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Friday, March 31, 2006All Fools Day tomorrow! Fool card from the Dragon Tarot deck.Tomorrow we celebrate the Fool, which is particularly appropriate in light of the Aries New Moon last week. The ancient system of Tarot is the precursor to our modern deck of playing cards, and is widely thought to have been the carrier of secret mystical knowledge during the times of the inquisition. The Fool reminds us that we have limited perspective as we walk through our life, and that we carry with us little but trust that life will take care of us on our adventure. Every morning when we wake up, we trust that we will meet the same world we left the night before. We trust that the Sun will bring day and the Moon night. We have little control over our destiny other than the choices we make from day to day, and in that we are very like the innocent Fool of the Tarot. The Fool is the zero card - the point of beginning and hence its association with Aries, the first sign in the zodiac. According to the research of Dr. Robert O'Neill, 15th century morality plays, "the Fool appears as a character called "Nought" who is subject to derision because he plays no attention to [conventional] morality." In Shakespeare's plays it is only the Fool who has the courage to reveal the truth through riddles and games, thereby showing the most profound wisdom. The Fool is a shamanic character as well. While medieval playwrights cast the Fool in the role of the mentally disturbed, indigenous traditions all over the world respect those who see visions and hear voices as shamans rather than cast them aside as mental cases. The Fool as the Zero point is the perfect circle which has no beginning and no end. It is the perfect archetype for our journey on Planet Earth. This year let's celebrate April Fools day with more than practical jokes and goofs. Let's follow the example of Aries, who lives by instinct. Let's remember that part of ourselves that is wise enough to see through the blinders of our social conditioning, and yet open enough to trust our instincts and our internal barometers as we walk courageously through the journey that is our lives. Wednesday, March 29, 2006Even bigger revelations now appearEver since September 11, there have been rumbling conspiracy theories about the event. Steven Jones, physics professor at that hotbed of radical thought Brigham Young University, published a paper explaining how the WTC buildings could not have collapsed without the help of explosive devices. Attorney General Ashcroft stopped flying commercial aircraft in August of 2001. Such theories have been widely attributed to wackos and nutjobs, but many of us, seeing how the current administration has twisted the world into their own plaything since September 11, have wondered if those theories were so crazy after all. The Moussaoui trial has brought September 11 back into the public consciousness, and has publicized the fact (formerly relegated to "wacko conspiracy nuts) that the FBI never acted on a memo from an agent in the field reporting that Islamic fundamentalists were taking classes in local flight schools. Harry Samit testified that he had warned his superiors over 70 times about a conspiracy to fly airplanes into buildings, and these warnings were not heeded. Moussaoui had been detailed by the FBI in August 0f 2001, but despite their knowledge that he had attended the same flight school as an admitted Al Qaeda operative and French intelligence warned of Moussaoui's ties to Osama bin Laden, the FBI let him go without further investigation. Jill at Brilliant at Breakfast comments that the mainstream media is beginning to pick up the story, and sends the link to a report in Monday's New York Magazine on a lecture by Webster Tarpley, author of 9-11 - Synthetic Terror: made in USA: According to Tarpley, this, roughly, is how it went down on September 11: Cheney, Rumsfeld, and the Pet Goat–engrossed president played their assigned roles enabling the strange events of the day, including the wholesale “stand-down” of the multi-trillion-dollar American air-defense system. Cued by fellow mole Richard Clarke, the main players made sure the CIA-owned-and-operated Osama and his alleged 72-virgin-craving crew got the blame, the towers collapsing not from fire, as reported by the brainwashed mainstream media, but thanks to a well-planned “controlled demolition.” Laying out his scenario, Tarpley touched on many of the “unanswered questions” that make up the core of the 9/11 Truth critique of the so-called Official Story. Like: How, if no steel-frame building had ever collapsed from fire, did three such edifices fall that day, including 7 World Trade Center, which was not hit by any airplane? And why, if hydrocarbon-fueled fire maxes out at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and steel melts at 2,700 degrees, did the towers weaken sufficiently to fall in such a short time—only 56 minutes in the case of the South Tower? And why, if the impact destroyed the planes’ supposedly crash-proof flight-recorder black boxes, was the FBI able to find, in perfect condition, the passport of Satam al Suqami, one of the alleged American Airlines Flight 11 hijackers? And how to explain the nonperformance of the FAA and NORAD? How could they, an hour after the first World Trade Center crash, allow an obviously hostile airplane to smash into the Pentagon, headquarters of the entire military-industrial complex, for chrissakes? And why did the Defense Department choose to stage an extraordinary number of military exercises on 9/11—occupying matériel and spreading confusion about who was who on that day? Pluto turned retrograde today, and as Pluto moves backwards it re-gurgitates information that we thought was behind us, exposing the secrets that we would prefer remain underground. Like the god of the underworld that it represents, Pluto dredges up all matter of psychic debris that holds us back from moving forward, not only in our personal lives but in the global arena as well. It will be fascinating to see what other eruptions come forth into the media over the next few months as Pluto continues its retrograde journey. I want to thank Jeff Jawer of Star IQ for posting a link to my article about the Seattle massacre which is drawing great traffic to this humble blog. To my regular readers, please visit this great astrological resource which features articles on all aspects of astrology including financial and political. You can also sign up to receive updates on your own planetary aspects from there. For those of you just joining us from Star IQ, if you desire to read more you can catch up on archived articles most easily by going to the articles page. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave your comments!  If you missed the article earlier this week on the effects of this Aries New Moon and Solar Eclipse, you may want to revisit it here. The combination of Aries, the God of War and Pluto, the God of Death is a powerful one, likely to engender eruptions of aggression and confrontation, but as Lisa Dale Miller reminds us, Aries is about more than war - it also represents the innocence within us, the Fool of the Tarot that with great trust and confidence is ready to leap into the abyss: This is a New Moon that asks us to take a leap of faith and do the impossible. This a New Moon to come at who you are with a sense of wonder, magic and first-time awe. Go find out who you are and what you want; you might just be surprised. Even with restricted, controlling, Saturn in Leo trining the Moon and Sun, this is the New Moon to let go of constriction and relearn how to go with the flow. Think of Saturn as all the experience you have had up to this moment. What you have learned, what you have lost and gained. Then let go of the need to believe that nothing can be different. Don't control the possible now by holding to expectations from the past. We are so busy controlling our lives that we forget to recognize and value synchronicity and serendipity. Learn to let go and trust that everything is as it should be. It makes for a more peaceful and contented life. Though few of us like to admit it, the truth is that security is an illusion because everything is in a constant state of change. Aries is all about adventure and the indomitable spirit of the adventurer. The Neptune/Venus conjunction in Aquarius should certainly heighten the joy of facing anything new and exciting. Consider trying something different; something you think isn't you… but might just be. This is also the New Moon to reinvigorate your lust for life. We have all become so fearful and risk-averse. Go on an adventure, be spontaneous, or just do something wild and crazy. There is a time and place for play, and this is the New Moon to remember that all work and no play make us very dull people! Tuesday, March 28, 2006Motive behind the Massacre Last weekend six people were gunned down in a Seattle neighborhood after a rave party, by a "gentle giant" known as Aaron Kyle Huff who killed himself during the rampage. Kyle and his twin brother Kane were 6'5" and each weighed about 280 pounds. They were hardly noticed in their home town of Whitefish Montana, and even his twin was "stunned and baffled by his rage." Neighbors said that Kyle was always "humble, quiet and polite." In fact, the partygoers revealed that Kyle Huff remained quiet and polite up until the moment of the shootings. This event was so cruel, so horrifying, yet mystifying in the disconnect between the image of Kyle Huff presented by his mother and associates and the deadly act that was committed last weekend. Digging deeper, Kyle Huff had a history of gun issues on a much smaller scale. When Huff was 19, he was stopped with friends in Colorado County, Texas and was found to be in possession of crack cocaine, codeine cough syrup, and two fully loaded pistol magazines. He was released on bail and there is no information available on how he ended up back in Whitfish three years later, shooting up a fiberglass moose that was part of a community art project. Huff plea-bargained down to a misdemeanor and was given his guns back -- the same guns that were used in the rave shootings last weekend. Clearly there was trauma below the surface here. A look at Huff's astrological birthchart may point us towards some clues. Huff was born with the Sun in the last degree of Virgo, just a few minutes from Libra. Where Virgo is focused on service to others, details and self-improvement, Libra is motivated by a need to be in relationship to others. When a person is on the cusp