markspringle.com

Hello Everyone!

How is life treating you these days?  With 5 planets in Pisces as I write this, I can imagine that some of us feel victimized or martyred, others feel dreamy and reclusive, and still others are hopeful and excited about the future.  These feelings are all different aspects of the Pisces archetype.   Pisces represents the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, where we hide and where we find salvation.  Astrologers often say that Pisces is where the loose ends of our lives are waiting for us.  This could be an unpleasant place to be if we are the type of people who sweep things under the carpet instead of dealing with them.  On the other hand, if we have cleaned up before the maid arrives, then we are in good shape and better able to focus on the future rather than worrying about what the maid might find.

Venus has been keeping company with Uranus and we may have some disruption in our friendships, in our finances, and in our homes.  Perhaps these are aftershocks of the crises we have been dealing with since late 2008 when Saturn and Uranus first opposed each other on the Virgo/Pisces axis.  There is still work to be done cleaning up that mess, so if it isn‘t cleaned up yet, what are you waiting for?  Pluto and Saturn have been square since late October 2009, demanding that we take responsibility for ourselves and the situations we have created.  This square will last through October 2010, so whatever we put off or neglect will only pressurize and become harder to deal with, so we all need to “get to gettin‘”!

Uranus will square Pluto many times over the next decade, bringing in fresh new ideas and situations to help us move out of the past (the age of Pisces) and into the future (the Age of Aquarius).  Some of these will coincide with the remaining Saturn/Pluto squares, forming an especially intense t-square.  April 26 and July 26 are big dates for the spring and summer, so schedule yourself wisely and get your “housework” done before the maid shows up!  Also, please remember that these are dates when the math is exact.  The energies wax and wane, just like the moon.  With these larger and slower planets, the energy is waxing for weeks or even months before the day that the math is exact.  The high degree of tension, anxiety, and pressure that we are feeling is directly related to the waxing nature of this energy.  We may have felt like there was nothing we could do, but the time for action is upon us, so if we don’t have a plan yet, it is definitely time to get one.

Mars has been retrograde in Leo since December 20th.  Mars represents our will, our desire, and our actions.  It can also represent anger and aggression.  Leo is ruled by the Sun, which was in late Sagittarius when Mars went retrograde, and has moved through Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces  These signs are the disseminating signs, which means there was a lesson we needed to learn about the things near and dear to our hearts, which is also Leo ruled.  When Mars is retrograde, action, movement, and force should be subdued and we should be working internally to learn the lesson implied by the sign Mars is occupying.  Also, since Mars rules aggression, common astrological wisdom dictates that Mars retrograde is a time to protect what we have, not a time to be aggressive or to start new ventures.

Also, when Mars is retrograde, Venus gains in strength, as she is the yin to the yang of Mars.  Venus has closely followed the Sun through the disseminating signs, hopefully bringing an awareness of what we are attracting.  The opportunity to become aware of the things, people, and situations we attract has been made more possible because Mars has made it very difficult to move forward.  Basically, we have been put on a cosmic “time out” so that we could see what we have created for ourselves up to this point.  Venus conjuncted Uranus this past week, and we may have come to a realization that certain people or situations we are in are no longer serving a purpose, or at least not a positive one.  Let these things and people go now with blessings!  Appreciate the lesson, and move on.  The universe has bigger things in store for all of us!  Time waits for no one.

On Sunday, March 7, Venus will move into Aries.  Venus was retrograde in this sign March 6th through April 16, 2009.  This was a time we should have been doing some soul searching and self-improvement in the Aries ruled areas of our chart.   Now Venus is back, checking to see if the improvements we made are good enough to see us through the upcoming t-square, squares, and eclipses.  Mars will go direct on March 10th and our time out is over, giving us the green light to proceed with whatever plans we should have been making over the past months, if not years while Saturn has been in Virgo.  Mars will move very slowly for the next two months, so don’t expect huge leaps, but do allow the movement forward to happen organically, making sure to remain open to new possibilities.  There is a reason for this, so trust that the universe knows what it is doing and take the time necessary to move slowly and cautiously forward, making sure that each step is one about which we can be confident and for which we are willing to take full responsibility.

This energy will lead us right up to the Pisces New Moon on Monday, March 15th.  A New Moon is the time set intentions and to plant the seeds we want to grow in our lives.  I mentioned at the beginning of this column that Pisces is the alpha and the omega; it is where we hide and where we are redeemed.  Although the past is a part of Pisces, time moves forward, not backward, so the Pisces New Moon will be a time to make set our intentions for our futures on a grand scale.  Perhaps our pasts will inform our intentions, but we must live forward.  There is a need for many changes and upgrades everywhere in our lives: in our neighborhoods, in our societies, governments, and institutions.  Now is the time to plant the seed for the change to grow.

with love

m

Dear Friends,

The Virgo Full Moon is this Sunday at 9′59″ Virgo.  Normally, a Full Moon is a time we receive feedback on how we are doing in our evolutionary growth.  It represents the culmination of the lunar cycle that began with the previous New Moon.  When a cycle begins, this is the time to set our intentions and plant the seed that we want to see grow.  The culmination of the cycle is when we receive the feedback on how well we have nurtured that intention.  Interestingly enough, even though this Full Moon is a lunar culmination, it also marks the beginning of three other planetary cycles: Sun/Jupiter, Mercury/Neptune, and Venus/Uranus.

