the weather inside me

venus, on point[e] and a royal game for you

The Aries Point, that is --where the personal meets the political. This morning in the US Venus has crossed over and is now a 0+ degrees Aries --the Aries Point.

In fact the astro news this week is all about Mars turning direct just two degrees from an exactly 120 degree angle from its cohort and lover, Venus. These two are absolutely primed for spring break.

But back to Venus at 0+ degrees Aries.

Just as I'm typing this, NPR is airing a story of the role of women in today's Iraqi parliamentary elections. Apparently 25% of seats in the Iraqi parliament must be held by women; they're saying that's a legal quota that might, just might, change that country's marriage and divorce laws. Okay. That's a Aries Point story with a Venusian theme. So, too, are the courageous hearts of the Iraqi people defiantly showing up to vote despite some terrible bombing meant to scare them away from polling stations.

I'm calling this a reflection of the Aries Venus-Leo Mars trine right now. Throw in the Moon in Sagittarius --un-aspected to Mars and Venus, but in a fire sign, nonetheless-- and you got serious sympatico fire, folks. Very harmonious and ready to blaze.

A few minutes earlier, a different Venus showed up on NPR, the Venus of resources (money, in this instance): Icelanders voted to reject the terms of bank bailout repayment. 

Several Icelandic banks collapsed in the fall of 2008, most notably an Internet bank called Icesave, which offered high interest rates and was especially popular in Britain and the Netherlands. When Icesave collapsed, the British and the Dutch governments compensated their angry savers to prevent riots on their own streets, but then billed Iceland for that compensation. The government in Reykjavik agreed to pay, prompting a citizen's rebellion that culminated in Saturday's referendum — the first in Iceland's modern history.

Again, the fire: No way, Jose!

Election days are solidly Aries Point activity. The Aries Point reminds us these moments have far-reaching consequences. Or will have as we approach the big Jupiter-Uranus conjunction at 0+ Aries this June 8th.

Here, it feels a lot like early spring fever. Even with the ever-present wind, we can feel a little warmth coming through and that's making a lot of people happier. 

There's no such thing as second place when you're dealing with fire energy, so don't expect folks to go cowering into a corner in the coming days. It doesn't have to be combative energy, though. It could be unspecified enthusiasm that misses the mark. Or, you could have a raging case of retrograde Mars that can't wait for the brake to release. Or you just be horny. It's nearly spring, after all.

Mark this feeling the next few days, and note what's setting off your own internal fires. This will be Clue 1 and Clue 2 about what Mars in Leo is teaching you this year.

And if that advice isn't specific enough for you, try this little mind game: If you were King/Queen of [insert name]-land, what would you decree?

RULES OF THE GAME:

1. You may not make decrees for anyone else. The rules are only for YOU. Again, this is all about you, not anyone or anything else. You lose the game if your decree is about controlling anything or anyone outside of yourself. Game Over. Bonk!

2. The decrees are just for you. If you do this in the right spirit, you'll find you're giving yourself permission to just be you.

3. They must be positive statements: "I decree that second helpings of mashed potatoes are good for me."

4. They must be personal statements: "Dang, I've got gorgeous legs!"

5: They must be specific: "I decree that I need one hour of playtime every day."

So. How 'bout it? What do you decree in the Land of Me?

Returning soon with the Mars goes direct (takes the brake off) report...

Photo: AFP.

Illustration: Kevin Woodson.

the story so far...the (long) late february 2010 overview

If you're just joining us, here’s a summary on the current long and mid-term astro scene:

Pluto-Saturn square: it’s still on --the hard realities, the call to courage, the fear, the projecting of shadows-- but Saturn’s moving back into the Virgo degrees, so we’re just getting a second look at relationship “stuff” that popped up since last October. Count it a second chance at important conversations and decisions.

Neptune-Chiron in Aquarius: the end of an era, or as Gawker proclaimed it, “The Fake Decade”. Finally, we're getting it. Chiron’s not done with his work here, but these past few weeks have certainly given me some unusual views into inconvenient “truths”. And talk about a wild dream life. Oy. I need a break.

