The next six weeks----Eclipses, Retrogrades, Weird times ahead.

What is going on?

It is probably due to my Sagittarian Sun in the 9^th house, but I love maps.   I love all kinds of maps.   Road maps that guide me on a wonderful vacation.   Historical maps of cities that show how a dairy farm in the 1700’s is now twenty square blocks on the eastside of Manhattan.      I even like maps of towns that I have never visited.   I just like looking at maps.     Now when it comes to astrology, I liken transit reports as road maps.    “Saturn on natal Mars”  --better prepare to produce or perish.   Jupiter square Moon---“oh, here comes mom!  Better get out of her way now!”    

And of course when I generate my New Moon reports everyone probably can see or feel my map tendencies.   

So, with all that said, I have to admit I am a bit concerned about the next six weeks.    We have a series of astrological events in front of us but I’m not sure exactly how to map them.     Of course, how these aspects influence us personally depends on our natal chart and where these aspects are occurring. I certainly understand the influences in that context.    But I like to look out on the larger landscapes.  Not just you and me but all of us.   And that is where I am bit fuzzy as they do look troublesome but they might not be as difficult as they appear?   ah, fuzziness.... .    

Here’s what I can tell you.       

May 15 10:33am EDT   Venus retrograde    

We discussed this briefly (Aries and Taurus New Moon) when I indicated the shadow point was on April 11.   Just to remind you, the shadow point on 4/11 was when Venus crossed over 7 degrees Gemini.  Since then she has continued on her merry way until May 15^th when she will retrograde back from 24 degrees Gemini.   She will then go backwards until she gets all the way back to 7 degrees Gemini on June 27 and then on that date she straightens out and flies right again.  She will then cross that 24 degree point of Gemini  on July 31 and finally leave Gemini on August 7.   That is a whole lot of Venus in Gemini.  Lots of energy on connections, people, sharing novelties, gossip and a ton of little lies—it is a very mental time and not a heart driven period.   Communication issues will probably be paramount.     

Venus rules things that we value and it why it is associated with money and love since those are big time valuables.     What does it mean for the planet of money to turn retrograde in the middle of a big ass slow moving recession?  Well, the last time Venus retrograded was in the fall of 2010 and in fact the 2010 elections in the US were right smack in the middle of it.   Ask yourself how many people went to the polls and voted for people who they thought had the same values as them.   And how are those choices working out now?  

And what about money and or banking?   I don’t feel an overwhelming sense of confidence with Venus Retrograding in Gemini.  The dual nature of Gemini can be both half empty and half-filled glasses.  And getting people so caught up in the micro they can’t see the macro.   Not sure I’m a fan of that energy in our given our current economy.    Short term?  Long Term?  There will be a lot of discussions from both perspectives.    What I do think is fascinating and part of the reason I did this write up is that I just learned that Facebook is going to launch their IPO on May 14^th.   The day before the retrograde.      It is a perfect fit—sharing bits of data with people, making connections, finding like-mindedness even if fleeting—all perfectly Gemini.   But whatever that IPO comes in at and they are saying somewhere between $25 and $35 dollars a share, it may be ‘off’  and more will be revealed after Venus turns direct at the end of June  or even after it leaves Gemini in August.      Will people race to buy it?    Will speculators be on target or off?  I don’t know, probably a glance at Mark Zuckerberg’s chart would be helpful.    Note to self, look at MZ’s chart. 

Anyway, it is important to say that Venus retrogrades every 18 months so that alone is not a big deal but with this particular year where we also have Venus Transit the Sun in June.   Which I will lay out in a moment and all these other aspects, my sense is that this will be one of the biggest Venus retrogrades in many, many years. 

I also wonder if we are ripe for solar flares and possible communication disruptions this whole six week period.    Just thinking out loud. 

For a bit more on Venus Transit this year go check out mountain astrologer’s website blog.

     http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/venus-transit-the-message-is-love

May 20, the Solar Eclipse.  

A few days after Venus retrograde in Gemini we get a big fat solar eclipse at Zero Gemini.   Solar eclipses are juiced up New Moons and I will generate a report on this New Moon later in the month.  But again, as we focus on the road map, this is an auspicious Eclipse.   Right smack in the middle of the Venus retrograde, about two weeks out from Venus transit sun.    And during our build up to the first hit between Uranus and Pluto, I gotta say our brains are going to be on full alert.   Picking up all kinds of signals.    Some of it might be accurate but not the whole picture.    

