Planet Weather for the Week of January 14, 2007                                                                                                         

SkyWatch – Moon phase of the week: 1/18 -- The Moon enters her New cycle at 11:01 PM EDT, at 28 degrees of Capricorn. The thin crescent of the New Moon (her dark portion faintly lit by Earthlight) should be visible low in the West a day or two later. Skywatching events of the week: 11/15 -- The Last Quarter Moon passes near the bright star Antares about 8 AM. The two will be close together and visible from most of the U.S. just before sunrise. (The Moon will pass in front of -- "occult" -- Antares as viewed from the southern tips of South America and Africa, and may actually be visible just before dawn as viewed from parts of Chile.) 1/20 -- The New Moon passes close to Venus, with their point of closest approach coming at 12:18 PM EDT, at midday. The best time to view this monthly astrological conjunction is just after sunset when the two bodies will still be close together. Look low in the West. All week -- The recently discovered Comet McNaught may now be visible to the unaided eye very low in the Eastern sky just before dawn and low in the West just after sunset. Although the comet is brighter than the star Sirius -- which makes it one of the brightest objects in the sky -- it has been notoriously difficult to spot because of its low altitude. The comet itself is still close to the Sun and is often hidden by morning and evening clouds. But it is definitely worth a try if you have an unobstructed view of the horizon. Space news of the week: NASA's New Horizons Pluto probe is nearing the planet Jupiter from which it will get a velocity boost to become the fastest spacecraft ever flown, whipping through the outer Solar System at nearly 45,000 miles per hour and scheduled to start snapping the first pictures ever of Pluto and its three moons sometime in 2015. Go out! Look up!

 

This week Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days (depending on what you’re doing)! The longest Void-of-Course (VOC) Moon time, during the day, is Tuesday 1/16/07 – in Sagittarius, from 4:28PM EST to 8:49PM EST. 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. VOC is best for processing, imagining, creating, and open-ended activities, like parties, research, or cleaning your desk, for instance! Three planetary sign changes this week make for greater readjustment and reorientation.

 

Mercury enters fixed, air Aquarius on Monday, January 15, 2007 @ 4:25AM EST until 2/2/07. Mercury is exalted in this sign, meaning that it enjoys the eclectic and bouncing neural activity this position provides. Try not to take it personally when people speak their truth during this transit. This is a logical and objective sign for communication and those who hold this natally cannot often understand why people might take offense at the simple truth. So, this is a cool and direct form of communication, seeking to wake you up, and there will be no misunderstanding as to what exactly was meant! Watch out for inflexible opinions -- yours, or those of others! This placement sports a zany sense of humor though. Laugh on!

 

Mars enters cardinal, earth Capricorn on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 @ 3:54PM EST until 2/25/07. Expect the pace to slow some but to get more focused and intent on goals, as Mars becomes more practical, systematic, and eager to reach its mark and master its intentions. The US is likely to make some bold moves during this time, and certainly its actions and involvements will engender greater scrutiny and criticism. Mars/Capricorn opposes all four of the US Cancer planets -- Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and lastly conjuncts (0deg.) the US birth Pluto/Capricorn. A new conflict with Iran is brewing since US troops are holding Iranian prisoners in a raid last week.

Venus in fixed, air Aquarius conjunct (0deg.) Neptune/Aquarius @ 18deg. on Thursday, January 18, 2007 @ 9:49PM.  How have your dreams fared this past year, as Venus has circled the Zodiac and meets up with Neptune again? Neptune being the tricky planet it is – elusive like mist; it can easily serve up illusions from ideals and deceptions from your dreams. In fact, it often turns dreams into self-deception. However, this idealistic and romantic combination doesn’t say to give up your dreams. It’s simply time to examine those areas in your relationships and in the values you hold, where you’ve been avoiding the truth or turning a blind eye to warning signs. In the mundane, we could easily hear about yet another scandal, as Aquarius tears away the veils of secrecy and exposes the naked truth beneath. (So to speak!)

Sun enters fixed, air Aquarius on Saturday, January 20, 2007 @ 6:01AM EST until 2/18/07. We now move into the fixed portion of the winter season in the Northern hemisphere and the first quarter of 2007. Aquarius is all about self-revelations and truth-telling. The question is which truth and whose truth? Well, that’s for you to evaluate. Aquarians can sometimes be under the mistaken notion that they have rationalized the ultimate truth resulting in some very strong opinions, which can irritate those close to them, since they don’t easily change those opinions or ideas. The good news is that this can be a great time for debate and finding out how the minds of your friends process information and deal with “truth.” Traditionally, Aquarius is also the sign of friendships, so count yourself lucky if your friends span many different strata, ethnicities, and beliefs. You are rich indeed and will never be bored (boredom is anathema to Aquarius). This time of year always brings some surprises and unusual or odd events and behaviors – evaluate situations based not only on rules and convention but on whether they meet your personal sense of truth and are not hurting anyone else.

NewsBits:  Preview - 2007 Highlights! Part 2. The second half of the year is definitely more complicated than the first. July begins with five planets retrograde (Rx), including Mercury in Cancer (from 6/15/07 to 7/10/07).  This Mercury in a water sign is moody and concerned with security and basic comforts like food, housing, and family. Then, on 7/28/07 Venus/Virgo will turn retrograde (Venus is retrograde approximately every 14- 16 months) until 9/8/07.  Venus’ Rx cycle spans early Virgo to mid-Leo and indicates the balance between work and play. Like July, August also has 4 or 5 planets retrograde during the month. After 9/19/07, only two planets are retrograde. Many retrogrades tends to slow things down – as it is a time more suited for processing rather than sprinting forward.  Saturn leaves Leo on 9/2/07, for stay in pragmatic Virgo for the next 2.5 years. This cycle focuses again on the military and work or workers issues, including environmental matters and health programs/insurance, etc. On 10/12/07, Mercury turns Rx again, this time in intense, brooding, and analytical Scorpio. On 11/15/07, Mars turns Rx – a once every two-year event. Mars Rx in Cancer is sensitive and places greater focus on basic needs, such as housing, quality of food, family, and life, in general. This Mars Rx has a strong affect on the USA and can mean the impulse to greater aggressive action and likely more outcries from the public over policies in place. Planet Weather will provide a fuller explanation of this transit to the US chart as it gets closer. Suffice it to say that there are many planetary shifts and conditions that will require new adjustments in the second half of 2007.

Rebranded Bush War Policy! The numbers are – 21,000 additional troops will be sent to Iraq. Shortly after the President’s address to the nation this past week regarding Iraq and the troop "surge" (a word Bush himself did not actually use in his speech to describe the escalation), the new Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced his desire to build up a military of 90,000+ additional troops in the next 5 years to handle military obligations at home and abroad. Experts claim this is not possible with the current level of recruitment. Are we sensing the hint of a draft again? Pluto enters Capricorn for the first time in January 2008. I believe part of this 16 year cycle will be the struggle between the old paradigm of fear and military buildup or defense versus another paradigm of greater cooperation with the world family through alleviating economic stresses, imbalances in human rights, and hunger, while encouraging community cooperation. The struggle also entails eliminating the negative affects of patriarchy and fostering the rise of stronger female leaders and their ways of dealing with world crises.