markspringle.com

Dear Friends,

What can we expect for the week ahead? Well, rewind the clocks to May 2010. At that time Uranus was occupying the last degree of the zodiac, 29 Pisces. On Saturday, August 14th, Uranus will re-enter this degree and continue to retrograde all the way back to 27 degrees Pisces. On December 6th, Uranus will station and move forward again, re-tracing these same degrees until it returns to the retrograde degree of 1 Aries in mid-March 2011. Basically, we are entering a Groundhog Day (a la Bill Murray) scenario where we get to re-live the drama of March - early July 2010. A retrograde planet always gives us a second chance to rethink, review, or redo something. Retrograde periods are great for internalizing lessons that we may not have gotten the first time around.

The last degree of Pisces is the most difficult of the zodiac, because it requires us to relinquish something to which we are attached. As with smoking, alcohol, and sexy strangers – not to mention a host of other things – we are often attracted to things which cause us problems or hold us back. Uranus at 29 Pisces will take away the thing that holds us back the most, which is also more than likely the one thing we are holding on to the tightest.  Michael Lutin calls 29 Pisces the “Weeping Degree.”  Think back to May 2010 and see how this may fit your experience. Do you need to re-examine those issues, re-integrate the lesson, or review your progress?

On a brighter note, Saturn will be in the early degrees of Libra for this review, instead of the difficult last degrees of Virgo where he was in May. Saturn in late Virgo was demanding that we adjust, whether or not we wanted to. Saturn is now in early Libra bringing our attention to the need to relate to the other people in our lives. Libra requires the formation of the “we” consciousness, according to Isabel Hickey, and we must now make the private more public in the sense that we need to work through our issues together, to communicate and negotiate, to share that which we may kept secret or under wraps.

The ruler of Libra is Venus.  Interestingly, she is spending time with Mars in her own sign, both having just passed Saturn last week. Venus is the feminine principle and Mars is the masculine principle. This brings further emphasis on the need to relate, to balance, to negotiate, and the concept of “give and take.” No man or woman is an island, and now more than ever, we need to embrace the relationships in our lives – all of them, without taking them for granted. The importance of the people we take for granted or don’t especially “love,” like our bosses or co-workers - or noisy neighbors, for example - will become clear as soon as we lose our jobs and homes. Won’t it be terrible to learn this lesson the hard way? I am not saying that you have to invite every person you see on a daily basis over for dinner, but give them the respect and the courtesy they are due, no more, and certainly no less. Be nice to your servers when you eat out. Smile and say “Thank You,” when the cashier hands you your change. A little love goes a long way, and what we send out comes back.

As Porky Pig says, ‘That’s all Folks!” A simple message delivered with love and the hope that we can all avoid learning this lesson the hard way!

m

PS:  I’ll be at the Bodhi Tree in LA on October 16th @ 3p.  Preregister and save!  email me at markspringle@gmail.com

Dear Friends,

Wow! What a week we have just had… Maybe even two weeks! The Cardinal Climax or Crisis or whatever we want to call it peaked this past week. Mars and Venus joined Saturn in Libra opposing both Uranus and Jupiter in Aries, all squared by Pluto in Capricorn. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? It is. But, we can boil it down to a rather simple maxim: it is time for us all to start anew, to embrace the necessity to make some changes, to learn that nothing stays the same, and that nothing should. My husband commented to me this week that he was reminded not to take anything for granted, because all things can change so quickly. The balance of our lives can be very fragile, and it is a good idea to appreciate everything we have every day, because tomorrow, it could be gone… or at least very different.

On Monday, Venus will join Saturn at 1 Libra just before the New Moon in Leo at 11p EST. Saturn is exalted in Libra, meaning that Saturn’s power to teach and to build structure is especially powerful in Libra, the sign we associate with relationships, balance, and harmony. Saturn in Libra reminds us that our relationships to each other, and finding balance in our lives, is where our treasures lie. Venus rules Libra and is very happy to be back home, sitting on her own throne, so to speak. Together, these two planets bring much opportunity to create a balancing act, or force, or opportunity in our lives. Does this mean that every experience will be lovely, harmonious, or feel good? Ummm, no. It does mean that every experience will contain the seed to help us restore balance and harmony, though. We remain responsible for our own experience of these situations and I cant help but think of the Shakespeare quote I use so frequently: “‘Tis nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

The New Moon at 17 Leo is not significantly aspected, and since Leo is ruled by the Sun and the Sun and Moon are sitting together, we are reminded that our solar and lunar natures really need to be in sync with each other. This follows the precedent set by Saturn in Libra, as well as reinforcing the need for the inner and the outer, the passive and the active, the masculine and the feminine in our natures to be balanced. This lesson will be played out through October 8^th as Venus (the passive, feminine principle) and Mars (the active, masculine principle) move together through the signs of Libra and Scorpio until Venus turns retrograde. Leo was occupied by Mars from Oct 2009 until early June 2010, asking us to become clear about where our passions lie. Leo rules the heart, so Leo energy asks us to operate with dignity, honesty, passion, and love. Given the tumultuous nature of the world right now, it makes sense that having a clear connection to our passions, embracing love, and always communicating honestly and acting with dignity will enable us to navigate this rough terrain with the most success. This New Moon will be the opportunity to embrace our passion both as a source of protection and a source of strength. Love conquers all.

m

Dear Friends,

There is a showdown happening in our lives this week.  We are all being called to the table to account for ourselves.  Saturn and Uranus are in opposition, with Pluto squaring both.  Saturn in Libra is bringing our attention to the concepts of harmony and balance.  Because all good relationships are balanced, Libra is said to rule relationships.  (Yes, dear Virgo, there is another reasons why, but one is enough for today.)  Whether at home or at work, whether with friends or with lovers, there is a strain on our relationships or a strain on the people with whom we have relationships.  What’s difference, really, when you get down to the nitty gritty?

