On January 20th the Sun stepped into the sign Aquarius, and shortly thereafter, political demonstrations erupted in Egypt. This revolution is being televised and this revolution will have some degree of success. Mubarak’s announcement to not run again for the presidency coincided with a New Moon in Aquarius. Aquarius is the sign of rebellion, revolution and potential chaos. We are witnessing an archetypal presentation of our contemporary understanding of Aquarius. Planet Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, was discovered in 1781. This discovery coincided with the American and French Revolutions as well as the onset of The Age of Enlightenment/Age of Technology. Each demonstration and each revolution takes us a step closer to the Age of Aquarius.
When the Moon and Sun join in Aquarius on February 2nd, planet Mars will be sharing their space. The demonstrators in Egypt are Aquarian warriors. They are fighting for a vital Aquarian matter: the right to assemble and the right to speak freely. The brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity is standing firm. Universal, rather than personal principles are emphasized when Aquarius energy is unleashed. We have seen the Muslim men praying together in the square, honoring their beliefs and traditions while demanding the end of government tyranny. Furthermore, the people formed neighborhood watch committees to protect citizens and to deter opportunistic people from using the uprising for violence and lawlessness. Aquarian principles of the brotherhood of man and treating your neighbor as yourself are in full view in Cairo.
In mythology, the sign of Aquarius was associated with astral waters: spiritual energies of renewal and fertilization for all living things. The gods and goddesses pour an urn towards earth so that heavenly knowledge and blessings can be transmitted to earthlings. This is what Reiki practitioners do: they pour or transmit spiritual energy for healing and renewal. Of course over time the planet Uranus has become associated with technology. Perhaps unconsciously we imagine that the gods are the holders of electricity. In Greek mythology, the Titan, Prometheus, (having compassion for homo sapiens) stole fire from the gods and gave it to human beings so they could cook their food. Contemporary fire, electricity (responsible for cook stoves as well as the internet), has become the new spiritual water of the gods. Rather than a magic drink, we gain knowledge and immortality by searching Google. Aquarius is about hope, invention and overcoming ignorance. Egyptian authorities shut down the web. They tried to withhold the fire of the gods but it was too late to halt the uprising in Tahrir Square. Aquarius rules the circulatory system. The energy of rebellion had already circulated throughout the land. The universal principles of equality and freedom are being anchored into the earth in the ancient land of Egypt.
This is the time of year to put on our thinking caps (Aquarius always wears a thinking cap) and see what we want to cook up! Do you having something to say? Do you have an invention brewing in your brain cells? Is there some information you need to circulate? Do you need to connect with community where you can support your kindred spirits? In what ways can you contribute to the on-going momentum taking us to the Age of Aquarius? There can be no Age of Aquarius until we give up our fear that those unlike us are dangerous and threatening. The Age of Aquarius means we are ONE even if we are individually different. We do not have to be identical in order to respect each other. That is what Aquarius says.
The New Moon is a good time to take the seeds of our intentions and plant them firmly in our psyches. By the time of the Full Moon (February 18) we will feel big stirrings in our creativity. Remember December? We were stuck in earthy Capricorn and Mercury was retrograde. It was not easy to feel enthusiastic or energized. The Sun, Mercury, Mars and Neptune will be together in Aquarius when we experience the Full Moon in Leo on February 18th. This cluster of Aquarian energies will help us think out of the box. Leo is individually creative; Aquarius is communally creative. During this Full Moon period we can have it all! In an on-line January lecture offered by starIQ.com, astrologer Jeff Jawer had this to say (I am paraphrasing): “we make transition from Capricorn security to Aquarian creativity. The Capricorn kingdom gives way to Aquarian democracy.”
We are watching kingdoms everywhere get weak in the knees. Maybe we need to ask ourselves if we have some rigid internal kingdoms that need to crumble so that we can have more internal space for our individual and collective creativity.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
January 2011-Let The New Year Begin!
Saying Goodbye to 2010
Remember what the ancients said: Eclipses signal big events. We certainly had a big one with the Lunar Eclipse on December 21. First of all the eclipse was beautiful. What a gift for those of us living in North Texas. A disappointed friend wrote from Austin where it was too cloudy to view the darkening of the Moon. It was a warm, clear night here. Did this eclipse coincide with any special events in your life? If you were traveling east I’m sure it was eventful. The blizzard on the east coast will be remembered for generations. Mother/Father winter slowed us earthlings down. People died because emergency crews could not reach them on snow filled streets and babies were born even though women could not get to hospitals. Very major events for many people. On December 30th Mercury left its retrograde phase and travel became normal again. The streets of New York are probably plowed by now and the snow will melt. Mercury is gaining speed as it moves direct through the last degrees of Sagittarius. If Mercury retrograde brought troubles your way in December, those matters should be easing as the New Year begins. If problems linger, they should be cleared up around January 17th when Mercury leaves the degree where it originally went retrograde. 2010 ended with the sobering wisdom that Mother Earth is more powerful than we are.
