Aries: How happy are you, Horned God, to finally feel some traction under your hooves? Isn’t it nice to know that your ruling planet, Mars, is building forward momentum as it heads toward the exit in its next-to-last month in Virtuous Virgo’s seemingly endless tunnel of toil? How long has it been anyway? Look back to early November of last year to fully grasp the scope of your recent labors, Aries. Virgo’s domicile is full of tiny things, little details to deal with, necessities that require maintenance and adjustment, which are, well…let’s face it – kind of irritating and annoying after a while! But I bet your lifestyle is healthier, your clutter is diminished and you have shiny shoes, orderly files and tidy closets, right? If that is not right, and if you have not yet buckled down and gotten cleaner, clearer and more efficient, you are hereby forewarned…Mighty Mars did not dally in retrograde for almost twelve weeks in the sign of self-improvement so you could just grouse about the dearth of respectably heroic adventures on your agenda. You basically have until the U.S.’s Independence Day to clean up your act! Even Hercules and Xena need to get a check-up, change the oil, and upgrade the diet once in a while. Remember Popeye? Where would that salty sailor be without his spinach? Mars finds itself in a glorious grand trine at the start of May, which makes it soooo easy to make little changes and attend to the menial, but important, tasks that will set you up for subsequent success and fulfillment. Coming soon to an Aries near you!

Taurus: You have every reason to feel a bit eager and anxious during your birthday phase this year, Gentle Bull. Making dreams a reality is your forte, after all. You are not afraid of hard work and goal-setting, once you sense the value of the outcome. This year, 2012, presents a high-quality quest, a test of your manifesting prowess with the promise of the sort of rewards that make a Bonafide Bovine salivate: whatever you develop, obtain, create, engage, or initiate will tend to endure and grow. Your strengths in this adventure will come through your cultured creativity. Keep your inner child alive and involved, and while effectively utilizing your careful attentiveness over the next two months, you should take calculated risks that get you noticed. Your blind spot: a tendency to allow unexpected events and unpredictable situations to sidetrack and distract you from your quest. Your challenge: dealing with people who are unreliable, un-supportive or drain your energy. Your allies: mentors, teachers and trainers with useful, practical advice who can provide you with techniques and tools as you drag down your castle from the clouds and plant it solidly on planet Earth.

Gemini:The period of May finds your ruling planet, Mercury, traveling through three different signs. The first week of May feels like a race, with Mercury in fiery Aries, insisting that you keep your networks and connections fresh and current. Take advantage of opportunities to take the ball and run, offer input and ideas, and take on positions of leadership. The middle of the month might mean a reversal of fortune in one or more of these areas, money, love and creativity. Do we smell a retrograde in the air? Yes! Venus stations mid-month in your sign, Twinkle-Twins. This means that you have some old ground to go over again. The quickest way to make improvements and facilitate the will of the goddess so that she favors you to the fullest extent possible, is to work on your self-esteem. This means that self-talk, self-care, your relationship with you really matter and needs to undergo a refurbishing of sorts. Self-love is the key to happier friendships, a healthier love-life and more lucrative rewards from your money-making endeavors. Plus, your creative juices will flow rich and strong after this little visitation by Venus is finally finished, after the first week of August. Play with your presentation, enhance your sense of style so that you feel like your best self when meeting your world each day. Consider it a spiritual practice, after all what is our personality, but a portal into our essential nature? The last week of May finds you at maximum sociability factor, chatty, busy and everybody wants to get a piece of you. While Venus is retro-motion (May 15 to June 27) it is not ideal to start new relationships; rekindling old flames and sparking the magic in current ones will be more rewarding. Pick up the threads of languishing creative projects, decorating tasks, or anything involving beautification and is aesthetically-oriented during this retrograde phase of Venus. Make yourself, your environment, and your world more lovely this summer, Gemini, and everyone, especially you, will be pleased with the process and the results.

Cancer: With all the hullabaloo in your house of “friends” it might be the month to mingle, Cancer. There are preferred ways to play, though, that will garner the best results, Crabby. Do hang around your professional peers and associates. Do go to gatherings and group activities, even if you might normally tend to shy away from such things. Do attend team-building workshops and conferences related to your work and hobbies. Do talk about yourself and your plans, goals and aspirations – in fact, you may want to post your wish list on a social media site, or if you eschew such things, tape it onto your refrigerator. Do rub shoulders with the rich and famous – honor-by-association, as long as it is respectable company, can rub off on you this month. Do not engage in clandestine affairs that could backfire or cause you problems. Do not sit back and “let George do it” because laziness and indolence are your enemies this month. Do not leave things unsaid if there is a festering, simmering, toxic-build up of upset that needs airing out, especially with siblings. Do not put off visiting your ill or elderly parent, nor sit by and hope things will just fix themselves if you hear a strange sound coming out of your engine. Finally, expect a power-surge when the Moon is in Sagittarius this month, Crab (6:38 pm Sunday the 6^th to 7:00 pm Tues. the 8^th PDT). This burst of energy needs to be handled well, because it can lead to boo-boos and ow-ees if you get ahead of yourself, or allow the force overamp you. Use the high-voltage vibes that are available to goad yourself into getting some exercise, cook some great food, and take care of any nagging details and loose ends that are upsetting your equilibrium.

Leo: Shine your bestest and brightest this month, Lionheart, and you may find that you impress the ones it is important to impress, those that can promote you, propel you, publicize and project you into better, higher and more beneficial places. This is especially true from May 6^th through the 15^th. So radiate your legendary charisma as you demonstrate your talents, beauty, skills and productive capacity. And remember Big Kitty, to purr gratefully and use your words very carefully. The trick is to know what to say, when to say it, or maybe even more important, to know when to keep your jaws shut; think long and hard before you roar yourself into trouble. Retractions, re-negotiations, and even initial refusals are possible over the next several weeks. Beware of allowing your pride and impatience to blow up and unmake the progress you have been making since last autumn. Skillful words, skillful actions and focused attention on your craft are the watchwords for you in the merry, merry month of May.

Virgo: When the prophesiers proclaim the end of the world is coming in 2012, are you hollering “Bring it on!” Valiant Virgo? Is that a pugnacious streak showing itself from under the sweet and peaceful guise you typically reveal to the world-at-large? Have you been ‘called forth’ to demonstrate your strength, courage and fierceness over the past few months? Are you in touch with your capacity to fight, to defend, to stand your ground, or attack, if necessary? Good, because that was only training for what’s ahead. Whatever you have had to muster in the face of challenges, difficulties and threats can now be harnessed in much more pleasurable and productive ways, Vibrant Virgin. If the adage, “What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger” means more to you now than a year ago, then listen up: put your will into gear and engage your power-drive. The first three weeks of May provide a temporal field of play for you to make it happen. What is “it”? That is either up to you, provided you have had the free will to make choices, or it is up to the universe in the case that you have forced choices to deal with. Either way, powerful forces are at work that afford you the chance to heal old wounds and let bygones be gone, to take risks that honor your creative instincts, and ultimately, to see the bigger picture, attain a higher perspective, and broaden your horizons by obtaining a new vantage point. Illusions have been shattered and you are stronger and more wise from any battles you have had to fight recently, won or lost. Now you are like the legendary Samurai warriors who were certain of their prowess and thus, beyond all fear. The confidence they emanated deterred any would-be adversaries, and now you can embody that potent reserve also, yet with compassion. Oh yes, and it is time to schedule your next vacation. You deserve it.

Libra: Pay attention to this duration, Libra – April 3^rd to August 7^th. That adds up to over four months of Venus transiting your Solar chart travel house. Why so long? Because the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and All Things Desirable is going retrograde, that’s why. From the middle of May to the last week in June, your guardian goddess traverses the arena of the judiciary, religion, higher education, vocational training and long-distance travel. She sashays along forth and back in a mentally-oriented air sign, to boot. What is it good for? Well, it is an excellent time to write, or shop your manuscript around to publishing houses if they have not gone extinct by the time this column comes out. It is also a prime time for education, especially if you study something you like and enjoy. Training and learning related to communication, people-oriented activities, art, music, banking and finance, as well as beauty-creating or beauty-enhancing professions are well-supported during this phase. The retrograde of Venus pulls us all into reevaluation. Take a book or three off the shelf, the ones that have been highly influential to your thinking and worldview. Re-read, rethink, examine your belief system to find out if it actually makes you happy and fits your current set of values. Beliefs should be tested and changed, just like your tires. If you are less-than-satisfied with your current philosophy and cosmology, you may find a surprising amount of pleasure and joy by exploring the thoughts of great minds right now. Actually, you may find that you are prone to elevated states of consciousness, and find yourself thinking grand and beautiful thoughts, Libra, so take the time for contemplation, study and reverie. Your world may look more complex and rich, as Beauty and Truth merge to make love in your inner mind, enhancing your appreciation of this Wondrous Creation and gracing you with a rebirth of wisdom and expanded awareness.