Saturn has been in Virgo for most of the last 2.5 years.  This has been a time when we should have been very aware of our needs with respect to service, health, and routine.  These are all Virgo ruled areas in our lives.  Also, whatever house is ruled by the sign Virgo in our charts has been influenced by Saturn to become healthier and more effective at adapting to the changing times.  While this was happening, Uranus in Pisces was opposing Saturn, a cycle which started in October 1988.  We are now seeing the full effect of that cycle.  Uranus always brings an upgrade to our lives, but it usually does so with a big upheaval or very unexpected turn of events by which we often feel either victimized or set free.  This Full Moon will be a time to receive feedback on how we well we have adapted to these circumstances, and also on how well we have learned to make better and healthier choices and decisions for ourselves.

Saturn is currently in Libra, representing a need to form better relationships and to find balance in our lives, but Saturn will revisit Virgo and oppose Uranus in Pisces one last time from April 8 through July 21.  These 14 weeks will be a time when we will all have to finish whatever was started in our lives during the Fall and Winter of 2008 when the first Saturn/Uranus opposition happened.  Hopefully, we have found some balance or new ways of relating so that the ending wont have to be as dramatic as the beginning of this process, but we will see both happen all around us.  Healthy resolutions to these issues will make it much easier to start fresh, as Saturn and Uranus will oppose each other again in cardinal signs in late July 2010.

The Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon oppose each other, so anything that aspects the Sun or Moon significantly is important to our understanding of the energies represented.  The Sun will be conjunct Jupiter, starting a new cycle between those two planets.  Jupiter can represent healing and expansion, growth and development.  The cycle starts at nearly 10 degrees of Pisces.  Pisces is the sign we associate with the future and optimism.  The new cycle is reminding us that no matter what has happened in our past, or is happening in our present, the future looms bright and hopeful.  However, we also associate Pisces with the martyr/savior complex, so there will be a challenge to overcome the victim mentality and embrace the role of the superhero who is never defeated as long as there is growth.

The ruler of Virgo is Mercury, so we will want to know what he is doing at the time of the Full Moon.  Mercury will be starting a new cycle with Neptune at nearly 27 degrees Aquarius.  Mercury represents our mind and how we think, process, and communicate.  Neptune represents the dissolution of boundaries, as well as inspiration and delusion.  Neptune is a tricky energy because there is a lack of clarity wherever Neptune is involved.  Luckily, Mercury in Aquarius is rather objective and somewhat detached from emotion.  This could be a good time for us bring some objectivity to the areas of our lives where things are unclear.  Emotions come and go, but the truth is never far away.  There are those who will allow their thinking to become clouded by Neptune’s fog, most likely because Chiron is also involved in this new cycle.  Chiron is where we are wounded by our past, but it also shows us how to heal that wound.  Using the optimistic, forward looking energy of the Sun/Jupiter conjunction rather than looking back and feeling victimized will go a long way towards keeping the energy positive and maximizing the potential of this new seed.

For the present, no discussion involving Saturn or Virgo is complete without a mention of the planet Uranus.  Just after the Full Moon, Venus will conjunct Uranus at roughly 26 Pisces and begin their last yearly cycle in this sign for 77 or so years.  Uranus spends roughly 7 years in a sign, and starts a new cycle with Venus once a year.  The next cycle will begin at 2 degrees of Aries in April 2011.   For this cycle, we have Venus exalted in Pisces, and strengthened by the retrograde of her partner in crime, Mars.  Venus represents what we attract: it is a passive principle.  Of course, we attract what we send out through the active exercise of Mars energy.  Uranus is that force which brings chaos into our lives in order to shake us out of our ruts: old habits and routines (Saturn) that don’t support us anymore.  Because it is ruled by Jupiter, Pisces is a forward looking energy.  Pisces also carries with it the duality of the victim mentality or the total egomaniac.   This cycle, especially since Mars is retrograde, asks us to open ourselves to the healing and expanding possibilities of an unknown and unexpected future.  Can we be open, even anticipate with joy, a future that is uncertain or not clear?  Yes, we can if we are open to receiving love, evolution, and growth without needing it to be packaged in the same old wrapping that we have come to expect.

And remember, if our hands are open to give, they are also open to receive.

with love

m

Dear Friends,

We are still experiencing the balsamic energy with the Sun, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus all in Pisces, along with Chiron and Neptune conjunct in late Aquarius.  At a new phase, we are planting a new seed, like we do on the New Moon.  This corresponds to the sign of Aries in the zodiac.  The first quarter phase is a time for initial action, which corresponds to Cancer.  The full phase is when we see the results of the intention we set at the New Moon relative to the action we took at the first quarter.  The full phase corresponds with the sign Libra.  At the third quarter phase, corresponding to Capricorn, we must accept responsibility for the full phase.  In between the third quarter and the next new cycle is the balsamic phase, which corresponds with later Aquarius and Pisces.  The balsamic phase is a time when we finish what we started at the new phase, a time when we have accepted responsibility for our creation and we are tying up loose ends.  The balsamic phase is a time to accept, complete, and to release.

The Aquarius New Moon on Feb 13 was conjunct Chiron and Neptune, which was an important transition into the balsamic frame of mind that will help us transition into the upcoming Cardinal T-Square configuration where Uranus and Jupiter will conjunct in early Aries, opposite Saturn in Libra, with Pluto in Capricorn squaring both.  This event will happen in late July, and is already forming as these planets all slowly shift ever closer to this major showdown.  Saturn and Uranus have been opposing in the signs of Pisces and Virgo respectively for 2 years, and even though Saturn has moved into Libra, he is retrograding backwards to a final meeting with Uranus at 29 Virgo-Pisces on April 26th.  These past two years have seen much turmoil and change with respect to the economy, housing, employment, and political systems all over the globe.  Each of us has been affected and now is the time that we need to tie up loose ends with respect to these changes.  Whatever change took over our lives in 2008 and kept us in its grip in 2009, we now need to complete.  For some of us, resistance has been the name of the game, and this two year period has not been fun.  For others, the change was welcome and provided freedom from something that had become stifling.  Either way, the change is going to complete itself, with or without our help.  Why not stay ahead of the wave, ride the energy, and be proactive about finishing whatever needs to be finished.  Even if it feels unpleasant to face what we have been hiding from or avoiding, it will be relief to know that we have finally put it to rest.

By tying up these loose ends, we will be in a much better position to harness the energy of late July.  Cardinal signs want us to start something new, but how can we start something new if we are still stuck in the past.  The answer is that we cannot!  All of this energy concentrated in Pisces right now, with more to come, is showing us where we have been hiding, where we have been fooling ourselves.  It may also be showing us where we can shift the boundaries of what we thought was possible for us.  Pisces is the end and the beginning, and it contains all of the things we were afraid to face earlier.  Luckily, Venus and Jupiter, both dignified and conjunct in Pisces, have given us the opportunity to see hope where we once saw fear, and to see common ground where we once saw division.  Chiron sitting with Neptune has been a boon to many, bringing healing and inspiration in the face of adversity  Unfortunately, for some this combination has been a painful reminder of how we can make our wounds even deeper by refusing to acknowledge our intuition.  There have been quite a few sad stories at the Olympics this year, many injuries and a horrible death, and I am sure that the most recent Aquarius New Moon conjunct Chiron and Neptune is as good of an illustration as any.  Delusions can make our wounds greater, and it is a sad reality that even though Nodar Kumaritashvili feared the track that took his life, he felt that he had no choice but to compete.  He did, but he could not see it — or could not allow himself to chose it — and this is the great challenge of Neptune.

With Mars retrograde, Venus still has center stage, and in Pisces, Venus is exalted, which opens the door for us to receive the bounty of Pisces: intuition, grace, love.  It also opens the door to the dark side of Pisces: hiding, escape, and delusion: Neptune is, after all, the modern ruler of Pisces.  As always, the energy is neutral and present in all of its forms.  It is up to us, each and every one, to make good decisions on how to use it.  Of course, making no decision at all is to play the victim, and many people under strong Piscean influence play the martyr well, but most of them are victims of their own self-undoing.  The Full Moon on February 28 is at 9 Virgo, opposite a Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces.   This will be the time we receive feedback on how well we have dealt with this energy.

Be well, complete what needs to be completed, and get some rest if possible.  The Aries ingress is March 21st, demanding new beginnings, and that will be the time that we need to move forward and leave the past in the past.

with love

m

Dear Friends,

We open the new week with a New Moon at 25′17″ Aquarius conjunct Neptune and Chiron.  This is potent stuff, for sure!  Neptune, Chiron, and Jupiter were conjunct from March 2009 through January 2010 in the sign of Aquarius.  Chiron is the mythical Wounded Healer: Chiron represents the psychic wound which we allow to make us feel separate from the rest of humanity.  Ironically, it is also the capacity for healing through that same unique experience.  Our greatest weakness is, in fact, our greatest strength.  Learning how Chiron works in our charts is a crucial step to bringing more joy and connectedness into our lives.  Neptune represents dreams, illusions, delusions, creativity, and outright deception.  Neptune is an energy which dissolves boundaries: I always envision a huge bank of fog enveloping the landscape when I think of Neptune.  Outlines are distorted, shapes are exaggerated, clarity is diminished.  If the boundaries we have are rigid and not able to flow with the change required by the times, then Neptune can be a liberating force, dissolving the restrictions and allowing for more movement and for creativity to flourish.  However, if we insist on believing that what we see in the fog is real, then we may find ourselves deceived once the fog recedes.

With Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune all conjunct in Aquarius for practically the past year, we have had an opportunity for great healing to happen in the Aquarius ruled house of our charts.  Jupiter expands whatever it touches, so whatever liberation and healing was promised by Neptune sitting with Chiron was only magnified by Jupiter.  Of course, there is always the chance that the opposite has happened.  Perhaps rather than face illusions and wounds, we have retreated further into them.   We all know people who are not happy unless they are miserable.  Well, this influence could be making them much more “happy,” as their wounds get deeper and they refuse to face the reality of their situations.  Jupiter has moved on into the sign of Pisces, where he is conjunct Venus at this New Moon, bringing either more love and healing energy reconnecting us to the divine, or more illusions and a need to hide from reality.  As always, every coin has two sides.

Aquarius is the sign of humanity, of friendship, of dreams.  Aquarius is the sign where each unique individual is accepted in to the larger family of man.  Yes, we are all unique, we are all special.  We are also One.  No one person, no one thing, is more divine that any other.  This is the message of Avatar, and the popularity of this movie is no surprise, given the astrology of its release.   I told the folks at the Zodiac Lounge last night that we are all ants in the same hill, no matter how much money, prestige, or power we allow to delude ourselves otherwise.  Aquarius is the sign where our differences cease to matter.  We are all one in Aquarius, and this is the lesson we will learn as we move deeper into the Age of Aquarius.  Neptune could dissolve whatever boundaries (Chiron wounding) have been preventing us from accepting our connectedness, and our unique capacities and talents (Chiron healing) could be just the ticket to help us realize that we ARE an important - even crucial - link, as is everyone else.  This idea wont appeal to everyone.  Some people believe they are better than others.  This will also be a time when this illusion can be made more manifest: think Tea Party politics.  Aquarius can also represent a detachment or a division from the whole, and those who cannot accept being just another ant will delude themselves into thinking that they are better than or above everyone else.  Its okay, let them.  Ultimately, this delusion wont sustain itself as society continues to evolve, and eventually they will learn finally their lessons, too.

