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Dear Friends,

The Virgo Full Moon is this Sunday at 9′59″ Virgo.  Normally, a Full Moon is a time we receive feedback on how we are doing in our evolutionary growth.  It represents the culmination of the lunar cycle that began with the previous New Moon.  When a cycle begins, this is the time to set our intentions and plant the seed that we want to see grow.  The culmination of the cycle is when we receive the feedback on how well we have nurtured that intention.  Interestingly enough, even though this Full Moon is a lunar culmination, it also marks the beginning of three other planetary cycles: Sun/Jupiter, Mercury/Neptune, and Venus/Uranus.

Saturn has been in Virgo for most of the last 2.5 years.  This has been a time when we should have been very aware of our needs with respect to service, health, and routine.  These are all Virgo ruled areas in our lives.  Also, whatever house is ruled by the sign Virgo in our charts has been influenced by Saturn to become healthier and more effective at adapting to the changing times.  While this was happening, Uranus in Pisces was opposing Saturn, a cycle which started in October 1988.  We are now seeing the full effect of that cycle.  Uranus always brings an upgrade to our lives, but it usually does so with a big upheaval or very unexpected turn of events by which we often feel either victimized or set free.  This Full Moon will be a time to receive feedback on how we well we have adapted to these circumstances, and also on how well we have learned to make better and healthier choices and decisions for ourselves.

Saturn is currently in Libra, representing a need to form better relationships and to find balance in our lives, but Saturn will revisit Virgo and oppose Uranus in Pisces one last time from April 8 through July 21.  These 14 weeks will be a time when we will all have to finish whatever was started in our lives during the Fall and Winter of 2008 when the first Saturn/Uranus opposition happened.  Hopefully, we have found some balance or new ways of relating so that the ending wont have to be as dramatic as the beginning of this process, but we will see both happen all around us.  Healthy resolutions to these issues will make it much easier to start fresh, as Saturn and Uranus will oppose each other again in cardinal signs in late July 2010.

The Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon oppose each other, so anything that aspects the Sun or Moon significantly is important to our understanding of the energies represented.  The Sun will be conjunct Jupiter, starting a new cycle between those two planets.  Jupiter can represent healing and expansion, growth and development.  The cycle starts at nearly 10 degrees of Pisces.  Pisces is the sign we associate with the future and optimism.  The new cycle is reminding us that no matter what has happened in our past, or is happening in our present, the future looms bright and hopeful.  However, we also associate Pisces with the martyr/savior complex, so there will be a challenge to overcome the victim mentality and embrace the role of the superhero who is never defeated as long as there is growth.

The ruler of Virgo is Mercury, so we will want to know what he is doing at the time of the Full Moon.  Mercury will be starting a new cycle with Neptune at nearly 27 degrees Aquarius.  Mercury represents our mind and how we think, process, and communicate.  Neptune represents the dissolution of boundaries, as well as inspiration and delusion.  Neptune is a tricky energy because there is a lack of clarity wherever Neptune is involved.  Luckily, Mercury in Aquarius is rather objective and somewhat detached from emotion.  This could be a good time for us bring some objectivity to the areas of our lives where things are unclear.  Emotions come and go, but the truth is never far away.  There are those who will allow their thinking to become clouded by Neptune’s fog, most likely because Chiron is also involved in this new cycle.  Chiron is where we are wounded by our past, but it also shows us how to heal that wound.  Using the optimistic, forward looking energy of the Sun/Jupiter conjunction rather than looking back and feeling victimized will go a long way towards keeping the energy positive and maximizing the potential of this new seed.