The placement of the signs and planets in each person’s chart will show us where the tension is playing out, but for all of us, there is tension.  The area of each chart where the drama is playing out is the house ruled by Cancer.  Somehow, some way, we are struggling with the Cancer archetype in our lives.  There is a person or situation which we may want to control, protect, or nourish — most likely all three!  There may also be a strong desire to bury ourselves in a hole for safety, in order to protect ourselves from a perceived threat.  The most recent New Moon was in Cancer, and it was also a Solar Eclipse. A solar eclipse is an invitation to embrace a new way of dealing with that particular energy or archetype in our lives.  However we have been manifesting the energy of Cancer in our lives, we have been offered a chance to work with it differently, to adopt new ways of implementing it, to learn new ways to employ it.

Perhaps you can see how doing something differently relates to the balancing of an energy.  I once had a Libra client who had some issues with rigidity.  He wasn’t flexible in thought or deed, and he suffered greatly because he couldn’t be flexible when it was necessary, which we all know is fairly often.  He felt like much of his life was a battle, which it was because he was never willing to compromise.  The stress became so great that he had a heart attack.  He came to me afterwards, scared for his health and worried about the future.

During our chat, he told me he went for a walk every day.  He also told me that he walked the same route, every day, at the same hour.  Walking the same route at the same time every day, he became so desensitized to the sights along the way that he didn’t even see them anymore.  He may as well have been sitting in a dark room.  For me, this was symbolic of the larger issues at hand.  My advice to him: take new routes, try not to repeat the routes, and walk at different times of the day.  I also asked him to pay attention to what he saw and whether or not these new strolls produced new ideas or emotions.  I never heard from him again.  Ahhhh… such is the life of an astrologer.  Sometimes we hear back from people and sometimes we do not.  I have always wondered if he made an effort to take my advice, and how it worked for him if he did.  Even without feedback, I know it was good advice.

My point is that he had no concept of balance.  Everything had to be his way or no way.  Well, good luck with that!  I’ll bet even Oprah has to compromise sometimes.  My advice to you: try another route, another time, another way of manifesting your Cancer energy.  Be open where you have been controlling, be more rigid where you have been too flexible, be more cautious where you have been bold, be more bold where you have been overly cautious.  We are all unique, there is no panacea.  Experiment while you have the luxury of doing so.  What do you have to loose?  We always have the option (indeed, the curse!) of going back to our default.  Good luck in your efforts to fight that: change is never easy, especially for Cancer.  But whether or not it is easy is beside the point.  It is necessary.

Mars joined Saturn in Libra Friday, July 30, and Venus will join Saturn on Saturday, Aug 7.  Gary Caton has written a fantastic article on the significance if the Venus-Saturn conjunction.  I hope you will read it.  Mars and Venus act like triggers, setting off energy that has been planted previously.  The cardinal t-square of Saturn opposing Uranus and Jupiter, with Pluto squaring both was exact this past Monday, July 26, and now we have Mars and Venus creating a very personal experience of the inter-personal and trans-personal formation of these planets.

Mercury is in his shadow, preparing for a retrograde from Aug 21 at 19 Virgo through Sept 12 at 6 Virgo.  Mercury always has a message, and in Virgo his message is to pay attention to the details.  Schedule yourselves appropriately, and make sure not put yourselves in a position to sign contracts or make large purchases during his time.  There are always exceptions, but they are the exception, not the rule.

The Leo New Moon is August 10th at 18 Leo.  Leo is the sign between Cancer and Virgo.  It acts as a bridge that connects our need for safety and survival with our more social instincts to serve and interact with society.  Leo is the source of our pride and the expression of our talents, our ability to lead, to receive recognition, and to be creative.  Unfortunately, the shadow side of Leo can be arrogant, rigid, and refuse to accept direction.  The choice is always ours to make.

We are treading in treacherous water right now, for sure.  As with all Saturn-Uranus oppositions, there is a need to deal with old problems in new ways. There is also a need to accept the tried, when it has proven to be true.  Lets not throw the baby out with the bath water would be a good thing to keep in mind.  The Pluto square to Uranus (which will be the hallmark of the next 6 years) demands a radical evolution of the individual, his/her role in society, and the societal forms upon which s/he depends.

As Bob Dylan famously sang, “The times, they are a changin’”

with love

m

Dear Friends,

Its finally here: the mathematically exact day of the Cardinal Cross, or Cardinal Climax, or Cardinal T-Square, or whatever you want to call it.  Monday, July 26th is the day that Saturn and Uranus will oppose at 1 degree Libra-Aries (rounded to the nearest degree), with Jupiter conjuncting Uranus and Pluto squaring all from 4 Capricorn.  Much has been written, many people have had dire predictions, and many more have been in a constant state of alarm or panic over the significance of this alignment.  It is important to remember that everything that is happening, or that will happen or has happened, is part of a much larger history.  Perspective and context are everything, as have seen in the media this past week with Shirley Sherrod.