Like the old blind men who are surrounding and touching an elephant, one man has the trunk, the other has a leg, the other feels the waist and the final one feels the tail.  They all have personal truths but none of them know it makes up a whole elephant.     On this solar eclipse we will be getting a lot of personal ‘truths’ but what does it all mean?  Also since this is the Solar eclipse which puts the emphasis on the south node, people may be deliberately obtuse or conveniently looking away from bigger truths.       

This solar eclipse will start in Asia and be seen partly in western United States.  From Wikipedia:

The annular phase will be visible from the Chinese coast, the south of Japan, and the western part of the United States and Canada. Guangzhou, Tokyo and Albuquerque will be on the central path. Its maximum will occur in the North Pacific, south of the Aleutian islands for 5 min and 46.3 s, and finish in the western United States.

It will be the first central eclipse of the 21st century in the continental USA, and also the first annular eclipse there since the solar eclipse of May 10, 1994 which was also the previous eclipse of this series Solar Saros 128.

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For more on Solar Eclipse and Venus, take a look at this wonderful link by Maya Del Mar.

http://www.daykeeperjournal.com/2012/05/venus-retrograde-solar-eclipse/

June 4—Lunar Eclipse

So everything we learned on May 20^th at the Gemini Solar Eclipse will be revisited now with the Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius.   How are things processing?  How is our brain and data working?  What truth are we willing to now stand behind?  Are we hiding in the back of the classroom or are we standing up for our beliefs?       Are we getting hot and bothered or are wehappy to be out of the fray?    How do either positions serve or hurt us?    No one is immune to these eclipses and the fact that the lunar eclipse is quickly followed by the Venus Sun transits is auspicious.    My ‘bump days ahead’ inner bells are going off.    And god knows both personally and globally we will be asking, “Is the emperor wearing clothes or not?” 

June 5 – June 6 Venus Transit Sun

Okay, so how does this work?    From Nasa:

Transits of Venus across the disk of the Sun are among the rarest of planetary alignments. Indeed, only six such events have occurred since the invention of the telescope (1631, 1639, 1761, 1769, 1874 and 1882). The next two transits of Venus will occur on 2004 June 08 and 2012 June 06.

The next time these two get together is in 120 years!

This event will get a lot of news coverage.   Unless something else is going on which sucks up all the oxygen (not impossible) but basically do you think Venus and Sun in Gemini are trying to get our attention?   We will be giving a lot of thought to what we value.  That cannot be overstated.    As of this date (5/4) we are deep in the Taurus lunar cycle where we are supposed to be focused on our values and resources.   We will get the Venus retrograde in this cycle.  Then our Gemini Lunar New Moon kicks off a whole of lot of data processing.   Our brains go into overdrive and just when we think we can’t take anymore we have this aspect which will not be repeated for 120 years.    Do you think our attention is focused on our values for a purpose?    I do as well.   

Those of us in the United States will see Venus in front of the Sun in the early evening.   Do not do this without proper eye gear btw!!

Go over here to DarkStarAstrology for an interesting take on Venus’s influence. 

http://darkstarastrology.com/transit-of-venus-2012/

June 11^th Jupiter enters Gemini

Jupiter spends about a year in a sign and for the last year he has been in Taurus.  What little recovery we have been experiencing is partly beause of Jupiter in Taurus.    Taurus who is connected to currency and banks and real estate and properties and resources in general has enjoyed the abundant nature of Jupiter.    At the very least a protective element of Jupiter is at play.   But when he moves out of Taurus and goes into Gemini the sign of communication and data---well,  prepare to be overwhelmed with news.  All kinds of news.    Legitimate news agencies but also the rags--Rupert Murdoch will be all over this placement.     We will be overwhelmed with data.   Going back to Facebook back on May 14, this placement of Jupiter could help them.   I know, I know, most people are wondering, “Do they need help?”    I dunno---maybe.   Is this one of those naked emperor situations?    I do believe Blogs and Social Networking will be SOOO in the news.    Take Arab Spring and times it by hundred---that’s what we can expect with Jupiter in Gemini in the 21^st century.     