For the present, no discussion involving Saturn or Virgo is complete without a mention of the planet Uranus.  Just after the Full Moon, Venus will conjunct Uranus at roughly 26 Pisces and begin their last yearly cycle in this sign for 77 or so years.  Uranus spends roughly 7 years in a sign, and starts a new cycle with Venus once a year.  The next cycle will begin at 2 degrees of Aries in April 2011.   For this cycle, we have Venus exalted in Pisces, and strengthened by the retrograde of her partner in crime, Mars.  Venus represents what we attract: it is a passive principle.  Of course, we attract what we send out through the active exercise of Mars energy.  Uranus is that force which brings chaos into our lives in order to shake us out of our ruts: old habits and routines (Saturn) that don’t support us anymore.  Because it is ruled by Jupiter, Pisces is a forward looking energy.  Pisces also carries with it the duality of the victim mentality or the total egomaniac.   This cycle, especially since Mars is retrograde, asks us to open ourselves to the healing and expanding possibilities of an unknown and unexpected future.  Can we be open, even anticipate with joy, a future that is uncertain or not clear?  Yes, we can if we are open to receiving love, evolution, and growth without needing it to be packaged in the same old wrapping that we have come to expect.

And remember, if our hands are open to give, they are also open to receive.

with love

m

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Dear Friends,

We are still experiencing the balsamic energy with the Sun, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus all in Pisces, along with Chiron and Neptune conjunct in late Aquarius.  At a new phase, we are planting a new seed, like we do on the New Moon.  This corresponds to the sign of Aries in the zodiac.  The first quarter phase is a time for initial action, which corresponds to Cancer.  The full phase is when we see the results of the intention we set at the New Moon relative to the action we took at the first quarter.  The full phase corresponds with the sign Libra.  At the third quarter phase, corresponding to Capricorn, we must accept responsibility for the full phase.  In between the third quarter and the next new cycle is the balsamic phase, which corresponds with later Aquarius and Pisces.  The balsamic phase is a time when we finish what we started at the new phase, a time when we have accepted responsibility for our creation and we are tying up loose ends.  The balsamic phase is a time to accept, complete, and to release.

The Aquarius New Moon on Feb 13 was conjunct Chiron and Neptune, which was an important transition into the balsamic frame of mind that will help us transition into the upcoming Cardinal T-Square configuration where Uranus and Jupiter will conjunct in early Aries, opposite Saturn in Libra, with Pluto in Capricorn squaring both.  This event will happen in late July, and is already forming as these planets all slowly shift ever closer to this major showdown.  Saturn and Uranus have been opposing in the signs of Pisces and Virgo respectively for 2 years, and even though Saturn has moved into Libra, he is retrograding backwards to a final meeting with Uranus at 29 Virgo-Pisces on April 26th.  These past two years have seen much turmoil and change with respect to the economy, housing, employment, and political systems all over the globe.  Each of us has been affected and now is the time that we need to tie up loose ends with respect to these changes.  Whatever change took over our lives in 2008 and kept us in its grip in 2009, we now need to complete.  For some of us, resistance has been the name of the game, and this two year period has not been fun.  For others, the change was welcome and provided freedom from something that had become stifling.  Either way, the change is going to complete itself, with or without our help.  Why not stay ahead of the wave, ride the energy, and be proactive about finishing whatever needs to be finished.  Even if it feels unpleasant to face what we have been hiding from or avoiding, it will be relief to know that we have finally put it to rest.

By tying up these loose ends, we will be in a much better position to harness the energy of late July.  Cardinal signs want us to start something new, but how can we start something new if we are still stuck in the past.  The answer is that we cannot!  All of this energy concentrated in Pisces right now, with more to come, is showing us where we have been hiding, where we have been fooling ourselves.  It may also be showing us where we can shift the boundaries of what we thought was possible for us.  Pisces is the end and the beginning, and it contains all of the things we were afraid to face earlier.  Luckily, Venus and Jupiter, both dignified and conjunct in Pisces, have given us the opportunity to see hope where we once saw fear, and to see common ground where we once saw division.  Chiron sitting with Neptune has been a boon to many, bringing healing and inspiration in the face of adversity  Unfortunately, for some this combination has been a painful reminder of how we can make our wounds even deeper by refusing to acknowledge our intuition.  There have been quite a few sad stories at the Olympics this year, many injuries and a horrible death, and I am sure that the most recent Aquarius New Moon conjunct Chiron and Neptune is as good of an illustration as any.  Delusions can make our wounds greater, and it is a sad reality that even though Nodar Kumaritashvili feared the track that took his life, he felt that he had no choice but to compete.  He did, but he could not see it — or could not allow himself to chose it — and this is the great challenge of Neptune.