The evening before this alignment becomes exact, we will have a Full Moon at 3 degrees Aquarius.  Full Moons bring information, they show us where we are or how well we are doing in the area highlighted by the sign.  Aquarius is the sign we associate with community, humanitarian concerns, and technology.  I think it is fair to say that we will receive the message that we have more progress to make in these areas.  For example, there has been much attention lately to the fact that very little of the money and resources donated to the Haitian people has actually made it to those for whom it is intended.  Despite our belief in and reliance upon technology, the Gulf Oil Crisis is still raging, whether or not the valve holds.  And let’s face it, with the economy in shambles, communities all across the US are suffering as home values and jobs disappear, along with playgrounds, libraries, schools, and fire departments.

Aquarius is ruled by Saturn in the ancient tradition, and by Uranus in the modern tradition, and as we know, these two planets have been opposing each other since November 2008.  The basis of any Saturn-Uranus opposition is the need to upgrade the status quo where it has become outdated, ineffectual, or restrictive to the continued development of the entity in question.  With this in mind, we can see the sign of Aquarius is acting as a container for this battle, much the way a child of divorcing parents might internalize the battle between her wars parents.  Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron spent much of 2009 together in the late degrees of Aquarius, and Neptune and Chiron are still keeping company there now.  Many people expected great healing to occur, but I cautioned that deeper wounding was also likely.   Stepping back, I believe the latter has been the most obvious outcome to date, although there remains hope that if the wounding is deep enough, people will have to acknowledge the breakdown and a shift in consciousness can occur to allow this healing to begin…perhaps it already has.  Sometimes when we are so close to something, we cannot see it well.

Many people fear change, and this fear becomes crystallized in the groups and organizations that these fearful people create for themselves.  Once this system is in place, those in positions of leadership are loathe to loose their power and they resist change all the more, not only out of fear of change itself, but out of their desire to maintain their power and its attendant perks.  We see this playing out not only with the incumbents who are fighting to keep their seats in Congress, but in the way that corporate entities like Big Business and Big Finance effectively manipulate the US government through lobbies and campaign donations.  Of course, all of this trickles downhill to even the smallest levels of local government.  My local community of 3000 homes is often used as model of corruption in South Florida, especially with regards to the police department.  Go figure.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Capricorn rules government, structure, hierarchies, and authority.  Pluto, the planet of radical transformation and evolution, entered Capricorn in January 2008, just in advance of the first Saturn-Uranus opposition, to begin its 17 year process of purging, cleaning out, and transforming the systems ruled by Capricorn.  As the innovative newcomers challenge the old guard, as the incumbents fight for their political lives, Pluto is slowly digging up the dirt and exposing the injustices inherent in all systems that arent allowed to develop and evolve freely.  As Saturn and Uranus battle it out, Pluto exposes abuses on either side without remorse or romance.  Liberals and Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, and Tea Party folks have all taken their licks, and there will be many more to come.  Housing, finance, jobs, the economy and the environment:  nothing is safe as long as growth, change, and evolution are stifled.

Libra is ruled by Venus, who is occupying Virgo, the sign Saturn has just left.  Virgo, freshly remodeled, is the sign we associate with health, adjustment, and critical thinking.  No stone is left unturned when Virgo is in the house.  Venus makes this energy introspective, reminding us that the need to face our fears and allow the necessary changes to happen is part of taking good care of ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. How can expect the world to different if we are not willing to be different?

Now is the time to embrace change, to embrace evolution, to embrace the notion that the future can be brighter if we are willing to adjust to the demands of time and growth.  Change and charity begin at home, so let’s all make the changes we need to make on a personal level, and then direct that energy uphill for a revolution of evolution from our local communities right up to Congress, the White House, and the UN.  This is the real power of Uranus in Aries working with Pluto in Capricorn, backed by Saturn in Libra.

with love,

m

Dear Friends,

Last week, my column was a long one, so this week, in honor of Saturn’s return to Libra on Wednesday, July 21st, I’ll be brief.  Well, relative to last week, anyway.

Libra is the sign we associate with the need for harmony and balance.  Notice I said “need for’” and not the “presence of” balance.  Many people misunderstand this sign and believe Libra to be intrinsically balanced, and this is not the case.  Libra is the sign opposite Aries, whose key phrase is I AM.  In Libra, we see the opposite, or WE ARE.  As we all know, balancing our own needs with the needs of the others in our lives is not easy, involving a constant give and take, ebb and flow, push and pull mechanism.  Libra represents the need to balance our own needs with the needs of others, and for this reason, Libra rules relationships.

Saturn is in the last of degree of Virgo until Wednesday, the sign he has occupied for over 2 years now.  Virgo represents the need for analysis and adjustment.  Virgo also represents health, routine, and service.  What may be healthy today, is not necessarily healthy tomorrow.  The routine we established five years ago may not be serving our needs today.  How we serve is a function of who we are and what we need in order to grow, so that as we mature and connect more deeply with the world around us, the ways in which we serve must necessarily change, as well.

