When I look for the lightning

The other day I was blathering on to a friend about the things I had done in the last month and he said as flatly as possible, "What I would give to be in your head for just an hour." I know what he is talking about, I just can travel down weird roads so easily. I know how it happens, my Sag Sun and Venus in Aquarius just talk to me in ways that can't be explained. And then throw in the Aries rising and well, I'm off the races.

Anyway, in Los Angeles there is an exhibit called Pacific Standard Time. Which is a huge collection of California Artists' work from 1945-1980. It is happening in dozens of museums and galleries all over Los Angeles basin. I hit a few of them Thanksgiving weekend. Lot of cool stuff, some lame stuff and just a whole bunch of odd stuff. One I really liked I wanted to share with you.

I could only share it now, since the Moon is in Aquarius. Only now would it make sense. By the time the Moon is in Taurus everyone will be thinking, 'what the eff' is this thing?" But now, it is sublime. I present, Lightening by Paul and Marlene Kos. 1976. It is one and half minutes long.

Venus Saturn Mutual Reception

Back on New Moon I had note to remind everyone that Venus and Saturn are in mutual reception. Then I got distracted in that Mercury Retro way and realized I forgot it and said to self, "That's okay I'll put something up this weekend." And of course it was Thanksgiving Weekend and that is just a cluster*** of activity that I barely even got here. Well, today I went looking around at some of my favorite astrologers and lo and behold... There is David Crook at Stellar Insights with his current write up all on the mutual reception of Venus & Saturn.


Here's part of the post, go to the link for the whole piece. Nice write up as always with David Crook.



Monday, November 28, 2011
Venus-Saturn Mutual Reception
Venus is in the sign of Capricorn from Nov. 26 until Dec. 20. All things signified by astrological Venus- love, pleasure, art, beauty, values, currencies, and relationships, are now under the direction of Saturn- lord of Capricorn. As Capricorn seeks status, long-term security, accomplishment, and structure- the tendency now is to establish solid relationships, financial stability, and conservative values that honor a traditional approach.

Saturn's in Venus ruled Libra until Oct. 2012. And Libra the Scales desires social equality, fairness, and to meet others on common ground in peace and harmony. Many imbalances in society and personal relationships are currently under the scrutiny of Saturn's checks and balances. It's a good time to define and redefine our core values and committed relationships. Relatively sound unions can get stronger with work, and those of weakened integrity may end.

Go to link for rest.

Truth has a way....

Last week on New Moon I wrote:

In July, Uranus in Aries got very close to a square with Pluto in Capricorn. The gridlock in Washington spoke to the frustrations as one planet was demanding quick change and another planet was demanding something slow. Revolution versus evolution. Aries takes no hostages and is a warrior on all tasks; Capricorn is cautious and holds on to status quo. They almost squared each other but then they drifted and Uranus went back to the wood shed and whittled. Now on this Sag lunar cycle, Uranus turns direct and begin its journey to a big showdown with Pluto (June and September 2012). Of course, Pluto has been doing his own work in Capricorn and we will feel the tension grow in the coming months. Hypocrites will certainly be exposed more and more. The ramp up begins after December 10th. Personally, consider your life last July, you may be revisiting those underlying issues again in the spring and summer of 2012.

Well, the ramp up is happening early but then I shouldn't be surprised with Sag.



Yesterday a gal came out and talked about her extramarital affair with Herman Cain. Now Cain is apparently rethinking his campaign for presidency.


But far more lame than a politician possibly stepping out on his wife is what came out in Bloomberg Markets Magazine.

First of all you should know that Bloomberg Markets Magazine worked like DOGS using the Freedom of Information act to get to the nitty gritty of what happened in those days before the Stock Market crashed in September of 2008. Along the way, The Fed hit Bloomberg with lawyer after lawyer after lawyer. But they stood their ground and on Sunday they released their findingss. Lordy.

Bloomberg’s fabulous report on the Federal Reserve Bank’s “secret” bailout of U.S. banks is an example of dogged enterprise journalism at its very best. The Fed fought Bloomberg’s Freedom of Information Act requests to get details of its huge loan program all the way to the Supreme Court. But Bloomberg prevailed, and on Sunday night, the news organization published its long-awaited findings, making it abundantly clear just how much the U.S. banking system — and in particular, the six largest banks — benefited from the Fed’s helping hands.

Dogged journalism? This is Sag at its best.

Additionally, from this report we learn a lot of things, including how Hank Paulson who was then Treasury Secretary was supplying insider information to hedge fund big wigs.


Around the conference room table were a dozen or so hedge- fund managers and other Wall Street executives -- at least five of them alumni of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), of which Paulson was chief executive officer and chairman from 1999 to 2006. In addition to Eton Park founder Eric Mindich, they included such boldface names as Lone Pine Capital LLC founder Stephen Mandel, Dinakar Singh of TPG-Axon Capital Management LP and Daniel Och of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC.

After a perfunctory discussion of the market turmoil, the fund manager says, the discussion turned to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Paulson said he had erred by not punishing Bear Stearns shareholders more severely. The secretary, then 62, went on to describe a possible scenario for placing Fannie and Freddie into “conservatorship” -- a government seizure designed to allow the firms to continue operations despite heavy losses in the mortgage markets.

Stock Wipeout
Paulson explained that under this scenario, the common stock of the two government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs, would be effectively wiped out. So too would the various classes of preferred stock, he said.

