Planet Weather for the Week of May 10, 2009

NewsBits: What’s Going on! Thank goodness the Swine Flu or H1N1 has fizzled as a pandemic! However, the state by state count of those infected across the country is still increasing. The highest infections per state are: Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Arizona, and California, in that order - all over 100 and as many as 392 infected. We spoke last week about the primary signature for a potential pandemic. That is Jupiter/Neptune conjunct in Aquarius, and that is still possible. However, there are other manifestations and interpretations of this combination. Jupiter, besides expanding can also exaggerate, and combined with Neptune, can create faulty or confusion situations – fears and stresses that may be enlarged and don’t materialize. Neptune generally has no boundaries – because it  represents oneness and unity – seeps into everything that it makes contact with,  and it often this means energy dissipates. In the case of the swine flu, that’s a good thing. Still, the whole episode of a potential pandemic should make us pause to consider how we protect ourselves on inner levels of strengthening our immune system and on outer levels of safe and sanitary habits.

Did you survive the Full Moon in Scorpio? It could have been a very emotional time for you, since Scorpio Moons have long memories and dig deep into the vulnerabilities we all need to understand about ourselves. The Moon, after its exact fullness, squared (90deg.) Jupiter/Aquarius, then made a smooth trine (120deg.) to Uranus/Pisces and lastly squared Neptune/Aquarius. You may have moved through many and varied emotions in the course of the day. Survival is a key word when discussing Scorpio, and there are many layers of our ability to survive and thrive in the world we’ve made personally and collectively. Another word for surviving might be managing the complexities of living life without being unduly overwhelmed.

Will you survive the Mercury Retrograde? This Mercury Retrograde continues the theme of values clarification. The majority of this Mercury Rx takes place in Venus-ruled Taurus and Venus in the sky is still in Aries, the sign wherein it went Rx. So…we want to move ahead in new relationships, projects, or ventures, but there are obstacles that concern what we want at this particular time in our lives. We may be at odds with ourselves about what we want to pursue and why and the amount of emotional energy this pursuit may require.

What about Pluto? A few words about the experience of our still new journey of  Pluto through Capricorn might be to ponder “accumulated pattern irritation syndrome.” We may be struggling with the place where we find ourselves. We may find it irritating to realize that a set of habits, actions, and decisions have brought us to this point in our lives. The question then becomes, what will I do about it?

SkyWatch:  Moon phase of the week: There is no change in Moon phase this week! This is one of those rare weeks (usually two or three times a year) when this occurs. This month's Full Moon happened on Saturday of last week and the Moon enters Her Last (aka Third) Quarter phase on Sunday of next week. Sky factoid of the week: The word "month" comes from the word "moon" and, in Old English, was originally two syllables: "monath", further underscoring the derivation of monthly periods from the lunar cycle. In many ancient cultures, the Moon's cycles actually coincided with the division of the year into months. There are almost exactly 13 lunar cycles in a solar year, so it works out pretty well mathematically. Our twelve-month system is completely arbitrary and derives originally from the twelve signs of the astrological Zodiac. Skywatching events of the week: Venus and Mars remain close together in the East in the early morning sky, rising a couple of hours before dawn. Venus will eventually overtake and pass Mars but currently Mars appears to move slightly faster along the Zodiac, since Venus just turned direct in motion from being retrograde. Space news of the week: The countdown for Space Shuttle Atlantis continues, with launch scheduled for early this week (during Mercury retrograde – not good). Unlike the usual Shuttle mission, the astronauts won't rendezvous with the International Space Station this time around. Instead, they'll steer for the Hubble Space Telescope where they’ll perform repairs to extend this remarkable scientific instrument's useful lifetime by several more years.

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 5/10/09 – Sunday (social/positive), Monday (weary/challenged), Tuesday (squeezed/pressured), Wednesday (focused/productive), Thursday, (productive), Friday (truth and consequences) and Saturday (social/obstacles). Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday 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 5/12/09, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 1:56AM to 9AM EDT – On 5/14/09, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 8:58PM to 10:01PM EDT.

 

Planet Patterns & Cosmic Headlines:

 

**Currently Active: Mercury turned retrograde (Rx) @ 1deg. Gemini on 5/7/09. Mercury turns Direct @  22deg. Taurus on 5/30/09. Mercury slips back into Taurus on 5/13/09. Mercury entered mutable, air Gemini on 4/30/09. This is likely to be a confusing or stressful Mercury Rx due to the fact that Mercury squares (90deg. angle) Neptune/Aquarius three times, all at 26degrees. (Mercury quickly retrogrades back into Taurus and spends most of its Rx time there.) The first square between Mercury and Neptune happened (in direct mode) on 4/25, the second Rx square on 5/20, with the third and final square coming on 6/9/09. Mercury will also square Jupiter/Aquarius three times and sextile (60deg. angle) Uranus/Pisces. Squares to Jupiter can bring deflated or disappointed expectations and sextiles to Uranus will bring surprising insights and awareness amidst the upsets of the squares. Mentally (Mercury), we are evaluating and balancing our pleasures and desires, and considering our worth and finances (Taurus). The themes of Venus (ruler of Taurus) and values continue as we search for balance in an unstable world.

 

Sun in fixed, earth Taurus squares (90deg.) Jupiter in fixed, air Aquarius @ 25deg. on 5/16/09. Jupiter squares often indicate misjudgment and unfulfilled expectations. Enthusiasm is easily generated but at times circumstances are disappointing because promises or expectations are not met. This aspect takes place in the midst of Mercury Rx, which can mean a double whammy of misunderstanding and misplaced enthusiasm. Be aware of the risks you take and the possible consequences. Make sure you have plenty of information and that your values are in line with the project.

 

Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo Stationary Direct @ 14 deg. on 5/16/09. Saturn is now poised to complete its 2.5 year cycle in Virgo. Its next retrograde happens in January 2010, after it enters the sign Libra on 10/29/09. We get more momentum building as Saturn remains direct to wind down and leave Virgo and then enter Libra. Saturn does return to the last few degrees of Virgo  between 4/8-7/23/10. A Saturn Station Direct brings Saturn energy to the foreground. Saturn characteristics include regulation, management, organization, circumspection, delay, seriousness, and a focus on structure, foundation, and priorities.

 

*Currently Active: Outer Venus Retrograde (Rx) Cycle Completing: Venus re-entered cardinal, fire Aries on 4/24/09. Venus leaves Aries and enters fixed, earthy Taurus on 6/6/09.(Venus was retrograde in cardinal, fire Aries and briefly in mutable, water Pisces. Venus first entered Aries on 2/2/09. Venus/Aries turned Rx on 3/6/09. Venus Rx entered Pisces on 4/11/09. Venus turned Direct @ 29 Pisces on 4/17/09). If you’re wondering why things have been intense during those times – here’s why! Venus squared Pluto three times in its Rx cycle: 2/5/09, 4/3/09, and finally on 5/3/09. Pluto irritates and creates vulnerability in relationships and in defining values, pushing hot issues even more powerfully and possibly opening some old wounds. Venus passes its “shadow,” 15 degree Aries, at which it went retrograde, on 5/21/09, and that completes the Venus Rx cycle for this round.

 

*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. The first four oppositions between these two planets take place in the signs Virgo/Pisces, and the last one is in Aries/Libra. The first opposition took place on 11/4/08, on US Election Day and heralded a new governmental order and an historic election. It also means that Barack Obama inherited a broken system.