Mercury Stations Direct - 21 Cancer - July 28, 2006

Mercury is turning direct today -- 8:40 pm EST -- and boy, do I feel grateful.

The impact of a planet is always strong during a station -- that is, when it apparently changes direction in the sky, either backwards (retrograde) or forwards (direct) . Yesterday, I misread one email, which led to an awkward IM with the sender, and I also failed to communicate something important via email, which led to the other party taking action when he didn't have to.

The result is that I feel increased stress from two these blunders. I wrote earlier about problems with my Palm organizer. I took that in stride, but when it comes to interpersonal matters, Mercury retrograde gets messier. My Palm doesn't have feelings. With my Moon in Aquarius, I probably take comfort from the fact that gadgets don't have emotions, but I also have three Pisces planets in (or near) the seventh house, so I'm also highly sensitive to other people.

So I'll take a whacked-out computer over problems with colleagues, anyday. (Don't quote me on that when my PC doesn't start up!)

Tags: mercury retrograde direct station astrology

Happy Hump Day: The Astrology of the Work Week

Did you know that each day of the week is associated with a planet? It's not so obvious looking at the English names, but some of the European languages show a more clear correlation. In English, Monday is Moon-Day. In French, mardi is Mars-Day, and mercredi is Mercury-Day. Thursday is Jove's Day (Jupiter), related to the Italian giovedi. The French vendredi is Venus-Day. The weekend days are obviously related to Saturn and the Sun in English.

Day	Planet
Monday	Moon
Tuesday	Mars
Wednesday	Mercury
Thursday	Jupiter
Friday	Venus
Saturday	Saturn
Sunday	Sun

Could it be that the planet corresponding with each day of the week relates to the quality of that day? Monday, we return from the weekend feeling nourished and refreshed, back in our bodies (Moon). Tuesday, we are ready to work hard on our projects, and our drive comes back (Mars). Wednesday, we get bogged down in paperwork -- we start cleaning our desks and sorting through emails (Mercury). Thursday, we have the space to think about the big picture, where we're going with our jobs (Jupiter). And on Friday, we're feeling pleasurable about the upcoming weekend, and take it easy (Venus).

This is just conjecture, but feel free to comment below if your personal experience jibes with this.

Tags: planets astrology moon mars mercury jupiter venus saturn sun monday tuesdaywednesday thursday friday saturday sunday work

New Moon - 2 Leo - July 25, 2006

Ah, summertime. Beaches, bodies ... and I'm sitting in an air-conditioned office all day! Waaaahhh!!!!

Leo is playtime -- time to date, time to create. As the New Moon relates to beginnings, the next two weeks are ripe for starting a romance, indulging your creativity, playing with the kids, or creating some kids! Let your uniqueness shine through.

However, the New Moon is sitting at the midpoint between Mercury and Saturn (20 minutes away, to be exact). You may have problems communicating about what inspires you. Additionally, the New Moon squares Jupiter, leading to a propensity for going overboard -- as if Leo were not extravagant enough, it needs to be amplified? (Add Jewish mother voice here.)

This Moon is at the cusp of my 12th house. My creativity shines in the realm of imagination, so this would be a good time for me to plunge into the waters of my unconscious and see what's fertile.

Do you know where Leo sits in your chart?

New Moon Chart

Tags: New Moon - Leo - astrology

Mars enters Virgo, Sun enters Leo - July 22, 2006

Both Mars and the Sun are pretty active planets -- the Sun is our Conscious Will, and Mars acts to make our Will happen -- yet they are entering vastly different signs today. The Sun in Leo ... well, if you know basic Horoscopes astrology, then you know that Leo is warm, generous, playful, and wants to be the center of attention. But when action planet Mars enters Virgo, our energies get channeled into work. Virgo wants to be productive, to be precise. In some ways, it is difficult for blustery Mars to sit down for long periods of time and focus on a craft or edit a paper, but he does like to work, and in an earth sign like Virgo, he will definitely feel he has accomplished something upon completing a project. It is also a good time to put your energies into service or to finally start that exercise regimen you've been putting off. Then you can reward yourself by going to an extravagant club or seeing Shakespeare in the Park.