Let The New Year Begin
Another eclipse! A Solar Eclipse on January 4th encourages us to be conscious of what we want to leave behind and what we want to take with us into the New Year. The New Moon and the Sun join at 13 degrees of Capricorn, and Mars is nearby at 20 degrees of Capricorn. Remember that astrology operates with polarity between opposing energies. If Capricorn is activated with a New Moon, the opposite sign, Cancer, is also activated. During this New Moon Solar Eclipse we can ponder what is really of value in our lives. That is the Cancer part of the polarity. The travelers who suffered through the inconveniences of the blizzard on the east coast will have their list of what is really important—a comfy bed and long hot showers! Nurturing and the comforts of home go with Cancer. Values are intangibles, like love, comfort, self-esteem, integrity, security and safety. How we achieve those values and what form those values take is the Capricorn part of the scale. It may be something as vital as a roof over our head. It might be to create our own family or have a close relationship. Finding ways to achieve those Cancerian values is a Capricorn matter. During this New Moon in Capricorn people will be motivated to get on with it and give their values new life and a new look. For some people self-esteem demands they achieve more status or have a position of power. For another person self-esteem may mean finding employment after months of unemployment. Mars in Capricorn says, get the job done! The Capricorn influence of December continues to be strong at the beginning of the month. Practicalities take center stage. Many will set goals under the aura of the Solar Eclipse. Capricorn rules plans, goals and accomplishment. Mercury retrograde in December certainly slowed down everything so now we are ready to get on with our lives.
This New Moon Solar Eclipse in Capricorn does have challenges. The Sun and Moon are squaring Saturn. Mars is also squaring Saturn. Mars wants quick results; Saturn says “not yet”! This means we can make our to-do lists for 2011 but we will need to be patient. Capricorn is an Earth sign. It takes time to create in the physical, earthly dimension. We can think it, we can get very enthusiastic about something, and we can feel how much we want it. Capricorn Sun squaring Saturn tells us it takes planning, organization, energy and time to reach our goals. Maybe it’s good we have to continue with a slow pace. It gives us time to connect with what we have experienced this past year. We have a few moments to integrate what we have learned from the events of 2010. We have time to reflect, to nurture ourselves and to acknowledge what we have achieved and what we hope to do next. Breathe, and gather the strength to set off on the next part of your journey. Think about the pine cone that holds the promise of new life. In Celtic tradition the pine cone represented the masculine seed of life held safely in the male genitals during the long cold days of winter. Procreation and new life are still possible in the masculine seed. No matter what difficulties we experienced in the previous year, now we have hope for a better tomorrow. We believe we can get pregnant again and eventually give birth to our new creation. Happy New Year!
Remember what the ancients said: Eclipses signal big events. We certainly had a big one with the Lunar Eclipse on December 21. First of all the eclipse was beautiful. What a gift for those of us living in North Texas. A disappointed friend wrote from Austin where it was too cloudy to view the darkening of the Moon. It was a warm, clear night here. Did this eclipse coincide with any special events in your life? If you were traveling east I’m sure it was eventful. The blizzard on the east coast will be remembered for generations. Mother/Father winter slowed us earthlings down. People died because emergency crews could not reach them on snow filled streets and babies were born even though women could not get to hospitals. Very major events for many people. On December 30th Mercury left its retrograde phase and travel became normal again. The streets of New York are probably plowed by now and the snow will melt. Mercury is gaining speed as it moves direct through the last degrees of Sagittarius. If Mercury retrograde brought troubles your way in December, those matters should be easing as the New Year begins. If problems linger, they should be cleared up around January 17th when Mercury leaves the degree where it originally went retrograde. 2010 ended with the sobering wisdom that Mother Earth is more powerful than we are.
