Category Archives: current events in the sky

28 Jan 2010: Anticipation

28 Thursday Jan 2010

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The Cancer Moon fills in a Grand Cross in the wee hours of the 28th AM PST with Juno, Mercury, and Zeus; our feelings show us revelations concerning power and communication, specifically in terms of where power lies across our landscape, and feeling reactions give us a glimpse behind communications to their ‘real’ (i.e. emotional) meanings for us. By the 6 AM hour PST the Moon has moved on to quincunx Ceres, prompting, perhaps, a short period where we become acutely aware of the ways in which we’re in harmony with nature, and the ways we’re not, too; this may guarantee a surreal moment where we feel our animal-ness, or where we fail to–either way, we have a new perspective. For some the effects of this will linger through the day, bringing our minds over and over back to that glimpse of nature, and our place in it (or perhaps, the place we’d like to hold).

The Crab, courtesy http://www.karenswhimsy.com

By the 8 AM hour the Moon trines Pallas and squares Juno exact (this is perfection of this aspect, which was involved in the Grand Cross). West Coasters will start off the day with a solid belief in their own wisdom and good sense, and a chip on their shoulder, definitely related to unresolved conflict that was presented by the Grand Cross; for all other time zones, this feeling of competence and smarts pops up in a way that feels ‘out of the blue,’ and then immediately turns the attention toward the way in which the power struggle can be worked out–feeling one can outsmart one’s adversary can give a huge boost to energy and creativity, whether the estimation of the power situation or the possible resolution makes sense in reality or not!

The 2 PM hour brings the Moon’s conjunction to the South Node and opposition to the North, bringing us face-to-face with the past in some form. The starkness of the incident or memory is juxtaposed with our current life direction–and if we needed to be reminded that the past is not only truly gone, but is something that doesn’t belong in the ‘now,’ this is it.

By 9 PM PST the Moon has moved on to trine Uranus and quincunx Chiron and Neptune. This is a recipe for, if not excitement, then at least variety and a need to adapt. Emotional reactions do best if they stay flexible and open to accomodate the unexpected–no matter how this manifests, it’s unlikely to be a run-of-the-mill evening! Void begins 11:06 PM PST, as we anticipate the arrival of the Full Moon.

Bonus: Tomorrow Jupiter is in range of quincunx to Saturn. Watch for the way in which the urges to expand and contain war it out, internally and externally. This will set up a pervasive energy that plays right into any inclination we have to be indecisive. Libras, keep a light touch on the scales! Everyone else, try to avoid whiplash as the energies bounce us back and forth. There’s no resolving them, only trying to go with the ever-shifting flow.

We’ve almost run out of January! I’ll still be doing the daily diary, but for a comprehensive overview with aspect details that lets you plan ahead, you need your forecasts for February, March, and April, found in the Winter issue of Eclipse, along with my research on Zeus and intercepted House meanings, http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/eclipse-in-depth-astrology-for-the-21st-century/

Today’s Link: Wit, fun, and really good astrology http://distractedastrologer.wordpress.com/

27 Jan 2010: Mercurial Feelings

27 Wednesday Jan 2010

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The Moon’s Void began at 10:33 PM on the 26th PST, and doesn’t end until its entry into Cancer at 6:01 AM PST on the 27th. This gives us a large span of time when we are, in a sense, free: to sleep without dreams, to move through our day unburdened, to be without the weight of emotion. The Void allows this as, without contact, the Moon has nothing to reflect back to us, and so loses its psychic light. It can be a time of rest and renewal, especially on a mental plane, as we are allowed to just exist, with little of the emotional texture that typically can agitate, torment, trouble, sadden, or bring longing or joy forward. Without the imposition of emotion, our minds can reach a state of balance and pure reason–a nice way to meet the day, if we can just allow it to happen. (This may be especially tough for those heavy with natal Moon energy, especially Moon or Sun in Cancer.)

