Planet Weather for the Week of November 23, 2008

 

NewsBits! The Election Transition Team and Bailout Woes! The first official appointment by Barack Obama, the President-elect (doesn’t that sound wonderful?) was Rahm Emanuel, as White House Chief of Staff! His name is almost as unusual as the next President’s! Let’s take a look at the chart. Rahm Emanuel was born on 11/29/59, in Chicago, IL, time not known. He is a Sagittarius with Moon in either late Scorpio or early Sagittarius. His chart’s pattern is called a wedge, meaning that all of his 10 planets are bunched together within approximately 120 degrees of the 360 wheel space. Uranus manages to pop out from that exact 120 degree space, making innovation, alertness, eccentricity, and a bit of unpredictability part of his persona. A wedge chart contains no possibility of an opposition (180deg.) and creates a bit of myopia as well as the requisite intense point of focus. Three of four (if the Moon is included) planets are in Scorpio, lending Emanuel a heftiness and instinctive power-brokering energies. He has four planets in their home signs: Saturn in Capricorn, Jupiter in Sagittarius, Mars in Scorpio and Venus in Libra. He knows how to crack the whip and get results but also knows how to forge and foster positive and fair relationships. I think the rest of Obama’s team will be reflective of the same characteristics.

 

Will the big three auto companies get a bailout? My guess is yes! Although both lawmakers and the general public are furious about the need to bailout these companies, Jupiter is still in Capricorn, with Venus in Capricorn through 12/7/08, and Congress reconvenes on 12/2/08. Both these planetary positions favor big business and maintaining the status quo. We know that the crash of the auto-industry, iconic of American life, would be an enormous disaster, with the loss of thousands of jobs.

 

SkyWatch: Moon phase of the week: 11/27 -- The Moon enters Her New cycle at 11:54 AM EST, at five degrees of Sagittarius. Look for the slender crescent of the New Moon low in the West a couple of days afterwards. (Technically, the Moon remains in Her New phase for about 2-1/2 days before entering Her minor Crescent phase at a 45-degree angle behind the Sun.) Skywatching events of the week -- Towards the end of the week, the Moon, just entered into her waxing Crescent phase, will be approaching both Venus and Jupiter together, low in the evening sky, although their point of closest approach occurs at the start of next week. Stay tuned! Space news of the week: The Endeavor astronauts have successfully rendezvoused with the International Space Station (ISS) and are in the process of doing some plumbing! The plan is to install a water-recycling system on the ISS that turns the astronauts' urine into drinking water. This kind of system has been tried before (understandably without much success) but the astronauts are being good sports about it -- or are they? They seem to be encountering a number of "glitches" that are preventing the system from working properly. Mighty suspicious if you ask SkyWatch! 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 11/23/08 – 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. On 11/24/08, the Moon is VOC/Libra from 12:45PM to 12:54PM EST – On 11/26/08, the Moon is VOC/Scorpio from 7:33AM to 12:14AM EST (next day!) — On 11/28/08, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 7:54PM EST to 12:48PM EST (next day)!

 

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.

 

Mercury enters mutable, fire Sagittarius on 11/23/08 @ 2:09AM until 12/12/08. Mercury now joins Mars and the Sun in fiery, exuberant Sagittarius. Well, that’s when Jupiter, ruling Sagittarius, isn’t in Capricorn. These Sagittarian planets still want to have fun but expansion potential is somewhat limited by circumstances (Capricorn). Still, Mercury, being the logical mind, is somewhat fired up and manages to find zest and enthusiasm in conversation and a positive outlook. It has the irrepressible ability to see the glass half full and to create its own opportunities no matter what the prevailing landscape.

 

The Sun/Sagittarius conjuncts Mercury/Sagittarius @ 3deg. on 11/25/08 @ 11:52AM EST. The Sun and Mercury put their heads together and there is much discussion about what new levels of consciousness have been reached. It’s time to birth some new and creative ideas and plan occasions that make us glad in body and mind and, most important of all, occasions that make us laugh. You are apt to hear some words of wisdom from a seasoned mind, or some other communication that’s like shooting from the hip, including a fair amount of exaggeration.

 

Pluto enters cardinal, earth Capricorn on 11/26/08 @ 9:05PM EST. We’ve gone through the gates for the final time and we will be in the realm of Capricorn for the next 16 years, so tighten your belt. These are years of action and rebuilding rather than information dissemination and opportunism (the shadow-side of Sagittarius), where we have been for the last 13 years. Pressing decisions will be upon us but, in a way, may be easier to make, since the focus is narrowed and the need is clearer. The aging boomer generation will probably still dictate a large segment of the marketplace. The focus will shift to what is not working in all of our major systems, followed by repairing and restructuring. Trust has to be rebuilt slowly, and respect and integrity will have to be earned. New systems will surely also emerge with this cardinal, earth focus. KISS will also be implemented by Pluto’s journey through Capricorn: Keep It Simple Stupid, also “Measure twice, cut once.” Capricorn prefers to plan ahead and is much more cautious than its predecessor Pluto in Capricorn. We come from excess but let’s not go to the other extreme, over-regulation. Thrift yes – miserliness, no. Pondering your history and where you came from to get to where you are now is another dimension of  Capricorn, and then, how you will harness and use who you are and what you have become, as you step further into your future. We will continue to develop our understanding of Pluto in Capricorn’s effects over the course of time.

 

Uranus in mutable, water Pisces turns Stationary Direct @ 18deg. on 11/27/08 @ 11:08AM EST. This week it’s a double-header planetary punch! On Thanksgiving Day (in the US) Uranus moves forward in motion again. It’s been retrograde since June 26, 2008. While nothing quite compares to Pluto’s 16-year final shift into Capricorn, still, an outer planet like Uranus changing direction is powerful, particularly coming the day after the Pluto shift! We can expect a surprise, or some unprecedented situation in the market and economic sectors, or explosions elsewhere. Uranus and Saturn are still very close (2deg.) in their opposition in the sky, exact for the first of 5 times on US Election Day. Uranus has been traveling through Pisces since March 2003. Its thrust has been to raise our awareness of the spiritual dimensions (or lack thereof) in our lives. Its sign placement in Pisces, we believe, had much to do with overturning racial prejudice and electing Obama as the first African-American President.

 

Mercury/Sagittarius conjunct Mars/Sagittarius @ 8deg. on 11/28/08 @ 10:40PM EST. Expect conversation to be direct, even over the top, often spilling out without censorship and possibly aggressive. Although at times this could be humorous, it could also cost you dearly in friendship, reputation, or especially in a job interview. So be aware of the context in which you speak without restraint.

 

Venus/Capricorn trine Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo @ 20deg. on 11/29/08 @11:37PM EST. This combination is a double Venus/Saturn synergy, which expresses practicality, control, caution, and a fair amount of seriousness. It adds measuredness and circumspection to all our activities. We are more prone to judge and criticize, typically out of insecurity or fear. This combination is tight, in more ways than one. It has difficulty relaxing, which is exactly what it needs to learn. On the other hand what we are seeking with this combination is dependability, security, respect, and integrity, as well as good value for what is spent – money or energy. The reality of shifting paradigms and the need to preserve our resources, in all ways, is sinking in.