July 1st --tomorrow-- Uranus stations direct. I'm posting this today 'coz I'm feeling it today.
Uranus experiences can feel like a quad shot of espresso. Today it feels like a quad shot of espresso downed on the slow ramp-up of an ancient wooden roller-coaster. You know, one of those rickity monster mamas that leave you seriously wondering if the whole thing is going to hold up. The anticipation is enough to make you high. And yet -- you take your shot. Wheeeee!!!
OR. It's the spanner in the works. Definitely. Watch out for falling wrenches. Or the thing you totally didn't expect. Eureka in the laboratory --the formula found! Or bam! Ain't gonna go along The Plan (whatever it is) no mo. Moments of definite individuation from the norm (whatever that is). The gears just ain't pulling along in the same direction as the day before.
Uranus began it's stationing event over the weekend, so you likely had something pop up unexpectedly already. (I'll post my weird and sweet examples here tomorrow, just fer example...) And take note of your discover/inspiration/surprise. Most likely it's something you'll encounter (or have encountered) as a personal theme this coming fall and spring.
This should already feel somewhat familiar. It's repeating a pattern we've been experiencing since last fall. If you're following the astrology, this is the ramp up to the THIRD of FIVE Uranus-Saturn oppositions that began back on Election Day, November 4th, 2008.
Yes, the very day we elected our first black, multi-culti president. Turns out he's practically the embodiment of this oppositional theme: the guy we thought (or feared) was gonna start a revolution (Uranus), turned out to be Professor Snape (Saturn) glowering over a house full of recalcitrant and very naughty 7th Form CEOs. Not exactly the revolution many hoped for, but definitely not the same-old, same-old.
Broadly speaking, we're simply moving on with an historical series of shake-ups to the status quo in our culture --AND whatever the status quo is in your personal life. When I say "historical" I mean it. The last time the Saturn/Uranus opposition cycle came through was the mid-60s.
Here are the dates for the recent past Saturn/Uranus oppositions:
November 4th, 2008 February 5th, 2008
Any individuating moments in there for you? Something you broke away from? A moment/opportunity found to become the specialist? The innovator? The advocate/rabblerouser? Or did you twitch in fear at the thought of your world in the hands of hot-headed adolescents masquerading as intellectuals? (Or both? hee hee...)
As a closeted non-conformist these past 15 years, I have to say these
oppositions have been very healthy for me. Definitely bringing me in
line with my own personhood.
And here are the future oppositions:
September 15th, 2009 April 26th, 2010 July 26th, 2010 ...and the not again until May 2, 2056. Dude.
For additional info on the Saturn/Uranus effect have a read here and here.
My current life is book-ended by Librans. Can't get away from them. My own Mars is in Libra; I prefer a diplomatic solution to fighting any day. So I understand this feeling very well.
A light touch, a delicate touch is all that's needed to steady the mood. Contact sports, the Libran way, are never heavy-handed or too obvious/direct. Maybe throw in some flowers, or a short and sweet note to a friend. Be sincere, gracious. Nothing too deep or heavy on the psyche says this moon sign. Mercury in Gemini is more than glad to keep it light for you, too.
Oh, there is a place for deep: Venus and Mars continues to work their way through Taurus, and there's nothing shallow about this event. These are very personal planets in the very, very personal sign of Taurus --the sign of self-worth. They are in the late degrees of the sign, so they continue to square Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius. (Much has been written about this significant conjunction, so I'll only link some basic thoughts from Planet Waves here.)
Square aspects defy shallow responses. So what I'm seeing here is some deep processing on the feeling/action level of where we stand in relation to our culture, our friends, our circle of clients/co-workers/facebook-linkedin associates. A continuation of what we've been experiencing for the last half of June --where do we honestly fit in? Honesty can only come from a deeply personal response to our feelings of comfort and desire. Are you hanging with the wrong people? Fighting the wrong fight?
Or, alternately, the square aspect could be reinforcing your commitment to a cause, a group, your peeps.
Remembering that Mars in Taurus can dig its heels in, don't expect much real activity to procede from your feelings until Mars ingresses Gemini mid-July. It's enough to do the depth effort and just process what you're experiencing right now.
