

Void begins 1:25 AM PDT on the 23rd, and it’s notable that the Sun, of course, has already moved on, causing the Moon to miss forming an aspect with it during its transit of Sagittarius. This symbolically suggests a little more disconnect than we might otherwise anticipate between the emotions and the sense of identity–just something to keep in mind.

Moon enters Capricorn 1:38 AM PDT, immediately creating a T-square with Saturn/ Uranus and quincunxing the Sun. The emotions are challenged: to stay on track, to not be caught suffering between the clamp-down of Saturn and the anarchy of Uranus–and of course the inclination is to clamp down, with the Moon too ready to retreat to its quiet little box. If you want to keep from shutting down from contradictory emotional overload, make the box you put your emotions in a take-out box, maybe one with easy-open flaps and a little metal handle for carrying. Choose a place and take the emotions somewhere you actually want them to go. Have an emotional picnic, shaking them out of the box, letting them feel the sunlight, and giving them room to breathe without making them feel a departure from a straightjacket means instant chaos.

Next up: the Full Moon report! ‘Till then, have a great one!

Today’s Link: on eclipses and cycles http://lunarreflections.blogspot.com/ and for the investors among us http://astrologymundo.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/stay-out-of-stocks-after-july-22/ So far today the market’s up; take your winnings and skedaddle!

20 July 2010: A Mortal Moment

19 Monday Jul 2010

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The Moon in late Scorpio is only going to do gentle things: sextiles to Mars and Earth, trines to the Sun and Juno, an opposition to Sedna (with perhaps a kind of hollow effect; the only problem being if at that time–2-4 AM PDT, roughly speaking, we are trying consciously to connect with our emotions–then, maybe, a problem, otherwise, nothing discernible)–oops, there is one thing, one little thing, the Moon square Neptune, 12:30 PM PDT to 3-ish, suggesting that the emotions may mislead. Hold that idea very carefully within, because the possibilities are greater than is our ability to anticipate what may occur, and just when we assume we know the form this will take, something else pops up.

Overlapping this square to Neptune, around 2:30 the Moon squares Chiron and sextiles Saturn, while these two are in very close quincunx (a two minute variation), with Chiron being the body of latest degree. This says to me that at the same time we can’t count on emotions to ‘tell true,’ we could be mislead in a second way, by hurt and the simple reality of our circumstances. This period may bring that feeling we’ve all had at one time or another, where we become acutely aware of all life’s rough edges. It doesn’t mean something bad will happen, but rather indicates that we may be hyper-sensitive to our own vulnerability; it’s a ‘mortal moment,’ where we get a glimpse of ourselves and the Cosmos without the usual wrapping of love and narrowed focus that allows us to get out of bed in the morning with a minimum of fear and function without too much brooding on existential questions.

The Moon has a phenomenally short Void, beginning at 4:47 PM PDT; the best thing about this is that it will end our awareness of the ‘mortal moment’ and bring our attention back to the world, which appears to have regained its familiar shapes and shadows. It lasts a single minute, with the Moon entering Sagittarius at 4:48 PM PDT, and changing our outlook significantly. Where we were all gloom and doom a few hours ago, now we feel we could leap a tall building in a single bound–sounds super, no? We really will feel capable of tackling anything, so save your impossibles for this point, and attempt them then.

The 10:30 PM-ish trine of the Moon to Jupiter only magnifies the Uranus trine feeling, but as always with the greater benefic, overdoing and over confidence are a distinct possibility–do your reaching out with some care, and if you’re venturing into territory that’s unfamiliar, a little knowledge could help. Sag is great for educating the Self, as well as being able to go forward with a little faith–and fair combination of the two will help you get the most from this Moon.

Favorite mini-aspects for today: Venus semi-sextile Zeus (ay-carumba! Passion, sex, and desire are easily stirred) and Earth semi-sextile Neptune (dreaming can change the environment, or even materialize what lies in our imaginations–the caveat is, be careful what you fantasize about!)

And have a great one!

