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).

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.

Stupid friggin' Mercury retrograde

As we become a more technologically-dependent society, do retrograde cycles isolate us more from our fellow human beings?

We now connect more with people outside of our local community, via personal computers, cell phones, Blackberrys and Treos. When these devices go down during Mercury's backwards turn, we're cut off from sources of social support, not to mention news, gossip and essential information like passwords, checking registers and phone numbers. (God forbid we actually call someone on the phone instead of texting them!)

I'm only writing this because my stupid friggin' Palm won't Hotsync today, and I'm not getting my Salon.com and NYTimes fix that I usually read over AvantGo. Do I actually have to buy a newspaper? Or read movie reviews on my laptop during breakfast! What an inconvenience!

Libra New Moon - October 11, 2007

Attention Newsletter Subscribers: It has been brought to my attention that I wrote in the Subject line that the New Moon was on Tuesday instead of Thursday. My bad!

Sometimes an eye for precision is required to create fairness in a relationship. You may need the assistance of carpentry level.

Of course, this attention to detail is not Libra's forte, unless she's matching colors in your living room. We need the craftsman-like skills of a Virgo.

Libra is ruled by Venus, and during this New Moon in Libra, Venus is in Virgo. Granted, the goddess of love does not feel blissful in the sign of her fall. She tends to feel self-critical (as well as other-critical!), harping on her own or her partner's flaws to help improve efficiency and create a more perfect marriage. And although she approaches lovemaking as skill-set to hone, at least she cares enough to be attentive in bed.

Unfortunately, Venus is conjunct strict Saturn during the New Moon, and She completely merges with Him on Sunday, October 14. As if being in Virgo were not enough of a challenge, she's now being whipped into shape by the Taskmaster, who demands that she shed pounds in preparation for her Long Marriage to the God of Responsibility and Commitment. Which is not such a bad thing, but boy, the hoops He makes Her jump through! It is a grueling workout, and sometimes all Venus wants to do is throw in the towel and stay an Old Maid.

However, Saturn doesn't let Her off easy, and by the time she's through, Venus knows exactly what she wants in a relationship -- no more and no less -- and isn't willing to put up with any BS along the way. So "plant your New Moon seeds in the fertile soil of love," or whatever New-Agey phrases turn you on during this Libra New Moon -- but remember what's going on in the background.

The Fine Print: The New Moon occurs at 17 Libra and will be most powerful for people with planets or angles between 15 and 20 degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). The New Moon is semisquare Venus at 2 Virgo. Venus will conjoin Saturn at 4 Virgo, so people with planets or angles around 2 to 7 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) will be impacted by this energy.

PLUG: Add the Lunar Tunes widget to your Facebook!

Aries Full Moon - September 26, 2007

Shacking up with someone has its benefits, but there comes a time when you don't want to spend every waking moment with your partner -- you want to do your own thing, even if it disturbs the equilibrium of your relationship. However, if you make too many sacrifices to please your partner, you end up feeling resentful.

During this Full Moon, the spotlight shines on your needs. It's "me" time. Meanwhile, the "we" is tugging at your sleeve, wanting to talk talk talk, when all you want is to do do do. Now is not the time to start something new, as much as to recognize how you've been neglecting your impulses to carve out your own direction in life.

Doing your own thing does not necessitate moving out or moving on. However, to maintain an independent spirit within a relationship, you have to make sure you don't neglect the needs of your partnership. There's no easy formula like, "I'll see The Jane Austen Book Club tonight with my girlfriends, and tomorrow we'll see your friend's band together." Each relationship is its own ecosystem, and you have to figure out how to maintain homeostasis. A general rule of thumb, though, is that too much time either separate or together can threaten the delicate balance.

Look to your Sun Sign (or better yet, Rising Sign) below to see in which area of life you want to charge forward -- without having to ask your boyfriend or girlfriend's permission:

• Aries: The Full Moon is in your sign, so it's all about you and your appearance.
  
• Taurus: What you need more than anything is retreat. Go to an ashram for the weekend.
• Gemini: Spend time with your friends. And don't take your spouse with you!
• Cancer: Just this once, it's OK to spend too much time at the office.
• Leo: Run to the airport and book a flight to another continent. If you're on the cheap, read a good book.
• Virgo: Start psychoanalysis, or study the occult. What a little magic can do!
• Libra: Ah, there's the irony. You just can't escape your need for relationship, so don't even try!
• Scorpio: Take the dog on a walk, go for a run in the park. Or go to lunch with a co-worker.
• Sagittarius: Lock yourself in your studio and paint. Or go to Las Vegas for the weekend.
• Capricorn: Visit Mom and Dad. You know their daughter- or son-in-law doesn't like them anyway.
• Aquarius: Chat it up with the neighbors or your grocery clerk. Or just go for a solo drive.
• Pisces: Stop daydreaming and start making some money! Or think about what you really value.
  

