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Can I be honest with you?  I have something to say that is difficult for me, but important for me to share with you.  Sometimes, especially after I have taken a week off like I did last week, I get overwhelmed when I return to my work.  Its not that I forgot how to write or communicate my thoughts, or lost my skill with the mechanics involved.  My computer still works the same way and the alphabet hasn’t changed, and since I keep a daily eye on the planets, they have not done anything to surprise me, either.  What becomes so difficult is that I feel obligated to catch you up on what I did not write last week, as well as giving you a head start on the upcoming week.  Perfectly.  Completely.   Better than anyone else.  On time.  And still catch up on yard work, pool maintenance, grocery shopping, laundry, phone calls, and emails. Perfectly.  Completely.

Now, here is that hardest thing to say: I cannot.  I haven’t returned all of my emails or my phone calls.  I haven’t even finished unpacking the one small suitcase I brought back home with me.  I haven’t cooked a meal in days.  The laundry is not done. And my weekly column hasn’t mentioned Saturn or Pluto yet, and I have already written 200+ words.  This state creates anxiety deep in my soul.  I feel self-critical, ineffective, frozen by my fear of not being able to produce to the point that I don’t even know where to start.  Well, I guess I started by sharing with you how I feel.  Actually, I feel better now.  Thank you for allowing me the space to be honest without fearing your displeasure.

I just realized that I have written a great introduction to this week’s theme!  The theme of the Gibbous phase!  The gibbous phase happens when any two planetary points are between 135 and 179 degrees apart from each other.  The hard aspect occurs at 135 degrees, but the energy carries until it becomes full at 180 degrees.  The energy of this aspect is similar to the energy of an actor waiting just off-stage for his queue.  Nervous excitement, anxiety, stage fright, self-doubt, and an overwhelming desire to perform predominate this energy.  It is both performance and self-critically oriented.  When we are in the Gibbous moment, we are poised to deliver perfection, and full of the fear of failure.

We are living in a very dynamic time in history.  Astrology does not “make” anything happen, so I do not tell you that Pluto is “creating” political tyranny in Iran any more than I would counsel an individual that Saturn in the 7th house will “create” a divorce.  Political tyranny has existed in Iran for along time, but now the people of Iran want change.  Well, so do did the people of the US in November 2008, and the Russians, and the Germans, and the English.  All of these countries have made changes in their leaders over the past year.  The desire for change is happening because now is the time for change, plain and simple.  Change is the one constant we can always count on.  When things don’t change, they become stagnant.   Extreme heat that doesn’t dissipate at the Equator creates hurricanes which stir up the ocean floor and bring new life to the sea.  Highly charged ions in the air over dry forests create lightning that clears out choking underbrush which is preventing the forest from flourishing.  These are natural processes, and we use hurricanes, heat, and lighting as metaphors for the agents of change.

In astrology, we use planets and their relationship to one another as a metaphor for change.  The planets don’t create the action, but they lend a metaphor to describe the experiences we are having.  We are always free to act in any way possible.  Pluto is the power of extremes: wealth, power, death, rebirth, dictatorship, etc.  Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Hitler all have Pluto highly aspected and significantly placed natal Plutos.  I haven’t looked at the chart for the country of Iran to see where Pluto is, but I don’t need to.  Transformations are happening right now, in your life and in mine, even if we are not aware of them.  This past Monday, June 22, the Sun and Moon came together at 1 degree of Cancer, opposing Pluto at 1 degree retrograde of Capricorn, for everyone, everywhere.  Clearly, battles were bound to happen, personally and globally.  Battles were happening already in Iraq, but the violence from suicide bombers escalated sharply this week, and the regime in Iran unleashed its more dictatorial behavior after its half-hearted attempt to pretend to pacify its people.  This is Pluto is action.  Had the regime chosen to work with the people that would also have been Pluto in action, albeit in a more democratic fashion.  Even a coin has two sides, but the value is still the same.  Heads or tails, totalitarian crackdown or democratic reform: two sides of the same coin, but the choice is implicit.

Anyway, back to Gibbous-ness.  What is gibbous for us all right now?  Well, Saturn is occupying the hard 135 degree (gibbous) tri-octile angle with the North Node of the Moon!  I rarely discuss the nodes, mainly because I choose to stick with easier to understand topics, but since this new Moon is carrying the energy of its opposition to Pluto all month, the Moon and its nodes are especially important and help to explain, metaphorically, my stage fright this week, and the anxiety we are all feeling somewhere, somehow, on one side of the coin or the other.

Simplified for ease of explanation, the North Node of the Moon represents a karmic point which, although a challenge for us to follow, represents the direction in which we should aim our evolution.  A good correlation for this would be the story of how the Magi followed the brightest star to find the new Messiah.  The North Node is currently retrograding at 1 degree 36 minutes Aquarius, creating a tri-octile aspect with Saturn in Virgo, the sign most concerned with the daily routine: work, laundry, email, etc.  Virgo is also concerned with health, service, and effectiveness.  Aquarius, especially as it relates to the North Node, directs our journey towards a spiritual awakening where we express Love through our mutual recognition that all things are one, all people are One, that we are all unique manifestations of one Love. (Sorry for the hippy-talk if it isn’t to your liking, but we are entering the Age of Aquarius, after all!)  This phase is about accepting that our daily lives have spiritual meaning and karmic impact.  Pluto is at the beginning of a 16 year transformation of the sign Capricorn, the sign most concerned with responsibility.  Yes, our daily actions and choices have spiritual repercussions, and this relationship carries with it very important responsibilities on a spiritual level.  Our actions create precedence, which provides inspiration to those around us, who in turn emulate our example and perpetuate our karma, which is in turn not only revisited upon us, but those who emulate us, as well.  WOW, now that is heavy, to use another hippy phrase!  That creates some serious accountability, and this is what Pluto is going to be asking from all of us, everyday, for the next 16 years.  Take responsibility for your actions and the way they effect and influence our world, everyday.  In this way, the even the most simple acts of living become spiritually significant.