But more important to me is the vacuum that is left when Jupiter leaves Taurus.  If indeed he has been providing any protection towards worldwide currencies or real estate—what happens when he lives?  I for one have been wondering about all those toxic assets that banks own and how they do not want to do the write downs.    Which means writing down the value of real estate, taking a loss and re-doing mortgages for those people holding the bags.   This is a big magillah and I gotta say I think the party might be over for the ‘let’s pretend it away’ crowd. 

 

June 24 Uranus square Pluto

We are all up to speed on this tough ass aspect.    We got close to an exact aspect last summer (1 degree off) and had almost complete gridlock in Washington DC.     We have been building towards this aspect all year.  It is the thing we smell that feels ‘off’.    Uranus demands revolution and Pluto demands evolution.    And they both want to call the shots—control monsters that they are.      Uranus in Aries wants new ground, new ways of doing things, breaking ground,  loves new technology and just revolting against everything and starting fresh.   (see earlier note about solar flares cough, cough).   Pluto in Capricorn wants a new way of doing business.    In fact just like Uranus in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn knows that the old way of doing things is no longer working but it can’t make the changes fast enough.  It gets scared and tries to hold on to the status quo.     But push will come to shove during this Uranus Pluto period until 2017.   Round two of this aspect happens in September.    We’ll know more about round two after round one reveals itself.     

June 25 Saturn turns direct

And then there is Saturn in Libra who has been kicking our asses about all our relationships.  We have been in this cycle for about two years and no one is spared.    What do we feel about our partners, what do we feel about our relationships, how are we valued, how do we values others.  It is all on the table.  The final retrograde of Saturn in Libra started  February 7 and since that time we have really been pushed.  We should feel more comfort with our assessments after June 25 and before October 5 when Saturn moves into Scorpio---and then btw is when we really double down in our money and assets and investments.

June 26  Mercury crosses shadow point

In July Mercury will go retrograde.  This the shadow point.  Blech.

June 27  Venus turns direct

And now we have Venus turning direct.    What will she have revealed to us between May 15^th and now?  I don’t know but my overall sense is that we will be relieved that she is flying straight.

So, as you can see that is whole lot of shaking and moving.   My gut says that we need to brace for a rough landing.     I don’t like to be negative and in truth, I am positive there is a silver lining in there but truly it is going to be bumpy.

Scorpio New Moon

16 Scorpio 01

Saturday May 5

11:35pm EDT

The Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio speak of resources.   Taurus is the resources that are in your home and your property and your safe deposit box.    With Scorpio the resources are outside your house.  They are the resources such as the bank that loans you money to buy your house or the insurance company  that protects your house.    Additionally, Taurus which loves to be practical and hold on to status quo is the fat couch you are sitting on.   Scorpio likes to co-mingle and mix it all up, he is the person whom you have sex with on the fat couch.   The energies are similar but at the same time different. 

On this Full Moon we find a little extra pull towards the Sun.  Jupiter the biggest planet in the solar system is in conjunction with the Sun.    So, imagine a teeter totter with the Sun on one side and the moon on the other and now imagine a big o’ sumo wrestler joining the sun.    Can you see the weight shifting?    Yep.  Jupiter will be pushing the conversation towards Taurus issues.   Money, resources, properties and values. 

During the three day full moon you will be doubling down in about things you own.   Why do you own it?  Is it costing you more than it is worth?   What else is costing you more than it is worth?   At the same time, Scorpio which on an organic level is concerned about power will be keen on asking you---how do you waste  your power chasing things?     Do you own it or does it own you?    How else do you give away your  power because you are so invested in maintaining the status quo?   And how is being lazy keeping you away from your power?

 Given the full moon also has a Trine between Pluto and the Sun, if you are ready to ditch some stuff, you will not find it too painful.    Also, Saturn trine Venus (ruler of Taurus) which also sends home the message, “Less is more”.    

Mercury in late Aries in opposition to Saturn in Libra continues to send our brains to balance out all relationships. 

And remember Scorpio is about empowerment but how can you be empowered if you are busy chasing paychecks to pay for things that maybe no longer serve you?   