Scorpio: “We consciousness” is a practical mind-set for living life together, as a couple, as roommates, as a family. This attitude, and the benefits that arise from cultivating it, are currently available to you, Scorpio. This might sound like good news, especially if you are mated, house-sharing or living with your relatives. For those not currently involved, and are either hoping, taking a break, or no longer looking for close companionship, I wish to offer this: partnerships and alliances of all kinds are highlighted now. In any situation where it is smarter and smoother to do it as a pair or posse, join forces to make the work or the play a little easier, or a little more fun. Cultivating a sense of “we” runs counter to the training most of us get, and certainly contrasts with the enduring John Wayne-styled model of the way to be in the U.S. of A. Yes, the citizens here are still burdened with an outworn patriarchal model colored by Wild West values as the prevailing cultural ideal. This makes intimacy the new frontier, Scorpion. Just your cup of tea. So take advantage this season, while the wind is still at your back, to dive deeply into connection, to share and merge energies for mutual self-revelation, and collective problem-solving. Anticipate working out differences. Embrace the upcoming opportunities to creatively work out such difficulties as managing shared money and resources. This is a time to make love and friendships grow, and such growth requires test and trials, even though we wish it were not so. Develop ways to find agreement, or at least tolerate disagreement until harmony can be found again. Learn to fight fairly and negotiate respectfully. Gains made through successfully struggling through choppy emotional waters and rough relational terrain will strengthen and empower you in your capacity to trust, speak the truth, and maintain your integrity as well as your relationships.

Sagittarius: Did the track turn to quicksand, Archer? Does it seem like the momentum you have been building has ground down gracelessly to a crawl? Have the tides turned and the opportunities all dried up? It may seem so, and it might be that you are looking for culprits to blame, either forces beyond your control, or yourself. Fear not, this too shall pass, and quickly, too, if the astral indicators make sense to this astrologer. Number one, blame is useless, and beating yourself up is worse than useless. Beating someone else up is worst of all, so re-channel all that pent-up frustration into usable energy and keep plugging away in the areas that are “growing corn” for you, and relax instead of worrying or scurrying. Truthfully, you cannot count on a whole lot of consistent assistance, especially while Venus is retrograde. [See Libra's forecast for dates of duration and how to spend your down time.] Savor the help your do get, give big fat kisses and hugs to those who still love you, and regroup. While it may not seem like you are getting your just rewards despite putting out loads of high-octane effort and quality craftsmanship, your time of recognition will come, sometime in the eleven months following mid-June after your ruling planet, Jupiter, breaks the plane of your solar-house horizon, enhancing your visibility and bringing in allies with oomph. So consider this, you are still in preparation phase! Keep up the good work and make the most of the time you still have before you and your offerings are judged in the full light of day, so to speak. Hone your skills, maintain the highest quality, get your schedule under control, and don’t forget to pray.

Capricorn: If you have not done so already, Capricorn, plan or better yet, take some time right now for fun and frolic. You do frolic, don’t you? The first two weeks of May are prime time for frisking and funning. What, you don’t frisk, either? My dear Fish-tailed Goat, you may be taking life, your duties and yourself too seriously. My humble recommendation, get some rest while you can, otherwise the high tension may gray your hairs and wear you out. Consider the beginning half of May to be play time, whenever and however you can make it so. Favorable indicators suggest that gatherings, parties, and social events could benefit you greatly. Your guiding deity, Saturn, is retrograde, so there is no sense pushing the river, as the cliché goes. Since you so love goals, Cappy, make mid-August a target date for you to take over the world, or at last reach the next stage or pinnacle in your conquest. That leaves you the second half of May until the last month of summer to plan, arrange, utilize, develop, organize, obtain and execute your grand schemes. Your secret weapon (or special ally, if you disdain battle lingo): Mars! Mars is moving faster, heading for a fateful rendezvous with Saturn in mid-August. Between now and Independence Day in the U.S.A., the rough-and-ready red planet stimulates your search for knowledge, techniques, and useful information that you can apply in order to improve your skills, efficiency, and confidence. This next few years truly are your time to mobilize your forces and achieve whatever you seek to accomplish. Just remember to have some fun, smell some roses, and enjoy the ride.

Aquarius: When is it okay to let everyone know how smart you are? Are you almost ready to present your magnum opus? What is keeping you from revealing your inspired agenda for the salvation of humankind? Read Capricorn’s horoscope, Wonder Child, and translate the Goat’s potential for worldly success and dominating authority into your own potential for wizardly feats and dazzling displays of brilliance. This is not typecasting, your time for taking on the world begins this October, so before that upcoming shift of priorities, prepare your debut by broadcasting, submitting, publishing, networking and spreading the good word in whatever format works best for you. Your mind is in a ferment, inspiration at a peak, words and letters dance in your daydreams, ideas pour into and out of your gray matter like cheese through a grater. Maybe you just do not have enough time in the day to organize your thoughts and squeeze them though your fingers onto paper, or the keyboard. Get rhythm. That’s right, just as the Johnny Cash song advises, “Get Rhythm”. Schedule some regular hours during each week set aside solely for your creative flow and mental outpourings. That might not entirely suffice, considering the alignments highlighting the brainy, expressive and conceptual sectors of your horoscope. Unless you can retire, retreat or take a sabbatical, you may find little respite, and some wakeful nights, as you continue receiving the massive input of intellectually-stimulating frequencies beaming your way. The rest of us await the wisdom, insight and guidance you are cultivating, synthesizing and processing into images and language for our eager consumption. No pressure.

Pisces: Same as said to the Water-Bearer, Pisces, I am not typecasting, just reading the tea leaves in the sky and following the logic as best I can. This May is likely to find you pulled inward, lulled into your comfort zone, and generating the most joy when sticking close to home. Sometimes nurturing activities and self-care are ultimately the best way to recuperate and re-energize for the tasks to come. Taking the symbolism a bit deeper, think soul-level nourishment, and you will grasp the more profound possibilities available to you Fishies in the coming weeks. It looks likely to me that you are ahead of the pack, sensing and feeling into the near and distant future, sub-consciously prescient, in theway of the wyrd, out into the fringes of the as-yet-unknown. This can make you feel misunderstood, vulnerable, and even a little anxious as your intuition works overtime informing your sub-conscious, while you simultaneously deal with the day-to-day dramas of waking life. The soul does not need to accomplish anything, take care of business, nor strive into new territory. According to author, therapist and astrologer, Thomas Moore, the soul thrives of repetition. Those unglamorous chores, like making the bed, doing the laundry, weeding the garden, are restful and sustaining to the soul. Maintenance duties, attention given to those nearest and dearest, taking a nap, petting the pet, reading, walks, and taking time out for afternoon tea – if any of those resonate with you symbolically or literally, Pisces, please make some space in your private life and consecrate both your sacred or mundane rituals. Or combine the sacred and the mundane – chant while you do the dishes.

[Check out the comments sections of the current and archived posts! Lots of thought-provoking material, mostly from Mr. Neal Laite. Please offer you own -  a dynamic comments sections is so much fun! -PB]

This month’s version of the astrology of world events and world leaders, known as Mundane Astrology, is taken from various internet and print media sources, with some interpretation and editorial comment provided by your friendly neighborhood astrological columnist. The commentary is sprinkled with bracketed planet names which are intended to link the archetypes to the events, people, and qualities of experience that are featured in the words and phrases preceding the named planet. It makes for awkward reading (and writing!) so be patient; you may have to re-read a line to find the flow and meaning of the sentence.

One of the astrological themes explored relates to the frictional and dynamic interaction between Pluto and Uranus across a 90-degree quartering of the heavens. These two planets are symbolically connected to the historic upheavals, social changes, culture wars, youth movements, activism and re-activism, fights for rights, race riots, sexual revolution, wars and war-resistance, economic paradigm shifts, and stunning technological breakthroughs that made the period from 1961 to 1974, “The Sixties”. See if you notice any themes from that era in the paragraphs below.

Another important astrological event, concurrent with the clashing of the titans, Uranus and Pluto, involves a very different, yet equally potent, trans-personal transformer, Neptune. Neptune’s power is amplified in its home sign of Pisces, where it will reside for over a dozen years. Neptune influences individuals and collectives at the emotional level, arousing feelings in response to crises of oppression and towards the rectification of social imbalances. Whether for religious reasons, as in the Protestant Reformation, or more secular moral and ethical concerns, such as the struggle by unions for workers’ rights, the durations of Neptune’s transits of Pisces have seen large masses of people joining forces for united efforts at reform in order to help typically helpless segments of the population who are suffering from chronic subjugation and exploitation. Again, as you are reading below, notice history repeating itself as humanity still struggles with old issues, responding en masse when an event strikes a chord and arouses sympathy, sadness and intensity, releasing tidal forces of group energy seeking realization of the human longing for a healthy, tolerant, and harmonious society.