While Saturn has been in Virgo, we have certainly gotten the message about where we need to make adjustments in our lives.  Financially, we must learn to live within our means, even if it means we cannot all have new iphones and big houses.  We must also take more responsibility for participating in the democratic process of government.  I get so tired of hearing people complain about how the government does this bad thing or that, without ever once emailing a Senator, writing a Congressman, or marching in protest.  As we know, most of these people don’t vote either.  Sorry, no sympathy from me.  If you let the bullies take over the playground, then you can expect to be bullied.  We also have been made very aware of the fact that we cannot sustain our dependence on fossil fuels.  There are many other examples on a national level.  On a personal level, we have all been made aware of other areas where we need to adjust, to be flexible, and to be practical, despite our fantasies of grandeur or invincibility.

The one thing that all of these areas have in common is the need to be more practical and responsible.  Capricorn is the sign that we most associate with responsibility.  Pluto entered into Capricorn in September 2007, promising a 17 year transformation in the Capricorn areas of our lives, especially with regards to our understanding of being practical and responsible.  In the Sibley US chart, Capricorn rules the second house of finances and resources.  We can certainly see how this is playing out on a national level.  Knowing where Capricorn rules your personal chart will tell you where you need to make this transformation on a personal level.  Even if you don’t know your chart, you should have figured it out by now.  If you haven’t, then email me!  You need to know, and sooner than later!

Saturn rules Capricorn, so for the entire time Saturn was in Virgo, the Plutonian emphasis on transforming Capricorn made us focus on adjusting and paying attention to the details of life, this is Virgo’s territory.  Now as the ruler of Capricorn moves into Libra, we can expect a backlash of sorts, a balancing of all that is still not balanced.  I am expecting even more financial difficulties, more government corruption and ineptness, more corporate greed to be uncovered (Pluto dredges up what is hidden), and more information about how we squander and misuse our resources to come to light.  The good news is that Libra is a cardinal sign,  which means that some action has to occur.  In the mutable sign of Virgo, is was all about reaction.  As an air sign, Libra will promote dialogue, although it will be heated.  Heated is fine, but lets keep it productive:  I am talking to you, Congressman and Senators!  Debate all you want, but I want to see some real communication, negotiation, and consensus.  Of course, that means we all have to light a fire under their collective asses, because we have seen what happens when we don’t: corporate lobbyist end up ruling our lives.  This country is supposed to be by the people for the people, not by corporate conglomerates. Heck, BP is calling the shots in the Gulf and they aren’t even a American company!  230 some odd years later, and we are still under British rule?  WTF?  It might take a while, but Pluto will clean house with the government and corporate structures, and my hope is that Uranus in Aries will awake the sleeping masses to the truth behind their sloven abdication of their own responsibility to direct their own lives, their own communities, and their own governments.

Saturn in Libra:  fasten your seatbelts folks, its gonna be a bumpy ride!

with love,

m

Dear Friends,

Eclipses come in pairs, and the period between eclipses (I refer to this period as an “eclipse season”) creates a window of opportunity to defeat the past and create a new relationship to the future.  Roughly six months after one pair of eclipses, we have another, so that for 6 months, we integrate (or resist) the lessons of the preceding eclipse “season.”  Eclipses are complex, because they involve new moons, full moons, the Sun, and the nodes of the moon, as well as the other luminaries.  It is the relationship of the Sun to the Nodes which creates an eclipse.  The Nodes are delineated as North or South.  The South Node represents what we have done in the past.  It represents our default setting, or the easy way out, or that to which we are accustomed.  As we all know, too much familiarity can breed contempt, or at the very least, laziness.  The South Node may be a place where we are very comfortable, but where we are also operating on auto-pilot.  We may take things for granted that we should not.  Our South Node can bring comfort because it is familiar, but it can also cause us pain because there is no chance for growth or expansion.  In Hindu culture, the South Node represents the “dragon’s tail,” which  suggests elimination when compared to the North Node, or the “dragon’s head,” which suggests ingestion or integration.  The North Node is a place that can be intimidating because it pulls us out of our comfort zone: it demands that we learn new skills and integrate them into our lives.

On June 26th, we had a North Node Lunar Eclipse conjunct Pluto at 5 Capricorn.  Lunar eclipses act as demands whereas solar eclipses act as invitations, according to Jeffrey Brock.  The recent Lunar Eclipse may have brought up issues form the past, especially hidden ones, that need to be dealt with and integrated on a Capricorn level.  Capricorn is the sign we associate with responsibility, loyalty, and authority.  Can you see how this might apply to you?  Is being responsible and loyal difficult for you?  Perhaps you misunderstand these terms and think that being responsible and loyal  means taking the fall for someone or protecting them from their just rewards.  This is not the case and is a clear indication that you need to stretch in order come to a healthier understanding of these terms.