19 July 2010: Off to a Good Start

19 Monday Jul 2010

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Late evening 10-ish PDT of the 18th the Moon meets Pallas in Scorpio, setting a tone of emotional depth and wisdom–this is a great energy to kick off the week, and for as long as you can recall the essence of how this made you feel, you’ll have this energy available all week (or longer!)

By 2:30 AM of the 19th we have the Moon sextiling Venus in Virgo–oh, the places our Virgin Love Goddess will go, when moved by the mystery and power of a Scorpio Moon! Reward is there, in whatever form Venus is most likely to take (indicated by the natal chart) for you.

By 6 AM PDT the Moon trines the South Node in Water; the emotional past is accessible–don’t sentimentalize, but instead take what you can use from your emotional experience and apply it to the path you’re on now–nothing beats a lesson lived to help us discern future good choices.

6:30 PM PDT and the Moon squares Mercury in Leo. Emotions may make us speak up, especially when we’re confronted with a roaring ego! It’s likely to be okay, considering the other party is bent on just hearing themselves–but you may not like yourself much if you really let go. Sticking to legitimate gripes and avoiding rants may be the way to let it all out without creating true chaos in the process.

By 1:30 AM PDT of the 20th the Moon trines Juno in Water, pulling together the day’s influences into a tiny emotional map of empowerment tailored just for you. It’s a great way to start the week, as long as we can take the day’s emotional revelations and really apply them to life circumstances.

Today’s Link: http://fullmoon.vox.com/library/post/why-astrology-shouldnt-work.html

18 July 2010: Power Through Nurture

18 Sunday Jul 2010

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Everything today seems to be a call to know our own power; since the early morning inventory-taking, we find we are faced repeatedly with assessing our strength and effectiveness in the world. The Moon enters Scorpio at 10:41 AM PDT, and issues surrounding our own ability to make an impact on our surroundings, particularly in the area with Scorpio on the cusp natally, come front and center.

Of course we are still grappling with the Cardinal T of Jupiter/ Uranus, opposed Saturn, all square Pluto, with our ability to do and change on a personal level foremost, and this energy pulls our attention (almost obsessively) toward the ways in which we have (or haven’t) been showing our unique abilities. Some disappointment is almost guaranteed, as these are demanding energies that will see anything less than big success as not good enough. The taskmaster nun that is the Universe seems to be whacking our knuckles with a ruler, and we rather stupidly feel we deserve it–the Scorpio Moon and her trine to Chiron raises possibilities of nebulous guilt that are just looking for something in our real life to latch on to–and the harsh judgment we are sensing in the T energies too are bent on finding a home in our tender psyches.

Trying to refute this kind of assault head-on is not a good idea–instead we have to find other formidable energies that bolster other parts of the psyche and senses, and then we must adopt that viewpoint as our own. I nominate a Finger of God with Juno/ Sedna base, apex Ceres. We won’t see it, but it’s there; personal empowerment is ours, we just have to assume we’ve got it, and proceed from that point. Channeling this power (a power that comes from caring, from a willingness to offer nurture and affection-Cancer placement Juno) into its most natural form of authority and expression (for instance, in any relationship or role where we are the person in charge, the caretaker, where it is our job to teach, inform, inspire faith, or get the word out-Sagittarius placement Ceres). What we can’t see (Sedna) will be what serves to make our lives stable and comfortable, what grounds us (Taurus placement Sedna), and normally that might mean our own choices and actions could threaten us–but here we have the guidance of caring (Cancer) and our own active knowledge and belief (Sag) to guide us. Peak time when we might actually, inadvertently destroy something: 3-6 PM PDT as the Moon sextiles Pluto.

17 July 2010: Free Love

16 Friday Jul 2010

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Once the Moon brusquely bussed Zeus, adding herself to the T-square he was embroiled in with the Nodes, she pulled away, moved past that power struggle over destiny and direction,  and freed her Libran sensibilities to come out and play with the partner (post the 1:30-ish AM meeting). The Lunar lady is free, for a while, to do as she pleases, and love is in the air. Though snuggling up will do initially, to get the message across with no uncertainty she may need to speak up, as the 6 AM hour PDT sees the Moon sextile Mercury in Leo, and talking about ourselves never seemed more right!

Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing, a grand thing, even, and we’re seeing a window for gentle, tender, and spontaneous communion that also quite well accommodates our own needs nicely; a time to give and receive attention, and for everyone to recuperate from the simple assault that is being in the world.

We can spend most of the day in this revery, this shelter of companionship and kindness, until 6:30PM-ish PDT, when the Moon squares Juno and just after sextiles Ceres and quincunxes Sedna. This may suddenly bring up issues of control, territory, and a game of ‘Who’s Got the Power?’ could easily ensue–a bit startling after such a mild day, and all the tougher to handle as Sedna makes us unable to see that we (and they, whoever that may be) are both aggressors. The Moon tells us how to handle it–it’s in Libra, so remember this is a partnership, not a testing of adversaries, and that should truncate any disputes.

1:30 AM or so on the 18th PDT the Moon forms a Cardinal T with the Sun/ Earth axis, setting up the next dynamic, an emotional inventory of what’s on our plates right now–does it serve our needs? are we accomplishing what we intend? what are we really putting our time and energy into? These are worthy concerns after our day of (mostly) just enjoying each other’s company (it’s good prep for the Moon’s trine 6:30-ish AM PDT on the 18th to Neptune, which will be a window for making emotional dreams a reality–we can carry an almost magic feeling into the Void, which begins 7:27 AM PDT). Thinking about what we’re devoting ourselves to will be the best preparation we can make for the next day’s challenges–that, and remembering how good it was just to spend time with someone we love.

16 July 2010: Chances to Change

15 Thursday Jul 2010

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We slide into the 16th with the Moon late in Virgo; we’ve been working hard but are somehow more alert than we expected to be. By 4 AM PDT the Moon is quincunx Neptune and we find we need a break, and imagination takes over. Pay attention to what you think (or dream!) at this time, as the direction our fantasies take will be revealing of what’s swimming around below the surface of our minds–and that means there are things wanted, considered, or longed for that we may not be aware of–always a dicey situation, as they can intrude in the most inconvenient ways on our conscious decisions and Will.

By 5 AM PDT the Moon conjuncts Saturn, and we put a lid on it–and if we don’t, somebody else will. Don’t allow the stop-short quality of the energy to throw you off course; it’s just a hint from the Universe to take some time off. 🙂

6:48 AM the Moon enters the Void; a Libra Moon begins at 7:24 AM PDT. This brings an immediate opposition to Uranus and quincunx to Chiron. For West Coasters it means we start the day with something startling and potentially hurtful–but even at that it may actually hold a positive Chirotic meaning as it encourages the use of related skills and may help us in manifesting a transpersonal form of our own Chiron, likely through relationships.

12:30 PM-ish PDT the Moon  finishes a T-square with an opposition to Jupiter and square to Pluto. The heavies are suddenly in play and our emotional and intuitive faculties are sharply aware of it. The square between Jupiter and Pluto is exaggerating what we believe (Jupiter) we need to do (Cardinal signs), specifically what we need to re-generate or transform, or even destroy so that it is out of our lives forever (Pluto), and the contact from the Libra Moon shows us how this might affect relationships. We may not have seen the situation before precisely as it reveals itself to us now, and that leaves us worried about which way to go–but 4:30 PM PDT or so the Moon semi-sexitles Pallas, then 7:30 PM-ish does the same to Venus, and as the Lunar energy passes through the field of their meeting (the midpoint of their sextile) it shows us both what’s smart and what we value–so if we are patient and don’t leap to conclusions and sabotage our relationships the wise course will be revealed.

By 1:30 AM of the 17th the Moon conjuncts Zeus and enters the long-term Nodal T-square of which the asteroid has been a part. The emotional ramifications of our current choices and the path along which they lead will be clear, and we’ll adjust both ambitions and desires (Zeus) according to what we feel.