The fund manager says he was shocked that Paulson would furnish such specific information -- to his mind, leaving little doubt that the Treasury Department would carry out the plan. The managers attending the meeting were thus given a choice opportunity to trade on that information.

There’s no evidence that they did so after the meeting; tracking firm-specific short stock sales isn’t possible using public documents.

And law professors say that Paulson himself broke no law by disclosing what amounted to inside information.

He may not have broken the law....but was it right? Right versus wrong, is a Sag discussion.

Wow. And we're just in Crescent phase, what will the quarter moon look like?

Astrotabletalk - Uranus

Over at AstrotableTalk I saw Dharmauci's post on Uranus. I thought it was a good read and I encourage you to read the whole post. A pretty smart astro fella.

Uranus has slowed right down, ready to change direction in 2 weeks time, beginning a run-in to an exact square to Pluto next June, the first of 7. When an outer planet slows down, its effect intensifies, and it draws to it the next phase of its influence. Uranus brings instability and crisis.

In the summer I wrote a number of pieces called The Crisis Season part 1, 2 etc. I expected the Crisis Season to end for a while, as Uranus and Pluto separated over the autumn, but it hasn’t, it has got more intense. You start running out of superlatives.

We are living in a kind of limbo, a bit like the ‘phoney war’ in Britain at the start of WWII, when not a lot happened for a while, but huge events threatened. None of the major powers were militarily engaging with Germany. And then she invaded France.

So I think we are all waiting for something to happen. And it will probably be disorderly default, brought about by political paralysis, of one or more major European countries.

Chiron in Pisces

Back in April of 2010, Chiron moved into Pisces.


Here's what I wrote back then:


Chiron’s big move

And then there is Chiron. We have spent a lot of the last few years talking about Chiron in Aquarius. To me it was exceptionally difficult because I have Chiron in Aquarius in my natal chart. As we know Chiron is the self inflicted warrior. He steps in the shit and then has to clean it off himself.

While Chiron has been in Aquarius we’ve been working out much energy with our friends and associates and like minded groups. I have found this to be challenging in many ways. Just recently, I saw a friend who I have not seen in a year or so and on her car was a bumper sticker that read “Which are you drinking?” and there was an image of a tea bag and a pitcher of kool aid. Sigh. I found myself leaving my body as I muttered, “Must not say anything, must not say anything.”

Anyway, that energy is going to shift on April 19 when Chiron moves out of Aquarius and into Pisces. * We will move out of groups and more into humanity. I know at first blush we all think that groups and associations are humanity. They aren’t. They are a consolidation people gathering to hatch ideas and percolate as a group. We bond and tell the world ‘Count this group as important!”

But now with Chiron in Pisces the energy goes into group consciousness rather than groups. Ideas transcend individuals. The last time Chiron was in Pisces was between 1960 and 1969. Read those dates. Did the world change much? Can you say JFK? Can you say March on Selma? What about the arts? We went from “The Twist” to “Honky Tonk Woman” We went from “Please Don’t Eat The Daisies” to “The Graduate”. And what about the other stuff, Lee Harvey Oswald? Gulf of Tonkin? The Second Vatican? And of course, D*R*U*G*S .

Chiron will be in Pisces for eight to nine more years. How is our life going to change? I dunno but start preparing for a new energy.
(*note: Chiron later in the year will retrograde back into Aquarius for one more round of group causes but then in 2011 it is back in Pisces for the long haul.)

Anyway, we are now going to have Chiron in Pisces for the next 8-9 years.


I was inspired to find this article after watching the UCDavis video which is in the following post.


I feel inclined to put this up also because the Sag New Moon chart has a square between Sun/Moon with Chiron in Pisces. Besides humanitarian and spiritual issues, Pisces also rules oil, oceans, films, booze, drugs, art and Sag rules righteousness, students, religion, opinions, things that are foreign. There will be sparks.

Walk of Quiet Shame

Last weekend I had limited time to get all my work done including the new moon article so I was a bit in a cave and didn't see much news. Apparently, I missed a compelling story and thanks to my fellow Sag friend Zannalyn for pointing it out to me.

On Saturday 11/19, hundreds of UC Davis students sat in silence in two rows from one of the campus buildings all the way to the car of Chancellor Katehi. The chancellor with the campus chaplain accompanying her had to walk to her car facing silent students. This quiet walk of shame was in response to the pepper spray incident a few day earlier by campus police who had been authorized to remove tents of student protestors.






The day this occured we were in the last quarter of Scorpio Lunar Phase. The moon was in Virgo in trine to Jupiter. The quiet, focus and determined actions speaks to these aspects.

Of course it is evocative of the 1960s on many levels which inspires me to go find an old post. See next one.

Another Week Ahead

The thing about Thanksgiving Weekend is that every day feels like Saturday. Thursday is Saturday, Friday is Saturday, Saturday is Saturday and Sunday...well Sunday is a brick wall. Kind of all just hits then.
Anyway, I say all that to say it is time for another round of "this week's aspects" even though it just feels like I did it.

I've got my antenna on Venus this week. It moves into Cap on Sat which makes us a bit wary of spending money. I'll be curious to see how that impacts this weekend's Christmas shopping. Then it digs in with Uranus which is pretty tough. I got my mind on my money and my money on my mind. If it was a week day I would say the Euro would be in trouble. But on Monday Jupiter is positive with Venus which could help Europe. Note the italics. And then on Thursday a shitty aspect with Pluto. This whole week speaks of things we value. Money, love, creativity....it could be bumpy.