Our Moon--Pic by NASA

The Moon soon trines Jupiter in Pisces, sextiles Vesta, and creates a T-square with Pluto and Saturn, basically presenting us with a dilemma involving the need for change and the status quo, and presenting us with options to handle it involving applying our values to group-thought or belief, use of an educational or religious practice or technique, or asking us to bring personal standards to a public forum. In any event, the problem we’re faced with seems more grim than it is, and we just need to assert our own highest values in finding an answer.

7:30 PM-ish PST the Moon quincunxes the Sun, bringing forward a point of evaluation, a mini-reckoning. This may ask us to review the day critically, and perhaps adjust our emotional reactions to the day’s events.

The real focus of today, though, is Mercury. He is essentially by his lonesome, in terms of major planetary contact. He may garner a lot of our attention, a lot of feeling, without our awareness, as the Cancer Moon may look for a place to light, and with Mercury ‘unattended’ by major energies the feeling Moon and the need to communicate may relate, in that way that we may associate two things because they are there, putting them together in our perceptions for no real reason. Merc has only a couple of other aspects: a sextile to Pallas and a T-square with Juno and Zeus (this will be filled in as a Grand Cross briefly by the transiting Moon, but not until 4 AM PST on the 28th, and this should bring a genuine sense of feeling related to communication to the fore.) The sextile to Pallas says with a little effort we can connect to wisdom–that’s good news!–but that power struggles may gum up communication and other Mercurial exchanges. It becomes a situation where we know what to do, or what we want to say or communicate, but there’s so much posturing, jockeying for position, or so many attempts to grab empowerment or reach ambitious goals that the message will not be delivered. The task is really to take advantage of the ability to know clearly our own position on things, and then to wait for a more advantageous time to present it; and of course, it helps if we aren’t victims of those urges to power ourselves.

Get the forecasts for February, March, and April, along with extended articles on Zeus, chart interceptions, and a discussion of sisters, royalty, and power, in your copy of Eclipse  http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/eclipse-in-depth-astrology-for-the-21st-century/

Today’s Link: The humble circle becomes a mandala http://lunacblog.blogspot.com/

26 Jan 2010: Surprise!

26 Tuesday Jan 2010

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Biggest point of conflict today might be the Gemini Moon’s square to Uranus, happening in the 6 PM hour Pacific time. This seems to say ‘Shocking News’ to me, but could be something more subtle, a shift of the psychic ground that leaves us at the least surprised, at the most scrambling to re-assemble our world. If transiting Uranus is currently aspecting anything in the natal chart, look to the natal energy for clues to the area of potential shock, and also note matters of Uranus’ natal House, House of transiting Moon, and House with Aquarius on the cusp; some or all might blend to indicate possibilities.

Otherwise it seems we see more of the same, though Juno opposed and Ceres sextile Zeus does suggest that some will be caught up in a power struggle that remains largely unseen and not addressed. The sextile makes us think we can live with this tense yet pseudo-civil condition indefinitely, but we might be better off to plan an end to it. Vesta’s trine to Pluto says this is the time to transform those things that are important to us, and certainly enjoying a truly peaceful existence would be one of them–right now we should at least think about how to approach resolving the tension in our under-the-table tug-of-war.

If you’re interested in the Tudor dynasty, natal chart interceptions, the asteroid Zeus, or forecasts for the coming three months (including notes for New and Full Moons that are only in the magazine) try ‘Eclipse’ http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/eclipse-in-depth-astrology-for-the-21st-century/

Today’s Link: A business question answered by Tarot http://astrologycreepsandtarotfreaks.blogspot.com/

And have a great day!

25 Jan 2010: The Saturn Spectrum

25 Monday Jan 2010

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It’s an interesting day, with the oddest mix of excellent indicators and major blind spots, and the question becomes, What will we respond to?

7 AM-1 PM there’s a Grand Trine in Air formed by the Moon, Sun, and Saturn. This brings great stability to the mental faculties while enlightening us on the very best way to deal with our reality. Saturn does, in fact, enjoy very positive aspects, including a trine to the Moon and Sun, as mentioned, a corresponding sextile to the Earth, and a trine to Venus, all very very good. However, Saturn isn’t all sunshine and rainbows; the Old Man happens to be involved in a Fist of God with Pluto and apex Sedna, and this suggests our biggest difficulties center on our ability to perceive which facets of reality, which structures, rules, and institutions actually should be changed or destroyed. There’s nothing we can do about this, except take advantage of the Grand Trine as it ‘lights the way,’ because it’s the only thing that will allow us adequate perspective, if only briefly and temporarily.

