Planet Weather for the Week of August 2, 2009

NewsBits: Walter Cronkite: A life Remembered. With the death of Walter Cronkite at age 92, a few weeks ago, an era of journalism was also laid to rest. At one time, the evening news, brought to TV audiences by Walter Cronkite, was a message people felt they could trust. And, as we all know, the media world has changed tremendously since the days of Cronkite. No longer is there one source for reliable information; instead there are unending and voluminous ways to receive the news and the need to sift for truthful accuracy is paramount.

Walter Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in St. Joseph Missouri (time unknown). His Scorpio Sun is part of a grand water trine (three or more planets, in each of the three water signs) with Mercury/Scorpio, Moon/Pisces, and Pluto/Cancer. Among other things, this granted him powerful feeling, empathic, compassionate, probing characteristics, and a thirst and natural inclination for researching whatever captured his interest or was required by his profession, most notably as anchorman of the CBS Evening News.

His Mercury in Scorpio’s innate ability to seek below the surface of things into deeper strata, is reinforced by its trine (120deg. angle) to transformational and magnetic Pluto. He delivered his messages with heft and power and the necessary dose of kindness supplied by a square (90deg. angle) from his Mercury to Neptune/Leo. His Sun squared Uranus/Aquarius, almost guaranteeing that his life would take him into unusual and stimulating places. Cronkite traveled the world to report his stories and he certainly was present to report the powerful milestones of history in his time, including the bombings of World War 2, the Nuremburg Trials, The Korean War, the Vietnam War, the first Lunar Landing and the Space program, the death of JFK, Watergate, and many other significant events. He was steeped in the action, expressed in his chart with a fire Mars/Sagittarius and a Jupiter/Aries. He thrived in this environment. He was respectfully called, “the most trusted man in America.”

SkyWatch: Moon phase of the week: 8/5/09 -- The Moon reaches perfect Fullness at 8:55 PM EDT, at 13 degrees of Aquarius. This Full Moon also undergoes an eclipse corresponding to the total solar eclipse two weeks ago. Like the lunar eclipse last month, this will also be a penumbral eclipse, meaning that only the Earth's penumbra or partial shadow will cast itself on the Moon. This eclipse will be visible from all parts of the continental US except the West Coast beginning at moonrise. You may not see much dimming of the Moon but some should be visible. In Native American and folk traditions, this is the Sturgeon Moon when this large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like Lake Champlain is most readily caught. Skywatching events of the week: 8/6/09 -- The Moon and Jupiter will rise close together, although their point of closest approach occurs when both are well below the horizon earlier in the day. Space news of the week: The Space Shuttle Endeavor successfully touched down at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport last week after a two-week long, highly successful mission. Among those returning were the first Japanese astronaut after four-and-a-half months on the International Space Station. 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 8/2/09 – Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday 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. Thursday is the most distracted day of the week! On 8/2/09, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 1:42AM to 4:08AM EDT  – On 8/4/09, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 9:21AM to 5:08PM EDT – On 8/6/09, the Moon is VOC/Aquarius from 8:20PM EDT to 5:34AM (next day!)

 

Planet Patterns & Cosmic Headlines for the next few weeks:

 

Summary:  Mercury is the news-maker this week, changing signs and moving into the sign where part of the next Mercury retrograde takes place (see below). Mercury meets with first Pluto, and then Venus. The flow of energy between these planets goes to intensity and deep feelings first and then to cooperation and affection.

 

** Merc Retrograde (Rx) alert! Mercury enters mutable, earth Virgo on 8/2/09, and although Mercury won’t go retrograde until it enters the next sign Libra, it will retrograde back into the last 9 degrees of Virgo. The shadow of that begins on 8/17/09, when Mercury reaches 21 Virgo, the degree at which it turns direct again on 9/29/09.  Mercury turns Retrograde @ 6 Libra on 9/7/09. The full retrograde cycle lasts until October 14, 2009, when Mercury returns and passes its retrograde degree of 6 Libra. So, prepare yourself for a time to readjust, reassess, renovate, redirect, and in general, separate the wheat from the chaff (Mercury rules the sign of Virgo with its harvest symbolism) – put the minutiae in its place and appreciate the beauty of your life.

 

Lunar Eclipse Full Moon 13 Aquarius on 8/5/09! This is the fifth eclipse of 2009, and the third of the summer series of eclipses that began with the Lunar Eclipse @ 15 Capricorn on 7/7/09, and the very potent long-lasting Solar Eclipse @ 29Cancer on 7/21/09. The three eclipses of the summer series all belong to the same family of eclipses – Saros Series 11South. This Eclipse Series began on June 14, 1360! An eclipse Series starts at one Pole of the Earth and completes itself at the opposite Pole. This process takes about 1280 years! The energy of this family of eclipses is quick, abrupt, and often relentless transformation into something quite new – forging new pathways. If the eclipse makes a major aspect to one of your planets or points in the chart, it will have a lingering affect over the course of the next year and often much longer. Three months after the eclipse, the Sun will trigger the eclipse degree and sometimes a planet from Mars on out will trigger the eclipse even before the three month mark. When that happens, whatever area/planet in the chart has been activated, will reveal itself in some form or other. Remember that eclipses deal with light and shadow, conscious and unconscious.

 

*Currently Active Paradigm-Shift Patterns: 

 

*Jupiter in fixed air Aquarius conjoined (0deg.) Neptune/Aquarius for the second time @ 26 deg. on 7/10/09. Jupiter and Neptune are still in the throes of their second conjunction – still both very close by degree. 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 the third and last takes place on 12/21/09. As noted in previous issues of PW, it is rare (and important) 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, marking the end of World War 1. The next time will be in 2047 –2048! This conjunction is meant to bring hope and to inspire us to a wider understanding of what the meaning is of the lives we have lived and wish to continue to live. Expect some amazing synchronicity to appear in your life. Be aware of all meetings with others, events and involvements, and what these may say to you, as well as the purpose of your life.

 

* 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 of 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 challenging and often stressful aspect breaks things into their component parts in order to rebuild them on a more solid foundation. Individually your system may fracture, so that you can put it back together in a more workable fashion. Ask your astrologer to further clarify this important pattern and how it is operating in your life.