The post where I explain why 8 planets are bad science has been generating both good traffic and a rather interesting discussion in the comment boxes. Part if it is about double planets.

If you check the page, on this blog, where I present the current (and highly flawed) definition of planet and my alternative, you’ll find two things. One is that my alternative is quite simple and quite radical. Those long posts I keep mentioning but never get the time to write are mostly meant to explain all the reasoning behind that simplicity and radicality, along with why I think so poorly of the IAU’s definition. But I have been lacking the time to dive in those waters, and the best you may find for now are some hints spread here and there. One of the places where hints are to be found is the thread of comments in that post.

But maybe it’s time to actually write something a bit more solid than mere comments. And, since any place is good to start, why not taking the lead from the visitors to this blog and write about double planets?

The concept of double planet is very similar in its essence to that of a double star: two objects that share, more or less, the same characteristics, and that are gravitationally bound to eachother. However, whereas a double (or its extension: a multiple) planet has no definition anywhere, there is no question about what a double (or multiple) star is. A star is multiple if there is more than one star revolving about the same center of mass, the system’s baricenter. Note that nowhere is there any reference to where that barycenter lies. A small-mass star may be so close to a heavy star that the system’s barycenter lies inside the heavy one, and the system is still a double star. Undoubtedly.

The problem with planets arises because the only objects that are considered planets are those that revolve around stars (according to the IAU, it’s even worse: only the Sun can have planets, which is the most ridiculous aspect in that definition, but let’s forget about that particular nonsense for now). The fact that every planet that is part of a multiple-body system (i.e., the planet and its satellites) also revolves around that system’s center of mass murks the waters. True, in most situations the planet is much larger than its satellites, and the system’s center of mass lies deeply within it. But what if some day we’ll find two bodies of very similar sizes revolving around a center of mass that lies outside the planet? Which one is the planet then? Both? None?

And what to you mean “what if”? We already know one such system: Pluto-Charon. Even the Earth-Moon system may one day be in that scenario, for the Moon is constantly drifting away from our planet, which means that the system’s center of mass gets closer and closer to the Earth’s surface. But so far, it’s only Pluto-Charon. Pluto has traditionally been considered the planet and Charon the moon, but Pluto’s traditional standings have been getting a serious beating recently, and that one is no exception. In the first draft of the IAU definition of planet, swiftly defeated, Charon was to be “promoted” to the condition of planet and, together with Pluto, would form a double planet. The criterion was the position of the system’s barycenter.

That criterion is, however, just plain awful. Since the position of a system’s barycenter depends on the mass of the system’s components and on the distance between them, such a criterion could result in absolutely ridiculous situations. Imagine we find some fine day a system where the satellite’s mass is close to the planet’s and it’s on a highly eccentric orbit, meaning that the distance between the two objects varies a lot during an orbit. With the right masses and distances, when the two bodies get closer, the barycenter dips within the heaviest of the two bodies, and when they drift apart, the barycenter jumps from within the heaviest, hovers for a while above its surface only to dip again in the next orbit. Or, in other words, using that criterion, for part of each orbit the system would be composed of one planet and one satellite, and for the rest of each orbit it would be a double planet, obviously composed of two planets.

Sheer nonsense, don’t you agree? You do. I’m sure you do.

There are ways to solve this problem, of course. One is to say that there is no such thing as double planets: the heaviest of the set is a planet; the others are satellites and that’s it. Another one came up in the discussion of that post of mine: just establish an arbitrary limit of mass ratio between the two, above which the system would be considered a double planet, and below which it would just be a planet-satellite system. Since I’m very strongly opposed to establishing arbitrary limits (which is one of the reasons why I really hate the current IAU definition, but that’s for subsequent posts), I dislike the second option almost as much as I dislike the barycenter criterion. The first one is not arbitrary, so it’s fine with me.

Except that I have a better idea.

Let’s cover every part of the sizes’ scale. We’ve talked about stars and saw no problem there, we’ve talked about planets and saw a complete mess, let’s now see what happens in the lowest area, the asteroid, or small body, zone. Asteroids have also been found in associations of two or more gravitationally bound sets. The first asteroid found to be a binary was Ida, when Galileo (the probe, not the astronomer) photographed its moonlet Dactyl, in 1993, but in the last 16 years we’ve found almost 200 more such systems. Including systems with more than two components, the first of which was Sylvia, which has two (much) smaller companions: Remus and Romulus. What’s the terminology there?

Unsurprisingly for such a new set of concepts, it’s also a mess. People talk about asteroids and their moons, or moonlets, like they talk about planets and their satellites. However they also talk about binary asteroids and triple asteroids, without taking mass into account. The Ida-Dactyl system is a binary asteroid, despite the large difference in sizes between the two bodies. Hermes, number 69230 in the asteroid list, and composed of two components of almost the same size, is also a binary. That’s because, if taken independently, they both would surely be considered asteroids, so there’s no ambiguity. An asteroid moon is also an asteroid.

And that’s my great idea. If you look at my definition of planet, you’ll see that it only mentions roundness caused by self-gravity, not the position each body occupies in the great merry-go-round in the sky. This means that, yes, the Pluto sistem is a double planet, with two planets and two smaller bodies. An ice dwarf / ice dwarf kind of double planet. The Earth system is also a double planet, this time a terrestrial / terrestrial dwarf kind of double planet. Mars, on the contrary, is a single planet, despite being accompanied by two small bodies. Jupiter isn’t single and isn’t double: it’s a multiple planet, with 5 planets belonging to different categories (gas giant, terrestrial dwarf, maybe also ice dwarf) and a lot of smaller bodies. Saturn and Uranus are the “multiplest” of the planets, the first composed of 8 planets and a lot (really, a lot) of smaller bodies, the second comprising 6 planets plus debris. And Neptune is, again, a double planet. A gas giant / ice dwarf kind of double planet. Or perhaps an ice giant / ice dwarf. Plus small worlds, of course.

This way you get coherence along the whole scale of celestial objects. And solve easily and without ambiguity the whole double planet controversy. That’s on the plus side. On the minus side, it would make us change radically the way we look at these things. But maybe that’s not really a minus; you see, there are other reasons to do it.

But that would be for other posts.

The Flow is a weekly blog published to better understand the flow of astrological, celestial, and magickal energies for the week, and how best to use them.   It is intended for those with little knowledge of astrology.  For newcomers, the idea is to start with the slowest moving forces, as they are the most foundational, and work up to the swiftest, as they are the most fleeting.  If any of the material is unfamiliar to you, it is probably unfamiliar to others as well, please leave a comment so that any questions might be answered. 

If you like what you see, please share it with friends!  If you would like to get email notifications for when The Flow! is updated, or have a private question please email me at skywatcher888@yahoo.com.  Thank you!

The Flow! is updated every Sunday.

Please note: all times are in the Pacific Daylight Timezone.

This week’s installment is brought to you by the Full Moon of Gemini, Uranus direct, and the planet Venus.

Synopsis:

The flow is abuzz this week, and everything feels like it is on the move.  For quite some time we have been dealing with macroscopic energies, which has allowed us to manage our lives essentially unaffected by what’s going on.  Like the jet stream above, it might be moving and contorting to its own rhythms, but except for the occasional shower leave us untouched. This week, we get thrown into the mix, and it’s bound to be an interesting ride.  And it is my opinion we might find, at least for the moment, that it is considerably less unpleasant than anticipated. 

Tuesday is the big day, when Uranus goes direct, Venus enters Sagittarius, and the Full “Cold” Moon of Gemini all happen within a single day.  Yet, as alien as this might sound to some of you, like cinnamon in an apple pie, they all add a delectable spice to our daily lives.

The holiday season is upon us, and this always speeds up the pace.  Places to go, and people to see, parties to attend, and presents to buy always fills up the schedule.  And this year is apt to be little different.  There might be less lavishness thrown about as people are generally cautious, but in spite of that – or perhaps because of it, there is a greater spirit of warmth, joy, and comity.  This may not be the year for sipping champagne in a ballroom under crystal chandeliers, but for sipping on eggnog in a small cozy fire lit room full of good cheer with loving family and friends.  L’chaim!

To the details, faithful friends!

Sunday

As we return from our Thanksgiving celebrations The Flow is in perfect alignment with getting our heads around returning to work.  As might feel unusual from a long break off, returning to work does not feel ominous, dreadful, or unpleasant.  With the Moon in Taurus, there is almost a feeling of anticipation of overcoming challenges, moving forward, and accomplishing meaningful tasks.  Unfortunately, the universe has other plans, but today is a good day for kicking back, watching TV or a movie, finishing up any leftovers, and making plans for the week ahead.

Monday

What can I say about Monday?  Monday is apt to feel like a colossal cosmic joke, like a ride on a roller coaster, or a trip through a fun house.  All the good feelings get tossed in the circular filing cabinet as what’s up and down seem to spin around and we feel like a sneaker bouncing around a dryer.  Mercury (the geek) squares Uranus (the professor) at 11:52am just in time for lunch, and they are having one hell of an argument.  Unfortunately for us, they’re arguing about the nature of reality, and we have to suffer the consequences – hence the fun house effect we’re likely to experience during working hours on Monday.  The silver lining of all this is that if you really pay attention and listen closely, you might learn some valuable clues about the real nature of things.  For example, being late for a meeting with your boss might be embarrassing, but it might provide real insight into how he or she really thinks about you!

Tuesday

Tuesday is the real climax of this week.  At 6:52am The Geek (Mercury) has a meeting with his Spiritual Advisor (Neptune), and has a much better understanding of things.  However difficult Monday was, by Tuesday morning, things seem to be either back in perspective or smack dab in the middle of a new view of things.  Tuesday morning is an EXCELLENT time for thinking about long-term, perplexing, or difficult problems.  A little bit of thought can be rewarded with new insight, understanding, or wisdom.