Virgo New Moon (Solar Eclipse) - September 11, 2007

A Solar Eclipse occurs during a New Moon when the Moon's path intersects with the ecliptic, or the apparent path of the Sun from our perspective on Earth. In essence, the Moon is near-exactly between the Sun and Earth, like a game of monkey-in-the-middle. Luna blocks Sol's light for a moment, and the Sun's rationality is "eclipsed" by the Moon's unconscious, emotional drives. Virgo agrees with Apollonian logic, as this Mercury-ruled sign loves to analyze and organize. Virgo is not so comfortable with the illogical Moon. This sign is too quick to rush in and make sense of the Moon's dreamy images.

The Moon is the body, though, and health-conscious Virgo feels at home improving the vessel that contains our soul. But if you're thinking that this Virgo Solar Eclipse provides the perfect opportunity to start a new exercise regimen and eat healthy, you are sorely mistaken. In fact, any efforts you make towards spending a peaceful hour or two alphabetizing your vitamins and herbal supplements will be sabotaged by Uranus, whose sole intent is to make you take Ginkgo when you meant to ingest Guarana.

The planet of surprises and sudden turnarounds is in Pisces, opposite the Virgo New Moon. Uranus lives to disrupt, and control-freaks like Virgo are one of this planet's favorite targets, for rigidity is anathema to the principle of revolutionary ideas and unconventional acts. Yes, it is time to think about ways to improve your health and attend to workplace issues (especially now that Saturn has entered this sign), but Uranus wants you to work in a novel twist to your approaches. Don't just follow the latest diet fad or rely on tried-and-true tips on how to get along with your colleagues. Think outside the box! If you don't, Uranus will find a way to subvert your plans. An offbeat spoken-word artist will sit in the cubicle next to you, spouting inventive rhymes while you're analyzing your spreadsheet. Take a step back and imbibe the images emanating from your LCD screen. Your Excel document is nothing more than pixels which are recognized as patterns by your Virgo mind. Cells, borders, numbers ... once you see they're just dots, you're free to read the Microsoftian Illumunita on your PC, and you're a click away from Nirvana.

The Fine Print: This New Moon occurs at 18 Virgo. Natives with planets or angles between 16 and 23 degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) will feel this the most. Mars in Gemini is also involved in a T-Square with the New Moon and Uranus -- Uranus-Mars squares are notorious for impulsivity and recklessness, so wear a helmet when you ride your bicycle.

Note to Commenters: I am unlikely to respond if you include your stats and ask what this eclipse will mean for you. There are usually just too many inquiries to respond to, and I already give away enough for free. You are more than welcome to share your fears, expectations, reactions and experiences. Just be aware that I'm more likely to be engaged in comment section dialogues about the general meaning of the eclipse.

Pisces Full Moon (Lunar Eclipse) - August 28, 2007

It's eclipse time, y'all! Eclipses are uber-powerful lunations, as the Moon and Sun are conjunct the Lunar Nodes, which are the points in the sky where the Moon's path intersects with the Sun's apparent path (ecliptic). (The astronomy's kinda confusing, I know!) All you really need to know is this: If a regular Full Moon makes people crazy, a Lunar Eclipse requires that twice as many looney-bin paramedics be on call than usual.

Speaking of psychosis, this Full Moon is in Pisces, the sign of crazies and mental hospitals. After all, when life gets too stressful, you either drink, do yoga, or disassociate from reality altogether. The problem is that rigid Virgo Sun, always trying to analyze and compartmentalize.

Virgo is the nurse practitioner at Bellevue, trying to ascertain whether your psychotic episode is due to mental illness or if it's just alcohol-induced. She's completing a five-page assessment while you're in la-la land, wondering how those bunnies got into the room with the cushioned walls.

The Virgo part of you creates obsessive-compulsive rituals to stave off the anxiety of Piscean boundlessness. If you check that the front door is locked -- three times -- then your home just might be safe! That is, you might be safe. But not really, because you know that you're just this close from the edge of the cliff of consensual reality, and your rigid habits only create the illusion of control.

The conventional psychiatrist will just dose you up with a nice cocktail to zombify you. However, one of those wacko transpersonal docs may prescribe surrender. Just go with the flow, man! What do those bunnies mean, anyway? Can your dreams, however cockamamie, tell you something useful about either your unconscious or God's will? Maybe insanity is just a deviation from the collective's immersion in media and material consumption! If so, then -- PLEASE -- go off the deep end! Let it all hang out!

But if you see the men in white coats, do me a favor -- RUN!

