Planet Weather for the Week of May 13, 2007

                                                                                                                                  

SkyWatch – Moon phase of the week: 5/15 -- The Moon enters her New cycle at 3:27 PM EDT at 25 degrees of Taurus. Look for her thin silver crescent low in the West a couple of nights later with her dark portion dimly illumined by Earthlight. Skywatching event of the week: 5/19 -- The Waxing Crescent Moon passes less than 2 degrees north of brilliant Venus, with their point of closest approach coming about 9:30 PM EDT,  just as both celestial bodies are setting when viewed from the East Coast. Moon-Venus close encounters are always beautiful sights. Two degrees is about four Full Moon diameters. Space news of the week: The Space Shuttle Atlantis' huge external fuel tank had a lot of dings put in it by a surprise hailstorm a couple of months ago as it sat on the launch pad. Repairs to the tank, as well as to the shuttle herself, have now been completed. Rollout back to the launch pad is scheduled for next week, and liftoff for a long-delayed International Space Station assembly mission is targeted for June 8. Go out! Look up!

 

Knowing when VOC Moons occur is a key to planning your astrological 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, or delays. If you want specific outcomes or if timeliness is critical, choose another time if possible. 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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This week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days (depending on what you’re doing!) On 5/14/07, the Moon is VOC/Aries from 8:24PM to 10:48PM EDT – on 5/16/07, VOC/Taurus from 3:27PM to 10:34PM EDT – on 5/18/07, VOC/Gemini from 8:57PM to 11:38PM 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.

 

Mars in mutable, water Pisces squares (90deg.) Pluto in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 2 deg. on 5/13/07, 11:14AM EDT. This Martian week begins with the intense Mars/Pluto square, which is sure to bring some violent undertaking somewhere in the world. Mars meets Pluto in a hard aspect approximately every 4.5months (unless a Mars or Pluto retrograde interferes). As they say, “Make love not war.” This aspect can charge the sexual/romantic energies and make for a smoldering time with your romantic partner. The actions of Mars/Pluto create impact and tend to leave indelible effects, so chose carefully the legacy your action creates. You may be challenged to face another level of your empowerment by standing up for the deeper principles that may be generated by a confrontation. How far can you be pushed until you say stop? The next hard aspect between these two planets is an opposition (180 deg.)  due at the end of September 2007.

 

Mars enters cardinal, fire Aries on 5/15/07 @ 10:06AM EDT until 6/24/07. The Martian week continues and escalates with Mars’ entry into its home sign of Aries. Suddenly, life emerges from its slumber and everything seems to speed up. It’s Spring energy after Spring has already begun (in the Northern hemisphere). It just goes to show you that exuberant, enlivening Spring can happen at any time (in particular when Aries energy is active in the cosmos!) The courageous, impulsive, and pioneering energy of Mars asserts itself, and you’re encouraged to move toward your goals, fast! This feisty, bold Mars will, as usual, manifest positively and negatively depending on who uses it. It has the potential to act rashly in sudden anger, and create quite a bit of destruction. It also has the potential to be the spark that brings something brand new and amazing into birth. Other than that, this energy will enliven the dance between the sexes – enjoy the repartee!

 

Power Shift - France’s New President! Have you noticed that leaders are tumbling and changing? Tony Blair’s decade long reign is over at the end of June 2007. In France, Jacques Chirac is out after 12 years, and Nicolas Sarkozy is in, elected on May 6, 2007! France’s new President is the first ever elected with an immigrant parent. Sarkozy’s father, a Hungarian, was forced to leave post war Hungary. He found his way to France where he married a French woman, fathered 3 sons, and left the family when Nicholas was about 4.  Nicolas Sarkozy was born on January 28, 1955, in Paris, France, time unknown (Internet biography sources).  He takes office officially on 5/16/07, just after Mars enters Aries, marking Sarkozy’s own Mars return cycle (a biennial event). Because of this, we can expect that his man will bolt out of the starting gate with all kinds of plans and programs. He is a Sun and Mercury in Aquarius and is known for his charisma. The buzz is that he will be more involved in social and economic policies and the issue of France’s massive unemployment. With Jupiter and Uranus in Cancer, he will be focused on the problems of the people and their basic needs and is likely to initiate some innovative and necessary reforms. He is also more sympathetic to his alliance with the United States, unlike his predecessor.