Right after lunch, at 12:28pm PST, Uranus goes direct.  Uranus, the professor, magician, astrologer, revolutionary, and agent of change begins to reclaim his turf.  Real movement begins to occur in dealing with some major issues of the day such as health care, the economy, climate control, and the situation in Afghanistan.  Decisions will now be made, plans will now be sketched out, and people will begin to reach consensus on dealing with some fundamental problems in the world.  Since about the time of the 4^th of July, we may have felt as if we were moving backwards on solving these issues.  While none of these will be resolved overnight, now progress on them can, will, and should occur.  Hooray!

At 2:03pm Venus, goddess of love enters Sagittarius.  It’s like Paris Hilton throws a holiday party.  I can think of a few people I hope don’t make the guest list, but no matter who is there, Venus entering Sagittarius is bound to lift the spirits – and celebrate with a few of the imbibable kind.  With both Venus and the Sun in Sagittarius, people just want to have fun, and for the most part, as long as we are not too demanding, the planets should provide.  This doesn’t mean going to Macy’s and putting gold dinnerware on the Mastercard, because to be honest, if there’s one difficulty associated with these energies it’s the tendency to overdo it, and expect things to work themselves out in a tomorrow that never comes.  But if you’re willing to celebrate sans lightshade, so to speak, this holiday season shouldn’t disappoint.

And finally, at 11:29pm we have the Full “Cold” Moon of Gemini.  The Full Moon of Gemini always tends to scatter energies like blowing on a dandelion full of seeds, and this year’s moon is likely to be no exception.  But, this moon is a particularly good time improving relationships of all sorts.  People are likely to be more carefree and easy going at this time, and will respond well to all kinds of offers and overtures.  If you want to get to know someone better, or just improve existing relations, this is a good time for doing so.  The one thing to watch for is overly aggressive and pugnacious behavior.  Take things slowly to avoid accidents, do not get involved if someone tries to start a fight, and by all means, don’t try and start one your self.  If you can avoid these pitfalls, this full moon can be a romantic, magical time for sharing with loved ones and exploring dimensions of harmony.

Wednesday

Wednesday is apt to be a day for adjusting to all the frenetic activity of the earlier part of the week.  I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some discouraging news on the progress front from someone who tries to throw a monkey wrench into the movement for solving some political or social problems, but things will iron themselves out in time.  For the rest of us, Wednesday is likely to see progress dealing with our own issues.  This is the kind of day when ideas (many of them good) appear out of nowhere – driving the car, taking a shower, or waiting for the bus. 

Friday

On Friday at 3:44am, the Goddess of Love (Venus) sextiles the Karma Kop (Saturn).  Today we are likely to experience what we deserve from our relationships.  Be nice, and others will be nice to you, be mean and that’s what you’ll get from others.  On the whole, people have a tendency to be calmer and less likely to jump off the handle, and handle situations more appropriately.  If you have any long-term plans you are contemplating with a loved one, now is an excellent time to enact them.  The solidifying aspect of Saturn will help make them a reality.

Saturday

At 9:24am Mercury, the geek, enters Capricorn.  This is a GOOD place for Mercury – very good.  The seriousness, security, and substantiality of Capricorn is an excellent counterpoint to the often erratic nature of Mercury – enhancing thinking that is stable, cautious, grounded, and real.  For those Capricorns in the audience, it is a time for greater mental acuity, more robust thinking, and better problem solving ability. 

May you have a wonderful, productive, and fulfilling week!

How old are you? Twenty-one again? Some of us (ahem) have been twenty-one twice over, with a few years added on…

Would it sound any better if I told you that I am 16,544 days old? Or 22,823,360 minutes, perhaps? While I’m not sure that I feel any better, if you would like to see how old you are in days or minutes, click the link below:

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html

And here’s a website that I DO like – it tells you how old you would be in days and years if you lived on any of the given planets in the Universe… If I lived on Mars for example, I would be a mere twenty-four years old - and if I lived on Jupiter I’d have just turned three! All I have to do now is get there. TARDIS, anyone?

http://www.solarviews.com/eng/edu/age.htm

The tallest known auroras in our solar system were discovered as Cassini imaged the first “northern lights” on the planet Saturn.

The auroras have a vertical pattern, which resemble tall curtains flapping in the wind. Some of which are seen 750 miles above the planet’s northern hemisphere.

Auroras occur on Earth as we all know, but they occur on other planets as well in our solar system. The new images from Saturn help us gain more knowledge into how auroras work. “Seeing these things on another planet helps us understand them a little better when we see them on Earth.” said Andrew Ingersoll of the Cassini imaging team.

An aurora, shining high above the northern part of Saturn, moves from the night side to the day side of the planet in this image recorded by Cassini.

The new data seems to be helping already. Auroras occur when charged particles from a planet’s magnetosphere enter the atmosphere. So the heights of the auroras on Saturn say much about its atmospheric differences compared to the Earth.

The Earth’s atmosphere is mainly oxygen and nitrogen. The atmosphere of Saturn is primarily hydrogen, which is much lighter. This causes the atmosphere to extend out further from the planet, in turn increasing the height of the auroras.

An aurora, shining high above the northern part of Saturn, moves from the night side to the day side of the planet in this movie recorded by Cassini.

Cassini has imaged the auroras of Saturn before, but that was using its ultraviolet and infrared imaging tools. These new images taken in October were captured with the visible light camera. The images were originally in black and white, but the imaging team enhanced them with a orange false-color to highlight the auroras.

The oxygen and nitrogen of the Earth’s atmosphere are what give our auroras their green, blue, and red colors. More needs to be studied about the atmosphere of Saturn to have a more accurate idea of what the colors of its auroras are.

A Cassini scientist, Dr. Andy Ingersoll, explains the flickering “northern lights” high above Saturn, shown for the first time in a visible-light movie.

As an astrologer, I’ve learned long time ago that I can predict timing of events with much greater certainty than their nature.
For instance, I can say that events that will begin to transpire in April of 2010 will crest around August 1, hitting Americans directly where their wallet is with violent force, because all potent forces of heaven will be attacking Venus in the U.S. horoscope.
Since Venus traditionally rules money and relationships, American relationships will suffer either within the country or abroad. I cannot rule out civil unrest, although I would not go as far as predicting civil war.
Unfortunately, I really cannot say what exactly is going to happen. I don’t believe anybody can. In my experience, even the best of psychics often make mistakes when it comes to future events, because we really have the power of the free will.
With this power we still cannot change the forces of time that spin the heavens, but we may lessen or even change their impact to some degree. Of course, our ability to do so is much more evident in our personal lives than on the national or international scope.
But even mundane astrologers are still handicapped in their ability to predict, since no nation has a birth certificate with official time stamped on it. The U.S., for instance, has at least 4 horoscopes that astrologers like to consider. Even its date of birth is in dispute, since historical facts point to July 2 rather than July 4 that we all celebrate.
I can assure you though, that no matter what happens around August 1 of 2010, we will survive, and the world is not going to come to an end in December of 2012 either.
About 100 years ago, a little known guru of a much more famous guru Paramahansa Yogananda wrote a tiny treatise “The Holy Science” that went unnoticed by even Yogananda’s disciples.
However, this little gem deserves almost as much reverence as Bhagavat Gita. There, Sri Yukteswar recalculated yugas (Divine divisions of time) based on precession of equinox and position of the Sun in relationship to the Galactic Center.
Yugas describe the relationship of Light and Darkness in terms of time.
There are 8 yugas in total in what is called 1 Divine Day of 24,000 years. They start with the Ascending Kali Yuga of 1200 years, during which the light of human consciousness gradually increases.
He pinpointed the beginning of that yuga at the year of 499 a.d..
This means, that in the 1699 a.d. the Ascending Dwapara Yuga began, and it will last until 4099 a.d..
During Ascending Dwapara Yuga, the light of human consciousness increases enough to develop amazing technologies based on atomic and molecular manipulations of material reality, as well as developing abilities to manipulate electricity, magnetic and gravitational forces and the like.
By the end of this yuga, humanity as the whole is also going to perfect mystical and occult techniques, enabling itself to expertly manipulate reality.
During the Ascending Treta Yuga, personal relationship with God is going to become commonplace, and during the Ascending Satya Yuga, the humanity, once again, would enter its Golden Age.
The Descending Satya Yuga will follow, and the Divine Light would begin to gradually diminish until it would be totally shut out during the Descending Kali Yuga.
If you look at the known human history, you would agree that the year of 499 a.d. falls smack in the middle of so called Dark Ages, and as of 1699, humanity began technological advancement in earnest.
Since we are at the threshold of the Advancing Dwapara Yuga, the technological advancement we have seen so far is only the beginning.
I predict that during the next decade technology is going to continue develop in leaps and bounds, particularly computer and nano technology, revolutionizing our relationship with the world. E-readers are going to become commonplace, and even catalogs are going to be on e-readers rather than on paper. TV and computer technology will merge completely. We are going to use “TV sets” for reading e-mail, solving “websudoku” puzzles, and reading news as much as watching them.
Cyber space is going to continue being the new gold mines of the world economy, and green technology is going to improve and cheapen enough to become common place.
Nano technology is going to affect every facet of our lives, from clothes to medicine, but it is in medicine where it is geared to make major impact. By the end of the next decade, we may finally defeat cancer, and our greatest concern is going to be infectious diseases.
I would be watching with interest the time period between October of 2010 and April of 2011 for some remarkable technological break-through, as Neptune – Uranus mutual reception returns for the last time.
Economically, during the next decade the U.S., Europe, Russia, China and India will continue to be the main engines, as the U.S. will continue to lead in consumerism, Russia will continue to dominate the market of natural resources, China will remain the world’s greatest factory, and India is going to finally reap the benefits of its investment in education.
But the U.S and Europe are going to be much poorer, and India, Russia, and China much richer.
This will change the political picture, as Russia and China will become the 2 main super powers.
I also believe that Pluto in Capricorn is going to undermine democracy everywhere on Earth and squash all civil unrests that flare up, and the U.S. is no exception. Of course, Orwell’s Big Brother comes to mind, but it would still remain the exaggerated version of reality. While all powers are going to strengthen their control, no country is going to descent to the fascist or communist regimes of the past.
Terrorist acts and the fear they spread are going to dominate the world politics. I am certain that Israel and Palestine are going to remain being locked in conflict, and Middle East is going to remain being the nest of terrorism. But acts of terror are going to be more sophisticated, using technological sabotage as well as suicide bombers.
During Ascending Dwapara Yuga, Light and Darkness fiercely compete with each other, and the world is full of shadows. But the Light is getting stronger every year, so, in my mind, the most important developments of the next decade are going to begin taking hold as of March of 2012. That is when Neptune is finally going to settle in Pisces, its own sign, while Uranus straddles through Aries.
I believe that spring is going to mark the beginning of the quiet revolution within human mind. I don’t mean the plentitude of small technological devices that would allow us to control them with the force of our thoughts. They already exist and are about to invade our everyday life. I bet, one of the most sought out presents this X-Mass is going to be the game where people can move a ball with their mind alone.
No, I mean the unbelievable rise in consciousness on individual level. We saw a similar spurt in consciousness during the early 80s of the last century, when Uranus and Neptune traversed Sagittarius at the same time. Sagittarius, the country of Jupiter is the sign of expansion of consciousness, while Uranus represents break-trough and Neptune is the symbol of oneness.
In Aries, Uranus is going to emphasize unique individuality of each of us, while Neptune, strong in its own sign, is going to bring mysticism and spiritual oneness to the forefront of consciousness.
Of course, for many, Neptune in Pisces would signify the descent into drugs, and Uranus in Aries coupled with Pluto in Capricorn could easily describe flare ups of anarchy. After all, Pluto walking through the sign of government and corporate structures is going to change them all big time, forcing many into quiet and not-so-quiet revolt.
Uranus in Aries is going to ensure that Big Personalities rule that moment of time, and independent contractors are going to outnumber employees everywhere. Even employees are going to be much more independent, often working from home thanks to continuously evolving technology and loss of all kinds of corporate benefits.
The Ascending Dwapara Yuga by no means signifies the end of suffering, and Africa is going to continue to be the epicenter of human suffering for a while. Changes of climate, poverty, infectious diseases and terrorist acts are going to continue being our terrible bane for a few decades longer, as Darkness does not give up so easily.
It is going to be up to us as individuals to uphold the Light, and Neptune and Uranus are going to give us a little hand there during the next decade. After all, all the disasters that befall the human kind are there to forge the kindness of the heart, so God may enter it.