The Sun will enter Virgo on August 23, at which time both energies will be in alignment.

Tags: Sun - Leo - Mars - Virgo - astrology

Mercury's Retrograde, and My Baby's Not Comin' Back

No, not really, but it sounds like a good song title.

The worst retrograde-related phenomenon so far has been that my Palm Organizer has not been hotsyncing with Avantgo this week. I've been a gadget-geek for long, and everytime this has happened in the past, I'd spend hours on my Mac trying to fix the problem. But this time, I'm not going to bother. For one, Mercury's in Cancer -- I'd rather spend time with my family than waste an evening in front of the computer. Two, Mercury's going direct next Friday the 28th, so I'll just wait and see ... maybe my problems will vanish without re-installing my software.

In the meantime, I've been playing Super Bounce Out on the train. It seems more regressive than reading Salon.com and my favorite astrology blog on the Palm, but what better time than Mercury retrograde to play?

Venus enters Cancer - July 18, 2006

As the planet of love and relationship moves from Gemini to Cancer, we stop flirting with every eye-turner we meet, and we seek that "at home" feeling in someone (or something).

Relationships serve several purposes. We want excitement, variety, stability, status, romance, sex, financial security, emotional security, someone to just be around. How can we possibly get all of our needs met? Ha!

Fortunately, as Venus moves through all the signs, we get a taste of her many flavors. (Eww!) Your Venus is in only one sign, and over time She will progress into the next sign, so we're pretty fixed in our ways. However, the Cosmos is always changing, and Venus gets around! (She did, after all, frequently cheat on Hephaestus.)

So right now, and until August 12, she wants her Mommy. And she wants to eat.

Yes, Venus indulges. Remember, she rules Taurus, so sensuality is the word.

So curl up on your couch with a pint of ice cream, secure in your lover's arms (or with your cat secure in yours). But don't get all whiny and petulant that you're not being taken care of, because your special-someone wants to be nurtured too. So take turns! (Didn't you learn anything from Gemini?)

If you're not attached, maybe you should enjoy it. After all, Cancer is kind of smothering. Do you really want that much closeness? I mean, yes, it's nice sometimes, but you need to breath!

Do something Cancerian that you love ... have some good Brie (and if you're one of those crazy raw food vegans, grind up some soaked pine nuts and dates ... delish!), spend time with family, or create a cozy space in your home with lots of pillows and family heirlooms.

And once Venus enters Leo, you'll be tired of all that mushiness, ready to go out on the town in your favorite evening gown (or tux) to soak in the glamorous spotlight!

Tags: Venus - Cancer

Astrology and Indeterminacy-- A Rant

I believe in a universal clockwork, some grand design, such that the movement of the planets corresponds with the play of archetypal forces in our lives. However, I prefer to be global about it. I don't believe that every piece of minutae in our mundane existence is governed by archetypal forces beyond our control.

As an astrologer, I don't pay attention to what sign the moon is transiting on a daily basis; or look at where the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars) are at any given time -- unless they act as triggers to outer planet transits.

I recently read an excellent article by Antero Alli about outer planet shocks. What I came away with was that we live our mundane lives, going about our business, until transpersonal archetypes force us to break free of/dissolve/regenerate rigid ego structures that prevent us from growing spiritually.

Yes, a Mercury transit may coincide with a communication, a Venus transit may coincide with a gift, but so what? If you believe in astrology, it's cool to notice the synchronicities. But I already know that the universe is meaningful. I want to use astrology as a tool for my spiritual growth.

In that case, Jupiter through Pluto are all that really count for me.

People come to any divinatory system because they yearn for meaning, because life is painful when you ride the waves of change and have no idea why you're going through such tumult. It certainly helps me to make sense of my major struggles to look at my outer planet transits.

