Friday, February 09, 2007

Our birth charts show us what cycles we've set into motion, and what we're dealing with. All of us are learning to deal with the results of prior karmas left over from other times, past chapters of our life, as well as other lives, if you accept the concept that we are Eternal Consciousnesses who occasionally dip back into life in physical form here on Earth.

Without getting into a discussion of what constitutes "evil" or how it is manifest, I have known people who could easily be perceived as "evil" because of the deeds they do to others. In my own experience, I believe there is no truth, no honor, no integrity, and no goodwill in what we call evil. Where these are absent, there the seeds of "evil" are permitted to grow. However, I believe that for all of us, our Eternal nature is essentially good. I also believe our reality is designed for the "best" to come forth, if we only do our part. Each absolutely determines their own karmic rewards and punishments, and even something apparently "bad" today may serve to bring forth the skill or insight you need tomorrow.

That does not excuse the abusers, because we're not supposed to be doing things that generate forms of suffering. It creates a stink in the world, and only contributes to future suffering on the part of the perpetrator. Someone who persists in behaviors that hurt others only destroys themselves through self-generated effects guaranteed to lead to suffering. All hurtful behaviors are a product of fear-based ignorance. I believe people can fall into fear-based delusions, but they can also come out of them if only they release the need to control ourcomes resulting from fear-based delusions.

Those who persistently seek to hurt others, or use separateness to further selfishness and lies are ultimately living a delusion. That part of the suffering will end for us when they leave the body. However, they will take their suffering with them to be resolved on other levels entirely. Until they leave the body, though, I am reminded that "one fool can keep a thousand wise men very busy" indeed.

I have tremendous compassion for people put through difficulty by seemingly evil people using all kinds of nasty attacks and machinations. Eventually, though, one's need to stay personally involved with the mischiefmaker ends, and they are left with their own ugliness while you are living a life freed from such a one. What is important is to use the time and karma you must stay involved with "evil" people to lift your life into the light.

The evil ones will eventually come to realize the error of their ways, or be removed from this fragile Earth to live out their violent and selfish karma in another bandwidth of reality. Even the Earth can only endure so much pollution (mental and emotional as well!) before its own higher karma dictates it go through its changes, whether we like them or not. Such is the nature of nature whose cycles are unerring.

All that said, I also know that as you cultivate even the least of what is good, true, and beautiful, you further those in your life, and come to know the richness of all the textures of these. So I suppose my belief is that we're all good, some personalities are severely dysfunctional to the point of being dangerous to others, and that regardless of what seems to be, eventually we will use up our karma with those who are hurtful and can then have relationships that truly bring us joy and fulfillment, leaving the nasties behind, not with hatred or anger, but compassionate indifference.

Labels: blogosphere

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:47 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- The Case of the Astronaut: Narcissism in the Birthchart

Any time someone does something completely bizarre and out of character, it's always makes me want to look at their astrological chart. Often we have subconscious elements that we are able to keep in the "basement" of our psyche until one day something begins to stir the pot and those buried parts of ourselves make themselves known. This periods are often associated with planetary cycles called transits.

Lisa Nowak was selected to be an astronaut back in 1996 and ten years later went into space on a journey to the international space station where she was the mission flight engineer. Married since 1988, she has three children but separated from her husband in January of 2007. This week she was arrested for attempted murder and kidnapping of a suspected rival for a man whom she described as being "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship."

Lisa Nowak has a complicated astrological chart. Her Sun is in the fixed sign of Taurus that craves stability and harmony, and it is in a challenging relationship (square) to Saturn, the planet of isolation, restriction and limitation. With Saturn in square to the Sun, which represents the essential Self, there is often a lack of self-esteem and a feeling of abandonment and loneliness. This system is exacerbated by another challenging aspect between Neptune and the Sun. Neptune tends to dissolve material reality and induce us to seek experiences that go beyond the material world, but in a challenging aspect (particularly with the Sun) there is a dissolving of our sense of Self and a tendency towards escapism and self-deception.

In this case Saturn and Neptune are both square to the Sun, applying pressure to Lisa to develop a firm sense of her own identity while creating blocks in her ability to do so. Saturn and Neptune work against each other in the best of circumstances: Saturn urges us to develop strength and practicality by frustrating our desires and placing roadblocks in our way that force us to work harder to achieve our goals, while Neptune encourages us to go beyond the dry logic of materialism and connect to the world of spirit by opening our eyes to worlds beyond in a way that often makes it difficult for us to find our footing.

The planet Mars in Lisa's chart falls in Leo and squares the Sun and Neptune and opposite Saturn, forming a Grand Cross in fixed signs. The addition of Mars heightens the intensity of her rage (Mars) and shows a desperation to have her needs met (Mars opposite Saturn and square Neptune). The Grand Cross is a very difficult planetary combination but one that when integrated shows a powerful personality with strength and spirit. Often, however, that power comes at a great price and with a lot of hard work on oneself. Without that work, the personality can begin to splinter as these four opposing forces fail to bridge the gap between them.

Lisa's chart also shows a Grand Trine in Fire planets: Venus in Aries, Mars in Leo and the Moon in Sagittarius. The trine is a harmonious aspect, which many people define as "good" because the energy of the planets flow together, and the Grand Trine multiplies the ease of the trine creating a complacency and self-satisfaction. While difficult aspects like the T-square create discomfort in the individual, they provide strong motivation for change and evolution and build strength of character that helps us to get through difficult times. Fire is the element that while inspirational and creative also tends to be self-motivated and egoistic, and the Grand Trine in fire shows someone who is bold and has tremendous faith in herself and a lack of fear. Bil Tierney writes of the fire Grand Trine:

"the individual's strong and unshakeable belief in himself does allow him to succeed in his endeavors more often than not. ... He may, however, unconsciously be very demanding of attention, loyalty and even service from others while remaining emotionally unaffected by or even oblivious to their personal needs."

If an individual with this combination of a challenged sense of Self (the Sun/Saturn/Neptune T-square) with the egoistic focus of the fire Grand Trine does not work diligently to develop a healthy ego, a personality disorder is apt to follow. James Masterson, a noted expert in personality disorders, writes (as quoted in Wikipedia):

The lack of this inner development is the key to borderline problems, which occur when a young child fails to separate her own self-image from that of her mother. This happens roughly between the ages of two and three, often because of a parent’s own emotional problems. A mother’s encouragement of a child’s self-assertion is vital. When the mother suffers from low self-esteem, she has difficulty encouraging her child’s emerging self. The child experiences this absence as a loss of self, creating feelings of abandonment that lead to depression. To deal with the depression, the child gives up efforts to support her emerging self. Instead, she relies on her mother’s approval to maintain the esteem of a "false self."

The lack of self-esteem is shown in the birthchart by Saturn square to the Sun, the "false self" is shown by Neptune square to the Sun. Pathological narcissism arises when the false self is derived entirely from "audience feedback." Dr. Sam Vaknin writes:

Narcissists are obsessed by delusions of fantastic grandeur and superiority. As a result they are very competitive. They are strongly compelled - where others are merely motivated. They are driven, relentless, tireless, and ruthless. They often make it to the top. But even when they do not - they strive and fight and learn and climb and create and think and devise and design and conspire.

A Maryland psychiatrist interviewed by the Baltimore Sun describes Lisa Nowak's behavior as suggestive of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. "When a narcissist's achievement or conquest is thwarted, he or she can fall into a rage, Vaeth said. 'When the right buttons are pushed, they explode.'"

Lisa was going through a number of planetary cycles that would have been pushing these buttons. Since last summer Saturn was making a number of passes over the difficult T-square involving her Sun, Saturn in her chart and Neptune. Transits of Saturn create pressure on us for change, and often are extremely stressfully personally and financially. In her case, this event would have activated her own sense of despair (Sun/Saturn) and delusion (Sun/Neptune). To make matters even more difficult for her, transiting Neptune (which is opposite Saturn in the sky) also began a pass over these sensitive points last fall which added more confusion and a dissolving of her tenuous hold on reality.

The tipping point came this week when the veneer that held Lisa Nowak's fragile personality together came apart. Hopefully this will be the event that motivates Lisa to seek the help she needs to be able to integrate her personality and realize the tremendous potential that lies hidden in her birthchart.

Labels: Celebrities, pathology

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:53 AM :: |

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Thursday, February 08, 2007

Science and Multidimensional Reality

From Universe Today:

One of the great outstanding questions in science is known as the “theory of everything”. What underlying laws of physics explain the forces we see in nature? Are gravity and electromagnetism the same force? One popular theory is known as string theory, and proposes that everything in the Universe is made up of tiny, vibrating strings.

String theory’s mathematics work best when you invoke extra dimensions, beyond the 3 (plus time) that we can detect. Mathematicians propose that these extra dimensions are there, they’re just really small, and curled up inside the dimensions we can detect.

Many of us are beginning to perceive these extra dimensions, particularly those with strong Chiron influences in their charts. Chiron is the bridge between the personal planets (up to Saturn) and the transpersonal (Uranus through Pluto), and seems to have a role in opening our psyche to multidimensional awareness, particularly when working in concert with Neptune. But I never thought that there was scientific backing for this.

Here's the original article from the University of Wisconsin.

Labels: Chiron, consciousness

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:00 PM :: |

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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Generation Next: The Saturn/Uranus influence

A column by David Brooks the other day intrigued me when he wrote about students he taught at Duke University last fall, calling them "Children of Polarization":

Today’s college students, remember, were born around 1987. They were 2 or 3 when the Berlin Wall fell. They have come into political consciousness amid impeachment, jihad, polarization and Iraq. Many of them seem to have reacted to these hothouse clashes not by becoming embroiled in the zealotry but by quietly drifting away from that whole political mode.

::snip::

For many students, the main axis of their politics is not between left and right but between idealism and realism. They have developed a suspicion of sweepingly idealistic political ventures, and are now a fascinating mixture of youthful hopefulness and antiutopian modesty.

This struck me as being a signature of an outer planet combination, and sure enough I found that in 1987 when these kids were born, Saturn and Uranus were conjunct in Sagittarius, linking the restriction and limitation of Saturn with the rebellious idealism of Uranus. The suspicion (Saturn) of sweeping idealism (Uranus) and the combination of hopefulness (Uranus) and modesty (Saturn) express the collision of these two planets which are very different in nature. Saturn seeks to build form and establish firm structures in society; it sets rules and boundaries and frowns on rebellion. Uranus, on the other hand, seeks to destroy the status quo - to break down barries and build a new order.

Brooks goes on to say, "If my Duke students are representative, then the U.S. is about to see a generation that is practical, anti-ideological, modest and centrist (maybe to a fault)." It sounds as though the hard line of Saturn in these Duke students has put a clamp on the recklessness individualism of Uranus, but it is will be just as easy for the Uranian influence to liberate the Saturn tendency to become too stuck in routine and rules. The conjunction fuses these two planets so they work together, unlike in the square between Saturn and Uranus in the charts of many baby boomers, creating the generation that flip-flopped between the idealism of the 1960s (Uranus) to the Yuppie lifestyle of making money and having showy things (Saturn) of the 1980s.

This group of young people born in 1987 also has an exact opposition from Chiron to the Saturn/Uranus conjunction. The opposition from Chiron to Saturn can be a painful one depending on the rest of the chart; Saturn tends to force a confrontation to generate the healing crisis of Chiron. The interaction of Chiron with Uranus is similarly difficult and tends to overload the nervous system.

The Uranus influence bestows a love of and affinity for technology; this is the first generation to grow up on the computer and replace face to face encounters with text messaging and MySpace. This generation has been termed Generation Next, and is not afraid to flout authority in true Uranian fashion. They wear tattoos, piercings, and overwhelmingly do not affiliate with any major religion. In the true spirit of Uranus, the planet of justice and social fairness, they overwhelmingly accept homosexuality and immigration and are generally socially liberal. At least now - as they age we are just as likely to see the Saturn influence take over as these young rebels begin to age.

Labels: generations, Saturn/Uranus

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:18 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Renaissance Astrological Magic

Our friend Ursi once again delights and amazes with this beautiful article on Renaissance astrology and magic. Ursi tells us that for Renaissance astrologers, the planets were the link between the mundane life on earth and the magical realm of the angelic hierarchies.

For the Renaissance philosopher magic was a spiritual science which, like the Cosmos itself, was arranged in a triple hierarchy: material, celestial and divine.

Natural magic is reliant on the elements and occult properties of material things and required a knowledge of natural philosophy. Celestial magic relies on the spiritual connections and causality imposed by the Zodiacal powers and required a knowledge of mathematics (for calculation) and astrology.

Divine magic, says Agrippa, requires a knowledge of theology, for without this knowledge one, "...cannot understand the rationality of magic." Three Books of Occult Philosophy Bk.I, Chap. 2 (Tyson ed.) page 6. As the divine and ideal world was the basis of the existence and form of the Universe, so knowledge of the spiritual is the basis of magic.

Celestial magic or magical astrology thus concerns itself with the middle world, that of the Zodiacal powers, which are a universal archetype of Reality and control the generation and corruption of all things in the material realm.

Read more...

Labels: Astrology, Magic

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:33 AM :: |

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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Ryan and Griffin O'Neal

Ryan O'Neal was arrested for assaulting his son Griffin this week, although Ryan claimed he was defending himself from an attack with a fireplace poker. Growing up with Ryan O'Neal can't have been easy; all of his children have suffered from drug addiction and other problems. Even young Redmond, child of a relatively stable relationship between Ryan and Farrah Fawcett, was a heroin addict in his early teens. Ryan is known for his explosive temper; he once hit Griffin so hard he knocked his teeth out, and his daughter Tatum wrote a tell-all book telling of his abusive cruelty to her. This episode has brought the whole O'Neal family saga into the public view, and it's a sad one.

I took a look at the birthchart of both Ryan and Griffin O'Neal, but it's Griffin's chart that is really the most interesting. Click chart to enlarge. Griffin was born in 1964, a time of tremendous social upheaval and cultural change. Uranus (the planet of radical change) was conjunct Pluto (the planet of transformation), and the world was experiencing cultural revolutions on a variety of fronts: the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, the antiwar movement, student rebellions. Those individuals born during this period (between 1962 and 1968 or so) carry this archetype within them; they are the first generation born after the baby boomers and they grew up in the chaos of that period of tremendous change.

Griffin has a Scorpio Sun, showing an emotionally intense nature. Mars (illustrating how he expresses his aggression and asserts himself) in his chart is in Leo, suggesting that he expresses his anger (Mars) in a dramatic (Leo) way. Mars in Leo is not content to have a private argument, it needs to be made public since Leo generally thrives on an audience. This expressive and showy Mars is in a challenging aspect with Jupiter in his chart, indicating an expanded (Jupiter) sense of defensiveness (Mars) and a tendency to go to extremes. To complicate matters more, Saturn in Griffin's chart (imposing restriction and limitations) is also challenging his Mars. This is a placement that often shows a strict father (Saturn) who places oppressive limitations (Mars) on the individual. The combination of these three planets often shows an individual whose temper (Mars) is alternatively repressed and stimulated, leading to a situation that is often out of control.

This whole system in Griffin's chart makes a difficult aspect to a conjunction of Jupiter (self-righteousness) and Uranus (eccentricity and instability) in Ryan O'Neal's chart, showing an extremely volatile relationship between them and also indicating that Ryan has a tendency to inflame Griffin's already irritable nature. These planets in both men's charts have been affected by a difficult transit of Saturn to all of these sensitive points over the past six months and I'm sure trouble has been brewing for some time.

In addition, like every one in his age group, Griffin is going through the planetary cycle called the Uranus Opposition, where Uranus in the sky is opposite Uranus in the birthchart. This is one of the "midlife crisis" events, when we look at our lives and feel that we must break free. In Griffin's chart the conjunction of Uranus and Pluto is opposed by Chiron, the wounded healer. Chiron in aspect to Uranus often shows an individual who may experience an overabundance of electromagnetic energy which is often extremely uncomfortable psychically although this placement is very commonly found in the charts of healers. Chiron in aspect to Pluto indicates a serious nature and someone who is intimately in contact with the darker side (Pluto) of life. This is generally a person who goes through periods of endings and transformation throughout his life. So the Uranus opposition is affecting Griffin and others with the same configuration in a much more intense way than it would for most of us.

Often in a family it is the most sensitive of the children that reflect the dysfunction of the family and therefore become the focal point. In the O'Neal drama, that person is most likely Griffin O'Neal.

Labels: Celebrities

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:48 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- The Skeptics Challenge: Paul responds

In the year or so that I've offered the Skeptics Challenge, Paul is just the second person to participate. He sent me his birth date and time and I sent him a short reading which he has reproduced on his site here. He conducted a "scientific" experiment where he took the two most general statements that were made in the reading and conducted a poll to see how many people these statements applied to. The statements were these:

"You have a far-reaching vision that is fair and just and a strong idealistic sense of justice and freedom" (78% accurate for 33 people) [This statement was taken out of context, the entire concept was this: "There is a far-reaching vision that is fair and just and a strong idealistic sense of justice and freedom. Aquarius is the revolutionary and the inventor - there is an affinity for the unusual and the path not traveled."

"you seek to be nurtured in a way that preserves your autonomy and ability to express your own needs" (68% accurate for 32 people) [again, taken out of context - here is the complete concept: "The yearning for freedom is a theme in your chart - your Moon falls in Aries, showing that you seek to be nurtured (Moon) in a way that preserves your autonomy and ability to express your own needs (Aries). . . . and in Aries there is a need for self-preservation and adventure. This is not a placement that demonstrates a great deal of compassion or empathy, that is not how you are wired."

Paul concluded that this means that the reading contained only general statements that could apply to anyone and the astrological symbolism was "bunk." The two statements above represent psychological conflicts that are certainly common to many people, and I think most people like to think that they have a strong sense of justice and freedom. However, these were just two of the many things I wrote (although I did keep the reading short because it was after all a mini-reading).

Paul did not test these statements as well, which were more specific to him:

"Mercury in Aquarius is logical and innovative - a brilliant thinker who often seems to download new ideas rather than learning through conventional means. "

"There is a desire for a relationship that may defy convention - perhaps a long-distance relationship or one where each partner has a great deal of freedom. "

"You are actually quite sensitive but that it is difficult for you to integrate that sensitivity into your personality in a way that doesn't feel vulnerable or painful. You are far more comfortable with the reason and logic of your Aquarian nature than that vulnerability and it is not uncommon for us to submerge aspects of our personality that give us discomfort."

"- part of you craves stability and material wealth (Taurus) and part of you resists becoming enmeshed in convention (Aquarius). "

If all of his polltakers were the same age as Paul they may have all been going through the cycles below, which are generational in nature and therefore strike everyone in the same age group at the same time:

[Regarding the Uranus Opposition cycle that Paul is going through} Everyone experiences this process differently - for those of us who resist change and take the safe path, the Uranus Opposition can be very destabilizing as we become driven by a deep restlessness and urge for something different. Marriages can break up under this transit, we become frustrated by our jobs as Uranus urges us to break out of routines and live a more authentic life. This began for you in April (you would have started feeling it in early March) and continued through August of last year.

[Regarding the Neptune square cycle] "We can become confused and feel that our ship has lost its rudder as Neptune urges us to look within and find a true experience of the divine."

So Paul - how about a true scientific experiment? Let's try a new poll and add the other statements from the reading along with the complete concepts of the two that you used in your survey instead of just pulling out the most general statements.

And thank you for playing the Skeptics Challenge!

Labels: skepticism

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:39 AM :: |

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Monday, February 05, 2007

Trusting the voice within

Recently I've been doing more typed readings. Typically I prefer telephone readings because they're more interactive, but the typed readings are powerful because there's no instant feedback, no assurance that I'm on the right path. Just me and the computer and the birthchart, and the voice in my head that directs me which I have to trust completely.

When I first began learning about astrology I did "readings" for friends, telling them about their charts and connecting the astrology to what I knew about their personality. When I started doing readings for the public it was terrifying since I knew nothing about them; I had to jump right into the birthchart and let it reveal itself. This was a vivid lesson in the power of astrology - knowing nothing about the individual before me, the inner workings of their personality were revealed.

Ten years ago the internet brought clients to me from other parts of the country and I started doing phone readings which took the session a step deeper. Now there was no one to see, no way to gauge whether I was "on target" or not. Just me and the birthchart, and the client. The typed reading takes this a step even further and requires me to have faith in the process and start typing, requesting and trusting that what comes out will be the perfect message for the client at that time. Sometimes the immediate response is not what I would hope for; occasionally a client is unhappy at what is written and would have preferred different information. But it's rare that such an event occurs that the client doesn't write me back later and let me know that the information turned out to be correct after all.

There is a well-known study, which I was unable to find for this post, which debunks astrology because in this study astrologers describe the personalities of their clients differently than the clients describe themselves. To me this merely demonstrates the fact that the astrological symbolism of the birthchart describes the underlying personality dynamics that often operate at a subconscious level. Often a client will deny these subconscious dynamics at first, but later realize that in fact they were correct. We spend most of our lives trying to suppress some of our more uncomfortable inner conflicts and it may take a while to bring them into the light of day. But then the experience is similar to having watched a play with the curtain closed: suddenly the curtain opens and you can observe and identify the players within and learn to become a better integrated individual.

After nearly 30 years, I no longer look to the client for affirmation that I'm "on target," but trust the voice within that interprets the astrological symbolism that dances before me. It's such a privilege to be able to do this work, and I am so grateful.

Labels: Astrology, consciousness

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:35 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- View of the Comet from Down Under

Diana shares her experience of Comet McNaught:

My first sighting of comet McNaught was with a group of people, all gazing expectantly into the darkening twilight, and it was a little girl who caught first glimpse. And as our eyes focused on the fuzzy bit of brightness, and its awe-inspiring tail...that same little girl squealed with delight, 'it's red! it's red!' Some of the adults shook their heads thinking this was an over-active imagination, but I recalled looking through a telescope with my own kids when they were small, and the astronomer who was assisting us, asked the boys what colours they could see...and they could see many colours in some constellations. The astronomer explained to me that children's eyes see colour more vividly than we do, I think we lose that capacity around age twelve.

Another member of that family present on that first night, was a 92yr old woman, very frail, and poor of eye sight. We weren't sure she would be able to see anything, but her family wanted to share the experience with her. For a few minutes she couldn't see it and then there was a sudden twinkling, which we all could see, and the old woman called out, 'I can see it, it's sparkling!'. Now that old woman is not someone I would describe as 'optimistic' in fact she is very gloomy and longing for death...but that night, after seeing the comet, she said, 'I feel....[and she struggled for the word]...content.'

I've seen the comet since that night. Sat and stared at it in absolute wonder. And I've got to say, I'm not the most optimistic person myself, but there is something about comet McNaught...I saw Halley's comet and it just isn't the same. Whether it's the tail, which is soooo magnificent, I don't know. But in my heart, I can't believe that the appearance of this comet only foretells death and destruction.

Labels: Comet McNaught

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:35 AM :: |

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Sunday, February 04, 2007

Saturn/Neptune and Bird Flu - the panic arrives on schedule

I have to admit I was skeptical when astrologers predicted that the opposition of Saturn and Neptune would bring with it a deadly flu pandemic. The planets rarely act as they are expected to perform, and this was too easy a connection to make. Phil Brown looked past the obvious when he wrote back in February:

While many claim that the Saturn-Neptune opposition is “it,” this is only part of the developing picture. I believe that mundane Saturn-Neptune configurations can often symbolize trance states which sweep through culture.

Is the Saturn/Neptune effect the bird flu itself, or the panic that results in a fugue state where the mass consciousness takes over? Saturn and Neptune are moving closer to their opposition point at the end of February and suddenly bird flu is in the news again. The first death from bird flu in humans just occurred in Nigeria, and an outbreak in birds in the UK resulted in the killing of thousands of turkeys (humans are not expected to be endangered). Japan just announced an outbreak of bird flu as well. As if there wasn't enough other news to generate fear, panic on this issue is increasingly peddled in the world press.

Unfortunately, this may result in the "boy who cried wolf" syndrome and if a dangerous situation truly does erupt the rest of us won't believe it.

Labels: Saturn/Neptune

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:22 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- February Skywatch and planetary news this week

After four days of wrangling with the web hosts who had no idea why I couldn't upload to my site, the February skywatch article is finally posted!! I'm now including a comprehensive list of the major planetary aspects and events as well. Here's an excerpt for this week:

The major aspects for February are the first phase of the conflict between Jupiter and Uranus in the square which occurred in January but will remain in effect through the end of the month, and the approaching second phase of the opposition between Saturn and Neptune. The Jupiter/Uranus combination can be potentially explosive - because this is a challenging aspect (the square), we tend to see the more negative manifestation of both planets. In Jupiter we see a reckless overconfidence and tendency towards self-righteousness, and Uranus is similarly reckless with a desire for change for its own sake and at any cost. This event has brought with it problems with communication and equipment similar to a Mercury retrograde period, and this could be exacerbated when Mercury turns retrograde on the 13th of February.

The opposition between Saturn and Neptune is a long range cycle that began last August and will conclude next summer, and we are entering the second phase now as we move towards the second opposition at the end of the month. Saturn lives in the material world and urges us to build on terra firma, while Neptune lives in the spiritual realm and calls us with a siren song to abandon terra firma for the abode of the divine. This opposition creates a tension between the material world and the spiritual that can be somewhat destabilizing, particularly for those of us with planets in the fixed signs of Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio and Taurus.

Mercury enters Pisces on February 2, leaving the dry brilliance of Aquarius for the watery emotional realm of Pisces, where intuition and empathy (Pisces) are the conduit for information (Mercury) rather than the ideas and concepts of Aquarius. From the first day of February Mars (action and drive) is approaching a harmonious aspect (sextile) to Uranus (innovation and change), a creative combination that provides inspiration and energy to take productive action and implement new ideas. This partnership culminates on February 3 in the waning shadow of the Leo Full Moon, an energetic event in itself, and then Venus conjuncts Uranus on the 7th, bringing us into contact with new and unusual (Uranus) people (Venus) and encourages us to bring air and space as well as a sense of fairness (Uranus) into our relationships with others. This aspect is followed on the 9th by a square of expansive Jupiter to Venus, an aspect which can encourage overindulgence and a tendency to expect too much from our loved ones. Still, there is lots of positive energy available now even though at this point we have entered the shadow of the retrograde period and are still under the chaotic influence of Jupiter/Uranus.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:45 AM :: |

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Saturday, February 03, 2007

Hawks and Me

For the past year or so I have been followed by hawks. A hawk will fly right in front of me when I'm sitting on the porch, one will circle my car out on the highway. Often as I'm driving a hawk will swoop in front of me while I'm driving, causing me to watch its descent and path through the woods. Two days ago a hawk flew right over my car and landed on the side of the road where it stood next to me like a sentry. The day before that I was out in the woods and a hawk circled overhead squawking at me. Today while I was driving another hawk circled low over my car.

I know I have a tendency to look for meaning everywhere, and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But still, these hawk events seem to be beyond coincidence. I asked Rich if hawks were following him and if he had these experiences, and he said "Only when I'm with you." I can't help but feel that the hawks have something to say, but I'm not getting it. Perhaps the hawk is now my totem, but I have no idea what to do with that. I think in astrology symbols, not totems!

I did find this cool site that says about hawks:

Hawk is able to soar high above the earth to soar on the breath of Spirit, to commune with Spirit and thus understand through the intuitive level what the message means and with their keen eyesight, how to implement it once they return to earth through seeing the broader picture below.

I'm sure that if there is something I'm supposed to learn from the hawks that eventually I'll be made aware of it, but meanwhile I know there are some brilliant and insightful readers out there. Any ideas?

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 1:58 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- An astrological tribute to Molly Ivins, the Radical Virgo

Although I was a fan of Molly Ivins for years, it wasn't until the Bush administration that her biting yet hilarious wit became a must-read for anyone skeptical of the Bush presidency. Ivins was celebrated for her unconventional and unabashedly liberal views and her passion for life and for her rebellious disdain for those in power.

Click chart to enlarge. Molly Ivins was born with a powerful Virgo influence including the Sun. That will surprise anyone who knows that Virgos are typically shy and modest and dislike the spotlight. However, Molly's Sun was exactly conjunct Jupiter, the planet that expands and enlarges our perspective. A Jupiter/Sun conjunction indicates someone who is bigger than life, who approaches every aspect of her life in a big way. Rarely do these people do anything in moderation, and there is an expansion (Jupiter) of the ego (Sun) which affords a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-confidence. Jupiter confers a strong sense of mission and someone with this planetary combination often feels they have been personally chosen to accomplish this mission.

This Sun/Jupiter conjunction is in conflict with (squares) the planet Uranus. Uranus is the rebel, the revolutionary. Uranus flaunts convention and can be unpredictable and erratic. When in a difficult aspect to the Sun, there is an almost relentless pressure to overturn the status quo and effect change for the simple sake of change. The addition of Jupiter here simply increases this tendency to "go off the deep end." However, with Jupiter and Uranus there is a deep-rooted desire for justice and equality and the Sun adds the energy to fulfill the mission. From the beginning of Molly's career in the early 1960s, she made heroes of those involved in the "movements of social change" and celebrated their accomplishments.

The combination of Sun/Jupiter in Virgo that conflicts with Uranus made Molly a classic "Radical Virgo." Where Virgos are typically known for their caution and conservative approach to life, the Radical Virgo is one who uses the Virgo powers of discrimination and versatility to change the world. Virgo is famously critical and particular, and Molly's Virgo vision gave her a laserlike view into the workings of the political structure. Mercury (thought process) in her chart was also in Virgo and it was conjunct Chiron (the wounded healer archetype), urging her to use her powers of communication (Mercury) to effect change and transformation (Chiron).

Being the sign of the Virgin, a word that in antiquity meant "unmarried woman," those born under the Virgo influence are often comfortable remaining single for long periods of time. Molly Ivins never married and poured her spectacular energy into her work. She never ceased speaking truth to power, whether it was the Texas legislature, her employers or a long series of Presidents. In her own words, "So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."

It is interesting astrologically that at the time of Molly's death this week transiting Uranus and Jupiter, which have been square to each other in the sky, were transiting the Sun/ Jupiter/ Uranus combination in Molly's chart. We often see Jupiter transits at the time of death, but the addition of Uranus, particularly in aspect to the configuration that directed Molly's outrage and quest for social justice, indicates that something powerful is likely to come out of her death. In death she has become even more of a hero than she was in life.

for more about Molly, read this great tribute from John Nichols.

Labels: Political figures

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:48 AM :: |

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Friday, February 02, 2007

Saturn/Neptune: Deflating the illusion

Work entitled "Alchemy" at Mamtaart.com

I don't see how the American public could have been convinced by the Bush White House that the threat from global warming was political, but there certainly is no escaping the reality now according to the Washington Post (and thousands of other news articles):

Global warming is "very likely" caused by man, meaning more than 90 percent certain. That's the strongest expression of certainty to date from the panel.

_If nothing is done to change current emissions patterns of greenhouse gases, global temperature could increase as much as 11 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.

_But if the world does get greenhouse gas emissions under control _ something scientists say they hope can be done _ the best estimate is about 3 degrees Fahrenheit.

_Sea levels are projected to rise 7 to 23 inches by the end of the century. Add another 4 to 8 inches if recent, surprising melting of polar ice sheets continues.

Neptune inspires us towards a connection with the divine, but it also can confuse and delude us. The polarization of Saturn as a reality check against the dreamy naivete of Neptune forces us to confront areas in our lives where we have been deceived or confused, or where we have been avoiding the truth. The debacle that is the Iraq War, which began as such a romantic notion for many people, is also revealed now in its most horrific form as a catalyst for social breakdown that is likely to spread throughout the middle east as Islamic factions begin to war against each other as we are seeing in Iraq and among the Palestinians.

On a personal level, if our eyes are open to our own truth and pierce the veil of illusion that separates us from our true nature, the opposition of Saturn to Neptune can be a powerful and positive force for change on a deep internal level. When we are anchored deep within ourselves, we witness the upheaval and chaos in the world outside without losing our center. We control what we can, and what we cannot we must surrender. Meanwhile, the transformation process continues.

Labels: Saturn/Neptune

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:10 PM :: |

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Thursday, February 01, 2007

Goodbye Molly Ivins

Jill says it as well as I could:

Molly Ivins can't do that, can she?

Alas, she can. Molly Ivins died far too soon [yesterday] at the age of sixty-two.

I'm not sure if we could have made it through the last six years without Molly Ivins' passion and humor. For all that she, as a Texan, knew long before most Americans what they were getting when they allowed George W. Bush to assume the presidency, she never succumbed to despair, instead deciding to fight the Bush junta with her best weapon -- humor.

There really isn't anything I can say that can illustrate what we lost today, so I'll just let Molly Ivins speak for herself one last time:

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on Jan. 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

If we won't do it for ourselves, and we won't do it for the generations to come, then for God's sake let's do it for Molly. It's the least we can do after all she did for us.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:40 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Full Moon today! And proof of the Moon's power.

February begins in the shadow of the Full Moon in Leo which will be at maximum fullness at 12:46 am est on February 2. During the Full Moon, the solar conscious mind opposes the lunar instinct of the subconscious, illuminating the essence of the sign through which the Full Moon expresses itself.

The Full Moon in Leo is typically a time to celebrate the full expression of the individual ego - in Leo we are most enthusiastically the divine beings that we are intended to be. The Moon now is opposite a wide conjunction of Chiron to the Sun in Aquarius, the sign that transcends the individual ego for the sake of the collective. With Chiron opposite the Moon, our unconscious needs (Moon) are pressured by Chiron to make themselves known, resulting in some discomfort as we experience the pain of dissatisfaction as the Sun illuminates the hidden dimensions of our lunar experience.

Dawn sent me this article from the Independent:

For eons, folklore has blamed the Moon for everything from lunacy to bad luck. And, for the last few centuries, scientists have scoffed. Now, according to new research they're not so sure. The Moon may not be made of cheese, but it seems to influence a lot more down on Earth than we previously thought.

According to new research, the Moon affects not only the tides of the oceans but also people, producing a range of symptoms from flare-ups of gout to bladder problems. It may even lie behind the causes of car crashes and affect people's hormonal balances.

Having carried out new research and reviewed 50 other studies, scientists suggest that doctors and the police even need to prepare for how their work rate will increase at different points in the lunar cycle. Among the findings examined by the researchers were studies that showed GP consultations go up during a full moon, according to Leeds University. Appointments rise by 3.6 per cent, which works out at around three extra patients for each surgery. The researchers did not speculate on the nature of the moon-related problems or why they happened, but said that "it does not seem to be related to anxiety and depression".

Gout and asthma attacks peak during new and full moons, according to work carried out at the Slovak Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine in Bratislava, where attacks over a 22-year period were monitored.

Read more...If scientists begin to believe that the Moon's tides do exert a pull on human behavior, it's just a short step to acceptance of other planetary influences, right?

Labels: Full Moon

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:22 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Electricity at work

from spaceweather.com: Comet McNaught and the Southern Lights:

Labels: wonders of the universe

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:24 AM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Uranus: electrical breakdowns and malfunctions

Usually we see this predominate when Mercury is retrograde, but the last few weeks since Jupiter squared Uranus anecdotal evidence reports that such problems are rampant. Delayed travel, downed websites (mine and many of the ones I am trying to visit!). Miscommunication and situations that require renegotiation. Technology and personal communication both require the transfer of information from one port to another, and when the electrical energy of the planet Uranus is expanded and aggrandized by Jupiter's tendency to overinflate a situation when in a square aspect, problems seem to arise.

I am not a scientist, but I have a healthy respect for the power of electrical fields. The earth itself is a magnetic body, and the human body generates its own magnetic field. We are familiar with the traditional astrological meaning of Uranus: rebellion, radical change, autonomy, insight. But Uranus is also associated with electricity and on a more transcendent level, the electromagnetic field that surrounds the body. It makes sense to me that an expansion by Jupiter of the electromagnetic fields of Uranus could create situations where the connections between various electric fields go haywire, causing a disruption in the transfer of information.

This has long been known by the ancient Vedic sages who described the biomagnetic bodies, or "sheaths" of the human being as beginning with the physical body to the more subtle bodies. Disruption of the electrical signals within the body can lead to illness and psychoemotional reactions, and it makes sense to me that a change in the quality of electromagnetic fields could have an disruptive effect. Comments anyone?

Labels: Jupiter/Uranus, Uranus

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:32 AM :: |

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