To fully appreciate this article, please refer to last month’s installment, which includes in-depth descriptions of the planetary players ‘featured’ in the items that follow. Here is the link to my previous column-

http://astro-counselor.com/site/2012/03/march-2012-mundane-astrology-pt-3/

or look it up at my website- www.astro-counselor.com

Tragedy in Sanford

Like octopus tentacles, the tangled tale involving George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin is prying apart a long-established enclave of resentment and racism, polarizing the nation, and entangling innocents. Still writhing with livid intensity in every media outlet imaginable for well over a month after the shooting, the story and its implications continue to grip masses of people, celebrities, and government entities at the highest levels. George Zimmerman was patrolling as a volunteer neighborhood watchman on the night of the shooting and claims self-defense in the case. Treyvon Martin was carrying Skittles candy and a soda on his way back to a family member’s house after a trip to a local convenience store when the fatal encounter with Zimmerman occurred.

To illustrate the archetypes of the planets with this raw and tragic story feels risky; the intention is to show connections between the macrocosm to the microcosm, to promote understanding about the reflection of movements in the heavens with events here on Earth. In no way is there any intent to demean or trivialize any element, individual or situation related to the events that took place in Sanford, Florida on the night of February 26^th.

Image and Interpretation

From recent news releases: Pictures [Neptune] of Treyvon Martin have been circulating widely, depicting a baby-faced youngster, smiling and chubby-cheeked, wearing a red T-shirt. That photo [Neptune] was released by his family and is a few years out-of-date. The day he was shot, Trayvon Martin was 17 years old, about 6 feet tall, and weighed 140 pounds.

The 28 year-old George Zimmerman is best known, image-wise, for the mugshot [Neptune] taken after being arrested in 2005 on the charge of assaulting an officer, which was subsequently dropped. In the police photo, Zimmerman looks unhappy, has an unshaven face, with a direct, unsmiling, piercing stare [Pluto] into the camera [Neptune]. He looks chunky, has an earring visible in one ear and wears the orange shirt of his jail-cell uniform. Contrasting greatly, a much more recent head shot [Neptune] of Zimmerman has emerged, showing a slimmer, happily grinning, well-dressed man in a suit and tie. The contrast is shockingly apparent [Uranus] and demonstrates how public opinion is molded, and the fires stoked, [Uranus/Pluto] by the use of certain images [Neptune].

Media experts have commented in the press that it is common for news agencies to play into the need of both journalists and the public for clear cut perpetrator/victim delineations [Saturn in Libra]. The preference for distinct polarities, good vs. evil, [Saturn in Libra] while simplistic, fuels media frenzy [Pluto/Uranus] and leads to iconic images that stick in people’s minds and create strong reactions in people, [Neptune in Pisces] stimulating them to quickly [Uranus] take sides [Saturn in Libra]. Emotions [Neptune/Pisces] and outrage [Uranus/Pluto] fuel the public hunger [Uranus/Pluto] for more information, and in circular fashion, journalists feed the populace the most dramatic and evocative [Uranus] pictures [Neptune], that therefore uphold the good-guy/bad-guy [Saturn in Libra] storyline, which in turn sells their stories and matches the way the masses want their news – simple, short, straight-forward [Saturn] and free of confusing [Neptune] contextual details. Mass upset ensues [Uranus/Pluto] with too few facts and details established [Saturn]. Sometimes for, sometimes against, justice is weighed in the “courts of public opinion”, [Saturn in Libra] while the complexities [Neptune in Pisces] of a situation can get lost in favor of black-and-white judgment [Saturn in Libra] calls.

A scandalous [Pluto] front cover on Time magazine’s June 27^th, 1994, issue showed a doctored photo [Neptune] of O.J. Simpson, recently arrested after the murder of his wife and her boyfriend. His face on the cover was surreptitiously darkened [Neptune/Pluto], which led to accusations of racism [Pluto] by people who felt that Time was skewing public opinion [Neptune/Pluto] by depicting a ‘darker’ [Pluto] black man. In the only occasion in its history, Time Magazine retracted and recalled the cover, so by the time it hit the actual newsstands, only the subscribers had received the infamous [Pluto] issue.

Studies conducted at Stanford University have shown that in the Unites States, the more “black-looking” an African-American man charged with murdering a white victim is, the more likely it is that he will be sentenced to death [Saturn]. When determined by white and Asian-American undergraduates, using scores to rate facial features of black men tried for murder in Philadelphia, the research showed that those with “stereotypically” black features such as dark skin were sentenced to death more often than those men tried in similar cases, but displaying less stereotypical black features by a rate of 57.5% to 24.4%.

Just as trial jurors [Libra] tend to apply stereotypes of black features as a measure of criminality [Uranus/Pluto], meting out more severe punishments [Saturn], likewise, the juries of public opinion assign guilt [Saturn in Libra], often goaded by inflammatory [Uranus] photographs and videos [Neptune]. The question arises, what causes the phenomenon of mob mentality [Pluto], the electrified group-think [Uranus/Pluto] that picks up on one version of a story and an accompanying image [Neptune] that reflexively confirms a preexisting group-held attitude [Uranus]? A different image [Neptune] linked with an alternate take on the same story will trigger the sympathies [Neptune/Pisces] of the faction that holds judgments [Saturn] about the “other” group [Uranus/Pluto]. How vulnerable [Neptune in Pisces] are we, caught up the tides of emotions [Neptune in Pisces] swirling about in our fractious [Uranus in Aries] culture [Neptune], to excitement [Uranus] and sympathy [Neptune in Pisces] whipped up by reporters who, on the whole, are just as prone to snap judgments, caught up in quick decision-making [Uranus in Aries] while facing time constraints [Saturn] and competition [Aries/Libra]to get their stories “to press”.

Fueling the Furor

Private individuals [Uranus in Aries], not employed by institutional media machines [Pluto in Capricorn], (who are not bound [Saturn] by what used to pass for codes of journalistic integrity and professional conduct [Saturn]) nowadays can have major impact [Uranus/Pluto] in terms of “spreading the news” through social media networks [Uranus/Neptune]. Take the recent news report headline, complete with Mercury retrograde terminology, that appeared in USA Today: “Spike Lee settles for retweeting wrong address”. Besides having a brain-twister of a headline, the story itself describes the settlement and sincere apology [Saturn in Libra] offered by film [Neptune] director Spike Lee after he helped spread a Twitter posting that mistakenly gave an elderly [Saturn] Sanford, Fla. couples’ address as that of the home of the “vigilante shooter” [Uranus in Aries], George Zimmerman. Mr. Lee was thanked in a video [Neptune] by the couple, who had previously fled from their home after being swarmed by media correspondents [Neptune in Pisces] and then receiving hate mail [Pluto], including threats to their life [Pluto].

In the U.S. Congress, Illinois Representative Bobby Rush [Uranus in Aries] spoke to a morning session about racial profiling [Pluto] and the shooting of Trayvon Martin. While at the podium, he removed his suit jacket [Saturn in Libra] and pulled up the hoodie on the gray sweatshirt he was wearing underneath, declaring “Just because someone wears a hoodie, does not make them a hoodlum.” Representative Rush also commented on recent marches [Uranus/Pluto] where demonstrators [Uranus] wore hooded sweaters “…to make a statement about hoodies, [and] about the real hoodlums in this nation [Pluto in Capricorn], particularly those who tread on our laws [Saturn in Libra], wearing official, or quasi-official [Saturn] clothes…”. Representative Greg Harper, a Republican from Mississippi who was presiding [Saturn] over the House floor, began to gavel down Rush [Saturn in Libra], finally asking a floor clerk to escort the Illinois congressman out of the chamber. Representative Bobby Rush was an activist for civil rights [Uranus] in the 1960′s and is a former member of the Black Panthers [Uranus/Pluto].

In a recent article posted by a CNN reporter, the point is made that the case of the shooting by George Zimmerman of Treyvon Martin has “…sparked [Uranus in Aries] a national controversy [Uranus/Pluto]… [and]…stoked extremists’ [Uranus/Pluto] views.” (Zimmerman is free because of the interpretation by the authorities [Saturn] of a law [Libra] in Florida stating, “A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked …has no duty to retreat…and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary.”) According to the report, The New Black Panther Party [Uranus/Pluto] has offered a $10,000 reward for the “capture” of George Zimmerman. The news piece also mentions that a visitor to a web-site for a white supremacy group [Uranus/Pluto] left a message describing Martin as a “…punk negroe who messed with the wrong guy.”

