Mercury Direct Today

May 30 9:21pm EDT-----
Thank god THAT is almost over. Oh, I am personally counting the minutes. Never has the energy been so cuckoo. I found myself in a whole host of weird places and positions as Mercury retrograded from Gemini to Taurus and now today it is going to stop and turn direct.

Since May 7th, when Mercury began its backward journey things have gone to hell in a handbasket. And yes, as always we know that the retrograde motion appears to be going backwards (from Earth) but if you actually lived in a nice little Condo on Mercury your planet would not stop spinning and turn the other direction. It just looks like that from our position here...Of course if you lived on Mercury you would not know what anything was doing outside your condo because the average temperature would be 1000 (f) degrees and you would probably be burned up.... so let's forget all about that...

Anyway, since Mercury retrograded -- communication has been wacked. How many things broke in your life in the last three weeks? How many emails did you send to the wrong person? What is going on with your relationships? Have people been freaking out on you? How are all your neighbors? (gemini) and your siblings (gemini)? And how are your resources (taurus)? And your money (taurus) and your properties (taurus)? Well, expect the energy to lighten up as everything unwinds again.

As I indicated somewhere, I intend to throw my keyboard (why does it stick?) and my phone off (why can't it dial?) off a pier---after I set it on fire. I have had this shitty phone for so many years and it actually was kind of expensive and it does not work well --at all-- and it truly sucked during the retrograde---If anyone has suggestions for a good phone please post. I am buying it tomorrow.

Once Mercury turns direct you are free to sign contracts, make big purchases, finally have clarifying conversations with people. YOu can even call the CRAZY people and talk to them.

The next Mercury retrograde will be in September so do all you can this summer that is sensible and then prepare for the crazimaking fireworks again in September.


Carry on, troops!

Neptune Retrograde

May 29--12:30am EDT (28th rest of time zones)

Every year Neptune retrogrades for about five months. We can't get too worked up by the action because lets face it, if it is going backwards for nearly half the year every year--we just are kind of used to it.

Having said that, the actual day of the event might present something for the world to watch. Although, I can't remember right now what went on in the news on that date last year when it turned retrograde BUT what I can say is that the Neptune retros for the last few years have taken place in May and then the Direct dates comes up in late October or November.

Now---ponder this....last year when it retrograded at the end of May (around Memorial Day) and came back up for air November 2...the world was not the same. It was a whole new world by November 2nd.

The Stock Market crashed and burned September/October 2008---the last month of the retrograded neptune. Of course, analysts can tell you now that there were creakin' and crackin' signs during the summer if people were willing to watch. Sure, maybe? But who was looking we were all lost in our neptune retro world... playing the game, "Hey see no evil --feel no evil."

But what might come up for us to look at this summer? One thing I saw in today's news that kind of rocked my little bones was the news that 12 percent of all mortgages are underwater and a large percentage of those mortgages are not subprime. Meaning these were people who took reasonable loans and had good credit...and they are underwater.

I will be interested to see what other things are reported tomorrow on the last friday of the month and the day that Neptune retros.

And where will we be November 4 when it turns direct?

Remember all of this is taking place in the sign Aquarius which is groups and associations. What group do we fall within society? Are we poor? Are we rich? Are we workers? Are we unemployed? Are we working at job that moves our soul? Are we just doing our time and collecting a check because we don't have anything better? Are we volunteers at our kids schools? Why not? Do we wish we could do more work like that? Do we wish we could be more a part of society in a more constructive way?

and drumbeat... are you inspired by community? And if the answer is NO..then why the 'eff not? I'm not saying it to be provocative I am saying it really in a 'Neptune in Aquarius' (last 4 degrees way). Remember it will only be here until 2011.....so we don't have a lot of time to figure this out...

These are some of the things we should be pondering this summer. Perhaps as we figure out why---- whatever world we land upon in Fall when November turns direct will not be as shocking.

perhaps?