But as both the Libra and Taurus connect today, allow your dear heart
to get tickeled. Libra and Taurus are both kin to Venus, so even if you're a Grand Master Curmudgeon (Third Order, Exalted), let Venus have her way with you a little. Play along and you never know what fascinating insights you might gain about beauty and attraction. You might even feel a softening to the edge of your cynical, rubbery old heart. If you find your cynacism a response to the current culture --an excess of "tweeting" fleeting human contacts (and I use that word loosely)-- you're invited to change that over the course of this summer.
For now, keep it loose on the surface. Enjoy the freedom of mental play today.
When Michael Jackson was doing his "gloved one" thing back in the late
80's, I was into the Talking Heads, ska, a little punk and no junk. Cheesy, flashy, sexless and
weird, MJ meant nothing to me. Blech. And that's pretty much the
opinion I've stuck with all these years. Okay, yeah I liked some of the
Jackson 5 stuff and I did have a copy of Off the Wall which I
rollerskated to (along with a Linda Ronstadt tape and Aerosmith's Toys
in the Attic --my first rock album purchase) in the late 70's early
80's during our family's California stint. Off the Wall was off the hook.
So yesterday's news was strange, but I didn't feel as if I'd lost someone special. I cried when Jim Henson died, okay?
Then Eric Francis over at Planet Waves mentioned the whole Jehovah's Witness connection and Jackson's 12th house Pisces Moon, and that DID
interest me. So I poked around a bit on the internet with that this
morning. And yes, I finally cried. The spiritual abuse connection.
I know a few people who are bonafide
victims of spiritual abuse. Probably because of where I live, most of
them come from the Word of Faith/Prosperity movement. This doesn't mean that they
simply grew up with odd churches who met on Saturday instead of Sunday
or abstained from all red meat or whatever and felt different because
of it. We all, in some way, feel different. Moreover, I get the power
of symbolic sacrament and ritual. We need object lessons all the time
as reminders of larger truths than our little daily grievances. I'm
completely aware of how self-absorbed I can be.
No, spiritual
abuse requires more than attention to ritual or sacrament. Spiritual
abuse needs an honest, devoted seeker of the divine encountering
obtuse, legalistic, and and heavy-handed authorities. A supple and
sensitive supplicant bowing at the feet of manipulative, rigid dogma.
And twist goes the mind.
Jackson's Pisces Moon would have been enough to suggest could be the victim of somebody's ungracious dogma, but as Eric points out, it's also in the 12th house--the home of transcendence, boundless space, world without end, amen. That's someone completely and totally attuned to another world. At best, a mystic who channels divinity as sure as she breathes air; at worst, a doped-up, checked-out lost soul.
I think Jackson was both.
People
who aren't seeking transcendence never get whacked the way a true
believer does. The concrete, sequential folk end up the task-masters,
most likely. Yes, I'm generalizing. But I do see the potential. I also
see the potential (which is likely more destructive) of the true
believer finally denying his/her truth and winding up a tool. Nobody
likes a rebel. Or rather, nobody rewards a rebel in a spirtually
manipulative regime. And if you can't see a way out of the
regime...then join it.
Here's a piece from an interview Jackson
gave to Awake! the Jehovah's Witness publication. Note how Jackson
defends himself and denies his creativity all at once. Or at least
tries to. It's like a visit before the House UnAmerican Activities
Committee. I find this sort of exchange very, very painful.
Awake! May 22, 1984 p. 19-20 "What About Music Videos? ***Would Never Do It Again!"
In
another popular video, Thriller, the performer is seen to transform
first into a "cat person," then a dancing "monster." Evidently not
wanting viewers to conclude that it promoted spiritism, the film begins
with the disclaimer: "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to
stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the
occult.-Michael Jackson." Nevertheless, it was so realistic that some
who saw it admitted that they were horrified at first. What was this
short film intended to convey? And how does the performer, Michael
Jackson, feel about it in looking back?