The Fine Print: This eclipse occurs at 4 Pisces, so it will have the most impact for those natives with planets or angles around 4 degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces).

Note to Commenters: I will be on vacation the week of August 27, and am unlikely to respond to your comments. So help each other out!

Leo New Moon - August 12, 2007

The Saturn-Neptune opposition is still in effect until Saturn enters Virgo next month. Sure, the disillusionment juice is going bad, but we haven't thrown it out of the fridge just yet -- Saturn is slow to notice such things.

To bid Him a hearty farewell, we've got a Luna Nueva in Leo, the sign desperately awaiting his departure.

This lunation is all glitz and glamour, with the Lights tightly opposing Neptune in Aquarius. It's all image baby, and we hope to fool the audience into thinking our veneer is the real deal ... and that the Old Guy will let us get away with it.

Unfortunately, the attention we want may be out of reach. Neptune is a frail gypsy who takes our money, promises fame, and disappears out the back of the circus tent.

The only way to make this lunation work is to not make it about ourselves ... which is not easy when we're wanting to be both King and Queen. Neptune favors selflessness, and any new starts this time around will have to include a sacrifice to this otherworldly planet. This means giving instead of getting. As much our Leonine side wants to be the center of the universe, we must provide warmth to others, and put our desires to be worshipped aside.

The Fine Print: This New Moon occurs at 19 Leo. If you have personal planets or angles around this degree area in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), you're either the star of the show, or the understudy.

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.

New Moon in Cancer - July 14, 2007

Family is where our lives begin, and many of us derive joy from starting our own. Yet families are also severely screwed-up. I just finished watching the last season of Alias on DVD. This show, starring Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, was about a CIA operative whose parents were also spies. However, her mother was a "bad guy," and Sydney was constantly deceived (or had information hidden from her) by both her parents. The theme of this show is appropriate for this Cancer New Moon, because the Moon and Sun are exactly inconjunct (150-degree angle) Neptune in Aquarius. The misinformation and lies (Neptune) perpetrated along various networks (Aquarius) was intimately tied to Sydney Bristow's sense of family -- her very past (Cancer), in fact, as she was the progeny of a Russian spy who pretended she was someone else, to get close to Sydney's father, a CIA operative. (I know, it's complicated!)

What forms of deception were part of your family? Many of us grew up with a gut sense -- way below conscious awareness -- that our parents were hiding something from us. Family secrets -- a gay uncle, an alcoholic father, a sexually abused step-sister, a pedophilic great-grandfather, take your pick! -- were hidden supposedly to "protect" us, but the withdrawal of this vital information ("intelligence") left us feeling incomplete, that there was something missing, if we could only identify what that was. Once we learn about our family's past, the missing pieces come together, and we finally understand why we felt off-center.

Even though the secret was about something that didn't directly impact you, it affected you anyway. You are a part of your family, and a family is an organism, a unit by itself, of which you are a part. You cannot separate yourself from what your great-grandfather did to your grand-aunt, because these patterns are inherited. Mistakes are often passed along the generations, and it takes both consciousness and will to not repeat the "sins of the fathers." Thus, it is imperative that the veils of our family's past are pulled aside, so that, with awareness, we can choose to stop the dysfunction.

The Fine Print: This New Moon occurs at 21 degrees Cancer. This lunation will mostly impact those natives with personal planets or angles around 21 degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn).

Full Moon in Capricorn - June 30, 2007

When I grew up, my dad wasn't home enough, and my mom was home too much. (No offense, Mom!) This dichotomy was all too common due to gender roles among the Baby Boomers, such that the mom didn't join the workforce until her nest was empty. Nowadays, often both parents work and leave the kid with a nanny (if they can afford one). Either way, there is a split between nurturance and breadwinning, such that it's unlikely that one individual can both succeed in the workplace and be an everpresent caretaker in the home.

Beyond this sociological conundrum, we've got this contradiction in our inner lives as well. If you devote yourself to career growth (Moon in Capricorn), do your efforts come at the expense of your feelings (Sun in Cancer)? Your task at this Full Moon is to balance productivity with self-nurturing.

With the spotlight on Capricorn, the tension is more likely to be noticed at the workplace. Maybe your boss is critical of your need to cut out early because your kid has a half-day at school. Or your work performance is suffering because you've been preoccupied with your ailing parents. Or you may go "workaholic" to avoid tensions in the home.

The Fine Print: This Full Moon is at 8 degrees Capricorn. If you have any personal planets or angles between 7 and 11 degrees of cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), this lunation will have an effect. This Full Moon is also tied in with the Saturn-Neptune opposition by semisquare/sesquiquadrate, so the whole "manifest your dreams and bust your illusions" theme will apply to your home/work conflict.

