Airing Dirty Laundry in the Astrological Community

This morning, I clicked on a provocatively-titled article about the Association of Young Astrologers that I saw in the Astrology Blogger Directory and was truly offended. I know the three parties whom the blogger mentions only superficially, and have had only positive experiences with them.

I am not a Hellenistic Astrologer, and I actually frequently agree with Monica's disagreement with the use of Whole Sign Houses. What bothers me is that she is both spreading malicious gossip and using her knowledge of these individual's charts as a form of character assassination -- which I find most unethical. Knowledge is power, and outlining chart patterns to only point out the "negatives" in a person's chart is egregious.

Not everyone in the astrological community is going to agree with each other, let alone get along. But there is no reason to get ugly.

Astrologers should give away their services for free?

On my Seduction Central blog, I often answer reader questions, which amounts to a free mini-reading. After a reader fills out a form with their birth info and their love advice question, I send them a confirmation email, with the following text:

I have received your question for 'Seduction Central.'

The free answers I provide on this blog are a valuable service. Please support my efforts with a donation. (Please note that your donation does not guarantee an answer on the blog.)

This is then followed by PayPal instructions.

I just received an email response from one querent, who wrote,

Your response is not clear. You're asking for a donation without offering any commitment on responding to my question?

What about spreading good for the sake of good. I understand that is how true astrologers work anyway.

I cannot tell you how peeved I feel. In the early days of my blog I out-and-out asked for financial support in some of my posts, and learned that this was a potential turn-off to readers. I decided to just build traffic and hope that with enough visitors I could earn money with advertising. Although the blog is earning money, my revenue in no way compensates me for the hours of work I put into the blog.

I have developed boundaries with my blog so that I do not feel resentful for giving so much, because I derive pleasure from writing about astrology. I do not answer so many reader questions that I feel I am giving "too much."

Yet when I read, "What about spreading good for the sake of good. I understand that is how true astrologers work anyway," I feel undervalued and taken advantage of. What, are astrologers different from any other professional, such that they don't deserve to earn a living?!? I wrote back to this reader that doing "good works" and making money are not mutually exclusive endeavors. I put in many hours of study, not to mention the money I have invested in private tutoring and books and conferences, and I should just give all my wisdom away?

I think this reader subscribes to this toxic New Age belief that "spiritual workers" should not accept money for helping people. And I would not be surprised if many astrologers probably under-charge for this reason.

I don't know if it's tacky asking for a donation from someone who asked a question whose query I may never answer -- even though I make that explicit from the get-go. I figure that the few readers who do get their answer on my blog are getting free, valuable information -- and since these readers rarely offer a donation, other readers who value what I'm doing will offer some financial support so that I can continue to provide this service. I don't even give preferential treatment to readers who have offered a donation.

I'd love to hear your feedback: Do "true" astrologers only spread good for the sake of good?

Mainstream science press confuses Sidereal with Tropical astrology

As if this were news.

Goodbye

Dear Reader,

I have been regularly writing about every New and Full Moon for a few years now, and it's been fun. But Saturning is transiting my Ascendant and I need to focus my resources on building my Seduction Central blog, as that's where the action is.

So, I am discontinuing Lunar Tunes Astrology for the foreseeable future. If you miss me, read my other blog, schedule a consultation with me, or send me an email. (See sidebar for links and contact info.)

And if you want to read about New and Full Moons, check out MoonCircles (April Elliott Kent and Simone Butler are awesome!) or the Astrology Blogger Directory, which features the latest posts from the astroblogosphere. Every astrology blogger and her mother writes about lunations, so you won't be wanting for reading material.

~ Jeff

Cancer Full Moon - December 23, 2007

I work from home, so the career/family duality is collapsed, in a way. Although I don't see colleagues on a daily basis, I have the comfort of my wife and daughter being around in the afternoons. Although there's not a whole lot of interaction, I do have someone to touch base with throughout the day. The downside is being interrupted when I'm focused on something, as well as feeling I need to do dishes after I eat lunch instead of letting them sit in the sink until nighttime ... or hoping someone else will do them.