11/26: Venus in Capricorn http://cafeastrology.com/articles/venuscapricorncompatibility.html

11/26: Venus/Uranus . Tough aspect, love versus revolution. Or maybe love of revolution. Change is in the air.

11/27: Venus/Jupiter: Joy of big. Love of things large. Expansion. Optimistic about love and values.

12/1: Venus/Pluto: Any bumps come up will ask you to consider this: What is the natural evolution of your values?

12/2: Sun/Mars: Anger motivates action. Some bumps and scratches

Sag New Moon ---Mother Knows Best

New Moon in Sagittarius
November 25 1:09am EST

Black Friday (something I actually never participate in) will also be Sag New Moon. There is a beautiful aspect with Uranus which will energize us in many ways. In particular, as we ponder our future. Great 28 days of pondering is fantastic. But at the same time we also have some tough aspects. Perhaps we need a few bumps to put us on track about real areas that deserve pondering. Read that twice.

Anyway, you will find the whole article on Margaret Wendt's website. But here is a little snippet.


Did you know the universe has a center? It is called the Galactic Center http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactic_Center and it is a swirling black hole surrounded by bright stars. Astronomers know this is where our universe was born. It is the belly button of the Milky Way and it is located in Sagittarius. And like a mother and child can attest, just because the umbilical cord is cut does not mean that the connection is finished. Astrophysicists know that faint pulses are coming out from the Galactic Center continuously-- the mother is still talking to us.

Sagittarius rules truth, beliefs and is the part of our chart where we raise our arrows up high, zero in on a target, and shoot. Sag is where we want to be our most authentic. It is optimistic and can see every goal as attainable. It is always raising its bar. It is no surprise that the mother would be talking to us from this encouraging sign.

Sag rules travel and freedom, it does not like to be tied down, it needs to get out and sew a few oats. No surprise that a sign that rules truth, travel and beliefs would also rule universities and publishing. Getting the word out, expanding our minds----wherever we have Sag in our chart is where we are stretching. The mother tells us, “You can do it.”

When misbehaving, Sag is too opinionated, bombastic, puts so much emphasis on truth that people get hurt. It can be an adventurer who disconnects from roots so greatly that those back at home are lonely and often feel judged. And Sag’s beliefs can blur into righteous zealotry. By the way, blind optimism without hard work is nothing to be optimistic about. Asking wanderlust Sag to do follow up can be challenging. Think of senior students at universities, all full of themselves, lots of opinions and enthusiasm but will they follow through with those goals? Will they get the job done? Maybe, maybe not. The mother furrows her brow.

So, what does this New Moon in Sag mean? The Moon/Sun are making a beautiful trine with Uranus in Aries. Aries full of fire and energized by new horizons has a fine companion with Sag who says, “Yeah, let me put my goals on those new horizons right now!” Uranus is the planet of changes. During the


go to link for whole article.

And by the way... Happy Thanksgiving!

Mercury Turns Retro This Week

Mercury turns retrograde on Thursday 11/24 at 2:19am EST (21 Sag).

When I wrote up this week aspects, I almost forgot Mercury Retrograde. How retrograde of me!

We average three Mercury Retrogrades a year. However, there is an occasional year when we get a fourth retrograde, which is the case for 2011.

The retrograde goes from November 24 to December 13. First, let's focus on the good news. For those of us living in America, the retrograde begins early in the morning (or late on 11/23) on the 24th which is Thanksgiving. I say this is good news because as often is the case with mercury retrograde, travel plans are usually impacted. Lost ticket, lost confirmation number, weather stalls out planes on tarmacs, lost luggage, can't find a cab at the terminal--blah, blah, blah. You get the picture.

The good news is that the retro is happening on Thanksgiving and often most people are at their holiday destination by Thursday. Of course, traveling plans for the return trip home need to be thought out carefully. Allow a whole bunch of extra time on that trip to the airport, train station or drive home. Make sure there is plenty of gas. Does the GPS navigator work on the car? Can you get it checked now so it will be good to go by the time Mercury is retrograde. Same with tires and windshield wipers, make sure the car is in good shape. And don't forget to pack those snacks.

I'm putting a lot of emphasis on the traveling component to this Mercury retrograde because it is taking place in the sign of Sagittarius. Sag rules travel. And Sag is always enthused to get out there in the world and meet others, he is swift and bold in a lot of his actions but he can stumble on details. He's a big picture sign not a minutia expert. Details will undoubtedly fall through the cracks during the retrograde. Keep your antenna up for those dropped details.

Mr. Big thinker Sag also rules beliefs, philosophy and religious/spiritual pursuits. For the next three weeks, many of us will be really digging in and considering what we believe. Is is really true? Is it true just to us? Can we paint everyone with one big brushstroke? Sag at his best is highly authentic. No pretense just acts and says things that are rooted in thoughtful common sense. When Sag is bad, it is judgemental, and opinionated and holds on to those beliefs so strongly that many get hurt.

Many a Sag parent has said something very disparaging on a political party only later realizing that their adult children are now in that party. Child gets so sick of those big opinions they pull back from Sag parent. Sag doesn't understand, it is just 'conversation' who cares? Well, words can hurt. Watch and see what comes up on this Mercury retrograde that is evocative of that scenario. Will someone say a strong comment and others recoil?

