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Dear Friends,

The Sun moved into the sign of Libra on Tuesday, September 22nd at 5:19p EST.  When this happens, we call it the Autumnal Equinox.  It marks our entrance (in the Northern hemisphere, anyway) into the season we call “Fall”.  The sign of Libra is the seventh sign, ruling the seventh house, which is the house of relationship.   The house of Libra is opposite the first cardinal house: the house of Aries.  The keyword for Aries is “identity,” with the key phrase being “I AM.”  We can imagine that pure Aries energy is only interested in itself, in putting its mark on the world.  In Libra, the emphasis shifts from pure self-awareness to the awareness of relationship.  For this reason, the keyword for Libra is “cooperation.”  We could say that the key phrase for Libra is “I relate,” but that is a simple re-phrasing which does not further enhance our understanding.  I like to say that the key phrase for Libra is “WE ARE” because it makes clear the fact that in Libra the interests of our egos are no longer self-supporting.  We need to the other in order to understand ourselves in Libra.  Aries is the first cardinal sign, where the ego begins to express itself and its desires, whereas Libra is the cardinal sign where the ego-drive of Aries begins to understand the necessity to negotiate its own needs with the needs of others.  Many attorneys and diplomats have a strong Libra emphasis in their charts, as well as counselors and sales representatives, because they instinctively understand the need to negotiate and see both sides of a situation in order to work out a solution.

Mercury is retrograde through Sept 29, and although he is currently in Virgo collecting information on where we need to adapt, he began his retrograde at 6 degrees Libra.  Our world is changing, and we need to learn how to negotiate the changes.  We need to understand both sides of a situation in order to negotiate the best possible settlement for ourselves.  While Mercury was retrograde in the sign of Libra, he squared both Mars and Pluto.  Mars is the planet of action and Pluto is the planet of transformation or evolution.  A square is a challenge, requiring us to test our skills in order to meet the challenge.  With Mercury retrograde in Libra squaring Mars in Cancer, there was a demand to take a deeper look (Mars) at our own subconscious programming (Cancer) in order to understand (Mercury) how it shapes our relationships (Libra).  With Pluto, the demand was to take responsibility for ourselves or to assign responsibility where it belongs (Pluto in Capricorn) in order to allow our relationships to evolve to the next appropriate stage of development.  Just like we must accept responsibility for those things for which we are liable, we must learn to place responsibility where it belongs with respect to others.  This is sometimes a more difficult challenge than personal responsibility because we often want to make excuses for those people we love or upon whom we depend.  Let’s face reality, though: we have a hard enough time bearing our own burdens, much less the burden of others.  It is time for everyone to take care of and to be responsible for themselves.  Once we truly learn how to do this, we can work on learning how to help others.   All of this was happening as the new Moon in Virgo was approaching.  This new Moon was conjunct Mercury Retrograde and Saturn, opposing Uranus.  The period from September 6 through the new Moon on the 18th was filled with challenges, ghosts from the past, and demons from our psyche.  By now, we should be aware of what is working, what needs an upgrade, and what we need to abandon.  We cannot take everything with us into this new world, so we must chose wisely, or the burden of the past will prevent us from transforming in order to succeed in the future.

Mercury continues to be active, retrograding now in the sign of Virgo: one final cleanup while the most recent Virgo lunation continues to build.  As we remain open to new information, (Mercury is retrograde, after all!) we should also be cleansing and purging.    Fixing or discarding what is broken and getting rid of what we no longer need is the clear message with the ruler of this lunation retrograde in his own sign of Virgo.  Clean up, throw out, recycle, fix, and prepare are all activities that are in keeping with this retrograde and lunation energy.  Mercury goes direct on Tues, Sept 29, and by then we will have the information we need in order to move forward.  Mercury will then advance to third squares of both Mars and Pluto, and action will be required.  The Moon will be full in Aries on October 4, Mercury will square Pluto again on October 15, a new moon in Libra on October 18th, and the final Mercury square to Mars for this cycle will happen in early November.  Taking responsibility for our actions (maybe even our mistakes), righting wrongs, and giving others their burdens back will all be the order of the day.  (I’d like to take a minute to give my Mom a shout out here, because she is stepping up to this challenge in a big way and I want to encourage her amazing bravery and willingness to do what so many of us still have not….I’m proud of you, Mom!) The full Moon on Oct 4 will give us a report card on our “identity,” where we are, who we are, how we are doing, and the Mercury squares will bring to light the continued changes we need to adopt in our perspectives in order to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the upcoming Libra lunation, which will be our first introduction to Saturn’s move in to Libra on October 30th.

