Full Moon in Aquarius - July 29, 2007

As individuals, we desire recognition. We are each unique, and want to shine in our own way. However, as performers, we require an audience. Without one, we may feel we do not exist, like the narcissist who breaks down if there's no one there to reflect her image back to herself.

It is developmentally necessary to be seen when you are a child, to have your mother convey -- through her words, tone of voice and facial expressions -- that you are the most special person in the world. If you integrate this message well enough, you can survive adulthood, when, invariably, you often feel invisible or unacknowledged.

Unfortunately, few of us absorb our mother's message 100%, because mothers are imperfect (or because we've got a nasty Saturn-Moon square in our horoscopes). Those moments when we crave recognition and don't get it can lead to all manner of reactions, ranging from temper tantrums to indulgence in fantasies about being loved and adored.

Unless we feel confident in our soul purpose, we yearn for validation. And even if we know we're on the right path, it feels good to be applauded, for this reassurance keeps us going when the going gets rough.

An antidote to reactivity is to not take the lack of an appreciative audience personally. We're all pretty self-centered. I've heard numerous times that you shouldn't worry too much about how you're going to appear to others, because most people are too obsessed with themselves to notice you. In other words, we need detachment to divest ourselves from our incessant need for ego-stroking. Detachment doesn't mean "I don't care." Rather, it means having a sense of perspective, when we can observe ourselves and witness our longing for approval. From this contemplative standpoint, we can notice our inner divas but not feel compelled to meet her demands.

The Fine Print: The Moon at 6 Aquarius opposes the Sun at 6 Leo. If you have planets or angles around 6 degrees of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), this Full Moon will resonate in some cosmic way with your life circumstances.

Taurus New Moon Square Neptune in Aquarius - May 16, 2007

This New Moon, your security needs conflict with the needs of the collective.

Nearly all of us are attached to our possessions and our preferences. But there is a whole world out there, one in which millions of people have less (materially) than you. And not to romanticize poverty, but those anecdotes -- about the poor in India who are more in touch with the divine in daily life than we are -- can challenge your value system.

Comfort is important. But we blog-readers take many of our affordable Western luxuries for granted. The price of a laptop and high speed internet access is beyond the reach of most.

This New Moon, you may have to sacrifice some of your money or possessions for humanitarian causes. The pull of compassion may result in an awakening to how good you've got it, and how easy it would be for you to do with less, if it means giving someone else more.

Or, your material stability may feel like it is being pulled out from under your feet. Financial transactions over the internet may be sabotaged by deception or confusion. Groups that encourage fuzzy boundaries may attempt to change your personal preferences for the benefit of the whole.

This New Moon occurs at 25 Taurus. Neptune is at 22 Aquarius, about to go retrograde later this month. If you have any personal planets or angles around degree 25 in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), you are undergoing the beginnings of a Neptune transit, in which you are likely to be feeling confused, mystically-inclined, lost in fantasy, martyred, escapist, and so on. This New Moon will serve as a trigger to this longer process of dissolution of whatever area of your life is being affected.

Aquarius New Moon - February 17, 2007

I've never truly understood the sign of Aquarius. One the one hand, it concerns friends, groups, and concern for the collective. On the other hand, the Aquarian is eccentric, striving to separate from the mainstream, upsetting the status quo in her embrace of unique beliefs, fashion statements and public acts. Aquarius is forward-thinking, often embracing trends before these radical ideas are adopted by the consumer-capitalist corporate-state.

Aquarius is detached from the emotional connections that bring two individuals together in intimate embrace. The Water Bearer is an air sign that, unlike his brother Libra, is not all that into one-on-one partnership; and unlike Gemini, isn't all that interested in chatting with the neighbors about the latest goings-on.

Is Aquarius the mad scientist, locked in his laboratory or study, developing his brilliant but misunderstood ideas about the nature of the Universe? Or is Aquarius that woman who has a billion friends, who's heavily involved in political activism and building an online presence for her favorite political candidate?

Aquarius is so impersonal, yet at the same time, he cares so much about humanity. Everyone should be treated equally. All beings should have basic human rights. Yet when you try to get close to Aquarius, he backs away. He's more comfortable in the global sister- and brotherhood than the forming of a more perfect union with one other person.

Aquarius is a transpersonal sign. It's not about the selfish needs of the developing self. It's not about closeness between two people. It's about all of us, the world. When I look at the google search queries that bring users to my web site, I notice a number of users type "I hate Aquarius men" into that search box. Are these googlers trying to find consolation, other poor souls who have tried -- and tried -- to get close to an Aquarius, only to be emotionally shut out? I'm making a grand generalization here -- because of course Aquarians are capable of marriage -- but there's something about this sign that is beyond ordinary human relations.

Barack Obama just announced his candidacy for President of the United States, based on a platform that all people should be afforded equal rights, all citizens should get universal health care. I haven't made any decision yet about who I'm voting for, but obviously, during ObamaMania, we can begin this Aquarian enterprise by engaging in political action to ensure that everyone -- regardless of skin color, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and so on -- gets treated with respect and can derive the benefits of living in a first world country that can afford to take care of its neediest.

This is not a forward-thinking idea. It's a big "duh." But apparently there are many numbskulls running this country who haven't yet entered the Age of Aquarius.