The First Mercury retrograde period of 2011 begins on Wednesday, March 30. Mercury slows down and appears to go backward at 24 degrees of Aries. Aries is the first sign. It rules spring and youth, taking action and being impulsive. It rules assertion and aggression. Hence Aries rules war. Dialogue will continue about whether Obama has declared war on Libya. Politicians will continue to double-talk and contradict themselves during Mercury retrograde. They will hope we won’t notice. Many will run off at the mouth declaring America must be in charge of everything and not cooperate with allies regarding Libya. That would be Aries talking because Aries can be a bully. There may be a lot of discussion about all the wars going on.
For us ordinary people, we need to be careful with impulsiveness. We need to think before we speak. Also, taking unusual risks is not advised with Mercury retrograde in Aries. Remember, the Sun, Uranus and Jupiter are all in Aries at this time. We feel super-confident. (Of course I can afford that tour to seven sacred sites!) Our enthusiasm can win out over practicality and budgets. Overextending physically is also a danger during this period. This is not a good time to amp up your exercise program. Stick to what works. If you have been inactive, you may find this is the perfect time to get back on track with a fitness program. Overdoing anything is not advised with Mercury retrograde. Just keep a steady pace.
Mercury retrograde will occur two more times in 2011, so it is not a fearful or weird occurrence. It is something to make use of. We can be extra careful about mistakes. We can practice saying “I’m sorry” because we spoke up impulsively. We can re-do and polish a project that isn’t quite finished. We should re-check our bank account. We might re-think (Aries rules the head!) who we are and where we need to direct our energy. Where do we need to act independently? Where has our independence gotten us into trouble? Aries is the “me-first” sign of the zodiac. Aries also has domain over anger. If there have been misunderstandings with friends or loved ones, this Mercury retrograde period is the perfect time to seek reconciliation. Mercury retrograde in Aries is a good time to “get over yourself”! Mercury will resume direct motion on April 23rd at 13 degrees of Aries.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Astro Tips for March 2011
The Midnight Hour: the 29th degree of Uranus in Pisces
We are living through a midnight hour. There are 360 degrees in the Zodiac and the planet Uranus, The Awakener - ruler of revolution, the unexpected, change and freedom - is traveling through the 359th degree. Pisces is the last sign. It contains the final 30 degrees of our Zodiac. The big thing happening this month is this: Uranus is finishing up its work in Pisces and then will transition into Aries, the first sign, on March 11th.
Uranus entered Pisces in 2003. During these final days of the transit we have an opportunity to contemplate what changes Uranus has brought to our lives, to our society and to our planet. It’s a lot. Uranus made its ingress into Pisces on March 11, 2003. On March 20th the United States initiated the War in Iraq. Think back over the past seven years. Think about your life, think about what has happened in our country and think about all the turmoil in so many countries in the recent past.
In late January, when the young Egyptians said they were demonstrating for the freedom to elect their leaders, they were expressing the energy of Uranus. Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781. It was the first planet discovered with a telescope. The American Revolution was already in process (1775-1783) and the French Revolution would begin very soon (1789-1799). In Greek mythology Uranus is the father of Saturn, and Saturn is the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Whenever a father/ruler/leader becomes too controlling or tyrannical, the people rise up and rebel to create a new order. In other words, there is a connection between the discovery of planet Uranus and the ongoing drive for freedom that continues to this day and will continue. The uprising against the tyrant is idealistic. A Uranian uprising has no plan beyond “dethrone the beast.” When Mubarak finally stepped down, Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy said: “Egypt is finished with these old men.” What is to follow in Egypt is up to the people of Egypt. It will take time. It will take attention to Saturn (order, stability) and then Jupiter, the integrator, will help bring a new government into being.
As we live through the 29th degree of Uranus in Pisces (the midnight hour for Uranus), we see a harsher revolution in Libya. Muammar al-Gaddafi might be called the archetype of the 29th degree of Pisces: intense, unstable and delusional. It might even be crazy. It will break the rules. Uranus always has dominion over the unexpected. Gaddafi is the epitome of unpredictable.
The 29th degree
Since October of this past year, every full moon has fallen at 29 degrees of the sign. Full Moons throw light on the subject of that sign. When the flashlight falls on the 29th degree we are asked to take in everything about that sign very quickly. It’s almost too much to take in and then it’s over and we are on to the next Moon sign. The light isn’t there long enough so it feels unsettling and unstable. Life on planet earth has been anything but stable. When an outer planet moves through the 29th degree it can take several weeks. We have time to experience and to contemplate the fullness of the planet and the sign. That is what we are currently doing with Uranus in Pisces. In the coming weeks we will study Neptune’s completion through the sign of Aquarius. Neptune is sitting at 29 degrees of Aquarius! There are many endings and many beginnings on the horizon.
So much Pisces energy!