"I would
never do it again!" says Jackson. "I just intended to do a good, fun
short film, not to purposely bring to the screen something to scare
people or to do anything bad. I want to do what's right. I would never
do anything like that again." Why not? "Because a lot of people were
offended by it," explains Jackson. "That makes me feel bad. I don't
want them to feel that way. I realize now that it wasn't a good idea.
I'll never do a video like that again!" He continues: "In fact, I have
blocked further distribution of the film over which I have control,
including its release in some other countries. There's all kinds of
promotional stuff being proposed on Thriller. But I tell them, 'No, no,
no. I don't want to do anything on Thriller. No more Thriller.'"
And, from a book called The Magic and the Madness, about Jackson's conflict with church elders over the "Thriller" video:
"Despite
the fact that Michael was a devote Jehovah's Witness-and no doubt had
donated quite a bit of money to the religion-the church's elders were
extremely upset with him, mostly because of the "Thriller" video. p.324
"But
before he had even finished work on the "Thriller" video it brought to
a head the ongoing conflict between the church elders of the Encino
Kingdom Hall and Michael regarding his fame and his career....Im
meetings between Michael and the elders...he was not receptive....He
refused to make any kind of statement repudiating his work, and the
church insisted he should .....Finally, when the elders threatened to
force him to leave the religion Michael became extremely upset" p.326
This
obviously had a serious effect on the gloved one so he decided to
destroy the tapes. We're talking about a million dollars of work here.
It was brought out to Michael that the church elders should not dictate
Michael's "artistry." Michael's attention was brought to the fact that
Bella Lugosi was a very religious man yet he played out his artistry as
Dracula and Lugosi's religious beliefs had no bearing on his "art." So
it was suggested that Michael put a disclaimer at the beginning of the
video stating that the video in no way reflect Michael's religious
convictions. Michael agreed to this. John Landis, the director, didn't
want to do it but if he didn't agree then the whole thriller video was
going to be scrapped.
The book continues:
"How
ironic that Michael's benevolent spirit wasn't enough to satisfy the
elders of his Jehovah's Witness congregation. They expected him to
restrict his entertainment practices as well. At this time, Michael was
called into another meeting with the witness elders over the "Thriller"
video. Again they told him that they were considering excluding Michael
from the religion. Michael left the meeting particularly shaken. He did
not want to be disfellowshipped. He decided he would disown "Thriller"
if he had to....Furthermore Michael would make a public statement about
his sin in an issue of the Witness periodical, Awake! ( May 22, 1984 )
p.359
How does someone who is fundamentally
an artist, so fundamentally open to the experience of creativity --to
inspiration-- deny himself? What does that do to such a person?
He
has to opt for his spiritual home or his creative home. For any artist
raised in a religious home, this is profound and disturbing. He has to
bifurcate the two who should remain one. It's an unnatural split, but
the only choice if one can hope to retain a morsel of sanity if you're
still towing the "orthodox" line.
And what of God? Then who does
God become and what kind of custody arrangement works here? God on the
weekends with spirituality and a modified God back in the recording
studio during the week for creativity? Or do you only get to see God on
the weekends while the rest of the week is run by your
manager/agent/lawyers/private doctor, et al?
If you're
fundamentally attuned to the music of the spheres, aching always to
hear the heart of God, this is an untenable schism. Based on what I've
read of Jackson's religious interests, this was, in his own sad way,
what happened. Schism. Jackson "sold out" to the god of commerce; if heaven wouldn't have him, then he'd create his own Neverland right here.
The artist, the poet and the priest are kinfolk
who do not always understand what goes on in each other's homes, but
they ought to recognize the same blood runs each other's veins.
Not
much has been said about this as everyone mourns Jackson. But if you
grew up in a religious home, you know your religion was like an invisible third parent. Could have been a good parent, could have been a bad one, but that influence was indelible and pervasive, as much as your own flesh and blood parents'. That Jackson was later reported to have converted to Islam says much more about his need for this invisible third parent than anything about his eccentricity. When in Dubai, do as the Dubai do. If you're constantly seeking divinity, you'll take God wherever you can.
