Insights for the month of Aquarius

January 20
Sun enters Aquarius
Venus sextiles Pluto
It’s the middle sign of the season; the fixed sign. Here in the northern hemisphere the days hold the promise of more light. Even if the weather is weird the heavens behave according to plan. There is discernible reason to have hope. And while we are busy hoping we could also be organizing and gathering to create the better world we believe is so necessary. It’s something we can only make together. If you feel blocked by too much mental energy let the power of beauty move you.

January 21^st
Sun sextiles Uranus
Look for every opportunity to liberate yourself, your friends, your people. May all beings be liberated; starting with me! And you! And extending to the ones I love, the ones I fear. It’s a wonderful day for Metta (whether you want to be born back into this world or not!)

 

January 22
Sun square Jupiter
An excess of attachment troubles us all. While we are quite aware of our attachment to our stuff  we often don’t realize that we can also be attached to our ideas and/or our ideals. We don’t think we have to change our minds although we are often more than ready to change our clothes, our couches, our diets. Today the simple existence of the material world is offering resistance to the fixed mind.

 

January 23^rd
Mars Stationery retrograde
Mercury trines Mars
New Moon 2:41 AM 2* Aquarius
The hero in each of us is ready to take on the Great Challenge of how to live in the world on a day-to-day basis knowing that it is finite and sacred all at the same time. We make important decisions over the next 6 weeks about how we live from moment to moment. Don’t take lightly the words that fall from your mouth or the food that enters it. What you do is the stitch in time that creates the tapestry of reality. This is understood and not so hard to communicate if you know that although you do not rule the world, your actions are significant . In fact you create the world – one thought/action after another.
Let your intention be for the good of all.

 

January 27^th
Mercury square Saturn
Mercury enters Aquarius
There is a tough nut waiting to be cracked. Stick with it. The closer you get to cracking it, the harder it looks but that is true of all great problems. When the breakthrough comes it is due to the fact that structure gives way to intention. Matter is meaningless without the mind to understand it. Or is it?

 

January 28^th
Mercury sextiles Uranus
Mercury square Jupiter
The mind is like a jumping bean. Ideas are plentiful and the need to possess them is a nagging feeling in the back of the mind. Who owns ideas anyway? Maybe the question is, who controls them. Don’t get carried away with judgement. It will contract your thoughts. Be discriminating if the situation warrants it but stay open to the infinite possibilities that exist before we collapse them into goals.

 

February 1^st
Venus opposite Mars
It’s about desire. I want to have this because it pleases my senses. But the way I go about getting it is all wrong. The means is offensive but the end is desired. Certainly we know about this on a personal level. And we struggle endlessly with how to resolve the issue of our desires and the destruction they can cause. This is even more intense when you step back and see it from a planetary perspective. Our means are mean-spirited. Our desires are out of control. And then there is the 1%. Hopefully we will survive progress.

 

February 3^rd
Neptune enters Pisces (and will remain there until 2025)
This is big news astrologically. You can read all about it all over the web. When a slow moving, outer planet changes sign astrologers expect that there will be shifts down here on earth. Never forget that the entire astrological panoply is only from the perspective of earth. No where else in this multiverse is Neptune changing to Pisces today (unless there are twin universes…). So it’s about us. It’s Ourstory. History in the making. Neptune and Pisces are all about the water and things that live in water. On one level we can expect a lot more crises about the waters. No surprise. It’s melting, it’s pouring down in torrents, it’s flooding, it’s evaporating. Neptune has another side as well. It’s about glamour and all sorts of large screen projections. It’s about pandemics of the body and the mind. It’s about delusions and addictions as well as spiritual transcendence. It is no surprise to anyone that alcoholics seek the spirit in the bottle. And of course it doesn’t live there. Neptune in Pisces will open us up to greater compassion and spirituality through art and all sorts of psychic connections. Neptune may heighten the feelings of our lonely planet spinning through a vast expanse of space seemily empty of sentient beings. But Neptune will also offer the connection to Creation itself.

Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self.
This is the man that I want myself to be but who cannot exist,
because God does not know anything about him.
And to be unknown of God is altogether too much privacy.

Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation: p. 34

or you might rephrase it to say:

Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self.
This is the person that I want myself to be but who cannot exist,
because the Great Spirit of Creation does not know anything about me.
And to be unknown of Creation is altogether too much privacy.

February 7^th
Saturn stationery retrograde
Sun conjunct Mercury
Full Moon in 18* Leo at 4:54PM EST
Full Moons offer challenges to see and celebrate the world as it is. The Sun and Mercury in Aquarius hold out for ideals, the Moon in Leo wants to create; to play; to warm the winter with heart-felt love. Aquarius can be too theoretical, Leo can be too self-centred. Today they let it rip. Celebrate love with as many friends as you can find. It’s time for some full catastrophe living.
For those who are feeling hemmed in and burdened today is an exceptional day to face up to reality which is most definitely not the same as letting it bury you.

 

February 8^th
Venus enters Aries
Love is bold and wants to individuate. See Her up in the western sky after sunset. She evokes a feeling in the heart because she is Beauty itself. How to reconcile the longing for love with the need for separation?

February 9^th
Venus conjuncts Uranus
The wind in your hair, the highway calls; free at last. But what is freedom? What value does it have for you and where do you expect it to lead? Maybe like bellybuttons, there are two kinds of freedom; the inner kind and the outer. Or maybe there are as many kinds of freedom as there are people to conceive of it. In any case it’s a big theme for 2012. So watch how you get caught up in the spirit of freedom.

 

February 13
Mercury trines Saturn
Mercury enters Pisces
When a planet changes sign it essentially takes off one perspective or attitude and takes on another one. Mercury’s last wish in Aquarius is to UNDERSTAND. And its first impulse in Pisces is to use that understanding to do something that would/could change the world. No time like this time!

 

February 14^th
Mercury conjunct Neptune
A perfect day (night) for love; for poetry; for dreams too large to come true for one individual. Consider that love at all levels teaches us to include a greater and greater number of others. The problem is not that we love ourselves too much but that we love ourselves exclusively. To love only the self is the loneliest of conditions. To love the self in the other is a start. To love the other is a true accomplishment.

For the error bred in the bone
Of each woman and each man
Craves what it cannot have,
Not universal love
But to be loved alone.

W. H. Auden

September 1, 1939

 

February 15^th
Venus squares Pluto
Pleasure taken in freedom must pay the piper. Be frustrated; acknowledge regrets. The power of love and desire wants more. What can come of this wanting more? How much more can we possibly have?

 

February 16^th
Mercury sextiles Jupiter
It is not necessary to martyr what you love most to have what you want but rather to allow the simple awareness of how what you love most comes through you, not from you. In this way we are free to experience love fully with devotion rather than martyrdom.

 

February 18^th
Sun trines Saturn
Mercury sextiles Pluto
Magic is afoot. Real magic. The kind that finishes the project; or figures out the right way to do something. Look for every opportunity to dig deep into understanding everyday mysteries. There is beauty for one thing. There is communication for another. And then there are the mysteries of how things are made and who are the Makers. There are some days, some moments, when we stand in both worlds at once. Magic is and isn’t. Today calls us to be both rooted and aware of the wonders of life.

We come from nothing…

 

 

 

 

Insights for the Month of Capricorn

   
December 22^nd  

Sun enters Capricorn 12:30 AM Winter Solstice

Sun trine Jupiter

Sun square Uranus

Happy New Year. You may not think of Winter Solstice as the first day of the New Year but it is. For three days (the day before, the day of and the day after) the Sun appears to stand still. Up to this point it was simply going deeper and deeper into the dark. Standing still is an improvement. But then it is reborn. It begins to grow ever so slowly in light. The days begin very gradually to get longer. It is no accident that Jesus and King Arthur and a holy host of others are said to be born on December 25^th. By that day we are just far enough away from the actual solstice that we can see, if we are exceptionally observant, that the Sun is returning. The symbolism is exquisite. In a world polluted with lights that can’t be turned off it’s a bit harder to see but on some level we still feel it.