With Mars retrograde, Venus still has center stage, and in Pisces, Venus is exalted, which opens the door for us to receive the bounty of Pisces: intuition, grace, love.  It also opens the door to the dark side of Pisces: hiding, escape, and delusion: Neptune is, after all, the modern ruler of Pisces.  As always, the energy is neutral and present in all of its forms.  It is up to us, each and every one, to make good decisions on how to use it.  Of course, making no decision at all is to play the victim, and many people under strong Piscean influence play the martyr well, but most of them are victims of their own self-undoing.  The Full Moon on February 28 is at 9 Virgo, opposite a Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces.   This will be the time we receive feedback on how well we have dealt with this energy.

Be well, complete what needs to be completed, and get some rest if possible.  The Aries ingress is March 21st, demanding new beginnings, and that will be the time that we need to move forward and leave the past in the past.

with love

m

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Dear Friends,

We open the new week with a New Moon at 25′17″ Aquarius conjunct Neptune and Chiron.  This is potent stuff, for sure!  Neptune, Chiron, and Jupiter were conjunct from March 2009 through January 2010 in the sign of Aquarius.  Chiron is the mythical Wounded Healer: Chiron represents the psychic wound which we allow to make us feel separate from the rest of humanity.  Ironically, it is also the capacity for healing through that same unique experience.  Our greatest weakness is, in fact, our greatest strength.  Learning how Chiron works in our charts is a crucial step to bringing more joy and connectedness into our lives.  Neptune represents dreams, illusions, delusions, creativity, and outright deception.  Neptune is an energy which dissolves boundaries: I always envision a huge bank of fog enveloping the landscape when I think of Neptune.  Outlines are distorted, shapes are exaggerated, clarity is diminished.  If the boundaries we have are rigid and not able to flow with the change required by the times, then Neptune can be a liberating force, dissolving the restrictions and allowing for more movement and for creativity to flourish.  However, if we insist on believing that what we see in the fog is real, then we may find ourselves deceived once the fog recedes.

With Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune all conjunct in Aquarius for practically the past year, we have had an opportunity for great healing to happen in the Aquarius ruled house of our charts.  Jupiter expands whatever it touches, so whatever liberation and healing was promised by Neptune sitting with Chiron was only magnified by Jupiter.  Of course, there is always the chance that the opposite has happened.  Perhaps rather than face illusions and wounds, we have retreated further into them.   We all know people who are not happy unless they are miserable.  Well, this influence could be making them much more “happy,” as their wounds get deeper and they refuse to face the reality of their situations.  Jupiter has moved on into the sign of Pisces, where he is conjunct Venus at this New Moon, bringing either more love and healing energy reconnecting us to the divine, or more illusions and a need to hide from reality.  As always, every coin has two sides.

Aquarius is the sign of humanity, of friendship, of dreams.  Aquarius is the sign where each unique individual is accepted in to the larger family of man.  Yes, we are all unique, we are all special.  We are also One.  No one person, no one thing, is more divine that any other.  This is the message of Avatar, and the popularity of this movie is no surprise, given the astrology of its release.   I told the folks at the Zodiac Lounge last night that we are all ants in the same hill, no matter how much money, prestige, or power we allow to delude ourselves otherwise.  Aquarius is the sign where our differences cease to matter.  We are all one in Aquarius, and this is the lesson we will learn as we move deeper into the Age of Aquarius.  Neptune could dissolve whatever boundaries (Chiron wounding) have been preventing us from accepting our connectedness, and our unique capacities and talents (Chiron healing) could be just the ticket to help us realize that we ARE an important - even crucial - link, as is everyone else.  This idea wont appeal to everyone.  Some people believe they are better than others.  This will also be a time when this illusion can be made more manifest: think Tea Party politics.  Aquarius can also represent a detachment or a division from the whole, and those who cannot accept being just another ant will delude themselves into thinking that they are better than or above everyone else.  Its okay, let them.  Ultimately, this delusion wont sustain itself as society continues to evolve, and eventually they will learn finally their lessons, too.