We are all being called to reinvent ourselves, to reinvent or relationships, our families, and our society.  There has been a huge emphasis on the mutable signs over the past few years with Saturn and Uranus opposing each other on the Virgo-Pisces axis.  These signs are like toolboxes: they needed to be restocked with all of the latest equipment in order to meet the demands of a new age.  Once Saturn moves into Libra, we will move from a restocking and “fix it” period in our lives to a “tear down and rebuild” phase.  Some of us have already started this process (call my Mom if you need help!), and this is what I like to call “swimming with the current.”  If we are still swimming against the current, isn’t it about time to try something new?  What is the benefit of repeating the same thing over and over, and receiving the same results?  Why?

Taking responsibility for creating the change we want to see, or need to have, in this world is not just a cute slogan for us right now, it is a cosmic mantra offered to us by the heavens in an effort to coax us along towards our higher selves.

See you on the other side!

with love,

m

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Dear Friends,

Our Virgo new Moon is upon us!  I wrote in detail about the vision this new Moon brings last week.  Ironically, it is also Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year!  Shana Tova!  Did you know that the term “mazel tov” translates literally as “may you stand under a good constellation.” Yes, indeed!  The ancient Hebrews were astute astrologers.  There is a huge body of work by these astrologers that many academic astrologers still consult today.  I am grateful for their work, and hope that they receive the recognition they deserve today.  The Huffington Post recently published a great article on this topic!

Now is certainly a good time to start a symbolic New Year!  On this day, Saturn and Uranus make their last opposition in the mutable signs of Virgo and Pisces before Saturn moves into Libra at the end of October 2009.  They will meet one last time at 28 degrees Virgo-Pisces on May 1, 2010 when Saturn is retrograde and giving us our last and final chance with the energy of Virgo, and then the final opposition will occur at 0 degrees Aries-Libra July-August 2010.  Saturn and Uranus have been opposing for roughly 2 years in these mutable signs, bringing the cycle which began in October 1988 to its apex.  At that time, we began a new chapter of our personal and societal evolutions in which we were asked to define ourselves with respect to the traditions of our past and our need to be unique, to stand out, to rebel, and to perfect or reject the wisdom of those who laid the groundwork before us.  So, here we are, sleeping in the beds we have made, so to speak.

For many, this situation is an unhappy one.  Receiving the consequence of actions that were ill-advised, irresponsible, or poorly planned is never really much fun.  Fortunately, its not about fun right now, it is about learning where we have made mistakes so that we can move forward in a more healthy and positive way.  The mutable signs where Saturn and Uranus have been battling it out are the signs where we must learn to adjust, to flow, and to adapt.  If we didn’t have many tools in our box to help us fix things, then this 2 year period has been a time for us to face adversity and thereby gain tools.  No more, no less.  If we have been diligent and worked hard, then Saturn has rewarded us with the chance to use our tools and to receive the boost in self-confidence, success, or happiness that comes with being prepared, or at the very least, being flexible.

A new Facebook friend gave me permission to share this with all of you:

There are two kinds of people in this world - pipes and diamonds. Pipes burst under pressure, and diamonds are born under pressure. Which kind are you?

Now is our time to find out!  Even if we are pipes, hopefully we have amassed lots of tools to fix whatever leaks - or worse - we experience under this pressure.  For those of us who are able to use this energy on a more transformative basis, now is the time to shine!  Many people are experiencing loss and pain right now as they must change with the times whether they want to or not, but some of us are flourishing!  These folks are the diamonds who have been disguised as coal their entire lives, enduring pressure, learning lessons, and slowly adding tools to their toolboxes - even when they didn’t want to - so that they would be ready when the real test came!  Voila!  Lets give them the credit they deserve… they have certainly earned it!

