Planet Weather for the Week of May 20, 2007

                                                                                                                                  

SkyWatch - Moon phase of the week:  5/23 -- The Moon enters her First Quarter phase at 5:03 PM EDT, at two degrees of Virgo. You can take note of her phase-change high in the southern sky before sunset, with moonset happening in the northwest around midnight. Skywatching events of the week: 5/22 -- The Moon passes very near Saturn (between Saturn and Regulus in the constellation Leo -- see next skywatching event). While their moment of closest approach comes well before sunset in North America (about 3 PM EDT), observers in parts of Europe, the Arctic, and northwestern Canada can see the moon actually occult (pass in front of and eclipse) Saturn. (We told you it was a close approach!) 5/23 -- The same thing happens with the Moon and the astrological star Regulus, the brightest star in Leo! Again, observers in Asia, Europe, Greenland and far northeastern Canada can see the Moon actually occult the star, but this point of closest approach happens around noon Eastern time. However, from anywhere including the U.S., this double-passage of the Moon between Saturn and Regulus on these two nights should prove a worthwhile sight. Space news of the week: Space Shuttle Atlantis returned to the launch pad this past week for its delayed flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis had been in the Vehicle Assembly Building undergoing repairs to dings in its huge external fuel tank caused by a severe hailstorm several months ago. Launch to the ISS is now tentatively scheduled for sometime in mid-June. 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 5/21/07, the Moon is VOC/Cancer from 3:46AM to 3:57AM EDT – on 5/23/07, VOC/Leo from 9:08AM to 12:26PM EDT – on 5/25/07, VOC/Virgo from 8:43PM to 12:16AM EDT, the next day!

 

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.

 

Mercury in mutable, air Gemini opposes (180deg.) Jupiter in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 16deg. on 5/20/07 @ 1:31AM EDT.  Mercury is one of the most active planets this week, and your thoughts may wander which way and that. This aspect increases the desire to broaden your interests and increases curiosity but it can take these tendencies to the extreme. You may find yourself distracted and less able to focus as your attention is pulled in too many different directions. This is very much a Gemini/Sagittarian struggle. With too many balls in the air to juggle, you are likely to drop some of them – meaning cancellation of appointments or plans and the potential of annoying friends and family when you don’t or can’t come through as you’d promised. You may be an information junkie for something that captures your interest, or the wanderlust bug bites you.

 

Mercury/Gemini square (90deg.) Uranus in mutable, water Pisces, 18deg. on 5/20/06. Your thoughts, ideas, plans, and possibilities get shocked, changed, or estranged.  You’re left holding the bag, and then what are the thoughts that arise? Uranus’s purpose is to jolt your awareness, so that you don’t become complacent and expect things to always go according to some orderly or contrived plan. There is a divine purpose that wants to reveal itself, if you will only get over your annoyance/anger at being diverted. An impromptu conversation, right-on article, or radio talk, etc., may have you recognizing the serendipity and interconnectedness of life.

 

Sun enters mutable, air Gemini on 5/21/07 @ 6:12AM EDT until 6/21/07. Get ready to shift into curious and socially-aware Gemini. This is the time to honor your connections by reinforcing them. Meet your friends, do things, converse in that stream of consciousness way, share yourself and your current state of mind and being. There’s mutual learning possibility and lots of quips and witty fun. Exercise your mind, take a summer class, explain, expand, and expound – who knows what will come back to you? Mental stimulation is a necessity during Gemini time.

 

Mercury/Gemini sextile (60deg.) Saturn in fixed, fire Leo, 18deg. on 5/21/07 @ 6:48AM EDT. After collecting all that new information and running here and there to be aware of the latest trends, Saturn reminds you to sort and prioritize. After considering the options, you make a choice (not the easiest place for Gemini) based on potential future consequences. The opportunity exists to confirm an idea and test its validity or reliability. Is the concept a keeper or should you hit Delete?

 

Mercury/Gemini trine (120deg.) Neptune in fixed, air Aquarius, 22deg. on 5/23/07 @ 3:49AM EDT. This aspect asks you to open wide the doors of imagination and allow yourself to be porous enough to receive information through other channels – beyond the linear and logical. It’s great for creative or magical activity and dancing, film, or art. You may be inspired by night-time dreaming or daydreams to find the solution to a problem or uncover a missing nuance of understanding. These energies also open the heart of compassion, caring, and understanding. Neptune softens the mind and rounds the often hard edges of logic.

 

Neptune/Aquarius turns Stationary Retrograde (SR), 22deg. on 5/24/07 @ 9:10PM EDT until 10/31/07. Neptune’s station retrograde puts emphasis on the state of the world’s and one’s own level of conscious awareness. How have we developed? Are we getting it right yet? The careless twisting of truth is a problem, as well as those suffering for various man-made “truths.” New information emerges about previously mysterious or hidden goings-on. Possibly a juicy scandal or two emerges for our voyeuristic inclination.

 

Venus in cardinal, water Cancer trine Uranus/Pisces, 18deg. on 5/25/07 @ 2:04AM EDT. Surprising meetings with interesting people are possible, certainly those who may have values different than yours. If you seek something like this, then place yourself in a group where that is more likely to happen.  Help the aspect develop in your life. These energies seek space and the freedom to come and go. Your relationship may need a breath of fresh air. Plan to get out of town together for some wide open arenas away from routine or plan a night out separately with friends and come back together to share your adventures. You may also want to spruce up your nest and toss out some of the memorabilia. We know that Cancer is sentimental but a little weeding right about now won’t hurt.

 

NewsBits: Mars Highlighted Events - 3 Ambushed Soldiers Missing in Iraq – Renewed Violence in Gaza. This past strong Martian week, (Mars square Pluto and Mars entering its home sign, Aries) true to its aggressive tendencies, brought a violent situation in Iraq with the ambush and killing of a convoy of soldiers and the capture of three US soldiers, not yet recovered. This action has led to an intense and desperate search and rescue mission. My sad conclusion is that these three soldiers are unlikely to be found alive, since they were captured with the Moon in Aries, Mars (agressiveness) ruling that Moon in late Pisces approaching a square to Pluto, the very next day, the Moon in its darkest phase (balsamic) and two days later Mars entering Aries, signifying the intense initiated search. Too much Martian (angry) energy, with the Pisces Mars dispersing and hiding, is not a good condition for recovery, although Mars, now in Aries, is doing its very best to find the unfortunate soldiers. Israel bombed Gaza again, citing defense against rockets launched from the area toward Southern Israel, and Palestinian Fattah and Hamas factions are fighting each other.

 

Paul Wolfowitz Resigns from World Bank. After increased pressure for Wolfowitz’s removal as President of the World Bank, he finally resigned on Thursday 5/17/07. The issue was one of conflict of interest involving his girlfriend. Apparently, Wolfowitz was personally involved in the details of his girlfriend Shaha Riza’s assignment and salary increase from $133,000 to $193,590 during the two years when Wolfowitz was World Bank President. Riza was moved to the State Dept. to avoid impropriety, but remained on the bank’s payroll! It’s god to have friends in high places, but in this case constituted serious conflict of interest. [Not only that, but her State Department job, plus income from the World Bank, evidently gave her a higher salary than Condoleezza Rice!] The World Bank was established in 1945, to rebuild Europe after WWII. In recent years, the Bank has spent approximately 22 billion, primarily in interest-free loans to poor countries, particularly Sub-Sahara Africa. Paul Wolfowitz was born on 12/22/43, in Brooklyn, NY, time unknown (internet bio sources). He grew up to be a neocon hawk and Deputy Secretary of Defense under the Bush administration, deeply responsible for creating the policies that led to war with Iraq, which began his appointment as President of the World bank on a sour note with the Bank’s international Board and interests. It’s likely that Wolfowitz has Moon in Scorpio along with Venus/Scorpio, both square Pluto/Leo, bestowing on him that intense countenance and retaliatory tendency. He is not known to be a good team player. His Mars conjunct Uranus/Gemini gives him the necessary smarts but also the tendency to be a loner and a bit erratic. Saturn heading for a conjunction to his natal Jupiter, a once-every-28-year cycle, brings to conclusion an important part of his political career. (His resignation will not actually become effective until June 30, however, and comes with an ironic $400K "performance bonus.")