The traditional ruler of Aquarius is Saturn and the modern ruler is Uranus.  Well, people who read my column regularly know that Saturn and Uranus are opposing each other right now, and have been for 2 years.  Saturn represents the status quo and Uranus represents an upgrade to outmoded systems.  Well, we are all receiving an upgrade whether we want it or not, so we might as well embrace it!  This New Moon is going to upgrade our software (our understanding of life) and bring us into the new millennium!  We are, each and everyone of us, the same as everyone else.  Money, houses, and jobs are all just things… and many of us had to loose these things in order to learn that lesson.  Some of us got to keep these things so that we would be there to help those who lost.  Those who lost today will be the helpers tomorrow and vice versa.  No one is exempt from this lesson.  Learn it now or learn it a harder way later.  As always, the choice is ours.  Saturn is also being squared by Pluto right now, demanding that we take responsibility for our selves, our own healing, and our own choices.

Aquarius is an air sign, therefore much of this change is conceptual.  It is happening between our ears, and in our hearts, as well, as Mars (the ruler of action) is retrograde in Leo and configured as an apex of a yod with the sextile of Pluto to Jupiter.  No need to get into all of that!  It is enough, I believe, to set your intentions on this New Moon to break down the emotional and psychic barriers that we believe prevent us from embracing our larger role in humanity.  There are other things happening in the sky, too, but really, how much info can you digest in one sitting?

The most important thing to remember is that we are all one in this world, and that no matter how much of an outsider you think you are, you are just one of the gang.  Use your talents and resources to help your fellow man, and see how giving and sharing can result in acceptance and love.  Easy breezy!

As Niecy Nash always says on my favorite show Clean House, when your hand is open to give, it is open to receive.

With love

m

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

Dear Friends,

The Moon is now in the last quarter square phase.  This phase calls for taking responsibility for what was begun, consciously or not, at the Capricorn New Moon of January 15.  Mars is still retrograde in Leo, which is usually a time when it is best not be overly aggressive or assertive.  When Mars is retrograde, Venus becomes more pronounced, and Venus attracts.  Venus will have traveled through Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces by time Mars goes direct.  These are the final signs of the zodiac, and we have attracted the ending of something in our lives, whether we realize it or not.  When Mars goes direct, Venus will be in assertive, self-centered Aries, and it will be time to work on ourselves first, and then see what comes next.

Jupiter has moved into Pisces, bringing a desire to unify ourselves with something larger, but this desire could be misleading, as Jupiter is also sextile to Pluto in Capricorn, demanding that we take a deep, hard look at where we need to accept responsibility for making a change.  Pisces is where we hide, and if we cannot face the pressure to make the necessary changes, Jupiter in Pisces could fuel more refusal to do what needs to be done.  This will only make matters worse, so please step up and do what you know you need to do.

Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto are all moving toward a cardinal T-square in mid-summer, with Jupiter joining Uranus in Aries opposing Saturn, all squared by Pluto.  We are already feeling this energy, but everyday, we get closer to its complete manifestation.  This will cause many shake ups and surprises in the cardinal houses of your personal horoscope.  Out with the old and in with the new!  There are new things for us to do, whether we want to or not!  We need to move with the energy and be ready to accept what the future holds.  Now is a good time to remember the old saying that “time waits for no man.”  (If you don’t know where these points are in your chart, then now is a good time to find out! )*

This all background to what is happening this week.