Nonetheless, I put in many hours, and it's difficult not being able to sit back and relax, to just go within and be with my feelings. Instead, I'm interacting with a computer screen all day. But I don't have it so bad ... I could be working at an office, commuting two hours a day, not being be able to spend much time with my daughter before she goes to bed. I don't want to be the dad who comes home from work after the kid is fed and reads her to sleep.

We all struggle with balancing work (Capricorn) and home (Cancer). Some people would rather work more and do less puttering around the house. Others would like to spend less time at the office. This Full Moon in Cancer puts the focus on our emotional need for a home base, a feeling of security in family connections. Yet it's more difficult to achieve this now, as Jupiter has just entered Capricorn and is conjoining the Sun. The world of work is celebrated now, and for the next year we'll be taking advantage of opportunities to climb the ladder in our fields. If anything, that means spending less time with the family.

Meanwhile, retrograde Mars in Cancer conjoins the Moon. Mars, a work planet, is both moving (apparently) backwards in the sky and in the sign of his "fall." The action planet does not thrive in such an indirect sign. The crab moves sideways, while Mars (ruler of Aries) wants to charge forward. Mars is in a defensive posture, and while both conjunct the Moon and residing in Moon-ruled Cancer, he fights to protect those he loves, at the ready to keep the women and children safe.

Yet the opposition between Jupiter and Mars is the backdrop of this Full Moon. Both are in the sign of their fall, yet in each other's sign of exaltation. (If I were a traditional astrologer, I could tell you that means something!) Typically, the Mars-Jupiter aspect relates to an expansion of the Martian principle, leading us to over-act on our desires to copulate or conquer ... or that our assertive energy is fueled by higher principles to justify our actions. The opposition, though, is about relationships: someone takes on the role of Jupiter while you take on the role of Mars, or vice versa. Perhaps a business mentor (Jupiter in Capricorn) inspires you to clean up your act at home, clear up unresolved family issues that hold you back from success (Mars retro in Cancer) ... so that when Mars stations direct in late January, you'll have the drive to move ahead, with the security of knowing that you have your eggs lined up at home.

The Fine Print: The Cancer Full Moon is at 1 degree Cancer. Mars and Jupiter exactly oppose on the day after Christmas. If you have any planets or angles in the first 5 degrees of cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), this Bud's for you.

Sagittarius New Moon - December 9, 2007

I've never been one for travel. Fear-inducing Saturn is in my Ninth House of International Expeditions, opposite airline-happy Jupiter. My greatest terror has been of traveling in a country where I can't speak the language, I lose all my belongings and I end up homeless and starving in an alley, tormented by French people who throw snails at me.

However, I've more than made up for my nearly landlocked life through another Sagittarian endeavor, higher education. In fact, I wasted spent most of my twenties completing two masters degrees, neither of which I am using in my current career incarnation. There is just so much to learn ... plus nowadays having an advanced degree helps to get a job.

So how did I end up an astrologer, when I have degrees in both cognitive psychology and counseling psychology? I just find it more fascinating, a better model by which I can understand human behavior. Unfortunately, it has only been recently -- with the founding of Kepler College -- that astrology has been incorporated into the Ivory Tower (although it used to be taken pretty seriously before the scientific method relegated it to the New Age wastebin). Mainstream institutions are very closeminded about astrology, and I dropped out of my first PhD program because I was interested in archetypes -- which don't hold up well when you're measuring how quick a sophomore can hit a button on a computer.

Thank the Gods that I found CIIS, where I studied the art of psychotherapy in a spiritually-informed program. I even took my first astrology course there, under the title Cosmos and Psyche. I have no regrets having spent six years of my early adulthood in academic settings, although I will literally be paying for my education for the next 20-odd years.

What does my story have to do with the New Moon?