The traditional ruler of Aquarius is Saturn and the modern ruler is Uranus.  Well, people who read my column regularly know that Saturn and Uranus are opposing each other right now, and have been for 2 years.  Saturn represents the status quo and Uranus represents an upgrade to outmoded systems.  Well, we are all receiving an upgrade whether we want it or not, so we might as well embrace it!  This New Moon is going to upgrade our software (our understanding of life) and bring us into the new millennium!  We are, each and everyone of us, the same as everyone else.  Money, houses, and jobs are all just things… and many of us had to loose these things in order to learn that lesson.  Some of us got to keep these things so that we would be there to help those who lost.  Those who lost today will be the helpers tomorrow and vice versa.  No one is exempt from this lesson.  Learn it now or learn it a harder way later.  As always, the choice is ours.  Saturn is also being squared by Pluto right now, demanding that we take responsibility for our selves, our own healing, and our own choices.

Aquarius is an air sign, therefore much of this change is conceptual.  It is happening between our ears, and in our hearts, as well, as Mars (the ruler of action) is retrograde in Leo and configured as an apex of a yod with the sextile of Pluto to Jupiter.  No need to get into all of that!  It is enough, I believe, to set your intentions on this New Moon to break down the emotional and psychic barriers that we believe prevent us from embracing our larger role in humanity.  There are other things happening in the sky, too, but really, how much info can you digest in one sitting?

The most important thing to remember is that we are all one in this world, and that no matter how much of an outsider you think you are, you are just one of the gang.  Use your talents and resources to help your fellow man, and see how giving and sharing can result in acceptance and love.  Easy breezy!

As Niecy Nash always says on my favorite show Clean House, when your hand is open to give, it is open to receive.

With love

m

Dear Friends,

The Moon is now in the last quarter square phase.  This phase calls for taking responsibility for what was begun, consciously or not, at the Capricorn New Moon of January 15.  Mars is still retrograde in Leo, which is usually a time when it is best not be overly aggressive or assertive.  When Mars is retrograde, Venus becomes more pronounced, and Venus attracts.  Venus will have traveled through Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces by time Mars goes direct.  These are the final signs of the zodiac, and we have attracted the ending of something in our lives, whether we realize it or not.  When Mars goes direct, Venus will be in assertive, self-centered Aries, and it will be time to work on ourselves first, and then see what comes next.

Jupiter has moved into Pisces, bringing a desire to unify ourselves with something larger, but this desire could be misleading, as Jupiter is also sextile to Pluto in Capricorn, demanding that we take a deep, hard look at where we need to accept responsibility for making a change.  Pisces is where we hide, and if we cannot face the pressure to make the necessary changes, Jupiter in Pisces could fuel more refusal to do what needs to be done.  This will only make matters worse, so please step up and do what you know you need to do.

Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto are all moving toward a cardinal T-square in mid-summer, with Jupiter joining Uranus in Aries opposing Saturn, all squared by Pluto.  We are already feeling this energy, but everyday, we get closer to its complete manifestation.  This will cause many shake ups and surprises in the cardinal houses of your personal horoscope.  Out with the old and in with the new!  There are new things for us to do, whether we want to or not!  We need to move with the energy and be ready to accept what the future holds.  Now is a good time to remember the old saying that “time waits for no man.”  (If you don’t know where these points are in your chart, then now is a good time to find out! )*

This all background to what is happening this week.

On Sunday, Venus will join Neptune, starting a new cycle.  Neptune represents inspiration on the positive side, and illusion on the negative side.  We must have dreams to inspire us, but we must also be realistic: This is the message from the Saturn/Pluto square.   We would all be wise to measure our success by the progress we make, not by the presence of a “perfect” ending.  By the time this July is over, we will all have radically different ideas of what we need or want in order to be happy.  If we use our dreams to inspire us and we use our energy to move towards that goal with common sense, respect, and responsibility, then we will weather the upcoming challenges well.

Mercury will hit the last degree of Capricorn on Tues and Venus will be in the last degree of Aquarius on Thursday.  When a planet is in the last degree of a sign, it is time to end something.  Mercury is the messenger and Venus represents love, money, and relationships.  Capricorn is the sign concerned with tradition and responsibility and its ruler, Saturn, is in Libra.  Libra is ruled by Venus and Venus in Aquarius is ruled by Saturn.  We call this a mutual reception, which means that they are working especially well together.  Being responsible and working together for mutual benefit is always a good idea, and this is what we should have been doing over the past few months.  Saturn in Libra, especially since it went retrograde on Jan 13th, has been showing us where cooperation is needed.  Venus is Aquarius may well have been “divorcing” us from something that or someone who wasn’t good for us.  A certain level of detachment is a strong trait of Aquarius energy.  Perhaps the time for “working things out” is over with respect to the dilemmas that have been facing you for the past 2 or more years.  Saturn will move back into Virgo and oppose Uranus in Pisces on April 26th.  This will be the final showdown for these two planets in mutable signs.  Mutable signs like to fix things, but if the thing cannot be fixed, then Uranus will bring a surprise ending, change the playing field, and when they meet again in cardinal signs in July, a new way of relating will be necessary.  One thing is for sure, if we don’t release what we need to so that the situation can end, it will continue to provide a source of unhappiness and drama that will prevent us from accessing the happiness that is every one’s birthright.

