Planet Weather for the Week of July 5, 2009

NewsBits: The Strange Ways of Sarah Palin! On July 4^th, Sarah Palin announced her resignation as Governor of Alaska – shocking some, but not those who believe she has her eyes on 2012. With rumors swirling of more ethics investigations and a lucrative $11-million book deal in the works, surely Sarah Palin wants out of the spotlight for a bit and time to write! And, quitting with 17 months left in her term is a bit of a dicey political move. There are also rumors that she has antagonized Alaskan legislators and would have had a huge problem on her hands at the start of the new session because of her refusal to accept Federal funds for Alaska. Let’s look at Palin’s chart to see what’s going on.

Sarah Palin – born on 2/11/64, in Sandpoint, Idaho (birthtime unverified) – has five planets in Aquarius! We have been watching the last three – Sun, Mars and Saturn between 22, 23 and 25 degrees respectively since she first appeared on the scene as McCain’s “best” pick for VP. It was in the summer of 2008 that Neptune was all over her Mars and she couldn’t find her way out of the fog, even though the smoke and mirrors were operating quite well. At the time of her resignation, we are between the first two Jupiter/Neptune conjunctions in Aquarius and both of these conjunctions conjoined with her Saturn @ 25 Aquarius. Sarah Palin says she’s tired of politics as usual and feels she can do more outside of office, and with an $11-million book deal, we’re sure that’s really true. Jupiter/Neptune conjuncting her Saturn can mean that she is as disillusioned with politics as she claims. It can also mean that she realizes that she will be called into question on more potential ethics violations and also shows the mismatch with her own legislators – that they’re not in sync on programs at all. This aspect indicates confusion and in some ways the inability to be effective because of confusing situations or conditions. Her resignation speech was rambling and at times incoherent. We may never know the real Sarah Palin. But we do feel that we have not seen the last of her yet. The final Jupiter/Neptune conjunction that takes place on 12/21/09 @ 24deg. Aquarius again focuses on Palin’s Mars and Saturn. This story is not finished.

SkyWatch: Moon phase of the week: 7/7 -- The Moon reaches perfect Fullness at 5:21 AM, at 15 degrees of Capricorn, just as She is setting in the West. This Full Moon is variously known in Native American and folklore traditions as the Buck Moon, the Thunder Moon, and the Hay Moon. (Hey, Moon!) This Full Moon also coincides with a penumbral lunar eclipse, beginning an hour or so earlier. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Earth's partial shadow (the "penumbra") falls across the lunar surface causing the Moon to dim only slightly. This is in contrast to a full eclipse when the totally dark part of the Earth's shadow (the "umbra") falls across the Moon causing it to dim greatly and glow dimly with strange colors from reflected Earthlight. Space news of the week: The Space Shuttle Endeavor is being prepped for launch this week, and then a rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) where astronauts will install a Japanese experiment platform, replace aging solar array batteries, and squirrel away some spare parts for the ISS. This mission was originally planned for last month but was scrubbed due to fuel leaks (now repaired). 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 7/5/09 – Sunday, Monday, Friday 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 7/5/09, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 3:17PM to 10:07PM EDT  – On 7/8/09, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 5:43AM to 11:03AM EDT – On 7/10/09, the Moon is VOC/Aquarius from 10:17PM to 11:44PM EDT.

 

Planet Patterns & Cosmic Headlines:

 

Summary: Last week was a time of intense energy brought to us by the Uranus Station Retrograde. This is another high energy week due to several planetary sign changes, some strong aspects between planets, and the first of the three Summer eclipses @ the Full Moon. More below.

 

Venus enters mutable, air Gemini on 7/5/09 until 7/31/09. Get ready for some flirting and witty conversation. Brush up on your word-play and gather with your friends to laugh and enjoy conversation. This Venus is very sociable but also tends to be scattered and often distracted. Or, we could say this position encourages multi-tasking and many varied interests. It’s a curious placement, disliking boredom, so add a bit of spice into your relationships and find new, stimulating activities.

 

Mars in fixed, earth Taurus squares (90deg.) both Neptune and Jupiter in fixed, air Aquarius on 7/6/09 @ 26 deg. This fixed square (all three planets are in fixed signs) means the impact can certainly be more intense. Mars/Taurus wants to hold on to what it’s got and may go to great lengths to maintain the status quo. These energies can indicate humanitarian crises or financial problems. Moving forward can be stalled due to various complexities and disillusionment or disappointment may result.

 

Lunar Eclipse Full Moon on 7/7/09 @ 15 Capricorn. This first of the three Summer eclipses places focus on governments, traditional institutions, the marketplace and governing or protective agencies. For us personally, we are reminded of our responsibilities, commitments, and family obligations or issues. We may feel pressure and necessity to make plans. This eclipse is part of the Saros Series 11 South.

“New systems are required to deal with the events brought by the eclipse.” There is a need to “think of new ways of handling the issues and a need for sudden reforms.” (From: The Eagle and the Lark – by Bernadette Brady.)  Eclipses cast a shadow on an area of life – three months later the Sun squares the eclipse point and re-triggers the energy. Other planets will do the same at various times after the eclipse.

It is important to know where eclipses fall in your chart and what planets they connect with, as that will reveal a theme over the coming year or more.

 

*Jupiter in fixed air, Aquarius conjunct (0deg.) Neptune/Aquarius for the second time @ 26 deg. on 7/10/09. The first of three conjunctions (meeting in the same sign and at the same degree) between these two planets took place on 5/27/09 and he third and last takes place on 12/21/09. It is rare to have these two planets that meet by conjunction about every 12 years make this aspect three separate times in their single cycle. The last triple occurrence of this sort was in 1919-1920! The next time will be in 2047 –2048! Jupiter enhances or enlarges and discontent found in the collective (Neptune) imagination, dream, or ideal. That is why the surprising protests took place in Iran. The people were disillusioned and outraged with the lies of their government. The triple conjunction asks us all to understand our illusions, hold on to our ideals, stand up for human rights, and believe in our dreams.

 

Mars enters mutable, air Gemini on 7/11/09 until 8/25/09. Mars follows Venus into witty and verbal Gemini. Pick up the latest books on your topic of interest and stimulate your mind or take some short trips and experience new environments. This is a restless Mars, typically very intelligent but often lacking constancy, although there is no lack of interest, movement, or excitement.

 

*Currently Active Paradigm-Shift Patterns: 

 

* Part 2 of 5 – Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo opposite (180 deg. angle) Uranus in mutable, water Pisces took place 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 in July 2010. The first opposition took place on 11/4/08! It’s important to understand where this is taking place in your chart, the adjustments that are required of you, and how you will reconstruct habits in a specific area of your life. This is a pattern of adaptation and analysis of what works and what does not.  This stress aspect breaks things into their component parts in order to rebuild them on a more solid foundation. Ask your astrologer to further clarify this important pattern and how it is working in your life.