Across the country in California, comes the news of an historic first-time-ever [Uranus in Aries] admission by the Los Angeles Police Department [Saturn in Libra] that one of its officers has been “selectively policing” [Pluto] Latinos. The racial profiling [Pluto] accusations have been coming at the LAPD by the hundreds each year, but this is the first instance [Aries] where an internal investigation [Pluto] resulted in a recommendation that an officer be terminated [Saturn]. Police Chief Charlie Beck [Saturn] reviewed evidence against Patrick Smith, a 15-year veteran who worked as a motorcycle cop in the West Traffic Division. Smith targeted Latinos and also misidentified [Neptune] their ethnicity in many of his reports to allegedly conceal [Neptune] his biased policing practices [Pluto]. Back in November of 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice [Saturn in Libra] warned LAPD officials [Saturn] that their racial profiling [Pluto] procedures were inadequate. John Mack, one of the members of the department’s civilian oversight board [Uranus], hailed the case as “a giant step forward” [Uranus in Aries] after spending years trying to bring reforms [Uranus] to a police department [Saturn] that has a reputation for bias and abuse of power [Pluto]. Notably, on April 29, 1992, Los Angeles Police officers were acquitted in the police brutality case [Saturn/Pluto] of Rodney King, the video [Neptune] of which sparked outrage and destructive, fatal riots and battles with police, the National Guard, the Army and Marines [Saturn, Uranus and Pluto] in Los Angeles and other cities.

Perhaps, with the news of the charges against Officer Smith, we can hope that monolithic civic institutions [Saturn] and the behavior of those in positions of seemingly inviolable authority and power [Pluto in Capricorn] can be challenged [Uranus in Aries] and made to serve “we the people” [Uranus] after all.

Pay attention to the event and figures that appear in the news and see if you can connect the links to the planets and signs. Please send your questions and comments to my website at www.astro-counselor.com and look for the “musings” section.

]]> http://astro-counselor.com/site/2012/04/april-2012-mundane-astrology-part-4/feed/ 27 http://astro-counselor.com/site/2012/03/march-2012-mundane-astrology-pt-3/ http://astro-counselor.com/site/2012/03/march-2012-mundane-astrology-pt-3/#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:19:18 +0000 Paul Bogle http://astro-counselor.com/site/?p=335  

The lens of astrology can be filtered by various means, one of my favorites being the mythic model, an interpretive approach utilizing the stories and characters from the ancient tales of the ancient and classical eras, featuring the familiar pantheon of gods and goddesses ruling over their various domains. This method sees the old gods as energetic archetypes, with personality, still mucking about in world affairs, enacting their wills, designs and moods upon our lives in an on-going, interactive play of forces and events.

The main characters in the cosmic dance currently symbolizing the changes, conflicts, advancements, failures, tone, temperament and “feeling-quality of time” during this current, brief duration in human history are described below. These archetypal deities and their interactions reflect, in precise, timely correspondence, to our human dramas.  Yet also, the mythical associations we have for the planets provide the potential for discovering meaning in our activities. Meaning, and perhaps hope and inspiration for our human race, “caught in the middle”, so to speak, of a long-running evolutionary project of realization, growth and awakening happening right here on Mother Earth.

Pluto in Capricorn (2008 to 2024) The planet (astrologers are still calling Pluto a planet, despite its recent demotion by astronomers to “dwarf planet” status) of raw power, instinctive will, destruction, death and regeneration is in the sign of organizations, corporations, business and governmental structures, leaders, bosses, elders and social hierarchies. Pluto is associated with mass movements and mob mentality, brutal use of force and the desperate struggle to not only survive, but evolve, and the potent forces unleashed through volcanic eruptions, atomic energy and, of course, Nature’s urge to reproduce through sex.

Neptune in Pisces (2011 to 2025) The god of dreams and transcendent states of consciousness, Neptune, rules all things refined and essentialized, like white sugar and flour, perfume and gasoline. As ruler of the earth and sea, Neptune is associated with stormy weather and stormy moods, floods, earthquakes, and social optimism or despair. Religion and fashion respond mightily to Neptune’s influences, as do movements striving to bring together and uplift the dispossessed, underclass, and oppressed for better work, living and social conditions. In Pisces, Neptune cruises in its natural environment, and expresses itself powerfully through cultural attitudes, the arousal of emotional tides in the masses, in the arts, and especially spiritual and religious channels.

Uranus in Aries (2010 to 2019) Shocking, sudden, forceful and sometimes destruction-and-chaos producing, Uranus stimulates idealism, activism, reform and revolution. Fanatics and firebrands are the children, or “favorites”, of Uranus, as are scientists, explorers, social engineers and those espousing radical or reactionary agendas. Whether progressive, or pining for the “good ol’ days” long past, people and politicians run on Uranus’s electrifying energy to induce changes and break down stultifying structures in order to shift the status quo. In Aries, Uranus supports warriors, adventurers and pioneers as they bravely and impetuously fight, discover and open new horizons for the human race. Watch for saber-rattling followed by swift attacks, aided by computers and aimed against dangerous technology, power-plants, and individual leaders.

Chiron in Pisces (2010 to 2019) A comet, this cosmic visitor to our solar system has created quite a sensation among astrologer since its discovery in 1977. Associated with wounds, healing, and re-linking human consciousness to nature, our Earth, and the worlds and dimensions beyond our self-serving civilizations, Chiron has a 50-year, very elliptical orbital path between the planets Saturn and Uranus. Chiron entered the sign associated with compassion and oceans, Pisces, the day of the British Petroleum Horizon Oil Platform disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Chiron is associated with the wounded healer archetype.

Saturn in Libra (October 2009 to October 2012) Last but not least on the list of planetary heavy-weights, Saturn stands as the most recognizable, closest-to-our-reality archetype. In charge of time and trouble, Saturn tests the validity of any entity or structure, while striving to build that which will endure and resist the tides of change. Saturn thrives on respect, tradition and authoritative chains of command. Conservative and enduring types are Saturn’s children or “favorites”. Those who seek to maintain time-tested values, hold the fort against enemies and invaders, withstand the barbarians at the gates, and defeat the detractors of the state, honored institutions, and established modes of law and order are supported by Saturn. Law and order are especially important issues while Saturn transits Libra, represented by the Scales Of Justice in the zodiac. Is Justice for all, or is the Justice system a tool of the powers-that-be, the government, or whatever local or national parties,  utilize it for?

Stay tuned, in next month’s column, these potent players will be unmasked, revealed, and spotlighted by virtue of their appearance in news and feature stories, editorials and exposés. Keep your planetary character descriptions handy for April’s astrological dissection of the news and events occurring boldly, and daily, in these interesting times. I will provide a link back to this list for handy reference as I take you into previously- published material related to cultural and current events, connecting elements in the stories to the dynamics of these eternal archetypes as they throw their proverbial weight around, synchronistically symbolizing the forces at play in our lives here on Earth.

Starting on Monday, January 23rd, along with the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, Mars, the God of War, stalled to an apparent stand-still in the sky in Virgo the Virgin’s territory. In general, this suggests that from now until Tax Day, we should rebuild our strength, stamina and will-power through attention to details in the area of physical health, and optimize our personal efficiency by reorganizing and bringing tidiness to our internal and exterior environments. Diet, and the appropriate balance of work/play/rest should be attended to in order for our “personal organism” to function with clarity and vigor. Sensitivity to order vs. clutter, timeliness vs. rushing around, smooth rhythms vs. jagged activity and appropriate assertion vs. reactive attack will be key themes for the next two-and-a-half months.

The turnaround of Saturn in the last degree of Libra means that until Saturn enters Scorpio in early October, we have several months of work left to do rectifying relationships and hammering out contracts and agreements. Saturn sets up karmic conditions that will have short- and long-term consequences leading to positive or negative outcomes, depending upon how we “handle our business” as the seeds of our actions germinate and mature. The areas of life Saturn will “influence” depends upon an individual’s birth chart. The themes of fairness or injustice, balance or disequilibrium, harmony or polarization, equality or lop-sided power dynamics, aesthetic value or expediency, compassion or passing judgment, walls or bridges, friendship and love or disinterest and rejection are playing out in crucial ways for individuals, groups, countries and corporations.