If you grew up in a church that carried on like the folks above --and
simultaneously attempted a career like his-- it's small wonder he became
what he did. If my theory is true, we should have started the mourning
20 years ago.
June 22: New Moon 1+ degree Cancer opposed Pluto at 2+ degrees Capricorn July 7th: Full Moon 15+ degrees Capricorn July 22: New Moon AND Total Solar Eclipse at 29+ degrees Cancer
Confession Time. That dark moon phase last weekend nearly killed me: so much crazy, cathartic, boo-hooey, angry, angsty feeling like an old tube of toothpaste with the last dollop crushed out of me. I am, in a very personal way, supremely glad for this New Moon. Feeling as if I've made some rite of passage.
Spent the next two days piddling around in my sewing space just trying to catch up with myself.
If you're a Cancer/Cancer rising or Capricorn/Cap rising, this one was for you. Look at the dates above. Note that the Full Moon and the New Moon/Solar Eclipse are also for you.
Do you feel special? Depends on how you define special. I'll definitely talk about the next two events sometime soon, but for now, let's chat about the New Moon.
Thinking about how I handled this weekend dark moon phase, I'm not proud of myself. Yes, I indulged in hours of self-pity. Yes, I was sulky. Yes, I was broody. No, I didn't want to speak with anyone. Yes, I wanted to eat the entire gallon of choc ice cream in the deep freeze. No, I didn't. I stopped at two cups instead.
I like to say that how you handle passages like this depends on your particular willingness to shift perspectives about yourself. Didn't say shifting was easy, though. I'm thoroughly willing to shift my life forward, but still --that Pluto opposition effect-- it's like bentonite clay pulling all the toxic trash out of your gut. It's hard to stay stuck in your head when you've got a good case of nausea --psychic, karmic, or otherwise.
A client of mine once said Pluto was a bastard. We were discussing a period when her career seemed to be taking off in one direction, but ultimately didn't. It was at that time she was having a Pluto transit to a career point. Pluto, she concluded, was a killjoy. That may be true if you can't see the function of transformation. More accurately, Pluto is a killer. Whatever's defunct or in need of renovation is Pluto's prey. Swipe. Done. Gone.
I didn't say it wasn't scary, this demoted planet who seems to coincide with fundamental changes in our lives. Sometimes shift demands loss. That is, absolutely, the hella-scariest part of change. Giving something --or some part of us--up.
Have to remember that giving up the old means making room for the new. There's only so much you can receive when your two hands are already full. Yeah, yeah. You've heard it before. But it's worth remembering in these times when so many of us feel as if we've sacrificing a whole lot of the old.
Still the Power-Clean-Sweep can feel so good. Pluto + New Moon = new beginnings. Pluto opposed New Moon and Sun = big new emotional and ego/identity beginnings wherever these degrees (above) appear in your chart. You see, sometimes Pluto brings up more than the dead. It brings things
once long dead back to life again. Old loves, old passions, old ideas
are new again. But different this time. And, with some effort born of
time and pain and wisdom gained, much, much better.
Back to the bigger picture-- Juggling? Remember? Please don't lose sight of this. It's the summer's theme. For those Sun sign/Rising sign Cancers and Capricorns (I'm in this mix), we're really at a turning point --and for the better, honestly. This demands more attention, but for now, think "I CAN do this." For Capricorns: less angry, less rage, less resentment, less self-deprication. more of your own agenda, your own needs, your own hidden genius. more of the people you really want in your life --because, even if you're not yet totally convinced of this, you really need 'em. For Cancers: fever exploitative and crap relationships. more reliable and healthy peeps around you. finding balance (and boundaries) in your relationships.
There are a few similarities for both signs (healthy relationships -- healthy balance of self v. significant others), but Caps --who have already been on a two year forced march of self-improvement-- must begin with themselves and then reach out for better, more authentic relationships, whereas Cancers need to focus on the circumstances of their relationships and then pull inward. Give a lot of thought about how the circumstances and close relationships they choose affects they way others perceive them.
If you're either sign, I expect you understand what I mean.