Jupiter in Pisces: Connections, identifications, and professions with and of encouragement and hope are totally available if you want them. As are big creative possibilities. Can you be the bigger person? Sure you can. (As I type this, I’m listening to Alan Simpson joking it was time to hold hands and jump into the wine-dark sea --of the budget deficit. Poetic water imagery as political threat? Only with Pisces.)

Avoid the paranoid and the generally detached from reality. This is the dark side of Pisces and not a comment on Mr. Simpson. Uranus in Pisces (at the end of the sign, now at 25+ degrees), is pulling punches with those teetering on the edge of the Fear Abyss. A lot people are completely convinced this is the end of the world. No, it's just the end of the world as they know it, a fact that's microcosmically true every day of our lives. Still, we can't ignore the big, big challenges we face as a country. It's just that fear is not gonna get us closer to a sane deficit, safe highways, or decent health care for all.

On a related note: if you’re a Pisces or have personal planets in Pisces, take care with substances this year--right on down to caffeine, MSG, BHT and food coloring. I’m serious.

And finally, Mars, still retrograde in Leo: Mars is really slowing down now, and by the full moon on the 28th will have reached it’s retrograde direct degree. So if you feel some kind of gear grinding or stuckness, that would be Mars. Ditto big case of anticipation. This is all about going backstage and reworking your self image. (My original horoscopes on the retrograde are here and here.) What you're feeling could be a case of stage fright, or could be a case of retrenchment before the big advance come March. Circumstances vary.

If you know where Mars is passing through your chart, just ease up on yourself in that area. Strategize, visualize. Play with any new ideas that popped up with the Neptune/Chiron bingle last week AND the Full Moon in Leo in mid-January. What do you want to do with that new knowledge?

Strangely, if we’re not handling our own nervousness or irritation well, we seem to invite similarly nervous, irritating people into our lives. Not always true, but you could play with that idea and observe other people’s responses to your energy right now.

A note to men, or anyone who cares about a man: I'm not a guy, nor do I play one on TV, so I'm not gonna pretend I know what this feel like for you. My thoughts are based on my own reading, and the thoughts shared by men at other serious astrology forums.

Mars retrograde is especially challenging for men; after all, Mars is THE planet of the male impulse, the anima, the dude in you. Here’s the bottom line: the man in your life (could be you!) may or may not know what Mars retrograde is doing, but it's affecting him nonetheless --rearranging his ego, his self-image, his heart, his leadership instincts, his pride for his pride (or whatever substitutes for his creative output, progeny or no).

Mars retrograde is all backwards and inhibiting, frustrating and often confusing for many men. You could be angry, frustrated, scattered, inconsistent, or distant --really, really distant. Especially now as we approach the incredibly slow stationing direct motion. Imagine trying to save the damsel in distress who's stranded on the opposite side of a molasses pit. And the molasses pit is your expectations about what guys should do, could do, did do --starting with your dad and then every significant male authority figure you've known in your life. Now imagine how difficult this time could be if you never really had a solid male figure who taught you what to do when damsels lie on the other side of molasses pits. McGuyver never had it so bad. This "self" thing won't get fixed with a Leatherman, some chewing gum and three paper clips. Think about that for a moment.

If the man in your life doesn’t know what’s going on, or they’re resistant to introspection, you get a guy who needs to take on the world instead of himself. This might get internalized as heart problems; Leo rules the heart. As Leo practically grinds to a halt, Evan Bayh announced today that he’s lost heart in his work in the Senate and will retire. This is not good for the already straggling Democrat majority in the Senate.

The WORST example of this impulse also showed up in the news today: Andrew Stack, an enraged, suicidal man (badly managed Mars retrograde?) who’s sense of manhood and pride (Leo) was threatened by the limitations (Saturn) imposed by a government (Pluto in Capricorn) agency, the IRS, flew his personal airplane into an IRS office.

No doubt his actions were exacerbated by feelings of paranoia and doom emerging from those who’ve been embracing the end of the world (Uranus in Pisces) scenarios. He's not the first man who's wanted to take on the IRS with violence, but as we're revisiting a Saturn-Pluto alignment that last appeared fall of 2001, I'm saddened but not shocked that Stack chose to mimic the violence of that tragedy by flying his plane into an IRS office in Austin, Texas. Note --this was his own Piper airplane, and thus, he was not one of the huddled masses spewing underclass resentment. This was a wealthy guy by any standard. Do you have Piper small craft docked in your local airport hanger?