Just after Imbolc/Candlemas, known in the strictly secular world as Groundhog’s Day, Neptune, God of Dreams and Oceans, re-enters Pisces for the duration of about fourteen years. There is so much to say about this that an entire column will be devoted (pun intended) to the transit of Neptune through Pisces. We caught a whiff of what may come when Neptune briefly dipped its toe into Pisces from early April to early August 2011, before wafting back into Aquarius. Some interesting things I notice already: proliferating house concerts, circle singing and kirtan-style gatherings; and similarly to the last time Neptune was in Pisces, solidarity of the dispossessed (99% vs 1%); and major concerns over fresh water availability finally coming through the mainstream media.

Lunations in February – The Full Moon on February 7^th (North America time) highlights the meanderings of Mercury the Messenger through Sagittarius during its last retrograde cycle. At this Full Moon, whatever that last Mercury retrograde passage was about for you should come to fruition. Since Mercury was in the sign of philosophical Sagittarius for an extended period while retro-traveling, we were supported in our search for the Big Answers…Why am I here? What is my quest? What do I believe and why? Is my world-view/cosmology coherent and developed? Are my beliefs serving me at this point in my evolution? Whether we did our homework on the conscious or sub-conscious level, with this lunation in Aquarius we may notice if we are or are not in affinity with our fellows in terms of what we hold to be true, socially, spiritually and philosophically. Funky Aquarius dares you to be different, and to align, or realign yourself with folks you vibe with. Collective power rules!

The New Moon in Pisces on February 21^st is a horse of different color! If the previous Full Moon could be characterized as left-brain oriented, this New Moon in Pisces puts the emphasis on what we think of as right-brain attributes. The spatially-smart, musically-minded, image-based, intuitive and empathic parts of us really get a big, big boost during this dark-of-the-Moon time.

New Moons are never the best for logic and reason anyway, at least for the five or six days surrounding the exact New Moon. After all, the reflective power symbolized by the Moon is hidden by the Sun’s light, so we are prone to seeing things too subjectively and throwing our shadow around sub-consciously during New Moon time of the month. The New Moon phase is great for allowing our instincts to direct our action, and for noticing where the power-drive in our bodies wants us to go. Gathering strength and energy, and getting extra rest while feeling out one’s next moves is my way of working with New Moon energy.

The thirty-day span when the Sun is in Pisces is always good for paying attention to dreams. This particular New Moon favors giving attention to dreams and visions in a really big way. The timing is particularly great this year, due to the Sun’s entry into the sign of the Fishes on February 18^{t h} PST (Feb. 19^th at 1:18 am EST), just a few days prior to the New Moon in Pisces. Not only that, but this alignment of the Sun and Moon merges with mystical Neptune! As mentioned above, Neptune will have just re-entered Pisces, so this New Moon provides a surge of energy amplifying the “Neptune effect” as it cruises into a 14-year transit of its home sign.

My suggestion is that you re-acquaint yourself with your dream journal. If you have never given much attention or credence to your dreams, make some extra time in your evening to “incubate” your dreams and a few minutes in the morning to record your dreams. There is so much great material out there relating to dreamwork that the only recommendation I would make is that you avoid the well-intentioned “dream dictionaries” and remain open to the mystery of the dreams rather than plug someone else’s interpretations into your dream-time productions.

Creative visualization, meditation and working with guided imagery are also favored in the weeks leading up to the spring equinox. It is said that the dream messages, intuitive flashes and vision visitations that come our way in late winter can offer us guidance and prescient awareness helping us “foresee” what we want to be doing when the new cycle of seasons begins.

The start of February each calendar year coincides with mid-winter. As Paul Simon sings, “These are the days of miracle and wonder…” The soul should be served now and the spirit acknowledged. Awaken your sense of innocence, awe, wonderment and beginner’s mind in preparation for the onrush of fiery Aries energy upcoming in late March. Do you notice any new buds forming on the trees? Bulbs sprouting, birds singing? Even in the depths of the icy grip of winter, fragile new life and the growing light in the day announce another cycle of exuberant growth and renewal. If you want to celebrate in an old-fashioned manner, look up “Imbolc” or “Bridget’s Day” and discover some ancient and well-practiced traditions in order to enjoy and participate with the spirit of the season.

Aries: Ready, set, GO!…STOP!…GO! Yep, Horny Head, it is time for the bi-annual retrograde cycle of your patron planet, Mars. In the winter and spring of 2012, whenever you confront the need to retrace steps, reevaluate your goals or, worst of all for the warrior soul – retreat(!)…just consider it to be a cosmically-ordained remedial course in tactics and strategy. What does remediation serve anyway, what is the purpose? It is intended to help you “catch up”. And what are you supposed to catch up with? Why, your very own speedy, impulsive and head-strong self, that’s what! Cliches to live by while mighty Mars spends over half the year in the earthy sign of Virgo: “The devil is in the details”, “A stitch in time saves nine”, “little things count”, and best of all, “patience is a virtue”. When the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer you will get the cosmic green light to forge ahead on your path with all the vigor, courage, and newly-learned, practical know-how you need to succeed. You hit your stride in November, (finally!) while Mars marches though fiery Sagittarius. The maximum measure of your personal potency during 2012 peaks during the week from Thanksgiving to the end of November! With mighty Mars in the sign of discriminating Virgo for so much of the year, your task, Aries, involves taking the time and making the effort to master your CRAFT while patiently practicing and honing your skills until the time is ripe…and you will know when that moment is, because what you are waiting for will come to you!

Taurus: You have much in common with the Aries tribe, my dear peace-loving Bull. Both of your patron planets go through a retrograde cycle this year, meaning that they appear to travel backwards, retraceing their path against the background of stars. Giant Jupiter rolls along through your very own sign through mid-June, so sing along with Don McLean’s “Everybody Loves Me Baby” and expect the world to be irresistibly attracted to your sparkling personality. Jupiter joyfully joins value-oriented Venus in your mansion of money and resources, so the last half of 2012 features a focus on what your have, or want or need. Your talents may have never shone so brightly, as they surely shall during the upcoming months, particularly from early April though the first week of August. Employ these natural, goddess-given abilities and gifts and watch the goodies roll in. Your ability to be a money-magnet is directly related to your self-esteem and quotient for enjoyment. Since cash might not be the particular fire that bakes your bread, be assured that, as long as you are clear on your own values and know what you truly do want, you can increase your overall “havingness”, pleasure, and sense of well-being throughout 2012. VIGILANCE is your keyword for 2012, Taurus, because you are primed and ready to spring as the opportunities are presented, yet you maintain a passionate poise while watching over your impulses and urges, choosing only the best, the peak, the “A+” items and experiences, the ones that fulfill your heart and feed your soul.

Gemini: Whither dost thou attention go, sweet Gemini? There are many religious beliefs and plenty of New Age repackaging that seek to make the mind an enemy, with references to the “monkey mind”, or declarations that thinking leads irrevocably to disaster, disappointment, or at least, distraction. While there is reason that the realm of the mind and intellect is depicted by swords in the traditional tarot decks, I prefer to see mind not as the enemy, but rather a Divinely-given, inherent function that can be as appropriate a vehicle for transformation as our feelings, will and body. I like, for instance, to contemplate the poem attributed to Henry Van Dyke, the one that starts with “I hold it true that thoughts are things…”

If I have managed to stimulate your famous curiosity, Gem, then please search out the rest of the quote, and also look up the seven principles of Huna, from sources like Dr. Serge King, who share this ancient wisdom to help us be more aware, more focused and more free. Keyword for 2012: CONSECRATION

Cancer: For reasons only the Cosmic Consciousness can explain, the Crabby types among us have been both gifted and challenged with a unique perspective on the world over the past several years and this will continue throughout the rest of this decade. If you are a member of the skittering, shelled-and-sensitive Cancer clan, you know what I mean when I imply that you have had to look darkness in the face and somehow withstand the fears triggered inside while coming up with ingenious and practical means for surviving the messes the world presents to you. Of all the signs, Cancer, you might have the best understanding of not only what is happening and why, but what to do about it. With that in mind, I will do my best to shoot straight with you while offering suggestions about how to not only survive and support your family and friends, but to thrive and flourish during 2012. Here goes: Remember the adage associated with the Buddha, “Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.” Care for your home and family, but most importantly, Crabby, attend to your interior world in order to heal the past, so you can feel safe and secure in the here-and-now, and thereby achieve harmonious homeostasis, and peace-of-mind. Your ideas and actions are needed in our world, so allow your assertive side to overcome any shyness or inhibitions you harbor. You might be on a learning curve when it comes to using your power skillfully, but keeping your “light hidden under a bushel” simply will not serve you, nor the rest of us clamoring for your wild brilliance and inventive solutions to the issues which confront us from all directions. Your keywords are RESURRESTION and AWE. Watch or re-watch all three ‘Lord of the Rings’ films and notice which characters you most relate to at this time.