Talk about stage fright!  Its hard enough to know which detergent to buy in order to have clean clothes, keep the water clean, and minimize my carbon footprint, but now I have to consider the spiritual implications of my purchase?!  How can I possibly accept that responsibility?  Well, as with all responsibilities, dodging them will only make things worse in the future.  I’m just guessing, but I believe that awareness of this responsibility is the first step, and this is what we are learning this lunar cycle.  New moons are symbolic of new beginnings, new awareness.  The next full Moon on July 7th, which is the culmination of this lunar cycle, will be in Capricorn, and it will be a Lunar Eclipse. This eclipse will be co-ruled by Saturn (the ruler of Capricorn) and Pluto, who is dominating the sign of Capricorn.  Full Moons reveal things we need to see, and with this full Moon being ruled by Saturn and Pluto, we will be receiving lots of feedback on how responsible we have been, whether or not we are setting (or following) good examples, and where we need to be either more forgiving or more demanding with ourselves.   Accepting this message will require strength, commitment, and optimism, even in the face of a bad review: as they say in show business, the show must go on!

What is the bottom line?  I have no idea.  I practice astrology as a way to understand my choices.  What are my choices?  Well, if I don’t go on stage, the I am not honoring the collective hard work of everyone who got me on my mark and ready for my queue, so i have to go stage.  It takes village, right?  I can think of numerous interviews with huge celebrities from Madonna and Judy Garland to Justin Timberlake, Elvis, and Tina Turner where they each admitted to having stage fright and feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of having to perform on such a big stage with so many eyes watching, again.  Did that fear disappear?  NO, but they did their jobs anyway, and that’s what I will do, too.  I’m no Elvis, but I’m smart enough to emulate success.  Did I cover Mercury’s trine to Chiron or Saturn’s trine to Venus, or the other 20 significant aspects and phases happening this week in this column?  Not even close, but I did my best, I have given you my show, and I know that even though it wasn’t perfect, it was good and I did it with integrity.  I can hear my friend Danny’s voice as I wrap up, saying “Progress, not perfection.”  This is setting an example of which I can be proud.

Thank you Danny for that great line, and thank you to all my readers, who validate my efforts with your time.  Please know that I deeply hope everyone of you will find something helpful in my words, and that I am always trying to deliver the most useful information i can, even if its not perfect.  Next week, I’ll be right back here, performing for you again, stage fright and all.

With love!

m

Hello, Hello!

How are we enjoying summer thus far?  Technically, the Summer Solstice happens on June 21st when the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer, but for most of us, summer begins when school finally lets out near the first of June.  There is always so much to do when summertime comes: vacations, barbecues, family reunions, yard work, gardening, and more.  This may be a good time to remind ourselves that Saturn is in Virgo.  Virgo is the sign of the zodiac most associated with our daily routines and habits.  At its best, Virgo is the sign of service and practicality.  At its worst, Virgo can be critical and impossible to satisfy.  We all have a Virgo ruled area of our life, and some of us with a Cancer/Capricorn interception in our charts have two!

The Virgo area of our lives needs daily attention; this is why we can often fall behind on our Virgo chores.  Just like cutting the grass, skimming the pool, straightening the living room,  taking out the trash, or making the bed, the Virgo demands of our lives can go ignored for much longer than a single day, although with respect to the cosmic demand, they should be attended to regularly.  With Saturn, the cosmic schoolmaster, traveling through the sign of Virgo, we are all in summer school right now, learning how to be more responsive to the daily demands of Virgo as this energy manifests in our personal charts.  Some of our methods have gotten a little stale, some may not even work at all anymore.  Saturn is in opposition with Uranus though mid 2010, breaking us out of bad habits, sloppy routines, and any other issues we have that keep us from experiencing the pleasure of maintaining the Virgo areas of our lives on a regular, if not daily, basis.  Breaking bad habits is hard: fingernail biters, smokers, over-eaters, and sleep-laters can all testify, but our summer school teacher Mr. Saturn wont leave us alone until we do.

With this in mind, we can examine the big news of the week: Venus conjuncting Mars at 14 degrees of Taurus on Friday, 19 June.   Mars represents the energy we send out into the world and Venus represents the energy we receive from the world.  Whenever two planets meet at the same point in the zodiac, they begin a new cycle defined by the degree and sign of their meeting.    14 degrees of Taurus is the Virgo decan of Taurus, so this degree is ruled primarily by Venus, the ruler of Taurus, and secondarily by Mercury, the ruler of Virgo.   This gives us all some good information on where and how we should focus this energy in our lives.  What we send out comes back to us: go figure!  Not everyone gets this concept, but I am trusting that we can all agree on this one.  Mars in Taurus asks us to be patient, thorough, and dependable.  Well, that’s not always easy for impatient, fiery Mars, but, we have our marching orders!  Co-ruled by Mercury in Gemini, we also know that Mars should more communication-oriented, rather than action-oriented.  Of course, communication is action, but its a more subtle type of action than flashy, impulsive Mars normally employs.

What can we expect to receive if we are successful at subduing the wild impulses of Mars and coaxing him to be patient, more communicative, and less impulsive?  Venus is at home in Taurus, very comfortable and happy!  A happy Venus means comfort, sensuality, harmony, and beauty.  Further qualified by Mercury in Gemini, we will also receive warm, supportive dialogue back, reflecting the honest, patient communication we have expressed.

What? Expressing ourselves patiently and thoroughly while maintaining a dependable and stable demeanor with the ones we love (or want to) will result in those same people reflecting the very same qualities back at us?  Can this be true?  Is it really that easy?  Yes, it really is, but it also requires daily work to maintain this patient, dependable, stable, and comforting dialogue.  This is the demand of Saturn in Virgo, guiding bytrine, the conjunction of Venus to Mars.

I hear someone asking, “What if I am patient and thorough, stable and dependable.  What if I communicate my needs and desires clearly, without drama or demand, and the people in my life don’t respond by reflecting this lovely Venus/Gemini energy back at me?”

Well, my dear, let Uranus help you be free of them!  You deserve better, and you will certainly find it, but remember that it wont come to you until you send it out first.

With Love

m

ps: Imago Relationships International is an organization promoting safe, emotionally connected dialogue.  Here are some tips on how to get started.  Be sure to read all of them!   This technique can work for ALL relationships, not just romantic ones.

Hello Everyone!

Cycles are important in our lives.  Cycles regulate our growth and development.  Cycles regulate our weather.  Cycles create ocean waves, the tides, and fertility.  Understanding cycles is a great way to gain understanding of the natural world, of which we are a part.  Understanding astrological cycles can bring an understanding of our psyche and how we operate in the world.

