the weather inside me

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.

hey fixed signs: you shifting gears?

Gear shifts all around --internal, external. Helped a friend paint her new shop yesterday. She's a Taurus --focused, fixed and slow to change. This adventure is huge for her. But you should see the smile on her face. She knows it's big; she knows it's good. The place is amazing. Not what she went looking for but more than she imagined.

The big T-square over the weekend should be pushing all our fixed sign friends (Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo and Taurus) into new territory. Most likely this has something to do with authentic creative/heart's center expression. This particular Taurus friend is no artist, for example, but her new shop space will finally give her an authentic expression for her business, which right now is her heart's center. No more putting up with bad wiring, old pipes, bathrooms that can't meet code, and windowless work spaces. The old place put a bad face on my friend's true abilities. First impressions do count and she was losing potential customers working from a building that was decidedly old school --in the worst way.

By the way, ask around and see if any Taurus (or Taurus rising) friends are finally getting to some long deferred home improvement or self-improvement tasks. You might find yourself competing with the sound of a contractor voice or cordless drill running in the background. I know two in the middle of big projects that are changing, one way or another, their homes/comfort zone of their lives. No more putting up with substandard conditions. No more living with something/someone who doesn't want to play nice.

But all fixed signs (wherever they are functioning in your life) are getting their gears shifted. I've had some pointed pushing on my Aquarius Venus thanks to some friends. Two phone calls and an email, and click! I'm moving into new territory. Good stuff. Mostly serious perceptual shifts, but these will lead to outer changes. Like my friend's new shop space, I've got a lot of work to invest in these new shifts. But unlike her project, the results of my plans won't be immediately apparent; however the vision is there now. It's a big perceptual shift, a big gear shift.

Where are your gears shifting?

taurus full moon, november 2

November 2, 2009: Full Moon at 10 degrees+ Taurus, squaring Mars at 7 degrees+ Leo.

Like a lot of people I've heard from this past week, we're struggling with tenacious colds in my house. Full moons tend to bring things to the surface. Usually it's emotions erupting, but on a strictly mundane (everyday) level, we could be seeing the full flower of this germ cycle. If that's true, then we're be ridding ourselves of the nasty-beasties well and truly over the next two weeks. I speak only for my house, but if you're over-run with nasty-beasties, let's hope you're free of them soon, too.

Taurus is a good nurturing moon, and I'm taking time to nurture myself a little this week. Reviewed alternative therapies yesterday and picked up some handy anti-bacterial Oil of Oregano today. As a self-employed person without health insurance, I need to be as smart as possible about common remedies before racing off to the Urgent Care office, and there are some great remedies out there that don't come from a prescription. I'm grateful for the prescription antibiotic, but does it have to be the first line of defense?

But I digress a bit. Taurus Full Moon.

Full Moon at 10+ Taurus. In the Sabian system, which attaches an image to each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac, this degree shows a woman sprinkling (or watering) flowers. The keyword is Care. Take time out to care for yourself. More easily said than done for some, but this full moon should be pushing something to the forefront of your experience that requires CARE. It's worth your attention, as we will have some hard-edged days ahead of us this month. Take care of yourself, first. Particularly if you're surrounded by colds and flu.

Sun at 10+ Scorpio. The Sabian image is a drowning man rescued. The keyword is Safety. Life takes a perilous turn but someone (or something) is there to pull you to safety. (You?)

Hmm...

and finally Mars at 7+ Leo. This makes a shape like a draftsman's T-Square (two 90 degree angles conjoined by an 180 degree line), and is thus called the t-square. So tricky. To interpret the t-square we look at the center point at the apex of the the two 90 degree angles --here the Mars at 7+ Leo. This is the degree receiving the most push --and giving the most push-back.

7+ Leo is the picture of a Bolshevik uprising; the keyword is Leaven. Leo = ego, and in many ways this is very very healthy. Leo says, "I count; I matter; I will not be ignored." The t-square is pressing our awareness of some healthy ego need within. You count; you matter; you should not be ignored. As Mars will continue in Leo for many months, this idea of UPRISING is likely to be a theme in the coming months. So what's the regime you're revolting against for the sake of your individuality?

Regimes do come into play, here: Leo's opposite is Aquarius and Aquarius themes are heavily active right now. Look at what's changing in your social circle, the people you call "friends" and the expectations (spoken and unspoken) that surround "your sort". They are changing, and so are you. As are your aspirations, hopes, and dreams for your future. Many people are taking a second look at social trends now, too. Facebook, Twitter and the whole social networking bandwagon is getting extra scrutiny. What is a real friendship now? A tweet? A Facebook update? Who knows. Do you?

Mars' journey through Leo will give you the mojo to be a bit more YOU. We've have a couple of eclipse cycles in the past two years that have been moving us to this more authentic self-expression. Our reputations are about to get a shake up. We are being pushed to grow past whatever culture dominates us. If you're a reflective person at all, you know you've had a few thoughts on this topic already.

Perhaps you're not ready to share them all with your current peeps, but changes are on the way and by summer you'll be crooning "I Did It My Way".

Use this week to note when and where and with whom you need to exert some push back. If it's your health, then do what you can to change a habit or adopt a practice that will improve your health. I'm recommitting myself to preventive alternative health practices and some dietary changes. And really, they were a long time coming. Other people I know are limiting social commitments or restructuring their lives to include more personal creative time. Whatever works for you, do it.

Care, Safety, Uprising.

Happy Full Moon everyone.

Art: "Bert and his Worry, Anxiety and Stress" by Lauren Gardiner