Health is a term we associate with the sign Virgo, and at the Solar Eclipse on July 11th, Saturn is at 29 Virgo.  In my last column, I mentioned that the 29th degree of any sign is a make or break degree, because there is no more room in that sign.  Either we learn and integrate the lesson of the planet and sign, or we carry the weight of that failure on into the next cycle until it is worked out at a later date.  Saturn in Virgo has been asking us to review and fortify our physical health, our coping mechanisms, and our routines for over 2 years now.  Saturn will leave the sign of Virgo for more than 26 years on July 21st.  This Solar Eclipse will be the invitation to take all that Saturn has taught us about health, coping, and adjusting in the past 2.5 years and put it to good use.

A Solar Eclipse is always a New Moon, and this New Moon is happening at 20 degrees of the sign Cancer.  This eclipse is tricky for me, and I have a feeling that I will irritate some of my fellow astrologers and others with this delineation, but my strength as an astrologer and as a counselor is that I “call ’em like I see ‘em” without prejudice or malice.  I know everyone likes to talk about how lovely the sign Cancer is and how nurturing and sweet, but this is only half the picture:  the pretty half.  Everything has a good side and a bad side.  Every sign has positive traits and negative traits.  Often, one trait can be both, depending on the intent, or awareness, of the person employing the trait.  This is a basic tenant of Buddhism.  In any event, spiritual proclivities aside, Cancer can be very loving, nurturing, and supportive, but it can also be very aggressive– passive aggressive, to be specific — calculating, and retreating.  Finding the balance in the way we use and express our Cancerian energy is the key, as it is with all of the astrological polarities.

Since this is a South Node eclipse, there is the suggestion that we need to let go of something, stop obsessing about something, or to release something.  This “something” is the shadow side of Cancer as it presents itself in our charts and in our lives.  Do you protect those you love to the point of preventing them from learning about themselves and the world?  Do you hide from truths that need to be confronted?  Do you passive aggressively insist that nothing is wrong rather than discussing your needs and feelings in a mature and respectful, dare I say responsible, manner?  Do you teach by example or by force?   Whatever the answer, please be aware that in order to grow, we will need to give something up: it may be a person, a relationship, a perspective, a job, or a house, but whatever it is, the reward will be far greater than the loss.

Cancer also rules receptivity in so far as a womb receives and nurtures the embryo.  The sign of Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and as we all know, the only reason we can see the Moon is because it receives the light of the Sun.  Just like yin and yang, beginnings and endings, and life and death, the active and passive principles are constantly at play.  In the sign of Cancer, we are deeply rooted in the passive or receptive principle.  This principle includes the nurturing and loving qualities we associate with Cancer, as well as the shadow qualities of defensiveness and fear.   Many people I know say they are “open,” when what they really mean is that they are open to this particular thing or to that specific outcome.  They are open to things that they have considered and mulled over already, but they aren’t really open to just anything… or to be specific, everything.  Just like the Moon cannot limit the amount of light it receives from the Sun, we should not limit the amount of metaphorical “light” we receive.  This does not mean that we cannot process it, categorize it, make judgments or adjust to it, but we should not limit that to which we are receptive.  At this eclipse, Venus, Mars, and Saturn are all in Virgo, making it clear that analysing the light and adjusting appropriately is equally as important as receiving it, but if we cant receive it, we cannot process it.

I see this playing out in the US in so many ways.  Of course, this eclipse is midway between the Sun and Mercury in the US Sibley chart.  In addition to the Oil Spill in the Gulf (issues of sustenance/dependence), this week has seen the US file suit against the state of Arizona (issues of receptivity), the US change command in Afghanistan (issues of defense), and the US voice its support of Israel (issues of nurturing).  In relation to the eclipse season, we might ask ourselves how can the US as a nation be more responsible?  How can the US integrate more Capricorn themes in a balanced and supportive manner?  How does the US act passive- aggressively with other nations?  Is the US receptive to ideas and offers which will lead to the government being better able to nurture its citizens?

Cancer also rules issues of safety and security.  Wherever Cancer rules our chart, and wherever the Moon, as its ruler, occupies our chart, we need to feel safe and secure.  Feeling safe and secure in these areas allows us to manifest the higher side of Capricorn energy, as Capricorn is the sign that sits opposite Cancer in the zodiac.  All too frequently, people attempt to provide safety and security for themselves by limiting or controlling their environment, relationships, interactions, etc.  Unfortunately, this can have the opposite effect of isolating the person and creating a situation where anything new or different is a threat.  As we all know, everything changes, nothing stays the same.  By creating a static refuge for ourselves, we actually create a situation where we are constantly under siege by the ever changing realities of life.  The trees that weather the large tropical storms of Miami are the trees that can bend with the wind.  If they are too rigid, they snap like toothpicks, no matter how solid they look on a calm day.

These are complex issues, and now is the time to examine them.  Safety, security, the need to be needed, learning to adjust to the ever changing demands of life, and taking responsibility for ourselves and our experience are important issues that deserve some attention.  Working with the energy of this New Moon Solar Eclipse, I am sure that we can all make some great discoveries about ourselves that will enable us to make the necessary adjustments that Saturn will require when he moves in to Libra on July 21th.

with love!

m

Dear Friends,

Perhaps something that has been hidden from you has been exposed recently.  This is what we would expect from a lunar eclipse like the one we just had on June 26, especially one that conjuncted Pluto: secrets come out, new information is revealed.  Perhaps you simply have choosen to see something in a new light that you have been aware of, but avoiding, for some time.  Either way, these issues have been brought up so that they could be dealt with, healed, and put to rest.  The past belongs in the past.  Carrying the corpse of the past around with us prevents us from living in the present.  Either we are too focused on the weight of the past, or we are fantasizing about a future where the past is no longer plaguing us.  Either way, we are not giving the present the attention it deserves.  The present is all we have that is alive and growing, changing and progressing.  We must embrace what is happening to us right now!  Now is where we live, where we breathe, where we grow.  Whatever has been uncovered, it is only information.  Use the information to put your demons to rest and enhance your ability to live in the present.