If you’re having a push-me-pull-you kind of day stand your ground and expect change. That should do it!

 

December 24^th

New Moon: 2 degrees of Capricorn 01:07 PM EST
New Moons are always a time to set an intention. This one is about responsibility and sustainability. I believe the real impulse of Capricorn is to manage resources for the good of all. If you need some inspiration on this front consider how Iceland pulled itself out of its economic misery as the rest of the world continues to flounder. Change may feel chaotic but there is incredible room for creativity when things fall apart. If you haven’t donated to anything yet, today is a wonderful time to start.

December 25^th

Jupiter stationery direct 4:19 PM
Merry Ho Ho Ho! Jupiter probably invented Christmas. All those lights and inspirational music are very Jupiterian. Not to mention the food. When a planet makes a station as Jupiter does today, it can be seen as a strong statement of its meaning. Jupiter inspires us today to live according to our values. Whether you are with or without your people today it is still possible to know your truth.

December 29^th

Sun conjunct Pluto
Only once a year does this happen. The theme is power; both powerlessness and/or empowerment. Think of it as the power to descend and return which encompasses both strength and despair. The more organic your relationship to power the better. Where is the sun in the night?

 

January 1^st

Happy 2012!
Mercury square Mars
A funny kind of aggressive way to start the New Year. Whatever you do today put kindness in front. It’s just too easy to take the path of least resistance and put foot in mouth.

 

January 7^th

Mercury sextile Saturn
Mercury sextile Neptune
However the year began, now is a time to look for opportunities to learn from past mistakes and to put your wisdom into action. It’s also a great day to apply serious intelligence to any problem. Think deeply and use your imagination.

 

January 8^th   

Mercury enters Capricorn
Mercury trine Jupiter
Mercury square Uranus
It’s an earthy kind of day; a day when it should be easy to find pleasure in responsibility; to experience real satisfaction in a job well done. But there is a spanner in the works. Just remember that every living thing on this earth fights for its survival. That is the nature of things: Unless, of course you are human and can decide if you will fight or not. Possibly there is another way to survive.

January 9^th

Full Moon: 18 degrees Cancer 02:30AM EST
Full Moons inspire us to see things as they are; to appreciate life for exactly what it is. So what do you see? If you look at the Moon as it rises it’s so big. But when you look again closer to midnight it’s not so big although it still lights up the sky. And out there in the dark it has not changed its shape. It is a mystery!
Let us celebrate the resources we have. And take good care of them.

 

January 12^th

Sun trine Mars
Whatever you need to get done, today – this whole week in fact – is an amazing day to make an effort. If it’s a project that needs time don’t worry that you have to get it all done now. To manifest things of quality requires time and patience as well as skill and intention. 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration: It’s the LAW!

 

 January 13^th

Venus trine Saturn
Mercury conjunct Pluto
Venus conjunct Neptune
Our ability to have our feet on the ground and our head in the clouds has never been stronger. Love is the mediator between the two: Love of truth; love of justice; love, the power that holds us to life. She is telling us that it is possible – whatever ‘it’ is if you are willing to take the time and do the work.
When you focus the mind on the actual thing in front of you or even the thing within you, it is possible to burn through the dross and hit bedrock. Get as real as you can.

 

January 14^th

Venus enters Pisces
Venus sextile Jupiter
Don’t just reach for the thing you desire. Be mindful of the impulse. How much pleasure is there is having the thing you crave? Does it last? One of the first things you learn when you meditate is that you can scratch the itch but/and there will just be another one that springs up sooner or later. Scratching isn’t the issue here but awareness is. The possibility for pleasure is everywhere, in everything. So is the automatic response to simply having what you crave. There is a huge difference.

