Planet Weather for the Weeks of June 15 & 22, 2008

SkyWatch –  Moon phases for the coming two weeks: 6/18 -- The Moon reaches perfect Fullness at 1:30 PM EDT, at 27 degrees of Sagittarius. In Native American traditions, this Full Moon is variously known as the Strawberry Moon or the Honey Moon (yes, hence the term, since many weddings take place in June), and in folklore, the Rose Moon. 6/26 -- The Moon enters Her Last (aka Third) Quarter phase at 8:10 AM EDT, at 5 degrees of Aries. Skywatching events for the coming two weeks: 6/16 -- The Moon reaches apogee, or the farthest point in Her orbit when She will be about 252,400 miles distant from us, give or take. To careful observers, She may seem just tad smaller than usual and lunar tides will be at a minimum. 6/17 -- The Moon passes very close to the bright astrological "royal" star Antares in the constellation Scorpius. Look to the South a few hours after moonrise. In parts of the Southern Hemisphere, this will actually be an "occultation" during which the Moon will pass directly in front of the star. 6/20 -- The waning Moon makes a close pass by Jupiter in the predawn southern sky. And the June Solstice is upon us, exact at 7:59 PM EDT, reflecting the point farthest north that the Sun reaches in the sky during His annual peregrinations. Space news: The Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to land shortly after having ferried astronauts to the International Space Station for some intensive construction work, and then ferried them back to Earth. PW wishes them a safe return! 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 6/15/08 – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday (with reservations) and Friday are the most active energetically and potentially very productive days – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement and/or producing results. On 6/15/08, the Moon is VOC/Scorpio from 5:30PM to 5:19AM EDT (next day) – On 6/18/08, VOC/Sagittarius from 5:37PM to 5:52PM EDT – On 6/20/08, VOC/Capricorn from 3:02PM  to 5:33AM EDT (next day)!

Week of 6/22/08 – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are the most active energetically and potentially very productive days – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement and/or producing results. On 6/23/08, the Moon is VOC/Aquarius from 2:43AM to 3:32PM EDT – On 6/25/08, the Moon is VOC Pisces from 10:16PM to 10:49PM EDT – On 6/28/08, The Moon is VOC/Aries from 2:13AM to 2:50AM 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.

 

Venus and the Sun in mutable, air Gemini opposite (180deg.) Pluto in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 29deg. on 6/18/08 and 6/20/08 respectively. This is the last time that these two planets, in these signs, oppose Pluto, because by this time next year, when the Sun and Venus are again in Gemini, Pluto will have moved into Capricorn and oppositions with Sun and Venus will take place in the sign of Cancer! Pluto’s connection with Sun and Venus takes you deeply into the unconscious to probe the feelings that are dormant, bubbling to the surface, or unresolved. This is your chance to understand what really makes you tick – in terms of your life’s schematic and how you relate in all the ways that you can imagine.

 

Venus enters cardinal, water Cancer on 6/18/08 @ 4:49AM EDT until 7/12/08. We’re moving to the softer side of love – the romantic, nostalgic and sometimes syrupy side too. That’s Venus in Cancer –

it focuses on the emotional well-being of any relationship and yet, be forewarned – it’s very sensitive to potential slights and lack of consideration. Be sure to mind your manners. Other than that, this Venus will charm you with attention, loves to wine and dine and in general seeks to preserve the memories you share and the traditions you value. Security is important, so be consistent and caring and you’ll win the praise of this Venus.

 

Mercury Stationary Direct @ 13 Gemini on 6/19/08 @ 10:31AM EDT. Hurrah! We’ve survived another Mercury retrograde cycle, the second of three this 2008. And this one was a doozie. Mercury was not alone in creating mischief – it aligned with the Sun and Venus to create extra havoc, missed appointments, miscommunication, and all sorts of misunderstandings. Now we get the chance to step back and take a larger perspective on what really happened, and, of course, to handle damage control, if necessary. Mercury passes its “shadow” on 7/4/08, when it reaches again 21degrees, the point at which it turned retrograde on 5/26/08. After that, we’re in fresh territory and free (mostly) from the entanglements of the retrograde web.

 

The June Solstice! The Sun enters Cancer on 6/20/08 @ 7:59PM EDT!  It’s the good ol’ summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere. Happy Birthday, Cancers out there! It’s also a sacred and auspicious moment in celestial mechanics. The Sun is at its highest point in relation to Earth’s Northern hemisphere, and we are experiencing the warmest rays of Sol for the year, days are blissfully long, and there’s the relaxation that warmth brings to bodies and souls. There is a distinct moment of equality at this 0 deg. of cardinal water, Cancer and then things tip once again, as the Earth moves in relation to the Sun. Consider at this time your own relationship to the Sun – your conscious self, the sum total of what you know to be true, and the perspective you use to spend your days and time.

 

Mars in fixed, fire Leo opposite Neptune in fixed, air Aquarius on 6/21/08 @ 11:33AM EDT. You may not know what’s happening and that may be OK. Allow yourself to be in fantasy land for a while, as long as it does not interfere with an important responsibility. We do need to check-out and transcend the bonds of earth, occasionally – in order to maintain our sanity, yes? This is a highly inspired and creative aspect – full of passion and idealism and, at times, unreasonable joy in the magic and mystery of life. The negative side is to soar so high that you may be out of touch with the responsibilities that you have committed yourself to and you may disappoint others or forget what you said you’d do – or others may express that to you, and what would wish to be solid becomes elusive and dissipating. Trust your higher and soulful self to figure out why those experiences are showing up for you.

 

Uranus Stationary Retrograde @ 22 Pisces on 6/26/08 @ 8:01PM EDT until 11/27/08! Nearly coinciding, time-wise, with Pluto’s retrograde station, the two will churn up material previously passed over in their forward momentum. Uranus will seek out the truth and tell it to you quite bluntly or through haphazard and unusual, abrupt, or disruptive circumstances if necessary. Be prepared, if you have planets between 18 and 22 degrees of any sign, Uranus will affect a revolution within you in some way. We are retracing (to measure the deeper impact), the astounding turn of events (Uranus loves to turn things on their head) that we’ve experienced strongly since the end of February 2008, both collectively and personally.

 

NewsBits: Verified Birth Time for Barack Obama!  In order to dispel rumors about Obama’s birthplace, the campaign published his actual birth certificate on an official campaign website, much to the delight of professional astrologers everywhere. Obama was born on 8/4/61 @ 7:24PM, Honolulu, Hawaii, giving him the electric Aquarius rising sign and a Moon in early Gemini – the ability to speak and communicate easily. Add to that, Mercury ruled Mars/Virgo and not only is he verbally gifted but the Virgo energy gives him incisiveness and precision – wordsmithing, evident in his speeches and in the several books he’s written. Obama’s Sun, now finds itself in House 6 – toning down the excessive Leonine pride with a humility that wants to work to earn respect. Saturn in Capricorn is found conjunct (out-of-sign) with Jupiter/Aquarius in House 12, which demands a spiritual accountability. The most potent current transit, which we detailed previously in PW, is Pluto/Capricorn hovering opposite Obama’s Venus now @ 1Cancer, since Pluto entered Capricorn on 1/25/08. Then, Pluto made a station retrograde at exactly1 degree and exactly opposite Obama’s Venus position, on 4/2/08. He was channeling powerful magnetism, charisma and attractiveness into his energy field. (That’s one way, the astrological way, to explain it!) This energy returns on 11/26/08, and I feel strongly that this impending repeat cycle will win him the election. At the moment, Obama lives with the knowledge that he arose into public consciousness from far behind and is a most pleasant surprise on the political landscape. Astrologically, this is visible with Uranus/Pisces exactly opposite his Mars/Virgo @ 22deg., where it will station retrograde on 6/26/08. This is also a volatile and unexpected aspect (see below) and needs to be monitored. In July 2008, Saturn/Virgo will conjunct Obama’s Pluto @ 6 Virgo, also reminding him of the pressures and intensity of political contest, after feeling the exhaustive end of a campaign with Saturn square his Moon in early June. There are some disturbing aspects looming in the distance – one is Neptune/Aquarius opposing Obama’s Uranus @ 25 Leo, and very close to a conjunction of his South Node @ 27 Aquarius. However, this aspect does not become exact until mid-March 2009.

 

Bad Weather! We must remember that Pluto is poised right now, at the precise degree of the winter solstice, 0 Capricorn, which is considered one of the 4 great energetic doorways in cosmic understanding. It’s certainly a power degree and offers a tremendous influx and outflow of energy. We’ve discussed previously that Pluto’s entry into a cardinal Earth sign would surely bring earth changes and shifts. We can say, it literally shakes the Earth and brings us to our knees, and subsequently to a greater understanding of the “reality” of our life on planet Earth. The dramatic and destructive flooding in Iowa is a part of this larger picture and works on the axis of Capricorn/Cancer – drastic changes in lifestyle and of home and security. Our hearts go out to those who have seen their life, as they’ve known it, simply washed away.

 

Tim Russert Departs this Earthly Plane! A beloved and well-respected newsman has moved on. Tim Russert probably did not know his own strength, as so many of us are prone to think we can push ourselves and handle more stress than we ought to. After arriving home from a long flight from Italy on a Thursday night, Russert immediately went to work the next morning at the NBC studios in Washington, DC to prep his Sunday show, “Meet the Press.” He’s been moderator of this show since 1991 and brought it back to its highest ratings. Russert was born on 5/7/50, in Buffalo, NY, time unknown, and he was in his second Saturn return cycle, which everyone generically experiences at around age 58-60. This is typically a closing cycle, where there is much re-evaluation of what one has done and produced over the last 30 years of one’s life. Because of that, it is a tender cycle, where we are more cognizant of our limitations and the passage of time and when we plan for the next 30 years! In addition, Russert being the strong and stubborn Taurus that he was, pushed himself more than he ought to have. He was diagnosed with coronary artery disease in the past year but he was supposedly taking care of that with exercise and other changes. The suddenness of his death is seen precisely in Uranus/Pisces exactly opposite his Mars/Virgo. Lastly, the Moon was VOC when his attack took place and so response to his condition was probably not fast enough to save him. Tim Russert was widely loved and respected and will be missed by many.