markspringle.com

Dear Friends,

There is so much to talk about, I barely know where to start! Many of my readers tell me how much they appreciate the “Seeing Stars with Mark” column, but they also tell me that these updates are too long to read in their entirety. What is a diligent and detail-oriented astrologer to do? One one hand, I dont want to over-simplify the subtle and profound lessons that we can learn from the planets, but on the other hand, I dont want to lose my audience!

I’m going to do my best to keep this update short and simple. If you need more info or would like to know how these transits are manifesting themselves in your life, you can always schedule a personal reading with me.

The big story for some time has been the upcoming Saturn/Uranus opposition which will occur on November 4th, and continue to influence our lives through July 2010. It is a beautiful coincidence that this opposition is occurring on Election Day here in the US. The tension we all feel is directly related to this planetary alignment. The political drama and social unrest we are associating with the election are really just further evidence of the power of this important opposition. Even if we werent voting that day, we would still be faced with all of the dilemmas in the world. Confusing cause and effect are common problems, but lets be clear: the last time Saturn opposed Uranus was the period between 1964 and 1966. These years were pivotal in the evolution on the modern American consciousness, and we are once again at a pivotal moment in our history.

Venus will square both Saturn and Uranus on Monday, Nov 3rd, and Mars will square Neptune on Nov 4th, the same day that the Saturn/Uranus opposition is full. These are not good aspects for such an important day when people will be taking decisive action (Mars) by exercising their rights to vote. Mars squaring Neptune can bring about confusion and deception, and no one should accept anything at face value that day.  I strongly recommend that all of my readers do their very best to vote early because the transits immediately before and on November 4th are not conducive to harmonious action. I will not be surprised if we have another contested Election Day here in Florida, and in many other states as well. Voting early may not change the fact that election results are contested, but voting early may at least save you from being an immediate victim of the drama that will occur at the polls on Tuesday. I would love to be wrong about this, but just to show you that I take my own advice, I voted yesterday.

This week, we have a new moon in Scorpio on Tuesday, October 28th. At the time of a new moon, it is a good idea to make a list of the things we would like to see grow or to manifest in our lives. With the new moon in Scorpio, our attention is being focused on what we can control. If we look to Mars and Pluto, the co-rulers of Scorpio, for guidance, we have Mars at home in Scorpio, adding strength to the new moon, and Pluto in the last degree of Sagittarius. For the past 13 years, we have been expanding and perhaps overly optimistic as Pluto transformed our understanding of higher consciousness. This expansion was necessary in order for us to understand our place on the world’s stage. Now that we understand how interconnected we all are, this last new moon of Pluto’s voyage through Sagittarius is telling us that we must take responsibility for ourselves and our actions. All of the expansion that has been happening over the past 13 years is now over and we must tighten our belts.

This new moon is all about learning where we need to take control of our lives. Saturn in Virgo has been singing this song for months, the most recent Mercury retrograde in Libra showed us where we lacked balance and cooperation in our loves, and now this final lunation in the expiative degree of Pluto’s travels through Sagittarius makes it clear that the Big Bang is over. We must now take our proper, and perhaps more modest than we would like to admit, place in the order of things.

The good news, and there is some, is that we may now learn, finally, that we serve ourselves the best when we serve our collective interests the most. And yes… we can.

Be well, be happy, and VOTE!

mark

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Dear Friends,

With so much anxiety and nervousness permeating our lives these days, it seems as though we have more information that we can handle and most of it is bad or seemingly out of our control. Mercury is the planet who controls information and the way we handle it. Mercury went direct last week in Libra, where he will remain until, you guessed it, November 4th! On this very important day, Mercury will be in the last degree of Libra. 29 degrees of any sign is very critical. We call this last degree of any sign “the degree of expiation.” To expiate is to atone for something. An expiation is a move towards correcting a wrong and relieving the associated guilt we shoulder for the wrongdoing.

As a country, and as individuals, many of us realize that our choices and behaviors have had direct and unpleasant, if not disastrous, effects that we did not anticipate. We may feel an overwhelming sense of guilt at having brought these unexpected consequences down upon the heads of not only ourselves, but our families, friends, and communities. Libra is the sign of relationships, fairness, balance and cooperation. Mercury will only spend one day in the expiative degree of Libra and that day is Election Day! By Aligning ourselves with the cosmic energy of the day and voting in a manner that will assist all of us, our country, and our consciences in expiating our responsibility for our past bad decisions will bring balance and cooperation back into American government.

All eyes are on November 4th, politically and astrologically, because this day will be the mathematically precise day of the Saturn/Uranus opposition, under whose influence we will remain for 2 years. How will we deal with the more personal changes coming our way with the Saturn/Uranus opposition? Of course, we are already being influenced by the tension these two planets are creating, and I would like to propose that the tension in our government and the world economy are simply expressions of this tension on the world stage. How are these tensions expressing themselves at our dinner tables? We are all aware of areas of our lives that need cleaning up or change, but we may not understand how to create this change, or we may fear the change simply because, as creatures of habit, we believe that the devil we know is better than the one we dont know.

Usually, I am inclined to agree with this statement; Capricorn rising marks me as a rather conservative personality, but I also know that Uranus always brings us an upgrade. The changes that may come our way with Uranus, no matter how scary, are ultimately going to be liberating and life-affirming. Each day that we draw nearer to Nov 4th, the tension between our old habits and the need to rise above them will increase.

For the upcoming week, I would like to offer some advice. The Moon will trine Mars, the planet of action, today and Monday (10.19, 20) These days may find that our emotional state causes a desire to take action to protect what we have or to give up trying to control the things we have no control over. Dont second guess these urges. With the Moon in favorable aspect to Mars, you will feel good about these decisions as long as they are intended to protect what you have without hurting others.