 

January 19^th

Sun square Saturn
Can you imagine a world where you weren’t being endlessly pressured to buy this and that? Where you are encouraged to reuse and recycle before you buy? Would you trust the business that promoted itself this way? Don’t be cynical or naive today. Take stock, live with doubt and make rational decisions.    

Mars in the Shadow of it’s Retrograde

It is true that Mercury goes retrograde today and just to add fuel to the fire Mars entered the sign of Virgo on the 10th of November and is now officially in the shadow of it’s retrograde motion which will begin on January 23rd and last until April 14th.

Mars is the warrior and will be in Virgo (for many months to come). Possibly the issue for you (for everyone at the moment) is boundaries. My theory is that the Bitch Goddess appears when we need space. She is an aspect of the sign Virgo. (She can express herself through men as well as women.) Thousands of years of captivity (of the feminine side of life) keep her from saying what she needs outright. Sometimes she doesn’t even know what she needs. When she’s aggrivated it can look like she just doesn’t like people. Maybe she just doesn’t like herself or maybe she just needs some space. Mars, the warrior, says it’s time to deal with these issues.

Another way to look at the Mars Retrograde phenomenon is that it is about the little things. Virgo is the sign of the little things like food, health care and employment. Things that make our lives work (or not). Mars in Virgo is probably an indication that the Occupiers will morph into the next phase of their journey. Truly they are about all the little things I just mentioned.

In any case it is a good time, between now and January 23rd to look at these issues in your own life. How are you feeling about boundaries and how well are you doing with diet, exercise, work and most importantly, a sense of the sacred in these things. Are you at one or two with nature? This might refer to your own nature as well as Nature in general. They are really one and the same.

More to come in January!

Insights for the Month of Sagittarius

November 22^nd
Sun enters Sagittarius 11:08 AM
Venus sextile Saturn
Is there a way to ‘go gentle into that good night’? Are we better off to ‘rage, rage against the dying of the light’? Here in the last month of autumn this is an appropriate contemplation. The days are short and we are prone to excesses of all sorts. We grasp at pleasure and try as best we can to keep loneliness at bay. Don’t kid yourself. Sagittarius is not a sign of simple joviality. It is a deeply felt moment of darkness and longing for the light. On account of this it is a sign of great vision. From today until the winter solstice be aware of how you step into the dark. What effect it has on you. How you deal with the dying of the light. If you are fortunate enough to be some place that isn’t so dramatic, it seems, for reasons I can’t really explain, to be the same.
Let us speak with one another today and make choices grounded in justice and truth.

 

November 23^rd
Sun trine Uranus
Mars trine Pluto
Assert your rights as an individual at the same time that you exercise your responsibility to the larger whole. There never was, nor will be, a free lunch. Or, you could say, we are all in this together. Right now. Let us dance.

 

 November 24^th
Mercury stationery retrograde 2:12 AM
Venus sextile Neptune
For more about Mercury Retrograde go to the website.
For Americans it’s a day of thanks. One man’s thanks is another man’s regret. Perhaps we should keep it simple: Give thanks for life; yours and everyone else’s. Actions speak louder than words. Opportunities for generosity of spirit and high art are available on all sides of all borders.

 

November 25^st
New Moon: Partial Solar Eclipse:
2 degrees of Sagittarius 01:10 AM EST
May we turn toward sudden, unexpected revelations of truth; the kind that enable skillful leaps forward into unchartered territory. The world never was nor will be totally predictable.  

 

November 26^th
Venus enters Capricorn
Venus squares Uranus
S/he wants respect. What good is love without it? Don’t trash love on account of an ideal. You can ruin a lot in a few minutes.
Think before you speak to love.
Better yet, feel your feelings before you speak to love.

 

November 26^th
Venus trine Jupiter
It’s all better now. The truth has been liberated from it’s cage, hopefully with insight and kindness. Now goodness can happen. Enjoy what pleases you. No need to grasp at it. No one ever gets enough. Practice the fine art of satisfaction.