The moon rotates around the earth according to a monthly cycle.  A new moon is a time we plant, and a full moon is a time reap, hence the phrase a “harvest” moon.  This week we will be reaping the harvest of three separate cycles:  Saturn/Jupiter, Saturn/Uranus, and the Earth/Moon cycles.  The Moon will be full at 17 degrees Sagittarius, holding the power to reveal to us some very core truths about the Sagittarius and Pisces areas of our charts, as both signs are rules by Jupiter.    We need this information because it will help us to understand how our pasts are informing our present, in addition to showing us how to create a better future.  Sagittarius is especially important to us right now because the state of our economy and big business in the world is a direct result of the abuses that occurred while Pluto was traveling through Sagittarius.    Sag is ruled by Jupiter, which represents growth and expansion.  Unfortunately the growth and expansion that occurred in the world from 1995 through 2008 was done at the expense of most of the common people, while those in power had their way with the resources of the world which are meant for all of us to share.  This is why our present concern with resources: money, energy, clean water and air, health care, etc is so great.  The powerful minority has been irresponsible with the resources they should have been guarding for everyone.  Luckily, Pluto has moved into Capricorn, the sign of the zodiac most concerned with responsibility.  While Pluto is in Capricorn, power structures, the economy, governments, and big business will all be transformed as they reap what they have sown in Sagittarius.   By the time Pluto moves into Aquarius in March 2023, these structures will have been completely overhauled and Pluto will begin his work on a system that will benefit everyone.

This full Moon will act like a spotlight on the Sagittarius and Jupiter ruled areas of our lives.    Where have been excessive, abusive, over-reaching, or insensitive to the needs of others?  Sagittarius also rules religion and higher education, as well as travel on a large scale, so we will also see how our commitment to our own education and spirituality has been shaped by the world and our exposure to it.  I have never been to Africa, but through the TV and Internet, I know quite a lot about that continent and its people.  Our experience of the world has been greatly expanded since 1995 when Pluto first entered Sagittarius.  How has that affected the way we operate?  Well, now we will find out.  Just like the boys at GM, we may get some info we do not like, but if we are responsible with the information, we have a much better chance of moving forward in a positive and rewarding manner.

Jupiter and Saturn began a new cycle when they came together at 22 Taurus in May 2000.   This conjunction directed our attention to how we could create structured expansion with respect to our resources on a personal and social level.  Well, the government of the US did poor jobmarshalling resources, as we can now see in the full phase of this cycle.  How did we do on a personal level?  Some of us have not done well.  Most of the month of May, Mercury was retrograde in Taurus, giving us a second chance to re-evaluate the state of our resources.  When Mercury went direct on May 30, he was at 22 Taurus.  This was certainly a time when we should have been keenly aware of what resources we have and how we were using them.  On November 2nd, we will have another full Moon at 10 degrees of Taurus, which will bring even more clarity to the subject.  The news may not be great, so it would be very wise to get a hold of this topic now and to be very conservative with your judgments.  Pluto is Capricorn wants to teach us about responsibility.  If we are irresponsible with the info we have received from May’s Mercury retrograde and the full cycle of Jupiter/Saturn in Taurus between now and November, then the full Moon in November will not bring good news.  Please take this to heart.  I want all of us to enjoy our holidays, not suffer through them.

Saturn and Uranus began a new 42 year cycle in 1988 in the sign of Sagittarius, as well.  We are now full phase with that cycle, too.  A full phase occurs when two planets are opposing each other.  Saturn is in Virgo, opposing Uranus in Pisces.  When the cycle started, the demand from Uranus was to open up rigid, outmoded concepts concerning justice, spirituality, education, and travel to create more personal freedom in the structures of our lives: government, organized religion, etc.  We are now at the full phase, where these issues are being debated openly in an effort to find resolution.  Racial, economic, and sexual freedom are in the news everyday.  Magnate schools, vouchers, and education reform are certainly a hot topics, especially since there is no money to pay for them. Health care and Social Security are also included in this debate, although they have been eclipsed by the the perception that the economy is the big issue right now.  Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn’t.  I think the big issue is more about responsibility, but then again, I have very strong Capricorn, 10th house, and Saturn placements in my chart, so responsibility is a key focus of mine all of the time.  The issue isn’t money or resources, but how responsible we are with them.  Sometimes I fall short of my own ideal, but without taking responsibility for ourselves, we are doomed to repeat our learning cycles over and over again.  No one advances to the next level of consciousness until they have taken responsibility for their own action, choices, words in the last cycle.  We are always free to evolve, but evolution means change, and if we don’t change, we repeat our sins over and over… this is Dante’s Hell.

Fortunately for us, the universe is always throwing us a line so that we can pull ourselves back into the current of safety and progress.  Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune are all conjunct at 26 degrees Aquarius, with Jupiter and Neptune in mutual reception to Uranus in Pisces.  Both Aquarius and Pisces are concerned with healing and evolution.  Jupiter makes things expand.  26 degrees Aquariussextiles 26 degrees Sagittarius - the Galactic Center.  The sextile aspect is an aspect of opportunity.  We now have an opportunity to get to the very heart of our issues, to heal our wounds, to heal the wounds of others, to create true freedom and justice for all, to create more freedom of expression for everyone, through the recognition of our talents, resources, and values and the responsible management of them.   Sounds like a big order, but it is possible… it will happen.  Those who are proactive will reap the biggest rewards and hove the most positive experiences.  Those who are reactive will suffer the greatest sense of loss.  Each one of has the power to create this positiveexperience for ourselves, the key is responsibility and attention to detail.  The old saying “don’t sweat the small stuff” isn’t our best friend right now… Saturn in Virgo wants us to pay attention to the details.

With love!

m

Hello Everyone!

Not one, not two, but three planetary bodies are stationing this weekend!  Neptune stations on Friday, 29 May, followed by Chiron the very next day.  These planets are stationary retrograde, which means that once they sit still for a minute, they will begin their apparent backward motion through the heavens.  Conversely, Mercury is stationary direct, meaning that after a slight pause, he will move forward in the sky.