This Sunday's lunation occurs in Sagittarius, the sign that seeks to expand one's horizons, whether through travel or study. And the Sun-Moon conjunction is squared by paradigm-shattering Uranus, which is also the planet that rules astrology. During the New Moon, you may feel inspired to take on a course of study, plan a trip to Burma or promote your services. Sag is an inspiring fire sign, giving you the enthusiasm to convert others to your side or to take on the Great Books. Just be aware that any conventional course of study or travel plan will be upset by the planet of surprises and left turns. If you attempt to spread the Word, your message may come across as shocking or jarring ... or maybe you'll try to proselytize a familiar message, only to be disrupted by someone who challenges your belief system.

After all, Uranus is in Pisces. Sagittarius governs world religions, major schools of philosophy, higher education ... the Big Ideas. Sag trades in theories and opinions and belief systems, whereas Pisces chucks it all out the window and goes for direct experience of the Divine. What good are ideas, if they hold you back from connecting directly with the Source? You can talk and write about God, or you can just surrender to Him or Her.

Which would you choose?

The Fine Print: This New Moon falls at 17 Sagittarius, and will impact natives with planets or angles between 15 and 20 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces).

Gemini Full Moon: November 24, 2007

A few days after Thanksgiving, we are trying to remember what we are grateful for. The abundant meals, the large families, the sense of bounty in our lives ... we forgot all this on Friday when we went shopping. And on Saturday, we're focused once again on the minutiae of the Olsen twins' health and love lives.

The Gemini Full Moon features the stressful opposition between the Sagittarius Sun and the Gemini Moon. It is a culmination point, when information comes to light. However, do not trust the news during this lunation. Gemini's ruling planet, Mercury, is in Scorpio in an exact (partile) square to Neptune. Mercury-Neptune is the aspect of deception and lies, confusion and delusion. Poetic language may be nothing more than a veil covering over the ugly truth. And with Mercury in Scorpio, how can the information that's been exhumed be anything but dark and dirty? The gossip pages will likely offer "suggested" evidence regarding a celebutante's or politician's sexual proclivities, accompanied by the Neptunian spin of his or her publicist, denying the facts without actually stating that nothing happened.

The Fine Print: The Full Moon is at 1 degree 55 minutes Gemini. Mercury is at 19 Scorpio. The Full Moon will mostly impact natives with personal planets in the first few degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces).

Scorpio New Moon - November 9, 2007

In my part of town, the colors of the leaves are transforming from green to brilliant reds, oranges and yellows. This beautiful display suggests the illumination right before death, like an old light bulb that brightens before it goes out. When you are on the death bed, you may have a sense of clarity that previously eluded you (provided you're not on too much morphine). The urge to forgive and make amends creates an opening in the heart that makes way for a clean departure.

The imminent death of a parent unites siblings who may have accumulated resentments, keeping each other at a distance for years. Bitterness and anger are held tightly, like a toddler refusing to part with a toy. Hopefully, brothers and sisters rise above their differences to care for their parent.

Anger cannot be swept under the rug, though. It is healthy to bring it out into the open, rather than express it indirectly through passive-aggression and sideways maneuvers. When everyone's cards are out on the table, miracles can happen. The blinding white surprise of forgiveness graces all, and love reigns supreme.

Or at least that's how it would go in an ideal world. Maybe the kids just fight over the inheritance after the old fart passes on, everyone feeling shortchanged after all the sacrifices they made. "Surely I deserve more than my sister, after all, I let dad live in my basement! I knew she was his favorite! It's so unfair!"

It's really up to you to decide which direction you want to take. Will you let the death of a loved one transform you, give you the opportunity to rise to the occasion and be selfless, or will you continue to live in scarcity consciousness, fighting over assets that will be meaningless when it's your turn to meet your maker?

The Fine Print: The New Moon occurs at 17 Scorpio, in a Grand Water Trine with Mars in Cancer and Uranus in Pisces. This lunation also squares Neptune in Aquarius. If you have personal planets or angles in the second decan (10-19 degrees) of water signs, this process outlined above may go smoothly for you. If you have personal planets in the same degree areas in Taurus, Leo or Aquarius, not so easy for you.

