Planet Weather for the Week of December 16, 2007

 

SkyWatch – Moon phase of the week: 12/17 -- The Moon enters her First Quarter phase at 5:18 AM EST, at 25 degrees of Pisces. First Quarter moonrise occurs roughly at local noon, from which time the half-Moon (as the First and Third Quarters used to be called) is continuously visible throughout the day until moonset around midnight. 12/22 -- December Solstice occurs at 1:08 AM EST. There is not much to see, except to note that this is the shortest day and longest night of the year for us Northern Hemisphere types and the opposite for Earth beings south of the Equator. The Northern Hemisphere is tilted as far away from the Sun as it gets; thus the Sun is the lowest in the sky that it ever gets at midday. Winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere and Summer in the Southern. Space news of the week: Do Not Launch Until After Christmas! Problems with fuel sensors caused two postponements of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis last week, finally determining NASA to wait until after New Years to give everyone a chance to relax over the holidays. Launch is now tentatively scheduled for early January 2008. Atlantis is slated to deliver (as a kind of belated Christmas present) the European Space Agency's laboratory module to the International Space Station. 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 12/16/07 – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday are the most active energetically and potentially most productive days – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement and/or producing results. On 12/17/07, the Moon is VOC/Pisces from 1:27PM to 1:52PM EST – on 12/19/07, VOC/Aries from 2:33PM to 4:38PM EST – on 12/21/07, VOC/Taurus from 1:07AM to 5:14PM EST.

 

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.

 

Venus in fixed, water Scorpio trine (120deg.) Uranus in mutable, water Pisces @ 15deg. on 12/18/07 @ 1:42AM EST. This combination often brings surprising material up from the unconscious. There’s a push-pull with Venus in Scorpio wanting to hold on, and Uranus in Pisces bringing new information about how to give way or allow for space in relationships. If the holding on is too tight, breaks may come in unexpected and unplanned ways. The dynamic offers greater awareness of the truth of our behavior and patterning in all our important or intimate relationships.

 

Jupiter enters cardinal, earth Capricorn on 12/18/07 @ 3:12PM EST until 1/6/09! Jupiter joins Saturn also in an earth sign -- Virgo (since 9/2/07). Security, responsibility, credibility, mastery, and integrity are issues that will come more to the forefront in the collective psyche. Earth signs are typically cautious and careful -- more so than the previous spirited but sometimes impulsive fire signs. Jupiter in Capricorn is an enlarged sense of responsibility and portends potentially more problems in the housing and banking sector. Capricorn is foundation, much like the bones and teeth in the body – it represents those things which hold us up and support our lives. We will recognize easily those institutions, people, and situations that are unsupportive.

 

Saturn in mutable, earth Virgo turns Stationary Retrograde @ 8 deg. on 12/19/07 until 5/4/08! Saturn is backtracking now to reinforce the first 8deg. of Virgo. Those of you who have planets at early degrees of Virgo will feel the hand of Saturn, as it asks you to be more definitive and keep your commitments. In Virgo, the issue is work and the details, small as they may seem, that add up. Select, sort, and sift through to refine the processes in your life that affect your daily functioning.

 

Mercury enters cardinal, earth Capricorn on 12/20/07 @ 9:43AM EST until 1/9/08. Mercury in Capricorn reinforces the sobering trend already established by Saturn and Jupiter, at least for a few weeks. This less than positive turn to the mind is more aware of the potential problems that may crop up in situations and seeks to prepare for them or otherwise overcome them.

 

Sun in mutable, fire Sagittarius conjunct (0deg.) Pluto/Sagittarius @ 28deg. on 12/20/07 @ 7:14PM. This will be the Sun’s last conjunction with Pluto in Sagittarius. For the next 16 years or so, the Pluto- Sun conjunction will take place in Capricorn, and so attention shifts from exaggerated patterns (Pluto/Sagittarius) to problems of scarcity or the proper handling of available resources in all areas of life.

 

Sun enters 0 deg. Capricorn – The Winter Solstice (Northern Hemisphere) on 12/22/07 @ 1:08AM EST. The longest night of the year gives way to the return of the light and subsequent longer times of daylight. The Winter Solstice is a powerful degree in the Zodiac year, as it represents an awareness of renewed consciousness with the hope of awakening from winter’s grip at the Spring Equinox.

 

Venus/Scorpio square (90deg.) Neptune in fixed, air Aquarius @ 19deg. on 12/22/07 @ 5:23AM EST. Venus is confronted with illusions, delusion, self-deception, or simply confusion when it meets Neptune. However, Neptune in Aquarius presents its own dilemma of renegotiating the truth and allowing us to see where we have been blinded by our misunderstandings of what we thought was the truth. The aspect is poignant and also very creative in allowing us to gain a deeper and more compassionate awareness of the complex selves we and others are. With Neptune in Aquarius, the message is always tolerance.

 

Mercury/Capricorn opposite (180deg.) Mars Rx in cardinal, water Cancer @ 3deg. on 12/22/07 @ 1:29PM EST. This aspect makes it easier to say what must be said in no uncertain terms. Mars Rx in Cancer allows emotions to spill out freely, and whatever problems arise from the fallout must be dealt with, even though Mercury/Capricorn can be somewhat intolerant of messy emotion and prefers to control the flow.

 

** Mars turned retrograde on 11/15/07 @ 12deg. Cancer @ 3:24AM EST! 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.  More and more Mars Rx in Cancer stories are flowing in – this sign is prone to having hurt feelings from slights based on lack of consideration, feelings of not belonging, and what I call various crises of closeness. We are examining our close bonds with others and what they mean and the equality involved. There are some relationships where there is always more giving, as with children. But between adults, mutual acknowledgement and reciprocation are necessary for a healthy relationship. In Cancer, there is often confusion about giving too much, the desire to belong to a group, family, community, feeling safe and protected, and being needed or accepted without having to compromise one’s own integrity.

 

 NewsBits: Jupiter/Pluto Sagittarius Events: Doping Scandal and Destroyed CIA Tapes. Here’s one of the ways in which the Jupiter conjunct Pluto combination in Sagittarius played out in the news! Sagittarius and Jupiter are often associated with sports or sporting events, since both accentuate expansiveness, risk-taking, desire for achievement, and pushing energy limits to the max and winning. Big names in baseball were cited as having used drugs to enhance sports performance. The Mitchell report released last week names Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte among other notables in baseball who used steroids. This information was revealed by a former trainer for the Yankees, who said he supplied the players with the drugs. When asked why he revealed this information, he claimed that he wanted to clean up sports and set the record straight and probably position himself for a plea bargain! This bombshell has sent the sports world in turmoil, since records set by some of these players were probably not natural accomplishments but rather the result of the effects of the drugs. So in this brave modern world of ours is the answer to legalize steroids?

 

Then there’s the brouhaha over the destroyed CIA video interrogation tapes that Congress is questioning. Attorney General Mukasey claims the ongoing investigation by the Justice Department into the matter should not be politicized and let the Justice Dept. do its job. But who is overseeing the Justice Dept.? Congressional leaders want to appoint an independent bipartisan investigator. The sum total of these two events is accountability – one of the words of the next decade and beyond, along with – responsibility, integrity and stewardship (Capricorn energies beginning to infiltrate the collective). Who’s got it and who doesn’t will become much more important.