On that note, I looked at Glenn Beck’s astrology last week. He’s got Venus at 29+ degrees Pisces, the last degree of the zodiac, aka, the end of the world (sort of). In short, he’s in love with the end of the world. Yes. Have a look at his wiki and you’ll see a guy obsessed with eschatology. We'll hear much more about his obsession come spring. Bank on it.

Sigh. So play safe out there folks. You don’t have to be paranoid. You don’t have to push people around. I know so many people who are experimenting with huge new possibilities for their lives. Really big thoughts. I've got one friend who was making good money as a black-jack dealer, but she's leaving the industry to work at a raw-food retreat. She'd been wanting to walk away, but it wasn't until she broke her wrist in four places over the January eclipse that the decision was forced on her. A break like that is a career ender for a card dealer. But the end didn't start there: as she became mentally and emotionally more stable, her tips took a nose dive and she knew why --unhealthy people only reward their own kind. She's a Cancer rising, so Leo is working through her second house of money and self-esteem.

If you're moving towards healthier self-esteem, know that some people will find this a turn-off and not know why. They would prefer you functioning as their food source for whatever emotional, financial, or practical service you give them. And you're gonna catch some flak for this. For my friend, this translated into lost income. If you're hanging with people who pay you for being as immature, selfish, and needy as they are, you're going to face a loss of something --a contract, a contact? Or you may face losing old friends. These are not easy losses at first because they represent an old image you've probably carried with you for years. But this whole year is forcing all of us to rethink the old ways. Those who refuse to change won't be any fun to hang with anyway. Keep that in mind as you grow and experiment with the new you.

The time is also exciting because it presents the kind of risks that demand truly creative thinking and not a little paradigm shifting/shattering going on in that mix. But the risk doesn’t disappear just because the adventure holds happy possibility. So compassion is very much in need right now, too. Compassion that entends both ways --to you and to those around you-- and patience.

In that spirit, I’m taking a few days off from this blog to address some work at my side. One project is a revamp of this site, another some notes for the upcoming NCGR conference...and then daily ephemera and sticky fingerprints that come with motherhood. I need to shift my focus for a bit. Maybe I'll actually go for a walk. What a thought.

I’ll be back before the Full Moon to talk about the Venus-Uranus conjunction and early March events.

Until then, have a visit with any of the forecasters on my link list. They’re good people who’ll be happy to serve your astro needs.

Ciao.

Art: lisacongdon.com

Photo: seattlepi.com

All other photos: Philippe Halsman

the relationship has changed

The Libra Moon crosses the Aries Point and on-going Saturn/Pluto square this morning: your feelings need an adjustment. The relationship has changed. Could be work, friendships, lovers, parent/child, hair dresser...it's a relationship. Today we strike a note of feeling the change.

The Saturn/Pluto square demands we shift our relationship expectations. It asks us serious questions we haven't wanted to look at for nearly a decade now.

Is it fair? Who's on top? Who wants to be on top? If I'm on top, then who gets to be on bottom? And will you like that? Do I have to like you to work with you? Do I have to hate you in order to love you, too? Can I be your child and an independent adult? Can you work part time from home and still keep the house?

And it's pushing us to make decisions.

It's sort of complicated --but on a big, socio-economic scale, too. Whatever decisions are going down in Washington matter to you. This time, it's personal. Yes, personal. You don't want to be the small guy who's always stuck on the bottom while corporations go roaming the earth like they're human or something. Everyone knows they're giant machines, so why did we give "individual" rights to robots and not, uhm, same-sex couples who've been faithful to one another for decades?

Libra's always interested in the balance of power between two people, two companies, or two nations. Or two sofas. It's about the dynamics of relationship. Always. And aesthetic. Grace. Dipolmacy. Win-win. Libra hates hard angles.

But rarely do we get a win-win solution. So you have to take the long view and believe THE RELATIONSHIP HAS CHANGED.

Everyone has a stake in this one. That's the emotional truth right now.