Venus will move into Pisces, and this sign is co-ruled by Neptune and Jupiter.  As I have mentioned, Jupiter is already in Pisces and Neptune is still in Aquarius.  These are the balsamic signs, which means they are about endings.  These signs represent a time to wrap things up, to catch up on unfinished business, and to tie up loose ends.  Well, that is perfect!  The heavens are reinforcing their message.  We need to make room for the new things coming our way!  We need to get the old things finished so that we have energy for the new things!  Both Pisces and Neptune have an affiliation with dreams, and we know that Neptune is our inspiration.  Pay close attention to your dreams: journal and meditate about them.  They are images from your deep subconscious mind trying to lead you to happier pastures.  Mars is retrograde through March 8th in Leo, bringing up things from your heart that need attention.  Your dreams will be a good source of information.  If you have a bad dream, just remember that it is only a message, and try to find the upside of the dream, the positive aspect.  For instance, I had a dream the other night that something was chasing me.  I was terrified.  Once I woke up, though, I realized that whatever it was couldn’t catch me, so I had no need to be fearful.  Well, I do have some fear about a few things right now, so this realization gave me both comfort and the strength to persevere.  A simple change in perspective can make a huge difference.

Friday February 12th brings an adjustment period as retrograde Mars forms a quincunx with Pluto.  It is time to take responsibility for something before we can move forward and realize our dreams.  Pluto is square to Saturn in Libra that day, so expect the adjustment to involve money or other concrete resources, real estate, and - of course- relationships!  This is the final day of the balsamic moon just before the New Moon in Aquarius!  The New Moon is a time to set intentions and commit to creating something with the energy available.  I’ll be writing about the Aquarius New Moon next week, but you can come to the Standard on Miami Beach this Wednesday, February 10th and get the scoop early!  Hope to see you there!

Its on, people!  Don’t waste time hiding or being fearful… Accept responsibility, be practical, be kind, and be prepared for the unexpected.  Its coming your way soon!

With love,

m

*for a donation of $5 or more, I’ll snail mail you a printout of your chart so you will know where your planets and house cusps are.  Please email me at markspringle@gmail.com and put CHART OFFER in the subject line.  I’ll send you a paypal link and request your birth data and mailing address at that time.

Dear Friends,

On Dec 31st, we had a Lunar Eclipse at 10 Cancer which was followed by a Solar Eclipse at 25 Capricorn.  Taken together, these eclipses are pointing the way towards a brighter future.  For both eclipses, the Sun was in Capricorn, reminding us that the more positive qualities of the Capricorn archetype will be useful guides in our advancement.  These qualities include patience, diligence, strength, and loyalty.  The Lunar Eclipse asked us to release aspects of the past that were holding us back and preventing us from engaging our inner Capricorn.  The Solar Eclipse was an invitation to embrace this inner Capricorn, to allow the very best of the our Capricorn natures to integrate and direct us in the coming months.

As an Earth sign, Capricorn is practical.  Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, currently in Libra and squaring Pluto, also in Capricorn.  This brings a need for balance and the requirement to take responsibility for our situations, especially those whose nexus was in late 1982, when the current cycle between Saturn and Pluto began.  Looking back to what was developing in our lives in late 1982 could help shine some very revealing light on our present day situations.  Balance is achieved by correcting a force with an equal and opposite force, so the further off track we may have been, the harsher the corrective balancing energy may be.  Balance and “easy” or “gentle” are not synonymous, so beware of thinking that because Saturn is in Libra that things should be somehow “easy.”  As a matter of fact, Saturn is still in opposition to Uranus and will be through the summer of 2010, and there hasn’t been anything easy about this opposition since it started in late 2008.

Solar eclipses are new moons, a good time to set intentions, and they have a power which lasts for a year or more.  25 degrees of Capricorn has a Virgoan flavor, so the co-ruler of the Solar Eclipse, along with Saturn, was Mercury, who was stationary direct conjunct Pluto for the eclipse.    With each of the rulers of the eclipses having a direct Pluto connection, we can bet there was nothing gentle or easy about them!  Pluto demands getting to the bottom of things, no matter what!  Mercury stationing and conjunct Pluto at the Solar Eclipse was making some hard truths evident.  There will be no wiggle room as we must accept this deep reality about our situation and learn how to move forward in a very patient and diligent way, all the while paying attention to the details!  Every good Virgo knows that the devil is in the details.

Venus was heavily involved in both eclipse as well, conjuncting the Sun at both eclipses, while her cosmic counterpart Mars was retrograde in Leo.  When Mars is retrograde, he allows Venus to be the stronger of the pair.  Venus is the principle of attraction that operates in the universe, kind of like magnetism.  Venus in Capricorn, especially at the Solar Eclipse, was asking us to be practical and cautious and to adjust our needs and desires on a very basic level.  Venus in Capricorn is not extravagant or luxurious.  She is somewhat business-like and understands that, for the time being, practical concerns take precedence over more frivolous matters.

This sets the stage for our entire year to come!  No matter what happens or where we go from here, we must remember that our stage is set.  Venus and the Sun have moved into Aquarius where, once again, Venus is cool and detached, more concerned with concepts and ideals over the mundane realities of life.  They will travel together through the first week of February, but as the Sun follows Venus, we approach the Leo Full Moon on January 30th (EST).  A full moon is a time to realize and to release.  The full moon energy is a combination of the light of the Sun being reflected off of the shadow of the Moon.  The Sun in Aquarius brings to mind the higher qualities of Aquarius: humanitarian pursuit of the common good and making room for the individual within the group.  The Moon is Leo shows us where we need to look for the purest forms of Self-Expression without the Leo shadows of ego or pretense.  Understanding the need to integrate our deepest and most spiritual yearnings within the larger social framework of our lives will be the result of this check up.

Mars will be retrograde conjunct the Full Moon, giving us the strength to express our subconscious desires for Self-Expression.  Because Mars is retrograde, Venus will be the leader of the two.  Venus will be in the Gemini decanate of Aquarius, bringing a fact finding quality to the reserved but social planet of love and money.  Furthermore, there may be a need for communicating our needs and desires with others in order to gain the information we need to feel safe and secure about moving ahead.  This is further supported by Mercury’s continued daily approach to the North Node on Feb 2.  Mercury joining the North Node in Capricorn will symbolize a time when we will have received the message of the Full Moon and find that practical way to take responsibility for processing and communication what needs to be processed and communicated.

