Planet Weather for the Week of September 13, 2009

NewsBits: Heckler in the House. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson lost it on 9/9/09, when he shouted, “You lie!” during President Obama’s healthcare speech to Congress. Wilson was referring to Obama’s words that illegal immigrants would not be included in the developing healthcare package.  We’ve stated in previous issues of Planet Weather, that President Obama would have a difficult time in August and September.  From Planet Weather 7/12/09: “Saturn reaches that degree on 8/24 [22 Virgo, Obama’s Mars degree] and then heads toward its opposition with Uranus @ 24 Pisces, which takes place on 9/15. During this time band, there could be a crisis or at least serious criticism of Obama’s policies.” Certainly we’ve seen the immense pressure, resistance and struggle to Obama’s health-care proposal. It’s created a furor and firestorm of controversial debate. Joe Wilson’s inappropriate outburst focused the intensity building on both sides of the issue and it came at the midpoint between a Mercury Retrograde station on 9/7/09 and the potent Pluto Direct station on the 8^th anniversary of 9/11 on 9/11/09. It was also on 9/11/09 that the Coast Guard decided to stage a practice event, complete with gunshots, and brought instant fear into the hearts and minds of all who heard it. The news media and even local law-enforcement did not know of this “practice event” much too close to the Pentagon and other government buildings. [If that were not enough, at first the Coast Guard denied that any shots had been fired! – Ed.]

Joe Wilson was born on 7/31/47, Charleston, South Carolina, time unknown. This opinionated Leo will speak out (loudly, passionately, and even abruptly) when he feels the urge. The aspects in his chart that refer to this are: Mars/Gemini conjunct Uranus/Gemini, which can indicate outbursts of a verbal nature (Gemini ruled by Mercury = speech/communication), in particular. Add to that the placement of his Mercury, (connecting back to the Mar/Uranus combination), in sensitive Moon-ruled Cancer and exactly trine by degree to Jupiter (excessiveness) in passionate, powerful Scorpio.  His Moon in Capricorn tends toward a conservative/protective nature and is opposite Venus/Cancer = home/family. He has always been a staunch supporter of the military, and his four sons are all in the Armed Services.

SkyWatch:  Moon phase of the week: 9/18 -- The Moon enters Her New cycle at 2:44 PM, at 25 degrees of Virgo. Look for Her slender crescent low in the West a couple of days later. Also look for Her dark portion to be faintly illuminated by Earthlight, a sight which, in folklore, is called "seeing the Old Moon in the arms of the New.” Witnessing this sight was supposed to be an ill-omen but it is actually a beautiful thing to take note of in part because hardly anyone ever does. Skywatching events of the week: 9/13 -- The Waning Moon makes a close pass by Mars, actually occulting the Red Planet as viewed from parts of the Pacific Ocean. For viewers on the US East Coast and farther west, their point of closest approach occurs around noon but the two will rise close together in the early morning well before sunrise. 9/16 -- The nearly New Moon makes a close pass by Venus, again with their point of closest approach occurring around noon on the US West Coast -- and again, with the two rising together before sunrise. Space News: The Shuttle has landed! Given the two Shuttle tragedies that have occurred (one, the Columbia disaster, during the return to Earth), this event is always met with a certain relief, greater this (and the previous) time around because of delays due to bad weather at the landing site. 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 9/13/09 – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 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. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday have the most difficult or challenging energies. On 9/14/09, the Moon is VOC/Cancer from 9:57AM to 6:39PM EDT – On 9/16/09, the Moon is VOC/Leo from 12:11PM to 7:56PM EDT – On 9/18/09, the Moon is VOC/Virgo from 7:56PM  to 9:26PM EDT.

 

Planet Patterns & Cosmic Headlines for the next few weeks:

 

Summary:  We are on a streak of powerful planetary aspects spanning consistently 9/7 through 9/23/09, and then Mercury turning Direct on 9/29/09. We will be detailing all of these in Planet Weather, in time.

