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).

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.

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?

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. This planet's sole purpose in life is to upset the apple cart, to throw you off your equilibrium. The guy who surprises you from behind when you're perusing vegan cookbooks at the food coop, poking you in that sensitive spot on your waist, nearly making your flower-essence-enhanced spring water spill? That's Uranus.

Imagine knowing that Uranus can catch you off guard at any moment, over the next six months, but you don't know exactly when -- or how -- he'll strike. That's gotta suck, Virgo, because I know you like things just so. And do you know what's worse? There's absolutely nothing you can do about it. You can't tell him to go away. I mean, you can, but it will do no good. He'll say, "Oh, my bad. I'll leave you alone with your organic acai juice," but he doesn't mean it. He's just screwing with you!

So, what can you do to impose order on chaos? Unfortunately, you can't contain the uncontainable. As the astrologers say, "Expect the unexpected." Yet I know you're not going to stop your Virgo ways. You will continue to enter appointments into your Blackberry, consult with your nutritionist, meet with your personal trainer. But as hard as you try, everything will not go as planned. Pisces wants you to let go, and Uranus wants you to identify and dismantle all the rigid structures and attitudes in your life.

Loosen up! Because if you don't, Uranus will be the lightning that strikes down the tower of your carefully constructed life. It will come crumbling down ... but that's a good thing, because these bricks and stones you've laid are covering over your Authentic Self, and the only way to release this alive, thumping heart -- the beating Self constrained by your stratified ways of protecting yourself against Disorder -- is to allow the waves of revolution to wash over you.

The nitty gritty: This lunar eclipse occurs at 13 Virgo. If you have a personal planet or angle between 10 and 18 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces, this eclipse will have a powerful impact on you. For everyone, look to the houses that contain the middle degrees of Virgo and Pisces to determine which areas of your life will be affected. Jupiter in Sag is making a T-Square to this eclipse, which exaggerates an already unstable situation.

Related posts:
How to prepare for an eclipse
Fear of an eclipse

Full Moon in Gemini - December 4, 2006

There are ideas, and then there are philosophies. Our chattering mind is constantly running. What gives our thoughts a sense of cohesion is an over-arching framework -- something that gives the many little facts in our heads a sense of meaning.

Facts are the realm of Jeopardy. But of what use is information -- other than winning on quiz shows -- if these bits and bytes do not cohere into something bigger?

Of course, the danger of a belief system is that we tend to filter out the data that does not fit our philosophy. Whether you're a Christian, a Nietzschean or an astrologer, you seek out evidence to support your view of the world.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this. Life can feel pretty empty without a sense of meaning guiding us, so we latch on to a philosophy or religion that inspires us. But there's no one "truth." The realm of facts and figures is quantifiable, but the domain of meaning is subjective. We can all agree that an Electric Mini can go from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, but this statistic will inspire some (greenies, car enthusiasts) and do nothing for others.

The Full Moon highlights this conflict between ideas (Gemini) and philosophies (Sagittarius). Our will is directed towards expansion and inspiration, while our comfort needs are met by solving Sudoku puzzles and reading gossip blogs. Geminian pursuits provide pleasure, but reading about Britney Spears doesn't significantly enlarge our perspective on life. (Or does it?)

Uranus in Pisces is making a square (a 90-degree angle) to both the Moon in Gemini and the Sun in Sagittarius, challenging us to shake up those ideas, opinions and beliefs of ours that have stagnated over time. Uranus introduces information to shift our paradigms, to bring fresh insights into our lives. During this Full Moon, you may receive a shocking e-mail, or you may have a conversation that disrupts your mental equilibrium. Since Gemini also relates to short-distance travel, neighbors and siblings, you may have an unpredictable encounter with the girl next door, or get into a bicycle accident. Wear a helmet!

This Full Moon will most directly impact people with planets or angles around 12 degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), as well as those with birthdays around March 3, June 3, September 5, and December 4.