Whenever a planet is retrograde, it gives us an opportunity to re-visit, re-think, re-organize, or any other “re-” word we can employ.  Retrograde planets give us a second chance to learn something or to meet a challenge successfully.  When a planet is in a 90 degree relation to any other planet, then we say they are square to each other, and a square relationship is also a challenge. Challenges force growth.  No challenge, no growth.  We all know this instinctively.  Learning to eat is a challenge for a baby, but as the baby slowly begins to develop his hand-eye coordination, then he slowly learns to feed himself.  The challenge of learning how to use the tool at the end of the arm is a great opportunity for the child to grow.  Not only does he begin to understand that he may have more control over his body that he previously thought, he learns that he can meet his own needs.  Good for you, little baby!

During this Mercury retrograde period, Mercury has been squaring both Neptune and Chiron, both of whom are aligned with Jupiter at 26 degrees Aquarius.  Mercury began his backward motion at 1 degree of Gemini before moving into the later degrees of Taurus.  Gemini is an information gather, so the first week of Mercury retrograde (roughly 7-17 May) was all about re-ceiving and re-assessing information.  Once Mercury moved into Taurus, the focus of our re-examination shifted to Taurus-ruled issues, like money, finances, and natural ability and talent.  Even the finals of American Idol occurred during Mercury retrograde… Well, this makes perfect sense, Mercury retrograde in Taurus is all about recognizing the talents and resources we have.

The square of Mercury to the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron challenges us to grow by meeting our own needs in the Taurus and Venus ruled areas of our lives through the inventive, healing energy of Aquarius.  Neptune is associated with healing, as it is the modern ruler the sign of Pisces.  Adding more force to this healing energy is Chiron representing the wounded healer who can affect healing because he understands his own wounds so well.  Jupiter is the greater benefic, enlarging and expanding all he touches, and he is the ancient ruler of Pisces as well.   The challenge here is to learn how to heal ourselves through the re-discovery of where our resources and riches are hidden.  Money isn’t everything, and money doesn’t bring happiness.  Loans create money, but not value.  If this were true, all of the bad loans that have been made would not have affected the value of our real estate.

So with this square of Mercury Retrograde to the current denizens of 26 Aquarius comes a call to recognize our talents and resources for what they are: the key to our own intuitive healing processes.  This honest recognition will begin the healing process as it relates not only to our finances, but to our values and overall happiness as well.  Taurus is ruled by Venus, who is still very active in Aries, traveling with Mars, on a mission to start new relationships: the most important one being the relationship we each have with our Selves!  Once we can get that relationship back on track, getting everything else on the right rack should be a relative breeze!  When Mercury goes direct on May 31st, it will be time to take the information we have re-assessed and begin to move forward creatively in the our thinking.

At the same time, Neptune and Chiron will begin their retrograde travels together, asking us to internalize the healing that we began when Mercury was retrograde.   Recognizing our issues is only the first step, and this was the task of Mercury retrograde.  Neptune rules our dreams and our visions, and Chiron rules our core wounds.  The demand here is to take the information that has come up from Mercury retrograde regarding our talents and resources, and to use this information is a deep and personal way to change what is holding us back.

Sound familiar?  The traditional ruler of Aquarius is Saturn, and Saturn is in Virgo opposing Uranus in Pisces through next summer!  Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius.  Uranus in Pisces wants to bring healing by freeing us from our self-imposed limitations.  Saturn in Virgo asks us to pay attention to detail, to habits, to routines, to the everyday minutiae of our lives.  Making this energy even stronger is the mutual reception of Jupiter, the ruler of Pisces, and Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius.  This relationship brings harmony to these energies so that they work in concert together.  Finding an appreciation of our own resources and talents and learning how to integrate them on a daily basis will surely lead us to better experience of ourselves and our world.  Making room in our daily schedule to allow our talents to create wealth in our lives will free us from the limitations we have imposed on ourselves.  Most of us can agree that talented people should use their gifts!  Well, we are all talented somehow!

Make everyday American Idol!  Perform, practice, rehearse everyday.  All talent needs to be rehearsed, to be nurtured.  Why not start today, while the energy of the universe is there to support you.  You will be so glad you did.

Of course, if you aren’t sure what your talents are, then maybe you should talk to someone.  Ask your friends, ask your co-workers, ask your astrologer.  That’s what we are all here for.

I invite you all to share this column with your friends, post it on your Facebook page, Tweet it out to the universe!  Its always great to share good news!

with love,

m

Dear Friends,

Change is the only constant.  Change is linked to growth.  A seed must change in order to grow, and so must we.

Each new moon is a time to plant a new seed which we would like to see grow in our lives.  Another way to say this is that at the time of a new moon, we should set our intentions to create and nurture growth in our lives.  This Sunday, May 24th, we will have a new moon in Gemini.  Gemini rules our daily activity and the things which we take for granted, probably because we are so familiar with them.  Gemini rules siblings and neighbors, and our communication patterns, as well as the ways in which we process information.  A new moon in Gemini is giving us the chance to set our intentions on how we deal with information, how we deal with our daily routine, how we deal our siblings, and any other aspects of our daily lives.  This is also the theme of Saturn in Virgo, which is demanding that we adjust our daily habits and routines in a way that better supports our efforts to be happy and prosperous.

Mercury rules the sign of Gemini and at the time of the new moon, Mercury is retrograde at 24 degrees Taurus.  Taurus is the sign we associate with money, the economy, our values, and our talents.  When Mercury is retrograde, we have a second chance to get something right that we did not complete to our best ability the first time.  Gemini represents information, and now we are are receiving a second chance to respond to the information we have received.  What issues have come back to us that involve money, siblings, neighbors, or our innate talents.  These are the areas where we have a chance to encourage and support growth.  If we think of our lives as a garden, then we must cultivate the beautiful flowers in order to produce the bounty of fruit and vegetables which can sustain us and give us not only strength, but support and encourage our own growth.  A good gardener knows that fruits must be nurtured, while weeds must be destroyed.  Weeds don’t need nurturing.  They grow easily, despite harsh conditions.  A good gardener attends his garden daily to protect the fruits and to ward off the weeds.

With Mercury retrograde in Taurus at the time of the new Moon in Gemini, we have the chance to correct some bad gardening decisions.  We need to weed out that which robs our fruits of their nutrients.  How have we allowed weeds to ruins our finances, create unhealthy routines, and to sour our relationships with our brothers and sisters?  How have we been communicating?  At least half of all powerful communications involve active listening.  Have we been listening to ourselves, to others?  Have we been listening to the sound of our fruits growing, or the rustle of weeds overtaking our source of nutrition?