Uranus stations retrograde at 18 Pisces on June 23, 2007

I've been feeling the need for change. It's little things, like not wanting to come back home after running an errand, or wanting to totally change my routine. I feel restless, aware of the repetitiveness of my life. I do derive fulfillment from work, family, dance, and so on, but there have been no awakenings, no 007 James Bond car chases, no jumping from airplanes, no being swept off my feet. Everything's just the same.

Usually, that's OK. I have Virgo Rising -- I like consistency, I like having a schedule. I've found activities from which I derive pleasure, and I attend to them without fail, week after week.

But something's gotta give! Uranus, the planet of sudden change and revolution, conjoined my Pisces Sun in March, and it's about to go retrograde (apparently backwards-moving) on Saturday. It's been slowing to a standstill, and I can feel it. Yet I'm not sure how to shake things up!

I recall at the first conjunction, I IM'd with a reader whose progressed chart was my natal chart (except her progressed Moon was a few degrees from exact to my Moon). I felt that was meaningful. When Uranus stationed a few minutes from my Sun June 2006, I had a major spike in blog traffic. These were both unexpected events, and both concerned my relationship to astrology, which is governed by Uranus.

So I have an idea of what may be ahead. But I can't know exactly what it will be, as Uranus' catch phrase is "Expect the Unexpected." Yet I want to grease the wheels, to be prepared for whatever comes my way. I'd prefer to take the wheel, but I don't know where I'm driving. Hence, I feel like a passive (Pisces?) recipient of whatever Uranus brings my way. The attitude of receiving is better than defending against, but in the meantime, I feel like I'm just waiting, because I don't know how to do an overhaul by myself.

I did a tarot reading asking "What will Uranus rx bring?" and I got FIVE major arcana cards:

• Daily Lesson: Temperance
• Challenges/Opportunites: Judgment
• Situation: Empress
• Advice: Magician
• Near Future: Tower

So there's confirmation that something big will happen.

How do you want to change your life?

Gemini New Moon opposite Pluto in Sagittarius - June 14, 2007

For some, the thrill of reading TMZ.com and gossip rags is that they expose celebs' secrets and public gaffes: drunk driving, cocaine abuse, racist comments. Seeing the underbelly of the carefully controlled image reminds us that even the fabulously wealthy are flawed human beings.

But we have to be careful of how we ingest the news. Our minds crave distraction from the humdrum of our daily lives, yet how often does our media diet contribute depth and substance? Are we, as a collective, over and done with Paris Hilton, as low as she's sunk? Could it be that the press is a tool of the government, trying to control us so that we don't question our nation's destructive foreign policies? Does the Bush administration own TMZ? Are Paris, Britney and Lindsay nothing but pawns of the American Enterprise Institute?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm just making a point. Gemini can be superficial and gossipy, oblivious to the dangers perpetrated by those in power. Sometimes we get so stuck in absorbing mindless information that we don't pay attention to world affairs.

The Sun and Moon in Gemini opposite Pluto in Sagittarius can by symbolized by the investigative reporter who exposes human rights abuses in Guantanamo Bay, pedophilia in the Church, date rape at universities. Even in the context of celebrity news, the exposure of racism (Mel Gibson, Michael Richards, Don Imus) provides a useful service.

What does this have to do with you?

This New Moon is at 23 Gemini. It is making several aspects:

• Opposition to Pluto at 27 Sag
• Exact semisquare (45 degrees ) to Venus at 8 Leo
• Tight sextile to Mars at 22 Aries
• Sextile to Saturn at 20 Leo
• Square to Uranus at 18 Pisces
• Trine to Neptune at 21 Aquarius

As you can see, the degree areas between 18 and 27 are being highly stimulated, by both hard aspects (Pluto, Uranus, Venus) and soft aspects (Saturn, Neptune, Mars). Mars, Saturn and Pluto are in a Grand Fire Trine. Saturn and Neptune are finishing up their opposition. This New Moon is activating all these configurations.

So if you have any planets or angles around this degree area, something will be up for you. Share your chart in the comments section, and maybe someone can help you out.

Sagittarius Full Moon conjunct Jupiter - May 31, 2007

Philosophy, the Ivory Tower ... the academy can be pretty dry. Professors in their tweed jackets at the lectern, discoursing on their topic of expertise, can either induce sleep or inspire one to take up a new course of study. One is unlikely to finish a Ph.D. without passion, but expressing it -- so that it becomes contagious -- takes a special talent. I'm sure we've all had at least one teacher who has sparked our quest for knowledge, someone whose course stood out amongst our mostly tedious classes. We study, not just to learn, but to find meaning in the theories that we digest. However arcane the Law (legal, religious), it just "clicks" for some people, and summons them on a path most of us would never take. It may not be apparent from the outside while they spout obtuse jargon, but the fire is inside.