 

Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo opposite (180 deg. angle) Uranus in mutable, water Pisces, Part 3 of 5 exact on 9/15/09 @ 24degrees. We’ve discussed this lengthy cycle regularly since it began on 11/4/08. Technically it ends in July 2010. This powerful five-part confrontation between the past (Saturn) and the future (Uranus) is disintegrative, after tension and struggle, between the old pattern and the new consciousness that wants to arise. As you’ve noted in the news and surely also in your own lives, it’s not often a pretty picture. It is a powerfully challenging series of cosmic combinations. The sign pair, Virgo/Pisces, I call the functional axis – meaning that if this place in the chart (yours or a country’s) has a problem, the whole system has a problem. Virgo/Pisces is the health of the body and soul – one’s work and the meaning (or not) attached to your work or career. Or, put another way, the mundane and the spiritual (soul) aspects of life. These two parts must find a balance or else there is stress. The most obvious example in the news is the healthcare issue. It’s also about the accumulation of little things, the endless irritations that pile up and eventually break the smooth functioning of a system. Part 2 of this combination took place on 2/5/09 @ 20 deg.  – The first four oppositions between these two planets take place in the signs Virgo/Pisces, and the last one in the sign pair Aries/Libra.

 

The Sun in mutable, earth Virgo opposes first Uranus in mutable, water Pisces and then conjuncts Saturn/Virgo, both on 9/17/09. The Sun gets into the larger picture of the Saturn/Uranus opposition and stimulates whatever has been learned in these matters since 11/4/08. This could bring tense situations in the news and continued struggle regarding the US healthcare issue. In your own life, it focuses on the issues/habits you need to change in order to have your life function more smoothly and effectively. We need to recognize the stress-points before we can manage or ease them.

 

Venus in fixed, fire Leo opposite (180deg.) Neptune Rx in fixed, air Aquarius @ 24deg. on 9/15/09. This is a time to be tender, to soften the blows of the mundane and the work-a-day world, in the realms of compassion, art, music and poetry. And yet, this aspect often brings disappointment or feeling misunderstood. You will learn with this aspect that what we desire is imperfect and yet all is well in its imperfection. The yearning for love and the expressions of love and how it shows up in your life (or not), in various ways, is the dream and ideal of this combination.

 

Mercury retrograde (Rx) re-enters the previous sign, mutable, earth Virgo on 9/17/09 until 10/9/09. Mercury won’t be left out of this play either. As it re-enters Virgo, it also picks up the energy of the Saturn/Uranus opposition (see above) and has some choice words to say about the state of dysfunction that is going on. The message is that if something dysfunctional is not addressed there can be no harmony or balance. Staying in a state of dysfunction creates continual stress and more dysfunction.

 

Currently Active Paradigm-Shift Patterns:

*Mercury Retrograde until 9/29/09. Mercury turned Stationary Retrograde (Rx) @ 6 Libra on 9/7/09, and turns Stationary Direct on 9/29/09 @ 21 Virgo. This is the third full Mercury retrograde of 2009. The next one begins on 12/26/09, and completes itself in January 2010. Mercury Rx is a natural slowing down, although we often experience it as agitated or problematic with various glitches around connections, scheduling, or communication. Once you get into the rhythm of the cycle, it’s easier to find the value in re-doing something, revisiting an issue, going deeper into the details, and, in general, discovering nuances and insights that were lost in the first pass over the same degrees.

 

Remember, a retrograde means that the planet passes over the same set of degrees three separate times, to provide a thorough understanding of that area of your chart, or those issues you are facing. It’s true a retrograde has some confusion built into it, but it is in unraveling those confusions and contradictions that greater understanding can be achieved. I call it the necessary “cosmic pause,” in an otherwise

fast-forward paced life. In its essence, it is a time to reflect on what you are doing and why. The issues that need to be reworked have likely already appeared in the shoulder pre-part of the Rx cycle.

 

Mercury passed the first so-called “shadow point” of 21 Virgo on 8/17/09, the degree at which it turns direct again after its retrogradation, and this is often called the “shoulder” part of the retrograde cycle, bracketed by the two shadow points (Rx and Direct) occurring before the actual (technical) retrograde begins. The full retrograde cycle lasts until 10/14/09, when Mercury in direct motion again passes its retrograde (second) shadow point @ 6 Libra.

 

*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 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 kind 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. It also speaks to our false hope and pet illusions that we must understand with greater internal or soul wisdom. Expect some amazing synchronicity to appear in your life. Be aware of all meetings with others, events and involvements, and what these may evoke in you, and if these meetings and events support the purpose and/or direction and overall dream you have for your life.