On Sunday, Venus will join Neptune, starting a new cycle.  Neptune represents inspiration on the positive side, and illusion on the negative side.  We must have dreams to inspire us, but we must also be realistic: This is the message from the Saturn/Pluto square.   We would all be wise to measure our success by the progress we make, not by the presence of a “perfect” ending.  By the time this July is over, we will all have radically different ideas of what we need or want in order to be happy.  If we use our dreams to inspire us and we use our energy to move towards that goal with common sense, respect, and responsibility, then we will weather the upcoming challenges well.

Mercury will hit the last degree of Capricorn on Tues and Venus will be in the last degree of Aquarius on Thursday.  When a planet is in the last degree of a sign, it is time to end something.  Mercury is the messenger and Venus represents love, money, and relationships.  Capricorn is the sign concerned with tradition and responsibility and its ruler, Saturn, is in Libra.  Libra is ruled by Venus and Venus in Aquarius is ruled by Saturn.  We call this a mutual reception, which means that they are working especially well together.  Being responsible and working together for mutual benefit is always a good idea, and this is what we should have been doing over the past few months.  Saturn in Libra, especially since it went retrograde on Jan 13th, has been showing us where cooperation is needed.  Venus is Aquarius may well have been “divorcing” us from something that or someone who wasn’t good for us.  A certain level of detachment is a strong trait of Aquarius energy.  Perhaps the time for “working things out” is over with respect to the dilemmas that have been facing you for the past 2 or more years.  Saturn will move back into Virgo and oppose Uranus in Pisces on April 26th.  This will be the final showdown for these two planets in mutable signs.  Mutable signs like to fix things, but if the thing cannot be fixed, then Uranus will bring a surprise ending, change the playing field, and when they meet again in cardinal signs in July, a new way of relating will be necessary.  One thing is for sure, if we don’t release what we need to so that the situation can end, it will continue to provide a source of unhappiness and drama that will prevent us from accessing the happiness that is every one’s birthright.

Venus will move into Pisces, and this sign is co-ruled by Neptune and Jupiter.  As I have mentioned, Jupiter is already in Pisces and Neptune is still in Aquarius.  These are the balsamic signs, which means they are about endings.  These signs represent a time to wrap things up, to catch up on unfinished business, and to tie up loose ends.  Well, that is perfect!  The heavens are reinforcing their message.  We need to make room for the new things coming our way!  We need to get the old things finished so that we have energy for the new things!  Both Pisces and Neptune have an affiliation with dreams, and we know that Neptune is our inspiration.  Pay close attention to your dreams: journal and meditate about them.  They are images from your deep subconscious mind trying to lead you to happier pastures.  Mars is retrograde through March 8th in Leo, bringing up things from your heart that need attention.  Your dreams will be a good source of information.  If you have a bad dream, just remember that it is only a message, and try to find the upside of the dream, the positive aspect.  For instance, I had a dream the other night that something was chasing me.  I was terrified.  Once I woke up, though, I realized that whatever it was couldn’t catch me, so I had no need to be fearful.  Well, I do have some fear about a few things right now, so this realization gave me both comfort and the strength to persevere.  A simple change in perspective can make a huge difference.

Friday February 12th brings an adjustment period as retrograde Mars forms a quincunx with Pluto.  It is time to take responsibility for something before we can move forward and realize our dreams.  Pluto is square to Saturn in Libra that day, so expect the adjustment to involve money or other concrete resources, real estate, and - of course- relationships!  This is the final day of the balsamic moon just before the New Moon in Aquarius!  The New Moon is a time to set intentions and commit to creating something with the energy available.  I’ll be writing about the Aquarius New Moon next week, but you can come to the Standard on Miami Beach this Wednesday, February 10th and get the scoop early!  Hope to see you there!

Its on, people!  Don’t waste time hiding or being fearful… Accept responsibility, be practical, be kind, and be prepared for the unexpected.  Its coming your way soon!

With love,

m

*for a donation of $5 or more, I’ll snail mail you a printout of your chart so you will know where your planets and house cusps are.  Please email me at markspringle@gmail.com and put CHART OFFER in the subject line.  I’ll send you a paypal link and request your birth data and mailing address at that time.

MOORE TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WEEK’S ASTROLOGY