The new Moon is a time to start again, to set intentions, to begin with renewed vigor.  Virgo is the sign of the zodiac most concerned with health, common sense, and adaptability.  If our skills haven’t been up to par before, we certainly must be aware of it by now.  Use this week to set your intentions to be healthier, to use more common sense, to be practical.  The earth signs are emphasized right now, meaning that there is an energetic emphasis on being practical right now.  There is a time and a place for everything, and now is the time for practical, reasonable, and grounded action. What is more practical than this:  if it hasn’t been working the way we have been trying to make it work, then maybe its time to try something new.  I know there are so many of my readers who still want to keep doing things the same old way, even if it hasn’t been working, but why would anyone think that if these efforts haven’t brought results yet, that they might bring results later?  It’s called magical thinking… it is not PRACTICAL.  Saturn in Virgo has been asking us to wake up, to be practical, to learn, to adapt.  Uranus has been showing us where the status quo doesn’t work anymore.  If we haven’t seen enough yet to make us change, well, then nothing will, for better or worse.

Saturday, September 19th, the day after the new Moon, Mars, the planet that can trigger sensitive degrees of the zodiac, will contact the degree of the lunar eclipse on July 7 through opposition.  Beware, thus will be our first test after the new Moon!  The lunar eclipse on July 7th was at 15′34″ Capricorn and it highlighted the tension between our need for recognition and our relation to authority with our needs for safety and to control.  Mars in Cancer, opposing this point, will bring up issues around our home and early childhoods in order to test our understanding of which tools we should use in order to express ourselves here and now with the greatest clarity and the least collateral damage.

On Sunday, Venus will trine Pluto, creating a wonderful window to accept responsibility for our actions, for our relationships,  and for our needs to be right, to be the expert, to be king or queen.  This does not mean that we are entitled to these things, but if we can take responsibility for our needs, then we are much more likely to create the atmosphere in which they have the best chances of being met.  This is a powerful tool.  Did we get that into our boxes over the past two years?  Can we see what events or issues were giving us that opportunity over this period?

Tuesday could be the day someone around us (not US!) explodes from the pressure.  The Moon in Scorpio will trine Mars in Cancer.  Mars is still smarting from his run in with the eclipse point and the Moon is not usually very happy in Scorpio.  The Moon represents our emotions and our subconscious and it would make perfect sense for someone to have a meltdown, especially if they are refusing to take responsibility for something, as the co-ruler of Scorpio is Pluto who recently stationed in Capricorn, demanding that we accept responsibility for our situations.   If we are having a hard time accepting our fair share, then this may the day when a cathartic meltdown burns away the last bits of resistance.  Embrace the opportunity to let go of this heavy baggage, but beware: we will be called to accept responsibility for this meltdown, too.

Wednesday brings Mercury retrograde in aspect to Uranus and Chiron, giving us the much needed new perspective that will allow us to make the necessary adjustments in our thinking in order to move forward.   With Mercury retrograde, it is always a good time to ask questions, but to stay as quiet as possible otherwise.  We are in an information gathering phase, and we cannot gain information if we are talking the entire time.  We can look for people or situations to guide us towards the lessons we need to learn or the skills we need to practice.  Every experience we have is designed to bring us closer to our true happiness.

Friday closes with an early evening Moon trine to Pluto in Capricorn, bringing the possibility of guilty feelings or the need to claim responsibility, or just plain laziness!  All of this energy is there for us to use… but one person can create heaven and another can create hell with them same raw materials, so now is the time to be proactive, practical , adaptive, and flexible in order to create the best possible future for ourselves!

Good luck!

with love

m

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Dear Friends,

“As above, so below” is a phrase that astrologers frequently repeat.  Well, down here on Earth, school is back in session, so something must be going on in the heavens!  The most obvious “happening” is Mercury Retrograde from 7 Libra to 21 Virgo.  Mercury is retracing the steps that he taken since August 16th and he will continue to retrace this path until October 14th, although the retrograde period will end on September 29.  This is deceptive, however, because contained within this path are sensitive degrees of the zodiac which other planets have seeded with their energy, waiting for something to catalyze or trigger the development.  We had a full Moon on March 11 at 21 degrees Virgo which conjuncted Saturn and we will have a new Moon this Friday that also conjuncts with Saturn and Mercury himself.  Mercury squared Pluto at 0 Libra and will do so twice more before coming out of his shadow, and 0 Libra squares Pluto’s station direct at 0 Capricorn on September 11.  Additionally, the early degrees of all cardinal signs will be strongly tested now through 2012 as Pluto carries the weight of the upcoming grand cross with Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Mars (mark your calendars for the first half of august 2011), and the late degrees of all mutable signs carry the tension of the Saturn-Uranus opposition, of which we are currently experiencing the final in mutable signs, although we still have two more in this series of five, but they will happen in the cardinal signs.  Yes, indeed, its time to do some learning!