Some of us may want to act, to propel our egos onto a stage where we can release what we have been holding, but now may not be the time for overt action.  The real action that needs to happen right now is between our ears and in our hearts.  With Jupiter newly in Pisces, direct the need to act towards charity and activism rather than more ego-centered action.  Doing so will buy the time we need to gather and process information, and it will also honor the humanitarian influence of Aquarius.  We are still in the beginning stages of a very deep and meaningful change, and acting out of discomfort or frustration could set us back more than it moves us forward.  Mars is the action planet, and he will be retrograde until March 10, while the Sun wont be in an action-oriented sign until he enters Aries, the sign ruled by Mars, until March 21st.  In the meantime, we should be taking account of what is really important to us, what we need in order to feel safe expressing our true Selves, making a plan for success, and listening twice as much as we speak so that when the time comes to act, we can do so with confidence and effect.

I would like to thank all of you who read my column for your support and to let you know how dear you are to me.  Last week, I did a poor job of explaining the Venus synodic cycle and its phases.  I also inadvertently mentioned the upcoming Leo Full Moon as a Lunar Eclipse, which it is not.  I’d like to blame Mercury Retrograde for these shortcomings, but in reality, they were were my mistakes, plain and simple.  I don’t think my message was off track because of these mistakes, but in the name of taking responsibility for my actions, I wanted to acknowledge these mistakes to you.

Being practical and grounded, “keeping it real,” will be a very important thing to do for this entire year.  Saturn will be opposing Uranus twice more before then end of July, and the second time in late July will involve a Jupiter/Uranus conjunction, cardinal (action) signs, and the Pluto square.  Whatever we thought about 2009, by the end of 2010, we wont even remember 2009!  Being practical, diligent, loyal, and grounded as these events unfold will be our best protection against the sling and arrows of outrageous fortune.

with love

m

Dear Friends,

How are you feeling as you sit to read this?  On New Year’s Eve, we had a Lunar Eclipse at 10 Cancer.  This eclipse required that we release something from our past that was preventing us from moving ahead in a responsible, sensible, and pragmatic manner.  Just this week, Saturn stationed and is now slowly moving backwards through the heavens, giving us time to integrate the lesson of his first ten weeks in Libra.  Whenever a planet moves into a new sign, there is a shift of planetary energy into a new mode of expression.  Saturn was in Virgo from September 2007 to October 2009 and the emphasis was on work, health, and service.  In October 2009, Saturn moved into Libra, bringing the focus of its energies to Libra-ruled areas like relationships, balance, and harmony.   We have all had a pop quiz these past ten weeks to see how we are in our relationships.  Now that Saturn is retrograde, we have some time to ponder the results of our quiz and to make the adjustments necessary in order to move forward with more balance.

The Solar Eclipse at 25 Capricorn on January 15th brought the need to incorporate the Capricorn qualities of restraint, practicality, dependability, patience, and authority to our emotional nature.  We are just completing a year of massive changes socially, economically, and politically, and perhaps even personally.  Part of this process of change has been fueled by the need to evolve from past habits that, although at one time useful, do not serve us well now.  The Lunar Eclipse on December 31 put a definitive stamp on that need.  If we are to grow successfully and happily into our futures, we must accept that some our past must be released to make room for the new.  Letting go of the past is difficult, often because we are so used to the patterns of our pasts that without them we feel adrift, lost, and unconnected.  Well, maybe we are, but that isn’t bad, and sometimes we must accept a certain level of discomfort if we are to grow.  Remember those “growing pains’ we had as children and teenagers?   Well, just because our physical bodies stop growing, does not mean that our emotional and spiritual bodies stop.  The Solar Eclipse is pointing out to us that now is not the time to be sentimental, scared, or dependent.  We must use our more practical and earthy qualities to see us through this time of apparent turmoil.  Panicking during a crisis is not the answer to surviving it.

On this same day, Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn is stationing as it conjuncts Pluto.  Mercury represents our minds and our ability to process and share information.  In Capricorn, Mercury is very practical, systematic, and patient.  Normally quick and fleeting, Mercury in Capricorn is slower and methodical.  Pluto brings intensity to any situation and cuts straight to the core of the matter.  Again, the message for us is to be focused on the REAL issues, the core of the matter, and to address them with the gravity they deserve.  Superficial or careless attention to the issues facing us will only make them worse.

Both of these eclipses involved a Sun-Venus conjunction in Capricorn.  This cycle started in late March 2009 with Venus retrograde in Aries.  This was a time when we should have been doing a personal makeover, shifting our desires to be more in line with what we need, creating the possibility for receiving more from ourselves and our experiences.  Now, we are in the “accepting” responsibility phase of the cycle.  Whatever we did or didn’t do, we are now being called to take responsibility for it, even as we are called upon to release the worn out expressions of our pasts.  While Venus was conjuncting these two eclipses, Mars, the rules or Aries, was retrograde, making Venus the more powerful planet.  Venus rules Libra and Taurus, and as such has dominion over relationships, finances, and creativity.  Finding practical ways to implement these themes into our release of the past and focused engagement with our future will surely bring good results.