We begin Saturday, July 3rd with the Moon conjuncting Uranus and Jupiter is Aries.  We will all want to do whatever we want to do, and probably without compromise.  It would be a good idea to make some time for ourselves on Saturday so that we can indulge our own personal and specific desires and needs.  Impatience and anger will be the result of thwarted ambition, so make time to do whatever it is that you want to do on this day.   Get to know yourself again.  I’ll bet you haven’t made time for yourself in a while.

Mid week brings a yod, or finger of God, into our sights.  This aspect occurs when two planets are linked by a 60 degree angle (sextile) and each of those 2 planets are linked by 150 degrees (quincunx) to a third planet.  When we have this formation, it appears that an arrow is pointing directly to the planet receiving the quincunx angles.  We could say that this arrow is pointing to the answer, or at least to the place where we should be focusing our attention, or to the tool which we should be using at that moment.  There is also the implication that the planets linked by sextile are there to serve as assistants, working together to help us use the primary tool indicated.  The two assistants in this aspect are Mercury in Cancer and Saturn in Virgo.

Mercury has just moved ahead of the Sun in the sky, indicating that there are grand ideas or perspectives to be considered.  Cancer is the sign we associate with safety and security, nurturing and parenting, and protection, as well as passive aggression.  Safety is certainly a big concern for many of us: the Oil Spill in the Gulf continues to threaten our shores and our national psyche, the wars in the Middle East continue to rage on with no end in sight, and the Stock Market continues to fall, bringing with it fewer jobs and more foreclosures.  The sextile to Saturn at 29 Virgo makes it clear that adjustments are not simply necessary, but crucial.  Paying attention to the details has not been this important for a very long time, since the last time Saturn was at 29 Virgo in September 1980.  Virgo is the mutable earth sign, which means that practical adjustments enabling processes or routines to work more efficiently are to be employed.  The 29th degree of any sign points out that it is a now or never scenario:  there is nowhere else to go, there is no room left in that sign.  If we do not make the necessary adjustment, then the planet moves on to the next sign, carrying the dysfunction with it, kind of like dragging the past into the future, which we know from the recent eclipse is not the answer.

The planet receiving all of this energy is Neptune, a tricky guy, for sure!  Neptune can be inspiring or conspiring, inspiration or delusion.  Neptune rules photography.  Are photographs real?  When we see an arresting photograph, what exactly is it about the photograph that holds our attention?  What interests us about it?  Its interesting that photographs reveal things we cannot see with our own eyes.  Neptune is in Aquarius, a Saturn-ruled sign which calls our attention to the details of technology, networking and community, as these are Aquarian themes.

So putting it all together,  we need to adjust (quincunx) our thinking (Mercury) by paying attention to the details (Saturn in Virgo) and using technology (Aquarius) to inspire (Neptune) our sense of community (Aquarius).  Or we could say that networking is the way to develop (Saturn) community and provide for our security.  Or we could even say that our reliance on technology creates the illusion that we have a community and undermines our feelings of safety and security.  Think of it as a word puzzle.  There are no right or wrong answers.  Mercury in Cancer is more about intuition than logic.  Arrange these words using the aspects as a guide and see what feels right for you.

The important thing to remember is that the space between the most recent lunar eclipse on June 26 and the upcoming solar eclipse on July 11 is a time to connect with your intuition, face the ghosts of your past, and heal what needs to be healed so that you can be present for whatever needs attention right now.  There are no shortages of problems, issues, and dilemmas to tackle, but how can we if we are still fighting the ghosts of our pasts?

With love,

m

Dear Friends,

Its time for a little tough love, North Node Capricorn Lunar Eclipse style.  Let’s consider this an intervention, delivered with love and nothing but your own best interests as motivation.  Also, for the astrologically conversant among us and for the sake of full disclosure, please remember that this intervention is coming to you from a Sun/Neptune in Scorpio with a 1 degree Aries Moon conjunct Saturn opposing Venus (currently squared by Pluto and said eclipse), with Capricorn rising.  Are you ready?

You are now lying in the bed you have made yourself.

Don’t like the bed?

Do some laundry.  Buy a new bed.  Don’t have the money for a new bed?  Work harder, work more, or work smarter.  Play less, eat less. Wear rags rather than Ralph Lauren  Whatever it takes.  I have my own bed to tend to, and so does my neighbor, and so does your neighbor.

A lunar eclipse is an emotional wake up call, it brings to light what has been hidden.  These hidden issues have been developing for a lifetime, if not several, so there is nothing “new” in the equation.  Yes, your awareness might be new, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing, although better late than never.  In fact, having had these issues for so long without addressing them is exactly the problem.  Better late than never, but the pill will remain bitter.