As is often the case, even as we test out of one class, the other has already started.  Because Mercury’s retrograde dance hits all of these points directly or through a major transit (conjunction, square, opposition), now is a good time to imagine ourselves in a refresher course, a time to brush up on the skills we have let slide, a time to remaster these skills, as they will be necessary tools for us to use when the challenge of the Cardinal Climax begins in October.  Traditionally, Mercury Retrograde is a time when we get a cosmic do-over, a second chance to do something right, or at least better.  It is a time to re-visit what has already happened.  It is not a time to start something new or to make commitments that we cannot undo or renegotiate after the fact.  For this reason, astrologers frequently remind people not to buy big ticket items, especially houses, cars, or luxury items of any sort, since these items cannot be returned.  Communications frequently lack clarity when Mercury is retrograde, so pay attention to what people are saying, ask questions - many of them - in order to clarify what you haven’t understood.  Finally, make sure to confirm that appointments, supplies, and contingencies are all in order before you leave the house, so that you don’t get to your 2 o’clock appointment to find out that they had your meeting scheduled on a different day.  Mercury also rules daily routines, so expect some hazy communications to interrupt your daily schedule.

Because these mishaps occur in the midst of our day while we are on the move and impatient, late or under pressure, we rarely look for the larger implication of these events.  Our routines are interrupted, we get angry, lash out, complain, and run to the next fire without ever wondering what we did to co-create the mess from which we are trying to extricate ourselves.  For this Mercury retrograde period, I think it would be great if we could introspect and find the seed of responsibility that we own with respect to the events which appear to hijack us from our reality.  Pluto in Capricorn will turn direct on September 11th, and the testing of what it means to be responsible will begin with new vigor, so we might as well start owning our mistakes and foibles now!  Uranus in Pisces is carrying a sextile of opportunity to the North Node in Capricorn, and this could mean that our unconscious rebellions signal the need for consciously accepting responsibility for ourselves.

The ruler of Libra is Venus, who will be in Leo for the entire retrograde period.  Venus rules relationships, beauty, balance, our money, and hence, the economy.  Venus is also opposing the Aquarius stellium of Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron in Aquarius.  These bodies all met at 25 Aquarius earlier this year, bringing in an opportunity for great healing, or great wounding, which remains in effect through January 2010. There will be “new” news about the health of our economy this week, guaranteed.  Unfortunately, the news probably wont be good, because Venus is in the fire sign of Leo, burning up resources faster than they can be renewed.  Sound familiar?  Now is the time to protect what we have, to conserve, to recycle, to reuse…that is the message from so many outer planets being retrograde at once, especially now that Mercury has joined them.  Once Pluto turns direct September 11, all debts will be collected, sooner or later.

The co-ruler of this Mercury retrograde is Mercury himself, the ruler of Virgo.   Virgo is the sign of the zodiac concerned with useful service, or adaptive employment.  One of the downfalls of the sign Virgo is that it can get too bogged down in the details and loose sight of the larger picture. (I hope Congress is reading this!)  The larger picture was just represented by the opposing full Pisces Moon.  Sometimes, we need to have faith, to be clear about what is important, to know what is worth sacrificing and what is not.  It was kind of the universe to share this message before Mercury went retrograde so that we would have a chance to see where are focusing too narrowly on some of life’s larger priorities.  Just as we re-direct the short attention span of young children, we need to use this Mercury retrograde period to re-direct ourselves back to the lesson at hand.

Saturn is the taskmaster of the universe, the planet which acts as the authority figure in our lives.  Saturn gives us guidance, monitors and evaluates our progress as we develop our talents and skills, and against which we rebel.  It is good to remember that authority figures serve all of these functions.  We all need role models to show us the way.  We all need feedback in order to understand how we are perceived by others.  With too much rebellion, nothing gets accomplished, but without enough rebellion, the fat cats get fatter at the expense of everyone else.  Saturn has been in Virgo for over 2 years, teaching us the skills we need in order to be healthy, to be of service, to effective and thorough, all the while marching steadily towards a showdown with Uranus, whose main function is to break up the patterns repeated out of habit, but which no longer serve us.  Saturn has been demanding healthy adaptation and attention to detail, but Uranus wants us to make sure we address the root of the issues, not the symptoms.  To simplify the message: keep what is working (Saturn), and get rid of what is not (Uranus).  Spending more time on the things that are not working depletes the energy we need in order to start anew, to transform, to evolve.