The higher octave of Venus is Jupiter.  Where Venus works on a personal level, Jupiter works on a social level.  Jupiter expands our experience.  On Sunday, January 17th, Jupiter will move into Pisces, a sign which it rules.  Pisces is the sign we associated with spirituality, sacrifice, and selfless devotion.  Jupiter is very happy in its own sign, and we will see people being more generous and more focused on expanding their spiritual connectedness.  This is great news, because the world could use some of this healing, selfless energy right now.  It is interesting to me how we are already seeing this outpouring of kindness and generosity with regards to the tragedy in Haiti.  The response to this natural disaster seems more swift and more coordinated than responses to other natural disasters in the recent past.  We CAN learn from our mistakes.

Venus herself will move into Aquarius on Monday, January 18th.  Aquarius is the sign we associate with humanitarian ideals: it is the great Red Cross of the zodiac.  Although Venus looses some of her personal charm in this sign because of the “big picture” view of Aquarius, energetically, it distills the larger message of Jupiter in Pisces down so that it can be consumed on a personal level.  We may see people behaving in more humanitarian or altruistic ways during this period, and since Venus rules money, we can also expect people to open their wallets for the causes in which they believe.

The lunation begun by the Solar Eclipse of January 15th will come to a head with the Full Moon at 10 degrees 14 minutes Leo on January 30th (EST) which will be conjunct Mars retrograde,  giving us the strength to express our needs.  Mercury will be retrograde only in Earth signs this year, and this makes the call for practical and common sense approaches to our lives very clear.  Now is the time to be practical, loyal, patient, determined, and realistic: these are all qualities of Earth signs.  Authority, structure, and common sense should be the guidelines we use to make decisions and to direct our thoughts and our actions.  Saturn and Uranus are still in opposition, and Jupiter will enter this equation once he moves into Aries,  expanding the upheaval we associate with Uranus at 1 degree of Aries, a very significant degree of Aries.  The summer has some big surprises in store, so get a jump on things and start being PRACTICAL.

with love

m

Dear Friends,

I am always interested in the way cycles play out.  Astrology is the study of cycles: astrologers study the cycles of the planets and the cycles of human development.  There is a correlation between the two, without doubt.  We can understand the development of human cycles more easily with the aide of planetary cycles because the planetary cycles are mathematical, and therefore we can anticipate them.  Once we know what to look for, it becomes easy to see it.

A good example of this would be the Neptune, Chiron, and Jupiter triple conjunction in Aquarius over the past year.  Aquarius rules the Internet, as well as networking, and we have seen an unprecedented increase in the use of and reliance upon social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter over this past year.  Of course, Chiron can be the wound or the healing of a wound, so all that glitters is not gold.  For some, the reliance upon social networking sites may actually increase feelings of isolation and loneliness because the Internet is no substitute for real face to face interaction.  On the other hand, I am sure there are withdrawn people who have become more open and more connected from using these tools, as well.  Twice this past week from different sources, I have heard Sartre quoted as saying, “Freedom is what you do with what has been given to you.”  Yes, this is the basis for astrology, as I practice it. Astrology is a better tool when used descriptively, rather than predicatively.  We all have a certain astrological DNA with which we are born, but we can certainly overcome the “negative” aspects through our own use of our own gifts, and we all have them.  This is the message of the movie “Precious,” as well as the example that many high profile people present.  Obama, Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, and a host of others have had very difficult beginnings in life and made it to the top.  Of course, there are plenty of people who had superior DNA who have ended up at the bottom of the heap, too.  Our intentions, along with the choices we make, direct our happiness.

The year began with a Lunar Eclipse at 10 Cancer, describing the need to release the past.  The immediate past has been dominated by not only the triple conjunction in Aquarius, but the Saturn and Uranus opposition.  Saturn represents the structure we need to support our growth, and Uranus represents the need to innovate.  Of course, Pluto is in Capricorn, which is ruled by Saturn, and Pluto makes deeps changes that result in evolutionary progress.  This past year has been a time when the need for stability and structure has been competing with the need for upgrades to the system.  Well, we are near the end of this phase.  Beginning the New Year with the Lunar Eclipse in Cancer signaled that now is the appropriate time to release the past, both recent and distant.  How can we move forward and encourage growth when we are stuck in the past, clinging to what no longer exists.

On January 15, we will have a North Nodal Solar Eclipse at 25 Capricorn.  North Nodal eclipses look to the future and mark a time when we need to focus on what is in front of us.  For the two week period between these eclipses, both Mars and Mercury are retrograde.  Retrograde planets give us time to work out the math of our lives.  They give us a second chance to learn a lesson or to do some inner work so that we can move forward successfully in the outer world once the planets are direct.  The Lunar Eclipse asked for a release of the past, the retrograde planets give us time to “do the math” on that request, and then the Solar Eclipse comes to usher in the future, free from the drag of a past that doesn’t serve us any more.  It is so poetic to me, and so powerful.  By now, we all know what we need to do, the question is: Will we do it?  This is why I started the column with that quote from Sartre.  We are free to make powerful changes for ourselves, but will we?  This is the “rub” to which Shakespeare refers in “Hamlet.”  Lucky for us, Saturn will be retrograde.

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, so we look to Saturn for a message about how to proceed bravely into this new world unfettered by the dross of the past.  On Wednesday, January 13, just 2 days before the Eclipse, Saturn will station retrograde.  Saturn is the schoolmaster, often stern, but when he is retrograde, he is more like a patient tutor.  He knows we will need more time to get secure with the new foundation we are supposed to be laying for ourselves.  Too much freedom all at once can be terrifying, so Saturn is allowing us time complete the releasing process while simultaneously integrating the new structure on a deeper level before requiring more hard work from us once Saturn re-enters Libra with a square to Uranus in Aries on July 26.