Saturn spent the first 4.5 months of the year retrograde, giving us the to time to adjust to the demands being made by the first half of the Saturn/Uranus opposition period which will last through July 2010.  This is the first lunation of the year in which Saturn is direct.  Saturn is now back in the drivers seat, demanding that we adjust our schedules, routines, and coping mechanisms to better suit our needs.  Both Virgo and Gemini are ruled by Mercury as he retrogrades in Taurus through May 30th.  Mercury is also carrying a square to Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron, who are all sitting together at 26 Aquarius, focusing their energy on healing our core wounds, or pushing the knife in a little deeper.  With Pluto in Capricorn, we must accept responsibility for the current state of our affairs, so any attempts to deny our own responsibility for where we are now will certainly make our wounds and illusions that much harder for us to bear.

Taurus rules our natural talents, and with Mercury retrograde squaring Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron, we are being told that we already have the talents we need in order to heal ourselves, to adjust our perspectives, and to develop our values in a way that will bring us more happiness and more prosperity.  Every situation we encounter is a chance to support our own growth.  If all we can see is a setback, then we need to adopt a new perspective.  This flexibility of mind is a trait we associate with the sign of Gemini.  This is the power of this new moon.  We must see the potential for growth everywhere.  We must welcome change.  We must nurture and share our talents, no matter how insecure we feel about them.  Insecurity is a weed, it does not need nurturing.

As with all Mercury retrogrades, now is not the time to make big decisions, start new projects, or buy expensive items.  We should use this time to weed our gardens, stake our plants, and fertilize.  Gemini lunations will make our tongues wag, as we begin to share information and comment on our own gardens, as well as the gardens of our friends.  Make sure to speak wisely and honestly, and don’t indulge in gossip.  Gossip creates weeds.  A Gemini lunation during Mercury retrograde is a great time re-dedicate ourselves to integrity.  The gardening we do now will bear its fruit at the time of the Sagittarius new moon in 6 months.  Commit to a harvest of self-sustaining talent, wholesome values, and balanced finances.  The option will be weeds of martyrdom and regret.

I know you are flexible enough to grow a good garden!

With love and appreciation, I dedicate this week’s column to the many men and women who sacrifice their own gardens so that mine can grow luxuriant.  Thank you for your hard work and sacrifices.

m

Dear Friends,

I have been having the most intense dreams almost every night for a week.  I also notice on Facebook that people are mentioning their dreams and sleep habits more often lately.  This is not surprising.  Neptune is the planet which rules dreams, and he is lining up with Jupiter, the planet of expansion, and Chiron, the wounded healer.  With so much change and uncertainty in the world these days, it is no surprise that people’s fears and desires are surfacing from their subconsciousness in the form of dreams.  Dreams are illusions projected by the subconscious mind onto our unconscious mind.  Often we dream without remembering, but when we remember a dream, I believe it is because the dream has a very meaningful connection to the issues which occupy our waking, conscious mind.  These dreams are a mechanism which allow our subconscious mind to communicate with our conscious mind.  If the communication is meaningful, then we remember the dream, but our conscious mind cannot always find the meaning.  For this reason, we often label our dreams strange, weird, scary, or bizarre.

Neptune also represents the power to heal, as does Chiron.  Both of these bodies are sitting with Jupiter, whose influence also brings expansion.  Whatever Jupiter touches, it becomes larger, good or bad.  I have also noted on Facebook that many people are seeing doctors and dentists this week.  I even experienced the influence of these planets as I scheduled three different check ups in two days this week!  That’s getting healthy in a big way!  My “three doctors in two days” marathon also reflects the influence of Mercury retrograde, as I have been putting off these things out of pure laziness.  Mercury retrograde is a time to re-visit things we haven’t done correctly, and I have not been keeping up with my yearly check ups!

For the past month, Neptune, Jupiter, and Chiron have been coming closer together and they will remain together through January 2010.  This is a great window of time for us to heal ourselves.  Neptune represents our dreams and inspirations, the illusions which inspire us to reach beyond our immediate grasp.  To paraphrase BetteMidler , Neptune can be considered the wind beneath our wings.  It is the power of a dream that propels us to reach new heights.  Chiron brings the influence of a wounded healer, someone who can touch and bring healing to others because he has, himself, felt the pain of whatever ails us.  Chiron also brings a mentoring energy to the areas he touches, so even as we heal, we may be called upon to mentor or heal others.  Jupiter will bring expansion and growth to these processes.

All of the bodies are together in the sign of forward-thinking, humanitarian Aquarius.  Aquarius is not a self-centered energy.  Aquarius is more concerned with the greater good, so it is important to acknowledge that what is best for each of us an individuals should also be best for the larger group.  For this reason, Aquarian energy is often labeled as “detached” because it does not play favorites: what is good for the goose is good for the gander.  Being selfish or self-centered in our approaches to healing and mentoring wont bring the desired results.  As we inch ever slowly into the Age of Aquarius, we must remember this.  The ancient ruler of Aquarius is Saturn, while the modern ruler is Uranus.  These two planets are in opposition through the  summer of 2010.  Uranus is disrupting the restrictive influence of Saturn so that new growth can occur.  We can think of this like pruning a wild vine growing up a beautiful tree.  If the vine is allowed to grow out of control, it will eventually strangle itself and its host.  Its single-minded pursuit of its own development will actually results in its own downfall.  By pruning the vine, we allow for growth without causing destruction of the entire organism.  This, of course, is healthy for the vine and the tree!  If we extend this metaphor to our own lives, then we must think about grooming ourselves in order to allow for our own personal growth while at the same time taking care of those who take care of us.  What can we cut back, get rid off, or free ourselves from, in order to grow more luxuriantly and free?

