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Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with love

m

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with love,

m

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with love,

m

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with love!

m

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With love,

m