Now having said all that it should also be noted that perhaps many of us have been living our life on the sidelines. Not venturing an opinion for fear it might ruffle feathers, scared to speak even though we have felt a truth for a very long time but have remained mute. These next three weeks can support many to venture from comfort zones and say a truth. Perhaps you have witnessed a "wrong" for a long time and now you realize you cannot remain quiet any longer. Did it occur to you others have been waiting for you to say something? Never has "To be or not to be" been more true.

Note, Sag rules publishing and newspapers and one should take note that rumor and gossip could be at high levels for these three weeks. Watch the rhetoric both personally and globally.

The shadow points of this Mercury Retrograde are:

November 2 Shadow point -Beginning
November 24 Mercury Retrograde
December 23 Mercury turns direct
January 1 Shadow point -End

As we know issues that surfaced after the first shadow point may be revisited during the whole period. Does this mean we put our life on hold and hide under the covers for 2 months? NO!!!! We live our life fully and engaged and if we hit some bump we dust ourselves off and learn from it. For more info on shadow points and how they impact the retrograde go HERE.


Now, here is one thing that you must remember above all with Mercury in Sag---Keep your humor! Mercury in Sag loves to laugh, loves to make fun of self, loves to see the funny in the most darkest times. Find your funny bone and scratch it.

What going on this week?

The final week of the Scorpio lunar phase has some very lovely aspects and a couple of snarky moments.

On Sunday the Sun Squares Neptune, it does this twice a year but given we are all kind of exhausted from the work of this Scorpio phase, the aspect may bring out sadness, fatigued and fuzzy thinking. It also puts emphasis on resources versus groups. "Me versus them", energy personally and globally.

I don't usually talk about the moon aspects, but the Moon square Pluto in the morning of 11/21 may put tension through out the day and perhaps another wave of just kind of gross news. If you feel the tension, keep your rudder in your boat, stay focused on what is important and you will ride through it just fine.


11/22: Sun in Sagittarius: Call them up, wish them happy birthday and email them a gift card to Amazon. That’s all they need this year.

11/22: Venus/Saturn: building upon good. New structures, businesses or practical applications that support our values.

11/23: Sun/Uranus: Creative, dynamic, accent on new paths, new endeavors, new ways to get out there in the world. Philosophy and risks work hand in hand.

11/23: Mars/Pluto: Real work accomplishes real goals. Specific actions can go far in overhauling the executive areas, both personally & globally.

11/24 Mercury retrogrades 20Sag07 2:19am (see next post)

11/24: Yes, Mercury turns retro super early in the morning, then Thanksgiving will start off weird but by the evening it will be a good enough day with Moon in Jovial Sag, "Mom, Aunt Julie is really hitting the cabernet." And it ends with a nice ol' aspect with Venus and Neptune. All is forgiven. "I'll drive Julie home."

New Moon is on Friday which we will be posted later.

Heads up with Venus square Uranus on Saturday. More to come later.

Uranus in December

I will probably be getting the Sag New Moon up sometime in the next few days and I certainly will discuss Uranus turning direct in that report. It has been on my mind of late, one because it is turning direct on my birthday and two, it is just a big effin' deal.

Once Uranus turns direct it is going for the big bitch out with Pluto. We know we are going to get 7 of these bitch sessions between now and 2016, with the first one in June. However, the window for action is really anytime between now and then.

In the meantime, Michael Lutin has put up his own take which of course is smart and clever and always funny. Here's a snippet. Go to the blog for the whole thing.


HANG ON TO YOUR HATS!

Uranus Goes Forward In Early December: The Conflict Escalates!

Hang on to your hats, wigs and eyelashes, you’re going to be having some truly hot flashes. This place is about to blow!

You want to talk turbulence? Somewhere around the ninth of December, the planet Uranus moves forward at the very beginning degree of the sign of Aries. This all started back in spring of 2010, but now comes the big moment. It can be fun, provided you’re not standing too close to the fan.

In astrology Uranus in Aries symbolizes the desperate (and often angry and violent) struggle of the Individual to assert his or her own personal rights, and to demand an accounting on the part of a System under which that person lives. It is the bursting bomb of energy that is released when people believe they are being ignored, mistreated, battered and otherwise stepped on.

This is not just Aries. On some level everybody feels it. People become filled with a zeal to overthrow what they consider to be a corrupt regime They are fed up , so Buddy, watch out. They will spit right in the boss’s eye, walk out on jobs and responsibilities and marriages or any other commitment they see as threatening their honor, integrity or sense of personal liberty.

That would all be lovely and fine. We would all just have to duck when we throw dishes at each other until we all calm down and the storm is over. This time, however, it won’t be.
This planetary event is heralding the escalation of worldwide unrest, mainly due to the formation of a seriously tense configuration with Pluto in the sign of Capricorn.

The result in early December: More open confrontations: The more intense the protests, the harsher the crackdowns, even to a point where not even the police but the military must be brought in to restore order..
Why should this be?

Lynn Hayes--Sandusky

I was so happy to see Lynn Hayes ring in on the Sandusky/Penn State business.

Go check out her blog for the whole article but here is a snippet.



On November 4, 2011 a grand jury indicted Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach at Penn State University, on 40 counts of sexual abuse against young boys. Evidently these assaults or advances had been going on since 1994 despite the knowledge of other officials with the football team.

