Planet Weather for the Week of July 8, 2007

                                                                                                                                  

SkyWatch -- Moon Phase of the week: 7/14 -- The Moon enters her New cycle at 8:04 AM EDT at 21 degrees of Cancer, the sign of her rulership. Look for her pale, slender crescent low in the West a couple of days later. Skywatching events of the week: There are no close passes by the Moon of any planets or stars, or passes by planets of each other or stars (there is a spectacular multiple close pass coming up next week, though -- stay tuned!). However, you can view all the planets visible to the unaided eye except Mercury this week. Venus remains a lovely Evening Star all week (indeed, all month) setting very late (after 10 PM local time all week in most locations) and nearly as brilliant as she ever gets. Mars is still an early morning star, rising considerably after midnight but getting brighter and brighter (and rising earlier and earlier) as he approaches solar opposition this fall as well as a near point in his orbit to Earth. Jupiter is currently rising before sunset and culminating (appearing at his highest point in the sky) well before midnight. Saturn rises and culminates in daytime but sets about the same time as Venus, and so is also visible for some time in the West after sunset. (In fact, Venus and Saturn, which experienced their point of closest approach last week, are still very close together in the sky.) This means that three out of the five visible planets appear in the night sky at the same time this week -- Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn, a trifecta of worlds! Space news of the week: Correction! It was incorrectly reported in an earlier SkyWatch that the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed safely at Cape Canaveral after a successful construction mission to the International Space Station. In fact, because of bad weather over FL, Atlantis was diverted to Edwards Air Force Base in CA. A specially equipped Boeing 747 ferried Atlantis back to the Cape this past week. (Atlantis is pretty big but not quite as big as a 747!) 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 - Sunday, Monday, and Thursday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days (depending on what you’re doing!) On 7/8/07, the Moon is VOC/Aries from 9:06AM to 1:54PM EDT – on 7/10/07, VOC/Taurus from 12:54PM to 4:10PM EDT – on 7/12/07, VOC/Gemini from 5:12PM to 6:39PM EDT – on 7/14/07, VOC/Cancer from 8:04AM to 10:43PM EDT – a long one!

 

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.

 

Venus in fixed, fire Leo trine (120deg.) Pluto/Sagittarius @ 27deg. on 7/8/07 @ 9:07PM EDT.  You’ll feel the heat – whether it’s that of passion, desire, creativity, or just summer!  You will yearn for something or someone and your heart is being asked to open to more possible ways of loving and expressing itself. You may realize something that you want very much in your life – something that you already have, or something you intend to intently and intensely pursue. This aspect may also bring you in contact with others who have a great deal of personal power, or have powerful or controlling needs or desires. How will you respond?

 

Mercury turns Stationary Direct in cardinal, water Cancer @ 2deg. on 7/9/07 @ 10:16PM EDT. Two thirds of this current Mercury Retrograde is now complete. The next phase retraces for a third time the degrees between 2 and 11 and then reaches its “shadow point” of 11 deg. on 7/24/07, the point at which it turned retrograde on 6/15/07. Once past the shadow degree, resolution and conclusions are more likely reached regarding the issues and concerns that surfaced during this emotionally charged cycle of Mercury in the sensitive water sign, Cancer. Mercury’s cycle in Cancer began on 5/28/07 and ends on 7/4/07.

 

Sun in cardinal, water Cancer trine Uranus in mutable, water Pisces @ 18deg. on 7/11/07 @ 1:34AM EDT. Emotional intelligence is being stimulated. We are asked to be more cognizant of the complexities that make up our emotional responses and those of others. It doesn’t make it easier to deal with emotions, yet hopefully increases understanding and compassion. The thing with Uranus is sudden realizations that shock the sensibilities in either a positive or disruptive way. Uranian occasions and situations often benefit from some distance to properly figure things out and come to terms with the surprising new insights.

 

Venus enters mutable, earth Virgo on 7/14/07 @ 2:25PM EDT. Venus retrogrades in this sign! Just as we complete Mercury Retrograde, we are asked to prepare for a Venus Retrograde cycle.

Venus retrogrades on 7/27/07 and turns direct on 9/8/07. More on this cycle in subsequent issues of PW. For now, let’s consider Venus in Mercury’s sign of Virgo. Here, Venus shows affection in practical ways and pays close attention to the details, small niceties, and considerations of daily life – so watch your P’s and Q’s! (And dot your i's and cross your t's!)  This Venus responds to manners, kindness, and helpfulness – so if you’ve got your eye on someone special, you might remember some of the rules of courting and if you want to impress someone, be particularly courteous.  Being productive is important for Virgo, so you’re likely to find yourself working longer to get things just right, or meet some deadlines. This can be a very good thing and get you or your product/project noticed, just don’t get too workaholic about it. Knowing when to leave a good thing alone is just as important. You may wish to review your daily schedule to reflect some time for relationships and simply enjoying the special attributes of the season. Venus/Virgo is big at appreciating simply what is – and the natural beauty of an efficient flow of time.

NewsBits: Scooter Libby Gets Out of Jail Free Card!! How lucky can you get? Being a loyal friend of the President does have its rewards, right? His quarter million dollar fine paid, and his 30 months in jail for lying have been commuted by President George W. Bush. So what’s up with that? Scooter Libby was born with the Moon in the fortunate sign of Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, who always plays a little loose with the rules. Those born with this Moon seem always to have a number of choices or avenues out, when a predicament presents itself. In the current sky, Jupiter is traveling through Sagittarius and activating Libby’s natal good fortune. Venus in late Leo is conjunct his 28 deg. Sun/Leo bringing him more favor. Pluto/Sagittarius is making a smooth trine to his Sun, implying ease in movement from high places or powerful others. Saturn quickly coming to the end of its term in Leo will conjunct his Sun in August, signifying a 28-year chapter closing in Libby’s life, and a new one about to be written. It seems, however, that we have not heard the end of this. We certainly haven’t heard the full story, and the truth of who actually ordered Valerie Plame Wilson’s exposure as undercover CIA operative remains unknown. Of course, we can always speculate. After all, Libby was Chief of Staff to VP Cheney. The third and last (for 32-37 years) Saturn/Leo opposite Neptune/Aquarius is also part of this debacle. The aspect provides examples of squishy rules, bad boundaries and decay (even mold)! Overall it signifies a breakdown in systems, and a perfect forerunner to Pluto entering Capricorn for the first time in January 2008, the mother of all systems failures. Prepare to transform!  One of these days, probably when Neptune/Aquarius reaches an opposition to Libby’s Sun in 2010-11, enough time will have passed that it will be safe to leak the real facts of this story. In the meantime, is anyone continuing to investigate? Does anyone care that justice miscarried?