There is a down side to this energy, and it requires that we play a martyr role.  If we cannot change, learn to roll with the punches, or swim with the current, then we are most likely holding on to our wounds and identifying with the pain.  Our dreams and inspirations become illusions which prevent us from creating a new reality.  We stop at the wound, never allowing it to heal.  We need the wound in order to justify our pain.  Just as we have the opportunity to heal and free ourselves from our wounds with these three bodies all together in Aquarius, we have the ability to twist the knife a little deeper, sealing our fate as martyrs to our own pain.  Addictive behavior is ruled by Neptune, as well, and Chiron could make sure that this behavior has a wounding influence, while Jupiter can make sure that the influence is big!  It would be a great manifestation of the healing properties of this triumvirate if we could intervene in the affairs of someone whose self-destructive or self-indulgent  behavior was leading down this dark path.   We often heal ourselves as we heal others.  Aquarian energy asks us to be our brothers’ keepers.

There is no doubt that all of this energy can be overwhelming.  Neptune is always a difficult energy to work with, and no one likes to be reminded of their wounds or weaknesses, but we must acknowledge what we wish to correct or develop, and now is that time.  Mercury retrograde is bringing up things for us to revisit as our healing window opens.  In fact, Mercury will square Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron on Wednesday, May 20th.  A square is a challenge that presents the opportunity for growth and forward movement.  Whatever comes up for us this week, we can be certain that dealing with it the same way we always do will not bring us the success we wish to achieve.  If we follow the path that Mercury is laying out for us, then surely we will find the healing, and subsequent freedom, that we deserve.

As always, the devil is in the details, and on Sunday, May 17th, Saturn will turn direct and the stern taskmaster of the universe will be back in action.  Saturn has been in Virgo for one year now, demanding that we learn to be healthy and pay attention to the details.  He has been retrograde for the past 4 months, giving us time to integrate whatever information he has given thus far.  Now that he is direct at the same time that Mercury retrograde squares the healing triad, we can bet that there will a need to payattention to the details of our experience.  Saturn will now begin to move forward to the big showdown with Uranus which will occur in September 2009.  Everything we are experiencing, all of the things we are working on, all of the pruning and developing we are doing, will be tested at this time.  If we have been diligent and paid attention to the details, if we have taken care of not only ourselves, but the others we share our world with, if we have improved our habits and routines then we can surely expect to pass this big test… and then it will be time to move on to the next one!

Much love and happiness to all!

m

Dear Friends,

T.S. Elliott referred to April as “the cruelest month” in his epic poem “The Wasteland.”  For many us, the experiences of this past April confirmed this observation.  Everyone everywhere is aware that times are changing .  Economies both personal and global, governments both local and national, triumphs both small and large are happening visibly and with force.  The backdrop for these changes is the Saturn/Uranus opposition, which only happens once every 42 years.  If we go back to 1967 and compare what was happening in the world then to what is happening now, we can see many similarities.  Great, sweeping changes were happening in our social consciousness, in our government, and in our perception of the world.  Today, technology makes the world smaller everyday, and in 1967, the television was doing the same thing.  The US and the USSR were pressuring each other and the Vietnam war was a global thorn in the lion’s paw.  Today, The US and Russia are once again at odds and we have another unwinable war in the Middle East.

Pluto was in Virgo for the summer of 1967, and in the US this meant that our society was transforming its notions of what it meant to be healthy, as well as bringing in a renewed interest in having the government serve the will of the people.  Virgo energy wants to be of service, wants to be practically helpful.  For us today, Pluto has just finished a 10 year cycle in Sagittarius, where there was no restriction to the possibility of growth and expansion.  Look at what happened to the global market and our own personal ability to get credit from 1995 until last summer.  Everyone had credit, everyone was buying houses with interest only loans, and money, although no one had any, wasn’t a problem like it is today.  Six months ago, Pluto entered Capricorn, the sign that brings restriction and boundaries.  Pluto transforms what “is” into what “needs to be.”  What needs to happen is that people can only spend what they have, and the government and financial markets of any country should support the greater good of its people, not the personal wealth and power of a few.

Pluto rules extreme power and wealth, as well as dictators, prisons, and shared resources.  Pluto is the co-ruler of the sign Scorpio, along with Mars.  In fact, we can view Mars and Pluto as a team.  Mars plays the smaller and faster point man to Pluto’s heavy-handed Terminator.  Whatever Mars cannot convince us of through our own personal experience (we knew we couldn’t afford that house once the real payments kicked in…), Pluto will cram right down our throats.  Nothing personal.

This Saturday, May 9th, the Moon will be full in Scorpio, showing us clearly where we have given away our power.  Scorpio also rules shared resources, so things like mortgages, credit, and financial systems in general will be highlighted, along with issues like taxes, inheritances, and areas where we have power struggles or control issues.  Speaking of power struggles and control issues, our relationships will be front and center, too, because it takes two to share: a giver and a receiver.  We will finally see where we have made mistakes, where we have misused our resources or the resources of others, and where we must make adjustments.

Adjustments is a key word for Virgo, and Saturn is still very much a force in this equation.  Saturn has been retrograde in Virgo since the first of the year, but on May 16th, Saturn will go direct and move forward once again.  While retrograde, Saturn has given us a chance to get accustomed to the idea that we have to make big changes in the way we do things.  Saturn first entered Virgo in September 2007 and this is when we first started hearing about a possible foreclosure crisis.  Saturn went retrograde in mid-December 2007 through the beginning of May 2008 in order to give us time to get things under control.  Well, that didn’t  happen and we argued about what to do in Iraq, instead.  Once Saturn went forward again, the reality of the situation hit home and the presidential election went from being centered on the war to being centered on the real estate crisis.  Saturn in Virgo opposing Uranus led to the triumph of the new and unexpected over the status quo, and our country elected the first African-American president.  We have heard a lot of news about his plans for the economy and the nation in general this week.  This is good, because we need a plan to get control of the situation.  During this time of Saturn retrograde, I have been counseling all of us to get a plan for ourselves.  What do we need to do in order to flourish in these changing times?  Saturn has been retrograde since Obama took office, but on May 16th, once Saturn goes direct after this full Scorpio full Moon, we will be in a much greater position to move forward.  We will get the final message from the full Moon in Scorpio.