An unusual view of Saturn; thanks, NASA

Other highlights: Venus opposed Mars and Mercury quincunx Mars=the Will and possibly the ego take a beating; the action urge is subjected to values, relationship, and talent hang-ups, and communication rubs everyone the wrong way. Keep in mind that Mercury is racing toward a T-square with Zeus and Juno–what we say and think, or the Trickster himself, will soon play havoc in the balance of power within relationship–so over the next week or so a mild approach to communication and communion is advisable.

Today’s Link: Auntie Moon tells us all about Aquarius http://auntiemoon.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/symbols-of-aquarius/#more-3395

And have a great day!

24 Jan 2010: Under the Taurus Moon

23 Saturday Jan 2010

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Had to take a couple of days to finish the magazine, so I apologize for neglecting my astro diary here–I hope no one was too disappointed with the lack of new material! But there are lots of great links in the blogroll–I hope you took advantage and visited many of them. As to the magazine, it’s the first issue of a quarterly featuring more detailed articles than the blog had room for. The mag is all done, the button’s up–yippee! The first issue is all my writing, but I hope to include paid pieces by other astrologers in the near future. And that brings me to this: I have this nagging feeling that there’s someone I’ve forgotten, to whom I promised a copy, so if that’s you, please remind me if you haven’t received a copy by Sunday evening my time (PST). If in-depth discussion of the featured topics interests you, I hope you’ll give Eclipse a try http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/eclipse-in-depth-astrology-for-the-21st-century/ Now, back to finishing up that Juno book!

But enough about me! The Taurus Moon conjuncts Sedna and trines the North Node around 9:30 AM PST on the 24th, and this sets the tone: a feeling of cluelessness when it comes to the emotions and the direction they’re carrying us. The Sun trines Saturn exact, and the Earth quincunxes Pluto exact, suggesting that the flow and dynamism of the day gets tripped up by restrictions that enter the stream so smoothly we are prone to take them for granted and accept the boundaries they impose ;and, material matters need adjustment to avoid decay, change, or destruction–between these two influences we have a focus on preventing some negative that may cause us to hold back (or even give up) on something which is the thing our energy should really be going toward–and the emotional blank spot we may experience will not help us see the bind. Look to the House of the natal chart with Leo on the cusp, and to the spot where the Sun is now transiting in the horoscope, to determine where we should channel the energy. The answer today is to choose a focus, rather than to allow influences to steer for us.

The Moon moves on to some strong aspects, a sextile to Uranus followed quickly by squares to Chiron and Neptune, making the atmosphere edgy and maybe overly sensitive, even quarrelsome. Don’t let the electricity get to you–the Void arrives at 7:03 PM PST, and though Voids can be all-at-sea feeling, this one is in Taurus and should allow us to spend a calming and meditative evening where we can soothe and comfort overselves, relaxing completely, preparing for the week ahead.

Today’s Link: Check out the new premium service offered over at Sasstrology http://sasstrology.com/join 

20 Jan 2010: Opportunity on Tap

20 Wednesday Jan 2010

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Or is it happiness? We can feel an almost unreasonable joy right now, spilling out of us unbidden, and based in the intellectual (Aquarius) and acceptance/ feeling (Pisces) moves into new signs of the Sun and Jupiter, respectively. Both start out the day at 00 of their signs, putting them semi-sextile each other; and once the Moon leaves her Void in Pisces and enters Aries (10:37 AM PST), we have the symbol of intuitive, nurturing, and feeling energies placing Jupiter at the midpoint of the Moon’s relationship to the Sun, bringing us a moment (or really, about 2 hours) of radiant emotional and social illumination, a brief religious or spiritual ecstasy, an expansion of the mate relationship, or the point of perfect balance that allows us to successfully reach out into the world. A time to plan for, I think.