Lets use the Gulf oil spill as an example.  Is deepwater oil drilling a fool-proof and safe method of acquiring oil?  No.  Do we do it anyway?  Yes.  Have there been other terrible oil spills in the history of oil drilling.  Yes.  Are they always disastrous consequences to the local families, communities, economies, species, and ecosystems?  Yes.  Is Sarah Palin hugely popular for coining the mantra, “Drill, baby, Drill!”  Yes.  Do we support Sarah Palin?  Regretfully,  I heard a “Yes!”  I could go on, but I have made my point.

The Miami Herald informed me this morning that Nixon was the first president to urge the American Republic to ween itself from oil dependency.  Nixon was president in 1970, right?  So we, the people, have had 40 years to take his advice, and similar advice from several other presidents.  Even I, born in 1967, can remember gas lines in the 70s with Carter.  So, the “oil crisis” is nothing new, but we, the people, have chosen not to address it, and a choice to do nothing is a choice to let someone else do everything - and anything.  And they did, to our collective disadvantage.  We wanted big cars, air conditioning, refrigerators as big as some houses in some parts of the world, lots of plastic and disposable things so we wouldn’t have to wash our own poo off of our own clothes or hands.  How’s that working for you now?

This very same oil is literally destroying the Gulf coast and fast on its way to destroying the Caribbean (”That’s not even in America!” I just heard Sarah Palin say… in my mind) and the Atlantic (yes, my dear friends, it will eventually make its way up to the beaches of Miami where I sit and write this, the Carolina beaches, the Outer Banks, Maryland, Delaware, and Cape May, the Jersey Shore, Long Island and the untouchable Hamptons.)  Don’t believe me?  You don’t need to.  The proof will come in black oil on white beaches soon enough, and then it will once again be a moot point as to whether or not you “believe” anything, whether it comes from my mouth or the mouth of Nixon.  The proof is in the pudding.

I could go on and on, and probably will at a later date, but my point is that this is nothing new.  It is the logical extension of pretending ignorance in the face of hard facts and refusing to make sacrifices for your personal, and the collective, good.  This is the message of this eclipse.  I have used the collective American experience to illustrate the point.  Take a look at your personal lives:  where have you refused to deal with something that has been problem for 40 years?  Or 20?  or 10?  How long does a problem have to threaten your safety (the Sun and Mercury are conjunct in Cancer, after all), before you take it seriously?  Oil dependence, drug dependence, alcohol dependence, any lack of independence you choose.  Self-sustaining is a good thing to be, whether the “self” is a single person, a community, or a nation.  Ask Sarah Palin what Eskimos ate 1000 years ago.  Even she knows it was whale and seal and fish, not imported and genetically modified corn and certainly not chicken and beef pumped full of hormones, sugar, and fat… and heaven only knows what else.

Ana Veciana-Suarez said it concisely in her column for the Miami Herald this morning, “Too bad it has taken such devastation to get us to this point [of realizing that we need to protect the environment].  Then again, this may finally curb our appetite for oil.”

On a personal and more emotional level, what other issues have you been hiding from, dodging responsibility, and generally behaving as though there would be no consequences?

Pluto in Capricorn is conjunct the Moon in early Capricorn at this eclipse, and lets face it, this is why this eclipse is a big deal.  Capricorn is the sign we associate with responsibility, accountability, authority and leadership.  It is also associated with guilt.  Pluto tears down whatever it touches to the bare ground, maybe even the ocean floor, maybe even deeper.  Pluto will mine as deeply as is necessary to expose the full extent of the problem.  Only once this has happened can any meaningful change be made, but Brenda Brush has always said that Pluto always leaves you better off than you were before, but that doesn’t mean the process wont be difficult.

For the sake of your own safety and happiness, as well as that of your friends and family, your community, your heritage, your culture, your state, and your country, for the sake of all of the other beings, human, animal, and plant that also share these things with you, please take some time to reflect on how your choices and the consequences they have, both large and small, affect everyone and everything around you.  When everyone around you feels safer and happier, you will too.  This is how it works, or at least how it should.

Pluto has taken us all to the underworld for this eclipse, and Mercury is the one to bring us back up.  Mercury is retrograde only in Earth signs this year, so the message is clear.  Be practical, pay attention to the details, be responsible and healthy, and be strong.

with love

m

Dear Friends,

The Summer Solstice is upon us, unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, in which case its the Winter Solstice, so lets use a geography-neutral term and call it the Cancer Solstice!  For those of us in the US, this is an especially important event, as the US is Cancer born.  This solstice marks the entrance of the Sun into the sign of Cancer, which happens at 7:30a EST on Monday June 21st.  Every time the Sun enters a cardinal sign, we have a change of seasons:  Aries is the Spring Equinox, Cancer is the Summer Solstice, Libra is the Autumn Equinox, and Capricorn is the Winter Solstice.  Cardinal signs require action.  Cardinal signs initiate new beginnings. Cardinal signs often mark a need for change.  Figuring out how to integrate this energy in our lives brings us a step closer to manifesting our full potential for happiness and love.