Everyone, though, will spend the rest of the summer juggling and mixing, synthesizing, and shifting the new themes of growth in their worlds. I keep this in mind, myself. Don't freak. Just tweak. (And no, I'm not recommending meth.)
Up here in the Northern Hemisphere, summer solstice is this Monday, June 21st. We also know it as mid-summer night's eve, when the sun never seems to set and the kiddies (small and big) all want to stay up late and play, play, play.
This will be an interesting solstice, if you want it to be. I'm thinking about what I want it to be --and the image I have has nothing to do with typing on my computer. Well, not entirely anyway.
What's on tap for everyone? Well, a lot but this solstice is but the beginning of a significant July for those folks willing to head in new directions. That's you? Okeee...Let's go!
First and most obviously, we've got the Sun in the first degree of Cancer, followed by a New Moon at 1+ Cancer, opposite Pluto at 2+ Capricorn. This is a major opposition, on the Cancer/Capricorn axis, capable of inviting a significant shift into our lives. Then there's the tres interesting Venus/Mars conjunction at 15+ Taurus. All this adding up to lots of home-brewed action (in whatever part of your life you consider "home"), connecting again with a lot of seemingly black/white dichotomies of pleasure and self-worth intersecting with fresh creative impulses.
First let's talk about the Cancer story: Cancer is the part of our lives where we honor home and roots and our most private selves. Maybe you felt you were reared by Don Corlione, but you were still reared by someone. This is a part of your family inheritance, and you carry it around with you, turtle-like, as your bit of protection. Even now, going "home" is still important to you, however you imagine home.
Here's something to play with -- this is the point of the year directly opposite the winter solstice and the week or so before Christmas. This is also the time to "bring home" and nurture the budding emergence of something that was planted back in December when Pluto ushered in the new 15 year era of Capricorniness.
Wherever Cancer and Capricorn operate in your life will get an adjustment this July. Expect themes around self-protection and deepest identity at play in the mix. Then recognize that your personal "home" needs will somehow meet with a larger agenda--expect shift. A new birth/rebirth.
Briefly, here's an ultra-simplistic run-down of where you'll see action, by Sun Sign. If you know your Ascendant (rising sign) read that, too and then pull the Sun/Ascendant together for a more accurate image of what's happening. (You can get your Ascendant --and a whole lot of other information-- for free here. Look under "free horoscopes".)
Aries--your house. your roots. yer ma. v. your job, your public image.
Taurus--your thought life, i.e. getting the words out. details vs. a long-range and/or long distance vision/adventure
Gemini--your resources/money and the "right" way to use them.
Cancer--your self-image balanced against what a relationships really require.
Leo--your subconscious/intuitive/spiritual/blind spot vs. the pile of work in front of you
Virgo--your friends/folks you hang with/co-workers/humanitarian aspirations and how to assert your own creative/artistic ambitions
Libra--your public image. yer job vs. the home (and home of origin) renovation you began
Scorpio--old goals and horizons vs. big shifts at work --and possibly in your mouth.
Saggittarius--your sex life. death and/or rebirth of something and a revised sense of worth/self-worth
Capricorn--mano a mano partnerships (business, BFFs, and romantic) vs. the whole new you
Aquarius--the way you work and why you work
Pisces--your children and other creative projects what will build the new society
The second interesting development this solstice is the Venus/Mars conjunction in Taurus. It's exact. The third is the Uranus/astroid Juno conjunction. I'll address that in a different post, but for now...Venus and Mars.
An exact Venus/Mars conjunction is the central female/male, anima/animus, feel it/do it, beauty/motion, pleasure/intention set up. In Taurus, this is about resources and begins with your body (intrinsic resources), working outward toward things (extrinsic resources). "I have" is the key phrase for Taurus. This is a lot about personal security.
From a developmental point of view, we can look at your second house (which is "ruled" by Taurus) and get ideas about what sort of hugs and kisses you did/did not get in your earliest years. This is the security/ownership/values house. Knowing what's in your second house (and in your Taurus area) helps you identify true vs. false security needs.