What is even more shocking is that Sandusky apparently used a charity that he founded (The Second Mile) to find the young boys (aged 11-14) for his misadventures which he is now calling “horseplay.” Sandusky is married and he and his wife adopted six children and fostered many others before founding the charity. I am not a qualified psychologist, but the fact that Sandusky was able to continue this double life for nearly 20 years without detection would seem to suggest some sort of psychological pathology. Let’s see what his chart says:

Jerry Sandusky (born January 26, 1944, time unknown, Washington Pennsylvania) is a double Aquarius: both the Sun and Moon are in that sign of rational thinking and reason. We don’t know his birth time so we can’t tell his ascendant which would tell us more about his personality, but the Sun in Sandusky’s chart is opposed by Pluto (obsession, compulsion and experiences that transform us). In their highest form the stress and challenges of Pluto/Sun aspects empower us and strengthen our will. In individuals who are less self-reflective, this aspect can suggest an individual with deep-seated power issues and compulsions.

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/astrologicalmusings/#ixzz1e1HNPguk

Week Ahead

Disseminating Moon Phase
November 14, 4:06pm EST

Focus on: How are you sharing your emotions to teach others? How does family guide your knowledge? Who feels like family to you and how do they act as philosopher to you? How are you a philosopher in your family or family of choice? Do you need help from someone who has distance from your family?


Special Focus:
11/16:Mars/Jupiter: Big movements, big actions, not a subtle day. Forging bridges to others who are “different” than us.


Last Quarter Moon Phase
November 18, 10:09am

Focus on: What actions can you take that are based on self esteem? How are you able to distinguish between actions based on ego and actions based on Self Esteem? What seeds did you plant on new moon that need your energy from your heart?

Special Focus
11/20: Sun/Neptune: Resources versus Groups. Me versus them energy personally and globally

How is that Halloween Candy?

Are you like me, do you have a sweet tooth? Is the last thing you want around your house is that big bag of candy that your kid pulled together trick or treating?
You don't want it. You don't want him/her to have it. It just needs a new home.

Let me tell you who does want it and will enjoy every piece. Soldiers over seas.

If you are not familiar with Operation Shoebox. Take a look HERE.

My son's school is gathering all the candy and mailing it to Operation Shoebox. You may want to do the same.

My moon in cancer needs that candy out of this house and on its way to a soldier in Iraq!



Operation Shoebox
8360 E Highway 25
Belleview, FL 34420

11:11:11

What a funny little day, wasn't it?

I ended up with a nice brief meditation today. Lit a candle and then went out and had my day. Nice long visit with a friend who spent the morning in yoga workshop. My friend told me that the yogis said to be prepared, to stay grounded because now the crazies, the enlightened and the dead will be more pronounced than ever. Not dead as in dead men walking around. But 'dead' as the people not engaged in life.

I can definitely see how this is in effect.

I will say I felt light travel through my body today. Outside of that, it was a simply nice day with friends.

I hope it was all good in your hood.

In honor of a Full Moon

We know the full moon pulls on tides and even though the Moon is in Taurus which is an earth sign. The Sun is still in watery Scorpio and with that in mind I offer you this video of a surfer and a 90 foot wave.

Can you surf the power waves of emotions this cycle? Pretend you are Hawaiian and keep your poise. You can do it.

Of Money, Sex, Power, Corruption

The news of the last three days is almost too much to report. But man, it is all what we discussed back on the Scorpio New Moon. Money, Sex, power, abuse, releasing, sure, we all get Scorpio but wow, I dunno, even I am gobsmacked.


The story out of Penn State this week is pretty gross. An assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky has been arrested for allegedly sexual molesting young boys for at least ten years. The assistant coach was a powerhouse at his job which supported the head coach Joe Paterno into a very successful football team. When it was determined that the coach had heard of an incident with a minor and did not tell police instead went to the school leaders to deal with the situation, Peterno's moral compass was put on in the cross hairs. Last night, his 61 year career ended with a phone call. Resulting in a mini riot of angry college students.

Yesterday, Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who has plenty of his own sexual scandals has announced he will resign. People have called for him to resign before but because he is not only the Prime Minister but also THE media mogul for Italy, his opponents have not had much of a playing field to get their message out given he controls the messages. But the message of a cratering Italy economy could not be staved and the fact that the country is about one minute from going bankrupt has pushed him out.

Yesterday, our own stock market tumbled 500 points.


In the meantime, on Sunday the Greek Prime Minister Popandreau announced he would step down and yesterday the ruling parties named an economist to oversee their government until someone new can be elected.

Then there was director Brett Ratner who clearly has a "take no hostages" approach when talking with the public could not control himself and used a gay slur in describing people who rehearse. Besides the obvious that many gifted actors feel rehearsal benefit their craft,(perhaps Ratner should have a little sit down with Mr. DeNiro) Ratner got push back from the Academy Awards and bingo he resigned as Producer for 2012's Oscars. I didn't even know he was slated to produce them which says more about me than him (and I live not too far from the academy). I do think is is interesting that Gil Cates who produced the Oscars for years and years died suddenly two weeks ago (he was not producing this year) and two days ago legendary Oscar writer, Hal Kanter died.

We know that Scorpio is about sex, power, money and their corruption. So, we can't be shocked. But still it is a lot to follow in 72 hours.