Taurus Full Moon - October 26, 2007

This Full Moon is the apex of an Arrowhead, otherwise known as Thor's Hammer or a Quadriform. Venus in Virgo is square Jupiter in Sagittarius, and both planets sesquiquadrate the Moon in Taurus. A square is a 90-degree aspect and a sesquiquadrate is a 135-degree aspect, all "hard" or stressful aspects.

Venus square Jupiter has the quality of Taurean overload. All things Venus -- Taurus' ruling planet -- are expanded and exaggerated by Jupiter. It is the planetary combination of over-indulgence and over-spending. Granted, Venus in Virgo will be cautious about what she eats, and will question if she really needs another purse, since the one she has contains compartments for her cosmetics, supplements, car keys, change purse, first aid kit, lip balm, Blackberry ....

The conflict between Sagittarian going-all-out and Virgoan health concerns -- combined with the amplified desire to experience pleasure, regardless of how one goes about doing it -- must be resolved by the Moon in Taurus. This is patently unfair, because obviously the Moon will side with Venus. The planet of pleasure rules Taurus, and both the Moon and Venus are in earth signs. Yet, the fire of Jupiter in Sag is part of this configuration, and cannot be ignored.

Part of the problem is that Jupiter in Sag can be moralistic, or downright judgmental. Can you enjoy a glass of dessert wine and a bowl of ice cream if you feel that such indulgence disconnects you from God? It really depends on your conception of Higher Power. Some gods don't want us to experience sensual pleasure, and others want us to revel in the joy of being in a physical body. It's up to you to decide which god -- if any -- you want to worship.

Maybe the key is to moderately indulge in foreign foods (Virgo/Taurus/Sag) or go on an adventurous nature hike while snacking on fruits and nuts. Go ahead and do what feels good ... but as they say in the alcohol ads, do it "responsibly."

The Fine Print: The Full Moon is at 2 Taurus. Venus is in the last few minutes of 15 Virgo. Jupiter is at 18 Sagittarius. Oh yeah, there's also a Scorpio Sun in there somewhere. As well as some soft aspects to Mars in Cancer and Saturn in Virgo. You figure it out.

Jupiter square Uranus and the Revolutionization of the Music Industry

Record sales are plummeting, as more and more consumers download music for free or buy individual songs for 99 cents instead of purchasing full albums. Chalk it up to the mutual reception between Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius -- technological advances like peer-to-peer networks (Napster) enabled us to get our songs from many other internet users, instead of from a single authoritative source. And the RIAA responded by suing college students and grandmothers for stealing music.

Recently, a few mega-successful artists have thrown some kinks into the recording industry's business model. This month, Radiohead is offering their new album for download on a "pay what you like" model. You can get their music free, pay $18.98 ... whatever you wish. Also, Madonna -- after completing her current contract -- will work exclusively with a concert promoter, foregoing a record company completely. Many musicians recognize that the real money to be earned is from concert tickets and merchandise, not the actual recordings of their music, so some of them are choosing just to give their songs away.

It is no surprise, then, that these radical shifts in the music industry coincide with the 90-degree angle ("square") that expansive Jupiter and revolutionary Uranus are making for the third and final time in the mutable signs of Sagittarius and Pisces. Uranus seeks to break the rules and upset the status quo. This outer planet also relates to technological breakthroughs and the belief that all people should have equal access to cultural products. Jupiter expands this principle and revels in its success.

The signs in which these planets are currently residing speaks to the issues going on now. Pisces governs musicians and their creations. Sagittarius, which is ruled by Jupiter, relates to marketing, publishing, promoting ... all the responsibilities which have been traditionally taken on by the recording industry. The artist makes the music, and the companies sell albums -- by selling the public on the image of the artist. So during this Jupiter-Uranus square, Uranus is disrupting Jupiter, shaking up the way songs are shared with an artist's fans.

As Pluto enters Capricorn, we can expect a breakdown in the corporation, accompanied by said companies trying to maintain as much power as they can. They are making money off the artists, and don't want to give up a business model that is crumbling underneath their feet. It's now easier for major artists to connect directly with their fans, and emerging musicians are better able to find audiences through avenues such as MySpace and niche blogs. It is only a matter of time before the moguls find they are obsolete.