Use this full moon to re-evaluate what is important to you and to ditch the rest.

Oh and  Happy Cinco de Mayo!   Ole’

TMA: A Personal Taurus Report

Over at Mountain Astrologer is a thoughtful piece on Taurus written by Kate Plumb.  I enjoyed the read and thought you might like it as well.   You can find the whole piece HERE.   


As a practicing astrologer, I am always struck by how much I learn from my clients. Last week, after a reading, a client told me how much I blew her mind by explaining the importance of her rising sign, instead of only her Sun sign, which she had been trying to fit herself into. This started my thinking about my own rising sign, 29° Taurus, especially now that we are in the Taurus New Moon, and Jupiter has been there for the last year with Venus still so beautifully bright in the evening sky. I have always known I was Taurus rising (my North Node is there, too), but the quality of my expression has changed significantly over the years.

Food has always been important to me; taking in substance seemed comforting. I went so far that, at age 13, I became bulimic, which lasted for 20 years. This dysfunction permanently sensitized my throat and, later, caused the loss of some teeth, because the enamel eroded from the stomach acids in the mouth. In high school, I sang in an award-winning choir and spent two years, once a week, telling a doctor what I ate and why (she would fall asleep). Although I was not much of a shopper, when I did purchase something, it was a handbag or purse of some sort, or a pretty box to put things in. I liked containers — places in which to hold something else. In my 30’s, I was attracted to a Taurus man who stayed in my life for 25 years. He could be described as a true “couch potato.” I marveled at his ability to lay on the sofa, watch TV, and “do nothing” for long periods of time. He worked one day a week and seemed so completely satisfied. Of course, he was a good cook and we ate well and often.

The week ahead!

Hey--How has the money talk been for the last week?   Lot of it, right?   Yeah, Taurus is so  up these days.  I can feel it in my bones.   Must be my own south node in Taurus house.

Sun:  (4/29)  We had two energies at play.  One being a nice aspect between the Sun and Pluto.  Did you feel something fall away?  Did you feel a little liberated?  Perhaps you just did something differently and it took less work and was just as successful as if you had devoted more hours or cash.   Whatever it was, enjoy the liberation. 

The other energy is the First Quarter Moon which also happened on Sunday.

April 29 5:57am

Focus on:   What actions can you take now that support your self esteem?  How can you take smart risks that speak to what you value?   What bold, strong actions can you take that build upon your resources?   Where is your ego out of control and how does it reflect low self esteem?   If you fix it now will how will it support your resources? 

Later we will have a Gibbous Moon.  Wednesday May 2, 6:37pm EDT  

Focus on:    What does your diet look like?  Why does it look like that?  What does your calendar look like and how is it in sync or out of sync with your values?  Where are you wasting time?  How is your daily routine in synch with your health?   How can you tighten up your time management to better support your resources?

Thursday we have:

5/3: Mercury/Venus.  Fun, lively conversations.  Perks for love and money.  Values are highlighted and mental breakthroughs about what we ‘really’ value may come up.

And Friday we have got tough aspect with Mercury.  

5/5: A harsh day mentally speaking.  Things feel hard.   Can’t wrap brain around some things or just think in harsh terms.   Nothing ‘fits’ right. 

And also on Friday we have a Full Moon.  Here is a snippet on Full Moon.  More to come later.

Full Moon Phase

May 5 11:35pm EDT

16 Scorpio 01  

Focus on:    How are you balancing the your values with the values of others?   Where do you need a loan?  Where do you need to co-mingle with others?  How can you share your own resources?   What areas need to die so they can be reborn?  What needs to be sacrificed for greater growth ?  What do you need to ditch so you can be invigorated?

  

Investing via Astrology

In honor of Taurus new moon I wanted to offer up some astrological investing sights. I am not a financial astrological advisor. But there are plenty of astrologers who do this type of astrology. They know cycles within cycles within cycles of both the planets and the markets.

I often have pointed out Ray Merriman's sight especially when we are getting b'slapped by Pluto. But in general you should take a look. Click on his WEEKLY Preview (left side of screen).

And of course there is Ted's Astro Advisery Services sight. Ted Phillips a smart Capricorn (of course!) knows his cycles and always puts up thoughtful reports.