Let The New Year Begin
Another eclipse! A Solar Eclipse on January 4th encourages us to be conscious of what we want to leave behind and what we want to take with us into the New Year. The New Moon and the Sun join at 13 degrees of Capricorn, and Mars is nearby at 20 degrees of Capricorn. Remember that astrology operates with polarity between opposing energies. If Capricorn is activated with a New Moon, the opposite sign, Cancer, is also activated. During this New Moon Solar Eclipse we can ponder what is really of value in our lives. That is the Cancer part of the polarity. The travelers who suffered through the inconveniences of the blizzard on the east coast will have their list of what is really important—a comfy bed and long hot showers! Nurturing and the comforts of home go with Cancer. Values are intangibles, like love, comfort, self-esteem, integrity, security and safety. How we achieve those values and what form those values take is the Capricorn part of the scale. It may be something as vital as a roof over our head. It might be to create our own family or have a close relationship. Finding ways to achieve those Cancerian values is a Capricorn matter. During this New Moon in Capricorn people will be motivated to get on with it and give their values new life and a new look. For some people self-esteem demands they achieve more status or have a position of power. For another person self-esteem may mean finding employment after months of unemployment. Mars in Capricorn says, get the job done! The Capricorn influence of December continues to be strong at the beginning of the month. Practicalities take center stage. Many will set goals under the aura of the Solar Eclipse. Capricorn rules plans, goals and accomplishment. Mercury retrograde in December certainly slowed down everything so now we are ready to get on with our lives.
This New Moon Solar Eclipse in Capricorn does have challenges. The Sun and Moon are squaring Saturn. Mars is also squaring Saturn. Mars wants quick results; Saturn says “not yet”! This means we can make our to-do lists for 2011 but we will need to be patient. Capricorn is an Earth sign. It takes time to create in the physical, earthly dimension. We can think it, we can get very enthusiastic about something, and we can feel how much we want it. Capricorn Sun squaring Saturn tells us it takes planning, organization, energy and time to reach our goals. Maybe it’s good we have to continue with a slow pace. It gives us time to connect with what we have experienced this past year. We have a few moments to integrate what we have learned from the events of 2010. We have time to reflect, to nurture ourselves and to acknowledge what we have achieved and what we hope to do next. Breathe, and gather the strength to set off on the next part of your journey. Think about the pine cone that holds the promise of new life. In Celtic tradition the pine cone represented the masculine seed of life held safely in the male genitals during the long cold days of winter. Procreation and new life are still possible in the masculine seed. No matter what difficulties we experienced in the previous year, now we have hope for a better tomorrow. We believe we can get pregnant again and eventually give birth to our new creation. Happy New Year!
Friday, December 3, 2010
December 2010 Astro Tips
Uranus goes direct at 27 degrees of Pisces
The retrograde phase of Uranus has been in effect since early July. On December 4, just before the New Moon, the planet Uranus (transiting 27 degrees of Pisces) leaves its retrograde cycle and heads on its direct path. Uranus is now finishing its seven-year passage through the last sign of the zodiac: Pisces, the sign of spirituality. During Uranus’s journey through Pisces, there has been a revolution in spiritual thinking and a resurgence of disciplines like yoga. There are dozens of kinds of yoga now and I doubt they are going away. Uranus is the awakener and people have re-awakened to a dimension of spirituality and compassion for all living things. The last sign, Pisces, means the end of something. Many of us have completed some life chapter in the past seven years and we have been getting it together to make some big changes. Maybe Uranus retrograde slowed down our plans for a while. Now Uranus moves forward. Whatever has been on hold gets the green light. Soon Uranus will step into Aries and we will see other forms of revolution. This could mean scientific inventions. It could mean an independent political party. But back in May Uranus made its first touch into the sign of Aries. We got a hint back then of a new energy.
The New Moon at 13 degrees of Sagittarius
The New Moon occurs the day after Uranus takes direction motion when the Sun and Moon join at 13 degrees of Sagittarius on December 5th. This New Moon makes no major aspects to other planets. The Sun and Moon sit alone in the heavens while Mercury and Mars square Jupiter and Uranus. Shortly after the New Moon day Mars makes its way into Capricorn where it loses its Sagittarius, fired-up nature. Mars will join Pluto (in Capricorn) by December 13. This doesn’t feel very jolly to me. The Sagittarius Sun cycle seems to take a back seat to a lot of serious Capricorn energy this month. When the Sun makes its way through the sign of Sagittarius life should be upbeat. Jupiter is the ruler of this fire sign so we expect optimism and expansiveness. Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, concerns itself with big thinking as well as religion, philosophy, belief systems and the law.