But what good is that fire if it does not spread? Sure, personal fulfillment is important, but many spiritual explorers want to share the Word. They have to tap into our emotions to convert us. Logic alone will not do. Facts do not persuade us. We need to be inspired, to feel the call in our bodies. When you listen to a teacher and feel the heat -- that is how you know you have been touched. There is a convergence of mind and spirit, a bell ringing both in our heads and our hearts.

This Full Moon is an especially ripe time to be seduced by the Call. The Moon is in Sagittarius, conjunct Jupiter, the sign's ruler. Jupiter is retrograde, so you may feel drawn to re-evaluate an old philosophy or religious practice that you had previously discarded. Or an old teacher may come back into your life. It is time to be open to that which you had been closed. Let your feelings be your guide, don't reject on the basis of thought. However, don't let yourself get carried away, either. Jupiter expands the Moon, and you can ride on an emotional high, neglecting the fine print because you're so lost in the Big Picture.

The Fine Print: This Full Moon is at 10 Sag. If you have any personal planets or angles around 10 degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), this lunation will have a strong impact. In addition, Venus at 25 Cancer is making a stressful 135 degree angle (sesquiquadrate) to the Moon, so planets around this degree in the cardinal signs may also be affected. Your attraction to family traditions may inhibit you from being open to expansive ideas.

The Upside of Saturn

At the closing of dance class last night, one woman was sharing that she felt she had just come out of a "winter" that started in August -- a real hard time. As difficult as it was, she said that she was grateful for the experience of heaviness, for last evening her dance -- instead of being fantastic as it usually is when she is feeling "normal" -- was "friggin' fantastic." That is, it probably was no different from her dance before her "winter," but the sheer delight in not feeling so constrained by life made her experience subjectively all the more powerful. It's like breathing normally after having been short of breath for a long time.

I didn't ask for her birth data, but given the length of a typical Saturn transit -- at least 9 months if Saturn goes retrograde over a natal planet -- and the dreariness of Saturn, I gather she had just come out from Saturn's burdensome weight. Life is sunshine again, and it's all the brighter after having been in the dark.

I'm going through my own Saturn transit right now, as it is hitting my 19 Aquarius Moon for the last time (at least this time 'round!). Earlier during this transit, I was probably walking half the speed I usually do, dragging my feet across the pavement to get wherever I had to go. Nine months to a year is a long time to carry the weight of a Saturn transit, and one can easily forget what life was like before. Perhaps an inkling that one was once alive and happy ... but it's so hard to access such feelings now, they feel more theoretical than anything. Thus, after having listened to my dancing friend last night, I feel there is hope, that come this summer I will be a free man, feeling that a walk down the street is like jumping on a trampoline.

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.

Now I believe in semi-squares

The past few days, I've been overcome with anger and resentment -- which would make sense, since today is a Scorpio Full Moon -- but it hasn't until now, because I didn't see the Full Moon making any hard aspects to any of my chart points. I play by a hard-and-fast rule that a lunation doesn't have much of an impact unless it's making a conjunction, square or opposition (and maybe a quincunx) to a planet or angle. Trines and sextiles just don't force one to get out of bed in the morning, you know? So I've been confounded all day ... why do I feel so pissy? The Full Moon is making a not-so-tight trine to my Pisces Sun. Big deal.

But now I know. This Full Moon is exactly semi-square my natal Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio. When I was studying astrology with John, I was amazed that he could immediately identify semi-squares and sesquiquadrates, because unless they're identified by those little symbols in the center of a computerized chart, they don't exactly pop out at you. All the Ptolemaic aspects are pretty easy to notice, because they're in the same degree areas, unless you're looking the last degrees of one sign and the first degrees of another. But 45 and 135 degree angles don't share that heuristic. 26 Virgo and 11 Scorpio don't scream out, "Aspect!" You have to do the math in your head. 26 Virgo (my natal Pluto) + 30 degrees = 26 Libra. 26 Libra + 15 degrees = 11 Scorpio (today's Full Moon). Therefore, 26 Virgo + 45 degrees = 11 Scorpio.

The math isn't so easy, but it's worth it, because now everything has fallen into place. The tension, the seething underground rage ... there's a precise astrological corollary to it. All is right in the Universe.

Scorpio Full Moon -- May 2, 2007

One of the most difficult lessons of early childhood is learning how to share. When you discover the concept of "mine," as well as the sensual delights of touching, smelling, tasting, viewing and hearing your toys, the loss of "yours" to someone else brings up all these dark feelings: rage, coveting, jealousy, possessiveness. Mom must intervene at the sandbox, teach you a "life lesson."