Get out of the way----It is here Jupiter/Neptune/chiron

May 27 4:06pm EDT

Jupiter conjuncts Neptune & Chiron 26 degrees Aquarius 28 minutes (18 minutes arc for Chiron but close enough to count)

first let's take a moment and bow our heads to the esoterica....which is when I pull out the Sabian symbols for the degrees. If you don't know much about Sabian symbols go here or go here:

Sabian symbol: An ancient pottery bowl
filled with violets. The keyword is: Tradition. When positive, the
degree is a high realization of values a real gift for using them and when
negative, a loss of self in conventionality and its meaningless
trappings.

And now the notso esoteric----

At first blush when you see the words “Jupiter conjunct Neptune” it seems like another ho hum aspect. But this no prosaic aspect between planets. First of all the last time Jupiter got on top of Neptune was 1997 and that was when they were in Capricorn.

Now they are on top of each other in Aquarius and the last time these two were on top of each other in Aquarius was 1843 so as you can see this is not any ho-hum day or cycle! Jupiter is the planet of expansion, it magnifies everything it touches. It can be racist and philosophical. Neptune is the gassiest planet in the solar system. It is hard to touch it because it can be vague and nebulous. It is the planet that rules cinema, oil, illusions, drugs, hospitals, worlds behind worlds. Jupiter rules religion and Neptune rules spirituality. Crazy religious zealots love this aspect. Curiously, right after they conjunct on the 27th Neptune will turn around and go retrograde on the 29th. And then in June Jupiter will retrograde. These guys will be back and forth over each for months which means we will experience the conjunction all summer long and then in the winter (about a week before Christmas) they will conjunct for the final time. Jupiter is joyful and optimistic Neptune is dreamy and depressed. Expect a summer and fall of BiPolar energy. Up and Down Up and Down. If you you’re yourself experience super highs and super lows in some area of your life you probably can blame Jupiter and Neptune.

If you have not done your chart yet, please go here: http://www.astro.com/ Please draft your chart and then find where 26 Aquarius is located. Whatever that house which contains that degree then expect a roller coaster of ups and downs.

There is one other part to this whole business between Jupiter and Neptune and also neighbor Uranus (in Pisces) that involves Mutual receptivity. I won’t get too bogged down on the explanation but think of it this way--- Jupiter is a landlord and Neptune is in his apartment. Neptune is a landlord and Jupiter is in his office building. Uranus is a landlord and both Jupiter and Neptune are in his wearhouse. The bottom line is they are all like one big Menage---messing with each others. Creepy? Kinda. But more importantly they trust one another and it is adds of a bit of “aren’t we swell?” to all the aspects.


And on the greater landscape they will be doing a job to our economy. Not just the US economy, the world economies will be up everyone’s grill.

I have seen a lot of astrologers write about some of the astrological challenges and curiosities that we are all experiencing at this time but I must say Ray Merriman is a cut above the group. He is one of my favorite astrologers. To me he always has the ring of the real nickel (interesting metaphor for this aspect). In the current issue of Mountain Astrologer (June/July) Ray’s article “The Economy & The cardinal Climax of 2008-2015: Camelot or Financial Armageddon” is spot on. He discusses many aspects we will be experiencing and he writes:

“It is interesting that 1
843 was the year following another Great Depression in the U.S. that lasted from
1835 through 1842. It was set off when President Andrew Jackson abolished
the Second US National Bank, which at the time was the central bank of the U.S.
much like the Federal Reserve Board is today.”

The article points out which many of us have pondered---that cuckoo crazy, shawl wearing Andrew Jackson shut it down and it was not until 70 years later that a central bank peered through the mist again when Woodrow Wilson put ink to a paper and it was law. What happens if that central bank doesn’t make it? Something to think about. Go get the Mountain Astrologer and read Ray’s article. It is a must read for anyone who uses money.

And what about Chiron?