The developmental psychologist, Maslow, once defined a human's most basic needs as food/water, shelter, warmth, sex, homeostasis (periods of rest), and sleep. Note how many of these primal needs are directly related to the body. Note also how our earliest emotional experiences come in infancy with the basic need to feed our hunger and warm our bodies. (Ever snuggled a warm bundled baby who's just been fed and burped? Mmm...right?) The two are absolutely connected.
As we grow older, our needs become more complex. Maybe we hunger for abstract values and experiences like loyalty, faith and justice -- or concrete hungers like a condo in Key West and matching his 'n' hers Harley choppers. Maybe we warm ourselves by the fire of a good book or the thrill of bungee-jumping. Ideally we invest our primal needs in other life-affirming substitutes, but at heart we are all infants of a sort who want to know that if we are hungry, someone will feed us --if we are cold, someone will pick us up and hold us close. The core of our needs is the body's affirmation that all is well and well-aligned in the universe.
For a bit this week your personal security needs are going to be in perfect agreement --like an crotchedty old couple who finally agree on the same movie and restaurant --and LOVE them both. Your delight and your drive on a date night together at last. Maybe you could use this moment to cut through all the ought to/should have crap in your head, and glimpse a image of what "all is well and well-aligned in the universe" really feels like to you.
And then there's the New Moon, boom, right after. Perfect timing to begin a new path and set a new direction after your solstice ponderings.
I've been juggling opportunities and oppositions in my new self for a couple of weeks now, but feeling mostly calm nonetheless. Perhaps this was something to do with Mercury moving through thoughtful Taurus. Now the Sun, Vesta, and Mercury are in Gemini. They're all in easy communication with the big Jupiter/Neptune/Chiron in Aquarius conjunction. These are all Air energies, very mental, intellectual, idea oriented. --With Mercury pushing the duality button, seriously.
Still we're still getting loads of opportunities to think, think, think about what new ideas are demanding our attention. Again --I'm juggling possibilities and polarities. So much fermenting in the brain, fer sure. Tho' probably more interested in getting those thoughts out now. Articulating myself with the help of a few resources I've lately gained.
There's a connection to a long-term development here, too. It's not just all about the Now. The South Node (where we've been, what we already know) and the new Gemini Mercury are sextile one another (a lively conversation) and both inconjunct Pluto in Capricorn. This formation is called a Yod, or more colorfully, "The Finger of God". And yes, you may feel like God's always got you under his/her thumb with this one --particularly if you got it in your basic personality (your natal chart).
It's practical effect is to energize a point of growth in our lives, but it always requires adjustments. Sacrifices, lessons learned, etc. But unlike the square aspect, these are elements/ideas in need of a translator. Like two lost Americans from the mid-west in desperate need of transportation, negotiating with a couple of savvy Mongolian pony traders. A transaction needs to happen, but where's the translator? It'll happen, but not without a lot of hand gestures, some of them not very family-friendly.
So what's going on here? Here's what I'm thinking:
South Node in Leo at 0+ degrees: wrapping up old modes of playing/creating/old loves/old personas and performance issues Mercury in Gemini at 1+ degree: playing with the possibilities/seeing both sides of the issue/wanting both-and-or... Doing business with Pluto in Capricorn at 1+ degrees: The New Order. New foundations, new traditions, new business plans. Capricorn people and places --corporations, government, legacies (of the family, family histories --particularly the father's side).
Play with these combinations in your mind. Flip the ideas around and see them from every angle you can imagine. Maybe create a mindmap, like the one above. Or maybe you're into flowchart or little idea trees. Or journaling. Or hashing it out with thirty-five friends in a frenzied 22-hour marathon of "emergency" consultations. Whatever. Just play with the ideas.
Old v. new. Establishment v. Upstarts. Authority v. Anti-Authority. Consolidation v. Individuation. Structure v. Innovation.
This IS Saturn v. Uranus. Or in astro-speak, the Saturn-Uranus opposition. We been juggling these monster forces for over a year now.