Photo: from En Tus Brazos.

Venus meets her frenemy.

One thing your inner neurotic's got right these days is that some of your so-called "friends" are not friends at all. Problem is, our standards for friendships these days are reeeeeeeall sketchy. Planned obsolescence comes to mind, actually. It works for cars, but that kind of disposability was never intended for human relationships.

I'm not against social networking. This is not a rant against social networking, because it's kind of a requirement these days. But really --no one wants even a Facebook friend who's there 'cause they want you to buy their tea tree oil soap.

But today is a good day for noting how and why we connect with others.

Today Venus meets her frenemy, Nessus. Nessus is actually everyone's frenemy. Don't know Nessus? He's a player in astrology these days.

Nessus is a centaur who's basic story goes like this: he had the hots for a taken woman and gave her ride; but he made a pass at her (which, depending on the story did or did not go well) and then gave her a jacket as some swag for her guy, saying he was sorry and this jacket here will make him look better than ever. Turns out, the jacket was poisoned. Nice. Girl looses her guy from the poisoned jacket.

Nessus stands in for the people, circumstances and ideas who appear to help us, but don't. There's always some boundary crosses, some promise broken. And then they hand us poison and say they're sorry. Nessus' brand of backstabbing is subtle and often confusing. It's a sick head game because whatever happens, we feel as if somehow we're the ones at fault. Maybe I shouldn't have taken that ride, says the rape victim. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted that old high school buddy and studied that investment plan harder...

Venus meets with Nessus today, at 17+ degrees Aquarius, and it's like an assignation after school at the local Quick Trip. Seventeen degrees Aquarius is a place with recent history: this is at the EXACT degree of the 2008 February 7th annular solar eclipse in Aquarius. On the 2008 February 7th eclipse, Mercury sat on the eclipse degree. Pluto has just begun it's 15 year journey through Capricorn (exactly square the Aries Point). Put it together and you've got the first steps that will break up the old gang --allowing new friends (or a new milieu) in for the long haul. Something's started, you just don't know what.

This time (2010) we meet seventeen degrees Aquarius with Venus who's working a lot smarter and brought two friends along. Sure, Nessus her frienemy is there, but Venus was passing notes with Pallas today. Pallas is a smart girl, too, and she's got the dirt on Nessus. She know's his pattern. Haumea is Venus's friend today, too. She says, "Start over, girl. Shakes this one loose, coz who needs all that false guilt hanging on you?"

Think about it. How many times have we allowed a friend to take advantage of us and left us feeling WE did something wrong? Today's a good day to get clear about what really happened, or at least begin distancing your emotions from the entanglement. 

The Virgo Moon can give us some discrimination today. If you've got a bad vibe about a group or an association or friend --listen to it. Even if it's old history. Do you want to play into worn out patterns that haven't served you, or left you feeling used? On the other hand, maybe you played the Nessus. Maybe you need to think about what motivates your un-friendly sabotaging. Handed anyone poison recently because you couldn't handle your own dark self?

Because we've all got a little Nessus in us --the monster within who'd take an advantage and then freak out when we realize maybe we went too far with it. And then try to cover our tracks.

Frienemies make great sit-com plot characters, but there's nothing funny about them in real life. Today and this week, think about the behavior patterns of your friendship needs. Maybe you play victim AND perpetrator in your friendships. Even within your own self: how do you sabotage your own ideas and ideals? Are you overly accepting and undiscerning? Or are you too rigid and unable to receive what others offer you?

This week you might finally see what you couldn't admit before. Just don't forget Jupiter in Pisces --there's something very very good here if you want it. Do you want it?

no pink cupcakes: adjustments this week and the tipping point of June 2010

The tipping point this year will be the Uranus/Jupiter conjunction on June 8th, followed by the Big Shift of August.