After graduating from toys, you move on to other acquisitions, but is sharing any easier? Can you share your spouse? Time on your entertainment system? Your hard-earned money? NO! IT'S MINE! I worked my butt off to get these things -- do you think I'm just going to hand them over to someone else?

Yet, how lonely is it when you keep your possessions to yourself? Why bust your buns, if not to share what you have with your loved ones? It can be easy to do so, when it bridges the gap between yourself and someone else. You give freely when you trust another.

In fact, do you really "own" anything? It all turns to dust. Your money, your house, it just gets transferred to someone else when you die, or it decays over time. Your possessions only provide an illusion of security. Don't get me wrong, creature comforts are important, and you need to pay your rent, but what do you really need? The intimacy you share with another human being, the trust you develop by having integrity ... are these intangibles not more valuable than your car?

You can lose all your worldly possessions in the fire, or you can lose yourself in the fire of regeneration. When you merge with another, a part of you dies, but you become larger as a result.

Aries New Moon - April 17, 2007

It's springtime in Brooklyn, and the cherry blossoms are blooming. As we Northern Hemispherians come out of winter and witness the beginnings of new life, it is natural to think about making a frest start. In the cold, we withdraw into our cocoons, dip into reserves, and conserve our energies to keep warm. When the weather heats up, it's time to come out.

But what direction do you take? Do you want to jumpstart your dating life? Take the next step in your career? Upgrade your house? At the Aries New Moon, we all feel the need to take initiative, but our natal charts show us how and where we take that important first step.

The New Moon always falls in a house in your chart, an area of experience such as work, home, marriage, health and so on. The house where Aries sits on the cusp is where we naturally have a go-to-it attitude, jumping in without worrying about consequences -- a place where we feel impulsive and pioneering. This part of your life may feel dormant until a planet transits the house, or your natal Mars (the ruler of Aries) is stimulated by transit or progression.

During the Aries New Moon, this part of your life comes alive -- you are meant to plant the seeds of a new project related to the concerns of the house where the transiting Sun and Moon fall. Additionally, if any planets or angles (like the Ascendant or Midheaven) are near 27 degrees -- especially of cardinal signs like Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn -- the impulses of that planet (as well as the house it inhabits) will also receive a burst of energy, an incitement to bloom.

To use myself as an example: I have natal Mars at 29 Aries in the 9th house. Aries is on the cusp of my 9th house, so it is also ruled by Mars. This Aries New Moon stimulates a desire to aggressively (Mars) promote myself (9th), or take action (Mars) to publish (9th house). With this placement I'm already inclined to do these things, but the Aries New Moon provides the kick in the pants needed to motivate myself.

Comment below: Where does the Aries New Moon fall in your chart? How do you want to jumpstart your life?

Want to Get to Know Your Chart? Jeffrey Kishner is available for astrology readings.

Corporate Transparency and the Saturn-Neptune Opposition

Clive Thompson has written a fascinating article in the current issue of Wired about corporate transparency: CEOs blogging about the inner workings and infighting in their companies. This trend reflects a dissolution (Neptune) of traditional boundaries (Saturn) in the face of bad publicity about corporate deception.

Neptune rules deception, lies, viruses, leaks. When a CEO puts out disinformation, he or she is eventually called on it. Bloggers expose the untruths, lending a viral quality to breaking stories that hurt a company's reputation. Hence, the only solution is to be completely honest with the public.

Libra Full Moon -- April 2, 2007

Relationships are difficult. It takes an ability to achieve homeostasis for a partnership to thrive. Even when waves rock the corny boat of love, equilibrium is (eventually) maintained in a healthy twosome.

One of the major challenges in a relationship occurs when one individual has a need that upsets the balance of the partnership. Let's say Jack wants to go to a concert on the same night that Jill has her regular girls' night out -- if you'll pardon my heterosexist example. Jack's favorite band only tours every couple of years, but Jill relies on the sustenance derived from her weekly ritual, and they can't afford babysitting nowadays. ("What, you can buy a $60 ticket, but you won't spend the same money on a sitter if we want a night alone together?") It seems that somebody has to give. Jack and Jill cannot both get their needs met simultaneously. A compromise must be made.

This Libra Full Moon illustrates the challenge of negotiating my needs versus our needs, with the Moon in relationship-focused Libra opposing the Sun in self-focused Aries. The light shines on the Libra side of this polarity, emphasing the need to shift a little. Compromise does not entail being a doormat, or surrendering to the other's desires and then feeling resentful. It is about a healthy give-and-take in which two partners sit down and negotiate their needs, both as two individuals and as a couple. Ideally, one partner is willing to forego their own immediate pleasure (Aries) out of love for their partner (Libra). This requires open communication, reflecting Libra's Air nature.