Mercury went retrograde at one degree of Gemini this past Thursday.  Mercury is information.  Gemini is an information gatherer.  Although this sets the mood for the Mercury retrograde period, the real area of exploration and research for this Mercury retrograde will be 30-22 degrees of Taurus.  Taurus represents the things we own, our talents, and our finances and our real estate.  These degrees represent the Capricorn decan of Taurus, bringing a heightened emphasis on the question of personal responsibility to this research.  Don’t forget, Pluto is n Capricorn, forcing us to transform our understanding of what is means to be responsible.  Taurus and Scorpio are oppose each other on the zodiac wheel.  Taurus represents the resources to which we have direct access, and Scorpio represents the resources which we need the help of others in order to develop or access.   The downside of Taurus is self-indulgence and the down side of Scorpio is the use of resources for ego-centered pursuits.  Scorpio represents shared resources.  If we do not share what we gain in the Scorpio ruled areas of our lives, then those resources will become a burden.  I like to think we should use the Taurus resources in our lives to help develop and build the Scorpio resources so that we can share our full talents and resources with the world.  If we keep them for our own personal enjoyment, then we become prisoners to them.  All of the riches and power in the world wont buy us happiness, personal fulfillment, or love.

This Mercury retrograde period will be a time where we have a chance to re-discover what our resources are and how we can work with the other people in our lives in order to develop these resources.  The first half of a Mercury retrograde period is usually the period where the problems are defined or illuminated.  The midpoint of the cycle is when we shift from identifying to resolving the issues.  The midpoint of this Mercury retrograde cycle is May 18th, just two days after Saturn goes direct.  The force of these two planets going direct at the same time will propel us towards to a new understanding of what we need to release and of what we need to hold on to in order to develop and share our talents and skills, and how we can begin to regain some control over ourselves so that we can navigate the twists and turns of the new era of exciting shifts, transformative change, and enlightening growth!

Change is happening all around us.  The pain is in the resistance, so let go and allow yourself to enjoy and share the talents that the universe has given you.  Let’s put aside our petty egos and look at the larger picture.  How can our talents make our family’s lives better?  Can our talents and gifts be enjoyed by our friends.  Why stop the sharing with them?  The more we have, the more we can share, and the more we will receive.  Its simple, really.

Much love to all!

mark

PS: In the spirit of the Scorpio full Moon, I’d like to ask your help in sharing my work with others.  If you like my column this week, please consider posting it to your Facebook, MySpace, or personal webpage or blog.  Tweet about me!  I’d really apreciate anything you can do to help share my work and to help me develop my practice. 

Dear Friends,

There are many obvious topics of discussion for us this week, but we can only examine so much in any given week.  Time is an issue for all of us: you don’t have the time to read a ten thousand word article and I wouldn’t have any time for anything else if I wrote one.  Time is ruled by the planet Mercury, for he is swift and never spends time in any one place too long, unless he is retrograde.  That’s right!  Its time for Mercury retrograde again!  Mercury will station on Wednesday and turn retrograde on Thursday May 7th at 1 degree 44 minutes of Gemini.  He has been in his shadow since April 22nd, which means that he will be re-examining whatever ground he covered for us from that day until he comes out of his shadow on June 16th.

One thing we know for sure about this period of time, Venus has been square to Pluto retrograde in Capricorn the entire shadow time.  We have been experiencing a series of three Venus square Pluto events.  At the first square on Feb 6 2009, both Venus and Pluto were traveling direct.  This square gave us some idea of how we should consider re-inventing ourselves.  On the second square, Venus was retrograde and we were expected to make a serious change on a deep, inner level that would allow us to be more creative and assertive.  The final pass was this past Saturday with Venus direct and Pluto in retrograde motion.  As an added bonus, Mars has joined Venus for this event to give Venus some moral support - or perhaps simply to hold her up.  The Venus squares have been an intense period and perhaps we have felt like falling down under the weight of Pluto’s demand.  Mars and Pluto co-rule the sign of Scorpio, and Venus is in her detriment in this sign.  With Pluto retrograde, it is clear that we are now being given some time to integrate the deep changes we were to have made during the Venus retrograde period.  Venus and Mars together in Aries will bring the energy and action necessary to start “walking the walk” of the new and improved YOU.

We often look at the cycles of Mars and Venus as the arbiters of personal relationships.  When they come together and begin a new cycle, we begin new phases in our personal relationships.  The Mars/Venus cycle is a measure of our own personal growth in relationships.  Usually, Mars moves much more slowly than Venus, but because Venus had a prolonged retrograde period recently, Mars and Venus are spending a great deal of time together, with Venus chasing Mars a few degrees behind until the day she finally catches him on June 20th.   What normally only takes a few days to happen is now taking over a month.  This is significant.  We are receiving a flood of information in the next month about our relationships so that when the conjunction of these two planets finally happens on June 20th and a new phase begins, we will know what our mission is and how we should move forward and develop our relationships as an extension of our own personal growth.

On Saturday, May 9th, we will have a full Moon at 18 degrees of Scorpio.  Full Moons are an intense period of energy release and Scorpio is an intense energy, but not a bad energy, as many people like to misunderstand.  Scorpio is co-ruled by Mars and Pluto.  Scorpio energy is the energy of transformation, and as such threatens the status quo.  This is the reason so many people give Scorpio such a hard time.  The status quo is ruled by Capricorn.  Well, the sign Capricorn is being renovated by Pluto for the next 16 years, so we can expect the status quo to get a good makeover!  As an example, we can look at the status quo on Wall Street and Washington, D.C.  Capricorn rules big business and big government.  There’s a whole lotta shaking going on in both places!

Whats is status quo in our relationships?  Is the status quo good, bad, or simply comfortable.  Why do we maintain the status quo in our relationships?  These are questions we would all be wise to ponder, as we prepare for the cosmic report card known as the full Moon!  With Mars in Aries, sitting with Venus who still carries the scars from her three recent run-ins with Pluto, we can expect to see, larger than life, the “real’ effect of maintaining the status quo in our lives.  Of course, if the status quo is working beautifully, then we should get lots of confirmation.  Clearly, long-lasting, stable, and rewarding relationships are built upon a firm foundation.  But what if the foundation isn’t firm, or it needs to be reinforced?  Well, then we can expect a few walls to tremble, or perhaps the entire structure will crash down.  Only we know how solid our foundations are, and only we are responsible for doing the maintenance work required to keep the foundations secure.