I'm not going to make specific predictions about what this summer will bring, but I have been thinking about it for a year and half now, and I do know this:

• Summer 2010 will be a summer when people make decisions, or will be forced into decisions. These decisions will be life-shifting choices.
• Uranus and Jupiter will meet at zero degrees Aries. This is the Aries Point, where the personal meets the political. Whatever happens here will have a public and private influence.
• Aries is THE action/initiation/pioneer sign. Aries is not into second place finishes, diffidence or hunkering down.
• Aries is a declaration of self: I AM is a declaration of identity. We will declare some new form of identity. For some people this will be a big deal; others will be simply adopting a new radical stance in place of their old radical stance. Your mileage will vary according to personality and circumstance.
• We've been working towards this for a year already.
• It's not a disaster.

This weekend we'll have another Saturn/Pluto exact square. The next Saturn/Pluto square is in August. So this is yet another adjustment in a long series of initiatory shifts towards a new adventure and/or identity that will begin to emerge in the summer.

Saturn/Pluto squares always demand we sober up and make plans. If we don't, then someone else will make plans for us, and with Saturn/Pluto aspects those plans don't involve pink frosted cupcakes and a cool glass of lemonade.

People, ideals, and ideas form the backdrop of these shifts. This is Aquarius activity, which we're still in the thick of until 2011.

Right now many of us are trying to get clear about who to trust and why to trust them. Some of us are playing with possibilities of new associations, new identities, new group work and new people to play with.

This is all Neptune in Aquarius (which has been with us since 1998), finishing up it's last degrees and preparing for a new social plan.

But Neptune prefers not to define anything and definitely won't color inside the lines. So if you feel the information you're getting through the mass media (Aquarius), is nothing but mirror tricks and squishy "facts", you're not paranoid. If you're believing all the "facts", however, I might say you're gullible. Never assume, is my motto concerning all things Neptunian. Walk in that other person's shoes, is also a good Neptunian motto. Think a bit before you react. Have a heart.

I don't have a big story to tell you here. You just need to know that if people are breaking off and if stuff feels like it's getting pulled out of your life and you feel like it's shit or get off the pot time, know you're not the only one. Maybe you have outgrown or simply don't need the circumstances and friends you currently know. Maybe you need to rethink what sentimental or power-trippy attachments are holding you back. Maybe you need to get your finances straight. Maybe you need to go apply for that business license...Or give up the cigarettes. Whatever. You're working toward a new role in the world.

The question behind all this change is: What kind of person do you want to be and what will you do to work for that?

You have until summer to get clearer about this. Come June, we'll all be making bigger choices. The adjustments we make now will influence how pro-active or reactive those choices will feel to us.

smart astro commentary on the citizens united v. the federal election commission

Capricorn rules corporations. Please don't forget that. The first international corporation (or joint-stock company) was in fact The East India Trading Company, first incorporated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth on December 31st, 1600  --a Capricorn by birth. The EITC was the very model of a modern major corporation: with the help of its home government (England) it eventually created it's own army, invaded a country (India) and then ruled it for over 20 years. Of course, England's and EITC's interests in India predate the Battle of Plassey by about 200 years, but the event guaranteed "company rule" of an entire continent for whole generation. It's effects, for good and for ill, were long lasting.

Now, just after a significant eclipse in the sign of Capricorn, we have a seismic political shift that undercuts 100 years of judicial precedent and suddenly favors corporations over individuals. But then history shows us that governments and corporations go together like peanut butter and jelly, like Oreo and ice cream, like marmalade and toast. Just not as yummy.

From today's weekly subscription newsletter at Planet Waves, the editorial (bolded text, mine):

Personally, I cannot think of a more significant issue for the Supreme Court to rule on, in our era of unmitigated corporate power. Here, we have one of the first landmarks in the Pluto in Capricorn era, a time when we know that the structure of society will change in many ways.

The court held yesterday that corporations have the free speech rights of people. Yet if anything, corporations are superhumans, subject to no responsibilities of citizenship that would balance freedom on the scale that they typically exercise it.

They do not have a natural lifespan, and can in effect live forever. They cannot be incarcerated, and holding them civilly liable for crimes or abuses of their rights verges on impossible (case in point, Bhopal). Any punishment is meaningless, as most in the position to commit atrocities have so much money that even a heavy a fine comes out of the petty cash fund. They can be as big as the state of Israel (or bigger), have an army and exist on five continents at a time. They have no lawful interest except for profit. They can employ a thousand attorneys. Their shareholders can come from many different countries. Their own power and structure shields the individuals involved from most forms of prosecution; it is rare that corporate officers are held accountable for the crimes committed by their companies.