Leo:Visualize a youth, sitting by a pond or lake, noticing the teeming, yet fragile-seeming plants and creatures in Nature sustaining their own and each others’ existence, and feeling the lonely pangs of approaching adolescence, wondering “What am I good for?” The grades and awards, the fellowship of friends, the acknowledgment from the adult authorities, the skills and the talents the youth has developed mean something different at this moment. Something mysterious is happening inside, Lion, not really comfortable, but interesting and compelling nonetheless. If you are still following me, Mr. or Ms Golden Mane, let me tell you that the first third of 2012 will be similar to the last half of 2011, in some respects. People will try to put you into positions of authority, or at least increased responsibility, or power, or some kind of spotlight. Go for the gold. By late May, you might be tuning into different frequencies, and having your attention diverted by strange murmurings from your inner self. This may actually remind you of the recent past, namely the brief duration from spring to mid-summer of last year, when you were, perhaps only sub-consciously, reevaluating your “worth” to the world. Let us call it a questioning of assumptions, mixed with a desire to contribute more meaningfully to the community of beings of which you are a part. Whatever that means to you. So allow me to suggest some music which may, hopefully, resonate with the cosmic vibrations seeking to insinuate their rhythms into your big, Leo heart from the depths of your deep, eternal soul. Listen to “Invisible Sun” by the Police, and “You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor. Keyword for 2012: RESPONSIVENESS

Virgo:Aim high Virgo, there is everything to gain, as long as you use your vaunted powers of discrimination when it truly counts. To be more specific, you can enjoy progress and new heights, as well as better company and more fun in the area of life related to your career and “pubic life”. Good things come to those who both wait and prepare well. Use the first half of 2012 to get smarter and expand your know-how in areas that are of practical concern. If you can avoid the trap of scattering your energies into too many directions, or getting caught up in dramatic and vitality-draining dynamics with others, this year will offer up changes as long as you are choosy and maintain faith and a positive attitude. You might be holding onto a person, or something you think you deserve or are entitled to and finding yourself embattled, weakened and disappointed. If this is the case, let go, grieve, or cry, just allow whatever feelings need to flow and wash you clean. There is a tendency for Virgos to be extremely self-critical, and this tendency will be exacerbated until the Fourth of July. There is a catch, however, but a good one. If you take the surgeon’s approach to one particular deep-rooted issue you can metaphorically “lance a boil” in your personality make-up that acts like a blemish, keeping you from revealing your pure, radiant, authentic and natural self. We all have problematic traits, it just happens to be your turn to use the sharp insight of self-examination to heal a hurt rather than defend your wound by being prickly with others and then turning around to attack yourself. Your keyword for 2012: ACCURACY. Reading assignment: Don’t Bite The Hook by Pema Chodron.

Libra: Hey Libra, do you know the story about the baby elephant that is kept from running away from its handlers by the use of a thick rope tied to one leg of the young pachyderm, with the other end connected to a stake driven into the ground? When the elephant grows up, the same rope and same stake, now a veritable thread and twig to the gargantuan creature, still keep the animal from going its own way. How can this be? It is explained that the elephant remembers the way the rope restrained it when it was a baby, and still believes the rope has the same binding power. A question to consider during 2012 in order to achieve your liberation from an old, constraining memory…What do I allow to continue to limit me because I am in the habit of thinking it can? If the answer does not become apparent quickly, here are some clues which might help. 1) Check the ‘basement’, your memories, and your family ‘story’ and 2) cross-check to see if there is a connection to any sense of lack, or if “it” functions to block you from accessing your gifts and talents. Keyword for 2012: ABSOLVE. Reading material to accompany your journey through 2012 – Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Theme song for 2012 – “Live It” by Cherryholmes.

Scorpio: I have a fantasy about the state of your heart, Scorpio. There is a circle around your heart, not a boundary, nor an energy field, just an indicator of proximity. This heart has wings, like those on a swan, but they are folded around a place on the heart that is raw, maybe even bleeding, or healing very slowly. Re-wounding happens impersonally as much as in intimate contacts with family, friends and lovers. This means that you are feeling the wounds of others, certain people you know, and also possibly, the wounds of those unknown to you. This image, while discomforting at first probably, means something to me that relates to the astrological weather that characterizes certain themes for you in 2012. This is not so much about making peace with your past, but more about making peace with your present. However much “in-love” our “out-of-love” you may be, and whatever stage that loving looks like, the way to open to the potentials of whatever Life presents you is to stay sensitive to the source of pain and tenderness that resides in your heart center. Gracefully accepting your vulnerability magically enables some sort of increase, abundance and enhancement that the Universe indicates that you are due for, and in fact is ‘prescribing’ for you. It remains your decision whether to be open again, to Love, and the inevitable loss, heartbreak and sorrows that accompany Love’s joyous and uplifting rewards. Film for you: “Harold and Maude”. Book that better explores what I am trying to explain – The Illumination” by Kevin Brockmeier. Keyword for 2012: REVEAL

Sagittarius: A lot of your work and effort seems to go unnoticed lately, doesn’t it Fiery Archer? You have made gains and certainly improved your lifestyle in some important, basic ways over the past year, yes? When it comes to recognition, just rewards and commensurate compensation, maybe it feels like you are giving a lot and getting a little. Well, as my favorite televised blind Shaolin monk used to say, “Be patient, Grasshopper.” What is that, Sagittarius, patience is not your game? An alternative then – carry on in a stupidly optimistic, ignorantly hopeful manner, and with a moronic attachment to your Great Expectations. You will be happier, and actually successful, in your natural mode anyway, since your attempts at being patient tend to foster grumpiness, if not worse, and thereby piss off the very people who are showing up to help you. Did I say showing up to help you? Yes I did! The caveat here is the timing – expect the allies and their supplies to arrive no sooner than July, and possibly not until August, when bountiful Venus moves into “new territory” in your house of partners and beloveds. Send “Whistle While You Work” to your cell phone as a ring-tone reminder that your best attributes are your jolly-good cheerfulness and your capacity to recognize the silver lining in the dark, gray clouds. Keyword for 2012: FAIR (play around with the multiple meanings). Guiding image: tarot card 0 The Fool. 

Capricorn: The keyword for Capricorn in 2012 is JUDGEMENT. Especially in this sense: the ability to judge and make a decision; and/or form an opinion authoritatively, wisely, and with good sense and discretion. Your capacity to wield your authority skillfully during half of 2012 will be based upon your sound judgments relating to matters where fairness and impartiality are critical themes. Mars meandering in your house of beliefs, religion and philosophy during the first six months of 2012 signifies a familiar theme, whereby your moral code and overall perspective is being challenged. Not much wiggle-room for the Sea-goat clan these days. Consequences come fast and hard for those playing fast and loose with the “rules”. Impeccable behavior is hard to maintain, and it seems that Capricorns are under severe scrutiny these days. Keep to your famous integrity, hold fast to the standards that brought you to the success you have achieved and, rather than tear you down, folks in your orbit will seek to put you on the proverbial pedestal. Film to see (or see again with this forecast in mind) “Captain America: The First Avenger”.

 Aquarius: Perhaps you dared to be different, Water Bearer, but what did you get? Or, maybe you conformed to the norms, but how did that feel to your soul? If you feel like you have been the poster-child for Mr. or Ms Misunderstood over the past decade or so, this year’s forcast should sound good. But first, if you want to go to your window and holler out to the world “f*** you”, please do that now. There, doesn’t that feel better? If your voice has gone unheard, your message ignored, and your mission seemingly aborted, the tide is shifting soon, very soon, Aquarius. First, let me explain what has been going on. Usually, your contrasting, complimentary counterpart, Leo, gets to do the representing, demonstrating what the rest of us might wish to aspire to, (if the Lion behaves with the radiant grace, generosity and nobility which is its calling). These past years have been a test of your character, Sky-child. Listen: it is not what you do or what you have that is important right now – it is who you are. Got that? Thus, your keyword for 2012 is ESTEEM.Who can tell when the Age of Aquarius is officially supposed to get here? Are we in it already? For all practical purposes and for your sake, let’s say is it is right now. The first step for you, as the obvious epitome of the New Age, is to take stock of your current standing with yourself. What are your deepest, truest values and most importantly, what do you stand for? For motivational purposes, and in case you need help remembering what the worst of the past has been like, listen to Simple Plan wailing on “How Could This Happen To Me?”. If you want to get your righteous mojo rocking, no matter what your faith or religion, tune in to either “Duppy Conqueror” by Bob Marley and the Wailers, or The Clash thrashing out “Rock The Casbah”. Your consciousness and your presence matter more than anything, and those matter a lot right now. Vibrate according to your essential nature and everything will be alright. By the way, make sure you make your birthday wishes on your birthday.