Also sitting with the Eclipse is Venus.  Venus rules beauty, balance, money, and relationships.  Venus is the receptive, open principle of love, whereas Mars is the assertive, selfish principle.  Mars is retrograde in Leo through March 10th, working on deeper interior levels to activate the heart and to make sure that what we release and what we create during this period is real and true for us.  If it is not, then we haven’t learned the lesson of Saturn in Virgo and the drama of the past two and one half years will have been wasted.  Since Mars is retrograde, he is taking a backseat to Venus, which allows the principles of love and beauty to direct the transformation into the future.  This is great news!  The only person we are fighting is our Self!  Once we can learn to honor our needs and desires free from the past and with an eye to a bright future, we can begin to experience the abundance of the universe.

While Saturn is retrograde, he will opposes Uranus in Pisces once more on April 26th to finish stocking up our tools boxes and to finish off whatever loose ends are still nagging us from the past.  By the time he approaches the cardinal opposition on July 26, we will be ready to begin with the new, second phase of the Saturn-Uranus cycle for the next 22 or so years, living happier, more fulfilled lives and teaching what we have learned along the way.

Solar Eclipses are New Moons with a longer shelf life.  This New Moon sets the tone for the entire year.  This is a year of new beginnings whose success will be based upon our ability to break out of the old patterns of the past which have kept us emotionally chained to situations which, in reality, ended long ago.   The times, they are a changin‘, and so must we.  No need to feel guilty about or weighed down by the past.  Release it all and allow the seed that is pulsing with life deep inside of you to put out roots and grow.  Life is for living.

with love

m

Happy New Year Friends!

Well, can we all agree that 2009 was a year of change?  I hope so!  More changes are coming, and they are all good, assuming that we let go of what we need to let go of.  There has been much in the media about tonight’s “blue” moon, which is the second full moon in any given month, but more importantly, tonight’s Full Moon is a Lunar Eclipse.  A Lunar Eclipse is like a Full Moon on steroids: its effects last up to 6 months or more.

The eclipse is happening at 10 degrees Cancer 15 minutes, which is the Scorpio decanate of Cancer.  Also, the South Node is in Cancer, so this eclipse is a South Nodal Eclipse.  South Nodal eclipses require us to release something, and Cancer represents our past, our subconsciousness, and early childhood.  There is the need to release something from our pasts to which we cling, like an anchor that keeps from breaking free from the bottom and rising to the surface.  Cancer is also concerned with security and family issues, and we can see that these two ideas reinforce each other.  Full Moons bring things to a head so that they can be released, and this Full Moon is showing us what we need to release in order to break free from the tyranny of our out-moded pasts in order to bring more stability and security into our lives.  All things change, and we are certainly not the young children we once were, but sometimes, we cling to the coping patterns that we established as young children, even if our circumstances have changed.  However, if we are still coping in the same manner, we might find that even though our circumstances have changed, our emotional security has not.  By now, we all should have a pretty good idea of what patterns we need to break.  This was the challenge of the Saturn/Uranus opposition over the past year or more: to identify what needs to go (Uranus) and what needs to stay (Saturn).

Scorpio is the co-ruler of this Eclipse, and Scorpio is know for its depth and its focus.  Mars and Pluto co-rule Scorpio, so they also co-rule this eclipse.  Pluto purifies by removing toxins, and as well as know, the removal of toxins can be difficult.  Pluto also pressurizes, so that the weak links can be identified, removed, and rebuilt better and stronger.  Pluto works from the depths, showing itself on the surface only after the most importantpurifications have taken place.  Mars is retrograde in Leo, creating the space to internalize our heart’s desire so that it can be molded into the new framework that Pluto is building.  With Pluto, all renewal is a function of removing the dross, so welcome this energy into your lives by removing all things which you no longer need.  A ritual closet cleaning or tooth brushing the corners of your living room would be a great way to pay homage to this energy.

Of course, Pluto is in Capricorn, so structure, order, and detail are required.  This is no time to go crazy and throw the baby out with the bath water.  Pluto is sitting with Venus and the Sun, all in opposition to the Moon (of course, the Sun-Moon opposition is what creates a Full Moon), and Mercury retrograde and the North Node are both in Capricorn, as well.  Capricorn is a serious sign which recognizes the need for structure.  However, Pluto also sees where some serious renovation is required.  The predominance of planets in Capricorn all opposing this Cancer Moon makes it clear that although release and change are necessary, there are some things worth saving, and we need a plan.  Mercury retrograde gives us the ability to re-think and re-organize so that as we give way to Pluto’s demand, we can also recognize where we are better off maintaining the status quo.  Pluto is fine with this, for he has no interest in purging that which is healthy.

Venus rules money, and we all know that money has been an issue this year.  How does money affect our emotional security?  If you are like me, having some makes you feel more secure.  Well, we cant have it if we spend it all of the time, and Venus in Capricorn is a miser, for sure!  In order to get interest, you have to have some capital to begin with.  Again, Venus sitting with Pluto and the Sun, with 2 other luminaries in Capricorn, are making it clear to us that less is more.  Self-restraint and long-term planning will bring much more lasting security that the instant gratification of our insecurities, which is what we normally do when we shop to feel better about ourselves.  Perhaps for this reason, Mercury and Mars are retrograde, demanding more introspection and analysis, rather than action.  Now is the time to plan rather than act, and even though the beginning of the year may feel “slow”because of these retrograde planets, the intent is for us to plan, to organize, and to re-group.  By the time action is necessary, and it will be, we will have a plan to put into action.

Today is the first day of the rest of our lives!  Be joyous and celebrate!  Renew yourselves by giving thanks for what you have and still need, and by thanking the past for its lessons and gifts.  Honor nature’s cycle of renewal and rebirth by releasing what needs to go so that there will be room for all of the bounty to come!

with love and many wishes for a New Year full of happiness!

m