of two signs, they stand in a doorway looking into the next room. In this case, Kyle (and his brother Kane) were Virgos looking into the world of Libra. They always straddled the line between humility and an examination of the details of life (Virgo) and the desire to be in relationship with others (Libra). Whereas Libras tend to be open and easy to know which facilitates their participation in relationships with others, Virgos are often drawn inward and stand behind a curtain. This combination in a stressed individual could result in a personality which is highly secretive. Huff had a strong Virgo influence, with both Mercury and Venus in Virgo. Mercury (thought process) in Virgo is detail-oriented and humble in expressing opinions, and Venus in Virgo shows a person who seeks to help others, but can be picky when it comes to choosing relationships. The Virgo influence is restrained and introverted, with a dislike for creating displays of emotion. Kyle Huff had Mars in Cancer, which is a difficult placement for Mars (the assertive urge and expression of will), particularly in a man. Cancer is the sign of nurturing, of the mother - it is tender and concerned with the welfare of others. Cancer is represented by the crab, which moves sideways towards its goal. The soft shell of Cancer symbolizes the tender sensitivity of the Cancerian individual, and Mars in Cancer becomes extremely sensitive. This placement can also indicate a passive aggressive nature, since the aggressive urge is driven underground by the need to care for others and can back up against the individual in a more internalized way. This aggression is exacerbated in Huff's chart, because Mars is exactly squared by Pluto, the god of death and transformation. The Mars/Pluto square often shows an individual who experiences being thwarted (Pluto) from achieving what he wants to have. Pluto adds intensity to any planet it is associated with, and in square (conflict) with Mars (aggression, anger, will) we often see a tendency towards rage which often results from that thwarting of one's desires. With Mars in Cancer, Huff was unable to go after what he wanted, and the square of Mars from Pluto intensified his feelings of being unable to have those things. This created a buildup of rage within him that was concealed by the meek Virgo influence. Huff's Mercury (thought process) was squared by Neptune (illusion and fantasy), showing that he was prone to "flights of fancy" and imagination. Because this is a square (challenging) aspect, we tend to see the negative characteristics of this combination rather than the more positive creative and artistic influences. The Mercury/Neptune square can indicate an individual who has difficulty accepting reality, and prefers to live in a world of fantasy. Huff evidently fancied himself an artist: he claimed to be attending the Art Institute of Seattle, although there were no records of his enrollment. Chiron (the wounded healer) in Huff's chart was retrograde, meaning that it appeared to be moving backwards at the time of his birth. Retrograde planets tend to operate in a more internalized way, and individuals with retrograde Chiron experience the psychic wounding that Chiron expresses in a much deeper and more internal framework. In addition, Chiron was opposed by Uranus - a fairly common but difficult aspect which creates an energy imbalance that can be uncomfortable and cause psychic distress until the individual learns to manage it. Huff's Moon was in Aquarius, a rational air sign that is not compatible with the emotional needs of the Moon. Individuals with Aquarius Moon tend to compartmentalize or rationalize their emotions, which can be suppressed as a result. This placement in itself does not lead to a dissociative disorder, but the combination of elements created an environment where this could occur. The picture that emerges of Kyle Huff is of an individual whose Virgo nature tends to be somewhat critical and shy, possibly keeping him from being able to forge strong relationships. Perhaps he is rejected by females that he approaches and is rejected. His Aquarian Moon transmutes the painful feelings he experiences into something colder and harder. However, he is unable to fully express his anger (Mars/Cancer) which is thwarted at every turn (Pluto) and finally builds up to the boiling point. In addition to these character traits, he is a twin and it was likely difficult for him to clearly establish his own identity, exacerbating the inner difficulties. (More on twins below). But what planetary cycles were in play at the time of the shootings, releasing this inner turmoil into a cascade of violence? Beginning last August and continuing through the fall, transiting Saturn made a square to Huff's natal Chiron/Uranus opposition, setting off his painful imbalance and likely creating a great deal of anxiety and distress. This would have had the effect of throwing off his already unstable nature. As transiting Saturn formed an opposition to transiting Chiron (see my earlier article on this configuration) it continued to activate his own Chironic wound and energy imbalance. The week of the shooting, transiting Mars joined the action creating just enough irritation to light the spark of Huff's rage and motivate him to the action that caused the tragedy. And what about Kyle Huff's twin? Kane Huff had the exact same birthchart, yet did not participate in the killings. Virtually nothing about him has been revealed, but neighbors describe the two twins as being "gentle giants," both tall, both quiet. One question often asked by debunkers is why twins with the same birthchart often express such different personalities. Most of us have dissonances in our personalities that are revealed in the birthchart. Part of us wants to be successful, the other part fears hard work. Part of us wants to be married, the other part wants to be free. Balancing these conflicts is what helps us to evolve into more complete beings. In my work with twins I've seen that rather than the individual being conflicted between two differing motivations (in this case, the need for recognition and the need for humility), each twin takes one end of the conflict. We don't know enough about these twins to truly understand their differing natures, but it appears that Kyle carried the rage for both of them and died in the pursuit of his own individuality. Monday, March 27, 2006More revelations and revolutions continueMercury's direct turn and conjunction to Uranus brought more surprising revelations today! Today's news reports that Zacarias Moussaoui suddenly reversed his story and claimed that he and Richard Reid, the famous Shoe Bomber, were supposed to hijack a fifth plane on September 11th. And in the blogosphere, Crooks and Liars had this report: The NY Times" "During a private two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2003, he made clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain that he was determined to invade Iraq without the second resolution, or even if international arms inspectors failed to find unconventional weapons, said a confidential memo about the meeting written by Mr. Blair's top foreign policy adviser and reviewed by The New York Times. Our diplomatic strategy had to be arranged around the military planning," David Manning, Mr. Blair's chief foreign policy adviser at the time, wrote in the memo that summarized the discussion between Mr. Bush, Mr. Blair and six of their top aides.....read on" In other news, tens of thousands of protesters walked out of schools in California today, continuing the protests against new legislation limiting illegal immigration. All over the world, immigrants are rising up against their host nations and demanding equality. The lack of assimilation is creating difficulties, and opening the door to the intense cultural clashes that we are likely to experience during the 2008-2013 period as Uranus and Pluto begin to square each other. The current dance of Saturn to Chiron is bringing painful issues (Chiron) to a head as it approaches an exact opposition in June, forcing us (Saturn) to deal with these issues.  Bliss Concealed" by Jackie, age 16, from www.dbsalliance.org As a child of the '60s, it is peculiar to me that parents today are GIVING drugs to their kids. Research from Dr. Julie Magno Zito, of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, indicates that as many as 1.5 percent of American children between the ages of two and four are already on such substances as Ritalin - as well as being medicated with antidepressants and other “psychosis” directed drugs. The use of drug stimulants for children climbed two-to-threefold between 1991 and 1995, and antidepressant prescriptions nearly doubled during the same period. Many of these childhood personality disorders seem to me to be simply reactions to stressful situation. I am particularly interested in something called Oppositional Defiant Disorder, a pattern of defiant and disobedient behavior and resistance to authority, since this would certainly have been my own diagnosis when I was a child. My birthchart shows that Uranus (rebellious behavior) squares my Sun (my Self, or essence). I am a rebellious person with a radical nature, and I am not afraid of reacting with defiance in a situation in which I feel mistreated. My parents just thought I was a "bad kid." But did I need medication? I have no wish to minimize the danger of true psychiatric disorders which require ongoing medication such as bipolar or psychotic episodes, or a serious depression or panic disorder which requires short-term medication to help the patient move through a difficult time. But I am concerned about our tendency in the modern world to avoid our own emotions and medicate our children into subservience. The astrological birthchart identifies certain predispositions in our personality and emotional makeup. Acting as a map, the birthchart identifies our strength and challenges, and shows the way to navigate through our difficulties. Often situations that we find devastating later bring us great joy and wisdom that we would never have gained had we avoided something painful. An individual with a predisposition towards depression is likely to have a difficult aspect of Saturn or Chiron in the birthchart. Saturn can cause us to feel isolated and lonely, and without hope. The time alone that Saturn bringsd, however, can lead to tremendous strength of character and a more solid personality. Challenging aspects of Chiron (the wounded healer) can bring a nearly constant psychic pain that is impossible to avoid. Certainly uncomfortable, the