This is an easy distinction, to see the difference between human rights and corporate rights. While many think there is a precedent for this, the original decision supposedly giving corporations the rights of people was so flawed that the issue is right in Wikipedia where school kids can read about it on their iPhones. That famous case, Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, never took up the constitutional issue. Many in the legal community are fully aware of this issue, to the extent that there is a law center devoted to dealing with it.

Most people do not understand that ‘corporatism' is the true definition of fascism; that is, the merging corporate interests and entities with the state itself. This is the thing to beware of. What we have just witnessed is an example of the state granting greater rights to the corporations who are its creatures than to the natural sovereign citizens of the land -- in this case, the power to influence elections to high office. In effect, the government has privatized elections and has sold out its own power: a typical move, consistent with the central bank existing as a private entity as well.

I would say that Thursday's decision in Citizens United is an example of unequal protection under the law. Paraphrasing Carl Sagan, those who enjoy extraordinary rights must be held to extraordinary responsibilities. The problem in our moment of civilization is precisely that this alien race of entities thinks it has no responsibilities at all, in any meaningful sense of the concept.

martin luther king, jr: capricorn sun/pisces moon

While the Sun is in its last degrees of Capricorn and the moon drifts through Pisces we find ourselves honoring an American icon of practical dreamers, Martin Luther King, Jr --born under a Cap sun with a Pisces moon.

Remember when I said last week that all Caps have a hidden side to their stuffy selves? Here's Capricorn leader who gave us inspiring leadership and kept a couple of secrets on the side.

This is my first look at his chart, so these are just a few first glance notes:

Cap Sun in 10th: destiny as public figure. Bam. No gettin' round that. These Capricorn hooves did climb to the mountain top.

Pisces Moon, conjunct Ceres in 12th: nurtured the creative, imaginative and spiritual dreams of the oppressed or confined. A karmic role. Here the Pisces moon/Ceres in 12th also illustrates his unconscious desire (he feeds himself with it) for sacrifice as well as his enduring legacy as a martyr devoted to his universal compassion (Pisces) for his family/people (Moon) of African-Americans, as well as all people. (Consider Eric Francis' recent discussion of the Thema Mundi (aka, "The Chart of the World", which begins with Cancer and the sign of the Moon. In other words, the Thema Mundi suggests we are all one family.) Many believe the content of his last speech also suggests he knew his death was imminent.

Packed 12th house: this is the house of hidden enemies as well. While in prison (12th house activity) his Letters From A Birmingham Jail revolutionize (Uranus) the civil rights movement and bring him, finally, into the public discussion (the Uranus/Aries Point conjunct iconoclast Eris--wow--talk about rock the boat). Eris always has something to tell us about folks who "didn't get invited to the party" and Uranus isn't interested in following anyone else's lead. Unfortunately, a 12th house Uranus in Aries also suggests unpredictable (martial--Aries) self-undoing or by hidden enemies --he was assassinated by hidden (to the public) enemy. One could easily argue his self-destructive secret affairs were part of his undoing.

Saturn in Sagittarius: on the cusp of the 9th House of Belief. classic signature of the preacher. 'Nuff said. Eighth house stuff is an issue, though. Hard lessons about the libido? Sagittarius is impulsive. Saturn says you gotta control those impulses or you'll face consequences. 'Nuff said.

Mars in Gemini: in 2rd House of Resources: driven to communicate and connect with people. Opposed Sagittarius.

Mercury in Aquarius in the 10th: career of speaking to people. Aquarius thinking = iconoclast, inventive, utopian. Downside? The tendency to embody the phrase "Do what I say, not what I do."  Sun in tenth (out of sign) with Mercury means what he says and who he is are conjoined in our image of King.

Taurus rising: semisextile the Aries Point at 0 degrees. Jupiter and Chiron conjunct Asc. This gives me the feeling of someone who can never escape the perception that he must provide for others. If Santa ain't gonna come this Christmas, he's got to boot up and be Santa. Taurus is a provider sign, and semisextile the AP, his provisions will have public consequences.

