Planet Weather for the Week of November 4, 2007

                                                                                                                                  

SkyWatch – Moon phase of the week: 11/9 -- The Moon enters a New cycle at 6:03 PM EST, at 17 degrees of Scorpio. Look for her slender, downward-aimed crescent ("Diana's bow") low in the West a couple of days later. Skywatching events of the week: 11/5 -- The South Taurid meteor shower should be visible in the constellation Taurus rising in the East about an hour or so after sunset. This is a very minor meteor shower but you may spot a few bright streaks, especially since there will be no bright Moon to wash them out. On this date, the waning Third Quarter Moon also passes close to Venus just after moonset -- you can spot them still fairly close rising together in the East the following morning. 11/8 -- Mercury rises the farthest ahead of the Sun that it ever gets and should be visible (as it rarely is) to the lower left of the bright astrological star Spica, just above the southeastern horizon about an hour before local dawn. Much brighter Venus will be a ways to the upper right of Mercury. Space news of the week: Nov. 3 was the 50th anniversary of the first dog in orbit. On this date in 1957, about a month after they launched the first Earth satellite, the famous Sputnik that inaugurated the Space Age, the old Soviet Union launched a dog named Laika into orbit. (Laika was not only the first dog in orbit but also the first multicellular organism in orbit.) Sadly, there was no way to bring Laika back, so she was euthanized after about a week, much to the consternation of animal rights groups. In other news, the Discovery astronauts continue their work aboard the International Space Station, readying themselves to repair the station's huge solar panel "wings." 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, drifting, or delays. If you want specific outcomes, or if timeliness is critical, don’t use a VOC Moon phase. 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.

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

Week of 11/4/07 – Sunday, Monday (until 1:10PM ET), Thursday, and Friday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days. On 11/5/07, VOC/Virgo from 1:10PM to 6:47PM EST – on 11/8/07, VOC/Libra from 1:46AM to 7:18AM EST – on 11/9/07, VOC/Scorpio from 10:20PM to 7:59PM EST (11/10/0) – a long one, over 22hrs!

 

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.

 

Sun in fixed, water Scorpio trine (120deg.) Mars in cardinal, water Cancer @ 11deg. on 11/4/07 @ 6:19AM EST. When the Sun is in Scorpio, we tend to analyze and probe more than usual. We might feel more suspicious or obsessive about aspects of our lives or the nature of our relationships. With the Sun’s smooth-flowing connection to Mars in Cancer at nearly its retrograde degree, there may be some worry and concern about various insecurities, emotional matters, or other family issues. It’s a god time to sort out what matters most and to trust your instincts.

 

Venus in mutable, earth Virgo square (90deg.) Pluto in mutable, fire Sagittarius @ 27deg. on 11/6/07 @ 12:57AM EST.  This square can be harsh, meaning that raw energies get released and sometimes things are exchanged between people that stem from a deeper need, or the desire to clear energies and release some emotional material that’s been building up.

 

Sun in fixed, water Scorpio trine (120deg.) Uranus in mutable, water Pisces @ 14deg. on 11/7/07 @ 11:50AM EST. After laboring through some nitty-gritty processes, these energies may give you a good dose of truth and innovative, creative ways to work or rework those areas of your life or projects that are important enough for you to develop into the future.

 

Venus enters cardinal, air Libra on 11/8/07 @ 4:05PM EST until 12/5/07. And now for a bit of graciousness. Let’s all make nice again and get away from the rumblings and thunder. (Ha!) Venus is at home in Libra and prefers harmony, cooperation, and sharing equally the burdens of life. Now’s the time to create pleasing atmospheres, interludes, and a gentler ambience. Relax and de-stress yourself in your favorite ways.

 

Mercury/Libra (now Direct!) sextile Pluto/Sagittarius @ 27deg. on 11/8/07. At its best, this aspect allows you to reach fair and equitable solutions and to consider the feelings of others, in spite of the fact that strong and vulnerable feelings may be involved.

 

** Mars Retrograde Alert! Mars turns retrograde on 11/15/07 @ 12deg. Cancer! Mars entered cardinal, water Cancer on 9/28/07. Mars re-enters the previous sign, Gemini, on 12/31/07, and turns direct @ 24deg. Gemini on 1/31/08. Mars re-enters Cancer on 3/5/08, and then remains in Cancer until 5/10/08. This lengthy cycle of about 7.5 weeks is a review of an important part of your life and the habits you’ve formed there. Ask your astrologer what area of your chart and life this retrograde emphasizes for you specifically. Some key phrases are: emotional choices, emotional sorting, emotional intelligence, how we feel about those closest to us, how we care for ourselves and others’ feelings, and where and how we achieve security, comfort, and belonging. Home, housing, family, and the meaning these things have for us are in focus.

 

NewsBits: Sky Pattern - Grand Water Trine! This week when the Sun in fixed, water Scorpio moves between 11 and 14 degrees, the water trine hat’s been forming in the sky, will be/. at its closest. The Sun trines Mars/Cancer @ 11-12 (near its retrograde station of 12 on 11/15/07) and Uranus/Pisces @ 14 (also its Direct station exact on 11/24/07). Grand trines are facilitators of a smooth-flowing energy circuit, especially in water signs. Tune into your intuitive and feeling centers to discover where you really live emotionally and where you feel supported, understood, buoyant, safe, and held – those are some of the qualities of water. Stronger emotional expression is typical of a water grand trine and so is a more nuanced empathy, compassion and understanding, particularly of what may be difficult or complex to understand. A grand water trine teaches us that not all information comes through the same logical channels and that emotional intelligence, insight, and instinct are alive and well in all of us, if we only believe in these faculties enough to trust and follow them. Water often carries the burdens of the emotional content of life, and we may experience the weight of the emotional turmoil active in the world presently. Water energy likes to help because of its intrinsic feeling nature. Don’t be surprised that you

are more prone to giving and allowing, than usual. In the news, there’s been flooding in Mexico, reminiscent of the devastation of Katrina in New Orleans. Mukasey, the Attorney General nominee up for confirmation is ambivalent about whether waterboarding is actually a torture procedure. Then there’s Heather Mills, in divorce proceedings with her ex-husband, Beatle, Paul McCartney. Her emotional displays across TV shows this past week have brought the famous divorce front and center (again). Those are a few of the “watery” conditions – and I’m sure we “normal” people have a few of our own!