Full Moons are culmination points, and as such, energy comes to a head. In our relationship lives, the balance of "we" has been thrown out of whack by too much "me." How two individuals sort this out will be the dance of this Full Moon.

There's more to the story. Mars (ruler of the Aries Sun) in Aquarius is making stressful eighth harmonic aspects (135 degrees and 45 degrees) to the Sun and Moon, adding an "edge" focused on being independent, acting to detach from intimate partnership. This causes friction, and supports Aries' side of the equation.

Additionally, the Sun and Moon are making soft angles to Jupiter and Saturn. The Aries Sun is in a Grand Fire Trine with the planets of expansion and contraction, drawing on the supportive relationship between these social planets. What does this mean for our partnerships? Our one-on-one concerns take place within a larger framework -- religion, law, corporations. All the elements of culture that have been developed to support (or regulate) relationships are on our side. Although we may sometimes feel restricted (Saturn) or judged (Jupiter) by the powers-that-be, during this Full Moon we may turn to them to help iron out our differences. Use this opportunity to turn to a religious figure or a wise elder for assistance.

The Fine Print: This Full Moon mostly impacts those individuals with personal planets or angles near degree 12 of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn).

Houses: If you are familiar with your natal chart, you will be able to determine which houses (areas of experience) tenant this Full Moon. By noting which houses are involved, you may be able to predict which "actors" you may struggle with during this period.

• 1/7 - your husband or wife, long-term partner, best friend, business partner, client, open enemy.
• 2/8 - psychotherapist, accountant, investment banker.
• 3/9 - siblings, neighbors, teachers, gurus, people from a foreign country, in-laws.
• 4/10 - Mom, Dad, the boss, the realtor, any authority figure, any nurturing figure.
• 5/11 - friends, groups, children, lovers.
• 6/12 - service people, co-workers, prisoners, hospitalized persons, monks, nuns.

Want to Get to Know Your Chart? Jeffrey Kishner is available for astrology readings.

Saturn-Moon: I Want My Mommy!

Transiting Saturn has been opposing my Aquarius Moon, and due to its retrograde motion, the planet of restriction and deficit has been hanging out there too long. The most pressing theme of this aspect has been a longing for Mother. No offense to Mom, but she could not have met each and every need of mine as a child. We all make do with what parenting we've received. I invested in about fifteen years of psychotherapy (and became a shrink myself) to heal my own wounds. I got to a place just a few years ago when I felt I no longer needed therapy, and I've functioned more-or-less fine without falling apart. But the ache for a mother figure still comes up -- especially when transiting Saturn puts a focus on my 'planet' of nurturance. Growth for anyone, in my definition, is being able to just be with the loss without filling the hole with compulsive behavior, or shutting down completely.

This is no small task. Part of growing up requires that we develop an "inner mother" to help us self-soothe when we feel small or anxious. In psychonalytic terms, we "introject" the mother, we take her inside ourselves. When do you know you've successfully done that? When you stop sleeping with your teddy bear? When you stop looking for mother figures in your lovers, your teachers, your friends?

It may be a life-long task. We all, from time to time, want our mommies. Life is scary. We take on new things, and want reassurance that everything will be OK. We want advice that only a mother can give. And yet, she's not available. Our real mothers might have passed away, or they just might not be very maternal. The archetype of the Perfect Mother who is all-compassionate is just that -- an archetype. More like Quan Yin than the woman who smacked you for talking back.

So with Saturn pressing down on my Moon, the lack is all the more apparent -- forcing myself to grow a mom inside myself. This looks different as I grow older. In my twenties, I felt like I was literally going to die if I felt an ache in my heart-center. Now, I experience that as a benevolent opening -- intense, yes, but not dangerous. I can tolerate my emotions better. In astrological terms, I can contain (Saturn) my feelings (Moon).

Everyone has a different Moon, depending on its sign, house placement and aspects to other planets. This complex combo will provide a picture of how you experience Mother, nurturance and feelings.

Everyone also has an inner mother. How we treat ourselves is often how Mom treated us. No better time than a Saturn transit to drop what doesn't work. And with transiting Neptune conjunct my Moon, no better time to introject the Compassion of the Divine Mommy.

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Pisces - March 18, 2007

Sometimes I listen to progressive metal, a hybrid of art-rock and heavy metal with guitar lines so low and loud, they shake every molecule of your body. Yet this music also includes all the pretentions of serious musicians intent on including odd meters and contrapuntal melodies -- not to mention lyrics about ancient civilizations and occult claptrap.