Our economy and our health care system are good examples where these tensions are playing out right before our eyes.  Even if we don’t have a problem paying our mortgage, we know someone who does.  Even if we have good insurance, we know plenty of people who do not.  Obviously, these systems are not working for everyone, but so many of us seem to think that we aren’t responsible for creating the change, the new way of managing our lives, that is necessary for our society to evolve.  This is the message of the Saturn-Uranus opposition and this week is our final exam.  It is a make or break scenario right now, and without the successful completion of this lesson, the next lesson, represented by a  t-square between Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto all in cardinal signs, will be very difficult, and like most difficult things, there will be some pain involved.

Friday, September 18 will be a new Moon at 26 Virgo, which is sitting with Saturn and Mercury, all opposing Uranus, while Venus in Leo opposes the Aquarius stellium.  This will be the day when we are called upon symbolically to integrate the lessons we have been learning over the past 2 years, not only with regard to allowing change to occur when and where needed, but also with respect to the need to be more attuned with the needs of our communities, regardless of how well or poorly we perceive ourselves personally to be doing.  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  Are we our brothers’ keepers, or their jailers?  Venus in Leo represents our ability to lead in the face of fear, but only if we are stewards of the weak.  Otherwise, Venus in Leo opposing the Aquarius stellium will represent the careless wounds we inflict on ourselves and others as we arrogantly continue to burn up finite resources.   The new Moon is a time to set intentions and create the energy which will develop over the course of the lunation.  Saturn in Virgo has been challenged by Uranus in Pisces to keep the big picture in sight while simultaneously adjusting the minutiae of life so that even as we refine the details of our day to day life, we are also creating a new vision of what it means to be healthy, of service, and adaptable.  Keep this intention clear and refer to it often so that the message is integrated into your sub-conscience.  The very next full Moon on October 4 will be in Aries; it will be a report card on our success managing the demands of the Saturn-Uranus opposition, showing us the reality of our situation at that time.  The following new Moon on Oct 18 will be at 25 Libra, the symbolic beginning for the Cardinal Climax and the introduction to the next lesson that Saturn has to offer.

study hard and be well!

with love

m

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Dear Friends,

Today, September 4th, brings a full Moon at 13 degrees Pisces.  A full Moon is the full phase, or opposition, of the Sun and Moon, which means that if the Moon is full at 13 Pisces, then the Sun is located 180 degrees across the sky at 13 degrees Virgo. (In astrology, we round up to the nearest whole degree when we are not giving exact degree and minute coordinates.)  Pisces is the sign that we associate most often with spirituality, transcendence, and inner journeys.  The glyph or symbol representing Pisces is two fish tied together, one swimming downstream (earth-bound) and the other swimming upstream (heaven bound).  Pisces is the mutable water sign, making it very adaptable and receptive, intuitive and receptive.   The problem for Pisces is that it represents a duality: one fish wants to stay on the earthly plane and the other desires to transcend this existence for the next.  It is very difficult to do both, and most people would agree that in order to transcend this life, we must renounce earthly pleasures and demands - at least this is what many of the great sages and prophets of our multiple religions are supposed to have taught.  Good luck with that!  This is not say that the ideal is not worthy, but the reality is that we are human, in human bodies, with human needs, and human troubles.   Hence, we have uncovered the Pisces dilemma: the desire to have both.

A full Moon brings to our attention the issues highlighted by the sign of the Moon at its opposition to the Sun.  The sign of Virgo is detail and service oriented, here, on this earth, today, right now.  Pisces energy wants to serve in the spiritual world, but isn’t always located there.  How do we reconcile these two needs, to be both of the Earth, and of the Spirit?  This full Moon is asking us each to answer this question for ourselves.  How do we maintain our connection to Spirit and still live in this world, or how can we live in this imperfect world and still maintain a spiritual connection?  Well, to tell the truth, from a global perspective, we haven’t been doing a very good job for quite some time.  War, slavery, ethnic cleansing, cheap child labor, sweat shops, manipulating money markets, and stealing the retirement of millions of hardworking people across the globe doesn’t really get anyone points with Spirit.