15 July 2010: Twenty-Two

14 Wednesday Jul 2010

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As I looked at the dynamic chart for the 15th, what struck me was a kind of pattern that moved forward, and I realized that it centered on four placements at 22 degrees: the Sun/ Earth axis, Sedna, and Ceres. I thought maybe I should treat it as a special, unique configuration, as I would an eclipse–so I’m taking a strict two degree orb as measured from 22, and we’ll see what comes up.

First, the involved elements: the Sun is in Water, while Earth and Sedna are in Earth, and Ceres is in Fire. With our two degree rule we have only two other facets, Mars in Earth and Juno, conjunct the Sun. That gives us a preponderance of Earth, and suggests material effects, a physical arena and focus to tomorrow’s events, with the influence very emotional/ intuitive, and possibly prompting action. The Sun sits at the midpoint of the trine between Sedna and Mars, implying illumination of action and ego, and naturally that means that Earth is trine Mars and Sedna in a Grand Trine– again, the idea of material activity, but we mustn’t ignore Sedna; its influence is one of masking, and that suggests that the entire dynamic, the emotional side of the materially focused action, is really unknowable.

How can something unknowable be illuminated? Chiefly through watching the effect it has on everything else. Like a camera obscura, what we will see is quite real–we just won’t be observing it directly. We must watch for shadows thrown, breezes caused, a feeling of warmth or cold–and extrapolate from there as to what may be causing it.

It’s an awkward scenario, but we can’t forget about Ceres–she sits at 22 Sag, quincunx the Sun and Juno, and quincunx Sedna–and that makes her the apex for a Finger of God. Resolution of the Sun/ Juno in Cancer (the identity seeks empowerment) is found through the symbolic manifestation of Sedna energy, in letting go of both the identity and the need to specifically empower the Self. When the ‘letting go’ is successful, the energy funnels out through a sense of natural authority, in a connection that is at-One with nature itself, that allows us to negotiate anything.  Mars squares Ceres, implying that the conflict between our action urge and our Ceres sensibilities can be worked out, once the action and ego urges are sublimated to the Finger of God, with its ultimate outcome a re-connection with our innate sense of authority, and place within the natural order. It’s a matter of letting go, and gaining all the world and our place in it.

14 July 2010: Setting Ourselves on a Truer Course

13 Tuesday Jul 2010

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Post 2 AM-ish PDT and the Moon in Leo opposes Neptune before entering the Void briefly, at 3:24 AM PDT. The opposition brings a quick influx of stimulation, where we see how and, if we’re tuned in, why our emotional state fails to serve our dreams and ideals, and vice versa, in what way dreams and ideals may undermine our emotional needs. This presents a glimpse of the kind of Self-undermining we all can engage in without even realizing it. An opportunity for a rare kind of enlightenment, with the Void offering a short time for reflection, through to 6:14 AM.

The Moon storms into Virgo–and by that I mean the emotional and perceptual abilities are immediately primed to get down to work, to face the details, to be accountable and to keep accounts, and to get results, and the Moon opposed Chiron and quincunx Uranus is only a distraction–those who’ve got some unnecessary rebellion going on, or who are too attached to hurt, may lose the opportunity, at least for a little while, that the Virgo Moon offers. If you do get distracted, you’ll know that the issues before you can likely be handled with a particular kind of maturity that must be brought to bear–and that you’re the one who needs to do it.

11 AM and optimism peaks (Moon quincunx Jupiter); the conjunction to Venus (12-3 PM PDT) aligns our emotional perceptions and intuition with the best avenues for both relationship and reward–follow what you perceive at this point, it should pay off. At the same time the Moon trines Pluto, and we can clear out what needs to go, in both the relationship and values departments–and that means we may find out a few Plutonian truths about who we are and who we’re involved with and what we’re pursuing that can be invaluable in setting our lives on a truer course.

Just after midnight on the 15th the Moon trines the North Node, and we see the rightness of our course correction. Overall, a highly productive day for those who will go with prevailing influences.