Then the Moon moves on to sextile Venus, giving us that ‘icing on the cake’ feeling, and after proceeds to a Cardinal T-square with Saturn and Pluto, and we may be wondering where both the hard-core dynamism to act and the sudden feelings of tension and upset are coming from. We may find ourselves emotionally conflicted at being asked to keep a secret, or at being faced with the reality of some less-than-wholesome scenario, or at the surprising need to contain our rage–but if we’re attuned to the flowing, ever-changing nature of the Moon we’ll know that this, too, shall pass, as the Moon moves to quincunx Vesta in the 8 PM hour PST. This requires we pull out of the serious distraction of the T-square in order to adjust the emotional perceptions so that they are in harmony with those things we find sacred, and so that they serve the needs of our home situation, and perhaps those of the sex life. This aspect offers us a chance to ‘take the lead’ (Moon in Aries) in our day and in our lives, a welcome change from recent stresses, and a chance to course-correct without leaving any damage in our wake.

Today’s Link: Here’s a beautifully done site I’ve recently found that concentrates on the asteroids http://ravenesque.me/

And here’s the link to the page for my new magazine, available shortly! http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/eclipse-in-depth-astrology-for-the-21st-century/

18 Jan 2010: Exuberant Caution

18 Monday Jan 2010

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The Moon’s just hit Pisces and so has Jupiter, bringing a sense of exuberance that may have an over-optimistic, reckless quality–everything’s wide open and we are quick to rush right in. Does that make us fools, like in the old song, or angels who wander, protected, into dicey territory? A little of both, as Mars sextiles Zeus and squares Pallas, making the action and ambition principle quick to push us forward while good sense and inner wisdom cry out for attention–and they’re likely to be ignored, unless we rein ourselves in and focus on the practical and the doable.

Saturn squares both Pluto and Mercury, and Vesta trines them; we find the practical and the doable here, but nobody said it would be easy. Tension continues between the realism principle and the transformative one, and words and thoughts may betray us as they clash with ‘what is,’ and worse, are inadvertently destructive; we open our mouths and the meaning of our utterances can be much different than we intended. If we invest in Self-discipline (and this may mean keeping our opinions to ourselves, for now), and don’t expect leaps and bounds of progress, the day will go by without implosions; even better, if we focus on those things we truly revere, and take care of home and our most intimate relationships (and this may not be easy, see Venus, below) we can make the most of these touchy energies–something genuine and sturdy can be built, if we try.

 In the 7 AM hour Venus enters Aquarius, at least helping us understand what’s of worth, what we should bother with, and what can be disregarded. In this sign Venus enjoys a clear head, for once, though she’s adept at justifying anything she wants and may play it cool and hard to get; what’s more, she hides her jealousy and desires behind rational arguments and reasoning, and she may needlessly rebel when frustrated, possibly destroying what she normally treasures. Unless you’re naturally attuned to Aquarian and Uranian energies, caution is called for, as Venus takes an atypical tack in the sign of the Waterbearer. In two days the Sun joins her and the influence is much more easily detected.

Today’s Link: I wanted to include this blog in the Kreativ Awards, as it’s a great, unpreachy source of dietary and life habit information, but I may have already given it an award? Not sure, but visit anyway http://beansandyoga.wordpress.com/  And have a great day!

16 Jan 2010: The Flood

16 Saturday Jan 2010

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 I went out to bring the trash cans back from the street today and it was pouring, and it had been for days. We live on a slight incline, but the ground was finally saturated and standing water ringed the west and south sides of the house. It was a little freaky, seeing grass and pavement shimmering, completely under water. I went back in and later in the afternoon fell asleep. I dreamed of floods, water rising at the high living room window, the neighbor’s dog paddling on, dog bowl and flower pots and garden rakes floating by, and shot through with fear in the dream I wondered, “Where’s the water coming from?” There was so much of it, far more than would gather with anything less than a second Great Flood. As I watched the water I was afraid and the water level rose; when I climbed to the second story and both stopped being afraid and stopped wondering where the water was coming from, the flooding receded, leaving everything dry once again.

