Planet Weather for the Week of January 25, 2009

 

NewsBits: The Two Oaths of Barack Obama! Does this mean that Obama is doubly committed to doing his utmost for his country? Well, he was born with the Moon in Gemini – able to multi-task, see two sides of the story and repeat what is worth saying! In what seemed to be a wise move to avoid any potential legal problems later, Barack Obama took the oath of office for the second time in a private ceremony in the Map Room of the White House on 1/21/09 @ 7:35PM EST, Washington, D.C. White House counsel, Greg Craig, said the second oath was taken out of an “abundance of caution,” so that there would not be a challenge of legitimacy during Obama’s term. Astrologers are now faced with an interesting situation as to which chart to use to describe Obama’s Presidency. According to the Constitution of the United States, Obama became President officially at 12 Noon on 1/20/09, whether he took the oath of office or not. This astrologer, however, maintains that it was at 12:05PM when Barack Obama made his personal commitment to the office of the Presidency that sealed the contract. Then Chief Justice Roberts flubbed the wording which was cause to administer the oath again the next day.

 

We’ve previously discussed the concern about the oath taken during a void-of-course Moon (VOC) in Scorpio on 1/20/09, which was unavoidable since the Moon was VOC until 12:30PM on Inauguration Day. However, the second oath was administered with the Moon fully settled into Sagittarius. My belief is that the oath taken with the entire country as witness and televised across the globe is the one that has the most impact. We could say, however, that there is a shadow side to this Presidency which shows up in both charts in various ways. On Inauguration Day, the Moon VOC in Scorpio was resonating with the last planetary aspect, Neptune in Aquarius, and the energy felt was expressed by many who witnessed it – a sense of disbelief, unreality, ecstasy, exhilaration, deep emotion, tears, magic, vindication, unification, hope and gratitude – to name just a few of the oceans of emotion that were present in this unprecedented historic moment. The intensity of the collective’s emotions is described in that Moon position. The unhinged and unknown quality – where it will lead energetically – of the VOC Moon, is that we can’t fully know right now, the profound effect this Presidency will have nationally and globally. We can speculate, but it is a work in progress – it is unfinished, it is open-ended, it is forming as we move along, and as we grow into an understanding of the enormous power and consciousness shift that has taken place. The second oath shows the generous spirit of the Moon in Sagittarius – the willingness to take a risk, to aim high, to believe in possibilities and to reach the target. The Moon/Sagittarius, not unexpectedly, shows the strain of tough adjustments and hard work with a number of unplanned, abrupt challenges that may upset and detour the path originally chosen. This chart has the Moon square (90degree angle) the dynamic structural breakdown aspect of Saturn/Virgo opposite (180deg.) Uranus/Pisces (that we have been describing and discussing for over six months – see below), under which the culture is laboring actively from 11/4/08 to July 2010. More analysis in future issues.

 

SkyWatch: Moon phase of the week: 1/26--The Moon enters Her New cycle at 2:55 AM EST, at 6 degrees of Aquarius. This New Moon also brings a solar eclipse and, because this event coincides with the Moon being relatively closer to the Earth than usual, it will be an annular eclipse. During an annular eclipse, the Moon does not completely cover the sun (as She does in a total eclipse), so that Her dark disk appears to be surrounded by a ring of brilliant sunlight -- hence the name for this type of eclipse. And due to the timing, this eclipse will not be visible at all throughout most of the Western Hemisphere (including the U.S.) but will be visible from parts of Africa, India, China, Southeast Asia, and Australia that lie in the path of the Moon's moving shadow (which moves across the face of the earth along the so-called “eclipse path” at about the speed of a jetliner). Other skywatching events of the week: 1/30 -- The waxing Moon will make a pass by Venus just before sunset on the U.S. East Coast, so that the two will be visible together throughout much of the early evening, always a lovely sight. Space news of the week: Walking rocks on Mars! Based on pictures returned over the last several years by the spunky Mars rovers, Spirit and Endeavor, it seems that winds on Mars cause small rocks to move slowly across the face of the planet not by blowing them but by moving the sand in front of them away and depositing it behind them, so that the Mars rocks effectively simply keep rolling downhill. Darn, and we figured it had to be Martian critters giving those rocks a nudge now and then! Go out! Look up!

 

 Knowing when VOC Moons occur is key to planning your successful week!

 

The Void-of-course (VOC) Moon is a kind of limbo. As it reaches the end of a sign, the Moon makes no major aspect to another planet before it enters the next sign. VOC is best for less outcome-oriented activity, since VOC often means detours, distractions, drifting, or delays. If you want specific outcomes, or if timeliness is critical, don’t use a VOC Moon time. VOC is best for processing, imagining, creating, and open-ended activities, like parties, research, or cleaning your desk/closet for instance! It is said that when a new action is initiated during VOC, “nothing will come of it,” or energies go in unplanned directions, which may not necessarily be negative.

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Week of 1/25/09 – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are the most active energetically and potentially very productive days – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement with others or projects, and/or producing results. On 1/25/09, the Moon is VOC Capricorn from 4:08AM to 1:56PM EST. – On 1/27/09, the Moon is VOC/Aquarius from 12:13PM to 1:12AM EST (next day). – On 1/30/09, the Moon is VOC/Pisces  from 4:24AM to 10:25AM EST.

 

PlanetPatterns & CosmicHeadlines:

 

 Currently Active:  Mercury Retrograde (Rx) in fixed, air sign, Aquarius (between 1/11 and 1/21/09) and cardinal, earth Capricorn (between 1/21 and 2/14/09). Mercury/Aquarius turned Rx @ 7degrees on 1/11/09. Mercury/Capricorn turns Stationary Direct @ 21degrees on 2/1/09. This phase of Mercury retrograde takes us into the sign Capricorn (discipline, caution, responsible action) and revisits the conditions that were active between 12/25/08, and 1/1/09. Mercury in Capricorn is cautious, deliberate, and wants to be accurate in its communication. Because of the desire to be correct, you may find communication more hesitant and subject to fail-safe clauses. Other than that, there is a strong urge to get things in order and be organized and committed to whatever you feel is most important.

 

Solar Eclipse New Moon @ 6 Aquarius on 1/26/09. Chinese New Year of the Ox. There are six eclipses (either Solar or Lunar) in 2009, and this is the first. A Solar Eclipse in the cool and logical, fixed, air-sign Aquariaus – represents the king, the leader in all of us. A Solar Eclipse speaks to the essence in us that says our life matters, that we have some special and unique energy or gift to contribute to the pool of human consciousness, that no one else can. The eclipse affects early Aquarians, Leos, Taurus’ and Scorpios, the most, or anyone with planets in the early degrees of these signs. The roots or beginning of this eclipse cycle were on August 1, 1125! A full eclipse cycle begins at either the North or South Pole and runs toward the other pole. An eclipse cycle (consisting of many, many separate individual eclipses) takes hundreds of years to complete itself. According to Bernadette Brady in her book, The Eagle and the Lark, this particular eclipse is a gentler one and expresses changes in groups that you mix with, but with very positive results. Additionally, decisions to make a greater commitment in relationships – are also indicated. Solar Eclipses refer to leaders in general, and the election of Barack Obama represents one who is offering a different way to relate via a heightened level of consciousness – new leadership.

 

Currently Active Paradigm-Shift Pattern:  Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo opposite (180 deg. angle) Uranus in mutable, water Pisces. The first (of five) of these oppositions took place on US Election Day, 11/4/08. The next exact Saturn/Uranus opposition is due on 2/5/09 @ 20 deg.  We are witnessing the consistent breakdown of systems that are no longer viable and are asked to find other systems to replace those that have outlived their usefulness. For all of us, it’s a time to renew, update, and weed out patterns that may have become comfortable but are ultimately counterproductive to present need.