However, sometimes astrology is just a game to me. But like any game -- like sudoku or a crossword puzzle -- there is a quest to find the perfect solution. For example, I find it odd that two birth dates circulate on the internet for Jack Black, and I like the challenge of looking at both charts to see which one fits his persona the best. Rectifying a chart is like a puzzle -- you may know the date of birth, but can you find the house placement that truly puts the planets in the right context? Can you find Midheaven and Ascendant degrees that, when transited by Uranus, perfectly correlate with an archetypally appropriate experience?

We come to astrology wanting to know what's going to happen, but it's disempowering to be so deterministic. Right now, transiting Uranus is conjoining my seventh house Sun. How do I want/need to revolutionize my relationship so that I can minimize the shock, so that I can go with the flow of the archetypal expression of Uranus?

Likewise, everyone's in a fuss about Mercury Retrograde, but really, how much impact does it have on our personal lives unless it transits a key point in our chart? And how important is it, really? If I have to go through a Plutonic ego death, will a subway delay make much of a difference?

It's about perspective, folks!

Full Moon - 18 Capricorn - July 10, 2006

How do we balance work and home? It's certainly a struggle for me. The more I want to succeed in my career, the less time I have for family. No doubt the judgments about mothers in the workplace comes down to the tension between Cancer and Capricorn -- if you're a stay-at-home parent, does that make you "better" than someone who works and pays for childcare? I'm not here to weigh in, just to point out that we all have to come up with a solution that we're comfortable with. And unfortunately, many parents don't have much of a choice, depending on the economy and their level of family and social support.

There are two Full Moons per year along the Cancer-Capricorn axis, and now the Moon is in Capricorn. The world of work, status, and building reputation is in the spotlight. Capricorn also relates to what structures we build in our life, what we want to conserve. If you know your natal chart, you will know which house carries this weight -- just look to the cusp on which Capricorn sits. This area will be where you strive to succeed, to build. The house in which this Full Moon falls will be the area of your life that is being illuminated.

Wherever you are striving in your life, note what is being neglected. The Full Moon is an opposition between the Moon and Sun, and it is difficult to find balance in this aspect. Remember that however much success you achieve, it only feels meaningful when you come back home into the Cancerian embrace of family (whatever that means to you).

During this Full Moon, there is also a mystic rectangle involving Pluto, Neptune, Venus and Mars. Venus in Gemini opposes Pluto, Mars in Leo opposes Neptune, and these planets make soft aspects (sextiles and trines) to each other. We need to find ways to regenerate our relationships, and to act for a higher purpose. The Full Moon is tied into this configuration, with the Moon quincunx Venus and semi-sextile Neptune. Our idealism about love and art (in attention-deficit Gemini) does not integrate well with our desire to cement a reputation for ourselves. Distracted by other fish in the sea, we find it difficult to maintain our focus at work. The image I get is of looking through the office window at hot summer bodies, when one should be completing the big project. Enjoy the view, but get back to work! And call the wife and kids!

Tags: Full Moon - Capricorn - astrology

Atlantic City Casinos Shut Down - Saturn in Leo!

Atlantic City's casinos shut down for the first time in their 28-year history today, casualties of a budget impasse in New Jersey.

This is a perfect example of Saturn transiting in Leo, as Leo (naturally related to the fifth house) rules gambling and speculation, and Saturn governs restrictions and delays. In addition, Mercury stationed retrograde yesterday at 1 Leo -- Mercury retrograde is classic for difficulties communicating, and certainly Governer Corzine's disagreement with the New Jersey state legislature over his proposal to raise the state sales tax qualifies.

Meanwhile,

teams of lobbyists are facing off on Capitol Hill in a contest over whether the United States should choke off the growth of wagering on the Web.

Saturn in Leo is gearing up towards an exact opposition to Neptune in Aquarius in August. (Leo = gambling, Aquarius = internet.) Saturn's last 'hit' to Neptune will be in June 2007, so this issue should be getting more attention over the next year.

Tags: Atlantic City - Mercury retrograde - Saturn - Leo - gambling