The dream made me think about Neptune; I’ve neglected him of late. Right now, aside from the much-discussed conjunction to Chiron and Jupiter, he’s receiving a quincunx from Earth, a sesquiquadrate from Saturn, a square from Sedna, and a semi-sextile from Juno. This offers a scenario where flooding of any kind, physical, emotional, shouldn’t be unexpected, as Earth makes the effect material, Saturn brings in the status quo, Jupiter exaggerates, Chiron exposes the wound (perhaps a natural human one such as the fear of drowning), with it all bringing up the question of personal empowerment, and Sedna comes along and blocks our awareness of the Neptune circumstances altogether.

What does that leave? All the effects of a flood without the awareness of one. Perhaps the thing to do is look around and notice what has all the earmarks of being overwhelming, of engendering fear, of washing away what’s familiar, of drowning us emotionally or psychically, but which we haven’t yet realized is actually a threat.

Did the eclipse change things? It did for me; the new year had been inexplicably chaotic, draining, and even dangerous until the Solar eclipse, which fell in my 12th, sextile my Venus. I can only think it flooded my subconscious with love as the Moon, Sun, and transiting Venus connected. I hope it’s been as kind to you.

Today the Aquarian Moon hits the midpoint of the Ceres/ Juno trine, asking us to balance our own empowerment with appropriate co-operation with authority; then it squares Pallas=emotional questions about what’s wise; trines Zeus=ambitions and willfulness are aided by emotional perceptions; and by early afternoon PST the Moon opposes Mars=expect temper, confrontations, and the exercising of the Will, and this may seem like it’s coming out of nowhere. The evening remains in a holding pattern; however you enter it will set the tone and play out without much alteration. By 2 AM PST on the 17th the Moon quincunxes the South Node, and we’re either recalling the evening and thinking we should’ve known better, or we’re nostalgic for some element of the past.

Today’s Link: Read Twilight on Art and the best artist you’ve probably never heard of http://twilightstarsong.blogspot.com/2010/01/arty-farty-friday-francis-picabia.html  And enjoy your Saturday!

15 Jan 2010: Punch Drunk

15 Friday Jan 2010

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We’ve gone down the rabbit hole of the eclipse and come out punch drunk and exhausted, just wishing for a little bit of rest. We’ll get it, in a form, but it will be the kind of lull where we’re all nerved up with nowhere to go. We’re tired: of having to focus, of heart-wrenching disasters near and far, of the effort that doesn’t seem to have a definitive end or payoff. Much of this is due to Mercury as it sits poised to direction and speed, and we can feel it on every nerve.

The answer, at least for today, may be found in the intellect. The Moon enters Aquarius at 9:17 AM PST, and our refuge could be the Higher Mind. It’s a good day for planning, for mulling, and for getting our notes in order; the aspects the Moon enjoys will bring their own trials, and a little mental distance and a stance of ‘if I just think about this, make a list, make a plan all will go well’  can at least get us through, both distracting ourselves from the random shrapnel flying left and right, and getting a modest amount done.

The Moon semi-sextiles Pluto=the emotions and/ or the intuitive perceptions may be challenged with some unpleasant realities or disturbing secrets; don’t take it too seriously, things can be sorted out later when our emotional heart has recovered from the blow. Moon semi-sextile Mercury=words and thoughts seem set in stone; again, those tablets can be sanded down–nothing is unchangeable. Moon trine Saturn=time for that sorting Pluto promised you’d need! Reality calms and helps us get perspective; things aren’t as topsy-turvy as we feared. Moon quincunx Vesta=we’ll be lucky enough to see precisely where we need to adjust the emotional perceptions in order to honor those things we find sacred in life. This offers us an excellent barometer against which we see just how much we may have overreacted to Pluto and Mercury earlier. Put your feet up–time for that cocktail, kids!

Still obsessing about the eclipse? Get more info here http://www.pandoraastrology.com/blog/ And have a great day!

