Planet Weather for the Week of September 16, 2007

                                                                                                                                  

SkyWatch - Moon phase of the week: 9-19 -- The Moon enters her First Quarter phase at 12:48 PM EDT, at 26 degrees of Sagittarius. Skywatching events of the week: 9/18 -- The Moon passes close to Jupiter. Unfortunately, their point of closest approach happens about 9 AM EDT, when the two are well below the horizon. However, look high to the southwest the following evening after sunset to see them still fairly near each other. Jupiter will be bright, unwinking, and about 6 degrees west and somewhat below the Moon. All this week, all five "classical" planets (those visible to the unaided eye) are now out from under the sun's beams and visible -- Mercury (very early evening) and Jupiter (until around midnight), and then Venus, Mars, and Saturn in the early morning before sunrise. Space news of the week: Google Inc., the Silicon Valley corporation famous for its Internet search engine, is teaming with the X-Prize Foundation to set up a $30 million prize for the first privately funded robotic rover to land on the Moon, roam the lunar surface, and relay video images and data back to Earth. The X-prize previously resulted in the triumph of SpaceShipOne, which accomplished the first privately-funded, manned suborbital flight several years ago. 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This week – Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days (depending on what you’re doing!) On 9/16/07, the Moon is VOC/Scorpio from 7:40PM to 8:21AM EDT, (next day 9/17/07) – on 9/19/07, VOC/Sagittarius from 12:48PM to 7:52PM EDT – on 9/22/07, VOC/Capricorn from 2:15AM EDT to 4:18AM 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.

 

Sun in mutable, earth Virgo square (90deg.) Mars in mutable, air Gemini @ 24deg. on 9/17/07 @ 4:50PM EDT.  This is your get-up-and-go energy for the last quarter of the year. Mars stimulates consciousness (the Sun) to take action and, in this case (Virgo), to clean up loose ends, papers, yards, cars, or desks in preparation for Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere! Bottom line – get organized, for all the events and projects to come. Tip: Don’t let your restlessness and eagerness become overbearing to others. Focus on your own stuff!

 

Mercury in cardinal, air Libra sextile (60deg.) Venus in fixed, fire Leo @ 18deg. on 9/17/07 @ 5:28PM EDT.  This is a heartfelt and easy kind of aspect. Perhaps you are the recipient of a gift or you are feeling generous and giving. There’s love, creativity, and graciousness in this combination of energies. Conversations leading up to and during this time will have more natural cooperative values and spirit built in. So, if you have a difficult message to impart or discuss, try this aspect to make a harmonious outcome more likely.

 

Mercury in cardinal, air Libra trine (120deg.) Neptune in fixed, air Aquarius @ 19deg. on 9/18/07 @ 10:02PM EDT.  Dream a little dream or dream a big one! This aspect provides lots of inspiration and an open door to the non-logical and mystical places in mind and heart, the ethers and other possible out-of-the-way places. Your compassion and forgiveness may be stimulated to dissolve harshness and offer soothing words where needed. Allow your mind some daydreaming; you may be surprised that you can find the missing pieces to your conundrum, receive inspiration for a project, or otherwise find solutions and alternatives to confusing situations.

 

Sun in mutable, earth Virgo square (90deg.) Pluto in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 26deg. on 9/19/07 @ 11:56AM EDT.  A challenging square between these two planets applies pressure to your awareness in any number of situations that have been preoccupying you. Under this aspect, we are more cognizant of forces working beneath the surface – trends, impulses, simmering sentiments. We might expect a shift, as the collective unconscious analyzes material in a new way. Pluto also deals with politics, political changes with heads of state, or policy changes which may prompt our renewed awareness of changing paradigms in the world. Certainly, these conditions will be expressed in the news.

 

Mars/Gemini opposite Pluto/Sagittarius @ 26deg. on 9/21/07 @ 4:33AM EDT. This is an aspect of taking control or taking charge and having an impact. It tends toward dominant action and assertion, sometimes too pushy. Forcing issues or pressuring tactics may bring things to a head. Action is taken in combination with a great emotional charge, making the result much more personal. Because of the emotional investment, it’s also more difficult to let go. Effects are more long lasting.

 

Venus/Leo opposite Neptune/Aquarius @ 19deg. on 9/21/07 @ 4:05PM EDT. Neptune softens all things Venusian but can also diffuse and confuse and, as often as not, leads to disappointment. When things don’t go our way, we are induced to consider the why of it, and that consideration often brings us to contemplation of spiritual reasons. This is Venus’ third and last opposition with Neptune. The message is to understand the ideal, and yet work with the reality that may be far from the ideal. If we are disappointed or disillusioned, then it’s time to recalibrate and rebalance to make for more realistic expectations.

 

NewsBits: Pavarotti leaves to sing with the angels! “I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to.” - Luciano Pavarotti.

Pavarotti came from a family that valued song. His father was a talented amateur tenor and sang in his town chorus, Corale Rossi, in Modena, Italy. Luciano joined the chorus, singing with his father and when the troupe won first prize in an international competition, in Wales, the young Pavarotti was convinced that he wanted to be a famous tenor. During his career Pavarotti brought pleasure to many and was presented with the World Social Award in 2001, for his humanitarian and charitable work. His Venus conjunct Neptune in Virgo was largely responsible for his compassion for causes and the many fundraisers that sprinkled his career. Looking further at his chart (10/12/1935, Modena, Italy), we see a Libra Sun opposite the Moon in fiery Aries, which means he was born at a Full Moon. The big man with the big heart had Mercury and Jupiter in Scorpio with Jupiter trine Pluto in Cancer, bestowing the power and projection of his vocal cords and his indelible impact on the hearts and minds of his listeners. Along with a fiery Moon and a fiery Mars in Sagittarius, Pavarotti was full of life and loved to bring song, including his famous high-C’s to the far corners of the globe. His energy and passion were self-evident, and his generosity well known. With Mercury/Scorpio opposite Uranus in Taurus but also trine Saturn in Pisces, he was able to more easily control and channel his powerful and magnetic voice.