Planet Weather for the Week of March 30, 2008

SkyWatch – Moon phase of the week: 4/5 -- The Moon enters Her new cycle at 11:55 PM ET, at 16 degrees of Aries. As always, look for Her slender crescent low in the West just after sunset a couple of days later. Following the lunar cycle by watching Her make Her way through the heavens against the backdrop of the "fixed" stars as She goes through Her phase changes can be an enchanting way to move through the month. Sky factoid of the week: The English word "month" comes originally from the word "moon." Skywatching event of the week: 3/30 -- The Moon passes close to Jupiter, with their point of closest approach coming in early afternoon ET. The best time to see them within a couple of degrees of each other is in the southeast just before dawn. Space news of the week: The Space Shuttle Endeavor landed at the Kennedy Space Center last week to close out a marathon 16-day space-station assembly mission that saw the successful deployment of a giant robot arm that will be used for future construction of the station. Humanity's future beckons from the stars, so we always send our well-wishings to astronauts both leaving and returning. 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 3/30/08 – Sunday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement and/or producing results. On 3/31/08, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 12:54AM to 9:34AM EDT – on 4/2/08, VOC/Aquarius from 5:14AM to 4:55PM EDT – on 4/4/08, VOC/Pisces from 5:43PM to 8:27PM EDT.

 

PlanetPatterns:

The following planetary energy patterns flavor the day and are felt or experienced often hours before and after their exact culmination. They remain effective, certainly until the next major planetary pattern comes along to shift the energy gears.

 

The Sun in cardinal, fire Aries square (90deg.) Mars in cardinal, water Cancer @ 10deg. on 3/30/08 @ 3:22AM EDT. The Sun in Aries is ruled by Mars and is being squared by its own ruler. This combination accentuates the assertiveness of Aries and the thrust to move ahead. The struggle of the square is to motivate your actions – in this case the emotional, security, and safety concerns (Cancer) that may work at cross-purposes to your desire to forge new beginnings or to make you aware of what needs to be done to remove obstacles.

 

** Pluto Stationary Retrograde (SR) @ 1deg. Capricorn on 4/2/08 @ 5:23AM EDT until 9/8/08, at this point becomes Stationary Direct in late Sagittarius @ 28 degrees. Of course, Pluto’s very first Station point since its entry into Capricorn (1/25/08) for the first time in 248 years is THE news of the week. Early degree Capricorn, Aries, Cancers, and Libras are most affected, or anyone who has planets between 0 and 2 degrees of any sign. You will be feeling the pressure from Pluto to transform some part of your life. The issues (the economy, healthcare, immigration, for instance) that have emerged most strongly since the end of January will lessen somewhat, or seem more manageable, or not as dire, as Pluto, in its retrograde cycle, moves out of Capricorn and back into Sagittarius on 6/13/08. Don’t be fooled by this temporary lull, however. Pluto returns to Capricorn on 11/26/08 (for the duration of its 16+ year cycle), right after the United States Presidential Elections! From that date to the end of January 2009, Pluto will sit at the same degrees it occupied 1/25 – 6/13/08. Be prepared and be forewarned. It is best to remember what surfaced in the first, half of 2008 and make the necessary changes required.

 

Mercury enters Aries on 4/2/08 @ 1:45PM until 4/17/08. Aries always steps up the pace and shows its restlessness, and often its impatience, no less with Mercury. Observe your mind working overtime and your thoughts moving faster, at times, than your speech. You may find yourself impatient with those who grasp concepts more slowly or you may feel frustrated that you are not understood. This Mercury position is excellent for invention, originality, and pioneering. Take that idea and run with it, if it fires you up! It’s time to be bold and tell it like it is or at least how you perceive it to be, and that’s where the understanding and compromise lie.

 

Mercury/Aries square Pluto/Capricorn @ 1deg. on 4/3/08 @ 4:53AM EDT. Now Mercury has to contend with the force that is Pluto. Expect some deep conversations (and maybe some explosive hurt feelings) and rumblings or grumblings from the unconscious and thoughts/feelings that have been stuffed or submerged. Someone somewhere is likely to lose their temper. But, the best way to use this energy is to get to the bottom of something that has been problematic or hounding you on a deeper psychological or emotional level. You may be surprised at what you unearth. It’s a chance to accept a strong need or desire and confront what you want to do about it, as well as potential consequences of any chosen actions.

 

NewsBits: Politics as usual? Where are we going now politically? Some Democrats are calling for Hillary to drop out of the race before all the primaries are over. The delegate count isn’t good and she has to win big in Pennsylvania on 4/22/08. This week things are shifting again. The biggest news of the year – Pluto’s first entry into Capricorn and now it’s first ever Station Retrograde in 248 years. There’s a new movement afoot, that’s for sure, we’re all feeling it, but with the planet moving backwards, insecurity and instability becomes more dominant. Or, as Pluto re-enters Sagittarius, we may resume fiddling while Rome burns, [or Rome may resume burning while we fiddle.] Who knows? These are unstable times – just watch the stock market, it’s a clear indicator. Things are not what they seem to be at all, and we are unhappy with what’s been. We’re learning to face certain realities in the external world and in our inner world – what have we created? So what does Hillary represent in the political landscape? She is woman and she is being bashed, there’s no doubt there. [She’s bashing back, though, no doubt there either!] It is important for her to dig deep into her well of resources and speak her truth as never before – then again, it may be too late, the Obama train is moving fast. Obama seems to have the edge on integrity – after all he hasn’t been around long enough to have any scandals stick to him, the Rev. Wright issue aside. So yes, he’s fresh-faced and new, and the audacity of hope comes with the territory of that kind of image. Sometimes, he seems a little bit too goody-goody, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get the job done. [The effectiveness of his campaign organization certainly speaks well for his skills in this area.] If Hillary’s time is correct and she does have the Moon @ 29 Pisces, then Pluto retrograding back into Sagittarius and squaring her Moon around 6/13/08 shows a serious struggle and potential personal loss. Then again, on 5/9/08, Mars enters Leo, her own Mars sign, and is sure to bring out a rally and any fight left in her. [Leo is also McCain’s Mars sign so expect him to vie for more center stage too.] She will go on until the handwriting on the wall is crystal clear and undisputed, whatever that may be. There are enough changes planetary wise to shift the political landscape some more. So be alert and enjoy the show, directed and produced by you, the collective unconscious!