Planet Weather for the Week of August 19, 2007

                                                                                                                                  

SkyWatch – Moon phase of the week: 8/20 -- The Moon enters her First Quarter phase at 7:55 PM EDT, at 27 degrees of Scorpio, the sign of her fall. (Scorpio is 180 degrees from -- "opposite" -- Taurus, the sign of the Moon's exaltation, meaning she does exceptionally well there astrologically and is, shall we say, exceptionally challenged in Scorpio.) 8/21 -- The First Quarter Moon passes less than a degree from Antares, a bright astrological star (one of the four "royal stars") in the constellation Scorpius. In the Antarctic and New Zealand, this is an occultation (an eclipse of the star by the Moon), but here in North America it’s just a very close shave, with their point of closest approach coming about 9:00 PM EDT, when the Moon and Antares will be high in the southern or southwestern sky over most the continental U.S., making for a lovely sight as always. Space news of the week: The news from the heavens seems to be all about the Space Shuttle Endeavor this week. After the Shuttle achieved orbit and successfully rendezvoused with the International Space Station, NASA engineers discovered from photographs that some tiles on the Shuttle's belly had a gouge, apparently from being struck by ice breaking off the external tank during launch. Finally, NASA determined that the gouge posed no serious threat to the Shuttle during re-entry, so it was decided not to attempt an in-orbit fix. To space aficionados, this all seemed a bit ho-hum and business as usual, but you can bet the astronauts themselves didn't view it this way. 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 – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days (depending on what you’re doing!) On 8/20/07, the Moon is VOC/Scorpio from 9:34PM to 12:44AM EDT(8/21/07) – on 8/23/07, VOC/Sagittarius from 8:54AM to 11:20AM EDT – on 8/24/07, VOC/Capricorn from 7:41PM EDT to 6:35PM EDT on the following day, 8/25/07 – 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.

 

Mercury enters mutable, earth Virgo on 8/19/07 @ 9:01AM EDT, until 9/5/07.  Virgo is one of Mercury’s home-sign positions (the other being airy Gemini). In Virgo, Mercury is pragmatic, liking to have all the necessary information and essential details in advance. This position wants to be prepared before acting on the information. Expect news to focus on bigger problems concerning accuracy and incompetence, with rhetoric on how to problem-solve. Mercury squares Jupiter/Sagittarius (exacerbating, enlarging, hype-ing), squares Mars/Gemini (outrage, anger, impulsive action), opposes Uranus/Pisces (unexpected upsets, truth insights, shocks), and squares Pluto/Sagittarius (intensity, irreversible changes, strong emotional impact), during its journey through Virgo. There’s necessity to organize and repair damage with this sobering position and possibly fielding lots of confusion.

 

Sun in fixed, fire Leo trine (120deg.) Pluto Retrograde (Rx) in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 26deg. on 8/19/07 @ 2:11PM EDT. These energies are about power and empowerment -- but in whose hands and how will it be used? It’s an aspect that will get you what you want and yet, your motives and means to attain that goal need to be well-understood. Something comes through, something big and powerful – something that had some roots from last December.

 

Sun in fixed, fire Leo conjunct (0deg.) Saturn/Leo @ 28deg. on 8/21/07 @ 7:30PM EDT. Here we have an assessment of status, habit, and possibly reputation. Saturn critiques one’s performance. This is also a beginning time, and the theme is personal satisfaction and a life well-lived – creatively and with heart. Whatever you begin under this condition will undergo a test next December. Build on a firm foundation with integrity.

 

Sun enters mutable, earth Virgo on 8/23/07 @ 8:08AM EDT until 9/23/07. Time to shift gears yet again. The Sun joins Mercury in earthy Virgo. Clean up your act and get ready for the transition to the next season! Virgo means business and organizing yourself and your life. There’ll be more focus on work and work-related projects with a big eye on productivity. Virgo often sees what’s wrong but also wants to troubleshoot and fix it.

 

Mars in mutable, air Gemini opposite (180deg.) Jupiter in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 10deg. on 8/23/07 @ 12:02PM EDT. Watch out for exaggeration or hyperbole, or impetuous and ill-advised activity. This enthusiastic aspect often does not consider the consequences or the necessary safety concerns. This aspect blurts out information, again, often without taking the necessary precautions to minimize negative after-effects. Something is revealed. News media are very active and there’s much news to report. Sports and education are in focus.

 

Mercury in mutable, earth Virgo square (90deg.) Jupiter in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 10deg. on 8/24/07 @ 9:03PM EDT. With the second of three big Mercury- related aspects in three days, something big is sure to emerge in the news, including some bickering and grand differences of opinion. Listen to the rhetoric (Mercury) fly, along with exaggerated and inflated (Jupiter) claims. Information is unleashed that may be disturbing and unfortunate.

 

Mercury in mutable, earth Virgo square Mars/Gemini @ 11deg. on 8/25/07 @ 12PM EDT. A third Mercury-related aspect reinforces differences of opinion and ideas but also a need to communicate and come to terms to resolve issues. Separate fact from fiction and use your common sense to arrive at the truth of the matter. Avoid impulsive outbursts. Step back and rethink your position before acting.

 

Venus Rx in fixed, fire Leo opposite Neptune Rx in fixed, air Aquarius @ 20deg. on 8/25/07 @ 5:49PM EDT.  Here’s another pair of planets that repeat their aspect to each other three times due to the retrograde motion of Venus! The first opposition took place on 6/30/07, and the last takes place on 9/21/07. This aspect opens the heart of compassion and asks you to minimize the small things and consider the larger picture of what is happening in some of your interpersonal relationships. There’s complexity when conflict arises and quite possibly there are other ways to handle disagreements – perhaps with greater sensitivity to what the other is going through and less need for ego-woundedness. This aspect favors creative and spiritual inspiration. So, don’t keep things bottled up; express in your favorite artistic ways.

 

NewsBits: Carl Rove Retires? It is widely known that Carl Rove was the main mastermind (Bush’s brain) behind George Bush’s two-term Presidency. Since he succeeded (supposedly) it’s time to retire and possibly chronicle the amazing feat he engineered. Being the goal-oriented Capricorn that he is, he wasn’t going to let a few annoying details stop him from getting G.W. Bush into the White House. Rove is a Full-Moon Capricorn birth, meaning he has the Moon in its home sign of Cancer (opposite Capricorn), dovetailing nicely with Bush’s Sun/Cancer and making for a cozy relationship. Rove was born with Mars in heady Aquarius and hence the nickname, “Bush’s brain.” Mars in Aquarius is a Mr. Spock-like (StarTrek) demeanor, logical and distant. His Sun is exactly sextile Jupiter/Pisces giving him maneuverability and slippery ways and means. Also, his Mercury in strategic Capricorn is square Neptune/Libra, lending the ability to maneuver out of tight places, should that become necessary, as well as the ability to cover one’s tracks and seem invisible, especially in conveying information. Does this sound like Bush’s Senior Advisor and later his focus on Strategic and Tactical planning? Although, Rove attended half a dozen different colleges, he never earned a degree, being a few courses shy of the numbers he needed. Nevertheless, true to the independent and opinionated, strong thinker expressed in the Mars/Aquarius position, Rove managed to excel in political street smarts and assisted many Republicans in achieving their political goals by outmaneuvering their opponents. His best achievement is, of course, the election of George W.Bush, twice. [Or, some would say the stolen election of GWB, twice.] He’ll have to answer to someone about that down the road!!

Crumbling Earth. Tragedy is compounded in Utah at the Crandall Canyon Mine. Six men have been trapped for nearly 2 weeks and now three of their rescuers are dead and many other rescuers injured in another “bump” or spasm that caused more of the mine and its supports to collapse. Rescue efforts have been stopped until a greater measure of safety for the rescue workers can be provided. Meanwhile on the other side of the globe, 172 Chinese miners are trapped underground due to flooding in the mine they were working. China’s coal mines are the most dangerous in the world. The demand on coal for energy in China’s quickly expanding economy is likely prompting greater unsafe practices. In Lima, Peru a 7.9 magnitude earthquake killed hundreds, destroyed homes and towns, and left thousands injured and without basic necessities. Earth-related issues and catastrophes may proliferate and continue as three planets shift one by one into Earth signs. By the end of January 2008, Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto will all be in the earth signs Virgo and Capricorn, placing focus and pressure on long-ignored issues involving supporting structures, infrastructure, security, and stability.