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Planet Weather for Weeks 3/11& 3/18/12
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NewsBits:
Rick’s Wrench! Rick Santorum threw a wrench into the Republican Party machine in the last few months. He’s also become serious competition and a thorn in the side of Mitt Romney. His first win was Iowa, originally given to Romney until a recount 2 weeks later revealed Santorum had won by 34 votes! The next primaries were on 2/7/12, and Santorum won not one, not two, but all three states: -- Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado, snatching those expected victories from Romney’s outstretched hands. He’s been dogging Romney ever since, and more wins followed, although for the delegate count Romney remains quite a bit ahead. The Republican Party appears to be in a fine divided mess. How the heck did all this happen? Let’s take a peek at Rick Santorum’s birthchart.
Rick Santorum was born on 5/10/58, Winchester, VA, time unknown. Santorum is a Sun/Taurus, Moon/Aquarius, Mercury-Venus/Aries, and Mars/Pisces to start. (By the way, Mitt Romney was also born with Mars/Pisces!) Santorum is enjoying the once every 12-year surge of transiting Jupiter stimulating his Sun by conjunction. And that’s not all – transiting Uranus/Aries is activating his Venus too. Suddenly, he’s firmly in the limelight. These conjunctions are bringing recognition but also tend to inflate one’s importance and stimulate taking unnecessary chances – it can promote impetuousness.
Mitt Romney is getting the same two transiting planets, Jupiter and Uranus, also affecting his chart but in a less intense way. Mitt Romney has the better chance of winning the Republican nomination.
Rush Limbaugh – Way over the top! Rush Limbaugh is not new to controversy but he’s recently stooped to a new low. He called a young female law student who testified before Congress about contraception and women’s health a slut and made other very insulting and derogatory comments. His apology was a non-apology at best. [More an excuse than an apology.] A number of his sponsors withdrew their ads (it’s up to about 141 at the moment), as his comments engendered outrage across social media.
Limbaugh was born on 1/12/51 in Cape Girardeau, MO at 7:50AM (time from B.C.), a Capricorn with Moon in Pisces. He’s has Aquarius rising with Venus/Aquarius conjunct the Ascendant. The tight aspect of his Mercury/Capricorn square Saturn Stationing Rx/Libra (Mercury/Saturn combination twice) and opposite Uranus/Cancer Rx tends toward more rigid and conservative views. Limbaugh also has Mars/Aquarius, a position that requires and often demands freedom of expression without interference. This is a bold and sometimes stubborn Mars that breaks patterns and is often brilliant and inventive and certainly does not like anyone telling him what to do or how to do it. He’s his own person, which is not a negative in and of itself, except when the energy is used thoughtlessly without concern for consequence. Limbaugh has three positions in Aquarius – Ascendant, Venus, and Mars which reinforce his iconoclastic and eccentric nature. This tendency clashes with the status quo and prevailing social rules eventually.
His Moon and Jupiter in watery Pisces can easily stray beyond reasonable boundaries as he whips up the emotional content of issues he’s interested in. This combination adds excessiveness to an already extremely willful nature. Transiting Uranus/Aries has been actively forming a grand cross in his chart, filling in the open space of the three planets natally in a dynamic tri-aspect: Mercury/Capricorn opposite Uranus/Cancer, both square Saturn/Libra. Uranus is the 4th leg and opposes Saturn/Libra and squares the other two, creating a pattern of four planets all equidistant around the circle. This pattern operates in sudden outbursts and surprising, unplanned feedback or results. This could prove to be quite damaging to his reputation if he does not change course. His lack of respect for others is highly visible and people’s tolerance for rude comments to or about women is at an all time low.
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SkyWatch for the Weeks of 2/26 & 3/4/12:
Moon phase for the week of 3/11/12: 3/14 – The Moon enters Her Last (aka Third) Quarter phase at 9:25 PM EDT, at 24 degrees of Sagittarius. This is the "daylight Moon" that rises ahead of the Sun and is usually visible throughout most of the day. Skywatching events of the week: 3/12 – Mercury reaches so-called Greatest Eastern Elongation, the farthest the Messenger of the Gods trails behind the Sun when setting. This means this day is also the best for catching a glimpse of this elusive planet low in the West after sunset. 3/14 – Venus makes a close pass by Jupiter. As viewed from the US East Coast, their point of closest approach happens after both have set, but these two brightest planets will set very close together a few hours earlier.
