Planet Weather for the Week of September 2, 2007

                                                                                                                                  

SkyWatch – Moon phase of the week: 9/3 -- The Moon enters her Last Quarter phase (also known as "Third Quarter") at 10:33 PM EDT at 11 degrees of Gemini. During the early portion of this phase, the Moon rises around midnight local time, roughly six hours ahead of the Sun, and sets around noon, remaining visible throughout the morning daylight hours. Sky factoid of the week -- except for the extremely rare nearby supernova or exploding star the Moon is the only celestial object besides the Sun that is visible during daylight. Skywatching events of the week: 9/4 -- The Moon makes a close pass to Mars. Their point of closest approach occurs in late morning over the East Coast but they will be close together just before dawn. 9/8 -- The Moon makes a close approach to Venus also, now a "morning star" rising before the Sun and readily visible as "Hesperus" an hour or two before dawn. Unfortunately, their point of closest approach occurs late in the day when both are below the horizon as viewed (or not viewed, actually!) from the East Coast. However, during the predawn hours on both this date and the following day, the two will be pleasantly close in the early morning sky. Space News of the Week: While the space shuttle fleet continues its countdown to retirement, Kennedy Space Center teams are already at work to transition the Florida spaceport into the home of the Ares rocket family that promises to carry astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade. The Space Shuttle (actually three remaining operational shuttles) is scheduled for retirement in just a few years, to be replaced by a capsule-style crew module that's been dubbed "Apollo on steroids." True to its nickname, this vehicle will be capable of returning human beings to the Moon and possibly beyond. Ares is the ancient Greek name for Mars, and this is the real gleam in NASA's eye. 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, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days (depending on what you’re doing!) On 9/2/07, the Moon is VOC/Taurus from 8:47PM to 3:30AM EDT (9/3/07) – on 9/5/07, VOC/Gemini from 7:01AM to 7:08AM EDT (all of 7 minutes and that’s rare) – on 9/6/07, VOC/Cancer from 1:04PM EDT to 12:59M EDT(9/7/07 – a nearly 24 hour VOC!).

 

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.

 

Saturn enters mutable, earth, Virgo on 9/2/07 @ 9:49AM until 7/22/10! Saturn’s shift to Virgo marks the beginning of more earth-based and earth-related events. Take that to mean our physical earth and the personal and collective “realities” or forms, structures and habits we have created. The essence of Virgo is purification and refinement by sorting, sifting, and separating the wheat from the chaff, as well as organizing oneself according to what is useful. For the next two and a half years, we will be focused on the axis of Virgo/Pisces. We’ll be active on the Virgo end, with Pisces, the opposite sign, being the shadow. The mounting problems of trash disposal, health-care, immigration, social security, water pollution, military deployment fatigue, and the natural breakdown of (old) infrastructures of various kinds will keep us busy, not only plugging the dyke but also rebuilding whenever necessary. One huge question is whether the levees (Virgo) in New Orleans that were rebuilt after hurricane Katrina can hold back the fury of another major ocean storm (Pisces)? Virgo rules the military and issues with the troops will become more critical. Earth signs have less bend and flex because their function is to keep stability of forms and order in society. In that regard, expect a more conservative attitude all the way around.

 

Mercury/Virgo square (90deg.) Pluto in mutable, Fire Sagittarius @ 26deg. on 9/3/07 @ 1:02AM EDT.  Don’t be surprised if you’re feeling pressured. Something may grab your attention and won’t let go. One of the ways to use this energy is for research, digging deeper to get necessary information and answers, and that’s a good thing. If a critical piece of information has eluded you or you feel misinformed, then use this aspect to focus and get to the roots of the issue or problem. Passionate feelings may also become engaged, and you are either a participant in an emotional scene, or you could initiate an outburst, especially if a sore spot is triggered. Be aware that once spoken, words cannot be called back. This aspect increases determination along a line of thinking you have been following; concerns over finances may surface and temporary blockages may force further processing before a full-fledged plan is born.

 

Mars in mutable, air Gemini square Uranus in mutable, water Pisces @ 16deg. on 9/3/07 @ 4:10PM EDT. Another potentially explosive aspect comes due on the same day as the one just described above – so watch out! This aspect may also be accident prone – so no daydreaming while driving or otherwise allowing yourself to be distracted when handling dangerous equipment! The crux of this aspect is restlessness, doubly so in the mutable signs of Gemini and Pisces. Too much to consider or juggle may bring systemic overload and ensuing disruption.

 

Venus Rx in fixed, fire Leo sextile Mars/Gemini @ 17deg. on 9/3/07 @ 7:35PM EDT. After letting it all hang out, the opportunity for understanding and bridging the divide between opposing forces exists with these energies. The opportunity is there but one has to take advantage of it – or else the moment passes quickly. Stay alert and benefit from cooperation and fair-play. What does your heart say?

 

Sun/Virgo square Jupiter/Sagittarius @ 11deg. on 9/3/07 @ 8:04PM EDT. Over-optimism may bring things crashing down in a big way. Keep your balance and assess the practicalities of your project. This aspect supports risk-taking and adventure but can just as easily develop into bad judgment. Be aware of the consequences before an (over) enthusiastic forward move. For those with a strong Saturn, which tends to hold back and be overly cautious, this may be just the thing to get you out of a rut!

 

Mercury enters cardinal, air Libra on 9/5/07 until 9/27/07. This is the mode of the diplomat, the peace-maker, the energy of compromise and fair-play. Perhaps it’s time to consider another viewpoint – that of the other person involved in a situation. Respectful listening and acknowledgement of the value of another’s ideas will go a long way to building helpful alliances. And, if things are not fair in some way or another, you will definitely hear about it!

 

Pluto/Sagittarius turns Stationary Direct (SD) @ 26deg. on 9/7/07 @ 10:54AM EDT. This week is colored by Pluto’s slow movement to its Direct Station, and so makes this a decidedly Plutonian-flavored week: translation – intense, with some attendant roiling turmoil. We will now be adjusting to the impending powerful cycle end of Pluto in Sagittarius, which began in 1995. With this forward movement; Pluto makes its first move out of fire Sagittarius and into earth Capricorn on 1/26/08, marking a transition of about 6 months, retreat back into the last few degrees of Sagittarius, and then a final entry into Capricorn 11/27/08! Pluto’s next Stationary point will then be in early Capricorn @1 degree (4/3/07). We’re feeling the handwriting on the wall in various ways in our lives, in society, and in culture. There are serious issues that need attention, and Pluto entering Capricorn will show us what those are soon enough. We’ve already received some clues. The Earth itself is responding to the pressures and burdens we’ve placed upon it – the same with all institutions and support systems that we’ve counted on for stability and security. There’s only so much pressure (or time) that can be endured before systems fail and need to be reorganized and re-stabilized. We’ll contemplate the nature of commitment, promises, integrity, and what kinds of commitments ought to be legal – for instance gay marriage. There is a movement to make the definition of marriage a constitutional amendment. A core battle will be that of which traditions are worth maintaining and which need to morph into modern culture.

 

Venus/Leo turns SD @ 16deg. on 9/8/07 @ 12:13PM EDT. Venus also turns direct in motion, and we continue to look into our hearts for what moves us and makes life worth living. Is the creative spirit alive and well for you? Venus represents the values we align ourselves with and this retrograde invited us to open our hearts and express ourselves joyously in a life, hopefully balanced with work worthy of our talents and personal expression. Venus reaches its shadow point (degree at which it turned retrograde) on 10/11/07.

NewsBits: Alberto Gonzales Resigns! With the persistent pressure unabating over the political firings of seven U.S. attorneys, Gonzales departs his position as U.S. Attorney General. It seems appropriate that as I write this saga of the embattled Leonian US Attorney General, Saturn is poised at 29 degrees of Leo (it was last at this degree in July 1978). Saturn takes down the high and mighty in us all. Alberto Gonzales grew to be the bright light in his family of eight children, even though his early home life was turbulent. His father drank and there was frequent fighting between his parents. His mother and father met as Hispanic migrant workers and no one in the family had been to college. Gonzales joined the air Force first, and then transferred to Rice College and finally to Harvard Law school. His chart’s stellium (grouping) of 6 planets (out of 10!) in Leo shows the unmitigated star potential. So then, what happened? Leo energy can rise high – the ego and personality are persuasive, and it can equally fall hard, in particular when Saturn in Leo cuts it down to size. Saturn reduces, demands, and gives measure for measure, critiquing past performance. Saturn has certainly been bedeviling Gonzales. With such a majority of planets clustered in one sign, when a transiting planet passes through that part of the chart, things become glaringly obvious, and like dominos, keep toppling, one after the other, into other facets of the issue. (Too bad his astrologer didn’t warn him!) Gonzales was born with the Moon in Aquarius opposing his Leo stellium (including Pluto!) and Saturn in Scorpio squaring Mars in Leo and some of the other Leo placements. In essence, Gonzales has a fixed T-square with Moon opposite the Leo planets and Saturn squaring both ends of the opposition. It’s an intense chart and the Mats/Saturn square can be harsh and unyielding. The way that aspect played out – Gonzales was basically the one responsible for the Abu Ghraib atrocities and the general resort to torture of prisoners by U.S. forces. His documented legal advice to President Bush was that torture is a legitimate option, because the “war on terror” wiped out all prior legal restraint and in particular “renders obsolete Geneva’s strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners.” (Unfortunately, we saw photos of the shameful horrors at Abu Ghraib). We’ve already discussed the 2.5 year transit of Saturn over each of his 6 Leo planets, while Neptune in Aquarius was working from the other side to dissolve, confuse, disintegrate and unveil the tragedies during his tenure as Attorney General. His career ends in a forced resignation due to lies and cover-ups, the story of which will live on as a black mark on the American Justice system.