 

December 1^st
Venus conjunct Pluto
All that pleasure makes the world shudder with passion. The more wholesome the pleasure, the less violent the aftermath.

 

December 2^nd
Sun square Mars
The problem with Mars (in Virgo) now and for many  months to come is the devil in the details. The Sun is hell-bent on seeing the big picture. We humans, down here on Planet Eaarth can mediate between the gods when we practice moderation and when we remind ourselves we have never been here before. It’s a whole new game.

 

December 4^th
Sun conjunct Mercury retrograde
Mercury square Mars
Possibly there are only two choices:
Scatter your thoughts like shards of glass after a crash or
Stand gently firm at the center of the spinning wheel. Watch it, marvel at it, but don’t let it pull you into chaos and insanity.
Of course we are, none of us, perfectly balanced so if you find yourself having been pulled to the rim, take a moment to breathe. Remind yourself that you can choose where to put your consciousness.

December 5^th
Venus trine Mars
If you love this planet; if you love this life; if you love your people – show it. Do something small or large that expresses your values, your appreciation for the life that you were given. Life is a gift. It only comes with a body and the breath. Nothing else is guaranteed. It’s really a crap shoot. Sometimes the Wheel of Fortune spins your way and sometimes not. But it’s always life.

 

December 10^th
Lunar Eclipse: Full Moon: 18 degrees Gemini 09:36AM EST
Uranus stationery direct
Some days are loaded up with energy; like today, and possibly a few days before and after. The spotlight shines on all things but especially those things having to do with information and belief. Do you believe everything you read? Maybe it was possible to do that ‘once upon a time’ but that fairy tale is long gone. Now we are left with the remnants of belief in the printed word (not to mention what we hear on the radio, television and internet) but we have come to the end of the literacy line. What next? Look into the crystal ball of your own, personal prophesy. What do you see or hear or understand? Can you believe it?
Possibly we can trust the heart, even in the maelstrom.

 

December 13^th
Mercury stationery direct
How was the retrograde period for you? Since November 24^th Mercury has been retrograde. Did you lose something? Did you find it again? What did you learn? Sometimes I think that astrology’s greatest gift is in the fact that it is always changing. It is a real lesson in impermanence to find meaning in the turning of the heavenly wheel. 

 

December 18^th
Venus square Saturn
It is the nature of life to strive to get the things we don’t have yet; food, love, stuff. We have a lot of judgments on ourselves here in Paradise for being materialists but/and it is bred in the bone. If our prehistoric ancestors didn’t relentlessly comb the bushes for berries and hunt the wooly mammoth we wouldn’t be here.  And there are great lessons to be learned when we can step back from the hunger and notice the urge that propels us to grasp. Let your loss be your lesson.

 

December 19^th
Sun sextile Saturn
Survey your collection. Sort through it. Prioritize how you will deal with it. Stabilize your stuff or at least stabilize yourself in relationship to it. If this is about the gift giving frenzy, today is a perfect day to take stock, make lists and have a cup of tea before you head out to the hunt.

 

December 20^th
Venus enters Aquarius
Sun sextile Neptune
Venus square Jupiter
Too much of nothing makes a person sick inside. Empty calories, deluded love, a bucket of Harlequin romances; it’s all about addiction. As the year winds down to the longest night we lean into our craving of choice. Possibly it’s harmless. It’s sort of tradition. If your tradition has lost the ability to nourish your soul don’t panic. Don’t even change anything except your awareness. Sometimes just acknowledging the truth brings light to the dark.
Light just one little candle and change the world.  

 

December 21^st
Venus sextile Uranus
Possibly you forgot amidst the bustle and the strange events of the world that the season is still autumn. Today is the last day. The Sun appears to stand still and then gives a frail, little cry and begins the journey of return, bringing light to our days. If ever there was a magic thing this is it. We are saved again and again, year after year from a world of total darkness.
On the other hand, dark isn’t all bad. For us here, now in 2011 possibly we feel the anxiety of knowing it is dark because we are not able to feel the stillness that exists within that deep, darkening of the light. The last day of fall should be quiet and still. We know instinctively it is a time to pause and feel the emptiness about to be filled; the change. We long to experience the feeling that the whole earth in progression seems to pass by.

