Planet Weather for the Week of February 15, 2009

 

NewsBits: What Goes Up Must come Down! Mars in the fixed, air sign Aquarius, and then its conjunction with the Sun/Aquarius on 2/12/09, expressed itself as one of the worst air disasters in recent US history. The Continental Air flight that crashed just outside Buffalo, NY, may have had a de-icing problem – which fits the winter air sign of Aquarius and Pluto in Capricorn, another winter sign (in the Northern Hemishpere), and both signs share a relationship with hard and tough, earthy Saturn. A negative Saturn indicates malfunctioning and lack of protection.

 

Mars/Aquarius was also igniting the recent Solar Eclipse (1/26/09) degree of 6 Aquarius. The nature of Mars/Aquarius is to bring the unexpected – whether positive or disastrous is dependent on

many other factors, connections in the sky and on one’s personal planets. It is quite ironic, incongruous and saddening to know that a 911 widow – one of staunchest defenders of victim’s rights – became a victim in this air disaster and died in a fiery inferno, like her husband 8 years ago (also as the result of an airline disaster).  

 

Bailout Battles! Most people think the bailout is necessary to stimulate our ailing economy, but Republicans have balked. Partisan business as usual or a more nefarious agenda? Are they hoping the bailout will fail and then point to the fact that they did not support it? Ah, smacks a bit of political treachery. Of course it must be remembered that it was eight years of a Republican regime that handed this financial legacy to Obama.

 

So what’s up with Obama’s first and biggest initiative to date? The Inauguration Moon (1/20/09 12:05PM, Washington, DC) is at 29 Scorpio – indicating debt, resentment, and entrenchment, to name a few choice inherited conditions. It takes a while to get out of the muck. The re-do swearing-in Moon (1/21/09 7:35PM, Washington, DC) has the Moon in Sagittarius in a tight square to both Saturn and Uranus – that dynamic five-phase opposition we’ve been discussing in these pages, the second of which we experienced on 2/5/09. This condition describes the tug-of-war between old habits and a new outlook or regime. The old system is holding on while the new process is shattering perceptions, bringing down the house (so to speak), and creating tension. It’s been mentioned that Obama is taking a huge risk with this bailout. Risk is a word primarily associated with Sagittarius, and reflects the Moon of the second swearing in.

 

The last Saturn in Virgo opposite Uranus/Pisces @ 20 deg. was very close to besieging Obama’s birth Mars @ 22deg. and also indicates that the wheels of bureaucracy, like the mills of the gods, are grinding slowly. No swift action with Saturn – stalling and balking are much more common. So where is all this going? Frustration for Obama and potential relief for middle America? More economic indicators in the next PW issue.

 

SkyWatch: Moon phase of the week: 2/16 -- The Moon enters Her Last (aka Third) Quarter phase at 4:37 PM EST, at 28 degrees of Scorpio. Skywatching events of the week: All week -- All five classical planets (those visible to the unaided eye) can be viewed this week! Two of these planets, Venus and Saturn, are evening planets, with Venus about as high in the Western sky after sunset as She ever gets, setting about three hours after the Sun. Saturn rises about an hour-and-a-half after sunset and remains visible throughout most the night. The other three planets -- Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter -- are early risers. They may be hard to see low in the East just before sunrise, but there they are, and all bunched together too, rewarding a careful squint at an unobstructed horizon towards the end of the week. Also towards the end of the week, if you live somewhere away from city lights, you may be able to spot the recently discovered Comet Lulin (see last week's SkyWatch) rising in the east-southeast about midway through the evening. Lulin should appear as a faint, blurry spot of light. Space news of the week: The Mars rovers, Spirit and Endeavor, are still going strong after more than five years, especially Spirit, which just received a power boost when a friendly Martian wind blew the dust off its solar panels. Going to the NASA Web site and sifting through the thousands of close-ups of the Martian surface returned by the rovers over the lifetime of their mission is a fascinating exercise. And to think, they were originally designed to last only about six months! 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 2/15/09 –  Monday (mixed ), Tuesday (optimistic), Wednesday (knuckling down), Thursday& Friday  (pressure – hard-working) and Saturday (sociable) – 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 2/16/09, the Moon is VOC/Scorpio from 4:37PM to 7:53PM EST. – On 2/18/09, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 8:37PM to 8:25AM EST (next day). – On 2/21/09, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 4:01AM to 9:06PM EST (all day ET)!

 

Planet Patterns & Cosmic Headlines:

 

*Currently Active – Mercury/Aquarius is Direct in Motion and completes its wider retrograde phase by passing its shadow degree on 2/21/09. The “shadow degree” is the degree, 7 Aquarius, at which it turned retrograde on 1/11/09. After 2/21/09, the deeper retrograde processing ends, and the solutions that emerged will be easier to sort out, toss out, or implement.

 

Mercury turned Direct on 2/1/09 @ 21deg. cardinal, earth Capricorn. Mercury re-enters fixed, air Aquarius on 2/14/09. (Mercury was Rx in Capricorn between 1/21 and 2/1/09). As mentioned before, both Aquarius and Capricorn are related to Saturn, and we are knee deep in Saturn issues (Saturn rules the knees, bones and teeth by the way!) because Pluto is residing in Capricorn now where it will remain for the next 16 years. Continuing with the knees – yielding is another condition of the times. Yield to the obvious, the practical, the handwriting on the wall. Accept what is now and build upon that.

 

Venus Rx alert! Venus entered cardinal, fire Aries on 2/2/09 - Venus/Aries turns Rx on 3/6/09. Venus retrograde along with the rest of the prevailing climate will probably shrink the economy some more. I’d say March and probably April are very difficult, but there is work being done at the same time to boost the ailing system. The system is very fragile now, but as we move into May, the climate will begin to at least stabilize some with a fresh infusion of jobs. The crucial issues are to shift values and remove those that are counter to what we really want from life. Figuring that out for each of us may require time and careful processing. In the meantime, rely on those whom you can trust to have your best interests at heart. Relationships are fragile and may need some extra special care. Venus in Aries does say: Life goes on and you need to find out how that is true!

 

Mars in fixed, air Aquarius conjunct Jupiter/Aquarius on 2/17/09 @ 10deg. This is a big and unexpected energy combination. Hopefully, it won’t be another jet disaster. There’s a risk involved in this combination, and in view of other supporting factors that could be a good thing or not. It’s a matter of correct judgment and of having a sense of the big picture. Sometimes, Aquarius brings home a sense of the truth that we just could not see before, or did not want to see. This energy is ahead of its time often and garners criticism because it offers advanced thought or action. Time will tell. This energy also expresses hope in invention and creative enterprise. Those who can track the pulse of the times and where things are heading and meet the needs of the current paradigm, they will prosper. Not everything is faltering, and we must remember that.

 

The Sun enters mutable, water Pisces on 2/18/09 until 3/20/09. Consciousness shifts into Pisces and we try to find meaning in the soup we find ourselves in. We’re OK in the soup as long as it does not come to the boiling point. We’re always in some soup or another, so let’s not overreact. Instead, use your faith and belief to negotiate your way through. A good mantra for the times: When the going gets tough, the tough get going (or go shopping ;*). Stay alert, stay centered and network like hell!

 

*Currently Active Paradigm-Shift Pattern:  Part 2 of 5 – Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo opposite (180 deg. angle) Uranus in mutable, water Pisces on 2/5/09 @ 20 deg. 

Preview: Part 3 of 5 is exact on 9/15/09 @ 24degrees. We are betwixt and between and seeking to find stability in the midst of systems failures. It’s a sobering time and can be stabilizing in that we discover what we need to let go of and what we want to embrace as our future pattern. In a way it is an adventure and a creative journey. Shift your thinking and your habits.