Assuming you're new to this site (or astrology) you need to know the last Saturn/Uranus opposition went down in the mid-'60's. Before that, 1918-20. If you know your history, you know each of these periods instigated revolutionary upheaval/innovation (Uranus) in our relationship to the status-quo (Saturn). The years immediately after WWI (1918-21) gave birth to the modern consumer age (and the acceptability of installment payment plans --the modern credit system). The mid-60's, of course, was the resulting counter-revolution --anti-materialist and anti-establishment.
We're in the new Saturn-Uranus opposition cycle now.
Silicon Valley, not surprisingly, is taking the Uranian viewpoint: we're all individualists! down with corporate domination! the giants are falling!! They forget the staying power of Saturn, ruler of time, tradition, hard lessons --corporations. Corporations aren't going away, folks. Nor are they losing power. Going through a dark night of soul, undoubtedly. But no, not falling.
In his essay, Anderson
acknowledges the previous failure of the "new economy" to take hold.
But the financial collapse has given him new hope that an economy
dominated by massive corporate entities — big car companies, big
investment banks — is being swept away to usher in an era dominated by
small startups and entrepreneurs.
"The result is that the next
new economy, the one rising from the ashes of this latest meltdown,
will favor the small," Anderson writes.
The idea that large
corporations are being swept away will come as a surprise to the folks
at Cisco Systems. Or Hewlett-Packard. Or Intel. Or Oracle. Or most of
the Fortune 500, for that matter. Most of them remain securely in
place. In fact, even in Silicon Valley the big have been getting bigger.
If you're interested in the Silicon Valley beat, Chris O'Brien from the San Jose Mercury News is a great one to follow.
A.k.a. A Break. I'm taking it. Maybe you should, too. From whatever. You decide.
This week I'm moving into a new workspace. It's an excellent development during this Taurean journey we're on this month.
A word about Taurus. Everyone has a little Taurus functioning in them, and that part of you is likely to be where you're most stubbornly insistent on having it your way.
For me, this means I'm utterly fixed about my daily working environment. After years of attempting to shoehorn myself into situations that don't suit my speed (Taurus speed =January's molasses), I'm finally refusing anything that smacks of relentless movement, Muzak tapes, or frankly, fluorescent lighting.This rebellion took awhile to erupt (also a pretty Taurean response), but I've arrived and I'm not changing my mind (quintessentially Taurean). On the other hand, plop me into an moderately paced environment that features good lighting, good music and/or good food --or any evidence of abundant creativity-- and I'll thrive, gladly.
I have a Taurus friend who once told me, "If I could sit here smoke this cigarette, and read this book--and get paid for it, I'd never haul my butt out of this chair." Oh yeah. Her natal Mars is in Taurus, and the poor bloke is stuck waaaay back in her 12th house, which is like her get-up-and-go completely got-up-and-went. (Mars in the 12th house can be an energy black hole.) She'd love to make money not moving a muscle.
This weekend Venus rolled into Taurus. Venus is Taurus's very, very old (in a from-birth kind of way) BFF, so this feels really, really grounded and good. They both enjoy the stuff of beauty, and beautiful is much more than skin deep when Venus is in Taurus. What's beautiful must also feel good and be of good quality. No synthetics, and absolutely no second-hand, second-rate crap handed to you as the Latest Thing. No, a Venusian Taurus mood wants unvarnished quality. Enduring. Not surprisingly, such quality taste usually requires a quality bank account. Or quality time. And time, for me, is far more valuable than money just now.
Both Venus and Mars are in Taurus until July (4th and 11th, respectively) --and heading to a potentially interesting little date night on June 21st, the Summer Solstice. This doesn't happen often: their next date is in September. (It's frustrating for both of them, I know.)
Until then V 'n' M will happily play their way though Taurus, and the time now favors (nay, practically demands) seeking out a little creative pleasure. So I'm gonna take my own advice and explore my own creativity and pleasure off-line --something I've not had much time or energy for these last six months. (That's a polite understatement.) With a bit of privacy and peace available to me now, I plan to savor these few days.
Don't worry: the tide's gonna roll out in a couple of weeks. I'll drop in sometime before then, but really --Best to dock the boat and go find yourself a beer in the meantime. Or a guitar. Or some oil paints. Or a good cake mix, or somebody's body (with permission, of course)...