 

 

Insights for the Month of Scorpio

October 23^rd
Sun enters Scorpio 2:31 PM
Did you ever notice that somehow Scorpio smells different than Libra? Libra has more sun on the scent of the wind. Scorpio is moist. The process of decay has made itself clear. The leaves fill the streets in some places. Of course if you are in the southern hemisphere this is not true. But, like it or not, astrology derives some of its deepest wisdom from northern hemisphere sources. Seasons are not to be ignored. Scorpio is a mystery sign. It reminds us that things don’t always add up and that nothing lasts. If the seasons of your inner northern and southern hemispheres don’t add up take this as a month to live with the fact that some mysteries are best left unsolved. In that way they retain their power.

 

October 26^th
New Moon: 3 degrees of Scorpio 03:57 PM EDT
Mars sextile Saturn
Venus square Mars
The New Moon beckons to us that we cannot live well in a valueless world. Our common sense can be subverted by our desires. When greed is our motivation the world is endangered. Maybe it took thousands of years to get to this particular moment but greed is not new. Everything we choose or reject is an indication of our values. Resolve after the Moon is actually new, to check in with your motives as well as your goals. The truth is often simple and generally liberating. We instinctively know this yet we often choose denial out of some kind of inherited habit. Underlying struggles refuse resolution. Desire is not willing to be understood rationally or dissected. Go gently. No grasping.
If you enjoy hard work –today is a good day to indulge.

 

October 28^th
Mercury square Mars
Jupiter trine Pluto
Sun opposite Jupiter
Sun sextile Pluto
In one corner there is a hothead – someone who wants to put his or her foot in someone else’s mouth. If you listen closely you may notice that the heat masks some form of shame. It’s what motivates most bullies.
In the other corner is someone trying very hard to put a boundary or limit on a situation that sorely needs it. There never was a better time to pay down your debt and to avoid getting deeper in. Make reasonable offers that truly speak to the situation and you just might be taken up on them.

October 31^st
Venus square Neptune
The bats are flying low tonight. It’s the national North American holiday we all know as Halloween. The night when people pretend to be someone else and eat a phenomenal amount of sugar which makes the parasites happy.  Forgive me if I sound jaded. However – Venus rules sugar and she’s in a bad aspect to Neptune which is all about boundary-less-ness. Watch out for your pancreas. And while you’re at it it’s a terrific night to pretend you are someone else. Possibly you are…

 

November 1^st
Mercury square Neptune
A cosmic hangover day. Don’t make any major decisions.  A perfect day to remember your dead.

 

November 2^nd
Mercury enters Sagittarius
Venus enters Sagittarius
How smart and honest can you be, how deeply you can you express yourself on the theme of freedom and change? It’s the positive side of protest.

 

November 3^rd
Venus trine Uranus
Mercury trine Uranus
Rock on. There is nothing like the feeling that you can change the world. Even changing your personal world is exhilarating but not as much fun as changing the whole world. ‘We all want to change the world.”

November 7^th
Mars opposite Neptune
The warrior takes on Transcendence. Or perhaps the warrior is simply in a trance.  Whatever you are angry at lives inside you or you wouldn’t dance with it outside. Or is that just an excuse not to get involved? Be careful not to kick at shadows and if you are planning to take on the Big Fish make sure you are prepared. Try not to get carried away on the wave.

 

November 9^th
Neptune stationery direct
When I was a kid I learned that if a really big wave was heading your way and you didn’t think you could jump it or ride it the thing to do was to dive low and let it happen where it couldn’t touch you. So what will you do: jump, ride or dive?