Alsp all of this is going on as we bear down on today's full moon and can any of us really be surprised? Over the weekend before any of this happened I wrote:



Of course, the Sun in Scorpio continues to push us to jettison stuff that is no longer working and we should expect that the full moon will illuminate more things that need to be dumped. There is a snarky aspect between the Sun and Pluto which will bring out egos but the knife is sharp in Scorpio and Pluto is cold so we will be making cuts. Both personally and globally. Expect some hubris in the news and cold business practices to get everyone’s attention.

Virgo Magic:

I already posted my own post on Full Moon which you can read a few posts below. But also take a look at this take on Full Moon from Virgo Magic.

Go to link for full article.

If your feelings have been on a rollercoaster ride from the highest highs to the lowest lows and everywhere in-between, then you are attuned to the cosmic story of now. We’re approaching a particularly potent Full Moon, exact on Thursday (12:16pm PST), when the rising tide of emotions will peak.

The Full Moon in Taurus amplifies our feelings about security, survival, resources, money, values and needs. As the Moon opposes the Scorpio Sun, the Taurus-Scorpio polarity is also animated — self-reliance vs. merging; holding on vs. letting go; attachment to what’s familiar and comfortable vs. opening to increased passion and vitality.

Coinciding with this Full Moon are the stations of Neptune and Chiron, as they both turn from Retrograde to forward motion. Neptune, god/goddess of the ocean, rules consciousness, Source, the infinite, the All That Is. Chiron the Wounded Healer triggers our deepest pain, and in Pisces the Fish — the sign associated with Neptune — we encounter the pain of separation from Source, a kind of existential crisis.

Lynn Hayes: Chiron & Neptune

Have you been over to Lynn Hayes' sight lately?


She has a really nice little write up worth you checking out. Here's a snippet, go this link for the whole piece.

Neptune and Chiron both change direction in a few days after traveling retrograde since earlier this year, which means their (apparent) motion has slowed to a virtual standstill as they prepare to move forward again. These two have been tied together since early in 2009, and although the exact conjunction was complete in 2010, since then the two have been within three degrees of each other. When the Soul Healer (Chiron) and the Soul Teacher (Neptune) get together, you know there is some serious internal work to be done and we are likely to find that to be true over the next week or so when both planets change their apparent direction (planets don’t really move backwards, but because we observe the movement of the planets from earth they sometimes appear to change direction).Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/astrologicalmusings/#ixzz1dDaDMS8O

Of AnitaHill, Virginia Thomas, Clarence & Herman

This whole sexual harrassment business with Herman Cain has brought out his defenders. Even Cain has indicated it reminds him of the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings from 20 years ago. What I think is curious is that a year ago, we revisited those volatile days when Judge Thomas went through the rigors of supreme court nomination process. On October 9, 2010, Virginia Thomas called Anita Hill's office at Brandeis University and asked her for an apology.

And now here we are 13 months later and we are revisiting the topic again.

I indicated in the Scorpio New Moon article that the asteroid Juno was conjuncting the Sun/Moon and influencing this cycle. Juno is the lead female asteroid in astrology, the wife of Jove she took a lot of stuff but she is also very protective and has a legendary temper.

During the original hearings in '91 Juno was conjunct Uranus and Neptune in Capricorn. And if you watched those hearings it was all Capricorn. There was also a shocking element that these conversations were even going on for a Supreme Court Justice. Uranus in Capricorn was breaking down perceptions of government. And of course the smoke and mirrors planet Neptune was in the mix, which we learned 10 years later when David Brock in his book, Blinded by the Right spoke of how he deliberately lied to discredit Anita Hill 1990's.

Last year when Virginia Thomas wanted her apology, Juno was in Leo. Her, "Isn't it time" tone spoke of Leo pride.

And now, with Juno in Scorpio we see Mr. Cain trying to dismiss this whole thing like a cop moving people away from a car wreck. "Nothing to see here. Keep it moving." Perhaps that will work. I will be curious to see if Cain's wife who is normally relunctant to participate in his political goings on will show up now.

All very curious.

Taurus Full Moon: November 10

November 10, 3:16pm est

The Full Moon in Taurus puts us all on notice, to get our ‘practical on’. We will be looking for the practical application to any situation. Certainly problems need to be handled from a real nuts and bolts position. But perhaps there are things in our life that we have not characterized as an issue but on this full moon it just does not feel right. It is not necessarily wrong but we will look at it with big, old, ‘grounded’ sensibility. “Hmm, is this worth my time?,” “Is this worth my money?” or “What does this actually cost me?” What are we getting out of situations? Or if we have got a little something going on that is starting to grow, how can we focus on it and help it further? This is one of THE full moons to get your money together. Where do you spend money? Where do you not spend money? And more to the point, “Why or why not?” Is this the best choice? Or who do you spend your time with? Do you share the same values? If that is working for you –great. If not, what changes can you make? Also where do you need stick-to-it-ness? Taurus will ground you.

Of course, the Sun in Scorpio continues to push us to jettison stuff that is no longer working and we should expect that the full moon will illuminate more things that need to be dumped. There is a snarky aspect between the Sun and Pluto which will bring out egos but the knife is sharp in Scorpio and Pluto is cold so we will be making cuts. Both personally and globally. Expect some hubris in the news and cold business practices to get everyone’s attention.
Interestingly there is a mystical cloud around the full moon because a few hours before the full moon, Neptune turns direct. Neptune spends half the year in retrograde and when it turns direct a tiny piece of the veil lifts. In this case, at late degree Aquarius we are once again figuring out who is our group. What tribe do we belong? Are we truly valuing the people that surround us? What is our future together? Does it have legs? Are we looking for something more that speaks to our long term goals and future even if we don’t know them exactly? Remember Neptune knows things without knowing why it knows things. You may do things that you don’t know why you do them, but if it feels practical and right and you should trust those feelings. It could serve you much later.
Be gentle with yourself.