This morning's entry from Planet Waves. I've included the full piece for those of you who are interested in the astro talk.
Eric does a great job at articulating the mental juggling act I'm performing now. Better, he's got your number down if you aren't aware of the shift.
I've highlighted the paragraphs most relevant.
Over and out,
Shanna
****
Dear Friend and Reader:
Mercury, moving direct in late Taurus, is now square (90-degree
aspect) the alignment of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius. This
is the last of Mercury’s three squares to the Aquarius alignment, and
the one that happens with them at their most precise. Try to visualize
this without a chart. Imagine the Earth at the corner of a right angle.
Off in one direction is a string of three planets; exactly 90 degrees
away, closer to the Earth, is Mercury.
At the same time, Mercury is also making a sextile (60-degree
aspect) to Uranus in Pisces. So today Mercury is involved in four
aspects, and it’s also close to a square with the Galactic Center in
Sagittarius. This is called an aspect structure, where a group of
planets aligns from different points in the celestial wheel to create
one geometrically precise pattern; this one is taking place at 26 to 27
degrees of various signs (Taurus, Sagittarius, Aquarius and Pisces are
involved).
It’s difficult to understand or even feel an aspect in the context of itself. Human perception generally requires contrast
to function at all. For that contrast we need to utilize memory,
particularly emotional memory. This can be selective; let’s use
something really obvious. Consider how you felt in February, about four
months ago. Scan back over some of the events of that month and see if
you can get a sense of where you were at, so you can feel where you are
today.
I have said repeatedly and feel just about all the time that the
alignment we’re now in is about creating your reality. If this is true,
it’s going to be more meaningful and more noticeable to those who are
actively involved in such a process, rather (for example) than cruising
along or struggling to maintain some version of the status quo. There
is a big difference, though the distinction is not made often enough
for my taste. Wanting to change is not the same thing as committing
oneself to the progress; creative process is a path of both thought
and of action.
Speaking to those working their way to a new level of energy or
awareness, pay attention to where you’re getting information about your
progress. Notice who you are encountering; what your relationship to
groups of any kind is; and the way in which your mental and emotional
patterns are changing. Most and I do mean a large majority of people
are hung up mainly on their way of thinking, literally, the method; that method involves deliberate use of ignorance; and on a strange attachment to not changing.
Aquarius itself is being totally rewritten by this conjunction; and
then we have Mercury, moving through Taurus (a sign where Mercury does
not, according to most systems of traditional astrology, do
particularly well), leaning into the conjunction today, as if to push
us into focusing our minds, and to get something into the physical
realm of the body and the senses. Part of what this alignment promises
is the experience of not being alone; not feeling alone, and in
reality, not being alone either. However, it involves four slow-moving
planets (Jupiter, Chiron, Uranus and Neptune) and a fixed point (the
Galactic Core).
Today, an inner planet and one of the most personal planets
(Mercury) is picking up the alignment, granted mostly with a tense
square. Squares between Mercury and Jupiter or Neptune are prone to
fogging over, deception, denial and exaggeration. Mercury square Chiron
can feel like having a broken mind, but then something creative can
come out of that experience of debility. There is a crisis of focus
right now, but if we are paying attention it can actually get us to focus.
So, my questions for you are: what are you sharing, and with whom?
What are you being offered? What are you receiving? Who do you want to
connect with? How are you confronting your mental patterns and do you
see how they tend to dictate the course of tour life?
And what is your mind creating these days? What is your experience
of your use of time? Are you wedged into your date planner, or are you
actually flexible to be spontaneous and allow some of the synchronicity
factor to work for you?
We have a lot and I do mean a lot of potential that we are not
tapping right now. Vast oceans of energy are being consumed by the
Internet and cable television, without which I am pretty sure we would
have the feeling of a revolution in progress right now. We can take
some of that revolution to the Internet itself. I suggest we get it
into the flesh; into the same room; into what we think of as reality.
Yes this can be cumbersome, but you cannot dance with an email — and
this is coming from someone who adores email.