 

November 10^th
Full Moon: 18 degrees Taurus 03:17PM EST
Mars enters Virgo
Spotlight on values (again). The word ‘integrity’ comes to mind. Think back to seeds planted two weeks ago at the New Moon. Life propels us to want everything but to be human is to endlessly measure instinct against – what? Consciousness?  Possibility?
There is a theme rising in the world over the next 7 months. It will be about the little things: The little things without which we cannot live well.  

 

November 16^th
Mars trines Jupiter
Stride boldly toward what you want, knowing that nothing comes to you if you don’t open yourself up to the fact that it exists. This is a strange and magical world. Some days it seems as small and tight as a hickory nut and other days as vast as the mind can imagine.

 

November 20^th
Sun square Neptune
Life is and isn’t a dream; a delusion; a fleeting eternity; a holy smoke that vanishes on the wind. Live it fully but don’t pretend it lasts forever.

Occupying the World

Occupation is a funny word. It can mean a person’s career (a tenth house event) and it is also what conquers do to the conquered. They occupy their space. it’s called an occupation. I don’t think there is an astrologer in the world who could be surprised that there is a movement afoot. As keepers of the symbolic perspectives regarding the changes in the world it’s a conversation we should be involved in on many levels. Here are some of my thoughts on the subject. I would deeply like to start a conversation about this potentially world-changing movement.

I see that this movement which started in Egypt when Jupiter entered Aries in January. It picked up momentum when Jupiter squared Pluto and Libya erupted.

I see it powered by the generational group with Pluto in Scorpio. This is their big moment as they become adults in a world that is falling apart, hopefully to resurrect itself in a better way. It’s a major mistake for the status quo, the so called 1% to underestimate the strength of people who are young, unemployed and masters of technology. But it’s even a greater mistake if those people have Pluto in the sign of transformation, people who have no prospects, no fear and lots of energy.

I see that in 2012 – the year that everyone feels will mark a great change – Mars will be retrograde in Virgo – the sign of the little things; Neptune will go into Pisces – which it rules; Venus will be retrograde in Gemini – the sign of journalism – exactly squaring the place where Mars made its station. And most of all Uranus will exactly square Pluto, for the first time, in June.

What do you think about this? What do you think astrology can contribute to our chaotic world? How much of what you see is driven by fear and how much by a true sense of being witness to the world’s transformation?

I look forward to your comments.

You can follow the conversation among astrologers at Astrology Toronto.

Occupy This!

This movement which is starting with Occupy Wall Street is largely driven by the generation of people with Pluto in Scorpio. it is their response to coming of age in times of chaos. It seems to have only just begun. They will be fearless. They already are!

Insights for the Month of Libra

September 23^rd  
Sun enters Libra 5:05 AM
Mars trine Uranus
Equinox: A moment of perfect balance, when day and night are equal. Perfect balance is brief and slowly, inevitably the light will fade, the dark will grow. Perhaps there is a fear of the dark inherent in Libra which gives rise to the defensive edge; the inclination to fight for peace. Is it possible to strive for justice and equality and not be driven by fear?
Take the dare. Leap into the void. Be the hero. But don’t forget to pay attention to your motivations. If you’re just trying to get attention or be the biggest light in the room your efforts may fall flat.

 

September25^th
Mercury enters Libra
Sun opposite Uranus
Sharpen your wits if you have to defend your position. Argument for argument’s sake is pointless once you graduate from grade 8. If you step into the ring do it because you are passionate. Aim to inspire others rather than rile them.

 

September27^th
New Moon: 4 degrees of Libra 07:10 AM EDT
Mercury opposite Uranus
Decide if you want combat or negotiation. It’s not always clear which is the higher road. Assumptions will aggravate everything. If you’re into clarifying or stating intentions the New moon is a great time. This month’s theme is exactly combat vs. negotiation. Consider the power of non-violent resistance both within you and without you. (A very strong New Moon for Toronto.)