Solar Eclipse Jan 14 2010: Expect the Unexpected

12 Tuesday Jan 2010

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We see a Solar (New Moon) Eclipse on January 14, 2010 at 11:11 PM PST at 25 Capricorn 01, and what we can expect is the unexpected, symbolized by the sextile of Uranus to the eclipse (and for eclipse aspects, sticking to our usual strict 2 degree orb). Part of the surprise is that Venus joins the pairing of Sun and Moon at the degree and only 49 minutes from exact, traveling ahead of the combo (the exact conjunction is past). This places Venus combust the Sun, and though we must consider that Venus in such a state is weakened as a distinct entity, it’s also melded with the Sun, and so becomes one with it. The ultimate effect is such that the Sun seems to absorb Venus-ness into itself, and in my view, in this instance this is only good. It promises that the eclipse sparks a pure and luminious love effect whereever it falls in the natal chart; by love I mean that this force will take whatever shape is needed for the individual (but remember, what we think we need may not be what we actually need!) and this can be reward or recognition, actual love, money, assets, discovery of talents, expression that is one with the senses, an artistic revelation, fulfilling relationship, illumination of where one’s treasure lies–in short, a payoff for being who we are. Semi-sextiles to Neptune and Chiron suggest that ideals and/ or delusions come into play–dreams can come true–and in the case of delusions they may come true only to show us that our real assets or goals lie elsewhere. There is also the potential for hurt or the discovery/ exploitation of innate and unique skills (Chiron); you can see that, though no matter what happens it will be of benefit to the individual, it may involve the discovery that what we previously valued isn’t truly in our own best interests. The gift of the eclipse is the chance for illumination of the Venus principle in a way very particular to each individual. Take what comes with a response of gratitude, as even the end of a pleasant illusion is something to celebrate; it allows us to put our attention and energy into what will affect our reality, and so change our lives for the better.

A semi-square to Ceres by the eclipse rounds out the direct Sun/Moon involvement with other bodies, signalling that nature and/ or authorities may place a vital role in realizing our eclipse potential; for many this will involve the recognition that one must assume authority for oneself and one’s choices, at this point.The Sabian for the eclipse and Venus degree is ‘A Nature Spirit Dancing in the Iridescent Mist of a Waterfall’ This suggests that the wholistic and organic will be venues for expression of the unseen, again emphasizing the materializtion/ expression of ‘what is,’ which is just another name for love.

Also active at the time of the eclipse is stationary Mercury in Capricorn, which trines Vesta, sesquiquadrates Sedna, and forms a T-square with Juno and Saturn (here we note that Merc will not meet Pluto before direction–its proximity is a red herring). This implies Mercury is attempting to ‘do the right thing’ but is pretty confused right now–if we’re trying to make a statement about reality or the concrete (Capricorn) based on our very best intentions that honor the sacred (Vesta) and that define our own sphere of empowerment (Juno) as well as ‘the rules’ (Saturn) we will be unable to do so with any veracity–not because we’re trying to deceive, but because we’re unable to see the situation at all (Sedna). These statements of ‘this is what I am, this is the situation I’m in control of’ must wait until Mercury is direct and out of contact with Vesta–then we’ll have a much clearer and more accurate idea whereof we speak!

Also of interest is that Uranus is making only easy aspects: sextiles to Moon, Sun, and Venus, a trine to Earth and South Node. This is why the surprises will be largely happy ones, and 100% positive, even if they’re a bummer in the moment; ultimately they will be all for the good. And Mars retro is just within reach of a Grand Trine with Juno and Ceres, making issues of empowerment, authority, and stymied, delayed, or misdirected action the biggest, hairiest fly in our ointment–but considering the sheer positive candlepower of what’s coming with the eclipse, we won’t have much to complain about (unless we’re going in completely the wrong direction–but those people don’t read this blog, do they?)

For more dimension on the eclipse, please see http://www.starsoverwashington.com/2010/01/solar-ecl-jan-15-2010-and-mercurys.html by the esteemed Jude Cowell!