Paul and I just celebrated our 9th year together.  When our relationship was new, we were drunk on love, or what we thought was love.  The joy and desire for each other we felt seemed like love to us, especially since we both felt like we had been denied love in the past.  Well, some of that was love, but it was new love, it was infatuation - a very important part of young love.  Let me remind us all that we don’t have to be young in years in order to experience a new, young love.  Anyway, as love matures, as a relationship develops, it requires support, for the merging of two foundations into one cannot happen without structural rehabilitation.  Paul and I have learned that we need to renovate occasionally and shore up our foundations, even when we are not excited about the prospect of all of the dust that renovation creates.  I can tell you a little dust is worth the mess when the cleaning crew finally shows up and we once again inhabit comfortably that space we created for ourselves so many years ago.

The past few months, we have all been called upon to make some serious changes in ourselves so that we could be more free and more happy.  Now, these changes will be put to the test as we are called to share them with the people in our lives.  As we grow as individuals, our relationships must grow as well.  Paul asked me once what I wanted in a relationship and I answered that I wanted a relationship that could grow and change with me, because I knew I needed to grow and change.  He seemed perplexed at the time because his concern was for stability.  Well, if you create a little dust now, there will plenty of stability to support the changes to come.  Nothing stays the same, all things change, even our most cherished relationships.  The mistake is thinking that change is bad.  When we allow our insecurities and fears, our illusions and our fantasies, to overshadow our need for change - which is another word for growth, then our foundations become “status quo,” and there will always be a Pluto or an Obama who comes along eventually and shakes things up.  If we have been in denial, like Chrysler, then the shake up will be severe.  If we have been cultivating our own growth and relationships carefully, renovating when necessary, then the Plutos and Obamas of the world simply confirm that we have been doing the right thing all along.

This week as the Moon waxes to full, we will receive lots and lots of feedback on our relationships.  Pay attention, don’t shoot the messengers (Mars is still carrying a square to Pluto, which means that fighting right now is not the answer), and remember that if you want something to change, then you have to be the one who changes first, otherwise, all you are doing is complaining.  It takes two to tango, and you are in the lead!

Good luck and be well!

mark

Please come suport this great cause with me on Sunday April 26, 2009!

I’ve donated a free astrology reading for the auction, and I would love to meet you.  If you see me, please say hello!

HELP Inc.’s 13th Annual “A New Day of HOPE” www.HopeIncLaw.com
Under the Big Top
Sunday, April 26, 2009

1pm - 5pm
Temple Beth Sholom
4144 Chase Avenue
Miami Beach, FL

About Help Inc.

Since 1994, HELP has provided direct legal assistance free of charge to South Florida’s largely immigrant and financially disadvantaged HIV-positive community. Through the combined efforts of the Law Director, volunteer attorneys and law students, HELP has assisted over 300 individuals and families in matters of public benefits, discrimination, immigration, wills/trusts, the rights of the incarcerated, and landlord-tenant disputes.

Dear Friends,

Sorry to have missed a few weeks.  As we all know, these are stressful times, and the stress has caught up with me.  I am saddened to share the news of my sister-in-law’s death.  I would like to publicly acknowledge her bravery and strength throughout her seven year battle with breast cancer.   I also send my most sincere condolences to all of you who have lost loved ones to this disease.

It has been a difficult few weeks for my family, and as I sit on the plane taking me to her funeral,  I cant help but notice that Venus has been retrograde in the last degree of Pisces for most of this time.  The last degree of any sign brings the complete development of those qualities represented by the sign to a head.  Pisces is ruled by Neptune, whose energy rules the dissolution of boundaries.  However, boundaries are important mechanisms in our lives, for they define beginnings and endings.  Interestingly, as my sister-in-law passed, my 15 year old nephew came for his first visit to see me.  I could not help but notice that as one important relationship in my life ended, another began.

Friday, April 24th, marks the new moon in Taurus.  Taurus is the sign of the zodiac concerned with what we own and the things that no one can take away from us, including our God-given talents, whatever they may be.  The sign of Taurus is ruled by Venus, who rules money, relationships, and the economy.  I am sure we can all appreciate the importance of this Venus-ruled new moon, especially since it carries with it the intensity of the Pluto square about which I have written much lately.  Pluto is the modern ruler of the 8th house of the zodiac, commonly associated with Scorpio.  Pluto rules real estate and taxes, as well inheritances and the resources of the other people in our lives.  This perspective makes this new moon especially relevant, since we are all affected by the economy, the real estate crisis, and taxes!

A new moon in the appropriate time to set our intentions for what we would like to see grow in our lives over the upcoming month.  The next full moon in Scorpio on May 9 will be when we get a glimpse of our progress towards these goals.  With all of the change, loss, and uncertainty, it would be easy to focus on the negative right now: on what we have lost or do not have.  My mentor, Brenda Brush, reminds us all that this new moon is also the full phase of a Taurus cycle that began ten years ago.  The full phase of a cycle is where we receive the consequences of our actions, the impact of our intentions.  The next 10 years will be a time when we process and accept these results as we begin to build a new foundation for the next cycle.

Even as we recognize the folly or prudence of our decisions over the past 9-10 years, we are also being given a chance with this new moon to re-establish our goals for abundance, which is also ruled by Taurus.  Taurus wants satisfaction and beauty, in addition to security, so if we focus on the positive, accept the lessons we have learned, and make a realistic plan for how to accomplish these goals, this could be a fantastic time to make dramatic improvements in the quality of our experience.

Looking to the ruler of Taurus for guidance on how to accomplish this, we find that Venus is at 0 degrees Aries!  This is a very powerful degree for all cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.  This degree of Aries signals action: strong, bold, and creative… Yes, creative!  Aries is the most creative sign of the zodiac!  We should be grateful for the things we have today‘ we should recognize our talents, and we should use them to help us create the new vision of abundance we have for ourselves.

Now is time to be optimistic about our futures and to honor the things which and the people who bring true value to our lives.  The Venus retrograde in Aries square to Pluto in Capricorn has shown us where we have placed too much importance on value-less things in our lives.  Venus retrograde in Aries wanted us to re-invent ourselves.  The Pluto square demanded that his change be real and significant, with meaning and value.  Now that Venus is direct at 0 degrees Aries and ruling a new moon in Taurus at the full phase of a Taurus cycle, we can be sure that now is the time that we can take responsibility for our actions, acknowledge our mistakes, be thankful for what we still have, and move forward to create a more sustainable future for ourselves.

It a great day!  Its a great week!  Its a great life!

with love

mark