Well, simply said Chiron is the teacher that pushed you and pushed you in school. Remember how much you hated it when you felt the bar raise? But you did it because you had to and in truth you wanted to impress your teacher just a wee bit? Well, that is in the mix with Chiron. Chiron teaches us a lesson but often it is by pointing out when we step on our own johsons (Hey--I'm a gal I don't have a johson") or by just getting in our own way.

Look to the news.. see who is puffed up with Jupiter and in illusion by Neptune. They will teach us all a lesson.

Gemini New Moon----Is up

Gemini New Moon-- May 24 8:11am
3 Gemini 28

In about 5 hours the Moon will be new in the sign Gemini. This is always a fun and lively time of the year. So many possibilities so many fun encounters. A lot of talking. It is like everyday is a cocktail party conversation. And we are all Holly GoLightly. The only problem is that not everything will be as it seems this cycle and we have got Jupiter getting ready to get on top of Neptune this week and coloring this whole 28 cycle. Get ready for some ups and downs. Perhaps it is a good thing it is starting in Gemini, it might not sting as much since Gemini likes things 'light."

You can read my article here:
By the way---some of the problems with logging in and finally been resolved. I think it will be easier to get to my articles now.

In the meantime here is a snippet:

Added to the mix is the fact that Mercury is still retrograde on this lunar cycle so that puts an additional cuckooness to the situation. Stuff you hear just simply might not be accurate. Gossip will be high. Snoopiness is everywhere. When you are talking on your cell phone to someone who you can’t stand you better make sure you really clicked “Off” before you say what you really think. And periodically in certain lunar cycles I have to remind everyone to check their emails. Your brain and hands could be moving so fast (perfectly Gemini) that you could send the wrong email to the wrong person. “What a biatch Diane is!” …whoops, “Sorry Dianne, but you know I meant Biatch in that friendly cool way.” During this cycle, before you send the email, double check everything!


Globally, I expect we will have a flurry of activity during this lunar cycle. Things will be moving fast. Data will be coming to us from all angles. We will laugh about a lot of stuff. Some of it will be true and some of it will be false. Since Venus is getting a tiny bit of a slapping I expect our currencies will take some hits. Perhaps not huge but something will just be ‘off’. There may be some weird alliances this month. Even strange couplings. “Huh, he left his wife for her?” “She left him for that guy?”

Many apologies...

I am sorry I have been MIA for this week.
I promise I will be back tomorrow with some stuff.
Also, I have to work on Gemini New Moon.
This Mercury retrograde has been murder on my schedule and very difficult to get the writing completed. Bear with me.

Saturn in Virgo OPPOSE Uranus in Pisces---what does your daily life look like? ..And why?

Uranus the planet of rebellion and the agent of change has been slogging through Pisces the sign of mysticism, enlightenment and stuff that is woo-woo since 2003. Pisces is also one of the signs that rules religion (it shares with Sagittarius) and crazimaking! Well, I personally have seen enough crazy religious zealotry in the last six years to last ten lifetimes.

Uranus will officially end its trek in Pisces in March of 2011...But and this is a big but (can I say that?) we will get a taste of Uranus in Aries in May of 2010 before it retrogrades back into Pisces.

A move from Pisces into Aries is big and I don't know if two signs could be more different. Part of the reason for this difference is that Pisces is a water sign and Aries is a fire sign. Pisces is a mutable sign and Aries is a cardinal sign. And most importantly, Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and Aries is the first. That is a huge difference.

Ever been in the beginning of a relationship? Ever been in the end of a relationship? Big difference, right? Well, that is going on with Uranus. He began this cycle in 1928 and he is tired.

He is going to hit Aries and he is going to shake up the world like he did between 1928-1934. And if you don't have a cheat sheet, let me remind you that was the time when all those despots rose to power and began the drum beat that took us into World War II. Yikes. Anyway, when Uranus goes into Aries it will bring a lot of upheaval which we will talk about that ad naseum later in the year.