A significant event in the life of the International Space Station took place on the 20th of November. ESA, the European Space Agency handed over a new interconnecting module for I.S.S. over to NASA. Node 3, or Tranquility as it was named by NASA, is one of Europe’s final major hardware contributions to the construction of I.S.S., along with a connected observation module known as Cupola

Ownership of ESA’s Node 3, Tranquility, the final European-built habitable module for the International Space Station (ISS), was transferred from the European Space Agency to NASA on 20 November 2009.

Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja

Hi RES VERSION AVAILABLE HERE

Those in attendance at the handover were Bernardo Patti, ISS Program Manager in ESA’s Directorate of Human Spaceflight, NASA’s ISS Program Manager Michael Suffredini, Robert Cabana, NASA’s Director of the Kennedy Space Center, William Dowdell, NASA’s Deputy for Operations for ISS and Spacecraft Processing, Secondino Brondolo, Head of the Space Infrastructure at Thales Alenia Space Italy and selected media organizations.

ESA’s Cupola was mated to Node 3 in September 2009, and is now ready for launch.

Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja

Hi RES VERSION AVAILABLE HERE

Tranquility and Cupola will be carried to I.S.S. by Space Shuttle Endeavor. The current launch date right now is February 4, 2010.

Tranquility will house many systems related to life support including oxygen generation and water recovery. Also, equipment such as a treadmill will be housed there for the purpose of physical conditioning of the crew.

Node 3 consists of a pressurised cylindrical hull 4.5 m in diameter with a shallow conical section enclosing each end. It is almost 7 m long and will weigh together with the Cupola over 13.5 tonnes at launch.

Credits: ESA – S. Corvaja

Hi RES VERSION AVAILABLE HERE

I have a life insurance policy with the Halifax Bank, which was founded in the town of Halifax, West Yorkshire. Before I cash in my policy I thought I’d bore you with some Hali-facts:

• Halifax is famed for the ‘Halifax Gibbet’, an early form of the guillotine. Rumour has it, after leaning over to inspect the internal workings of a Halifax Gibbet, the head of John the Baptist was subsequently buried nearby. His last words were “Are you sure it’s sa…”

• The town gained its name from Haliflax, meaning ‘holy flax’, and has been the centre of woollen manufacture in Britain since the fifteenth century.

Piece Hall, first opened in 1779 as a public market and place for trading woollen cloth.

• Famous X-factors include:

Wrestler ‘Big Daddy’.

10 Rillington Place mass-murderer John Christie.

Percy Shaw, inventor of reflective ‘cat’s-eyes’.

William Herschel, discoverer of Uranus.

The Weekend Space Review is nearly at full operation. We are working on the layouts and tweaking the site so it best displays the content presented. We are really excited about this project.

For now, we leave you with a video. This is a lunar flyover video of the moon created by one of the incredible images captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched this past June. Enjoy the video and thanks for stopping by.

Jupiter the giant ruler of Sagittarius

This year the heavy burden of change in earth’s systems, world governments and weather patterns is sometimes laid at Scorpio’s door. But a much greater force was at work: Saturn, the great planet of sidereal change, slowly and inexorably moved out of the communicative and meticulously-ordered earth-sign of Virgo, where he has ruled, written in stone, made careful lists and acted in a predictable manner for the last three years. On October 29th 2009, he entered Libra, the zodiac sign of partnerships, cooperative ventures, balance and – above all – change.

Changes at the end of the year are expected as we in the Northern hemisphere descend into winter; but Saturn’s influence is huge. Just as the moon affects earth’s ocean tides, the ringed giant’s great orb reaches from its distant position in the sixth solar orbit to touch and move this little world of ours in the third planetary belt round the sun.

At the beginning of November this huge astrological catalyst of change had already joined forces with the sun in Scorpio and world mayhem, freak weather systems, and cultural upheaval were apparent: floods, tsunamis and out-of-season storms added to wars and conflict, famine and a breakdown in communications in both Old and New worlds. We are only now recovering from the effects of drought and starvation in some African regions and deluge and homeless scenarios in the North.

Saturn the planet of change and upheaval

It is a surprise and relief when, following the double Scorpionic portion dished out to us in mid-November by the New Moon, that Saturn’s new position in Libra should be accentuated by the sun’s transition on November 22nd into jovial Sagittarius. This zodiac sign is ruled by abundant Jupiter. It allows us a respite, a time to remember our place on the planet, our blessings, our way forward. But it, too, heralds change.

Sagittarius is a fire sign, sent to melt the icy waters Scorpio dragged in with its lethal tail. The archer, sunny of disposition and sending arrows presaging abundant flow to come, allows the glow of Thanksgiving and a glimpse towards the festivities of midwinter, but he reminds us that more work is round the corner as we are moving into a New Age. It helps to know, however that his ruler, Jupiter presently stands with Neptune, the planet of change and the spiritual, the mystical and unknown in forward-looking Aquarius; so our path, while difficult, is overseen by angels.

A trusted astrologer friend says:
“November 22-30: This is a highly creative time. Pay attention and focus on the little signs. Push the boundaries of what you perceive possible. Stretch your imagination. Resist the temptations of the status quo. Ask the right questions, ‘why not’ and ‘what if’. Be brave.

“Mostly just be in your own spirit, take time to meditate, try to remember that the Universe is ordering things in right timing; that in moving from a place of trusting, your own ability and power to create will open up. Spend time with others you like to be around and keep cutting clutter and non-essentials from your life.”

As the month draws to a close, we are being challenged to seek even greater clarity and depth of meaning in life, in our relationships, in our day-to-day interaction with others, work colleagues, family and strangers alike, so that we start to evolve in spiritual understanding of our place on this special planet Earth.

And at month-end, as we move into December, Mercury aspects challenge us to release stress and restore clarity of thinking. Mercury the messenger and communicator-par-excellence may get us through the hard part.

December begins with a powerful double-whammy: a Full Moon in Gemini on December 1st coincides with giant Uranus’ turning direct.

Changes and new directions are on the cards – in spades.

But we have help. Angels and giants are around to help us through.

This is an occasional astrological blog posting, as we move through the year. I am aware that many are familiar with the Western zodiac and its implications. However I hope to encourage a friend who understands the ramifications of the Vedic astrological system of the Indian sub-continent to join me in the next blog post. It is a fascinating system, with many parallels with Western and even Chinese texts. I think it will be something to look forward to.

If you happened to be the kid from Sarah Noble Intermediate School in New Milford who nicked Uranus from the newly installed $25,000 scale model solar system, the McCarthy Observatory volunteers want it back you little shit!

©11-18-09 by Donna Cunningham, MSW

 We’re sitting at a crossroad just now, collectively. In the distance, we can hear the mournful whistle of a big, old freight train. It’s just got three cars—honking huge tankers with signs on their sides saying Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus.

They’re filled with powerful industrial solvents for a reconstruction project that’s vital to the future health and growth of our communities and our planet. The trouble is, they’re potentially toxic if not handled correctly.

That’s why there are big, bold warning signs on the sides of the cars, and why there are billboards leading up to the crossroad. That’s why the signals are lit up with flashing red lights, and why loud bells are sounding. Is the Pluto-Saturn-Uranus train on a intersect course with your path—that is, do you have planets, the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven in early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn? If so, are you reading and heeding those warning signals?

Or are you sitting there, stalled on the tracks, affirming and visualizing that the train won’t come after all, that it’ll be diverted onto a side track just in the nick of time? Or maybe praying that because you’ve been a really good, hardworking person your whole life, God will just make it go away?

Are You Still Holding on to a “Clunker?”

When it comes to crossroads in our lives like this one, a whole lot of us are driving “clunkers” that aren’t only environmentally unfriendly, they’re outright liabilities.

By “clunkers” I mean life patterns and strategies that are so old and beat up that their usefulness is long past. We have a pretty good idea they’re going to break down at the worst possible time. (They’ve done it all too many times before.)

You probably already know, instinctively, what I’m talking about. Astrologically, you’d find those worn out patterns in the areas of life represented by the houses Pluto and Saturn are transiting or the houses where the affected natal placements are located.

Still, we hang onto those clunkers because we’re used to them, even though they’re a lot more work to maintain than they’re worth, but we don’t know what else to do. Unfortunately, Congress isn’t likely to pass a “Cash for Clunkers” program to allow us turn them in for something better.

What Are Your Options?

If the Pluto-Saturn-Uranus train is on your path—that is, if major chart features are located at those early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn—you have three options for coping with the clunkers in your life:

• keep the pattern but invest major sweat equity in fixing it
• junk it and walk to work for a while
• carpool.

I know many of you wise readers are already doing something about your own clunkers. I know it from the comments you leave or the emails you send me privately:

• You’re sharing how the Pluto-Saturn square is affecting your life.
• You’re talking about the challenges and the courageous ways you’re facing them.
• You’re celebrating the growth that’s resulting from your actions.

I salute you. You’re FaceBooking and Friending Pluto and Saturn. That’s how it works best—I always say, take care of Saturn and Saturn will take care of you. (I don’t have a similar pithy slogan for Pluto, so help me out!)

Are You one of the People Who Stalled on the Tracks?

Some of the rest of you, I sort of worry about. More than a few of you are stalled on the tracks and ignoring those flashing red lights.

I don’t know you individually, but that’s the conclusion I’m drawing from the statistics on this blog. See, the BlogStat features on WordPress aren’t just dry numbers to me; they’re valuable tools for  understanding what’s going on with my visitors.

By registering the number of page clicks for various posts on a daily, weekly, quarterly, or all-time basis, they tell me a lot about what you do when you come to this blog. What you read and don’t read, what you love and what you ignore. What touches you personally enough that you comment on it.

Based on the stats, you seem to love this series, or at least parts of it, and I’m gratified that you’re finding it useful and informative. But take a look at what’s happened since this series began on 10/30. Subscribers aren’t counted in the page clicks, but here are the numbers of other viewers for the first three posts in this series as of 11/18:                         

• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 1 (Houses and Areas of Life Affected)  952
• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 2  (Best Case/Worst Case Scenarios)  509
• Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #3 — Taking Concrete Action to Change your Life 327

What those figures say is that almost three times as many people have read Part #1 as Part #3.  It isn’t just a matter of Part #1 being older, because Part #3 was published 11/1, just 2 days after part #1. And it isn’t a matter of people leaving once they read what they needed—the longer this series goes on, the more the number of visitors to this blog increases. 

What concerns me is that these stats hint that while many of you want to know what’s coming with this transit (Part #1), only about a third of you are ready to do anything about it (Part #3). Oh, I know, lies, damned lies, and statistics. Numbers aren’t facts, yadda, yadda. But it’s a rather telling set of numbers, all the same—don’t you think? 

You can’t afford to be stalled on the tracks, if you’re one of the people this transit is touching in any major way. I ‘m convinced that action is not optional but a necessity now. I’ve experienced a full cycle and a quarter of Pluto-Saturn aspects during my lifetime. I’ve reviewed and analyzed 50 years worth of major aspects of this combination through the lens of astrology, historically and sociologically.  I’ve observed their effects, not just in my own life and the lives of my loved ones, but in client’s lives as well.

So I know that you can’t just hope Pluto-Saturn aspects will go away. You have to take concrete action—well thought out, cautious, effective action. Brave, determined, gritty, gutsy action.  And to begin to get a handle on what those actions could be, you might get some useful ideas from Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #3 — Taking Concrete Action to Change your Life.

Look, I’m not saying I have the answers you need—I don’t. You may very well need hands-on, face to face helpers for that. But I do know a lot of the questions. And I know about people and things that you can turn to. That’s what the Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit is for.

Waiting for the Caboose?

Folks, if this series of transits is doing something major to your chart, don’t ignore the two cars at the head of the train—meaning the current Pluto-Saturn square—because Uranus is the caboose, and that’s scheduled to arrive in early Aries in April. The time between now and then is a valuable asset that you cannot afford to squander.

My long experience of Uranus transits in people’s lives is this: change is inevitable during Uranus aspects. Take the initiative to make the changes you need and secretly want, or else outside events and circumstances will make the change for you. It’s your call. And guess what: somewhere deep down in your soul, you know you need a change and you embrace it. It’s just kinda rough while it’s happening.

More Posts for your Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit:

More Posts for your Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit:

• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—an Overview of the Series
• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 1 (Houses and Areas of Life Affected)
• The Pluto-Saturn Square—Two Examples of How It Works
• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 2  (Best Case/Worst Case Scenarios)
• Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #3 — Taking Concrete Action to Change your Life
• Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #4: Key Players in your Drama
• People who Misuse Pluto and Saturn—Don’t be Fooled by Scare Tactics!
• Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #5: How to Use these Energies Well
• From Clutter to Closure–Using the Pluto-Saturn Square
• How the Pluto-Saturn Square may Affect People born with that Aspect

If this post was helpful, DON’T MISS THE NEXT INSTALLMENT IN THIS SERIES. Sign up for a subscription, and get a FREE EBOOKLET for Skywriter Subscribers Only: Mothers, Daughters, and the Moon, a 50-page excerpt from The Moon in your Life. Read more about it here: NEW: FREE BOOKLET FOR SKYWRITER SUBSCRIBERS! 

 If you’re already a subscriber and want a copy, forward the most recent email post to me at moonmave@spiritone.com. To sign up for a subscription, go to the top right hand corner of the blog and click on “Subscribe.”  Then send me an email with your subscription confirmation or an email post with a request for the booklet in the subject line.

THE COPENHAGEN LUNATION CYCLE

SUNRISE in COPENHAGEN, DECEMBER 7, 2009

The Conference will begin on December 7, not the most auspicious time to begin something, with the Leo Moon just separating from Mars and decreasing in light, close to the Last Quarter phase.

The waning cycle of the Moon, especially when past the Last Quarter (the longest chunk of time during the Summit), is not traditionally considered the most propitious time to take momentous decisions or to enter into action for something as important as Climate Change.

This reflects in my eyes the general feeling of anxiety that the whole thing will be for nothing; serious agreement amongst different nations and interests seeming, at first, very far off.

The presence of Venus in Sagittarius and the Aquarian conjunctions all point to the desire to share and to look at the big picture, but also add a sense of restlessness, impatient expectations and rather fixed viewpoints all around.

The Moon conjunct Mars (both opposing the Jupiter- Neptune-Chiron’s conjunction), just on the Summit’s opening day, promises that tempers will flare up throughout the conference, and that many are ready for a good fight. Self righteous attitudes may permeate all camps. A tag of war is possible between autocratic (Leo) and democratic (Aquarius) factions within the Summit.

At the same time the conjunction of Mercury to Pluto in Capricorn, also exact on opening day,  warns us of the risk of manipulation and secrecy that could mar the trust amongst the participants. This aspects shows that hidden agendas are prominent and that communications cannot be taken at face value. The positive side of this conjunction  is the depth it can lend to communication and its practicality and efficiency (Capricorn). It is in fact a very appropriate angle, considering that what we want to discuss (Mercury) in Copenhagen is the future  of our world resources (Pluto) and that the talks should be practically oriented (Capricorn) and also truthful, even when the truth hurts (Pluto).

Uranus in Pisces, another significant agent for change, in the Horoscope of the opening day, is forming near exact harmonious aspects to the Lunar Nodes, the axis of destiny for that particular moment in time (trine the South Node in Cancer and sextile the North Node in Capricorn). These transits represent a positive highlight on the Summit, because the destiny of that day is to allow changes and to foster reforms.

The Moon in its waning phase is heralding however nine days that seem to be better suited for introspection than for deliberation and action. I see it as some big time Soul Searching.

The most challenging moment perhaps the day of the First Quarter itself, December 9, when the Moon in Virgo will require a lot of the participants to sieve through a mass of verbal and written communication, often losing perspective of the larger picture and the global issues (Virgo’s myopia, seeing the close up bark of the tree but missing out on the great big forest out there). This 90 degrees angle between the Virgo Moon and the Sagittarius Sun, symbolizes to me the natural conflict between our aspirations, and the principles we wish to live by (Sagittarius) and the needs and practical demands of our everyday life (Virgo).

A second critical time will be the Balsamic Moon phase, on December 12; the Moon, now in Scorpio, 45 degrees behind the Sun in Sagittarius. Here it is when true healing could take place and the seed of the new cycle planted. This seed will begin sprouting at the next New Moon in Sagittarius (December 16), so it is very important to nurture it rightly, in order to give it the best start. Just on this day Civil Demonstrations and Non Violent Protests have been organized, in favour of greater clarity and commitment on Climate Change, especially from the USA, China, India and Europe.

The Balsamic Moon is full of great potential but it is also a very fragile and changeable period, when things can go either way, depending on how well we have integrated the lesson of the previous cycle. This cycle began with the Moon in Scorpio, on November 17. At this New Moon, once a year, we are required to face the shadow which is within us and in others, and find a creative outlet for its energy; A great opportunity, all in all, to clear our acts. How appropriate that this should be the Lunation cycle of a Climate Change Conference!

This Scorpio New Moon, exact at the time of writing amongst heat waves and freak thunderstorms in Australia, is very much coloured by the first pass of the Saturn-Pluto square, exact on December 16, practically coinciding with it. The square will be still active for a while longer, though separating by the time the Summit will begin, a good thing.

A general sense of relief could be felt, because this transit has the reputation of being heavy and sometimes intensely stressful, putting many under a lot of pressure. This intense pressure will be felt during the Climate Change Conference too.

There would be, throughout the Summit, a strong resistance (Saturn), against the powerful pull toward a radical transformation of attitudes (Pluto). The Saturn-Pluto’s connection can be also read as fear (Saturn) over the loss of Resources and Riches (Pluto), to which we have become accustomed and now take for granted.

A radical change of attitudes is demanded here, in order to shed old habits (Saturn). Using creatively the impact of this transit (the ultimate reality check) will enable us to contact our inner power and to face difficult and demanding circumstances with renewed strength and depth of understanding.

This cosmic conflict has been reflected, at the collective level, by the present inability of leading world nations,(time of writing: mid November 2009), to find a working agreement on Climate Change. The old ingrained habits, conservative views and fears of rocking the boat too much and create insecurity (Saturn) are stubbornly refusing to see the vital urgency of the issues of Global Warming and the handling of planet Earth resources, really a question of survival (Pluto).

The fact that this difficult angle is losing power during the Summit, at least for a time, could be a good sign for the outcome. The square Saturn-Pluto will return again in February, second pass, and then August 2010, third pass, so its challenges and severe reality check are far from over.

Let’s remember however that the first impulse on the opening day of the Summit itself, December 7, is represented by the Jupiter-Chiron’s conjunction (see previous post for details), that, even if challenged, at first, by the Moon-Mars opposition, represents still a powerful force for healing and expanding wisdom and knowledge.

I feel that, in the end, both the configuration Saturn-Pluto and the conjunction Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune will have to influence the outcome, with somewhat contrasting hues.

SAGITTARIUS NEW MOON, DECEMBER 16, 29

The conference fortunately will end December 18, two days after the New Moon in Sagittarius on December 16, therefore on a more buoyant note. This will feel like a sort of beginning, at the end of all the talks, the Moon finally increasing in light, energetically better suited for action. This New Moon is also promising because of the proximity in time to the last pass of Jupiter over Neptune in Aquarius (exact on December 21). This is an enterprising and brave New Moon in Sagittarius, conjunct diplomatic Venus, but also trine Mars (courage, enterprise) and square Uranus (urge for reforms). Sagittarius never forgets the big picture and is adventurous enough to take a leap of faith. This positive energy, like the transits of Jupiter (Sagittarius’ traditional Ruler) seem reflected already by those poor countries, like Brazil for instance, prepared to cut further their CO emissions if the developed and developing countries agree to a definitive cap on emissions, first by 2020 and then 2050. This is an ideal and ambitious goal, at risk of generating unrealistic expectations, but who better than Sagittarius can dare to dream and then find opportunities along the way as a reward for its act of faith?

Coinciding with the end of the Summit will be the retrograde station of Mars, on the 19th degree of Leo,  during the last week of the Conference. Mars will in fact begin its retro motion proper on December 20. This to me is a clear symbol that the issues that will come up, especially those generating tension, anger and confrontations will have to be revisited in the first half of 2010, giving Mars time to make its slow U turn in Leo.

Mars will end its long transit in Leo only in early June 2010, and by then the very significant conjunction of Jupiter to Uranus will become exact (on the cusp of Aries, the symbolical start of the Zodiac). This future transit promises some significant shift in global outlook, with a readiness to embrace changes and begin anew. Something to look forward to.

No exact predictions can be made on the outcome of this Global Summit, but certainly most students of Astrology would agree about the general tone and challenges of the event.

Repeating the words spoken, at a previous Summit, by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the failure to reach a new treaty  on fighting global warming in 2009 would be “morally inexcusable, economically short sighted and politically unwise”, we don’t seem to have much of a choice. And this, I feel, is what the square Saturn-Pluto is all about, being put in an emergency situation with only one way out, truth, nothing but the truth.

More on the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in my previous post, and in future posts, those in particular considering the effect of the January 2010 Eclipses and the specific roles of some of the major players, China, India, USA, Europe and Australia.

THE AQUARIAN ALIGNMENT

The Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen makes a fascinating sky story, starting with the last pass of the historical conjunction of Jupiter to Chiron in Aquarius (exact on December 7, opening day!!!); and ending with the last pass of the Jupiter conjunction to Neptune, also in Aquarius. This last transit will become exact just three days (December 21) after the Conference’s ending (December 18). A Sagittarius New Moon aligned to the longitude of the Galactic Centre will also concur with the latter event.

Astrologers, all over the world, count on these cosmic alignments to generate a positive outcome for this Summit.

Astrologers don’t pick the dates of historical events such as this, but certainly whoever chose them is unknowingly prompted by more than logical reasons and practical considerations. When it comes to events that will affect, for good or ill, the lives of millions, Astrology never fails to deliver amazing archetypal portraits of the situation. Our Art can give us an almost immediate insight on the underlying currents of every situation, and the possible direction these currents may take us.

Jupiter is here obviously acting as a giant catalyst, bringing the energies of Neptune and Chiron to a focus, and greatly expanding their effects. Jupiter is also performing the task of bringing to life, few months in advance, the conjunction of Neptune and Chiron to each other, which will become exact only in 2010.

The process is not easy though, because contacts with Chiron always entail suffering and difficulties one has to learn to accept and live with. The role of Chiron is, I feel, to bridge the distance between our down to earth experiences and sense of reality (Saturn) and our future aspirations and directions (Uranus). This is a precarious bridge at the best of time, needing constant work to become stronger and more secure. Copenhagen seems to be an opportunity to build more of this bridge, but perhaps it is premature to hope to finish its construction, over these few available days. The fact that Neptune awaits Jupiter at the end of the Conference seems to indicate to me that a lot of the outcome will be of an inspirational and idealistic nature, rather than clear programs and cut backs, promises perhaps more than commitments.

SUNRISE in COPENHAGEN, DECEMBER 7, 2009

As I stated in my article in issue 26, March 2009 of The Art of Healing about the Aquarian alignment:

‘There may be a marked general feeling of hope and the strong belief that things are improving. There is a catch though: excessive idealism and lack of practicality. We need to take care that wishful thinking and excessive confidence are not clouding our judgement. On the other hand, it would be regrettable not to acknowledge the beauty of the dream, the universal understanding and healing that the union of those planets portends. It would be to miss a unique opportunity to rise to new heights, for all of us.

Jupiter (called Guru in Vedic Astrology) represents the human urge to search for meaning and to envision a better future; while Neptune is the planet of the Third Eye and Universal Compassion, opening channels for us between conscious and unconscious dimensions. And Chiron is the Wounded Healer, a powerful symbol of the fact that true healing can come only from a personal and profound experience of suffering.

The energies of these three Planets acting in unison will be filtered through the substance of Aquarius, the Sign of democratic reform, human cooperation, science and technology. Astrologers cannot help feeling that this is a good sign to improve human cooperation and create strong links of friendship amongst people of different race, belief or culture’.

And in issue 27, June 2009:

‘A benign face of this astrological period is represented by Jupiter’s conjunctions to Chiron and Neptune.

Despite the dire collective situation, seen from a practical and down to earth standpoint (Saturn was still in Virgo), this airy and lofty Aquarian emphasis could work like a magic charm, helping to dispel excessive worries and encouraging us to look up rather than down to find solutions to our quandaries. A willingness to reform and to help our fellow men could be very strong. Aquarius is the Humanitarian Sign which, through dispassion and knowledge, helps to emphasize our common human heritage, rather than our cultural and religious differences.

Jupiter is positively placed in Aquarius even when on its own. Its closeness to Chiron and Neptune strengthens, deepens and refines the outgoing energy of Jupiter, putting greater emphasis on compassion and healing, qualities the world needs very badly at present.’

And in issue 28, October 2009:

‘The triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron will be exact again, for the last time, between December 2009 and January 2010. These conjunctions have permeated the whole of 2009, helping to raise our spirits during the global financial crisis. At the time of writing (early June 2009) Obama has been visiting Egypt to show a friendly hand to Palestinians and Muslims in general, making historical speeches of reconciliation. He is also campaigning to have Guantanamo Bay shut by the end of 2009, a brave move, hopefully coinciding with the last pass of the Aquarian conjunction, in December’.

I didn’t know then that a global Summit on Climate Change was to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009, another one of those striking example of astrological synchronicity.

‘All these events exemplify to me the progressive spirit of the Aquarian conjunction, with its idealism and humanitarian principles, as well as the downside of the same, as chimerical hopes of easy solutions, and social/political naivety. Obama himself has Ascendant and Jupiter in Aquarius and became officially President at the time of his Jupiter’s return in early Aquarius, in January 2009, while his Moon’s South Node, part of his ‘axe of destiny’ is conjunct the historical conjunction Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron in late Aquarius.

Neptune can embellish every picture, but has the potential of being also deceptive, elusive and unrealistic. Jupiter on his part tends to exaggerate, usually accentuating the promising parts rather than the problematic issues. Finally mysterious Chiron portends the potential for collective healing of old wounds or, negatively, karmic illnesses. Chiron is physically and symbolically the go-between the known world (Saturn boundary) and the Uranian vision of a new world, forever reminding us of the painful limitations of our human condition (Saturn), while igniting the spark of our godlike genius (Uranus).

We see a Jupiter conjunct Neptune every twelve years or so, not a rare event, after all. But we experience a triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron only once in a while, the last in 1945, at the end of World War Two, when it certainly helped the healing, while many of the promises of what the world will be after the war were not kept . Even rarer is the same triple conjunction in the same zodiacal position, Aquarius, which occurred the last time in 1843. This was a period very close to the ‘discovery’ of Neptune in 1846, considered historically, philosophically and literarily an idealistic era. Many proletarian, grass root revolutions also started then (Marx’s Communist Manifesto was published in 1848). On the religious front it was a messianic period, when many Christians awaited the second coming and the advent of a new world order of peace and enlightenment.

Similar hopes in a redeeming time ahead are alive and well in 2009. We may at times feel we need a Saviour or a miracle to overcome the huge obstacles ahead of us; but hope alone will not save our troubled world.’

A negative side effect of this multiple conjunction could be that, if the Aquarian aspirations cannot find fulfilment at some practical level, a rebellious and self righteous attitude may be the outcome for many. The blessings of Jupiter are often mixed with the woes of discontent and frustration, if opportunities for expansion are not readily available. Moderation is a useful word to remember when Jupiter is strongly activated.

Global Civil Disobedience events in the Campaign for Climate Action have been already planned by many groups for November 30 (with the Taurus Moon squaring the Mars-Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune opposition), and again on December 12 (with the Balsamic Moon in Scorpio), in the middle of the Copenhagen talks.

The conjunction is creating a great momentum for change that will not be easily quashed. Together with the retrogradation of Mars in Leo this promises that tempers will rise quite a bit, especially in the aftermath of the Summit. There is indeed some risk of violence, not just because of Mars’ doings, but because a somewhat dangerous conjunction Mercury/Pluto will be exact on opening day too (see next post for details).

More on the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in my next post, considering in particular the role of the Lunation cycle.

The First Progressed New Moon, 1967

Studying the American President’s Progressed Horoscope I have found many meaningful correspondences to his personal and public career. The following is an attempt to follow Obama’s Secondary Progressions throughout his life. I think it could help those Astrology students who, amazed by the powerful signature of the Transits in our lives, have still some doubt on the efficacy of considering Progressions as well.

To me Secondary Progressions (one day equal one year type) represent really a living backdrop to the Transits, showing the inner development of the individual and the way this is reflected in the events and encounters of his/her life.

Having used Secondary Progressions since I began reading Charts (thanks mainly to the Alan Leo’s series that started me on my path), I couldn’t do without them now. The Horoscope would not feel complete, because some of the underlying meaning of our experiences will be irremediably lost.

Barack, who was called Barry by his family, was born only six months before his parents’ marriage (February 2, 1961), meaning that he was conceived out of wedlock. This fact, together with the interracial marriages of his mother, first to a black Kenyan man, then to an Indonesian (in the fifties and sixties still surrounded by serious social taboos) would have certainly contributed to his psychological makeup and desire to help those who, like himself, don’t fit into the average social and racial mould. In his Birth Chart this is signified by the very prominent Aquarius: Ascendant, South Node of the Moon and Jupiter, ruler of his Ninth and Tenth House, respectively his connection with the wider world, his principles and his career; plus Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, conjunct his North Node of the Moon and at right angle to his Midheaven, so exerting a powerful influence on his choice of career and his potential for public success (Seventh House-Tenth House).

Obama’s Birth Moon in Gemini, conjunct the cusp of his Fourth House, or Midnight point, exemplifies the fact that he moved home many times in his life and that these frequent changes have helped him to become more flexible and adaptable, being an unsettling but also mentally stimulating position. One of the most interesting Progressed phenomena is the cycle of the Progressed Moon and Sun. We are all born at one stage or other of the Lunation cycle, with the Moon increasing or decreasing in light, waxing or waning. Progressions show us however that we are not stuck to the particular dynamic of that moment in the Lunation cycle for the rest of our lives. Moon and Sun advance in progression at their own appointed speed, on the average one degree a month for the Moon and one degree a year for the Sun. The Moon waxes and wanes accordingly, thus indicating periods of heightened and ebbing energy, times for successful outward actions, and times for introversion and self reflection, time for beginning and time for climax and endings, all necessary stages of psychological and emotional progress.

The Moon in Gemini (usually a social and light hearted if not emotionally superficial Moon) was just past the Last Quarter phase, ideal time for the birth of self reflecting individuals, more inclined to wrestle with their own inner demons rather than given to outward battle with the external world. This is considered a psychologically mature phase, that, covering the person’s childhood years, will help to make the child more thoughtful and adult like.

Obama was six years old (October 1967) when the Progressed Moon finally caught up with the Progressed Sun (Progressed New Moon in Leo), indicating the beginning of a brand new phase in his life.

And so it was, because, that year, his mother, now separated from his father and remarried, moved the family to Jakarta, Indonesia, where Barack’s half sister Maya was born.

That year not only the Progressed New Moon took place, but also the progressed Venus reached an exact distance of 120 degrees from the birth Neptune in the IX House. This aspect was already forming when Obama was born in 1961 (progressed aspects from planets are slow moving, somehow like the long lasting transits of the slow moving planets, those beyond the boundaries of Saturn). The Ninth House is often populated in the chart of people who form important connections with foreign people and countries. Neptune there at birth shows the great spiritual potential that could be triggered in Obama’s life, if he was to move to foreign lands or interact with foreign people and culture. The fact that the harmonious connection Venus-Neptune became exact just in 1967 shows how the family’s move to Indonesia had profound spiritual implications for young Barack, enhancing some of the best aspects of his Birth Chart, in particular his innate spirituality and compassion. The Seventh House cusp also progressed to the birth position of Uranus that year, signifying a profound change of attitude in Barack’s relationships and the beginning of a more individualized path. He started becoming more his own person.

To emphasize that, later that year, also transiting Jupiter reached Obama’s natal Descendant (another name for the Seventh House cusp), further proof that his relationships expanded and he began seeing and understanding more of the world. Transiting Uranus on his natal Mars on the cusp of the VIII House shows perhaps the darker side of this move to Jakarta that must have felt also as a painful uprooting from all he knew and loved in Hawaii, his birth place. Saturn in transit was however in harmonious aspect (trine) to his birth Sun, showing the positive influence and sense of security he derived from the relationship with his Indonesian step father. Usually the positive aspects of Saturn correspond to periods during which it is easier to settle down and to build secure foundations for the future.

So much for Obama’s first New Moon.

More about Obama’s Progressions and Transits’ timeline in my next post.

Studying the American President’s Progressed Horoscope I have found many meaningful correspondences to his personal and public career. The following is an attempt to follow Obama’s Secondary Progressions throughout his life. I think it could help those Astrology students who, amazed by the powerful signature of the Transits in our lives, have still some doubt on the efficacy of considering Progressions as well.

To me Secondary Progressions (one day equal one year type) represent really a living backdrop to the Transits, showing the inner development of the individual and the way this is reflected in the events and encounters of his/her life.

Having used Secondary Progressions since I began reading Charts (thanks mainly to the Alan Leo’s series that started me on my path), I couldn’t do without them now. The Horoscope would not feel complete, because some of the underlying meaning of our experiences will be irremediably lost.

Barack, who was called Barry by his family, was born only six months before his parents’ marriage (February 2, 1961), meaning that he was conceived out of wedlock. This fact, together with the interracial marriages of his mother, first to a black Kenyan man, then to an Indonesian (in the fifties and sixties still surrounded by serious social taboos) would have certainly contributed to his psychological makeup and desire to help those who, like himself, don’t fit into the average social and racial mould. In his Birth Chart this is signified by the very prominent Aquarius: Ascendant, South Node of the Moon and Jupiter, ruler of his Ninth and Tenth House, respectively his connection with the wider world, his principles and  his career; plus Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, conjunct his North Node of the Moon and at right angle to his Midheaven, so exerting a powerful influence on his choice of career and his potential for public success (Seventh House-Tenth House). Also his Birth Moon in Gemini conjunct the cusp of his Fourth House, or Midnight point, exemplifies the fact that he moved home many times in his life and that these frequent changes have helped him to become more flexible and adaptable, being an unsettling but also mentally stimulating position.

One of the most interesting Progressed phenomena is the cycle of the Progressed Moon and Sun. We are all born at one stage or other of the Lunation cycle, with the Moon increasing or decreasing in light, waxing or waning. Progressions show us however that we are not stuck to the particular dynamic of that moment in the Lunation cycle for the rest of our lives. Moon and Sun advance in progression at their own appointed speed, on the average one degree a month for the Moon and one degree a year for the Sun. The Moon waxes and wanes accordingly, thus indicating periods of heightened and ebbing energy, times for successful outward actions, and times for introversion and self reflection, time for beginning and time for climax and endings, all necessary stages of psychological and emotional progress.

Barack Obama was born with the Moon in Gemini (usually a social and light hearted if not emotionally superficial Moon) just past the Last Quarter phase, ideal time for the birth of self reflecting individuals, more inclined to wrestle with their own inner demons rather than given to outward battle with the external world. This is considered a psychologically mature phase, that, covering the person’s childhood years, will help to make the child more thoughtful and adult like.

Obama was six years old (October 1967) when the Progressed Moon finally caught up with the Progressed Sun (Progressed New Moon in Leo), indicating the beginning of a brand new phase in his life. And so it was, because, that year, his mother, now separated from his father and remarried, moved the family to Jakarta, Indonesia, where Barack’s half sister Maya was born.

That year not only the Progressed New Moon took place, but also the progressed Venus reached an exact distance of 120 degrees from the birth Neptune in the IX House. This aspect was already forming when Obama was born in 1961 (progressed aspects from planets are slow moving, somehow like the long lasting transits of the slow moving planets, those beyond the boundaries of Saturn). The Ninth House is often populated in the chart of people who form important connections with foreign people and countries. Neptune there at birth shows the great spiritual potential that could be triggered in Obama’s life, if he was to move to foreign lands or interact with foreign people and culture. The fact that the harmonious connection Venus-Neptune became exact just in 1967 shows how the family’s move to Indonesia had profound spiritual implications for young Barack, enhancing some of the best aspects of his Birth Chart, in particular his innate spirituality and compassion. The Seventh House cusp also progressed to the birth position of Uranus that year, signifying a profound change of attitude in Barack’s relationships and the beginning of a more individualized path. He started becoming more his own person.

To emphasize that, later that year, also transiting Jupiter reached Obama’s natal Descendant (another name for the Seventh House cusp), further proof that his relationships expanded and he began seeing and understanding more of the world. Transiting Uranus on his natal Mars on the cusp of the VIII House shows perhaps the darker side of this move to Jakarta that must have felt also as a painful uprooting from all he knew and loved in Hawaii, his birth place. Saturn in transit was however in harmonious aspect (trine) to his birth Sun, showing the positive influence and sense of security he derived from the relationship with his Indonesian step father. Usually the positive aspects of Saturn correspond to periods during which it is easier to settle down and to build secure foundations for the future.

So much for Obama’s first Progressed New Moon.

More about Obama’s Progressions and Transits’ timeline in my next post.

I just had to post this, it’s absolutely what I’ve been going through (thanks alabe) with the added fun of the Sun/Uranus trine:

Uranus is Square your Moon applying with an orb of 00 degrees 35 minutes.
Be ready for unstable conditions and last minute changes. This could be a time when the usual rules are suspended and anything goes, or it could be a time of emotional excitement, wide mood swings, disturbances in sleeping, and strange psychic tendencies. It all depends on how flexible you are. Unusual and strong-willed females may play a role in your life now, and there may be surprise visits as well. Your domestic life may be changing, and residential moves are likely to occur quickly and suddenly.

So to be open about what I’ve been thus far extremely vague about: my boyfriend and I are going through some issues and may go our separate ways. I hate to think that this relationship would be one of the first victims of my Saturn Return, but it looks like that’s the situation.

I’ve gone through a myriad of complex emotions in the last few weeks, but today I finally woke up with a sense of peace. Nothing about the difficult situation changed overnight, just my mood.

There are some positive transits playing a role in this: namely my Solar Return (hooray me!), but also a Venus/n. Mercury conjunct assisting me in doing what my Gemini Rising does best: talk about my relationship and what is important to me. So here’s to growing and changing with Saturn in Libra.

This is getting much closer to what i want to do with my reports.  influenced heavily by greene and arroyo.

Psychological Profile

You were born into life with a primary focus on harmony.  Your journey through life will be described by balance, that is, through you, much that is out of alignment can be brought back into equilibrium.  Your essential nature is geared towards the completion of unions through compromise and diplomacy.  In this way, you are very much the diplomat, gentle of voice, soft of face and replete with a charm that can warm all but the coldest heart.  Your energies are those of beauty, and beauty is the enemy of ugliness.  Your drive is to make all that is unsightly and un-beautiful beautiful.  There is a particular longing for the unity and harmony that the combination of two souls can bring.  Indeed, for you intimate relationships define the ultimate beauty of love, for it is love that you cherish above all else.  You are a true people person and the love that radiates out from you is palpable; all are charmed simply to her your honey voice.  A word of caution should here be proffered: your primary requirement for balance and harmony may make you alternatively shocking or overly complicit.  When in company that is altogether too quite and conservative, you will spark a move back towards the middle ground by creating a stir within the group.  Similarly, in an intimate relationship that has become much too nice, you will seek to add a dimension of nastiness or drama to it.  You will most likely achieve this by breaking something, shocking with a charge of electricity or providing some unique or eccentric oddment to the situation.

Deep within you there is a restlessness that speaks of highly charged individualism.  This is seemingly odds with your strong feeling for love relationships which necessitate harmony, blending and diplomacy.  As strong as your affinity for the path of interpersonal love is, it is equally matched by a heart-felt desire for independence, space and personal freedom.  This will impact ultimately on your relationships until you are able to consciously work openly and comfortably with both elements.  This leads to a further dichotomy – your essential character in this way is both luxuriant and glamorous, loving and aloof, personal and humanitarian, content and highly energised, charming and intellectual.

Luxuriant and Glamorous

You have a naturally artistic temperament, and this shines through in your taste for fashion, jewellery, music and art and fine wine and food.  You like to live well and you enjoy sharing this hedonistic lifestyle with your loved ones.  Generous to a fault, money and time tend to slip through your fingers as you pursue partnership in the good times.  Beautiful, sleek and glamorous, you will not find it difficult to attract admires.  You demonstrate your refined taste with an individualism that shines through clearly as flash – your personal style will possibly set trends amongst your friends as you truly are a trailblazer.  You will have mysterious off-periods however, when all your charm and poise seem to totally desert you.

Loving and aloof

You have a highly charged love nature that operates as much as a matchmaker for others as it does in driving your own romantic approach to life.  You live for love: Valentine’s Day is undoubtedly your day.  But your love is not the simple fairytale kind of princes and princesses that you feel it truly should be, for there is another side to your love force that you do not like and even have trouble admitting exists.  There is an erratic, eccentric side to your love that can at times come across as being too desirous of space, freedom and independence.  Broken love may well be a common theme in your life, at least until you learn to accept that part of you that needs to love beyond a mere partner; you have an instinctual love for humanity that wars with your urge to unite with just the one person.  This can make you cold and aloof at times, and will cause much confusion within your heart as to what you actually want in this life.  It will certainly confuse your partners.  You are likely to be attracted to people who are different in some way.  Or you may choose a partner you have been warned against – rebellion is a strong part of who you are.  Whoever you choose, the path will be a rocky one, as your challenge will be to find a partner who will adore you and romance you, and yet allow you the freedom to be the individual you so desperately need to be.  Unfortunately, at times your fear of love and of being loved leads you into relationships that will hurt you.  Your love can be too controlled, for part of you feels you are not worthy of receiving love.  And so your outgoing nature can take you on journeys into many different beds – some better, some worse – as you seek to find your ‘one’.  Learn to ‘let go’ of your love, value it for its unique nature, and only pursue those who are genuinely worth the effort.  Interestingly, you may have a love of technology and communicating via technologies such as the internet.  You may find love in a unique place such as the internet.

Personal humanitarian

As intimated earlier, you contain much feeling for the people around you, and you are always eager to engage others one-on-one.  Your natural charm and grace immediately relaxes those with who you come in contact.  Always dressed fashionably, with that extra touch of personal style you are invariably popular.  Men particularly will find you attractive and you may have many admirers.  However, part of what makes you attractive is your strong sense of independence.  You may not be aware of it, as you may have chosen to deny it, but there is nonetheless inside you a deep concern not only for those around you, but for all of humanity.  In this way, you may at times feel confused by your urges to ignore those close to you in favour of the larger concerns of human kind.  Although beautiful, charming and generous, you will thus find times when you shock those in your inner circle with disinterest or condemnation of their inability to understand the bigger picture.  Because this larger picture of humanity is very important to you.  In this way, you would make a great relationship counsellor, fashion adviser or designer, as your vast understanding of the human condition allows you to give accurate context for all that concerned with beauty; you intuit the fine details that comprise that human experience of love and beauty.

Content and highly energised

You have two modes of movement – slow and gracefully; and manic and erratic.  Your first type of movement stems from your luxurious nature – you wish to saviour the beauty in the very air as you move through it.  Your second type of movement derives from the high electric charge that can flow through you.  This charge is for you like a/c – an alternating current that moves rapidly and often unpredictably from the ‘off’ to ‘on’ position and then back again. Your mind governs this erratic energy; for it is an intellectual energy.  You might find you have great trouble at times slowing down your thought processes.  Your mind will race with a ceaseless nervous energy that can leave you feeling at times as if you’re on the verge of total collapse.  You rationalise much of what you experience and you are good at justifying almost whatever actions your high energy levels spur you towards.  You will be a person of many original and unique ideas – you should try to put these to good use, as you have much creative ability.  Furthermore, you have the rare talent of being able to make real your intuitions; whatever you see with your mind’s eye, you are certainly one person who can bring that vision into reality.  You may also have a gift for language; writing might be a successful creative outlet for you, as will any art or craft that uses the hands.  You will certainly need to find a way to deal with your abundance of tension and nervous energy – without a proper release (and there is a suggestion that a lot of this energy may be blocked, repressed or denied), your headaches and hypertension will get worse with the years, or you may suffer a mental breakdown or emotional collapse.  Sport may be the perfect outlet for you, as there is a naturally competitive side to your nature, and physically you are quite strong.

Charming and intellectual

As previously noted, you are both charming and intellectual.  By intellectual, it is not meant that you are book-smart, although this may very well be the case.  What, rather, is referred to is the rational or logical way in which you approach things.  There is, therefore, directness and honesty to the way in which you express yourself.

Behaviour, reactions, emotions

Emotionally you are quite expressive.  You value honesty deeply, even if sometimes you have great trouble telling the truth.  A lot of your behaviour will be open, spontaneous and adventure-seeking, and often your behaviour will lead you into confusing situations.  You need freedom and space and you do not relate well to petty jealousies and possessiveness in any emotional relationship.  Yet you yourself are exactly that – possessive.  Much of this will stem from the love-hate relationship you had with your mother.  Although she was warm and loving in her own way, her own sense of adventure may have left you feeling confused and angry.  However, despite all this, you still idealised her, seeing her is some way as being a ‘victim’.  In this way, you have identified with your mother and so much of what you feel, and how you behave, is likewise influenced by this notion that you are somehow a victim.  Really though, it is your own selfishness and over-sized ego and lack of discrimination and personal boundaries that have led you to situations in which you feel victimized or used.  This all makes you quite angry deep down, but until you learn to become fully self-reliant and find a deep and lasting self-value, you will not be able to learn to live with the confusion in your emotional life and the confusion your erratic and disparate behaviours elicit in others.

 A dark shadow

Though at heart a bubbly, vivacious and charming person, you nevertheless possess an iron-strong will.  Stubborn, obsessive/compulsive at times and capable of great cruelty and violence, there is a wealth of primal energy stored within you.  The currents of your life will bring you to death from time to time.  This does not mean physical death so much as the metaphorical death that comes with transformation and transcendence.  You are a survivor: having experienced deep change many times, you are not afraid of letting everything go in order to start again from scratch.  This can make you extreme, however, and you might need to temper your intensity in order not to scare those around you.  This often hidden side to you is passionate, secretive and magnetic – it will drawn other people in.  You have a high need for sex, though do be careful this does not become an obsession.  Also be careful that sex is not used in order to possess others.  You should also check your assertion.

Children

 You see children as being essential to your life development.  Your children will make you, you, However, please remember that all children have a right to be loved by two parents.  If you cannot offer them this, perhaps delay having them until such a time as you can.

The more I see this position, the more important it seems to me.  The 12th House is often neglected and/or misunderstood by many astrologers.  Yes, it represents the mundane interests of hospitals, jails and other institutions tasked to healing and redemption.  But it also represents those places in an individual’s life where they experience their spirituality, and I am not talking about the tangible spirituality defined by Sagittarius and the 9th House.  For example, I have no planets tenanting my 12th house.  However, the sign on its cusp is Aquarius – therefore Uranus gets to comment on my 12th House issues.  Accordingly, I will meet my higher spirituality – the sense of oneness of the universe – through the insights of the higher intellect (As a matter of synchronicity, Uranus is posited in my 9th House!).  A person with Venus placed there, however, may experience this sense of spirit through the arts, fine living, physical beauty, love etc.

The 12th House will also describe the sub-conscious.  I have therefore always found that when a stellium of planets occur in the 12th House, or the House is otherwise brought into high focus (the Sun, Moon or chart ruler may be in position), the individual takes on the fishy hue of Pisces.  My father has this quality (he also has a 1st House Neptune to further define this) and I see it expressed through him in spades!  No surprise then that I was born while Pisces was rising.  Back to the sub-conscious however.  Whatever planet is in your 12th House and its overall cosmic condition will say much about the power and quality of your sub-conscious.  A person with Pluto here for instance will have a very powerful sub-conscious indeed, one that pulls with a magnetism that cannot be ignored.  The native may have enormous powers for transformation at the sub-conscious or ‘universe’ level.  They will often be psychic and possess much power to heal.  Negatively, they may fall into, at worst, paranoid psychosis, as they will be able to free themselves of the obsessive urges of their unknown mind.

As it is the sub-conscious which informs much of our unrecognised behaviour, our hidden talents and deeper potentials and our higher spirituality, I think that it is necessary to include an analysis of the condition of this House in any natal report.

The Sun in the 12th House will express itself much as at it does when it is in Pisces.  This, of course, will be coloured by its sign and aspects, but I have found the Sun to ‘quiten’ when in this House, perhaps even enough – given other chart factors – to submerge the energies of its sign in its nebulous waters.

The Moon will be fine in the 12th House – they have a natural rapport.  To be honest, I have not often encountered this placement.  I would expect the instinctual behaviours to govern the native and the emotions will be highly energized, though often ‘beneath the surface’.  Highly imaginative, I would expect much creative potential.

Mercury in the 12th House is interesting.  Mercury represents the tangible intellect – that part of the mind that deals with real-world, concrete and mostly conscious subjects.  Placed in the 12th House, an extra dimension is added to the mind so that, although the individual might find his intellect that little bit extra difficult to find and understand, when he or she does begin to utilise it, it will operate directly and simultaneously on both the lower and higher levels.

Venus and Mars in the 12th House will operate much as the Sun does with this placement.

From Jupiter outwards, the effects of a placement in the 12th House become harder to predict.  So much will now begin to depend on other chart factors.  Jupiter and Saturn will be a little more obvious in their expressions: Jupiter will work well in the 12th House, opening it up to honest adventure, seeking to growth through its concerns; Saturn will represent much fear of the sub-conscious in the individual, although their will be much talent for making concrete products from the sub-conscious (a good position for the artist, as are Saturn-Neptune and Saturn-Sun contacts).  The outer three planets may not be felt here at all.  Or they may nearly destroy a person with the fullness of their energies.  A 12th House Aquarius is said to be indicative of suicide, for example, the premise being that Uranus will just not let the individual merge contentedly with the universal, sub-conscious energies of the 12th House, the alienation thereby created enough to send him or her to the edge.

Check this for more insight:

http://skywriter.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/7-secrets-you-may-not-know-about-the-12th-house

The new moon period has become my favorite period of the month as it brings my thoughts back to what I want, and the goals I am working towards.  In our fast paced life in cyberspace the period that we allow for contemplation and meditation has become shorter and shorter.  By greeting the New Moon each month, we give our selves a few moments to review what we have done and what we wish to accomplish in the next period of time.  As we look to each new moon in the different signs and positions in the chart we become aware how it affects us during the coming month, and it will give us new insights into what areas we need to concentrate on.  This is an important month with the New Moon at 25 degrees of Scorpio on November 16^th 2009 as this sign gives us the energy, determination and intent to fulfill what we wish to accomplish.  As the moon moves into the sign of Sagittarius, it is asking us what are the true motives lying beneath our wishes and desires for the future.  The ongoing aspects with Jupiter, Neptune, Venus, Saturn and Uranus keeps pushing us not only as a global unit, but as individuals to make major changes in our lives, and to understand the reason for those changes.

“The Sabian symbol for the 25^th degree of Scorpio is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.

Scorpio 25  An X ray  This is a symbol of man’s organic integrity, or of the unvarying structures of nature on which all intelligence depends.  There is here an emphasis on the well-being of each individual as a foundation for his self-realization in the world he shares with his fellows, and on his responsibility to keep himself fit for the performance of his part in the common functioning.  He recognizes himself as the measure of all effective reality, and sees everything around him as a continual revelation or validation of his own capacity.  The keyword is investigation.  When positive, the degree is an exceptional power of analysis, and when negative, uncritical over-sensitiveness to both the condition of self and the state of society.

The understanding of our motives is not only important to our own well being, but has now become an integral part of the well being of our society and the well being of mother earth.  The seeds of thoughts we plant within our conscious and subconscious mind will in time bloom in our physical world.  So be careful of the seeds you are planting, as you might get exactly what you thought of.  I have given some of my thoughts and questions that you might consider where the New Moon falls in your chart for the following houses:

1^st House

            Let all thoughts and wishes including those thoughts and wishes we think unimportant be energized with enthusiasm, and given a place of honor for their moment in the sun.

2^nd House

            Have respect for your thoughts and wishes, and see which ones should be brought into manifestation, no matter how unattainable they appear to be.

3^rd House

            Do research and communicate with others in the know, which of your thoughts and wishes have the right ingredients to be materialized.

4^th House

            What in your surrounding environment should be changed to reflect the new you, you want to be?

5^th House

            What new friends and pleasures will help bring about your change of thoughts and wishes you want?

6^th House

            Has the meaning of the words; work, service and love expanded or changed in your lexicon?

7^th House

            Who shares the same wishes and hopes for the future as you do?  Who shares the same joys and excitement as you?

8^th House

            What part of life has come to an end and needs to change, and what changes are for the better?

9^th House

            Your wishes and wants need to be made part of your belief system, and become real in your world by visualizing it into reality.

10^th House

            Although at the moment you may have not achieved your dreams, you need to cultivate the attitude that you will in time and the attitude, you are already there.

11^th House

            Remember to keep those who will inspire you and those who are the inspiration to achieve your goals, close at hand.

12^th House

            Keep your thoughts and wishes private until they sprout, for you don’t want them uprooted before they bloom.

In this New Moon period we may not need a make over, but some of us will need to remind our selves what our goals are, and whether we lost track of what is important to our true happiness.  Like this phase of the moon, we need to take our light that was hidden under a bushel and let it glow for all to experience and enjoy. 

My inspiration is  always at it’s peak when I first awake.

Yes, I am one of those fully alert risers.

The saving grace of those around me whom are not happy-go-lucky risers , is that my return through the Gates of Morpheus has gifted me with full volumes of material that I am rapidly processing in my mind, so I am unlikely to play Chatty-Cathy to them.

It is has always been difficult for me to explain to others how I come back from the sleep realms with the information that I do.

Here is a bit of an analogy as to what it is like:

You are going on vacation(entering the sleep realms), you have decided to take your luggage(your mind/consciousness), but you want to come home with all new stuff (your inspirations/information), so you do not pack anything into the luggage, it is empty(a cleared, still-mind).

You arrive at your destination and decide to open your luggage(your consciousness), and leave it open while you are visiting for it would be quite nice to have others(your Higher-Self, alternate Selves, the collective,  Guides etc.), place a gift(inspiration, information etc.) into your open luggage.

Sometimes when you are in the Land of Hypnos and Morpheus, your ‘family’ there are preoccupied with other matters, and so the luggage only contains a few gifts as you are packing up to leave. Other times, everyone was so happy to see you and you were the center of attention. On those occasions, you need to compress and shrink wrap all the gifts in your luggage before, you can close the various bags and pass through the Gates of Morpheus, returning to your residence in the “Land of Physical Reality”.

Now, you have arrived home, and the first thing you must do is unpack and sort the contents of your luggage.  For if you set it aside, chances are you will either:  (a) forget about it entirely  (b) not remember what gifts were gifted by whom and the purpose of said gift, or, (c)  have difficulty piecing together many separate gifts that may actually be a larger gift, when assembled.

This, is how my Uranus-Jupiter-Mercury stellium cusping my 3rd and 4th houses works.

Astrological keywords for the functions of this combination of planets and houses are:

Uranus: unexpected, sudden, lightening insight

Jupiter: good fortune, expansion, philosophy, higher learning

Mercury: perception, connections, communication,writing

3rd House: short trips, communication and the ability to get information, neighborhood

4th house: family, home, roots, inner world

Put it all together and for me it represents:

I go on frequent short journeys(into the lands of Hypnos and Morpheus) and acquire luggage filled with often unexpected gifts of lightening bolt insights and philosophies from Spirit family and Self, that I then come home and unpack/assemble, to communicate to my “family/brothers and sisters” right here in my ‘neck of the woods’.

My Ur/Jup/Merc stellium is currently receiving some awesome energy assistance from aspects to transiting Mars, Saturn and Uranus..amongst some other great transits occuring in m chart, so I thoroughly plan to make the most of these next months and bring down/bring forth all the good stuff/lightening bolts I can and ground it cohesively into writing/words/materials that at other times, is a bit more difficult to do. I am thrilled, just absolutely thrilled, after a period of ‘drought’  to once again be flowing it.

Care to share how you receive your information,how  you know what you ‘know’?