Perhaps you can recall that Uranus is also involved in a full phase opposition on the Virgo-Pisces axis opposing Saturn.  Saturn represents structure and foundations, Uranus represents freedom from structures that restrict too much without allowing for growth and expansion.  You may also remember that Uranus in Pisces is in mutual reception with Jupiter in Aquarius, the planet most associated with expansion and healing, and the sign most associated with humanitarian idealism.  Saturn represents the status quo, the way the world has evolved during the Age of Pisces, which is ending simultaneously with the beginning of the Age of Aquarius.  There are many hallmarks to the beginning of this new Age, the breakdown of the old status quo represented by Saturn being one of them.  The overly-rigid control of Saturn is being broken up by Uranus in Pisces.  The recent US and Japanese elections saw new governments and new ideas demanded by the people of those countries.  Other countries, most notably Iran and Rwanda also had elections which appeared to demand change, but these demands were ignored by those in power.  It will be interesting to see how the people of the countries react once the opposition of Saturn and Uranus move into cardinal, initiating signs beginning with Saturn this fall, especially since they will both be squared by Pluto and Jupiter over the coming months.

In the US, this shake-up of the Virgo-Pisces axis is playing out in the health care debate right now.  This makes sense because Jupiter in Aquarius in mutual reception with Uranus in Pisces is asking that the benefit of health care as a right (Aquarius) be extended to all Americans (Jupiter).  This is a hearty challenge (Uranus) to the previous model: if you are well-employed or just plain wealthy, then you can have coverage; otherwise, you are … what are you?  You are employed but poor with no health care and no one in Washington trying to get you any.   I am amazed that anyone can believe the propaganda being dispersed suggesting that the new health care reform would “put old people out to die” or any of the other ridiculous claims being made by people who resist change designed to benefit those people who have no coverage or poor coverage.  If you have good coverage, great…enjoy it!  But let’s not deny our brothers and sisters, our less fortunate aunts and uncles, a fair shot at attaining what we already have.

One of the arguments against this point of view is that if we extend health care to those who don’t have it, then we will have to pay for it by raising taxes, especially on corporate America (which means the profits made by big business and the overpaid CEOs and executives which run them, basically, because we already know that no one really cares about the money we have invested as stockholders but us, and its all gone now anyway!)  I am not saying that the bill will be perfect, lets be real: politicians are writing it and there is huge resistance from the health care industry which doesn’t want their pocketbooks troubled in an effort to ensure that the doctors ask your ailing grandmother if she would like to establish a living will before an unfortunate and not quite fatal stroke renders her brain dead, which is a likely outcome of her proposed surgery.  If you have been in this situation, you know what I am talking about.  If you haven’t, then you could benefit from educating yourself on the real merits of the plan proposed.   (I can hear the click click click of angry emails being banged out by the hundreds, but what can I say… I watched my grandmother die slowly over 7 years while Medicaid refused to pay for the most basic of services.  I watched helplessly as my mother cried over the guilt she felt at not being able to provide better for her mother, and I feel rage every time someone says the government wants “to kill old people” with this new proposal. Living Will: look it up!)

Back to astrology: the question we are debating as a society is whether it is more spiritual for each to give a little so that the entire group benefits, or is it better for every man to watch out for himself?  Also, is being “better” a spiritual qualification or an economic one?  Should spirituality have any place in government?  These are important questions that we must come together and decide as a society.  This is one of the many demands coming at us from the Virgo-Pisces axis, as well as Pluto’s current occupation of Capricorn, the sign of responsibility.

As if this health care debate and the question of how to create a spiritual existence within our mundane lives wasn’t enough, Mercury will go retrograde on Labor Day, September 7th!  Here we go again, and let me say that what seems logical and rational today may not look so good by the time Mercury goes direct again on September 29th!  Mercury is squaring Mars right now, so watch for heated arguments and hot debate to occur throughout the next few weeks.  With Mars in Cancer, people are very upset, feeling threatened as the planet of war travels through the sign most associated with security and safety.  Don’t think this isn’t affecting the health care debate, either!  When Mercury is retrograde, communications are troubled or difficult, people can make bad choices, and we can all certainly express ourselves poorly.  For the rest of the month, I would urge everyone to listen twice as much as they talk and to find creative solutions to disagreements.  Although the retrograde begins in Libra, which seeks balance and fairness, it will slip back into Virgo and bring up, once again, what is practical.  Fair and practical aren’t always possible simultaneously.  When this is the case, what is the answer: the fish swimming up stream or the fish swimming down?

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY