Planet Weather for the Week of September 7, 2008

 

SkyWatch:  Moon phase of the week: 9/7 -- The Moon enters Her First Quarter phase at 10:04 AM EDT, at 15 degrees of Sagittarius. Skywatching event of the week: 9/11 -- On this seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City, the Moon appropriately makes a close pass by Mars, the God of War (and so, conceivably, of terrorism as well -- Mars' own moons are named Phobos and Deimos, Fear and Terror). Their point of closest approach comes at about 10 PM EDT when both will be setting in the West but still high enough to be readily visible from most U.S. locations. Space news of the week: The Space Shuttle Atlantis was rolled out to the launch pad for an October mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. This mission is one of the few remaining ones that will not fly to the International Space Station. Instead, the crew of Atlantis plans to extend the life of the famous observatory by several more years with a new power supply and general facelift. We American taxpayers have definitely been getting our money's worth out of this baby since its launch way back in 1990! 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 9/7/08 – Sunday, Monday, Tuesday 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. On 9/8/08, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 12:42PM to 3:45PM EDT – On 9/10/08, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 9:15AM to 3:20AM EDT (next day!) – On 9/13/08, the Moon is VOC/Aquarius from 9:19AM to 12:04PM 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.

 

Mars, Mercury, and Venus in cardinal, air Libra square (90deg.) JupiterRx and Stationary Direct in cardinal, earth Capricorn @ 12deg. on 9/7, 9/8 and 9/09, respectively. Actions, communication and financial mattes may all carry a level of risk on these days, which may not be a bad thing. Jupiter is at its Station degree for all three of these connections – it’s still technically retrograde for the square to Mars, then squares Mercury, having just turned direct less than an hour before, then direct in motion the following day when it squares Venus! Risk is one way to describe Jupiter but so is judgment or lack of good judgment with the many possibilities Jupiter offers. The gyration of the direction change may exacerbate poor judgment and a “what-the-heck” attitude. Be careful of how you engage with others and your communication during these times. With air Libra and earthy Capricorn, there is a dry humor that can have you laughing out loud at the antics humans engage in, and rebalancing is still a strongly operative energy.

 

Jupiter/Capricorn turns Stationary Direct @ 12 deg. on 9/8/08 @ 12:16AM EDT. If you’ve been developing some ideas but things have been slow, with Jupiter’s forward motion, the momentum will pick up. Ways in which you have reached out in the past may bear fruit with renewed opportunities coming your way. Jupiter remains direct in motion now for the rest of the year and for its time in Capricorn. Jupiter enters Aquarius on 1/6/09.

 

Jupiter/Capricorn trine (120deg.) Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo @ 12deg. on 9/8/08 @ 7:17PM EDT. Evaluate your options, your gumption for risk, and your ability to persist and commit yourself. This hard-working connection between two planets in earth signs shows the reality of the current status quo. It expresses frugality and careful attending to priorities so that the systems of your life function smoothly and efficiently. Being in a trine formation does mean that you’ll have to take deliberate action to get the most out of the energies or opportunity.

 

Pluto in mutable, fire Sagittarius turns Stationary Direct @ 28 deg. on 9/8/08 @ 11:12PM EDT. This shift trumps everything else this week. We are now in the final wrap-up of Pluto’s transformation of Sagittarius. Perhaps we won’t go quite as overboard as we have these last 13 years. Perhaps we’ll take the rose-colored glasses off now and then and find a balance between the ideal and the real.

 

Venus/Libra conjunct (0deg.) Mars/Libra @ 14deg. on 9/11/08 @ 10:06PM EDT. This aspect has sizzle, so grab your partner and dosey-do – or whatever makes the sparks fly! These energies can ignite affection, passion, or anger all based on issues of fairness, generosity, compromise, and the desire to be in an equal relationship, where one is fully seen and acknowledged by others.

 

Sun/Virgo opposite (180deg.) Uranus Rx in mutable, water, Pisces @ 20deg. on 9/12/08 @ 10:21PM EDT. This aspect reflects back to last March, when these two planets made a conjunction (sat at the same degree). Something new began in consciousness at that time. Now that these two planets are opposite each other, they see the full flowering over the past 6 months. Something is surely clearer and more obvious or true. That truth, that observation, now needs to be integrated. There was another adjustment to what was begun in March, when the two planets squared each other in June.

 

**Mercury Retrograde Alert! Mercury entered cardinal, air Libra on 8/28/08 @ 10:50PM and remains until 11/4/08! Mercury entered its Shadow on 9/3/08 (the degree at which it will eventually turn direct) Mercury turns retrograde on 9/24/08 @ 22 Libra. Mercury turns Direct on 10/15/08 @ 7 Libra. Mercury leaves its Shadow on 10/30/08 (the degree at which it turned retrograde). This is the sign of Mercury’s last retrograde of 2008. A retrograde shakes things up in that it catches our momentum off guard for a few days until we readjust. There is a need to review and reassess the issues that surfaces particularly in the past 3 weeks, probing deeper and uncovering more information. I call retrogrades “cosmic pauses,” to prevent us from constantly rushing ahead and, instead, encouraging more reflection.

 

NewsBits: Will the real Sarah Palin please stand up! A birthtime of 4:40PM has surfaced for the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. It has yet to be verified and accurately sourced. She was born on 2/11//64, in Sandpoint, Idaho (I mistakenly wrote Iowa last week). If this time is correct, she has the Moon in early Aquarius, giving her 5 planets in Aquarius. With Neptune in Scorpio, squaring her Sun – it gives her 6 fixed signs (out of a possible 10). Additionally, all the angles of her chart are fixed too (Leo rising = presents well on stage), and based on all the biography that has surfaced, Palin has a determined, entrenched (some say stubborn) and unyielding persona. She dislikes contradiction according to those who have worked with, or under her. Certainly this is typical of 5 planets in Aquarius – Beliefs are strongly held, based on a sense of knowing what’s “true.” Such fixity is opinionated, and typically, unlikely to change. There’s also a distinct toughness to the lady, agreed to by those who know her. Let’s examine where that arises in her chart. She has the benefics (planets with an inherently “positive” influence), Venus and Jupiter both in fiery Aries. Aries is ruled by Mars. She enjoys her role as warrior-woman and pioneer. Her Mars is in a tight conjunction with the Sun on one side and no-nonsense Saturn on the other. Again this indicates assertiveness but the Mars/Saturn conjunction in a fixed air sign wants control and demands certainty due to a deeply felt insecurity of some type. This sign/planet combination is often abrupt and entrenched. There is also a certain coldness and decisiveness in the way she acts. There’s no question she is bright and makes a good presentation (Leo rising) but there lurks beneath a steely will and a certain amount of fear of loss of control (Saturn) with subsequent difficulty bending/yielding (Saturn). What’s most important in every astrological configuration is how these energies will be used by the person holding them. As mentioned last week, the last lunar eclipse @ 24 Aquarius was at the midpoint of her Mars @ 23 and her Saturn @ 24 Aquarius. Neptune Rx @ 22 degrees was conjunct the eclipse degree and made a station retrograde @ 24 degrees last May, which the eclipse reinforced and repeated.  Neptune is sitting exactly on Palin’s Sun! Neptune transits are often about our illusions and blind spots, smoke and mirrors, scandal and a sense of unreality, glamour. Neptune has the power to manipulate and change images to fit the situation or environment, chameleon-like. PW believes there is a scandal brewing (maybe several) and that Palin is somewhat of an unwitting but very willing pawn in the current political games being played. There are hidden agendas and hidden matters yet to come to light. Neptune’s dissolving energy and proneness to being deluded or deceived are very strong. Palin is an extreme conservative, and as a woman nominated for such a high office, her values and beliefs would set women’s rights back a hundred years.

 

The Republicans needed a shock and a jolt to enliven their campaign and they did pick the right person in that sense. But to seriously consider Sarah Palin as Vice Presidential material is a bit of a nightmare for many of us. Logically, one would hope that a Vice Presidential nominee is chosen based on their ability to effectively take over the reins should anything happen to the President of the United States. To even think that Palin is qualified to do that is shocking and astounding. This seems more like a desperate ploy to distract from the serious issues facing this country, to win at any cost and negate the crises that we as a nation will need to address in the years to come with Pluto taking residence in demanding, responsible, Capricorn. Out of all the talented public servants and politicians we have, this was the best the Republicans could come up with? Then again, as shown in the United States chart, our country has a fascination with glitz and glamour – we produced Hollywood after all. This flaw is seen in our country’s Mars/Gemini square Neptune/Virgo – there are times when we are simply moving through the fog and we see what we want to see, but not necessarily clearly. It is the seduction of idealism and false values that arise from its pursuit. It is a big blind spot and our nation’s spiritual task.