Pisces: If your life allowed you unlimited introspection, would you enjoy the opportunity to contemplate to your heart’s content the connection you have with your various parts, facets and selves? Life may not give you the time, nor will civilization stop like a wound-down clock (archaic reference, huh?) and afford you the option of settling into the introverted mode that would be so very soothing to your soul right now. It is up to you to make Time your friend, to get out of high gear and to create spaciousness in order to follow your whimsy down the rabbit hole and into the vast and endlessly interesting subtle realms of your inner awareness. Do you dream, Pisces? Have you been paying attention to them? I follow the advice of the late neo-Jungian psychologist, James Hillman, when he admonished his students to avoid bringing a dream into the arena of the rational mind for analysis and interpretation, and instead insisted that dreamwork is best served by meeting a dream on its own terms and in its own territory. That brings me to your reading assignment for 2012, the fore-mentioned Hillman’s own The Dream And The Underworld. You are spending the first portion of the upcoming year happily adjusting your attitude. [See Gemini's forecast for some useful tidbits on this process] When July arrives, summertime finds the Fishes making home improvements that match up with the increased well-being that has come from taking time out to engage in right-brain activities and calm the mind. Keyword for 2012: SACRED

So what is a Moon Void-of-Course phase (Moon v/c) and how can it can be so problematic as to make plans go awry? To answer what defines a Moon Void-of-Course requires some technical lingo and astrological basics. (Please skip to the next paragraph if you just want to know what to do and not do when the Moon is Void-of-Course.) As the Moon orbits the Earth it goes through the entire path of the twelve zodiac signs in a lunar month, approximately 28 days. The passage through each sign, Aries through Pisces, lasts between two to three days. The Moon makes aspects to the other planets and the Sun as it makes its way from New Moon to First Quarter to Full Moon to Last Quarter back to New Moon. The “major” aspects are traditionally what matter in Void-of-Course calculations, so when the Moon makes either the last conjunction, sextile, square, trine or opposition to the Sun or a planet before going into the next sign, the Moon is considered Void-of-Course until it “crosses the border” into the next sign. This can last only a minute, or up to two days. The durations are usually short, lasting for a few hours. So what does that mean that the Moon is Void-of-Course?

When the Moon is Void-of-Course it is as if Earth’s satellite has stopped beaming helpful guidance to our brains. Whatever the “on course” Moon does for us that helps us make smarter decisions, and more satisfying purchases, and arrange and plan events and meetings, goes AWOL with the Moon v/c. The mystery is deeper, in that mix-ups, foul-ups and undesirable results occur not just immediately, but down the road, in the FUTURE. Take these examples, for instance – In every U.S. Presidential election from 1900 to 1972 one of the two major political parties nominated a candidate when the Moon was Void-of-Course. Every one of these candidates lost the election. Jimmy Carter’s nomination in 1980 occurred during a Void-of-Course Moon. More recent data: Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 were nominated during Moon v/c. [these examples are taken from Secrets From A Stargazer's Notebook by Debbi Kempton-Smith] As we shall see, there are ways to utilize a Moon v/c phase, however, the key thing to be aware of is that if you have a stake in something turning out a particular way, then avoid initiating whatever that is during the time when the Moon is Void-of-Course.

Buying things can be challenging when the Moon is Void-of-Course due to difficulties making choices, and then the outcome is often disappointing. People often report feeling weird, spacey and out-of-touch with themselves or any clear direction when the Moon is Void-of-Course. It is like we are temporarily rudderless, and we tend to be prone to errors of judgment and poor reasoning with the Moon v/c.

Here is the mantra for when the Moon is Void-of-Course: “Nothing will come of this.” That is what astrological tradition tells us. Nothing will come of the plan, choice, decision or project implemented during the Moon Void-of-Course phase, supposedly, because the Moon is not helping us poor mortals get our way. If you choose to heed this advice, and start paying close attention every week for when the Moon is Void-of-Course, then you will also want to remember those few fateful words to help you apply your intelligence to upcoming situations when the Moon is Void-of-Course.

“Nothing will come of this.” That is obviously not always the truth, for something comes of whatever is under consideration, even if the something does not “work out” or bring the consciously-desired results. This brings us to those times when you do not want things to work out. If you think you are going to get called on the carpet in a meeting, or have a possible judgment against you in court or arbitration, then those are the good times to schedule an action during a Moon v/c. There are plenty of situations when we would prefer “nothing to come of it”, so if possible, implement or arrange those things to “happen”, or begin, during  the Moon v/c phase.

Since the Moon herself is sort of “in limbo”, “checked out”, or “on a break”, it is also good for us to chill and be still. If we must be busy, avoid anything but basic routines if you can, and even then, since you may be somehow forgetful or miss some details or elements of the matters at hand, be prepared for do-overs and fixes later on (and when the Moon is not Void-of-Course!) Take these irregular periods as opportunities to go back over things, do nothing, sleep, relax, day-dream and give yourself a rest from the affliction of busy-ness.

Finding out when the Moon is Void-of-Course is easy. Use Scroogle or some other search engine if you have a computer, and look up “Moon Void of Course” and you will find tables with times and loads of lore like I have overloaded you with in this column. The iPhone application “Luna” shows the Moon phases including when the Moon is v/c. There are tables in almanacs and of course in Jim Maynard’s, Llewellyn’s, Georgia Stathis’, and the We’Moon yearly calendar journals. Some folks designate the Moon Void-of-Course with “VOC” but since my calendar shows the “v/c” abbreviation, I am using that in this article.

Again, this is the factor I pay attention to most, and have had many, many funky experiences where I have looked back and said, “Well no wonder, the Moon was Void-of-Course.” When it is v/c and I want to get something done, I try to simply “cool my jets” and find a possibly less productive, but “safer” activity to occupy my time. This can be a bit frustrating on occasion, but I find that my life works better overall when I respect the power of the Moon and adjust my rhythms to hers.

 With the turning of the pages of the calendar, it has been possible, at long last, to check up on via Scroogle, (for those who look with suspicion upon the personal information gathering done at Google.com) on the dates in question and any big media coverage about the two items chosen for this column’s initial foray into making mundane predictions.

 The first prediction went like this:

Murdoch media scandal

“…further governmental and judicial [Saturn] investigation [Pluto] of Rupert Murdoch’s [Pluto-crat] News Corp. telephone tapping scandal [Pluto] will result in disgrace [Pluto]with consequences [Saturn] such as heavy fines, loss of power [Saturn]in the media world (like the loss of The Wall Street Journal) [Pluto/Mercury], termination [Saturn & Pluto] of (more) key figures and/or sentencing (by a female judge) to time in custody or community service [Saturn]. It would not surprise me if Rupert Murdoch himself, his son James, or his close confidante, Les Hinton, falls seriously ill or worse [Saturn & Pluto] due to the pressure [Saturn]and fallout [Pluto] from the scandal.”

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/27/140829858/news-corp-s-u-k-actions-under-scrutiny-in-u-s

I can give myself a point for this one, although the details that were related to the “…loss of power in the media world…” seem to relate to the way Rupert Murdoch and his cronies had infiltrated the British government by virtue of appointments and influence. The scandal led Mr. Murdoch to withdraw an attempt to gain control of Sky TV earlier in the year, but the parliamentarians in England want to ensure that he cannot attempt to do so again, or ever attain as much power as he previously wielded. http://www.digitalspy.com/media/completecoverage/phone-hacking-scandal/

 And the second prediction went like this:

European Sovereign Debt Crisis/U.S. dollar devaluation

 Significant upheaval [Pluto] in the banking and world economic markets [Saturn & Pluto]as the devaluation [Saturn]of the U.S. Dollar and the European Sovereign Debt Crisis make more headlines [Mercury] http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/european_central_bank/index.html

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/27/140834485/eurozones-looming-financial-crisis

For this item, I can only give myself a half-point, making my score one-and-a-half out of a possible two. This second theme, concerning the world economy, particularly the interlocking issues of dollar devaluation and European debt, were too general and were being reported upon almost daily in the major media. Unlike the Murdoch News Corp. scandal, which was blinking in and out of the headlines, the news of the Euro debt and dollar dive have been “in the news” steadily, and continues to garner front page attention and multiple minutes of coverage on TV and radio, as it should. Score so far: 1and ½ out of a possible 2.

That is encouraging enough to prompt continued interest in predicting when collective attention will be drawn to world figures and happenings. What is going on currently, and in the recent past, is so very dynamic and interesting, however, that another example of how astrological factors in the sky are correlation with events here on Earth seems to be called for.