Chironic experience forces us to walk through the fire of our pain and emerge a transformed being, fully prepared to help and heal others. A stressed Mars can also lead to depression, as one's will and aggression (Mars) is not given full expression and the individual turns their anger inwards. Anxiety and other disorders such as hyperactivity and attention deficit are often indicated in the chart by challenging aspects of Uranus. Uranus rules electromagnetic energy, and the difficult aspects can cause an individual to feel as though their fuses aren't connected properly, and they are always "on edge." This is particularly true of people who have Chiron opposing Uranus in their charts, which can cause an energy imbalance. Individuals with challenging aspects of Uranus in their charts are also likely to be rebellious and not follow instructions readily. Planetary cycles of the transiting outer planets can lead to temporary periods of mental disorder. Saturn transits are well-known for causing depression and distress, along with a feeling of hopelessness. Transits of Uranus can bring sleep disorders, anxiety and extreme restlessness. Chiron cycles invoke mood swings as we are forced into emotional places of psychic pain. Certainly these periods aren't always enjoyable, but medicating our important passages to alleviate the discomfort can inhibit our ability to effect the necessary transformation that life is calling upon us to make. Astrology offers the path to a better understanding of our psychological makeup so that we can learn improved ways to manage our distress without drugs and through our transformation, flower into the magical beings that we are intended to be. Certainly we owe this to our children as well. Sunday, March 26, 2006Revolution and revelations digital art from www.paulsquire.com Mercury turned direct on Saturday after a three-week period of missed appointments, crashed computers, and conversations that began "I thought you said..." For some time Mercury has been marching in lockstep with Uranus, the planet of revolution and radical departures from ordinary thinking, and this combination has brought with it a groundswell of revolutionary activity as well as some surprising revelations. The buildup of energy as we approach the Aries New Moon solar eclipse on Wednesday will likely encourage an increase in aggression (Aries) and bravado resulting in a higher level of violence and action/reaction across the globe. Pent-up emotion erupted in the public arena this weekend: Demonstrators in Belarus were clubbed and their leader arrested during an increase in violence on Saturday, about a week after a widely-questioned election on March 19 left the current administration in power. Over half a million protesters in Los Angeles were accompanied by tens of thousands more in other cities such as Denver, Phoenix and Milwaukee in marches and speeches protesting the anti-immigration bill that is before the US Senate this week. Riots in France over the past week came to a head as students snubbed efforts of the Prime Minister to quell the violence. And then there were some surprising revelations: The Pentagon claimed that Russia had provided classified information to Saddam Hussein as the US invasion of Iraq unfolded. Scientists in Ethiopia found the skull of a new human ancestor that could be the long-sought missing link. The journal Science published two studies on Friday revealing that global warming is occurring much more quickly than previously thought, resulting in significant earth changes by the year 2100. You may be experiencing the intensity of the upcoming eclipse on a more personal level as well. Change is difficult, but ultimately propels us towards a more complete experience of life on earth and an increase in wisdom and depth of perception. Thursday, March 23, 2006A powerhouse of a week coming up! On the morning of Wednesday, March 29 (and for the next few days leading up to it, as well as for several weeks afterwards) we will experience a powerful series of planetary events. First up we have a New Moon in Aries with a total solar eclipse, followed shortly by the retrograde turn of Pluto. The New Moon occurs when the conscious solar principle of the Sun conjoins the instinctive lunar principle of the Moon. New moons are times of beginnings; of fresh starts, but during a solar eclipse the light of the Sun (conscious mind) is temporarily obscured and the instincts take over.This New Moon falls in Aries - the sign of initiation, of fire. Aries represents the renewal of the life force, and traditionally has fallen on the vernal equinox (although due to the precession of the equinoxes this is now only symbolically true). With the conscious principle temporarily suspended by the eclipse, the fiery Aries instincts rule during this period. Our instinct for warfare (Aries) may be strengthened, and efforts to maintain our veneer of socialibility may be frustrated as we operate from pure instinct rather than conscious choice. The effect of all of this instinctive reaction will be to strip away all falsehood from our actions and begin with a clean slate. Pluto has been slowing down to a crawl before turning retrograde on March 29. Pluto represents issues of power and transformation. Symbolized as the god of the underworld, it tends to bring out that which is hidden and needs to be transformed. On a personal level, Pluto strips from us all things which no longer serve us and leaves us more authentically true to our individual reality. On a global level secrets are revealed and power structures become rebalanced. Pluto will remain retrograde through September. The chart for the New Moon shows an exact sextile (harmonious aspect) between Chiron in Aquarius and the Sun/Moon conjunction in Aries, indicating that the revelations and new projects initiated during this New Moon will have a healing effect (Chiron) that will create lasting changes that will be of great benefit. However, Chiron is still within range of an opposition to Saturn (see articles elsewhere in this column on the global healing crisis of the Saturn/Chiron opposition), and some challenges are likely to be faced (Saturn) on the road to healing the past and moving successfully into the future. Mercury, having just turned direct (on Saturday March 25), will conjunct the innovative Uranus on the day of the New Moon, helping us to embrace new (Uranus) ideas (Mercury) and ways of processing our experiences (Mercury). The challenging influence of retrograde Saturn, made stronger by its preparation to turn direct on April 5, will ground these new ideas as it applies pressure to build solid structures through all of this evolution, healing and new energy. With Mercury now direct and an Aries New Moon focusing these other planetary influences, the next week will offer energy for us to wrap up any processes that are stuck, including divorces, house plans, business ventures. Pluto's retrograde turn will bring our focus back to the past, but hopefully this time with a new point of view and a new sense of empowerment and wisdom. Tuesday, March 21, 2006Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban Nicole Kidman has had her share of bad relationships, and her very public and humiliating split from Tom Cruise just as the prenup was set to expire brought her millions of new fans and revitalized her film career. Since the breakup she has had a few high profile romances, but now seems to be settling down with Keith Urban, a fellow Australian country singer. News of wedding dates have come and gone, but the intensely private actress does not seem to be getting closer to the wedding aisle, and rumors are floating about of Keith Urban's inability to commit. Will they make it? When looking at relationship compatibility, sun signs tell only a very small part of the story, they can't be relied upon but they are a good place to begin. Nicole is a Gemini, with Keith a Scorpio. This makes their general natures very different. Nicole has a lighter and more flexible nature; Geminis easily take on personas and lifestyles, and are generally facile actors for this reason. Nicole's Moon is in Sagittarius, showing that her emotional nature is generally optimistic - she believes that life has abundant possibilities and it's hard to keep her down for long. Mars in her chart is in Libra, the sign of relationships. With Mars (her drive) in Libra, she is very motivated to please others and she is likely the one to bend in order to meet the needs of the relationship. Keith is a Scorpio, with a much more intense nature, and his Mercury and Neptune are also in Scorpio. Scorpios are passionate about everything they do, and because Scorpio is a fixed sign their natures tend to be more entrenched and unflexible. We don't know where his Moon falls because we don't know his time of birth, but I suspect that it is in Leo, giving him a secret inner drive for fame and recognition. Keith has Mars in Capricorn, the sign of material success. He is driven (Mars) to achieve (Capricorn), and his Mars is both trined by Jupiter, expanding his sense of possibility, and squared by Saturn, causing frustration as Saturn puts the brakes on that drive. To make things more complicated for him, Saturn in his chart is retrograde (appearing to move backwards) and the negative voice of Saturn is turned inwards in self-critical thinking. Because so much of a man's self-image is tied up in his work, this that Keith puts on himself to achieve success is going to color any relationship that he is in. Keith had a spell of alcohol and cocaine addiction while he was climbing his way to the top--apparently his intensity was too much for him. Nicole's Venus is in Leo, indicating that she is big hearted and generous (Leo) when it comes to her relationships (Venus), and Venus in her chart is in stable Saturn. She is capable of great fidelity and tenacity when it comes to those she loves. Keith's Venus is in Virgo, which is much more cautious and conservative when it comes to expressions of love. Keith's Venus also conjuncts Pluto, showing a powerful fear of rejection or annhilation (Pluto) through relationships. This can make it difficult to feel safe in relationships, putting pressure on the individual who feels they need to escape the pressure. Keith is definitely a much more complicated person than Nicole, and he has a well-documented history of cocaine and alcohol abuse. Nicole's chart is much less complicated and perhaps like many women she sees a temptation to rescue Keith from his emotional issues and addiction. Nicole and Keith have a possible Moon connection if Keith's moon does fall in Leo, harmonizing nicely with Nicole's Sagittarius moon and showing an emotional connection and sense of bonding. Nicole's Cancer Mercury and Keith's Scorpio Mercury are both in water signs, showing that they will have success in communicating. Nicole's Libra Mars and Keith's Capricorn Mars are square to each other, indicating conflicts and arguments as well as sexual incompatibilities. Overall, these two are very different in their natures and while that is exciting during the initial phases of a relationship, it is hard for two such different people to maintain closeness over the long term of a settled, living together marriage and partnership. This is a relationship that can last in a long-distance situation but marriage would be very difficult. Nicole is undergoing planetary cycles right now (involving Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn) that show a focus on moving forward in her life. Keith is beginning a harmonious cycle of Jupiter to Venus that could bring a period of ease into his relationship life, with a simultaneous transit of Pluto (transformation) to Chiron that could bring great healing along with great pain, as Chiron heals through the exposure of our deepest wounds. Scorpios typically have great emotional courage, and if Keith is able to walk through the fire of his painful history this could be a tremendous time of healing and growth for him. If he is not, he will run to escape the pressure, and the relationship will not last until summer. Sunday, March 19, 2006Harbingers of Spring: Aries and the Vernal Equinox March 20 marks the entry of the Sun into Aries and the Vernal Equinox: the cardinal point of initiation and the beginning of Spring. Aries marks the beginning of the zodiac and the first of the fire signs. Aries is idealistic, courageous and seeks to live in a way that is truly larger than life. Aries is not interested in ordinary mundane reality; give them a quest, a mission, and they are happy. Ruled by Mars, Aries individuals tend to have strong desires and an independent streak, they are not easily disciplined and seek to make their own way in life. They have a strong temper that flares easily but the fire is easily put out, after which they forget what made them angry in the first place. They tend to be innocent like a child, and can lack empathy, being unable to really understand what others are going through. Liz Greene writes: "Aries, the first sign, the sign of spring, is the symbol of new life after the cold and barren winter. All of nature heralds the spring with a burst of life and colour, sometimes precipitate, sometimes rash, sometimes premature, but a reminder that everything has a new birth, that no matter how dark or limiting or depressing the winter it always ends with the spring. The whole world responds to the new hope and new life of the spring. " Throughout history, the vernal equinox has been a time of celebrating the resurrection of nature from the death of winter. One of the earliest resurrections myths is that of Osiris in ancient Egypt. After Osiris was murdered and chopped into pieces by his brother Set, his wife/sister Isis took the pieces to Anubis, lord of the underworld, who brought Osiris back to life. His resurrection is celebrated at the time of the Vernal Equinox. Ancient civilizations across the globe built temples and monuments to honor the Vernal Equinox. Biblical legend tells us that the Temple of Solomon was oriented to the Equinox sunrise. Standing stones from ancient Celtic Britain were also aligned to the Equinox. The Mayans built temples such as the one in Chichen Itza that were oriented towards the rising sun on the Vernal equinox as well. As we head out of winter's darkness and complete our pass through the zodiac that ends with Pisces, we can take advantage of the flush of energy that Aries offers. As we head towards the solar eclipse and the Aries New Moon that occurs on March 29, we can slough off the dead skin of winter and the past, moving into a future that is brighter and more aware.  I live in the (usually) peaceful town of Chapel Hill, where the only big news is usually about the local Tarheels sports teams. Last week that changed when a would-be Islamist drove a rented Jeep through a busy campus courtyard gathering place called the Pit, striking nine pedestrians with the intent to kill. His stated motive was to avenge the US for its treatment of Muslims. He later called 911 and calmly turned himself in. Photos and footage on the nightly news show him smiling directly into the camera, looking very pleased with himself. The disconnect between this expression and the gravity of the situation motivated me to take a look at Taheri-Azar's birthchart to see what could possibly be behind this. Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar was born to Iranian parents, and lived with his mother and sister in Charlotte NC after his parents divorced in 2003. Reports differ as to whether he was born in Iran or the US. He was a fan of fast cars and had a history of speeding and other violations. He was a member of the Sigma Epsilon fraternity, but was either expelled or not admitted for his antisocial behavior (depending on the news source). Fraternity members say that he smoked marijuana and drank heavily, and was nearly always high--behavior that does not accord to Islamic law. The local Muslim student community quickly reacted to the attack, saying that Taheri-azar was not a member of the Muslim Student Association. Some Muslim students said that he practiced his own unusual form of Islam, and one said he had never met a Muslim who was so "anti-Arabic." He would not respond to the traditional Arabic greeting, would not face Mecca while praying, and would not pronounce traditional prayers in Arabic. Fellow students said he enjoyed baiting his teachers and enjoyed trying to show his superior intelligence. I only found one source for his birthdate (May 5, 1983) which is taken from records of the University of North Carolina. The chart for this birthdate shows an individual born under the sign of Taurus, the bull. Stubborn and solid, the Taurus individual tends to be somewhat conservative in nature, with a strong need for security. They are usually grounded and practical. Like so many individuals profiled in this column, Taheri-Azar has an unaspected Sun, showing that he operates alone as an individual, and may have difficulty making connections in life. This certainly fits the profile of the Lone Wolf that has been used to describe the actions of this character. Taheri-Azar has six planets retrograde (appearing to move backwards) in his chart. This is incredibly rare - occuring on only 51 days out of 100 years (0.005% of the time, according to research by John McCormick). Retrograde planets tend to operate on a more internal level, and the more retrograde planets you see in a chart the more inverted that individual is likely to be. Someone with six retrograde planets will find it very difficult to see very clearly anything that is outside of himself. He is likely to be extremely self-absorbed, and processes nearly everything internally. This makes communication and relationships with others very difficult. When an individual is unable to connect or communicate, their behavior may escalate to a bizarre level in order to gain recognition from others. This could be Azar's true motivation behind this attack, and the reason for the self-satisfied smirk in his capture photos. His Moon appears to be in Aquarius, which is a rather detached place for the Moon which represents our need for emotional security and safety. Aquarians are inventive, creative, innovative, and tend to dislike emotions which they consider somewhat messy. Someone with an Aquarian moon often finds it difficult to manage emotions, and may tend to repress their emotions, particularly if the chart lacks water as it does in this chart. As we saw in the chart of Milosevic (see below), whose emotions boiled up through his rage, this guy likely channels his more difficult emotions through rebellious acting out. Taheri-Azar's rebellious nature comes from the exact conjunction of Uranus (rebellion and revolution) to Jupiter (ideology and expansion), both of which are retrograde in the chart. Jupiter and Uranus together in their most negative manifestation can lead to an overblown righteousness (Jupiter) that defies conventional thinking (Uranus). Azar had evidently been planning the attack for months, coinciding with the square (challenging transit) of Uranus in the sky today to Uranus in his chart over the past year. This can be a very unsettling transit, where we are restless and dissatisfied and long to shake up our lives and create excitement. This can affect someone with a Taurean nature in a more powerful way, because the Taurus nature is so fixed it sometimes require a Uranus event to get them unstuck. The actual attack took place when transiting Mars (aggression) in Gemini approached a square to transiting Uranus (in the sky today), and exactly opposed the Jupiter/Uranus combination setting off a firestorm of aggression and revolutionary behavior. In today's post 9-11 world, actions of a lone nut like this can be used to set off panic across the country, where it truly is a cry for attention by a Saturday, March 18, 2006War and change Art Gianfermo has a great article about Jupiter/Neptune and the Iraq war: As we move close to the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, even experienced military experts like Lt. Gen. William E. Odom are calling it "the greatest strategic disaster in American history." With a new $92 billion war funding bill destined to breeze thru the House, the financial cost of the Iraq war to over $400 billion. The cost in human life is incalculable and with the planet of death and massive transformation, Pluto in exact Square to the Sun (vitality and purpose) tomorrow realization will finally began to set in deeply. Today, 3-16 was the second pass of a Jupiter in waning square to Neptune @ 18*39' of Scorpio and Aquarius. Not only does this aspect correlate to large amounts of rainfall and floods in different parts of the world but also signifies an irrational enthusiasm - a false optimism. Neptune has been called the planet of hysteria just as Jupiter links to euphoria and expansion. In the sign Scorpio dealing with annihilation and transformation, Jupiter has increased the debt load for the US. Today we find out that the Senate voted Thursday to let the federal government add another $781 billion in debt to the nation's balance sheet. Borrowing limit is now close to $9 trillion. Astrology is the study of cycles of change, and in our personal lives as well as on the global stage we sometimes find ourselves careening to extremes of experience before true understanding and wisdom can occur. Looking back in our personal lives, we often see that a devastating experience leads to healing and a deeper understanding. There is a rhythm and a dance to the effect of the planets on our earthly experience. Understanding the nature of the cycles helps us to listen a little more closely to the music that moves the dance, and helps us to see its effects on a little wider screen where we gain a better perspective. Saturn is "stationary direct" right now - its motion has slowed to a crawl as it completes its retrograde pass and prepares to turn direct in early April. Saturn always puts pressure on us to face reality, and when combined with the influence of the Jupiter/Neptune square AND Mercury retrograde, there's a lot of confusion right now over where the reality really is. I am looking hard at the eclipse at the New Moon on March 29, which will be followed shortly by Saturn's direct turn. At this point many situations, including the Iraq war, will become more clear and work can begin to clean up the various messes that have been made over the past few years. I am looking for change in the Iraq war situation, clarity over the Iran nuclear standoff, and increased attention to other areas in the world such as Afghanistan and Sudan where demons still lurk. Wednesday, March 15, 2006Feingold for President! Russ Feingold is a dream candidate for the Democrats. He's got charisma, good looks, and he was the only Senator who voted against the Patriot Act. Last year he was the first Senator to suggest a timetable for bringing the troops home. He has taken a firm stand in campaign finance issues, cosponsoring the McCain-Feingold act. He voted against NAFTA and other free trade agreements, and most recently he stood up and called for censure against would-be emperor George W Bush over the warrantless spying scandal. As a child, Feingold was a big admirer of John F. and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. He was a Rhodes scholar and graduated from Harvard Law School with honors. Three years later, he was elected to the Wisconsin state Senate. Ten years after that he won a seat in the US Senate campaigning with little money against millionaire opponents. Feingold is in the process of divorcing from his second wife. What do the planets show about Russ Feingold? He has a Pisces Sun, not a common placement for a politician, but he also has a strong Aries influence. Pisces people are considered compassionate and somewhat dreamy, imaginative and creative. Pisces tend to follow the path of least resistance, and don't like to make waves. They are empathetic and sensitive to the needs of others, and one of Feingold's campaign promises when he ran for state Senator was to hold listening parties to stay in touch with constituents. His positions on the issues show a tendency to side with the needs of the people rather than corporations. Mercury in Feingold's chart is in Aries, as is Mars and Venus. Aries is god of war, ruled by Mars (the Roman counterpart of the god Ares). Mercury in Aries shows Feingold's courage to speak out where others fear to, and is not afraid to stand alone in the face of battle. Mars in Aries shows a strong drive, which in Pisces can be tempered by the compassionate nature of that water sign. His Mars makes a trine (harmonious aspect) to Pluto, connecting the will of the individual self (Mars) with the god of personal power (Pluto). This is a powerful aspect that propels him effortlessly into the accumulation of real power. His Sun makes a trine (harmonious aspect) to Uranus, showing that he is an individualist: he is also inventive and concerned with social issues (Uranus). His Mars makes a square (challenging aspect) to Uranus, showing that this individualism can be expressed in impulsive (Mars/Uranus) ways. Feingold has a complex system in his chart called a Grand Cross (a stressful combination of planets with two oppositions (180 degrees) square each other). This Grand Cross includes Mars which is conjunct Venus, both in Aries opposite Saturn and Neptune, both in Libra and both retrograde. With Venus involved in this dynamic we would expect Feingold's relationships to be affected, and clearly he has had difficulties in this realm. With Saturn opposite Venus, he doubts (Saturn) his ability to be loved by another (Venus), and since Saturn is retrograde in his chart the self doubt that Saturn is known for is turned inward, creating a rather loud voice of self-criticism. Neptune opposing Venus often leads to unrealistic fantasies (Neptune) about relationships. Men with Venus in Aries tend to want dominion in the home and that can be a problem in today's world. The Grand Cross creates many challenges, but also teaches lessons that build strength of character. My sense is that Feingold's world is primarily the realm of politics and public life, and this helps him to sublimate the need for a personal life. In 2004 and 2005 Feingold went through a difficult Saturn transit, where transiting Saturn that opposition between his natal Saturn and Venus, during which he and his second wife announced their separation and impending divorce. At the same time, though, Pluto began a harmonious transit of Venus in his chart which may have begun a transformation (Pluto) of his needs in relationship to others (Venus). During Pluto transits we tend to lose relationships that no longer serve us, and this shows that the end of his marriage will ultimately be a positive influence for him. Feingold will undergo a series of positive planetary events this year, including several Jupiter cycles that began last December and will continue through August of this year, bringing him opportunities (Jupiter) and expanding his influence. With the exception of a few short challenges, it looks like the planets will be kind to Feingold. Could he be the candidate to watch? Monday, March 13, 2006Full moon eclipse on Tuesday The Full Moon is a lunar eclipse and takes place on March 14 at 6:35 pm EST in Virgo, the sign of discrimination that seeks perfection. The Virgo influence is cautious and geared towards helping others and being of service. This Full Moon is in conflict (square aspect) with Pluto, god of the underworld and transformation, showing that emotions (Moon) will be that much more intense (Pluto) and secrets and mysteries will be exposed and revealed (Pluto). During an eclipse, the earth blocks the Sun's light (conscious mind) from reaching the Moon (instinct and emotions). During these periods the world is immersed in total darkness, causing great fear among ancient civilizations. Some believed a dragon ate the Moon during an eclipse, plunging the world into darkness. During a Full Moon our instinctive nature is more powerful and the solar conscious principle is weakened. Full Moons in general are time of heightened emotions and passions, and during a lunar eclipses the instincts rule in the darkness. Our Truth resides in our instinctive reactions, and eclipses offer an opportunity to face a deeper reality than the one we encounter in our everyday world: the reality of our deepest feelings and wisdom. During the eclipse, retrograde Mercury will trine Jupiter, bringing positive and optimistic (Jupiter) ideas (Mercury) to the table and offering expansion (Jupiter) to our everyday experiences (Mercury). Venus conjuncts Chiron at this time as well, inspiring the healing (Chiron) of relationship issues (Venus) and expanding our creative wisdom. Full moons are times of culmination, of completion. During an eclipse of the moon, some of our emotional scaffolding that we have built for our protection will begin to collapse if it is no longer needed. We may feel somewhat lost at first, but later we will see that we no longer need this scaffolding after all. Emotions will be intensified with the Full Moon in square to Pluto, and this will be a powerful time for ritual and meditation. Sunday, March 12, 2006The end of Milosevic Slobodan Milosevic, former President of Serbia and later of Yugoslavia, died Saturday in the cell where he had spent the last five years in a protracted trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Milosevic's rule was characterized by a rabid nationalism and drive for power of his Serbian ethnic group within an area of mixed ethnicities and cultural histories. Seeking a purely Serbian state, he supported a series of wars to drive non-Serbs from designated areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These wars destroyed the Serbian economy and turned the will of his people against him. NATO finally stood against him in 1999 after over half the Albanian population in Kosovo were killed or driven out of the country, sending air strikes which ultimately ended his rule. Milosevic's birthchart shows that he is a Leo, with at least four planets in Leo and possibly the Moon as well. Note to astrologers: The Astrodatabank chart shows a birth time of 10:00 pm but this is in dispute and unverified, so the ascendant and moon sign/degree cannot be relied upon However, this Moon degree conjunct Pluto does make sense considering the fact that his mother committed suicide when he was young. Leo is the sign of the King, of royalty. Leos seek to be larger than life - to be celebrated, admired. In the more positive expression of the sign, Leo's large heart and generous spirit impels them to noble actions which bring them the admiration that they seek. Afflicted Leos can be self-centered and boorish as they seek to take center stage. Milosevic's Sun/Mercury conjunction indicates an individual who is extremely intelligent, but Mercury in Leo can show a fixed way of thinking and a resistance to outside influence. This conjunction is squared by Saturn, representing discipline, boundaries and limitations. This shows a deep inner loneliness with Saturn in square to the Sun, showing that from an early age he was unable to forge a connection with others. Saturn can often represent the father, and Milosevic's father abandoned the family when Milosevic was young, and hanged himself several years later. Saturn conjuncts Uranus in the chart, creating a dichotomy between the need for freedom and rebellion (Uranus) and the need for stability (Saturn), and with both of these strong planets in square to his Sun, Milosevic would have been continually torn between his rebellious nature (Uranus) and his need to be in control (Saturn). Milosevic also has a tight conjunction of Moon, Pluto and Chiron in the chart. Michael Wolfstar O'Reilly writes: "The Sun and mercury are also aligned with Regulus [in his chart], the first magnitude star that confers royal status, which along with a Moon-Pluto conjunction indicates a tyrannical nature. The Moon-Chiron-Pluto triple conjunction, besides a personal home life of tragedy, also infers an identification with a larger woundedness, a feeling of belonging to a Serbian tribe which needs defending to death." Milosevic's mother committed suicide when he was a young man. His chart lacks the element of water that gives us an avenue to channel our emotions, and he must have taken the enormous pain of the tragedy of his early life and channeled it into an aggressive march to power and war. Mars is in Aries in the chart of Milosevic - Mars is the god of War and rules the sign of Aries, so this is a powerful placement for a strong expression of the aggressive instinct. In addition, it makes a trine to his Sun/Mercury conjunction, giving him an outlet to express his need to be treated like royalty (Sun/Mercury in Leo) through the outlet of war (Mars/Aries). Leo and the Sun rule the heart, and an afflicted Leo (the Saturn/Sun square) is prone to heart problems. Milosevic was no exception, and suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure as well. From a metaphysical standpoint, with the tremendous amount of fire in his chart (five planets in Leo, Mars in Aries), all of the unresolved pain and emotional trauma in his psyche had no way to express itself. Had he entered psychotherapy he could have found a way to release some of this anguish, but instead it tends to back up in the body and create disease. Beginning in September, transiting Saturn began passing over Milosevic's Moon/Pluto/Chiron conjunction. Saturn contacts with both Pluto and Chiron can bring episodes of illness if psychospiritual issues are not in balance. In February, transiting Chiron approached an opposition with transiting Saturn, and both of them began working on him, creating a tremendous amount of distress. It was at this point that Milosevic's attorneys requested that he be allowed to go to Russia for medical treatment, which was denied by the judge. However, medical treatment cannot treat a spiritual disease such as the one that we see here. Astrology is the study of possibilities - each day we make choices that take us down a different path. Milosevic's chart shows that he had the courage to face enormous obstacles to achieve his goals--it is a tragedy that he could not find the courage to face his pain and walk through the fire of healing. Saturday, March 11, 2006Planetary news Mars squares Uranus today, and the aggressive enthusiasm of Mars gets a radical (Uranus) twist, causing reckless and impulsive behavior and abrupt changes in direction. Combined with Mercury retrograde, this should add an interesting layer of events to the whole controversy with the Dubai ports deal which came to an abrupt end when Dubai "transferred" control of the leases to manage terminals at 6 US ports to an "unnamed US company." Agreements entered into when Mercury is retrograde often have to be REnegotiated and REconsidered, and when in Pisces Mercury communication issues often have a blurry quality anyway. Questions remain in my mind about the whole situation, and I am suspicious of the fact that nowhere is it mentioned which US company will take over control of the ports. The square of Mars to Uranus has brought about other conflagrations in world news as well. The acting Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, angered those on both the right and left wings when he called for redrawing Israel's borders to isolate the country from the Palestinians. Meanwhile Iran continues to worry members of the United Nations, while India is granted the nuclear go-ahead. This square will remain in effect as we head toward the Full Moon eclipse on March 14. The current trine of Jupiter (possibilities) to Mercury (communication) will help to expand awareness and offer a new dimension to our understanding on both a personal level and in the global arena. Thursday, March 09, 2006Is ignorance bliss? I ran into one of my list members last weekend, and he said to me, "Thanks a lot, Lynn, for telling me about Mercury retrograde. Now I'm having all these problems." He was joking, of course, but his implication was that the antiicpation of Mercury retrograde somehow instigated the series of events of which he was complaining. Had he not known about the Mercury retrograde period, his life would have gone on without any problems. This reminded me of a time years ago when a close friend of mine who didn't really believe in astrology asked about what the planets had in store for her. I saw that she had a tough time coming up (a challenging transit of Pluto) and I carefully let her know that she could be in for some rough waters ahead. I talked with her about what she might expect and how she could manage this time more effectively. Soon after, her live-in boyfriend left her and her father died. (Pluto transits often bring life changing events and sometimes, BUT NOT ALWAYS, bring us face to face with death.) Refusing to believe that planetary cycles really do have meaning, she somehow associated my cautionary words with the events that followed. As I've written before, it's impossible to predict the future. If a client is about to undergo a Pluto transit, I can only tell them of the possibilities they are likely to encounter. A transit of Pluto tends to remove from our lives anything that does not serve our highest good, and its effect on our lives depends upon how readily we are willing to let go of those things and surrender to the fact that some things in life are beyond our control. These periods can be exhilarating times of change and transformation. Even facing the reality of death (Pluto remember was the god of the underworld) can bring us face to face with the reality of life in a way that transforms us forever. Or it can bring us endless misery and mourning. Understanding the nature of planetary events helps us to navigate them more effectively. Each planet has a different nature that brings new challenges and new opportunities. (More on this subject can be found in my article Transformation through Crisis.) Sometimes clients don't want to know what is in store for them, they say "don't tell me anything bad!!" This is just because we don't understand that sometimes what we consider to be "bad" is actually a crucial process for our development that brings us into a life that is more truly authentic and in harmony with our real Self. The process will occur with our cooperation or without it, and if we add our cooperation we gain the opportunity to co-create the process and help to determine its outcome. Wednesday, March 08, 2006Congratulations Reese Witherspoon!!! Reese Witherspoon walked away with the Best Actress trophy at the Oscars the other night, making this the perfect time to profile her. I first saw Reese in Pleasantville, where I was struck with her presence and magnetism that seemed far too great for a person of her young years. The next film where she really impressed me was Election, where her bright beam lit up the entire movie. I had a feeling that her obsessively driven character in that film wasn't far from the real Reese Witherspoon. Reese Witherspoon's birthchart shows an Aries Sun, ruled by Mars, and her Sun also squares Mars giving her energy, vitality and courage, and also making her a little reckless and headstrong. We call this a "double whammy," which tells us that Mars is particularly important in Reese's chart. Women with such a strong Mars/Aries influence can be perceived as overbearing, because the power of Mars isn't well suited to traditional patriarchal views of women. In Reese, though, this power comes in a perky little blonde package that sneaks up on you before her true Xena (warrior princess) nature is revealed just as with her Legally Blonde character. The fact that Mars is square to her Sun, a challenging aspect, reveals that she may have difficulty controlling her impulses. Anger, impatience, frustration are all hallmarks of a Mars square, but when harnessed and disciplined there is enormous drive as well. Reese's Sun is opposed (180 degrees) by Pluto - a challenging aspect that adds intensity and a level of compulsion (Pluto) to her character, and forces her to continually reinvent and transform herself. Pluto also squares Mars, although it is "wide" (9 degrees apart). This shows an individual who never feels that she can really get what she wants (Mars) and relentlessly keeps working to do so. She may sometimes feel like she's on a treadmill and doesn't know how to get off. Reese's Moon is in Capricorn, showing that her emotional security (Moon) is tightly wrapped up in her need to achieve success (Capricorn). Additionally, Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) is retrograde in her chart, telling us that the voice of self-doubt that Saturn embodies is turned within (retrograde), giving her a relentless lecture on her failings. For individuals who lack other Saturn or Capricorn in their chart, the Saturn retrograde self-talk can be uncomfortable and lead to some depression, but for this Warrior Princess it just drives her to pursue her goals that much more relentlessly. In fact, she named her production company "Type A Productions." Reese's Venus is in Pisces, showing that although she may be the Warrior Queen in her public life, in her relationships (Venus) she is sensitive and seeks harmony and a real bonding with her partner. Her Venus makes a trine (harmonious aspect) to Uranus (innovation and autonomy) in her chart, indicating that she is capable of close relationships (Pisces) yet also is capable of independence within her relationships (Uranus). The Uranus factor also shows that her relationships will be unconventional. However, with the tenacity of her character she is likely to stay married for a long time. Failure is not an option in Reese Witherspoon's plan for the future. Tuesday, March 07, 2006Venus enters Aquarius as Jupiter retrogrades Venus changed signs last weekend, leaving the compassionate sign of Pisces and entering the more rational Aquarius. Venus affects our dealings with others, and the way we feel about ourselves. In Aquarius Venus is depersonalized; the importance of the collective becomes more important than individual expressions of affection. However, with Jupiter in square to Neptune as it has been since January, there is a blurring (Neptune) of ideals and values (Jupiter) that renders all of our interactions pretty fuzzy right now. In Aquarius, Venus will seek to advance the agenda of the collective at large rather than individuals, but with the influence of the Jupiter/Neptune square this becomes confused. What is the collective? Who are the alliances? We see this on the world stage with global relationships. The US was allied with Pakistan. Suddenly after Bush's foray into India last week, Bush is now allied with India and appears to be less supportive of Pakistan. Australia suddenly announces it will begin selling Uranium to India. Factions in Iraq fail to unite to call a parliament. Also this weekend, Jupiter turned retrograde (appeared to move backward from our perspective here on earth). When planets turn retrograde, we become more focused on issues important to that planet. In its most positive form Jupiter deals with issues of values, philosophies, opportunities, expansion. When retrograde, we tend to see ALL shades of a planet's functions, not just the positive ones. Consequently, we are most likely to see Jupiter's self-righteousness and overconfidence. Jupiter rules Sagittarius, and with Pluto (destruction and transformation) having been in Sag since 1995 we have been witness to an increasing tendency towards religious and cultural (Sag/Jupiter) war and conflict (Pluto). With Jupiter in square to Neptune, the reasons behind these conflicts have become blurred and confused (Neptune). The Jupiter/Neptune period will culminate around March 15 and then begin to dissolve towards the end of the month as Jupiter retrogrades away from its contact with Neptune. We may find ourselves waking up, rubbing the sleep from our collective eyes at that point. Until then, we will want to remain as alert as possible, balancing our need to be right (Jupiter) with our deeper understanding that all paths lead to the same ultimate goal (Neptune). Sunday, March 05, 2006Presenting the Oscars: Jon Stewart Home boy has made it big for sure. Back when hardly anyone was reading this blog, one of my first profiles was of my favorite tv news anchor, Jon Stewart. In celebration of his birthday last fall (visit that article to learn more about Jon's chart and personality), I noted that Jon would be going through simultaneous challenging and harmonious aspects of Saturn, the god of hard work and discipline. Challenging aspects of Saturn can cause us to feel overburdened and overworked, and the harmonious transits bring success as our hard work is rewarded. Jon's chart shows a harmonious aspect between Saturn and his natal conjunction of the Sun (his Spirit) and Mercury (his mental processes), telling us that he has a disciplined (Saturn) nature (Sun) and a clear thinker who can be a disciplined planner (Saturn/Mercury). Despite the sunny exterior of Jon's Sagittarian nature (Sun in Sag), during these Saturn transits Jon has begun to reveal a side that is deadly serious and calculating and he refuses to play the dancing monkey, as you know if you saw his interview with Tucker Carlson that may have ultimately led to the demise of Crossfire. His biting satires into the heart of American culture are the very reason the Oscar producers chose him as host this year; that, and as Jon says, the fact that Billy Crystal was busy. The past few years has seen a meteoric rise for Jon Stewart, and the argument could be made that the debacle of the Bush presidency has been the thing that has propelled him into stardom. Now that he is getting ready to host the Oscars tonight, let's see what else is in store for Jon. Jon's Saturn transits will complete themselves in May, providing him with a lift from the pressures that have created an abundance of work for him (including the book America and a spinoff show with Stephen Colbert) yet greater recognition than ever before. This year Jon began (in February) a series of transits of Chiron to his Saturn and Sun/Mercury conjunction. Chiron (the wounded healer) aids us to heal any unresolved issues from the past and move forward with greater wisdom. Beginning last year, Jupiter (abundance and opportunity) began a transit to Pluto (personal power) in Jon's chart, deepening his sense of empowerment and level of confidence, a cycle that will continue through August of '06. I expect to see Jon's work continue to deepen, and for him to become more influential on a personal level as he gains the confidence to speak without the need for comedy and laughter, something he attributes to his neuroses. And what about tonight, Oscar night? I'm going to be looking for some real zingers from Jon - Mars (aggression) is opposite Jon's natal Mercury (communication) this weekend, and the Moon will be square to Jon's Jupiter (confidence) and Uranus (rebelliousness). We may see him be more aggressive than usual, something which could surprise those who expect the laid-back self-effacing persona of the Daily Show Anchor. Whatever happens tonight, Jon's place in the world of fake news is certainly assured, and his millions of loyal fans (of which I proudly include myself) will continue to look to him for the truth that is seldom found these days in the mainstream press. Friday, March 03, 2006History and mythology meet in March From Roxana Muise comes this report: March was named for Mars, the great Roman warrior god, son of Juno and Jupiter. This was an appropriate association, for in the ancient world of the Mediterranean, the third month was known for its intense and tempestuous weather. The inner theme of March deals with developing wisdom and compassion, and finding one's life path. The search for self is associated with Venus in a series sequence with Mars. It is a solitary process that initially precludes association with others. Venus is esteemed in Pisces, and is connected with our inner values. This searching process is a lonely path, and requires a building of stamina and the development of inner strength. Mars rules the next sign, Aries which begins in mid-month, and is associated with courage and stamina, thus filling those needs in the process. March's gemstones. The Pisces gem of March is Aquamarine (a type of beryl). The word, aquamarine comes from the Latin "aqua" which means water and "mare" which means sea, because it looks like sea water. Aquamarines were once thought to originate in the jewel caskets of the sirens of the sea. They were sacred to the Roman sea god, Neptune. Greek sailors of the 3rd century BC adopted these gems, and used them as amulets dedicated to their equivalent god, Poseidon that would bring them prosperity and safety against all ills associated with sea voyages. The Aries gem of March is the bloodstone, also known as the heliotrope, which means the "turning of the Sun." This refers to the equinoctial movement of the Sun into the northern hemisphere. In the Christian tradition, concomitant with the season of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the bloodstone, a deep green jasper with crimson spots, reminds the faithful of the blood of the Christ spilled at Golgotha by a Roman soldier's spear. The stone is said to hold a divine power to stop hemorrhaging, and was widely used in folk medicine to stop nosebleeds and cure wasting diseases. The bloodstone was employed in rituals at the time of eclipses to invoke invisibility, and a polished bloodstone was used by Pliny, the Elder as a mirror with which to safely view Solar eclipses. It is said to also have been a part of the Breastplate of St. Patrick, as a part of the ritual that he used to shape-shift himself and his monks into deer when they were pursued and persecuted by King Loegaire's troops. The stone was used as an amulet by the Gnostics to prolong life, and in thumb rings (the Mars digit) by the Egyptians, to sustain courage. March first is St. David's Day, patron of Glastonbury and Wales, an ascetic monk and bishop of the 6th century, also known as "Aquaticus", because he drank only water, and used water as a body purifier. The early March Sun is in Pisces, a water sign associated with spiritual interests. The Vernal Equinox is on March 20 this year. Equinox means "equal night", and is the moment when the Sun crosses the equator in the juncture between the dark and light halves of the year, when the days and nights are equal. It is the midpoint between the Solstices (the turning points of the Sun's yearly motion). The Sun leaves the dark water sign (Pisces), and enters the bright fire sign (Aries). It is a day of honor for Iduna, or Idunn (A Scandinavian goddess), the equivalent of the Greek Hebe. This goddess is the spring symbol of the triple goddess, and was charged with supplying youth and strength to the rest of the gods and goddesses by providing them with the ambrosia and nectar of immortality. She is the maiden form of Hera, whose name means "Our Lady", who was the primary goddess before the advent of patriarchal gods. This is also the day that Sri Ushas, (Hindu goddess of the Dawn) is honored. Aries, associated with Mars is linked with the metal, iron. "He who knows what iron is, knows the attributes of Mars. He who knows Mars, knows the qualities of iron." .Paracelsus. Nick Kollerstrom in his book, "The Metal-Planet Relationship" reminds us that iron is what gives Mars its red color, and also supplies that color to the blood cells that transport oxygen to our organs. It gives us courage and strength and the tools of civilization: combustion and weapons and the tools that made possible the industrial revolution, and contributed to the extension of the human life span. Palm Sunday is April 9 this year. Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Current ceremonies include the blessing of the palms, the ashes of which are used on next year's Good Friday to symbolize the passion and sacrifice of the Crucifixion. This also brings to mind the story of the Phoenix rising and being recreated from its own ashes. The palm tree stands for hope in the future (The date palm was the tree of life in the Babylonian Garden of Eden story). The Hebrew word for the palm tree is Tamar, their name for the goddess, Ashtaroth. Lent has its parallel in the 40 days of abstinence, thanksgiving, and petition for healing and mercy that precedes the pagan festival of Astarte (aka Ashtoreth, Ishtar, Innana, Venus), a dual goddess. Astarte/Innana was a healer, famous for saving and regenerating a palm tree torn from the Garden of Eden by a great flood. Statues of Venus are often shown holding dates. Venus Hesperus (Venus of the vespers), the goddess of the evening star of love, desire, and fecundity was different from the fire-goddess of the morning star of war and battle (Herald of the sunrise) The Venus position attending Easter 2006 rising before the Sun is Venus Lucifer, engaged in the process of building new values and instilling them where they can be most visible and most effective. Venus' stations form 5-pointed stars in the heavens in her 8-year cycle (5+3=8). The quintile family (the zodiac divided by 5) is associated with genius and facility. The number 5 is special also to March 23 (2+3=5), Buddhist Magha Puja Day, when Buddhists gather together to affirm their 5 Precepts: Respect for Life; Respect for personal property; Respect for personal relationships; Respect for truth; and Respect for mental and physical well-being - cornerstone of Buddhism. In the Christian religion, The Annunciation, March 25th celebrates the unconcealing of the mission of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the angel Gabriel announced that she would give birth to the Savior. In the British Church, it is called Lady Day, and commemorates the philanthropic works of twelfth century Lady Mabella Tichborne, who overcame great physical odds just before her death, to make sure that the poor were annually provided for. Known as the "Tichborne Dole," her wishes are carried out to this day. In some of the nature religions, Invocations are made on March 25th to many of the major goddesses: e.g., Isis, Venus, Tara, and Persephone, to bring enlightenment to women in support of their paths and purpose' in life. March 28 is the date of the Buddhist celebrations of Quan Yin, goddess of mercy, wisdom, healing and compassion. She was a holy woman, an ascended master who gave up her earned Buddhic state to help bring enlightenment to all of humanity. March 29 this year marks a total Solar eclipse at 8:35 Aries, at 2:16 AM PST and 5:16 AM EST. Eclipses unite/align the longitudinal cycles with the declinational cycles. The Sun and Moon at Solar eclipses match the same degrees longitudinally, and are parallel in declination. Lunar eclipses align opposing degrees of longitude and are contra-parallel in declination. This unity in the sign of new beginnings gives us a vision of hope. Thursday, March 02, 2006The New Marc Maron Show!! My sister Jill is a rabid Marc Maron fan. From the early days of his show Morning Sedition on Air America radio, she was singing the praises of Marc Maron, who she calls the Funniest Man in America. So when she asked me to do a profile for him and his new show of course I said yes. The fact that she promised to peddle links to Astrological Musings everywhere she could didn't hurt either! According to his publicist: "Marc Maron is a stand-up comic by trade but his performance style is anything but the typical set-up-punchline formula. Maron engages his audience as a storyteller with an intelligence that digs deep into subjects, illuminating common truths that usually go unseen. There is a thought provoking excitement watching Maron take the risks of uncharted territory and riffing on subjects ranging from corporate domination of the planet to why the cooking channel is the only pure television. He always manages to ride that fine line." Marc has been quoted as saying he is a serious person by nature, and uses his comedy as a cathartic tool. Marc has a Libra Sun and Venus, showing that relationships are critically important to him. Libras are unhappy if they have to operate alone: they prefer to be in partnership with others and their very sense of self tends to be tied up in the state of their relationships. However, Marc also has Jupiter in Aries, the warrior sign, giving him a great deal of personal power and ability to assert himself (Aries) into all arenas. In addition, he has the tenacity of Mars (drive) in intense Scorpio, a fixed sign that is intensely passionate. Jupiter in Marc's chart is retrograde, showing that he may not always take advantage of opportunities (Jupiter) that are presented to him. Mercury is retrograde in Marc's birthchart, indicating that he may have difficulty making himself understood by others, and Saturn is also retrograde, showing that he is very self critical (the negative voice of Saturn turns inward when retrograde). This may have posed early problems for Marc in his career, although he has said himself that when faced with difficulties: " I always had this theory in life, just moving through going, "Ok, what’s next? What’s next? What’s next? How do we get to that next thing? How do we get there?" The strong drive of Jupiter in Aries combined with the tenacity of Mars in Scorpio keeps him moving forward despite temporary crises in confidence, and this is what will bring him great success unless he becomes caught in his own forward momentum and fails to watch for the opportunities of Jupiter retrograde to lead him in a different direction. In 2005 Marc experienced the "Uranus Opposition," one of the "midlife crisis" transits that occurs for everyone in their early 40s when Uranus (pronounced by astrologers as "your-ah'nus" so put your jokes away!) in the sky makes a 180 degree angle, or opposition, to Uranus in the chart. During this time we often feel restless and agitated, and dissatisfied with the way our life is going. This is a period where we want to make changes, and if we don't make a conscious choice for things to change, change will happen anyway. I suspect that there was a lot going on behind the scenes to precipitate the canceling of the Morning Sedition show, and it could turn out to be a liberating event for Marc. His new show may provide opportunities for him to express himself in a way that he was unable to do before. Around the same time, from March until the end of January, transiting Neptune (illusion and confusion) conjuncted Saturn (discipline, structure) in Marc's chart. This is a time when we can feel lost and somewhat unsettled as the structures that we build in our life (Saturn) are clouded by the mists of Neptune's tendency towards illusion and unreality. Saturn also helps to define our careers, making this a difficult time for a career path to find its way. Marc will be undergoing a transit of Uranus (breaking up old routines) to Pluto (power structures and personal empowerment) in his chart beginning in April. This can be an exhilarating time where we gain new ways of empowering ourselves, but it can also be a challenging one as Uranus accelerates Pluto's tendency to end situations that no longer serve us. This will likely be a time of great changes for Marc, and as long as he continues to embrace these changes and move forward through them as he tends to do, he will continue to grow and become increasingly successful. A series of positive and challenging Jupiter transits, will bring confidence, optimism and opportunity (Jupiter) from now throughout the summer. The only danger for Marc is to keep his eyes open for opportunities that arrive, and resist the impulse to grow too fast before his life can catch up to his ideas. Wednesday, March 01, 2006Pluto and the Galactic Center Pluto will conjunct the Galactic Center this year for the first time in 248 years. The Galactic Center is the center around which a spiral galaxy such as our own galaxy, the Milky Way, rotates, in the center of which may be a "Black Hole. Although the conjunction will not be exact until December 28, Pluto is within 1 degree of this conjunction all year. Because of the rarity of this event, it could have great significance and astrologers are widely discussing its possible meaning. Pluto last approached the Galactic Center in 1758, the year of the discovery of Halley's comet. The 1750s were an enormous time of change, with the reshaping of the European continent during the Seven Years war, and the expansion of the United States during the French/Indian War. 1758 saw the publication of the first treatise on the Atomic Theory, termed one of the most important theories in the history of science. There is some evidence that the Mayans studied the alignment of the Galactic Center in their astronomical work. They knew its location and had a glyph for it called "Hunab Ku." Hunab Ku was, to the Mayas, the supreme God and ultimate Creator. It represented the gateway to other Galaxies beyond our Sun as well as all of the Consciousness that has ever existed in this Galaxy. Hunab Ku, according to the Mayas, is also the Consciousness which organized all matter, from a "whirling disk", into stars, planets and solar systems. Hunab Ku is the "Mother Womb" which is constantly giving birth to new stars and it gave birth to our own Sun and Planet Earth. They also believed that the "Creator" directs everything that happens in our Galaxy from its center through the emanation of periodic "Consciousness Energy" bursts. Today, modern astronomers have verified that at the center of our Galaxy is a "whirling disk" with a "Black Hole" at its center that is both swallowing and giving birth to stars. Pluto rules change and transformation, and the death of that which is no longer needed. Astrologer Eric Francis writes: The delineation for the point that I've come up with [for the galactic center] is, "That which we perceive as outside us but which is really within us." He also quotes Philip Sedgwick, the father of Galactic Astrology: "The Galactic Center radiates brilliant insight to anyone connected with it. This insight craves implementation. This infrared information reveals how to let go of what is in the way to make a clear path for the next step. As soon as an idea is grasped and brought forward, the path of accessing new information refreshes. At all times, new and newer insights spew forth. This carries the tone of consciousness evolution. The collective aim refocuses and retargets with higher and clearer insights at each minute in timelessness. The more considered, the broader the band of consciousness acceptance, then the more assurance can be taken with the focus of life, personal or collective. All this, by the way, occurs a step at a time. " This was certainly true in the discovery of atomic theory and the process of war during the 1750s which led to the establishment of power bases in the US and Europe that we see today. At the current time on the planet we are seeing the beginning of the breakdown (Pluto) of those power structures, which will continue as Pluto completes its turn through Sagittarius and in 2008 enters the Capricorn, the sign that represents power structures. Until then, over the next few years as Pluto dances within the Galactic Center, we have the opportunity to clear the path as Sedgwick says, and move into the next phase that life has in store for us.
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