Moon phase for the week of 3/18/12: 3/22 -- The Moon begins Her New cycle at 10:37 AM EDT at 2 degrees of Aries. Look for Her slender crescent low in the West after sunset a day or two later. Skywatching events of the week: All week -- the planets visible in the night sky are Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. Venus and Jupiter will remain close together all week. You can easily tell them apart, since Venus is the brighter of the two. Venus and Jupiter will set together early in the evening, with Mars rising much later and Saturn rising a couple of hours after Mars.
Space News and Weather: Titanic conjunction! As we near the centennial of the Titanic distaster (she sank in the early morning of April 15, 1912, killing 1,517 people), researchers have discovered a possible astronomical cause for the disaster. Our very word "disaster" comes from the Latin roots "dis-" (meaning basically "bad") and "aster" meaning "star," as disasters were thought to be caused by malefic aspects among stars and/or planets. In this case, however, astronomy on top of astrology lined up against the Titanic.
The Captain was a highly experienced seaman. The problem lay with the fact that no icebergs were expected in the shipping lanes at the time of the Titanic's maiden voyage, as that had always been the case. However, a once-in-a-millennium lineup of Earth, Moon, and Sun may have caused exceptionally high tides that allowed icebergs (originating from Greenland) to float free of the shallow waters around Newfoundland where they usually stayed until they mostly melted. On January 4, 1912, Moon and Sun had lined up in such a way that their gravitational pulls enhanced each other. At the same time, the Moon's approach to earth that January was the closest in 1,400 years, and the point of closest approach occurred within six minutes of the Full Moon. Additionally, the Earth's closest approach to the sun (perihelion) had happened the previous day. The resulting exceptionally high tides floated the annual crop of icebergs unexpectedly out into the Atlantic shipping lanes and the Titanic's meeting with fate. 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 3/11/12 – Sunday (Daylight savings Time begins), Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the most active days energetically – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement with others, projects, and stimulation for producing results, or demands/challenges on your energy. On 3/11/12, the Moon is VOC/Libra from 10:09PM (night before) to 12:24AM EST – On 3/12/12, the Moon is VOC/Scorpio from 2:30PM to 2:53AM EDT (next day!) – On 3/15/12, the Moon is VOC/Sagittarius from 3:34AM to 6:24AM EDT – On 3/17/12, the Moon is VOC/Capricorn from 9AM to 12:11PM EDT.
Week of 3/18/12 – Sunday, Tuesday (The Vernal Equinox), Thursday (New Moon),Friday (Mercury re-enters Pisces) and Saturday are the most active days energetically – more Moon or planetary aspects for engagement with other or projects, and stimulation for producing results, or demands/challenges on your energy. On 3/19/12, the Moon is VOC/Aquarius from 4:31PM until 8:05PM EDT – On 3/21/12, the Moon is VOC/Pisces from 4:39AM to 5:57AM EDT (next day!) – On 3/24/12, the Moon is VOC/Aries from 1:17PM to 5:43PM EDT.
Quote of Note: “Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.” -- Doris Mortman
Summary: Daylight Savings time begins very early this year on 3/11/12, and we welcome the increased light! The beautiful sky display of Venus and Jupiter in Taurus reaches a peak when they conjunct on 3/14/12. This coming week is packed with a multitude of planetary activity. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are particularly energy-packed – the planets are having important conversations. Venus/Taurus, strong in its own sign, makes statements about what is most valuable in our lives and why, and that’s amplified when it conjuncts Jupiter/Taurus. We celebrate the wearin’ o’ the green on 3/17, along with the Irish! The following week is the Vernal Equinox and the start of Spring in the Northern hemisphere.
Planet Patterns and Cosmic Headlines (Detail):
***Mercury Retrograde Cycle, it’s here! On 3/12/12 Mercury turns retrograde at 7 Aries. Mercury turns Direct @ 23 Pisces on 4/4/12, Mercury entered mutable, water Pisces on 2/13/12 and remained until 3/2/12 when it entered cardinal, fire Aries. This means Mercury re-enters Pisces again, (as it slips backwards) on 3/23/12. and finally finishes its run in Pisces on 4/16/12. Mercury entered its pre-Rx shadow on 2/26/12 and its post-Rx shadow ends on 4/23/12. Whenever we have a retrograde planet, it extends the time it remains in one Zodiac sign and we are immersed in this energetic pattern in order to learn its finer points. In Pisces, we may discover where we‘ve been blind to an aspect of ourselves, or in another, or in a specific situation.