I have a vision in my head of a baseball pitcher releasing his first pitch at the World Series for this Solstice.  It is the beginning of what will become a very important game.  How we respond to or work with this pitch will determine which choices we keep open for ourselves and which avenues we close for ourselves.  The entire summer will be seem to be one fateful event after another as we move from the Cancer Solstice to the Lunar Eclipse of June 26th (Cardinal), to the Solar Eclipse of July 11 (Cardinal) and the apex of the waxing Cardinal T-square between Uranus, Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn on July 26th.  There will be very little time to sit back and see how things unfold.  Events will alter our lives and we will need to respond quickly with assurance and bravery.  This is the demand of Cardinal energy.

As the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer, he is immediately challenged by Uranus and Jupiter in Aries.  Cancer is the sign of self-preservation and nurturing.  Cancer doesn’t like surprises or sudden changes.  Well, we can hardly call the changes our world is facing “sudden.”  These issues have been building for a while now, but there is usually one straw that breaks the camel’s back, and I guess a lot of camels are going to have broken backs soon.  A good example of this is the Deepwater Horizon disaster.  How many oil spills have occurred before this one: hundreds?  thousands?  I don’t know, but despite all of the oil spills that have ever occurred anywhere on this planet, it has taken a disaster of this magnitude to attract and to hold our attention.  Shame on us.  Perhaps now everyone of us in the US can admit that we have a problem: an addiction to oil that is causing us to defile our own waters and soil, to destroy our own lives in the pursuit of the oil.  It is an addiction that will destroy countless lives: human, animal, and plant, an addiction that will also radically change our children’s ability to enjoy the bounty of nature.  I am ashamed of myself for contributing to this situation.  The only possible benefit of this situation is that perhaps now we can all agree that we need to end our dependence on oil and that we need to be much better stewards of the Earth.  Admitting to the problem is the first step, and only the first step.  There is wind and solar enough to keep us all plugged in and air-conditioned.  Yes, it will be expensive to build the infrastructure, but what would you call the price of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster?

The Sun square to Uranus means that we must all make some very deep and lasting changes in the ways we sustain and protect ourselves.  Either we can do this voluntarily or we can wait until the Universe creates a situation like the Deepwater Horizon Disaster and we can respond.  In my book, sitting around and waiting for a disaster to spur me into action is not a good or safe feeling.  Cancer is concerned with safety and security.  I cannot say, as I wait for the oil to work its way through the loop current and onto the beaches less than 3 miles from my home where I sit writing this, that I feel safe.  I feel threatened, I feel scared, I feel angry.  Change is certainly necessary.  I prefer to be more proactive, to clean up before the housekeeper comes, as my dear mentor Brenda Brush says.  Why wait for the crisis to hit before we begin to prepare.  The crisis is now, and if you haven’t felt it yet, then my heart goes out to you, because that only means that your personal wake up call is going to be that much more difficult and harder to manage.

We have a challenge to overcome, a crisis to face:  How do we maintain our feelings of safety while at the same time allowing deep and lasting changes to occur?  Looking at the Solstice chart, we should consult the Moon, as it rules the sign of Cancer.  At the time of the Solstice, the Moon is at 29 Libra!  29 degrees of any sign is the sign of expiation, and the sign Libra is the sign of balance, harmony, and relationship.  The message is clear to me: we must all talk about the issues we are facing in an open, honest, and non-partisan manner.  Libra is an air sign, after all, which means that information must be exchanged in order for the process to work.  Finding the middle ground, practicing moderation and restraint, and making sure our neighbors are as safe and as happy as we want to be will ensure our own safety and happiness.

At the Solstice, The Sun is also Square to Saturn at 28 Virgo.  I have been writing for 2.5 years about the meaning of Saturn in Virgo.  Health, routines, and attention to detail are Virgo ruled issues, along with the ability to adapt to the demands of the day.  The message is once again very clear:  change and adaptation are the only way we can ensure our safety and security.  For even more clarification, we can look to Mercury, the ruler of Virgo.  Mercury is in his own sign of Gemini, the planet that rules communication and information, as well as local neighborhoods, transit and commerce, youth, and siblings.  Once again, communicating and relationships are highlighted.  We must protect and rely upon our neighbors, our brothers, and our sisters to make it through these difficult times.  New ideas, learning to talk about and to share these ideas, and injecting youth figuratively into our discourse will result in a greater sense of community, as well as the generation of new ideas which will ultimately be the source of our new security.  New ways of transacting commerce and of moving ourselves form point A to point B will be part of the solution.  Collective reasoning will bring better results than competition.  It is no secret that the banking, insurance, and energy industries (commerce) all need a makeover, nor is it breaking news that we need to develop less damaging ways of moving ourselves around this beautiful planet which we are destroying every minute of every day.  The question is:  when will we, each and every one of us, make the commitment to start this much needed revolution?

Revolution?  Yes, we need a revolution to overcome the the sloth, the greed, the indifference of our community.  Uranus in Aries is waking us up, fueling our rage, and forcing us to act.  This energy is bringing in these challenges so that we can step up and take responsibility for ourselves (Pluto is in Capricorn, after all).  How many more disasters will it take before enough people wake up and join the cause?  The ruler of Aries is Mars, who is in Virgo… Sound familiar?  Health, routine, adaptability: these are the areas where we can each one take charge and be responsible for creating healthier routines that adapt to the demands of the day.

Now is definitely the time to be the change you want to see in this world.

with love

m