Neptune Turns Direct

Neptune will be turning direct this cycle on November 9 at 29 degrees of Aquarius. For the last five months our insights and sensitive nature have been on high alert. Like a radar beacon, we have been feeling beeps and pulses from our higher source. Guiding us, leading us, perhaps scolding us. We have been feeling something.

Once it crossed back into Aquarius (summer) for the final time we have been doubling down with our groups, social circles, internet, computers and like minded individuals. No surprise to any astrologer that the tea party emerged during Neptune in Aquarius and no surprise now on the final months of Neptune in Aquarius, Occupy Wall Street has arrived.

But, what will happen to both groups after Neptune moves out of Aquarius the sign of social causes and moves into Pisces in Feb 2012 and will stay there until 2026. That is a long time of Pisces and here's the kicker, Neptune rules Pisces so he is very comfortable in his home sign. Pisces is the sign of humanitarian causes. One could say that social causes are humanitarian causes but you have to look closely. Aquarius is very intellectual and the theory of causes can motivate. But once Neptune moves into Pisces our psyches will shift and we'll really need to put the human back in humanitarian. Faces will be put to stories and we'll want to help the face, not the cause.

Pisces is also the sign of music, art, spiritual, mystical and delusional. The last time Neptune was here was in the late 1840’s, spiritual movements began to shape up. The Mormon church which was started earlier began to spread during Neptune's time in Pisces and it was then Brigham Young was made Governor of Utah Terroitory. Students in art institutions in Paris were finding their way, by the time Neptune would move into Aries those art students would turn into Monet, Renoir, Gaugin and the other greats of the Impressionist movement. What seeds will be planted during this passage of Neptune? What art group will begin to shape togehter? Will the delusional take leadership roles? Will we let them? Will reasonable people begin wearing tin foil hats? Or will our psychic abilities go up the nth degree? Will Gold be discovered again like it was in 1848? Who knows, but between now and February 2 we will work out the final actions of Neptune in Aquarius. It is interesting that Steve Jobs would die in these final degrees of Neptune in Aquarius. Is there anything more Aquarius than Apple?

Week Ahead

11/6: Moon moves into Aries and gets into it with Uranus then Pluto. If your mood starts to go hunting for a fight instead, try to focus on new breakthroughs and new horizons.

11/7: Mars/Neptune: Actions come from a deep place. Perhaps spiritual perhaps some unprocessed part of the unconscious.

11/9: Neptune turns direct (see other post)

11/10: Full Moon (see other post)

11/10: Mars in Virgo : http://astrology.about.com/od/mars/p/MarsVirgo.htm

Warren Zevon & Pluto & Uranus

I have spoken a lot about Pluto in Capricorn and the upcoming Uranus in Aries/Pluto square we are beginning to process. As my mind goes to the energy I know we will have a lot of breakthroughs that will later serve but before we get to the good we are going to have a tumultuous time. And I have to say I can't help but think of Warren Zevon. In particular one of his songs. Zevon was an Aquarius and as a tribe they are smart as whip. But I don't think he would have guessed how prescient his song would be for our current time. I just wish he were still alive because if he was, the evening news could end each night with a livee performance by him of "Lawyers, Guns and Money."


In his earthy absence, I offer you this for your enjoyment.

MF Global

Let's assume you are super busy and barely have time for anything that is not on your to do list. And in that climate you certainly don't have time to follow lead stories about financial institutions. Sure, totally get it. I feel the same.

Well, with that in mind, let me just give you a couple highlights from Reuters about MF Global and what happened to them this week:

Jon Corzine resignation follows Monday bankruptcy filing

* Corzine hires prominent white-collar defense lawyer

* Conflicting reports about missing customer funds

* JPMorgan says doesn't know if it holds missing money


Any of that look good for the people with investments in this fund?
Nope. And no one can seem to find 600 million which appears to be misplaced.

As indicated this Scorpio Lunar cycle would have a lot of emphasis on money and in particular co-mingled funds. I gotta say, Jupiter's opposition on the cycle does bring out truth, big truth, maybe they'll find the funds but still it all a mess.

And just for your score cards, Jon Corzine the former governor of NJ and the head of MF Global is a Capricorn with Moon in Aries. Pluto is beginning the slow build towards his sun which means he'll be in the weeds for awhile.

Hermain Cain

Herman Cain. Seriously, what is there to say? Except---- Sagittarius.

We don't know his time of birth, but he most likely has Moon in Aries. Really? Yah, think? And his Mercury is in Sag, which explains his casual, relax speaking that draws large crowds even when some of the stuff does not exactly make sense. To his fans it all makes sense, as in:

I’m ready for the 'gotcha' questions and they’re already starting to come. And when they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan I’m going to say, you know, I don't know. Do you know? And then I’m going to say how’s that going to create one job?"

Oh, lord, where to begin? Don't bother, it's Sag, baby! And then there is the issue of late, the women and the inappropriate things that were apparently said which speaks to his Venus in Sag. Venus in that position likes to get out there and mingle (that is a word for it) and maybe they were said in jest. But given the lawsuits, those are some pretty expensive jokes.