Capricorn energy is very strong this month
All the Capricorn energy puts a damper on jolly Sag matters and the holiday spirit because the down side of Capricorn is negative thinking. On the personal level we might struggle with sticking to our budget while feeing angry that we don’t have more money to spend. Capricorn is an earthy, materialistic sign. On the collective level we might expect a lot of negative talk on the airways. Capricorn rules political leaders. When a Capricorn has reached Saturnian maturity, he or she can be an outstanding leader. Former Presidents are often in this category. Without wisdom, maturity, and respect for one’s position, the Capricorn energy can sink to rigidity and selfishness. Cold calculation replaces doing the right thing. Mars and Pluto together in Capricorn can mean all of these things. We can pay attention to our own materialism this month and try not to let it take over.
Mercury goes retrograde at 5 degrees of Capricorn
Before the Sun reaches the Winter Solstice we are bombarded by Capricorn energy. On December 10th Mercury in Capricorn begins its final retrograde cycle of the year. Mercury will be sitting with Mars and Pluto, also in Capricorn. When Mercury connects with Mars and Pluto we can expect arguments and strong speech. Capricorn is the sign of ambition. Expect a lot of ambitious people in Washington D C to be talking big and doing big calculations on how to get things their way. Mercury will turn direct right before the New Year, on December 30. We won’t go into 2011 with a backwards Mercury. Mercury retrograde in Capricorn means use any vacation time to get organized and tend to business. Avoid signing important contracts during this retrograde time. Capricorn rules business, so wait for Mercury to move into direct motion before settling business affairs.
Winter Solstice/Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse 29 degrees of Gemini
All of this activity leads up to a major Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on the Winter Solstice—December 21. This is a mighty powerful eclipse. Finally Sagittarius gets to do something! The Sun (29 degrees of Sagittarius) and Moon (29 degrees of Gemini) oppose each other. The Sun and Moon form a difficult square with Jupiter and Uranus in last degrees of Pisces. Squares create tension along with the push to get something done. With Jupiter and Uranus involved in the square, it will be hard not to push for some tangible resolution. Unfortunately the 29th degree is considered critical and it has problems. Urgency and crisis demand response but the critical 29th degrees lacks the necessary vision to produce a good solution. In October the Full Moon was at 29 degrees of Aries. In November the Full Moon fell at 29 degrees of Taurus. Now we have 29 degrees of Gemini for the December Full Moon that is also an eclipse. Perhaps we can slow down and take our good time before acting impulsively around this Full Moon. Unless a decision is absolutely necessary, it might be better to wait. Remember Mercury will also be retrograde. Big decisions should be postponed if at all possible. One cannot help but think of Congress and the ineffective decisions that could be made this month. Finally, astrology associates eclipses with big events. Remember this doesn’t have to mean big, bad events. Let’s hope it’s a good, big event.
Neptune and Chiron conjunct in Aquarius: We cannot depend on evolution to make us enlightened!
On the day of the eclipse (with its planetary tensions), Neptune continues its journey with Chiron in late Aquarius. They create flowing energy with the Moon and this helps transform whatever is going on into something more refined. Or it helps us just tune out the trouble and tune in to something more sublime. This is a strong day for meditation and positive thinking. I saw the following quote on the web site of Brad and Kate Silberberg out of Pennsylvania. I don’t know for sure who said it, but here it is: “Humanity cannot depend on evolution for its enlightenment. We just don’t have the time.” We are in the process of embracing evolution, analyzing it and going into warp speed with it. During the Lunar Eclipse on this Winter Solstice perhaps meditators will be taking the world to a kinder, gentler place with or without evolution!
The retrograde phase of Uranus has been in effect since early July. On December 4, just before the New Moon, the planet Uranus (transiting 27 degrees of Pisces) leaves its retrograde cycle and heads on its direct path. Uranus is now finishing its seven-year passage through the last sign of the zodiac: Pisces, the sign of spirituality. During Uranus’s journey through Pisces, there has been a revolution in spiritual thinking and a resurgence of disciplines like yoga. There are dozens of kinds of yoga now and I doubt they are going away. Uranus is the awakener and people have re-awakened to a dimension of spirituality and compassion for all living things. The last sign, Pisces, means the end of something. Many of us have completed some life chapter in the past seven years and we have been getting it together to make some big changes. Maybe Uranus retrograde slowed down our plans for a while. Now Uranus moves forward. Whatever has been on hold gets the green light. Soon Uranus will step into Aries and we will see other forms of revolution. This could mean scientific inventions. It could mean an independent political party. But back in May Uranus made its first touch into the sign of Aries. We got a hint back then of a new energy.
The New Moon at 13 degrees of Sagittarius
The New Moon occurs the day after Uranus takes direction motion when the Sun and Moon join at 13 degrees of Sagittarius on December 5th. This New Moon makes no major aspects to other planets. The Sun and Moon sit alone in the heavens while Mercury and Mars square Jupiter and Uranus. Shortly after the New Moon day Mars makes its way into Capricorn where it loses its Sagittarius, fired-up nature. Mars will join Pluto (in Capricorn) by December 13. This doesn’t feel very jolly to me. The Sagittarius Sun cycle seems to take a back seat to a lot of serious Capricorn energy this month. When the Sun makes its way through the sign of Sagittarius life should be upbeat. Jupiter is the ruler of this fire sign so we expect optimism and expansiveness. Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, concerns itself with big thinking as well as religion, philosophy, belief systems and the law.
Capricorn energy is very strong this month
All the Capricorn energy puts a damper on jolly Sag matters and the holiday spirit because the down side of Capricorn is negative thinking. On the personal level we might struggle with sticking to our budget while feeing angry that we don’t have more money to spend. Capricorn is an earthy, materialistic sign. On the collective level we might expect a lot of negative talk on the airways. Capricorn rules political leaders. When a Capricorn has reached Saturnian maturity, he or she can be an outstanding leader. Former Presidents are often in this category. Without wisdom, maturity, and respect for one’s position, the Capricorn energy can sink to rigidity and selfishness. Cold calculation replaces doing the right thing. Mars and Pluto together in Capricorn can mean all of these things. We can pay attention to our own materialism this month and try not to let it take over.
Mercury goes retrograde at 5 degrees of Capricorn
Before the Sun reaches the Winter Solstice we are bombarded by Capricorn energy. On December 10th Mercury in Capricorn begins its final retrograde cycle of the year. Mercury will be sitting with Mars and Pluto, also in Capricorn. When Mercury connects with Mars and Pluto we can expect arguments and strong speech. Capricorn is the sign of ambition. Expect a lot of ambitious people in Washington D C to be talking big and doing big calculations on how to get things their way. Mercury will turn direct right before the New Year, on December 30. We won’t go into 2011 with a backwards Mercury. Mercury retrograde in Capricorn means use any vacation time to get organized and tend to business. Avoid signing important contracts during this retrograde time. Capricorn rules business, so wait for Mercury to move into direct motion before settling business affairs.
Winter Solstice/Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse 29 degrees of Gemini
All of this activity leads up to a major Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on the Winter Solstice—December 21. This is a mighty powerful eclipse. Finally Sagittarius gets to do something! The Sun (29 degrees of Sagittarius) and Moon (29 degrees of Gemini) oppose each other. The Sun and Moon form a difficult square with Jupiter and Uranus in last degrees of Pisces. Squares create tension along with the push to get something done. With Jupiter and Uranus involved in the square, it will be hard not to push for some tangible resolution. Unfortunately the 29th degree is considered critical and it has problems. Urgency and crisis demand response but the critical 29th degrees lacks the necessary vision to produce a good solution. In October the Full Moon was at 29 degrees of Aries. In November the Full Moon fell at 29 degrees of Taurus. Now we have 29 degrees of Gemini for the December Full Moon that is also an eclipse. Perhaps we can slow down and take our good time before acting impulsively around this Full Moon. Unless a decision is absolutely necessary, it might be better to wait. Remember Mercury will also be retrograde. Big decisions should be postponed if at all possible. One cannot help but think of Congress and the ineffective decisions that could be made this month. Finally, astrology associates eclipses with big events. Remember this doesn’t have to mean big, bad events. Let’s hope it’s a good, big event.
Neptune and Chiron conjunct in Aquarius: We cannot depend on evolution to make us enlightened!
On the day of the eclipse (with its planetary tensions), Neptune continues its journey with Chiron in late Aquarius. They create flowing energy with the Moon and this helps transform whatever is going on into something more refined. Or it helps us just tune out the trouble and tune in to something more sublime. This is a strong day for meditation and positive thinking. I saw the following quote on the web site of Brad and Kate Silberberg out of Pennsylvania. I don’t know for sure who said it, but here it is: “Humanity cannot depend on evolution for its enlightenment. We just don’t have the time.” We are in the process of embracing evolution, analyzing it and going into warp speed with it. During the Lunar Eclipse on this Winter Solstice perhaps meditators will be taking the world to a kinder, gentler place with or without evolution!
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