This solar eclipse is kind of like art metal. The Sun and Moon are conjunct (a New Moon ) in ethereal, musical Pisces, but in a tense square -- a 90-degree angle -- to Pluto, lord of the underworld. We plant our dream-seeds into the fertile earth, just a few days before spring, with the chthonic power of nature forcing our fantasies to either survive or perish.

Pluto drags our transcendent urges into the nether regions of our psyche, confronting us with our devils and demons. One spiritual downfall (to which Pisces is prone) is the propensity to meditate for hours on end, revelling in bliss states to escape one's very real problems here on earth. Altered states of consciousness are not ends in themselves, strivings to experience mental fireworks and out-of-body experiences. Rather, the "work" is useful insofar as it helps us to be more compassionate beings in daily life.

The elements of Self we have cast off into the recesses of our unconscious cannot be avoided, especially with Pluto blocking our path at the intersection between heaven and hell. An attempt to paint, write music or sit zazen releases all the twisted, dark images that have been rooting around in the basement. They can no longer be avoided. Instead, incorporate them into your art. Black paints, harsh power chords, chaotic dance moves ... unleash the hell-fire of Self and channel it into your spiritual strivings, creating the humus to bring your dream-seeds to life.

The Fine Print: This New Moon occurs at 28 Pisces. If you have personal planets or angles between 25-29 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) or 0-2 degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), this Solar Eclipse will have a strong impact over the next year. Look to the houses containing 28 Pisces and 28 Sagittarius to see which areas of your life will be affected.

Related posts:

• Fear of an eclipse
• How to prepare for an eclipse

Fear of an eclipse

I wrote How to prepare for an eclipse last week because readers have been sharing their fears about how these eclipses will affect them and their loved ones. Now I, too, have fallen prey to rumination. After all, every member of my immediate family has a planet at 14 or 15 degrees Pisces. What will happen? Should we all stay behind closed doors on Saturday?

Fear is natural, and I supposed it is to be expected. After all, people do go loony on a Full Moon, so think how much crazier they'll get on a Lunar Eclipse! However, there are other cosmic forces at work that increase our worry.

Saturn opposite Neptune

Yes, today is the second exact "hit" of this aspect, with Saturn in Leo transiting retrograde opposite slower-moving Neptune in Aquarius. Saturn rules fear and negativity. Neptune relates to the imagination, and adds a cloudy, confused, delusional flavor to any planet it touches, especially in hard aspect. Add these two planets together, and you get unfounded fears, free floating anxiety, dark fantasies. Many dystopian movies play out Saturn-Neptune themes. So of course, we expect the worst of this Lunar Eclipse, because we are in the thick of paranoia.

How do you combat fear?

There are two kinds of fear -- the first kind occurs when a mountain lion is chasing you; the second occurs when you think about the future. The former response is a great survival mechanism -- surely our species would have become extinct had we not learned to run from wild animals and avoid poisonous berries. However, the latter is an unfortunate side-effect of having overactive brains.

Yes, most fear is all in the mind. We don't want to lose what we have, for one. Relationships, jobs, friends -- that which gives us a sense of stability (Saturn) can dissolve (Neptune) before our very eyes. Few people want to die, or have their families ripped asunder. And yes, bad things do happen. But we just don't have control over most of these things.

Knowing that all things are temporary makes you appreciate their beauty all the more in the present. A flower has a short life span, yet its very ephemerality is half of what makes it so special. The source of our suffering is our attachment to people and objects that, by their very nature, must die or decay.

All we can do is appreciate the moment. The Cosmos has stuff in store for us -- astrology can give us an idea of what's to come, but there's a whole lot of diversity allowed within the expression of these planetary archetypes. We don't really know what's going to happen. Some change is necessary, and happens in the interest of our psychospiritual development. And other times, really terrible stuff happens, and it feels like there's no rhyme or reason to it, no meaning. Existentalism is a Saturn-Neptune philosophy.

Is it A Course in Miracles that says the only antidote to fear is love? Regardless of the source of this nugget of wisdom, it's true. You just love what you have right now with all your might, because at any moment it might be gone. If you are all love, can there be room for fear? If you are totally in the present moment, with your heart wide open, is your mind capable of obsessing about an imagined future?

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Virgo - March 3, 2007

Dear Virgo,

Whether it's the daily yoga routine, the weekly colonic or the three-times-a-day ingestion of multiple supplements and herbs, you get understandably upset when your schedule is disrupted.

Virgo, meet eclipse. You two should get acquainted, although I doubt you'll hit it off. Although the lunar eclipse is in your sign, you're being opposed by a Uranus-Sun conjuction in Pisces. I know that deep down you like Pisces, even though she neglects picking up after herself and plucks away at the guitar too often, singing in that longing, wispy voice. However, Uranus gets your goat.