Planet Weather for the Week of August 10, 2008

SkyWatch: : Moon phase of the week: 8/16 -- The Moon reaches perfect fullness at 5:16 PM EDT, at 24 degrees of Aquarius, and undergoes a (very) partial eclipse, not even really visible from North America and best seen from Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. In native American traditions, this is the Sturgeon Moon when this large freshwater fish is most readily caught. Skywatching events of the week: 8/12 -- The Perseid meteor shower peaks about 7:00 AM EDT, after sunrise on the East Coast but well before sunrise farther west. In addition, the constellation Perseus, from which the Perseids appear to radiate, will be high overhead and just beginning to set. The waxing First Quarter Moon sets shortly after midnight, so its light won't wash out the dimmer meteor streaks, making this a good shower for viewing. This is also a week of close lunar and planetary passes. 8/10 -- The Moon passes near the bright astrological Royal Star Antares. 8/13-15 -- Venus and Mercury pass each other and Saturn for a celestial trifecta shortly after sunset. Mercury may be hard to spot, as always, but Venus and Saturn should be readily visible very low in the West. Space news of the week: Just recently, Makemake (previously called the Easter Bunny) was been given an official name and dwarf planet status. Just a couple of years ago, poor Pluto was "demoted" to dwarf planet status, and several others have joined since then, including Eris, which is the largest dwarf planet discovered to date. Some astronomers estimate that there may be more than 40 additional dwarf planets. 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 8/10/08 –Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday are the most active energetically and potentially very productive days – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement and/or producing results. On 8/12/08, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 5:04AM to 7:42AM EDT – On 8/14/08, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 1:09PM to 6:56PM 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.

 

Mercury enters mutable, earth Virgo on 8/10/08 @ 6:51AM EDT and conjuncts (0deg.) Saturn/Virgo @ 9deg. on 8/15/08 @ 4PM EDT.  Mercury in Virgo is in one of its home signs and so is particularly alert and astute there. You’ll find it easier to plan and organize yourself this week because the nature of Virgo is to be productive and meeting with Saturn gives it even more definition, purpose and organization. Planets in Virgo often hearkens the impending Fall, the last quarter of the year and the necessity to clean up loose ends to make things function more optimally. Typically what happens first is to be overwhelmed at how many things needs to get cleaned up. Take it one thread at a time, -- okay, maybe several.

 

Venus/Virgo conjuncts Saturn/Virgo @ 9deg. on 8/13/08 @ 1:03PM EDT and then trines (120deg.) JupiterRx in cardinal, earth Capricorn @ 13deg. on 8/16/08 @ 8:16PM EDT!  This seems to be the week to buckle down and get some serious work done. Venus meets Saturn too, and the conversation is typically about what’s the goal and what are you doing to get it done in as masterful a way as possible. After the constraint and potential bottleneck or delays of Saturn, Venus trines Jupiter (although in a Saturn-ruled sign) and finds some favor, reward, or compliments from those you may have wanted to impress. Doors open in this way or simply in discovering new pathways to reach your desired goals and solve previous blockages or obstacles to progress.

 

Lunar Eclipse @ 24 Aquarius on 8/16/08. This Full Moon and eclipse closes the eclipse cycles for 2008 (the two previous eclipses were in February ’08). Neptune is conjunct the Moon a few hours before the eclipse takes place and so dominates the eclipse energy. Neptune is always a bit tricky to figure out because it operates obliquely, rather than directly, and on a deep emotional/intuitive level, sensing (rather than thinking) what feels right or not. It has a deep spiritual component and you can tap into some magical energy, if you open up space for that to happen, and let it in. At the same time, Neptune can be illusory, disappointing, deceptive, or stressed because of the idealism also present in its energy field.

 

Sun in fixed, fire Leo opposes (180deg.) NeptuneRx in fixed, air Aquarius @ 22deg. on 8/15/08 @ 3:43AM EDT. This combination may bring wistfulness and certainly imaginative reverie or revelry. The urge is to transcend the ordinary in favor of glamour, or romantic ambience, creativity, artistic interludes, or spiritual communion. Take some time to get lost – that is, remove yourself from the banal and seek the sublime in some wonderful way. The clash between what you wish and what is may be distressing but take heart and keep dreaming.

 

NewsBits: Sky Patterns and Beijing Olympics. Now that the Olympics are in full swing, let’s review some of what we analyzed in the chart for the opening and the results thus far. First, the amended opening time is 8PM on 8/8/2008 in Beijing, China. The 8 minute difference in time posted last week still gives Pisces rising and Saturn close to the right or West angle of the chart – indicative of control issues. Control can be understood in obvious ways regarding China’s history but also in the perfect synchronicity and formation of the approximately 14,000 performers that dazzled the world. Coincidentally, the Chinese Olympic Stadium is called the “Bird’s Nest” and fits the Pisces/Virgo horizontal axis of the chart along with Saturn and Mars also located in Virgo. Birds, with their quick movements, agility, proneness to stress, and frequent eating is linked to the sign of Virgo, in particular, also known for its delicate digestive system, often slender constitution, and selective eating, and other “picky” (or “pecky”) habits! Uranus/Pisces still in House 1 also expresses the fantastic explosion of spectacle, viewed by 90,000 people in the Stadium and millions all over the world. London in 2012 will have a tough time topping this extravaganza, which cost in the range of $300 million to produce. Pisces rising in the chart is also responsible for the “leak” of footage from rehearsal before the official opening, by Korean TV, which posted it on various Internet sites including YouTube. Pisces is known for its porous boundaries! The most difficult parts of the chart have revealed themselves in the stabbing assault and murder of an American tourist couple by a Chinese man. The American man died and his wife is in critical condition; the Chinese man leapt from the tower, where the attack took place, to his own death. The Moon in Scorpio in House 8 squaring the Sun/Leo expresses this incident – compressed emotions, like a pressure cooker, erupt. Uranus in House 1 also indicates unexpected situations.

 

As we view current sky patterns, we follow the configuration of Mars/Virgo in opposition to UranusRx/Pisces, a volatile pattern that was exact on 8/6, along with Mercury/Leo opposite Neptune/Aquarius just minutes later, on the same day. As Mars, imbued with Uranian energy, separates from the exact aspect, it moves toward a square to PlutoRx/Sagittarius, exact on 8/17/08. This is a difficult dynamic and fraught with sudden and dangerous implications, one of which has already expressed itself. We can be sure, the Beijing Olympics will be remembered in various ways, some good and some difficult and many bittersweet, raising alarm and concern. Of course, we wish all the athletes the very best.