But here is the part that I find most interesting about the whole last ten days since the stories have come out about the sexual harassment. Cain's numbers have not fallen, they have gone up and he raised more money this week, about half million dollars on Monday alone, than he raised in any other time during the campaign.

Bottom line is that Sag confidence, Aries independence and Sag mouthiness is very appealing to Independents and probably Libertarians. Those groups also respond well to Aquarius energy. And then maybe there are some Geminis who just like to keep the circus going who are paypaling camp Cain.

Where will this all go? I dunno. But he certainly has a lot of Sag luck on his side. Will it be enough?

Ray Grasse & Scorpio

I have had a subscription to Mountain Astrologer for years and one of their frequent contributors is the gifted astrologer Ray Grasse. I was reading an article by him about the Uranus/Pluto square (2012-2016) which then led me to his website. He has a bunch of articles worth checking out on his site.

I saw one article in particular that I wanted to share with you since it is so perfect right now. The Challenge of Scorpio: Anger, Power, Transformation. It was originally published in 1999 by Mountain Astrologer and the link goes to their website.

I have a snippet of the article but please go to the link for the full piece. Remember if you have any planets in Scorpio you will see yourself in Ray's article. And if you don't have any planets, then read this article with the house that contains Scorpio in mind. It is a very thorough piece and I think you will find it very illuminating.

*note to self: set up appointment with Ray to do chart before birthday. At $150--great deal!



At its most constructive, Scorpio possesses the discipline and investigative single-mindedness to explore the inner planes and manipulate the inner forces that it understands so well. Esoterically, Scorpio is the zodiacal principle associated with the magical will (especially when Leo accompanies Scorpio in the horoscope). It is the energy of mystics, occultism, and magic. Those with strong Scorpios have an incredible will and can move mountains when they put their mind - or, more precisely, emotions - to the task. In some older astrology texts one finds the seemingly odd notion that among the various symbols associated with Scorpio in ancient times was the camel. This was because of its ability to travel across the deserts (the desert of life) for long stretches of time sustained solely by the water contained within it - a pithy illustration of the principle of "fixed water" and the great tenacity and drive that accompany Scorpio's ability to contain emotional energy.

Scorpio's capacity for penetrating beneath surface appearances is what gives it the detective-like ability to investigate any mystery, unlock any truth. Leaving no stone unturned, Scorpionic probing can pierce to the heart of any matter and unveil that which has been concealed - whether this be a metaphysical enigma, a buried archaeological treasure, or a politician's dirty laundry!

At its most destructive, however, this same compressed Martian energy can turn back on itself in a destructive way. Thus we have the symbol of the scorpion stinging itself with its own tail, making it the only zodiacal animal that can actually kill itself. Here, the Martian force festers, becomes infected, and picks at its own wounds so compulsively that they never heal.(1) Nor is it simply anger that becomes problematic with the Scorpionic process; any emotion or thought, when compressed or repressed, assumes added power at a subterranean level that can sooner or later erupt into consciousness. Those of us who have played the game of trying not to think of something - be it a white elephant, a monkey, or any other nonsensical item - know only too well the power of repression and compression. The mere fact of holding in too much - whether it be childhood-based traumas, sexual energy, or any carefully concealed fact about one's life- can take a serious toll on one's mental or physical well-being. As one popular saying expresses it: "You are only as healthy as the secrets you keep."

Next Week's Visitor

Guess who is coming home for dinner next week?

Asteroid 2005 YURR.

He actually will be closer to us than the moon. No kidding.

Your Astro DNA

I found this article on Elizabeth Spring's site that I thought would be excellent food for thought during this Scorpio Lunar Cycle. How does your family's chart all tie together? Have you thought about it? My own family has a proponderence of Aries and Cancer. My son has a north node in the same house as my own. My husband's mother has a strongly placed pluto as does my son. My mother, grandmother and I all have a similiar Uranus placement. What is this karma or dharma that we are all working through for over one hundred years?

Even if we believe that our soul “picks” our family and our karmic inheritance so that we can inherit both the gifts and the challenges needed for our highest soul growth, it’s still hard to understand. Essentially the soul’s choice of when and where to incarnate is a mystery. Yet astrologers believe that the synchronistic moment of birth is the key element in the life story, because it gives us a genetic, or karmic blueprint of the soul; a map of the psyche. By looking at our family members charts, we can decipher emotional patterns that have been playing out for generations. All that we’ve learned so far about the Nodes and the planet Pluto, figures strongly in this tale.



Elizabeth's article is a very thoughtful, she ties in interesting astro elements. Give yourself a treat and give it a full read.

14 Degrees of Sag and the Great Attractor

Over at David Crook's site, Stellar Insights Astrology, David has a nice write up about the North Node starting to line up with 14 Sag. it is all tantalizing for this Sag. Although, my Sun at 18 Sag may be too far out of the range.



Here's a little tidbit but please go to the link to read his whole piece.

As the Moon's North or Ascending Node pertains to manifest destiny both personally and collectively, while the Great Attractor is a higher source of energy and information- we would think this contact is meaningful to the spirit of our times (Zeitgeist).

My understanding is that the Great Attractor is located around 14 Sagittarius, and the transiting Node does not reach that degree until late Dec. 2011. So this powerful alignment may actually be in effect through the end of the year.

The Sabian symbol for 14 Sagittarius, "A vast panorama of sand and time is unfolding; the pyramids and sphinx in their glory rise before the eye." (Lynda Hill)