We are directed to practice compassion and understanding and not expect everything to be perfect, or to be the way we imagined it to be. The other side of that is recognizing your boundaries and being clear with others about your bottom line. Your feelings do matter, you need first to believe that and only then can you honor your own feelings and let others know how you are affected. This Mercury has a fast and sometimes impatient communication mode and we are anxious to move ahead. The other part of the Rx in Pisces teaches us to trust the delays and detours and believe that there is a reason for the status of the present moment.
Since Aries is ruled by Mars, and Mars is retrograde (Rx), the desire to be speedy may backfire. Mars Rx is by nature a cycle of slowing down and not racing full-speed ahead. So, we have a contradiction, and contradictions can bring friction and frustration. Do your best and keep revising your priority list. In fact, it will probably be revised for you! The good news is that in the midst of your many tasks, some brilliant insights will be realized, which has the option of reshaping your project or plan. Use this time for research, revisions, and planning and resist beginning something brand new.
Venus/Taurus is active and forming meetings with a number of planets in short succession! If you haven’t looked up into the night sky lately – you must – to see Venus and Jupiter shining brightly and promising good fortune, or at least benevolence of a kind. If you can recognize, appreciate and receive the bounty that is always there, somewhere in your life, you will be blessed, indeed. Under this influence, we are prompted to be generous and giving, but there is an equally strong sense of stubborn justice to have things formed in a very particular way, and this can distort the message of goodness. Go out! Look up!
Mercury Rx re-enters mutable, water Pisces on 3/12/12. Most of the current Mercury Rx is spent in watery Pisces, swimming in opposition (at least by sign) to Mars, still retrograde in Virgo. Projects, issues need attention, loose ends are hanging and frustration may increase during this time. Take a break and do your best, without having a nervous breakdown. Be honest with yourself, how important (in the larger scheme of your life) is what you are stressing about?
The Vernal Equinox. The Sun enters 0 Aries – A Powerful Gateway. The start of any season is a potent moment of initiation, assisting us in redirecting our attention to a new phase of life. In Spring we want to refresh ourselves, dust ourselves off and be reborn. Energy is higher, except when Mars, the ruler of the Aries Sun is retrograde! Instead of starting fresh and new, we are completing things that sorely need to be finished. What is that in your life??
Currently Active Paradigm-Shift Patterns -- Back Stories: Repeats and elaboration of the major current configurations affecting all of us.
Mars is Retrograde (Rx) in Virgo! Mars turned Rx in Virgo on 1/23/12 @ 23 deg. until 4/13/12. Mars entered mutable, earth Virgo on 11/10/11, and remains in Virgo (including its retrograde time) until 7/3/12! It’s significant that the first half of 2012 is dominated by a Virgoan theme at the same time that Neptune is entering Pisces for the next 14 years (see below). In short, the two energies are opposite. Virgo is about the details and Pisces about the unity of the whole. Both are necessary and need to be balanced. It’s easy to be overwhelmed when Mars Retro makes us aware of the many loose ends we’ve left hanging or the many tasks that seem to suddenly demand out attention.
Let this cycle teach you how to manage your stress level better. Pace yourself and stop when you find yourself obsessing – take a break then and switch to another activity, one that relaxes you. Virgo is one of the signs that govern health, as in the positive functioning of the body, as well as your schedule. Do you have play time and friend time built into your schedule, as well as a good diet, regular exercise and enough sleep? Virgo is the delicate system or mechanism (body/mind/spirit) that allows us to function well. Make sure you maintain it regularly so that it can do its job well.
Neptune re-enters mutable, water Pisces on 2/3/12 for the next 14 years until 3/31/25. It’s time to sing a different tune. Neptune in the very last sign of the Zodiac requires nuance and subtlety for one thing and a lot of faith for another. In fact you may be tested on your faith. Neptune is sticky and tricky (the title of one of my old lectures on Neptune). It is the search for meaning even in the midst of things dissolving around you and events that seem inexplicable. Neptune is the power of the water; it takes everything in and brings it back in another form entirely. It breaches all barriers and so on a mundane level we may find out secrets about people, places and things that have long been hidden.