The New Moon on Friday, March 4th, has an interesting horoscope. The Sun and Moon at 13 degrees of Pisces are joined by Mars (7 degrees), Mercury (20 degrees) and Uranus (at that 29th degree). This is a lot Pisces energy sitting in one room. Pisces is emotional, sensitive and even touchy; and with all this Pisces energy we are feeling the effects of emotional trauma on a collective scale. It’s enough to manage your own little life, right? Pisces is the sign of the collective unconscious. During the passage of Uranus through Pisces we have experienced increased global awareness and compassion. The world has truly grown smaller. What happens over there happens here. What happens to you happens to me. Think about Katrina. Think about that Tsunami in The Indian Ocean. Think about all the soldiers who have died in Iraq. Think about all the innocent Iraqi people who have died since 2003. Think about Haiti. Now thousands of people are leaving Libya and they need a place to go. Everything is connected. That is one of the messages of Pisces.
What has Uranus in Pisces meant for you?
What Hurricanes and Tsunamis have you had in your personal life during the past seven years? What has died? What part of you has allowed yourself to have some Uranian rebellion in your life? Where have you cried out for freedom? Have you had your own uprising? Have you thrown out any internal or external tyrants? What kind of revolution have you lived through in the past seven years?
Uranus transitions into Aries on March 11
Revolution continues of course. It just takes on a different assemblage of energy. On March 11, Uranus steps into Aries. Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac so it represents the self…. the individual. Pisces represents the collective. We have lived through seven years of being changed by the earthly collective. Now it is time for individuals to act based on what has been assimilated during the years of Uranus traveling through Pisces. New beginnings. New ideas. New enterprises.
Aries is the sign of the hero. When you put Uranus in Aries you have a pioneering energy that won’t stop until it finds a solution. Aries has courage and fortitude. Aries is not afraid. Revolutions continue with heroic leaders. Individuals in Lybia have expressed their resolution to die rather than live under tyranny. In short, Aries is not afraid to stand up and fight. When a planet moves into a sign, it takes on the personality of that sign. Uranus in Aries: people want individual freedom! Aries is the ME principal. Uranus in Aries is impulsive: act first and think later. Uranus in Aries can be the political fanatic, but I figure we are used to that by now. Aries, a fire sign, has a temper. Aries is probably the sign for the NRA. With Uranus transiting Aries, firearms will be in fashion for another seven years.
Think back on the past seven years. Uranus in Pisces might have caused you to suppress your need for freedom and change. Perhaps you shut down. Maybe you turned off your feeling faucet. Maybe you ended up in denial about some area of your life. Maybe you went numb. Uranus in Aries is sure to be a wake up call if you have rolled into a stagnant Pisces pool and shut the gate. Uranus in Aries will awaken us to grab our destinies and go!
Full Moon in Virgo March 19
When we reach the Full Moon on March 19th, the Sun will be at 28 degrees of Pisces (well it’s pretty close to 29 degrees!) sitting with Uranus at 0 degrees of Aries. The Full Moon is opposing at 28 (just about 29!) degrees of Virgo. All month long Uranus squares Pluto. This is a challenging aspect. Pluto is that area of life where we want control and maybe we don’t get control. It is a challenge to let go of needing to control everything. Somewhere in each of us resides a tyrant! Pluto in Capricorn struggling with Uranus and Saturn represents the old men that journalist Mona Eltahawy refers to. We all have an old man inside trying to hold us in a pattern we are comfortable with but we know is no longer functional. It doesn’t work anymore. Uranus in Aries is the awakener of the individual. The past seven years have taught us something. Now what? Get ready.
Vernal Equinox March 20
When the Sun goes into Aries on the first day of spring, Uranus will be right there hugging the Sun. Spring ceremonies might focus on the awakening of the spiritual warrior.
We are living through a midnight hour. There are 360 degrees in the Zodiac and the planet Uranus, The Awakener - ruler of revolution, the unexpected, change and freedom - is traveling through the 359th degree. Pisces is the last sign. It contains the final 30 degrees of our Zodiac. The big thing happening this month is this: Uranus is finishing up its work in Pisces and then will transition into Aries, the first sign, on March 11th.
Uranus entered Pisces in 2003. During these final days of the transit we have an opportunity to contemplate what changes Uranus has brought to our lives, to our society and to our planet. It’s a lot. Uranus made its ingress into Pisces on March 11, 2003. On March 20th the United States initiated the War in Iraq. Think back over the past seven years. Think about your life, think about what has happened in our country and think about all the turmoil in so many countries in the recent past.
In late January, when the young Egyptians said they were demonstrating for the freedom to elect their leaders, they were expressing the energy of Uranus. Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781. It was the first planet discovered with a telescope. The American Revolution was already in process (1775-1783) and the French Revolution would begin very soon (1789-1799). In Greek mythology Uranus is the father of Saturn, and Saturn is the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Whenever a father/ruler/leader becomes too controlling or tyrannical, the people rise up and rebel to create a new order. In other words, there is a connection between the discovery of planet Uranus and the ongoing drive for freedom that continues to this day and will continue. The uprising against the tyrant is idealistic. A Uranian uprising has no plan beyond “dethrone the beast.” When Mubarak finally stepped down, Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy said: “Egypt is finished with these old men.” What is to follow in Egypt is up to the people of Egypt. It will take time. It will take attention to Saturn (order, stability) and then Jupiter, the integrator, will help bring a new government into being.
As we live through the 29th degree of Uranus in Pisces (the midnight hour for Uranus), we see a harsher revolution in Libya. Muammar al-Gaddafi might be called the archetype of the 29th degree of Pisces: intense, unstable and delusional. It might even be crazy. It will break the rules. Uranus always has dominion over the unexpected. Gaddafi is the epitome of unpredictable.
The 29th degree
Since October of this past year, every full moon has fallen at 29 degrees of the sign. Full Moons throw light on the subject of that sign. When the flashlight falls on the 29th degree we are asked to take in everything about that sign very quickly. It’s almost too much to take in and then it’s over and we are on to the next Moon sign. The light isn’t there long enough so it feels unsettling and unstable. Life on planet earth has been anything but stable. When an outer planet moves through the 29th degree it can take several weeks. We have time to experience and to contemplate the fullness of the planet and the sign. That is what we are currently doing with Uranus in Pisces. In the coming weeks we will study Neptune’s completion through the sign of Aquarius. Neptune is sitting at 29 degrees of Aquarius! There are many endings and many beginnings on the horizon.
So much Pisces energy!
The New Moon on Friday, March 4th, has an interesting horoscope. The Sun and Moon at 13 degrees of Pisces are joined by Mars (7 degrees), Mercury (20 degrees) and Uranus (at that 29th degree). This is a lot Pisces energy sitting in one room. Pisces is emotional, sensitive and even touchy; and with all this Pisces energy we are feeling the effects of emotional trauma on a collective scale. It’s enough to manage your own little life, right? Pisces is the sign of the collective unconscious. During the passage of Uranus through Pisces we have experienced increased global awareness and compassion. The world has truly grown smaller. What happens over there happens here. What happens to you happens to me. Think about Katrina. Think about that Tsunami in The Indian Ocean. Think about all the soldiers who have died in Iraq. Think about all the innocent Iraqi people who have died since 2003. Think about Haiti. Now thousands of people are leaving Libya and they need a place to go. Everything is connected. That is one of the messages of Pisces.
What has Uranus in Pisces meant for you?
What Hurricanes and Tsunamis have you had in your personal life during the past seven years? What has died? What part of you has allowed yourself to have some Uranian rebellion in your life? Where have you cried out for freedom? Have you had your own uprising? Have you thrown out any internal or external tyrants? What kind of revolution have you lived through in the past seven years?
Uranus transitions into Aries on March 11
Revolution continues of course. It just takes on a different assemblage of energy. On March 11, Uranus steps into Aries. Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac so it represents the self…. the individual. Pisces represents the collective. We have lived through seven years of being changed by the earthly collective. Now it is time for individuals to act based on what has been assimilated during the years of Uranus traveling through Pisces. New beginnings. New ideas. New enterprises.
Aries is the sign of the hero. When you put Uranus in Aries you have a pioneering energy that won’t stop until it finds a solution. Aries has courage and fortitude. Aries is not afraid. Revolutions continue with heroic leaders. Individuals in Lybia have expressed their resolution to die rather than live under tyranny. In short, Aries is not afraid to stand up and fight. When a planet moves into a sign, it takes on the personality of that sign. Uranus in Aries: people want individual freedom! Aries is the ME principal. Uranus in Aries is impulsive: act first and think later. Uranus in Aries can be the political fanatic, but I figure we are used to that by now. Aries, a fire sign, has a temper. Aries is probably the sign for the NRA. With Uranus transiting Aries, firearms will be in fashion for another seven years.
Think back on the past seven years. Uranus in Pisces might have caused you to suppress your need for freedom and change. Perhaps you shut down. Maybe you turned off your feeling faucet. Maybe you ended up in denial about some area of your life. Maybe you went numb. Uranus in Aries is sure to be a wake up call if you have rolled into a stagnant Pisces pool and shut the gate. Uranus in Aries will awaken us to grab our destinies and go!
Full Moon in Virgo March 19
When we reach the Full Moon on March 19th, the Sun will be at 28 degrees of Pisces (well it’s pretty close to 29 degrees!) sitting with Uranus at 0 degrees of Aries. The Full Moon is opposing at 28 (just about 29!) degrees of Virgo. All month long Uranus squares Pluto. This is a challenging aspect. Pluto is that area of life where we want control and maybe we don’t get control. It is a challenge to let go of needing to control everything. Somewhere in each of us resides a tyrant! Pluto in Capricorn struggling with Uranus and Saturn represents the old men that journalist Mona Eltahawy refers to. We all have an old man inside trying to hold us in a pattern we are comfortable with but we know is no longer functional. It doesn’t work anymore. Uranus in Aries is the awakener of the individual. The past seven years have taught us something. Now what? Get ready.
Vernal Equinox March 20
When the Sun goes into Aries on the first day of spring, Uranus will be right there hugging the Sun. Spring ceremonies might focus on the awakening of the spiritual warrior.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Astro Tips for February 2011
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.
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.
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