And the Galactic Investor has a whole bevy of resources.

Just in Time for Taurus NM

Wow---are these people on time or what? I can see the Taurus New Moon all over this article.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and billionaire co-founder Larry Page have teamed up with "Avatar" director James Cameron and other investors to back an ambitious space exploration and natural resources venture, details of which will be unveiled next week.

The fledgling company, called Planetary Resources, will be unveiled at a Tuesday news conference at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, according to a press release issued this week.

Aside from naming some of the company's high-profile backers, the press release disclosed tantalizingly few details, saying only that the company will combine the sectors of "space exploration and natural resources" in a venture that could add "trillions of dollars to the global GDP." The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Planetary Resources will explore the feasibility of mining natural resources from asteroids, a decades-old concept.

"This innovative start-up will create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources,'" according to the press release.

Planetary Resource was co-founded by Eric Anderson, a former NASA Mars mission manager, and Peter Diamandis, the commercial space entrepreneur behind the X-Prize, a competition that offered $10 million to a group that launched a reusable manned spacecraft. Other notable investors include Charles Simonyi, a former top executive at Microsoft, and K. Ram Shriram, a Google director.

The venture will be the latest foray into the far-flung for Cameron, who dived last month in a mini-submarine to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench. The plot of his 2009 science fiction blockbuster film, "Avatar," concerned resource mining on alien planets.

Taurus New Moon--Are you ready?

Did you know tomorrow 4/21 is Taurus New Moon?
It starts at 12:20am PDT --3:20am EDT.

Just a few hours away.

I honestly am looking forward to this new cycle. I think we need it. There is a beautiful trine between the Sun/Moon with Pluto and at the same time a beautiful trine with Mars.

I see this as a wondeful opportunity for all of us to move on the good and build upon it. At the same time we can effect change in our life that is valuable. It is curious to me Pluto and Mars are coaxing Taurus Sun/Moon into change because if any of us know Taureans we know they do NOT like change. But this is a different year. There is also a bugaboo with Saturn and I'm sure the stock market will take some wierd hit but still I look forward to the next 28 days to find out what I really think is important and ditch the rest. You cannot find anything valuable until you realize what you value. That is this cycle.

I put up my article which you can find at Margaret Wendt's website.

Here's a snippet go to article for whole piece.

Finding Our Values


Taurus the bull is the first earth sign of the zodiac. At Taurus, the dirt is soft and malleable; with a steady hand we can till the soil and plant seeds easily. By the time we get to the second earth sign, Virgo the soil is harder having been baked by summer sun and when we get to the last earth sign, Capricorn, the soil is hard and frozen. Of the three earth signs, Taurus is lighter and like the soil that they represent more optimistic than his earthen brethren. He has great expectations for what he can accomplish. The question is, “What does he value?”

When we talk about Taurus we talk about real estate, money, banks, cash, love and appreciation. But under all of that is really ‘values’. After all, getting paid for a service speaks to what people value of that service. And being in love or being loved also speaks of value. How much do you value that person or how much are you valued by someone else? Or how much do you even value love? Taurus values loyalty and provides much support to those whom they love. When others get too busy to help out a friend, it is the Taurus who says, “How can I help?” And they mean it. They like providing security for others because they value it so much in their own lives.

Taurus is also highly practical. Not one to chase hair brain ideas, they move very cautiously. They want everything figured out and will only take low risks.
Taurus also values nature and taking care of their body. During Taurus, we don’t move our bodies because we want to enjoy exercising. We don’t move our bodies because we want to burn calories. We move our bodies during Taurus to actually remember we have bodies! During Aries our psyches were full of fire and were racing hard with our goals and desires. And next month during Gemini our brains will be racing a million miles an hour as we process the first air sign. But right now, in Taurus we must take note that we are not fire and we are not air, we are human beings with bodies complete with living cells that need to be properly nurtured. Ah, nurture, another Taurus word.

Earth, nature, nurture, values, bodies, cash, properties are you getting the sense of Taurus? It all speaks to resources. Beautiful, abundant resources but this is where things get confusing with Taurus because their darker side speaks of lack filled with jealousy, envy and greed.