And on and on... a really interesting chart to study in these times. Or any time, but especially now.

If you're planning on taking my Astro 101 class in February, expect to work with this chart.

mercury into capricorn

Mercury moves into Capricorn today, squaring the Aries Point, and will pair up with Pluto on the same degree (2+ Capricorn) December 7th. Thus beginneth the Capricorn season.

We'll have about ten weeks of Capricorn thinking this year: Mercury goes retrograde the day after Christmas (aka Boxing Day) and then resumes its forward path January 15th where it will remain in Capricorn until February 10th. Ten weeks. Whew.

Soon each of the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, the Sun and the Moon) will pass by Sir Pluto, pushing all our dear Cappy friends into new realms of selfhood. We Cappys are such Nervous Nellies and Pluto sitting in our sign for the next fourteen years will no doubt make us or break us, so be kind to our neuroses this holiday season. 

On the other hand, if you get rebuffed by a Cap, don't take it too hard. If they feel anything like me, they are so not into your games these days. Whatever games they are. Doesn't matter. Was having a laugh at myself after I realized Mercury had already moved into Capricorn because today I've noticed the shift in my approach to others right now: if you've got a serious offer or a legitimate/thoughtful plan, we'll talk; otherwise, I've got better things to do --and one of 'em is not you.

I know, hard core.

Still, there's that fishy/mystic interior life that Caps work so hard to hide. But with Mars still in Leo and Mercury now in your own house, any opportunity for self-expression won't go unnoticed these days. In fact, if you're a creative Cappy, I imagine these would be pretty fertile times for you.

So welcome, Mercury.

Sculpture: Max Ernst, "Capricorn" (1964).

saturn square pluto: nyt's krugman on gop paranoia

("gop": don't you like how that title reads? Lower case letters reducing the Grand Old Party to toddler talk. gop, gop. Hee hee. Are you afraid of the gop? What's that sweetie? You wanna gop? A gop? What's a gop? Oh, a cup...)

Toddler talk aside, I'll probably be sharing more articles like this because it's interesting to me when I see the astrological themes laid out so clearly. And you've told me it's helpful to see "real life" examples of this stuff. Otherwise it all comes across as very academic and theoretical.

So for the jury's consideration: Exhibit A, for the Saturn-Pluto square.

Here, Paul Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times, discusses the politics of paranoia that have taken over one political party here in America: "Paranoia Strikes Deep".

This is classic Saturn-Pluto dynamics, with the more conservative Saturnian element claiming dominance for now. The Saturn-Pluto dynamic is a stalwart, big-chested bully of a customer, so don't dismiss what's going on here or you'll get run over by it. Even if you do have fun turning the GOP into the gop, gop, gop, Saturn-Pluto paranoia is still paranoia and it's not going away.

the fort hood shooting

Eric got this up at Planet Waves right away. The analysis is interesting. Check it out.

(click the image if you want a larger picture of the chart)

In addition to the comments already made, I find the air trines from Moon in Gemini/Pallas in Libra and then again to the Jupiter/Neptune/Chiron Aquarius Stellium back at the Moon interesting. They are not technically a grand air trine formation, but close. There's a lot of unquestioned mental synergy happening here. At one level it seems to paint a picture of a premeditated act (Pallas/Moon). It also seems to suggest someone attempting to regulate a perception of injustice (Chiron/Pallas in Libra).

The most important point, though, is Saturn at 0+ degrees Libra --again, an Aries Point event. As I wrote before, the Aries Point reminds us that all politics are local. If the news reports are correct, the shooter was about to be deployed overseas from an Army base that's seen more than it's fair share of soldiers returning (or not) from Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe this was his statement about America's involvement in these wars. Who knows right now. What I can say for sure is this: Afghanistan will not be the war "over there" anymore; the war has come home and the politics will surely get local.

Note Pholus (the green square with the flag on top in the 11 o'clock position of the chart): this is the "little event, big effect" centaur planetoid. It's in the spot where one would find a public event (10th House) in the sign of international affairs (Saggitarius), and it's trine Mars in Leo in the everyday affairs/military/environment house (6th House). So this will surely get big; it's got the energy to roar. Not that you'd need astrology to point that out...