Neptune is the intoxication with the ideal and all that takes us beyond the harshness of mundane life. And that’s why it’s also associated with addictions. There’s a yearning in Neptune for beauty and union with tastes and glimpses of the divine, with magic, with grace, forgiveness and compassion. This renewed emphasis on the urge to transcend will likely bring a surge of new music, film, and a renaissance in all other art forms.
Saturn turns Stationary Retrograde @ 29 Libra on 2/7/12 until 6/25/12, when it is Direct again @ 22 Libra. Re-evaluate your position and your relationships. Saturn has been traveling in the sign of the scales (balance) for about 2 years and it will leave in October 2012. But before it does that it has one more retrograde cycle. Along with Mars also retrograde, things slow down but also tend to break down. So, the opportunity is to rebuild the foundation step by step. First though, evaluate and remind yourself of the criteria you are using to make your plans. It’s possible you’ll need to revise and reassess them. Relationships are still in the crosshairs of scrutiny with Saturn/Libra. Some have broken down and new ones have formed. Typically imbalances in a range or arena create the friction in relationship and the balance of give and take is tipped. Sometimes the scales cannot rebalance themselves but at other times, when both parties have the will and commitment, the relationship is renewed and becomes even stronger.
Saturn in Libra addresses the questions of balance, fairness, relationships, negotiations, and compromise. With Saturn there is always evaluation, some testing of standards met or not, and have we achieved what we set out to do in certain areas of our life? If we feel we are out of balance, then we will want to rebalance, or renegotiate the contracts we’ve made. Saturn will be backtracking now, to refine those imbalances and to test the rebalancing that you’ve begun. What is it exactly that makes for harmony and contentment in your life? All Libras, Aries, Cancers and Capricorns are feeling this testing the most.
Saturn entered cardinal, air Libra on 10/29/09. The full cycle lasts until 10/6/12. This is a 2.5-year Saturn-sign cycle. Saturn is exalted in Libra. This so-called “essential dignity” means there’s more of a commitment to promote cooperation and harmony among equals. Or, we can say, that is the primary striving in this combination. The collective will be more focused on what is fair and equitable and what is not. Generally, the message is to find the imbalances and rebalance as needed. Where are you giving your commitment and attention? Are the returns you receive what you really want? If not, then adjust those commitments and relationships for greater equality and fairness. Saturn in Libra also asks – what matters and what is valuable? When there is real value, it is easier to make a commitment for a longer time and with greater attention and intention. All major relationships and, in particular, those with Libra/Aries Sun, Moon, or Ascendant, will be put to a greater test. Saturn in a cardinal sign is more proactive than in other signs, and you may find that you seek order from recent chaos and productivity from prior stress and mess.
Jupiter Stationary Direct @ 0Taurus on 12/25/11, Christmas Day! Whatever good was held back or delayed will now move toward you, that is – if it was already heading in your direction to begin with! Ask your astrologer to map this out for you. A planet changing direction is always a big event, and with Jupiter, the biggest planet in our Solar system, expect magnification of events – maybe even exaggeration, and also some surprises. Jupiter/Taurus is generous with whatever resources it has and is patient and enduring. Jupiter entered fixed, earth Taurus on 6/4/11 and stays until 6/12/12. Jupiter stays in Taurus without moving back into the previous sign, even when it turns retrograde on 8/30/11(it remains in Taurus), which only happens about every three Jupiter cycles (3 years)! Most of the time when Jupiter turns retrograde in any sign, it moves back into the sign before and then its retrograde cycle spans the two signs. We might speculate that this can grant us greater relaxation and stability from the fast and furious and sudden changes that we’ve all witnessed since the beginning of this year, at least, while Jupiter was in fiery Aries. Stable and practical with a certain amount of sweetness, abundance, or favor is the message of this giving Jupiter in a Venus-ruled sign. There are possibilities, if we are willing to look for them and allow them.