By Tues, 10.21, the Moon is making a trine to Venus and we may find that we attract something that seems very positive. If this should happen, be positive, accepting, and grateful. Who doesnt need a helping hand? Of course, this does not relieve you of the responsibility to make wise decisions, but dont look a gift horse in the mouth out of fear.

On Wed, 10.22, Mars will square Chiron, and we may find that our actions have unintended and painful consequences, bringing us face-to-face with one or more of our old patterns. If we can remember to think before we act, Mercury in Libra will counsel us to act in a way that is cooperative, balanced, and fair. If we can have the self-control and good sense to this, we may be able to transform a difficult situation into an affirmation of our own abilities to change our behaviors for the better. To my ears, this sounds like a glimpse of the possible benefits of the Saturn/Uranus opposition. The more conscious and active we can be in these processes, the more we will benefit.

Thurs, 10.23, we will all experience Mars in a flowing trine to Uranus, the plant of unexpected change and liberation.   Expect unexpected consequences from your actions this day, and be prepared to make lemonade from lemons. Uranus is ALWAYS change for the better, but that does not mean that the initial experience will be pleasant. How often have we lamented a situation ad nauseum just to recognize months or years later that it was the best thing that could have happened. On this same day, the Moon will opposes Saturn, which will again requires us to reconcile two polar extremes: our emotions and our responsibilities.

With the Sun and Mercury both in Libra through the 22nd, it will be most important to seek balance, cooperation, and reconciliation in our decisions, actions, and emotions. On the 23rd, the Sun will move into the sign of Scorpio, and the energy will become more intense, with our focus shifting from balance and cooperation to control and sharing issues. If we have not yet mastered the idea of balance and cooperation, how can understand our desires to control and the need to share?

We are all very lucky to live in such exciting and liberating times. Dont let all of the hype distract you from the real issues: how can we work with ourselves and our communities in order to be happier and more fulfilled?

Much luck to you all.

mark

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Saturn is the planet who gives us our homework from the Cosmos. If we dont do our homework, we dont move on to the next, higher level. For the past year, Saturn has been in Virgo, the sign most concerned with the details of life. Virgo rules schedules, habits, routines, and ritual. We are receiving lots of information on how our daily routines and habits are working for us.

Uranus, the planet of freedom and awakening, is opposing Saturn in Pisces, the sign concerned with visions and dreams. Uranus is currently assisting Saturn by waking us up to see where our habits are keeping us from realizing our dreams, or how we use our habits to escape the reality of our lives.

Join Mark as he leads us through an AstroYoga experience designed to make the opportunities of this exciting Saturn-Uranus challenge accessible to all.

Mark will be available for a limited number of mini-readings at a cost of $15 before the workshop. Preregistration and prepayment is required.

Saturday, 10.18.08 @ 3p RinaYoga Coral Gables, FL

Workshop $25 at door, $20 if prepaid. For directions and contact info, visit www.rinayoga.com

Dear Friends,

Well, its almost over! Mercury retrograde will end as he stations and turns direct on Wednesday, Oct 15. If we have felt frozen in time or have been unable to move forward, then we will notice a distinct change in this energy after Wednesday. Mercury will still be in his shadow until Oct 30th, so dont think that every issue he brought up during the retrograde period is over just yet. We will be tying the loose ends of our cosmic “re-do” until the end of the month. Hopefully, you have discovered something that you needed to know in order to find more balance and cooperation in your relationships.

Interestingly enough, the day before Mercury stations, we will have a full Moon in Aries. This brings about the completion of the lunar cycle started by the last new moon in Libra, which was about balance and cooperation. These same issues were highlighted by Mercury retrograde. You may remember that part of our cosmic homework for September was to understand how control issues presented themselves in our relationships. This is very important information to have as we seek balance and cooperation.

A full Moon shines bright light on one specific area of our lives. The last full Moon was Sept 15 in Pisces conjunct Uranus and it showed us where we were hiding or what we were hiding from. This full Moon in Aries is all about acknowledging what we have created for ourselves. Our lives, our friends, our relationships: we created all of them. Our lives are what we have created for ourselves. This full Moon will be like a homecoming of sorts, where we must take responsibility for the lives and the situations we have created. Dont like the government, or the bail out, or the economy? When did you last vote, who did you vote for, do you have debt, can you repay it? The bottom line for all of these issues is our willingness to accept responsibility for where we are, as well as for where we want to be. We can always change our minds if we have made bad decisions, but we are still required to take responsibility for the mistake.

Its interesting to me that this is all happening at the same time some very serious issues in our government and economy are coming to light. The credit crisis did not happen overnight. The war in Iraq is 6 years old with no end in sight. People have no jobs and no health insurance. We are spending huge amounts of money to sustain the war and to keep our economy afloat. Who is responsible for this situation? I suspect that we all are: if we borrowed more than we can afford, if we failed to protest a war we never supported, if we accepted variable rate loans and dogmatic leadership without informing ourselves of the consequences. I guess we will find out under this full Moon. No matter what we say about our past mistakes and decisions, no one can say they dont know now. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the upcoming elections.

The good news is that change is right around the corner! Saturn and Uranus will oppose each other on Nov 4th, a very auspicious day, indeed! They will dance across the zodiac from each other for 2 year, brings lots of change and and freedom from old structures that dont support our goals. In addition. Pluto will change signs at the end of November!

Do your best to take a good inventory of where you are and where you want to go. Dont point fingers or try to escape the blame. Be honest with yourself, acknowledge where you are and what you have, and acknowledge that you have created it for yourself. Once you have done this, you can begin to change what is isnt right, atone for your mistakes, and get on with the business of living.

Good Luck!

mark

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY