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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

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

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.

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

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

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY