Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Last year as Saturn transited Tony's Jupiter/Uranus conjunction (which squares Neptune in his chart and probably the Moon as well) he was diagnosed with colon cancer, the same disease that killed his mother when she was 38. The cancer was surgically removed, and he was back at work by April. With Saturn still crossing over the sensitive square in his chart, he approached his Chiron return - a time when Chiron in the sky returns to the same degree as his birthchart.

The Chiron return affects everyone at approximately age 50, and serves to reveal to us any places in which we are still in emotional pain. During our lifetime we tend to cover up our wounds, we try to ignore them and hope they will go away. When Chiron in our chart is hit by transit, or when transiting Chiron hits a planet in our chart, that wound is exposed so that we have access to it for healing. Until we face that wound, expose it and release it, it will simply remain there to fester. Tony Snow has been particularly affected by the opposition of Saturn to Chiron that we have been undergoing over the past year, and transiting Saturn is putting pressure on Tony's natal Chiron this very week. The tears that were evoked yesterday in his press conference are not uncommon as Chiron releases those old painful emotions.

The word surrender is so funny, because most people, particularly in the case of illness, equate surrender with defeat. But surrender is letting go of resistance. Most of what we call pain is the resistance that clenches down on the unpleasant. In fact, a really dynamic, practical sense of that is that a lot of the people we work with, if they're going to take medicine, they'll look at it. They won't just swallow it automatically. They're not trying to take healing from outside. They're not giving up control to healing. They're participating in it, they're taking responsibility for it -- responsibility being the ability to respond, instead of the necessity to react. They look at the pills, and as they take them in, they guide them with loving-kindness into the area, because they've put so much attention into the area they know the inside, the multiple molecular variation of sensation within, the moment-to-momentness of that area. They direct it into that area, and they find, for instance with pain medication, that once the resistance has been gone through, that they can decrease the medication. Because I think a lot of medications get used up by the resistance before they ever get to the place that they're being taken to.

. . . We're not saying, "Throw away your other practice." We're saying, "Whatever you're doing to heal yourself, why don't you try to see for your own self what it might mean if you put mercy into that area?" It's so outside of our conditioning. We suggest that people treat their illness as though it were their only child, with that same mercy and loving-kindness. If that was in your child's body, you'd caress it, you'd hold it, you'd do all you could to make it well. But somehow when it's in our body we wall it off, we send hatred into it and anger into it. We treat ourselves with so little kindness, so little softness. And there are physical correlations to the difference between softening around an illness -- blood flow, availability of the immune system, etcetera -- and hardness. You know, if you've got a hard belly and your jaw is tight, and that hardness is around your eyes, it's very difficult for anything to get through.

Labels: Cancer (the disease), health

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:15 PM :: |

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Voices in our heads

Nearly all of us hear voices of one kind or another. My mother hears the voice of her mother criticizing her in her head. Someone I know well hears music in his head - full orchestras. When I do readings, I hear voices describing aspects of the chart to me before I have a chance to notice them. Are we all crazy? Granted, this is nothing like the people whose voices urge them to murder and worse, but perhaps there's more to this phenomenon than simply classifying people who hear voices as schizophrenics.

An article in the New York Times (thank you Ellie Crystal) asks the question, "Can you live with the voices in your head?" The article cites the work of a group in Britain called "Hearing Voices Network" whose purpose is to bring people that hear voices an opportunity to get together for mutual support. The Times article suggests:

Since the 1990s, a growing number of researchers and clinicians, predominantly based in England, have been comparing voice-hearing in psychotic patients with voice-hearing in nonpatients, measuring the incidence of hallucinations in the general population, and using cognitive behavioral therapy (C.B.T.), a popular, short-term treatment for depression and anxiety, to help them manage their responses to the voices they continue to hear. C.B.T. typically asks patients to scrutinize how they interpret their symptoms rather than focusing on an illness as an underlying cause. “The matter of whether it’s effective, and to what extent,” Lieberman says, is still being investigated. So far, the use of C.B.T. in the treatment of psychoses is much more prevalent in the U.K. than in the U.S.

I'm sure the powerful Big Pharma lobby has something to do with that.

But still, the whole concept of hearing voices opens up doorways that are difficult to enter. We like to think that the voices we hear are from our guides and inner teachers. Could it be that some people hearing voice are actually hearing voices of being that are located in other planes where they can't be seen, just as we envision our inner guides to be? What if so-called psychotic people are merely tuned in to frequencies that the rest of us can't hear?

Noted psychologist R.D. Laing raised this question back in the early 1960s when he linked the psychosis with the transcendent:

When a person goes mad, a profound transposition of his position in relation to all domains of being occurs. His center of experience moves from ego to Self. Mundane time becomes merely anecdotal, only the Eternal matters. The madman is, however, confused. He muddles ego with self, inner with outer, natural and supernatural. Nevertheless, he often can be to us, even through his profound wretchedness and disintegration, the hierophant of the sacred. An exile from the scene of being as we know it, he is an alien, a stranger, signalling to us from the void in which he is foundering. This void may be peopled by presences that we do not even dream of. They used to be called demons and spirits, that were known and named. He has lost his sense of self, his feelings, his place in the world as we know it. He tells us he is dead. But we are distracted from our cozy security by this mad ghost that haunts us with his visions and voices that seem so senseless and of which we feel impelled to rid him, cleanse him, cure him.

Madness need not be all breakdown. It is also breakthrough. It is potentially liberation and renewal, as well as enslavement and existential death.

Another leap outside the realm of rational science into the world of magic, this time the magic of the psyche.

Labels: consciousness

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 4:33 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Great yoga podcast!

One thing I regularly prescribe for my clients and anyone else who will listen is a regular practice of yoga. I first discovered yoga when I was in college back in 1969 and though I have been a sporadic practitioner since then, I have always found it to be a fantastic ally for life on earth. The word "yoga" comes from the sanskrit word for "union," and it truly does facilitate the uniting of the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga is a wonderful tool for dealing with problematic planetary cycles: it grounds us when we're feeling confused by Neptune, and it uplifts us when we're under the thumb of Saturn's negativity. It soothes the jangled nervous system under a transit of Uranus, and helps us to release the wounds revealed by Chiron. It's simply a marvelous gift.

I have found a really lovely class online taught by Elsie Escobar, an instructor in California who is generous enough to distribute free audio podcasts of her classes (or you can listen right on your computer if you don't have an mp3 player). She even kindly gives instructions for downloading podcasts.

Although I gravitate mostly towards a vinyasa or power-type practice, I have found Elsie's class to be one of the best I have ever seen for connecting the inner practice of focus and release to the practice of the poses. She is teacher of the Anusara method which is based in heart opening and joy which is a nice alternative to the intensity of the power yoga that I am used to. And in addition, her actual instruction in the dynamics of each pose goes beyond anything I have seen. To top it off, her personality radiates through the audio and you can just feel the light of her smile illuminating the practice. These podcasts are fast becoming one of my favorite ways to practice yoga.

These classes are not for yoga beginners; you need to have a basic understanding of how to get into the poses or the audio instruction will be confusing even though Elsie kindly posts photos of many of the poses on her site when the podcast is posted. But once you have a few classes under your belt and know the basics, give her class a try!

Labels: yoga

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:47 AM :: |

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Blogchronicity!!

art by John F. Johnson from Appel Gallery.

One of the wonderful things about the astroblogosphere is the wide variety of perspectives that we become exposed to. Elsa with her down-to-earth advice that brings a cosmic understanding to a level that anyone can understand; Jeffrey's psychological approach and film connections. April is like a good friend who sneaks in her astrological brilliance whilst regaling us with tales of her fascinating life. Nina offers the best of traditional and horary astrology, while Neith grounds us in tales of the natural world and an occasional recipe or family photo. These are just a few of the great astrology blogs you'll find in the blogroll.

Occasionally some of us find ourselves musing in the same direction, such as when Phil Brown and I both covered Science and Spirit on the same day. Dharmaruci and I are often on the same wavelength with similar posts. Now Kathryn Cassidy and I find ourselves in Blogchronicity Land concerning the new photos of the Sun from the Hinode satellite, a phenomenon which Kathryn connects to the film Sunshine. Kathryn writes:

Now, no-one is suggesting that the Hinode Satellite has discovered that our Sun is presently in its death throes - although we all know that one day, like all stars, it has to burn out. What is interesting is the parallels of art imitating life and the two stories arising together just as the Sun has entered the fire sign of Aries. Additionally, the launch date in 2006 was the day the Sun reached the Autumn Equinox i.e., as the Sun was passing from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere. As it resurfaced this week (from our vantage point) over the Celestial equator at the Spring Equinox (and crosses back into the Northern hemisphere) the Hinode (sunrise) story surfaces and promotion of the Sunshine film really 'hots up'. Interesting eh!

The web being woven by the astroblogging community (including you, dear readers) is not only disseminating valuable astrological information, but also increasing all of our knowledge by leaps and bounds. These synchronistic events not only link us together, but help us to expand our understanding by adding additional dimensions to each thought and idea that we share. It's truly an amazing thing!!

Labels: blogosphere

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:38 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- A Birthtime for Barack?

Thanks to Dharmaruci for posting a link to Nancy's always excellent political astrology blog. Nancy posts a look ahead for Obama using a birthtime of 1:06 pm that seems to have been quoted originally by Michael Wolfstar as coming from Frances McEvoy. Nancy reports that Obama gave this birthtime at an event. Meanwhile I have written to Frances to see where this came from, but Dharma has done some rectification that seems to indicate that this chart has possibilities.

I posted my own profile of Obama back in January, and sent emails to his campaign requesting his birthtime that sadly received no response. There is a lot of information in a birthtime with only a birth date, but a birth time provides an ascendant and tells us more about the areas of life that are important to the individual.

With a birthtime of 1:06 pm we have a Scorpio ascendant, suggesting an intense personality and a tendency towards secrecy. Often individuals with Scorpio rising appear to be rather intimidating when often they are not - the ascendant shows our disguise, the mask that we wear for others. It also shows the way we process our experiences, which for a Scorpio rising person is through intensity and drama. With this birthtime Obama's Leo Sun would form a square to the ascendant which would suggest that Obama has difficulty integrating the way people see him with the person that he really is, making it hard to find others who like him for who he is.

This does not ring true for me, as Obama is well-liked and does not at all appear as a Scorpio. The rising sign is usually the easiest sign for an astrologer to guess because it marks the appearance and the personality. On the other hand, the 1:06 pm chart shows Leo on the Midheaven - the sign of royalty on the point of highest aspirations. George Bush has called Obama "The Pope" because of his savior-like image in the Democratic party, something which could be signified by a first house Neptune or Neptune on the ascendant which would require a birth time around noon.

Hopefully soon this mystery will be revealed! Meanwhile if anyone knows more about Obama's time of birth please be sure to let me know.

Labels: Political figures

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 3:54 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Mars conjunct Neptune today!

If you've been having trouble getting off the sofa the past few days, you're not alone. Mars, which creates the fire that drives us, made an opposition to Saturn a couple of days ago and is now conjunct Neptune. Neptune, being a watery planet, often puts out the fire of Mars and dampens our physical energy as well as the drives and passions that fuel us to action. Both Mars and Neptune are in Aquarius, where they tend to join in imagination and creativity, but may lack focus and direction.

Mars and Neptune are uneasy bedfellows and can induce a queasy weirdness as Neptune's misty urge for transcendence makes Mars forget what it came here for. The drive of Mars, along with its passion and urge for action, can become mired in confusion and self-deception when it is buried under the glamour of Neptune's idealizations.

In an ideal world, Mars and Neptune will unite in a passionate (Mars) compassion (Neptune) for the wellbeing of others, and there is often a desire (Mars) to sacrifice one's self for a higher good. But the conjunction is just as likely to bring a drive (Mars) for cloaking the truth in an illusion (Neptune).

This is a short-lived transit and will move away in the next couple of days. For those of us (me!!) who are under it's spell, a practice such as yoga which links the physical energy system (Mars) to a more spiritual one (Neptune) will help to link these energies in a way that's beneficial and brings out the best of both planets.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 1:38 PM :: |

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Saturday, March 24, 2007

Books! Books! Books!

I've updated the book links in the left sidebar, adding Jessica Murray's new book which I'm currently reading which is really good (more on that later). I also divided the sections to make it easier for you to browse.

These are all books I've read and personally recommend, and I'll keep adding as time permits!

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:46 AM :: |

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Friday, March 23, 2007

The astrology of viral marketing

The universe is so ingenious, which makes it difficult for astrologers to attempt to predict the future. Saturn/Neptune is famously associated with the flu and other viruses, leading many astrologers to predict a major flu outbreak under its influence beginning last summer. But no one predicted the astonishing rise of something called "viral marketing" that recently became mainstream news with the production of an anti-Hillary campaign ad that circulated like wildfire over the Internet.

The ad uses an old Apple ad where hundreds of automaton-type humans are watching a film of Hillary Clinton until a blonde ax-wielding Lara Croft wannabe throws her ax through the film screen. The ad ends with the link to Barack Obama's website, yet Obama's campaign had nothing to do with the ad.

Viral marketing or political advertising spreads like wildfire just as biological viruses do, and can be just as destructive. Under the Saturn/Neptune opposition Neptune's mysterious and sometimes devious ways erode the social order of Saturn and Saturn's restrictions and challenges exacerbate the mysterious illnesses promoted by Neptune.

Uranus in Pisces is also at play here, where information technology (Uranus) is used for purposes that transcend all known boundaries and marketers can shapeshift by wearing online disguises (Pisces). As with all things astrological, there is a higher and lower manifestation of these cycles and along with the potential deception and destruction of viral marketing-type events we also have the building of online communities that share information and transform the experience of community into something that brings knowledge and wisdom to all of us.

Labels: Saturn/Neptune

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:06 AM :: |

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

New images of the Sun!

click image to enlarge!!

Thanks to my editor CK for this article about these astounding images from the new Japanese telescope called Hinode:

The restless bubbling and frothing of the Sun's chaotic surface is astonishing astronomers who have been treated to detailed new images from a Japanese space telescope called Hinode.

The observatory will have as dramatic an impact on our understanding of the Sun as the Hubble Space Telescope has had on our view of the universe beyond, scientists told a NASA press conference in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday.

"Everything we thought we knew about X-ray images of the Sun is now out of date," says Leon Golub from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. "We've seen many new and unexpected things. For that reason alone, the mission is already a success."

:snip:

Another surprise sighting is that of giant magnetic field loops crashing down onto the Sun's surface as if they were collapsing from exhaustion, a finding that Golub describes as "impossible". Previously, scientists thought they should emerge from the Sun and continue blowing out into space.

"Almost every day, we look at the data and we say – what the heck was that?" says Golub, a member of the XRT science team.

read more...
and watch the movie!! (if you can, the servers must be very busy)

Labels: wonders of the universe

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

---------------oOo--------------- Saturn/Neptune and the Bush Presidency

As we've said before too many times to cite, the current opposition cycle of Saturn to Neptune which began last summer and is now in the second phase of a three-part cycle, is forcing us to confront (Saturn) that which we are hiding (Neptune), among other things. Nowhere is this more true than in the Bush administration which has made obfuscation into an art form.

The inaugural chart of the Bush administration is the chart cast for the moment that George Bush became president. This chart very clearly describes the Bush presidency: The fixed sign Taurus is rising in the chart, indicating a persona that is focused on material security and the acquisition of money and other possessions. Taurus is conservative and doesn't like change, and tends to be stubborn and fixed in ideology.

The Sun in the chart, showing the essential nature of the Bush presidency, is in detached and idealistic Aquarius. Aquarius has a vision of the perfect world and is not hampered by emotional considerations when implementing that vision. Aquarius is the sign of democracy, with justice and equality for all, but the inauguration chart shows a conjunction of the Sun to Neptune, the planet that compels us to reach beyond the boundaries of our ordinary lives and experience a more transcendent world. Spirituality is important with the Sun/Neptune combination, but there is also a tendency for self-deception as Neptune's wizardry for disguise and confusion takes hold of the identity.

The Sun is trined by the beneficent Jupiter here, showing a general sense of optimism and offering a fair amount of good luck, and Jupiter therefore also trines Neptune which can bring an expanded sense of compassion and empathy. The impulse for benevolence is here, but unfortunately it is overcome by the other aspects of the chart.

The planet of communication, Mercury, conjuncts Uranus in this chart and both are in Aquarius making a stellium of four planets in that sign of individuality and self-expression, and all in the tenth house of public life. The tendency of Mercury combined with Uranus to embrace radical new ideas has shown itself in a rather peculiar way due to the placement of Saturn (planet of limitation and discipline) rising in the first house where it becomes part of the persona, and in the fixed sign of Taurus where it expresses an extreme conservatism. The ideals of truth and justice predominate with this placement, and there is typically an affinity for revolutionary ideas but in tandem with Saturn rising, the rebellion inherent in the Mercury/Uranus/Aquarius combination expresses itself through a stubborn (Taurus rising) refusal to follow the rules set by others (Mercury/Uranus).

Mars in the chart, showing how the aggressive urge is expressed, is in the passionate and secretive sign of Scorpio which suggests an intensely competitive nature and a drive (Mars) for secrecy (Scorpio). Mars conjuncts the descendant (the cusp of the seventh house of partnership and open enemies) which shows conflict with one's partners as well as enemies. We have seen this tendency with Bush's former partners who disagreed with him such as Colin Powell and other cabinet secretaries who are now long gone. We often attract the energies of planets in the seventh house from others, and Mars on the descendant often indicates a tendency to be attacked (Mars) by others. Mars makes an exact square to the Mercury/Uranus combination, exacerbating the rebellious tendency and creating a nature that is argumentative and antagonistic.

Another indicator of problems in relationships is the square of Venus to Pluto. Pluto/Venus contacts are fraught with anxiety and intensity with a fear of rejection and a sense of danger. This anxiety has led to an extremely paranoid White House where any semblance of criticism is punished with ostracism. Although the Moon (emotional nature) is in Sagittarius where it longs for adventure and a good time, it is conjuncted by Pluto which in that placement can cause a fear of annhilation and this is also a placement that shrouds itself in secrets for self-protection.

One interesting point about this chart is that there are no planets in cardinal signs. Cardinal signs denote action and leadership, where fixed signs possess perseverence but tend to lack the ability to make progress, and mutable signs are adaptable but can be easy to control. We would expect to see a predominance of cardinal signs in the chart of a leader or a presidency but here we do not, denoting a presidency that lacks direction and guidance.

This is the chart of an entity which is fundamentally idealistic and compassionate (Jupiter/Sun/Neptune), yet overcome by rebellious tendencies (Sun/Uranus/Aquarius) and unable to forge a clear direction. It lacks the ability to build strong alliances with others due to an extreme paranoia (Venus/Pluto) based in a deep fear of annhilation (Moon/Pluto) that requires secrecy for protection.

The current opposition between Saturn and Neptune is directly aspecting the chart of the Bush presidency as well as Bush himself, and forcing a confrontation (Saturn) with the illusions created by the presidency to protect itself. This cycle continues into the summer and is likely to continue to put pressure on the secrets of the Bush presidency.

Labels: GWBush, Saturn/Neptune

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:16 AM :: |

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Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Easter and the Equinox

Many people now know that Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter are tied to pagan celebrations of cosmological events such as the solstices and equinoxes. Easter, a holiday that commemorates the time that Jesus supposedly rose from the tomb, was originally connected to both the Equinox and the full moon since it originally occurred on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox.

This was likely calculated from observation of the full moon at first, but because the date derived from the actual full moon coincided with the Jewish celebration of Passover. For centuries the early Church leaders squabbled over a method to determine the date for Easter and ultimately created a table of "ecclesiastical" full moons for which to calculate a date for Easter in an unbelievably complex method.

I personally believe that the practice of dating Christian "feast days" to coincide with pagan magical points such as the solstices and equinoxes and moons goes beyond a simple desire to convert the pagans; it is quite likely that the early church fathers were aware of the power of these planetary events that connect us to a greater sense of cosmological wonder and utilized them to their advantage. At the Vernal Equinox we celebrate the resurrection of Spring, and for centuries preChristian peoples celebrated the resurrection of their dying gods at the Equinox. Dionysos, Tammuz, Adonis and Attis were all gods whose rebirth was celebrated as the Spring brought the return of fertility to the land. It is this fertility connection to Easter that brings us the Easter bunny, whose capacity to become impregnated with a second litter while bearing the first makes it a perfect symbol for fertility.

And the name Easter? This name comes directly from the Saxon fertility goddess Eostre or Ostara, who was depicted with hares and whose festival was celebrated at the spring Full Moon.

Labels: Equinox and Solstice, holidays

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:41 AM :: |

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

On the heels of the eclipse, the Equinox!!

photo from Flickr

Following the New Moon at the end of Pisces, squared by Pluto, the sign of endings, we find ourselves balanced on the cusp of the seasons at the Vernal Equinox! The Equinox is celebrated as the time when the Sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the equator, when the length of the days become longer than the nights and the power of light rises while the darkness recedes.

Today is also the time when the Sun enters Aries, the sign of initiation and energy. The past seven New Moons have all been at the end of a sign, with the last one incorporating a square from Pluto, forcing us to let go of all that no longer serves us. Now the energy shifts as we begin to move into a new adventure!

Beginning a new phase of our life is not always easy. Recently I've had quite a few emails from people who are worried about their upcoming transits of Saturn and Pluto since having had their fill of upheaval in their lives, they crave some stability and peace for a change. If I could teach one thing it would be this: that we can trust in the power of the planetary gods to carry us into our future in the way with the least possible pain and the greatest joy if we will only stop resisting our destiny. Our fear and resistance are often the things that create the problems for us.

Years ago I went whitewater tubing in Colorado. Armed with nothing but an inner tube, my friends coaxed me into a rushing creek and told me to let go and let the water carry me. With my T-square in cardinal planets and fixed squares with no mutables, this was virtually impossible for me. What I discovered during this trip is that if I tried to reach out to stabilize myself the water smashed me into the rocks but if I truly let go, the water carried me through the path of least resistance in a blissful ride.

This lesson has stayed with me for the last 30 years and is one that I try to impart to my clients who are facing difficult planetary cycles. Change is indeed difficult, but it can also be exhilarating once we realize that we have moved through a phase that was holding us back. Trust and faith can be difficult for those of us who lack religion and requires a deeper connection with the higher self that resides within us, a connection that requires time spent alone in meditation and quiet.

The opposition between Saturn and Neptune is working on a number of different levels, but one lesson that we can learn from this planetary cycle is to establish a real and practical (Saturn) connection with the divine within us (Neptune) - however we frame that concept in our theology, whether it is god, goddess, our higher self, guides or guardian angels, that connection is real and available to us. Once we learn to trust that guidance, even the most difficult journey becomes less threatening and a process towards greater understanding.

Labels: Equinox and Solstice, holidays

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:01 AM :: |

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Monday, March 19, 2007

The Paternity of Dannielynn

I have hesitated to join the throngs of train wreck journalists dissecting the corpse of Anna Nicole Smith, but I thought it would be interesting to look at the charts of the two main contenders for father of the child Dannielynn. I am leaning towards Larry Birkhead, and you can find the article explaining why on the National Ledger site. (watch for popups!!)

Labels: Celebrities

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:56 PM :: |

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Sunday, March 18, 2007

Gaiafield Global Meditation

Thanks to Astrid for posting this link to an incredibly beautiful and inspiring film of the beauty of our blue planet and the people with which we share it. From the film, these words from Thich Nhat Hahn:

Following the sound of the bell, my breath brings me back to the safe island of mindfulness. In the garden of my heart, the flowers of peace bloom beautifully. . . .

May the sound of the bell penetrate deep into the cosmos.
Even in the darkest spots living beings are able to hear it clearly.
So that all suffering in them cease. Understanding comes to their heart, and they transcend the path of sorrow and death

This is the announcement site of a Global Meditation and Prayer Vigil to be held March 28 from 10-11 PST, or 1-2 EST. What a beautiful way to be reminded that we truly are all one in our love of life and of the planet, and to unite our energy in a positive manner to effect real change in the world.

Labels: consciousness

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:50 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- More on the Pisces Eclipse

art from Neil's site

Neil Paris has a way of describing planetary events in a way that make them real to people that don't really get the planets. Here's a bit of what he has to say on the eclipse:

As the Sun is covered by the shadow of the Moon, emotions (moon) cloud our very being momentarily. Suddenly we're irrational creatures, operating entirely through our unconscious motivations (namely all those reactions that have been repeated so often as to become part of our 'auto-pilot survival system'.) So expect some old patterns to play out which will force you to stop and say 'Whoa - this again?'.

This time we get to do it differently, by choosing to DELIBERATELY REACT DIFFERENTLY.

Pisces is the most sensitive sign because it involves a surrender of sorts - a cosmic orgasm, a sigh of "reality-relief" when we exhale, let go, release and give it up. Give what up? The emotion, the desire, the game, the fight, the trying, the maintaining, the working, the stress, the frustration, the elation, the hope, the anxiety, the excitement, the possibility.

We just are.

Everyone on Earth is participating in this grand Letting Go. Some people will choose to exit their bodies at this time (which is a regular daily occurrence but which may become significantly higher at this time, whether in the public eye or the person on the street) because death is a form of letting go. There are many manifestations:

Suddenly you don't want to keep pushing and you stop all activity and just breathe.
You decide to go swimming instead of sitting around stressing about what to do next.
You sleep in an extra 12 hours with no alarm clock.
You cry - at a memory, a movie, something happens to dissolve your inner walls and helps you feel again
You drink like a fish and stagger home chuckling
You drink like a fish and wind up in hospital
You're high on drugs and repeat the first two steps
You tap into some Spiritual Power than enables you to paint THE most amazing picture, writ e a blockbuster novel or wind up helping someone out just when they were going to give up

There's a big difference between giving up now, and surrendering it up. One is quitting, the other is quitting pushing/blocking/forcing/manipulating energy and becoming stressed out because things aren't working "the way you want them to work".

This Solar Eclipse is wonderful for taking a break from reality - for getting "high" in a way that brings us closer together with our real selves (the stripped down sensitive soul we all have hidden not far beneath the surface) instead of further away from that core, through playing victim to life's tumultuous tides.

So - Make Your Wish. Choose your Reality. Design your Destiny.
Focus. Give it full emotional power - how much do you want it.
Finally - breathe out and let it go.

Life teaches us one thing, no matter what else is happening - to take it in, but then let it out.
Like breathing. No matter what is happening, we can't forget to exhale. To let go of what we've taken in.

The Great Karmic Completion is here, but the new dawn begins when we can release the night and not hold on, by keeping our own Suns down - our sun sign in Astrology is the gift given, the life path chosen, the energy we're here to shine into the world.

Read more here.

Labels: Eclipse

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 10:37 AM :: |

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

New Moon Eclipse and the power of Pluto

The Sun will conjunct the Moon and the shadow will obscure them both in a partial solar eclipse at 10:43 pm est on March 18. It will be too dark to see in the Americas, but in Russia, India, China and the northern portions of Alaska the Sun will be partially obscured by the shadow of the earth.


New Moons are times of new beginnings, but as I've mentioned this is the last of a series (eight!) of New Moons in the last degrees of a sign, this time at the end of Pisces. I personally feel that this is symbolic of the closing of a chapter in the human experience. This past year has been tremendously powerful from an astrological perspective: we had six planets in retrograde motion at one time last summer, an opposition from Saturn to Chiron, a grand square that reverberated through the first half of the year and an opposition from Saturn to Neptune closing out the second half of the year along with this series of late degree New Moons. And then we had the reclassification of Pluto and the promotion of Ceres and the new Eris, indicating that something new is ready to enter the human consciousness.

Pluto will be exactly square to the lunation, suggesting a strong undercurrent of powerful impulses that may remain at the unconscious level, particularly since Pluto will be eclipsed by earth's shadow when it passed in front of a star in the Sagittarius constellation. The New Moon in Pisces has a yearning for peace, for a transcendent experience of perfect love and compassion. The square from Pluto sends a rumbling message through the collective psyche that makes peace impossible until our deepest and darkest emotions are recognized and released. Pluto's realm delves into our rage and jealousy, our fears and compulsions, and requires that we let go of anything that no longer serves us in order to become transformed and evolve.

The dual eclipse events of both the Moon and of Pluto describe a somewhat hidden component to the lunation. Because New Moons are new beginnings, this event is a perfect time to make friends with the shadow that we all carry within us and incorporate its power into our own. An exact trine of Jupiter to Saturn provides the vision and discipline to facilitate the achievement of our goals as well!

Labels: Eclipse, New Moon, Pluto

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 1:07 PM :: |

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Friday, March 16, 2007

A celebration of Neptune

The Quickening, by the fabulous Willow Arlenea

Found this on Red Ice: a brilliant homage to Neptune and the path to ecstasy:

Time is now for religion to cease from disparaging Mankind’s humanity. True theology should no longer regard Humankind as perennially deficient and in a permanent state of spiritual shortage, but rather recognize that our plentifulness of naturally human traits are truly signs of our collective spiritual abundance. Religion has indeed initiated society into the Mysteries of God; but time is now for religion to evolve our society into a civilization capable of exposing its own true Godlikeness, a more fully evolved species thoroughly readied and enabled to manifest and reveal its own innate, natural-born Divinity.

The mystic transcendence of our mortal limitations into which our religions initiate us is no lonely flight away from the World, nor does it encourage the continued condemnation of the human condition. On the contrary: the transcendent viewpoint bestowed upon those gifted with the theophany of mystic ecstasy provides them the inspiration for a deeper participation in the life of the World-- the fostering of a more angelic human species, and the nurturing of the long promised Utopia, the Golden Age that yet awaits the full employment of our deific inventiveness for its future construction. True theology does not disparage the natural World, nor the inclinations to which authentic participation in the life of Nature dispose us. Genuine religious faith makes us better caretakers of the blessings we find everywhere disclosed in the natural World, and allows the Spirit its rightful freedom to partake of the God-given miracles that naturally exude from our healthy human bodies.

Humankind’s natural tendency towards mystic transcendence is not something to be cloistered away in hermitages and chapels. The evolving global civilization will be much better served by the public sacramentalizing of each and every aspect of our common humanity. Each and every object of the material world needs to be rightfully regarded as holy, sacred, sublime. The human body itself needs to be properly esteemed as the crown of God’s creativeness, the foremost instrument of the Spirit’s expression.

Time is now when we must meet ourselves face to face, and see ourselves as we truly are. Time is now for the end of one age and the beginning of another, new evolutionary age. Time is now for the reclaiming of our original nature, our divine heritage and birthright, our true and properly destined stance in the Cosmos. Time is now for God to put on a human face-- or rather, time is now that Man’s own countenance should shine with the creative Light of God.

original article here

Labels: Neptune

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:42 PM :: |

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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Alberto Gonzales: Tunnel vision and a shortage of empathy

Alberto Gonzales has ridden on the coattails of George Bush to fame and recognition. Among his achievements:

• Assisted then-Governor Bush to avoid jury duty;
• Worked against clemency in death penalty cases, aiding Governor Bush to execute more prisoners than any other state;
• Promoted the end of the Geneva Convention and defended the detention of American citizens without habeas corpus and the torture of suspected terrorists;
• Fought to keep the documents from Dick Cheney's energy task force from being reviewed by Congress;
• Promoted the "rendition" of prisoners to countries where they would be tortured;
• Facilitated the dismissal of eight US prosecutors for political reasons, such as the prosecutor who aggressively went after Duke Cunningham's bribery scandal.
  
  

click chart to enlarge. Alberto Gonzales has an astonishing six planets in Leo, including a tight conjunction between the Sun, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury. Leo is the sign of royalty, and it is not uncommon for individuals with Leo in their charts to feel a sense of entitlement and a need for admiration and adulation. The conjunction of the Sun to Mercury shows a tremendous intelligence, and combined with Mars in the fiery sign of Leo there is a need to prove that intelligence through competition. There is potential for a combative nature here with Jupiter aligned with Mars in connection with the intellect (Mercury) and the spirit (Sun). Gonzales was an honor student in high school and earned his law degree from Harvard, a tremendous accomplishment for the son of illegal immigrants from Mexico. The Sun/Mercury combination also bestows a tendency towards pride in his intelligence which often leads to a belief that one is always right, and the addition of Mars gives the aggression to prove it.

The conjunction of Jupiter to both the Sun and Mercury, particularly in Leo, shows a strong self-confidence (Jupiter) and a tendency to be self-righteous and sanctimonious. Typically Jupiter here bestows a great deal of optimism and good luck, and Gonzales has said himself that his life has been very fortunate. Still, Gonzales has a square from Saturn to the Leo stellium which has the potential to erode his self-confidence. Leo is a sign that prizes loyalty, and Gonzales has affixed his star to that of George Bush and has been loyal to a fault, but it is doubtful that he has the confidence to seek political power of his own. Bush's Mercury/Pluto conjunction sits right on this Leo stellium in Gonzales's chart, showing the alignment of their ideals and their intellectual compatibility but also that the power (Pluto) comes from George W. Bush.

Another effect of the square of Saturn to so many planets is to create a rigidity in the personality (Saturn creates form and structure and prescribe the adherence to rules and convention). This often results in a very conservative nature that is more comfortable with a limitation of personal freedom. A lineup of six planets such as this creates a tunnel vision and a one-pointed way of looking at life that often lacks perspective.

Like most people born in the early 1950s, Uranus, the planet of freedom, is square to Neptune in his chart. The search for freedom from conventional morality (Uranus) that this group experienced in the 1960s was confused by the Neptunian desire for escape through sex, drugs and rock and roll, resulting in a chaotic experimentation in an attempt to forge a new (Uranus) experience of life (Neptune). A more rigid personality would have worked hard to suppress this chaotic experience in an attempt to maintain a firm grasp on "reality." Gonzales has said that his father had a drinking problem and was abusive to his mother so it appears that his childhood was somewhat chaotic, and he went right from high school into the military. We could read from this his desire to maintain that form and structure through discipline and hard work, and in fact he has often said that these are values that he learned from his family.

Gonzales's Moon is in Aquarius, and it opposes his Leo planets. Where Leo is focused on the development of the ego, Aquarius seeks a more transpersonal expression for one's emotions. The Aquarian moon confers a detached and idealistic emotional nature and one lacks empathy and compassion. In fact, other than Saturn in Scorpio which shows a fear of intense emotions and of rejection which can lead one to avoid emotional situations, there is no water in this chart. This is a man who is not comfortable with the more watery emotions - the loyalty that is the hallmark of the Leo stellium has more to do with an exchange of attention in order to feed the ego than true emotion and affection.

All of these Leo planets have been hit hard by the transits of Saturn and Chiron over the past eighteen months. The influence of transiting Saturn is behind him, but Chiron just began its pass over Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and his Sun as well as a square to Saturn, and it will make a station on his Mars in June before retrograding back over all of these planets. Chiron transits can be painful times if we avoid the emotional pain that is likely to arise as Chiron opens up old wounds that we thought were healed long ago. Depending on what time he was born, transiting Saturn is also opposing his Moon and creating emotional crisis for him.

This can be a painful time, but it can also be a time of great self-understanding and personal growth. It will be next January-February before Gonzales is through this intense period, but throughout this cycle his progressed Sun will be in trine to Chiron in his chart, showing that he is open now (Sun) to emotional growth and change (Chiron). Gonzales is fond of saying that the most important thing in his life is not the power of his position but the love of his family. During this next year he will need all of the emotional support that he can get.

Labels: Political figures

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:57 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- The Jupiter influence: A look ahead at 2007

Mandala Art by Kim Aronson

Jupiter and Saturn have been moving into a trine in the fire element over the past couple of weeks, and this aspect will be exact tomorrow (March 16th). Jupiter is slowing down now and making a "station" as it prepares to turn retrograde in early April. Saturn's motion has also slowed down as it prepares to turn direct in late April, and meanwhile the two planets will be within a degree of aspect until the second phase of the trine on May 6. The Jupiter/Saturn trine cycle will end next January in 2008, but by then both Jupiter and Saturn will have moved into the earth element which will alter the effect of the relationship between them.

Trines are not often very noticeable because they are easy and comfortable and we tend not to notice our lives until we are presented with difficulty. The energy between the planets flows easily and provides opportunity for the expression of each planet to be enhanced by the other. Jupiter is expansive and optimistic where Saturn is disciplined and works hard to achieve its goals, so the two combined are a very beneficial force for manifesting wonderful changes in our lives.

Saturn is an earthy planet and Jupiter a fiery one, and while they are trine in fire it is Jupiter which is the teacher, bestowing on Saturn the more Jupiterian qualities of inspiration, vision, and optimism which enables Saturn's discipline and "nose to the grindstone" mentality to find a more expansive expression. When Jupiter and Saturn move into earth signs (Saturn into Virgo in October and Jupiter into Capricorn in December) , Saturn will become the teacher and add a dose of practicality and planning to Jupiter's sometimes overblown confidence and tendency to take life a little too easily.

Dovetailing with this trine is a square of Jupiter to Uranus, the first cycle of which we saw back in January. 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. We will see this square return in May and then again in October and it will be interesting to see how the trine of Saturn to Jupiter calms the wild rebellion of Jupiter square to Uranus when they coincide in May.

All of this Jupiter energy offers opportunities and an expanded sense of possibilities; however, it can create conflict as different ideologies jockey for position. With Jupiter we can be extremely lucky but let's keep the Saturnian practicality and discipline so that we can take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us now.

Labels: Jupiter, Jupiter/Saturn

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:36 AM :: |

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Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Astrodynamics will not harm your computer!

For some reason, Google has decided that my regular website, astrodynamics.net, may be harmful to your computer. I'm a big Googler, but I first noticed this "feature" a few days ago when I was trying to get into Richard Jeni's website to see why he killed himself. (Unfortunately, there's no definitive birthdate for him so I wasn't able to do a profile.)

Anyway, for some reason Google has decided that my site has "malware" which it defines as software that my site will install on your computer without your permission. I have no idea why Google has targeted my site, as I have no executable files or any kind of software, or even links to bad sites.

If anyone is knowledgeable about this and would be willing to take a look at my files and see what could be causing the problem, I would be deeply grateful! I have applied for a review, but who knows how long that will take. Meanwhile I wanted to assure you that you can browse my site with confidence and peace of mind.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 4:40 PM :: |

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

The Ides of March

The ides of each month were days in the approximate middle of the month - in March, May, July and October the ides fell on the 15th, and in other months the ides were the 13th. Until the solar calendar was adopted by Julius Caesar, the roman calendar was lunar based and the ides of the month corresponded to the full moons.

The Full Moon and the Ides of the month were dedicated to Jupiter in his role as Lucetius, the Supreme Lightbringer, and the Ides have only come down to us as a warning because of the famous warning in Shakespeare's play advising Julius Caesar to "beware the Ides of March." So this March 15, let us honor Jupiter: bringer of good fortune, abundance, an awareness of possiiblities and an understanding of truth.

Labels: holidays

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 10:32 AM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Privacy and the ethics of blogging

As an astrological counselor, I am a strong believer in the privacy of the clients who come to me for a consultation. I will never mention in casual conversation that so-and-so came to me for a reading, nor do I discuss the contents of their charts with others. So I was mortified to learn that a certain planetary combination recently discussed in this column was recognized by that client's astrologer friends.

There is so much that we can learn about astrology through the charts of others; yet in an environment like the web which is so public extra care must be taken to maintain the privacy of individuals. I had not realized that the web of readers of this column was so intimate and so knowledgeable that they would recognize an individual through a few words about a planetary aspect.

So be assured, dear readers and clients, that from this point forth I shall not post a single word about the charts of individuals whom I know personally without first obtaining their express permission. As much as I value the ability to teach astrology through these examples, I value your privacy more and will continue to make that a priority.

Labels: blogosphere

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:13 AM :: |

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Monday, March 12, 2007

Happy Birthday Uranus!

It was on March 13, 1781 that the patron planet of astrology was discovered by William Herschel. Although Uranus had been seen several times before by various astronomers, it had been perceived as a fixed star rather than a planet, and Herschel originally cited it as a comet. Uranus had to endure the unfortunate name "Herschel" until it was renamed Uranus in the period between 1791 and 1821.

Uranus is the only one of the planets to be named after a Greek god rather than a Roman one, and in fact there is no Roman counterpart to the god Uranus who is the sky god and represented the heavens themselves. This singularity of identity is reflected in the quality of the astrological Uranus to define our individuality and unique attributes.

Uranus was the father of Gaia's many horrific children, including the Titans and the Cyclops as well as beings with fifty heads and a hundred arms. His disgust for these monsters mirrors the quality of Uranus to show where we seek perfection and where we are disgusted by that which is less than ideal.

As the god of the heavens, Uranus brings us information from beyond in ways that we cannot explain. Like sudden changes of weather that take place in the sky, Uranus brings sudden change and the awakening to new ways of thinking about things.

The excellent Skyscript site has the discovery chart with these comments:

Although Herschel had not initially realised the significance of his sighting, the chart is clearly meaningful. Its most striking feature is the T-square involving Uranus opposite Mars and Saturn, squared by the Sun. One may say that the Sun brought the new planet to light, and Saturn brought it down to earth. The Uranus-Saturn cycle is associated with the natural sciences and Herschel had been born at a previous opposition. There does seem to be something inhuman about this T-square; the fact that the Moon, Venus, and Mercury are all unaspected makes it worse. The chart can be read as the nativity for the age of scientism: intellect (Uranus in Gemini) without feelings (Moon and Venus) or reason (Mercury), compounded with arrogance (Saturn-Mars-Uranus).

The discovery of Uranus coincided with three major revolutions: the American revolution in the late 1770s, the Industrial revolution in the 1780s, and the French revolution beginning in the 1790s. All of these events dealt with the radical change of the status quo and an equalization of social status, both hallmarks of the Uranian experience.

Uranus always brings surprise and an acceleration of understanding, often in ways we don't understand and cannot anticipate.

Labels: Uranus

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:17 PM :: |

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Sunday, March 11, 2007

The Interface of Science and Spirit

Image from Mima Gallery, click to enlarge.

Phil Brown and I must have been having an astral conference, because the other day while I was browsing through articles discussing the relationship between spirituality and science, Phil was writing an excellent article on the subject, quoting an article in the NY Times Magazine:

Which is the better biological explanation for a belief in God — evolutionary adaptation or neurological accident? Is there something about the cognitive functioning of humans that makes us receptive to belief in a supernatural deity? And if scientists are able to explain God, what then? Is explaining religion the same thing as explaining it away? Are the nonbelievers right, and is religion at its core an empty undertaking, a misdirection, a vestigial artifact of a primitive mind? Or are the believers right, and does the fact that we have the mental capacities for discerning God suggest that it was God who put them there?

Although I have sworn a vow to myself to refrain from making frivolous astrological connections, it does appear that the heated arguments over astrology and religion that have been circulating the net lately seem to coincide with the opposition between Saturn (realism) and Neptune (transcendentalism). Perhaps it is the ever-increasing number of astrology and other consciousness-oriented blogs (Uranus-technology in Pisces-mysticism in mutual reception with Neptune-spirituality in Aquarius-innovation) which makes these fields a growing target for skeptics.

Phil mentions the new best-seller The God Delusion by biologist Richard Dawkins, who puts religion to the test of scientific scrutiny. This book was first published in September as Saturn and Neptune were first in oppositional alignment. Under Pluto in Sagittarius (since 1995) there has been an increasing willingness to take apart the foundations of religion and the theological framework (Jupiter/Sagittarius) that form the basis of the world's religions. Neptune/Pisces has more to do with an individual experience of the divine and connectivity to the cosmos, as opposed to Jupiter/Sagittarius which is more concerned with the theology of ideas and a shared understanding of truth.

Neptune is also associated with delusion, and it is certainly a positive step to lift the veil of illusion from our ability to see clearly the process of our experience. Perhaps this is where the opposition of Saturn to Neptune can have it's greatest effect. With all oppositions there is a tendency to swing from one extreme (Saturn) to the other (Neptune), when ideally we find balance between the two, maintaining a reverence for the mystery of life (Neptune) while keeping our eyes open to the truth (Saturn). Deepak Chopra, a medical doctor and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics, does just this in a four-part article that debates Dawkins' claims. Some excerpts:

A materialist could conceivably analyze the brain functions of a Mozart or Beethoven down to the last synaptic firing, but that would tell us nothing about why music exists, why it is beautiful, where great symphonies come from, why inspiration uplifts the listener, or in fact any relevant thing about the meaning of music. The world in general has meaning, deep meaning at times. This cannot be dismissed as a delusion, an artifact of chemicals. The same analogy comes to mind whenever one hears that brain research will eventually explain all human thought and behavior. If a scientist could map every molecule in a radio as it was playing the Beethoven Fifth, there would be a complete diagram of the symphony at the level of matter. But the radio isn't Beethoven. It isn't his mind, and a diagram of Beethoven's brain, which would also be at the level of matter, is equally futile to explain what his mind was like except in the crudest terms.
. . .
The second worldview [that the universe contains design] can be called religious, but it's a trap to say that only a Christian God explains intelligence in the universe. There is room for a new paradigm that preserves all the achievements of science--as upheld by the first worldview--while giving the universe meaning and significance. Dawkins shows no interest in uniting these two perspectives ([Dawkins]disdains the whole notion of a religious scientist), but many of his colleagues do.
. . .
random chance is one of the worst ways to explain how the universe evolved. Here are a few reasons why:

--The various constants in nature, such as gravity and the speed of light, are too precisely fitted with each other for this to happen by chance.
--If any one of six constants had been off by less than a millionth of 1 percent, the material universe couldn't exist.
--Events at opposite ends of the universe are paired with each other, so that a change in the spin of one electron immediately produces a twin effect in another electron. This ability to communicate instantly across millions of light years cannot be explained by materialism. It defies all notions of cause and effect. It defies chance.
--Every electron in the universe exists as a wave function that is everywhere at once. When this wave function collapses, we observe a specific isolated electron. Before the wave collapses, however, matter is non-local.

An interesting debate and one that is likely to continue for quite some time.

Labels: Saturn/Neptune

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 9:00 AM :: |

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Saturday, March 10, 2007

Afflicted planets and the words of Jesus

Thanks to Ursi for the link to Francene Hart's beautiful artwork. This is "Tornado Woman."

I've been reading up on some of the early gnostic gospels that I haven't read for a while, and this passage from the Gospel of Thomas struck me:

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not bring it forth, what you do not have within you will kill you." v. 70

The term "afflicted planets" is a classical and vedic astrological term that refers to personal planets that are weakened by aspects to "malefic" planets. This is considered "bad" in the more traditional modes of astrological thinking, but in transformational astrology the "bad" aspects are often the most powerful agents for change and evolution.

Our birthcharts are our fate, but every day we make choices that determine our destiny. The woman with this powerful planetary combination has become a powerful individual who learns from every action that she takes and uses the knowledge gained to become more empowered on a deep and personal level. She confronts her fears (Sun/Chiron) and consciously strives to express her power (Saturn/Mars/Pluto) in a positive way.

The words of Jesus as quoted above are a powerful reminder that we must bring forth all that is within us in order to utilize these powers for our highest good. If they are left to fester in the unconscious they can become powers for destruction instead. The most difficult planetary aspects contain within them the seeds to personal empowerment if we make the choice to seek the road of personal growth and evolution. As Shakespeare said, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves."

Labels: Fate, religion

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:22 AM :: |

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Friday, March 09, 2007

The power of fire and air and other planetary news

Robert Wilkinson points out that since Mars left Capricorn at the end of February we have been in a period where all planets are in fire and air signs, except for airy Uranus which is drying out the sign of Pisces, and the Sun in Pisces . The combination of fire and air is combustible and full of inspiration - this is a dynamic where great ideas and visions take shape and we are full of energy. Fire is somewhat self-centered and air is rather remote on a personal level, so this is not a time that lends itself naturally to periods of personal intimacy.

The Virgo Eclipse that we just experienced provided a fair amount of grounding, but now we are moving into a period with four planets in Aquarius including a conjunction of Mars to Chiron that is likely to provide some disruption (Mars) to sensitive places within us (Chiron). Aquarius doesn't process emotions easily, and Mars would just as soon get over them as deal with them, and with Venus in self-oriented Aries the next week or so leading up to the New Moon Eclipse in Pisces is not the best time for dealing with our interpersonal relations. This is a time of ideas - of invention and innovation.

Venus leaves fiery Aries for the serenity of pleasure-seeking Taurus on the 18th just in time for the Pisces Eclipse which will begin to bring some greater balance. When our relationships (Venus) become stabilized (Taurus), it tends to ground the rest of our lives as well. Taurus tends to put us back in our bodies where we belong, and will make it easier for us to connect with others (Venus) in order to manifest our visions of the fire and air period into reality.

Labels: Eclipse, Fire element

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:43 AM :: |

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

In honor of International Women's Day

I know many of my readers are women, so I wanted to celebrate today by encouraging you to check out Women for Women International. This is a wonderful way to support women all over the world by sponsoring a woman in a country that is suffering from war and poverty. For $28/month you can help a survivor of war to develop a new business and help to feed her family as well as offer her emotional support to become more fully empowered.

For the past three years I have sponsored four women, two in Rwanda and two in Afghanistan. Each year they graduate from the program and I meet four new ladies. We exchange letters and photos and I am able to learn a little more about their culture. It has really been a rewarding program and I hope that some of you will join. Women are the bedrock of society, and by helping to lift the circumstances of the women, the whole world can begin to change.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 4:03 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Saturn/Neptune loves a good conspiracy

With my Mercury in Scorpio and Pluto in the third house, I am always looking under the surface to see what's really going on, looking for connections and information (Mercury/third house) that might be hidden or obscured by powerful authorities (Pluto/Scorpio). Until September 11 the Kennedy Assassination was the primary focus of my quest into conspiracy, but since that fateful day in 2001 a whole host of other mysteries have captured my interest, as my regular readers know.

Under the influence of the Saturn/Neptune cycle, that which has deceived or confused us (Neptune) is forced into physical reality (Saturn) or exposed, and the Saturn/Neptune opposition has brought back conspiracy questions about what really happened September 11. It is not surprising that at the five-year anniversary of September 11 in 2006, during the first phase of the current opposition cycle, the 911 Scholars for Truth publicized their organization and the film Loose Change became the first conspiracy film on the event to hit the mainstream press.

Now, during the second phase of the opposition, we have news that both Aaron Brown of CNN and Jane Standley of BBC announced that building WTC-7 fell BEFORE it actually did fall. In both cases footage of the event shown simultaneous to the broadcast demonstrates that WTC-7 was still standing. Yet nowhere has this information been covered in the mainstream press. BBC has published a response, claiming that there was an error in the control room. An error that predicted the future? That is hard to believe.

The unexplained collapse of building 7 in the World Trade Center complex is one of the biggest mysteries of the September 11 event. The building wasn't hit, and physics expert Steven Jones of Brigham Young University famously lost his job for speaking out on the point that fire alone cannot destroy a steel skyscraper. And when the building ultimately collapsed, the pile of rubble lay completely within the footprint of the building, something physicists have concluded can only be accomplished through a controlled demolition.

As an astrologer the timing of this revelation is fascinating, occurring on February 26 within two days of the exact opposition point. The final phase of ths opposition cycle concludes in June of this year, and I will be watching carefully for further revelations.

Labels: conspiracy, Saturn/Neptune

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:10 AM :: |

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Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Ann Coulter redux

The National Ledger has reprinted my article from last fall and updated it for her latest outrage. I found her to be a particularly interesting profile. Perhaps you will too! Check it out.

Labels: Political figures

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:31 AM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Jesus: A family man?

I finally watched the documentary produced by Titanic director James Cameron connecting ossuaries found in a tomb in Talpiot Israel to the family of Jesus of Nazareth. I confess to having a predisposition to believe the story because it aligns nicely with my own thinking and with what I have expected from Pluto's final travel through Sagittarius before entering Capricorn next year. Pluto creates chaos and upheaval in whatever sign it moves through, and since 1995 when it entered Sagittarius we have seen this kind of chaos in religion (including an amplification of religious wars) , travel (including attack (Pluto) with planes (Sag) areas of life that are ruled by Sagittarius.

Pluto also reveals secrets, and one of the biggest mysteries in our world today concerns what actually happened in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Scriptures have been retranslated and edited over the last 2000 years in order to fit the theological fashion of the day, and the actual history has been erased forever.

Long before the DaVinci code, my reading had convinced me that Jesus and Mary of Magdala would have had to be married. Jesus was a nice Jewish boy and a rabbi, and as a Jewish boy with a Jewish mother he would have been under enormous pressure to be married. The whole concept of celibacy among priests did not become a rule until the early fourth century CE; previous to that time the first pope, St. Peter, is known to have been a married man and subsequent popes and bishops were married, many with children. This became a problem as the early church began amassing property since children become heirs and inherited the priestly property. It was only after the early fourth century that church writers began to expound on the horrors of women and their sexuality.

There is no evidence of any celibate Jewish priests during the time of Jesus. Christian writers like to quote Jesus's words as indicating a preference for celibacy when he said, "there are those who have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." But earlier translations reveal this quote to actually be "some have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19.12 This is a good example that shows how retranslating the bible has twisted all of the original meaning out of the story in order. The eunuch statement follows a strict teaching about the sanctity of marriage and equates divorce to adultery, after which the followers of Jesus say "then it is better never to marry." Jesus then makes the statement that some are born eunuchs and some become eunuchs by their own hand.

At the time that Jesus was teaching, the goddess cult of Cybele encouraged and may have required their priests, called galloi, to castrate themselves in order to appear more feminine. It seems likely that rather than espousing celibacy for his followers, Jesus is saying that only for those who are born eunuchs or impose this condition on themselves is celibacy an option.

Which brings me back to the Lost Tomb of Jesus and the criticism that has erupted since its announcement of the film last week. I have been listening carefully for a solid argument against the premise of the film, but so far it appears the main objections of the scientists and archaeologists interviewed are that there has not been enough research or criticizing the techniques of the filmmakers. The overwhelming critical response is not surprising: there are more Christians (33% of the world population) than any other religion, and Christianity is based on the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Yet the arguments against the idea that Jesus had a family are typically like this one: "Jacobovici and Cameron would apparently have us to ignore all the well-rehearsed arguments against a case like theirs. If Jesus was married, Paul would have said so in 1 Corinthians 9:5."

One of the more interesting points of the film was the likelihood that Mary of Magdala may have become a respected priestess of Jesus's teachings after his death, a concept that rehabilitates Mary's reputation from the whore of the bible to a woman with spiritual power. Long before the DaVinci Code the Nag Hammadi scrolls included a Gospel of Mary, indicating that she was in fact one of the apostles with her own story to tell. If this is true, it is a major turnabout in the entire Christian epic that forces a question of the story as a whole.

Before anyone accuses me of being anti-Christian, I am a big fan of the teachings of Jesus. It is the religion that developed after his death, that enslaved and murdered millions of people over 2000 years, that I question. I am an equal opportunity critic of any religion that sets itself up to be The One for the sake of accumulating power in the world.

Labels: religion

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:41 AM :: |

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Monday, March 05, 2007

Britney Spears and the Meltdown of Rage

When I started doing celebrity profiles I was determined never to profile Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. Unfortunately, Britney Spears' recent meltdown has caused me to renege on this pledge.

click chart to enlargeBritney Spears' career began when she was eleven years old. With four planets in Sagittarius including a conjunction of Uranus, Mercury and the Sun, she has a strong adventurous streak and a determinedly optimistic (Sag) view of the world (Mercury/Sun). The addition of Uranus (planet of rebellion and radical change) shows that she is an independent thinker (Uranus/Mercury) and determined to follow her own path (Uranus/Sun). Sagittarians are typically optimistic and forward-looking - they can be inspirational and create an overwhelmingly positive impression. There is no doubt of the effect that Britney Spears has had on a generation of young girls. The danger in the often relentless optimism of the Sagittarian personality comes when their refusal to confront their own negative feelings or issues forces them to confront these issues in their outer life.

Britney's Moon is in Aquarius, an air sign of the intellect, so her emotions (Moon) are filtered through the rationality of the mind (Aquarius). Aquarian Moons are often brilliant individuals with a strong need for freedom and autonomy, and they are typically uncomfortable in the emotional realm which is difficult to reconcile with the rational world of ideas in which they live. Her Moon is in the fifth house of creative self-expression, suggesting a need to be on the stage and a love of children.

Britney has Libra rising, which indicates her need for peace and harmony (Libra) and living in partnership with others. Those with Libra rising are often exceptionally attractive individuals, but especially when young it can be difficult for them to find their own individuality because they are constantly looking to see how they are affecting and being affected by others. Libra is the mirror, and when the mirror disappears the Self may seem to disappear as well.

There is a lot of air and fire in Britney's chart showing that she is most comfortable in the worlds of ideas (air) and action (fire) rather than emotion (water). The only water in her chart is a singleton, or unaspected, Jupiter in Scorpio. Jupiter shows where our greatest gifts lie and describes where we find meaning in life and an experience of Truth. In Scorpio we go into the emotional depths and find both the beautiful and the ugly - there is no superficiality here. The emotions are strong and powerful and take us into deep places within us. The fact that Jupiter is unaspected, and in the second house of money and personal possession, has bestowed success and wealth on Britney but it also gives her a very deep streak of emotional intensity that the rest of her chart can't support.

The Sagittarian personality, particularly combined with the rebellious autonomy of the Uranian/ Aquarian traits (Uranus conjunct Sun/Mercury and Moon in Aquarius) has a dislike and in fact almost a fear of those emotional depths in which Scorpio finds its home, and I suspect that she has run from these emotional depths her entire life. With Venus (relating to others) conjunct Pluto (Scorpio's ruler and lord of death and rebirth), her relationships are the doors that unlock the dark intensity within her. Britney's chart shows Saturn (self-doubt) in challenging aspect to Venus as well, showing a fundamental lack of self-worth and confidence in her attractiveness and that anyone can really love her.

Mars shows how well we defend our boundaries and how we assert our needs, and for Britney Mars is in the twelfth house of karma and the unconscious, and it is in difficult aspect to Neptune which rules the twelfth house. This is a "double whammy" tying the Mars principle to Neptune's confusion and potential for illusion and a fantasy world. Her Mars is in the analytical and perfectionistic sign of Virgo, which often needs for everything to be done perfectly. This can put a lot of pressure on an individual, and in the twelfth house where it tends to be invisible and difficult to access it can be very difficult for this individual to even know what she wants much less how to get it. The square from Neptune exacerbates this confusion and can drive her to sacrifice herself (Neptune) to the drives of others (Mars).

Over the past couple of years, transiting Pluto has been squaring Mars in Britney's chart and setting off these issues for her. Pluto transits always bring an intensity of experience, and Britney's need to stay relentlessly optimistic has likely caused her to force this intensity to the underground of her psyche, where it has remained until recently. Britney's progressed Sun is exactly square to her progressed Mars this year, and the anger and rage that typically remains unconscious with Mars in her twelfth house is likely bubbling to the surface, but she has not developed positive outlets for the expression of the darker aspects of her psyche. At the same time, transiting Uranus has been passing through a series of difficult aspects to the Uranus/Mercury/Sun conjunction in her chart which completed last summer but left her rather disassociated from the life that she knew.

This cocktail of rage and disassociation is likely what is causing Britney's tragic descent into darkness and bizarre behavior that culminated yesterday with her suicide attempt and her screaming "I'm a fake, I'm a fake." In a desperate attempt to cling to some security, she is evidently attempting a reconciliation with her husband Kevin Federline. Transiting Mars is approaching a conjunction to Britney's Moon in a week or so, and this is likely to increase the intensity of her confusion and accelerate her internal rage. At the same time transiting Saturn is challenging Chiron in her chart, forcing her to confront (Saturn) her inner wounds (Chiron) so that they can be healed. This cycle will last throughout March and then return for another pass in May.

In an ideal world, Britney would take this time to get back on her own feet and begin to understand who she is as an individual and what she really feels and wants. Unfortunately, it looks like this won't happen overnight.

Labels: Anger, Celebrities

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

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Sunday, March 04, 2007

Grand Fire Trines and the Venus Kite

I confess, I don't usually pay much attention to trines. Trines (120 degrees) are comfortable, they flow easily, they create harmonious situations in which things work well. Typically, in my experience, people don't tend to notice these events. I always compare this to a comfortable temperature in a room. People may say "it's hot in here!" or "it's cold!" I have never heard anyone say "the temperature is really comfortable." Grand Trines are particularly well-known for creating a complacency that can rob us of our energy, although this is less evident in the fire trines.

Nonetheless, the series of Grand Trines in Fire this month is getting a lot of buzz, and the initial phase is actually a Kite formation (click chart to enlarge) incorporating the Saturn/Neptune opposition which gives it a little more punch than it would otherwise have. Expansive Jupiter is nearing an exact trine to Saturn now which adds confidence and optimism to Saturn's rather relentless restrictions, and this eases the pressure of Saturn on Neptune. The Jupiter/Saturn trine is a major planetary event that will hit no less than five times over the next two years! I'll write more on this later, but the first exact connection between these two planets is March 16.

Lovely Venus is moving into formation to trine first Jupiter and then Saturn, creating a positive flow of open sharing and responsibility to others. The Kite formation is formed by the sextile of both Venus and Jupiter to Neptune which then opposes Saturn. Saturn in this case is the apex planet and the stabilizing force, adding the element of discipline and responsibility to the tremendous creativity that results from the combination of Jupiter's expansiveness, Venus's love of beauty and harmony, and Neptune's desire for spiritual communion.

Because Venus moves quickly, the effects of this Kite will only last for a few days or so, perhaps a week. But for those of us who have been having difficulty stabilizing ourselves due to the Saturn/Neptune opposition and its associated confusion, this could be a lovely time for creative solutions.

Labels: Fire element

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:15 AM :: |

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Saturday, March 03, 2007

Watch the lunar eclipse tonight!!

The lunar eclipse occurs tonight as the Moon is rising, and will be particularly visible for those in Europe, western Africa and the eastern parts of the US and Canada. For those of you in the western US, the Moon will be eclipsed as it rises above the horizon.

For those of us who can see the eclipse it will be quite a show, unless obscured by cloud cover. Light from the Sun refracted through the Earth's atmosphere will turn the moon shades of amber and crimson. The eclipse is scheduled to occur at 5:44 pm est, just before the astrological Full Moon.

Eclipses have long been reputed to bring periods of crisis and calamity, and while very few people consciously embrace crisis as a lifestyle, there is benefit to a crisis point that brings about change. In an eclipse we are symbolically blinded as both luminaries become darkened by the earth's shadow, and in that blindness we find ourselves reaching for the light that shines within us. This is an opportunity to seek that which is real, and learn to let go of our dependence on that which is false.

In transformational astrology, hidden in every crisis is an opportunity for growth and transformation. With faith and attention to truth, each difficult situation becomes an alchemical laboratory in which the base metal of our life is transmuted into the gold of conscious awareness.

Labels: Eclipse

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:30 AM :: |

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Friday, March 02, 2007

Astrology and Pseudoscience

I've been thinking about the classification of astrology as a "pseudoscience" ever since the now well-known study appeared that indicated an "unsettling growth" in the belief in pseudoscience such as astrology and visits by extraterrestrial aliens.

In the first place, the lumping together of astrology with extraterrestrial alien visits is puzzling, but this is likely the result of the media and most scientists believing that sun sign "horoscopes" are astrology, and then horoscopes and alien visits become fodder for tabloid journalism.

Richard Tarnas in his excellent book Cosmos and Psyche writes that as human intelligence has become more scientific there has been a loss of a sense of connection with the natural world; a loss of a sense that the universe is magic and soulful. (For a fascinating philosophical discussion of this book and its implications see this debate on an Amazon discussion board.) As we astrologers know, everyone is wired differently; some of us have strong Neptune/Pisces influences that impel us to seek out experiences beyond the realms of "reality." Some have strong Uranus/Aquarius influences that require a logical basis for their belief system.

From Wikipedia:

Popper considered astrology to be pseudoscientific simply because astrologers keep their claims so vague that they could never be refuted, whereas Thagard considers astrology pseudoscientific because its practitioners make little effort to develop the theory, show no concern for attempts to critically evaluate the theory in relation to others, and are selective in considering evidence.

I confess to being one of these practitioners that shows no concern for critically evaluating whether astrology works or to prove it to others. For me and most other practitioners the question is this: Does it help me? Can it help people to better understand themselves so that they can break free of patterns that limit their ability to enjoy a meaningful life? I am not one who must know the reason why something works in order to accept that it does if I see irrefutable evidence of its efficacy. Yet I consider myself to be rather a skeptic on many other things, such as the ability to predict the future, to channel Mother Mary or some other dead entity, or that during the Rapture only Christians will be saved.

The question we must ask ourselves is whether we need to classify astrology as a science at all. The tropical system used in astrology is not astronomically correct, and even our interpretations of the symbols evolves over time. The integration of the symbols in the birthchart into a meaningful whole is more of an art than a science and indeed, there is a bit of magic to the whole process as there is to all of life. Scientists and skeptics assume that we know all there is to know about our existence, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Update: After writing this I found Dharma's post from yesterday which includes this gem:

Reality is much bigger and deeper and more mysterious than the 3-D box we need to function through to make everyday life possible; a 3-D Box that the orthodox religion of our time, Science, declares to be the only reality. This wider reality is not directly perceptible through the 5 senses, but through feeling/intuition. It is a faculty that naturally grows through time, through the experience that somehow we are being helped, protected and looked after. And that if we reach out to this wider reality, if we live it, in turn it will reach back to us and help our lives unfold in exactly the way they need to.

Our side of the bargain is Saturn: there are things we need to take care of. God’s side of the bargain is Neptune: there are things he takes care of. (I don’t believe in God, it’s just a way of putting it). Saturn-Neptune is about the dance between these two, knowing when it is time to act, and when it is time to get out of the way, so that our limited understanding doesn’t get in the way of the deeper patterning of life. And this deeper patterning is a positive power, it’s tangible, and it runs through everything.

Labels: Science, skepticism

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:01 AM :: |

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