In the meantime, it is really a great time to address ourself to the final months of Uranus in Pisces since we will not experience it again for 84 more years. And unless I am frozen I will not be here to help. So, lets get it right now because once it is gone it is gone.

Uranus likes to bring unusual thoughts to a situation. It likes to mix it up. Of course right now Uranus is in a teeter totter with Saturn in Virgo who is demanding that we dot all our 'i's" and cross all our 'ts'. It is also going through our schedule and asking how we run our daily life. Well, since Uranus is over there with unusual thinking on the other side of the teeter totter I would like to suggest many of you might benefit by some new thoughts.

What do you think about your life? How do you think about your day? How do you think about your boss? Your spouse? Your kids? ---I could go on, but you know what I am asking.

Then, what exactly do you affirm each day? How many times do you say to yourself (and those count, too) "I am so fat". Or, "I wish I was rich, why am I broke?" Or "How come I can never meet anyone?" These thoughts are not helping you. What would your life look like if you affirmed other thoughts like, "I only work for and with people that I like." "I am happy and grateful that we live in a house that we love and easily afford"? You get the idea what I am talking about. This kind of daily thinking and changes is exactly what Uranus in Pisces oppose Saturn in Virgo is asking of many of us.

For those of you who know you need this kind of change and want to get it loaded locked and rolling before Uranus moves into Aries next May and finally in 2011, then I have a suggestion for you. Go check out this movie by Louise Hay. It is based on her successful book "YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE." I watched it recently and I have seen a lot of movies about self awareness and I really think it has a lot of good practical suggestions.

Go for it! Make Uranus in Pisces and Saturn in Virgo work for you!

Saturn in Virgo--Turns Direct May 16, 2009

Saturn has been retrograded since December of 2008 in the sign Virgo. It is part of the reason that we have gone nuts with our schedule. It is the reason why our “TO-DO” list during this whole year has been a pain in the ass. Virgo can go crazy with lists upon lists. And Saturn is the planet that likes to work hard. It is the discipline planet and it is the Dad planet. It is the boss and in the sign Virgo it is the micromanaging boss.

On May 16, 10:06pm --Saturn is going to turn direct and it is finally going to make some real head way in Virgo. It has been going back and forth in the early and mid degrees for about a year and a half driving most of nuts. (Especially Sag and Gemini ---sigh). It has also been partly responsible for all the job losses everyone has been experiencing since last fall. I say partly because Uranus in Pisces which has been opposing it also has a hand in cutting the jobs. But let’s take a minute and talk about it. Saturn in Virgo has been asking people to look at their lives and how they run them.

There are many people who have been on a treadmill for many years not aware of their own families and friends because they can’t spend more than a nano second of time on anything but their work. So, what has happened? People have been reaching out to people in the only way they can in that nano second. They forward an email joke. Or they send a quick Jacquie Lawson card. Sure, a cyber card is sweet or funny but for heaven’s sake that is not the way to run your life?! There is a whole world around you that wants more of you. Your spouse, your children, your friends. Everyone in their soul and psyche is craving more relaxed time with one another. Celebrating the ordinary. Sitting on a back porch with a good friend catching up. Wouldn’t that be nice? Well, Saturn (along with Uranus) is shaking people free from the grind and a lot of people are losing their jobs and re-thinking their lives entirely.

Yes, the lack of income is hurting and I am not under any circumstances minimalizing the situation. But Saturn is going through and cleaning schedules so people can figure out what they want in their life and how they want to spend their time. When Saturn turns direct many people will find themselves selling their houses and seriously consider making changes like a big move not just for a job but for a whole life change. Their daily life will look better. Expect a lot of movement between now and December then the next Saturn Retrograde will take place in the beginning of 2010 but it will be activated in Libra which is a different set of issues than Virgo.

Oh, and for the record, did you learn about the value of thrift during Saturn's retrograde in Virgo? Did you learn that others want your old stuff? Yep, recycle those shirts you don't wear to someone you know. They want them.