Neptune/Aquarius turned Stationary Direct on 11/9/11 until 6/5/12! The scandals leaked out – Herman Cain’s sexual harassment skeletons and child rape abuses at Penn State University. With this surge forward again, Neptune soon leaves the sign Aquarius not to return for another 164 years! Neptune is now moving steadily toward Pisces, where it Stationed @ 0deg. on 6/3/11 and sat at 0 degrees between 4/4-8/5/11. On 2/3/12, Neptune returns to 0 deg. Pisces and will then continue its journey through Pisces for the next 14 years, until 3/31/25. We can only imagine what changes in the culture and our sensibilities this will bring. There is a grand focus on the environment and greater sensitivity within the web-like network that binds us closer together than ever before. New visionaries will emerge, as well as new ways to believe and questions of what to believe. The way in which each one of us is connected to and responsible for every other living being on this planet will become increasingly and utterly apparent.
Neptune is a dissolving energy and expresses the power of the water! Neptunian themes include: paranormal experiences, illumination about some life themes or experiences, and secrets leaking out, or even some funky illness. Neptune energies can also manifest as melancholy as we review dreams that may not have materialized, make necessary adjustments, all the while maintaining our faith in life, spirit and the meaning of it all.
With Neptune’s foray into Pisces, we have the third outer planet making a sign change since January 2008, setting in motion a series of conditions and events that have global long-term effects. Neptune is entering the modern rulership of its own sign Pisces and expresses itself quite naturally here according to its intrinsic nature. We can expect the need for greater sensitivity and environmental protections, as the harm we have done to the planet becomes more obvious. We may witness the formation of new religious groups and a reformation of existing religion as we know it. Secrets may be exposed and more leaks of information that some people may not wish to be revealed. On the positive side, new artistic accomplishments will flower in all fields, especially music, but all across the artistic spectrum. In essence it is a cultural call for greater refinement and attunement to what we often take for granted or fail to notice.
Neptune was discovered in 1846, and entered Pisces on 4/26/1847 through 1861. Oddly enough, Uranus was also in Aries (although farther along in the sign) when Neptune entered Pisces for the first time (since its discovery). This is only the second time, after Neptune came into our consciousness awareness, that Neptune is transiting Pisces! Both Neptune and Pisces are tricky. They operate on a completely different level. Pisces is known for its hyper-sensitivity, compassion, diffusiveness, spirituality, dream-like imagination, second-sight, idealism, patronage of the arts, and the ability to dissolve barriers of all kinds for greater unity. Negative manifestation includes: dissipation, neglect, addictions, deception, drugs, theft, scandals, and secrets. A few highlights of Neptune’s last transit through Pisces include: new social movements, such as Marxism, emancipation of slaves, the start of the US Civil War, the California Gold Rush, the Romantic movement in music, and transcendentalism.
We had four months of Neptune in Pisces in 2011, which we have not experienced for 166 years! As we begin to integrate with this complex novel energy infusion, you may notice a greater sensitivity or subtlety. Neptune dissolves barriers and that is one of the reasons a positive Neptunian response often allows greater compassion for human error and human frailty. Neptune deals with the unseen and the unnoticed and often accounts for spiritual breakthroughs and even paranormal experiences. I believe that this transit of Neptune through Pisces will loosen the boundaries between the material realm and the spiritual or energetic realms. Many of us will experience more than can be easily explained through the measurable functions of science. This can be a time of high magic but also the stripping away of illusions and deceptions and unless one has a strong inner core, the disillusionment we find may destabilize us. Practice faith in the joy of being alive and the true mysticism of that fact alone, no matter what your religious beliefs may be. Neptune is magical and a component of magic is addiction, as we seek to recreate the transcendence of blissful states that allow us to escape the harsher realities of everyday life.
Uranus re-entered Aries on 3/11/11, and remains there until May 2018. This is the biggest news of March and beyond, and heralds a new upward spiral in social and cultural evolution. In the summer of 2010, Uranus teased us by parking itself and remaining only at 0deg. Aries (the powerful degree of the Spring Equinox) from 5/27-8/13/10. Now it’s fully engaged. Any planet in the first sign of the Zodiac wants to start a fire, begin something new, innovate, and create or reinvent something in its own image. This combination can certainly be aggressive, bold, courageous, willful, and because of the influence of Uranus, unexpected and explosive. Most of the previous text was written well before the popular uprisings (conflagrations) in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and other parts of the Middle East. We are seeing the effects of individuals asserting themselves in their striving for personal freedoms that they believe are their birthright. Repressive regimes will no longer be tolerated. Aries represents the new and renewal – as it emerges from the dreams of the previous sign, Pisces. It burns with the fire of justice and courage to be free at any cost.