 

September28^th
Sun square Pluto
Mercury square Pluto
Mercury conjunct Sun
Power is the theme. Those who perceive themselves as powerful want to hold on to their power.
Fear is the theme. Those who perceive themselves to have no power – to be at the mercy of the powerful feel fear and essentially give their power away on account of their fear.
Where is the sweet spot which can turn the sword into the ploughshare? How can you infuse power with trust and fear with love? Live into the question. There is no specific answer.

 

September 29^th
Mercury sextile Mars
Venus conjunct Saturn
If you learned something yesterday about power, fear, trust and love look for an opportunity to use what you’ve learned. Be responsive and responsible to and for the people you love. But don’t confuse this with trying to prove you deserve their love. Love needs no proof.

September 30^th
Sun sextile Mars
If beauty can save the world – let’s just say – then today is a day to stand up for beauty. If you’re not about beauty maybe you’re about sports or your personal best. Today offers an opportunity to aspire to your best in such a way as to inspire others.

 

October 3^rd
Mars square Jupiter
The Big Bad Badger is out looking for a fight. You may want to avoid him; you may actually be him. In any case over-weaning pride could lead to a fall. On the other hand, sticking to your guns out of sheer stubbornness could create an explosive reaction.

 

October 6^th
Mercury conjunct Saturn
There are opposites and there are complements. There is either/or and there is both/and. We live in a world where politicians have largely lost the ability to work for the good of all. The great cause they aspire to is themselves or their party. But there was Jack. No saint, but an inspiration to us all. Vote as if it mattered. It does.

 

October 7^th
Venus trine Neptune
Reach for the star: The bright inner star of love that can’t be seen at the moment with the naked eye. Love is never lost to us although at times we feel lost to it. Today let love lead us to aspire to the ideal in all things.

October  9^th
Venus enters Scorpio
Love leaves the realm of the ideal and enters the realm of transformation. Once you have achieved perfection –that perfect moment – fleeting and pure – you must descend because you are human. ‘Loss is the great lesson’. Perfection was never meant to last.

 

October 11^th
Full Moon: 18 degrees Aries 10:06PM EDT
All this challenge is challenging. There is me and there is you. We sit across the table from one another. We are separate yet we are connected. We are one and yet we are two. It’s a mystery. Pause and remember who you are. Then open to what is.

October 12^th
Mercury trine Neptune
Truth and beauty are at it again. Are they the same? If they are then solving problems should be easy. What isn’t beautiful is a lie. But what, then, is beauty? Is it a feeling or a vision? Is it the way you look or the way you act? If it is truly in the eye of the beholder then how can we have eyes that see beauty?

 

October 13^th
Mercury enters Scorpio
Venus sextile Pluto
Sun conjunct Saturn
What are the planets? Are they urges, gods and goddesses, complexes in the psyche? As you read this column it’s all about the planets and how they behave on their own and with each other. How is it that these big rocks in the sky reflect our urges and behaviors? Some days I have an answer, other days I don’t. Nevertheless, they continue to confound and amaze me. Perhaps the answer lies in Indra’s Net.

 

October 14^th
Venus opposite Jupiter
Sharing is as much about receiving as giving. Too much in either direction will not make for a happy relationship.

 October 16^th
Mercury sextile Pluto
Let the research be deep. Don’t be afraid to dive all the way down. You may return with the pearl of great price. Or you may be the first to find the bottom turtle!

 

October 17^th
Mercury opposite Jupiter
What will you do with that pearl or turtle? How will you explain it to others? Can these things even be learned or taught?

 

October 21^st
Sun trine Neptune
End Libra on a high note. Lean into the light of your highest aspirations. Not because you will achieve them but for the sake of beauty and idealism which can inspire our best behaviors.  

Foundations of Astrology

Monday Afternoons

Once a month

Bring charts, questions, ideas.

All levels are welcome but we will be focusing on the basic building blocks of astrology:

• Planets

• Signs

• Houses

• aspects

Contact me if you are interested.

Cosmic Mirror Pocket Guide for 2012

Our calendar/guide for 2012 is ready to be read and used! Find it here.