In the heavens: Saturn is transiting back and forth (direct and retrograde) in the final third of Libra until October of 2012. Uranus and Pluto are engaging in a tense series of pressurizing and inflammatory contacts that will continue pretty much into 2019. Neptune finishes its fourteen year transit of Aquarius in early February 2012. Jupiter is retrograde in Taurus until Christmas. Jupiter in Taurus, the sign of money and value, makes nice (trine aspect) with Pluto in Capricorn, the sign of authority and business, weaving material [Taurus] benefit [Jupiter] and institutional [Capricorn] power [Pluto] together for the common good, ideally. Let’s take a few of the current news items and see if there are some matches to the planetary archetypes…

From the AP on October 26                                   “Obama Announces Student Loan Relief” – the President is accelerating a plan [Jupiter] to lower some factors of student loan debt [Pluto]. “Obama said his plan will help [Jupiter] not just individuals, but the nation, because graduates [Jupiter] have more money [Taurus] to spend on things like buying homes.” Jupiter is associated with good news, benefits and generosity, as well as higher education and long-range planning towards a happier and more prosperous future. “‘Our economy [Taurus] needs it right now and your future [Jupiter]could use a boost [Jupiter]right now,’ Obama said.”

Credit East Bay premier massage therapist Jill for asking if there was “…any good news going on to report about?” For a good-vibes resource and more good news, check out:  http://pronoiaresources.com/

Here is something from AP/CBS, October 28:                                                         OAKLAND, Calif. – Anti-Wall Street protesters [Uranus] in Oakland have erected more than two dozen tents in a plaza (near City Hall [Capricorn]) declared off limits [Saturn]for overnight camping, vowing to remain at the site despite city orders [Saturn] to vacate. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan [Saturn] had issued a statement asking protesters [Uranus] not to camp overnight at the plaza. Earlier Thursday evening, a crowd of at least 1,000 people, many holding candles, attended a vigil in Oakland for Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen, who suffered a fractured skull Tuesday during a clash [Uranus/Pluto] between demonstrators [Uranus] and police.

Play Mercury’s Way dept. Mercury enters “shadow point” territory in its meandering through the zodiac on the first weekend of November. Pay special attention to omens, portents, intimations and signs of what may come when the Magical Messenger makes its next retrograde reversal in the heavens. The retrograde phase of Mercury can sometimes be informative and helpful, but only if we “tune in” instead of dreading the possible travel and communication glitches that often multiply during the retrograde period. Use your intuition, employ a divination tool, listen to your dreams, and obey the smart voice you hear in your head. Be curious; be alert for omens – the Intelligence That Is may be trying to get your attention. Whatever breaks through your typical walking trance from November 4^th through 6^th may foreshadow something interesting and useful. A later “aha!” will come when the speedy planet makes its station on November 23^rd, and more meaning from the message may come to consciousness on the days Mercury conjuncts Sun , December 3^rd and 4^th.

Utilizing Mercury retrograde phases means we must get out of our sleep-walk inducing routines and put our minds in a “different” mode. By holding a curious alertness in our awareness, even just by telling ourselves that we will notice the message trying to come to us via the gods, we might benefit from Mercury’s magic, and not just end up annoyed by his tricks.

While it is scary (and silly) enough to practice making mundane predictions while learning about the astrological methods that make up the discipline, I think it is important to state what one is up to and what service one intends to provide by making predictions. The question of prediction can get astrologers into difficulty, especially with the people who might be concerned that an astrologer is affecting a person’s free will or, by implying that such-and-such will occur, setting up a self-fulfilling prophesy for the client. To clarify, for those holding such reasonable concerns, the approach of mundane astrology is aimed at collective and general events and the countries and public figures that play roles that are of collective (and also, sometimes, personal) concern.   What Ben Bernanke says in public in an address to millions of people broadcast world-wide may actually, ultimately, affect my wallet, but not mine alone. The affect is not personalized, since the effect is not just on “my wallet”, but “our wallets”. The eminent British astrologer, Sue Tompkins, recently made this point to those assembled at a lecture hosted by the San Francisco Astrological Society; to paraphrase: Prediction in the case of personal readings is not recommended. Prediction in the case of collective events and public figures can be done. Ah, but should it be done, and why? Simply put, I visit weather.com or listen every couple of days to the 6-day weather forecast on KCBS radio in order to be better prepared for what is likely to come. Similarly, I look to eminent mundane astrologers, like those appearing regularly in “The Mountain Astrologer” magazine to help me get an astrological perspective on what is up now, and is likely to unfold in the future in collective-concern arenas, such as with our currency and The Federal Reserve, interactions between nations, and where on Earth the upcoming eclipses might stir up natural disasters or major political news.  The mundane astrologer has an interest in examining social and political changes, and even severe weather occurrences.

With that in mind, being awake to the currents and tides that make up our present moment, collectively, is interesting to me, and I hope also, to you, since I am going to find out in this forum and in front of all three readers if I can utilize the principles of mundane astrology accurately, for fun, and in order to know how to dress. Now the kicker: because I have to get this column written, proofread and sent to the October issue of The Mystic Dream email newsletter that carries it online, I have to submit it before I can know if my predictions are on, partially on, or off the mark. I tricked myself! The only thing to do is attend to the news at the end of September and write about the results later, in the column for November.

Uranus

Would it have been useful to know that the so-called Arab Spring, or something like it, was due to occur? How might it have helped to be able to think about, in advance, the major, world-wide ecomonic downturn that most people believe started in September of 2008? Would it be helpful to know of probabilities in the geopolitical dynamics in the future? How about concerns such as, “When will the financial recovery come about?” For some individuals, such forecasting of likely events in the near-or-not-so-near future might factor into decisions, it might mean money or the potential loss of money, it might preclude one’s travel plans or prompt one to get the revolution started, it might be simply interesting to know about, or place bets upon.  As far as I can tell, at this point in time at least with the level of respect given to astrology, mundane predictions may only be useful in some varying ways to some individuals who find it personally helpful and interesting.

For Mundane Astrology to be optimally useful, and it probably will not occur in my lifetime, would be if the probabilities indicated by skilled mundane astrologers were taken into account by collective entities for the benefit of and in service to the masses. If one of my colleagues had been able to give a standard Uranus/Pluto cycle lecture to the United Nations, then the decade around 1848, the “Year of Revolutions”, could have been equated with 2009 to 2019 and some forethought given to the likelihood of another series of struggles for regime change. (How the United Nations would respond to and make meaning of such information is another matter, but I am in fantasyland now anyway, so I might as well go on.) The archives of The Mountain Astrologer, and probably many other quality journals and blogs, are full of predictive articles about the “Great Recession”, the earth changes and weather catastrophes, the deeply polarized split in U.S. politics, and other social and political upheavals happening now and over the next decade.

To keep plodding on, to keep providing information publicly, and testing out the accuracy or inaccuracy of predictions, is to hone the recovering art of Mundane Astrology in the midst of a world of nations, not kingdoms. If astrology gains respect on its own merits, may it truly be in service of adding perspective and meaning, and not merely making for success in gambling, whether in stocks or in Monte Carlo.

What makes one astrologer motivated to use the methods of Mundane Astrology and practice putting predictions ‘out there’? To make available the very information that has allowed one to ‘foresee’ the dramatic events that make the start of the 21^st Century an era of “interesting times”.  From discussions and reading over the past many years, this astrologer has come to respect the powers of mundane forecasting, so much so that one wants to cry out on behalf of those skilled practitioners willing to research, write and publish their predictive interpretations,“ They told you so!”

Correlating current events to current planetary movements is also part of the job. This is easier by far than predicting, but is perhaps more immediately useful, in that it might help people make symbolic sense out of what is going here. Since symbols imply meaning, this might inform and inspire those who would consider assigning meaning to events and choose a creative, conscientious response to the Situation. One takes license here, as what one chooses to correlate is naturally driven by preferences, values, orientations, status and attitude. With subjectivity and prejudice accounted for, one proceeds to eschew pretense to objectivity and allow for opinions, wishes, and biases to color what one presents.

What has been in the news for those not experiencing typical corporate media blackout are uprisings in the U.S.A. Based upon the energy around the on-going protests against Wall Street, let’s see how this current event is symbolized in the sky with which archetypal astrological factors.

Pluto

On Wall Street [Pluto in Capricorn] we have demonstrators making a stand [Uranus in Aries] on behalf of themselves and the “other 99%” who bear the brunt of the malfeasance and corruption [Pluto] of those deemed “too big to fail” or perhaps, too powerful to fail [Pluto]. Currently, Pluto and Uranus are in the early stages of a multi-year frictional and charged conflict by aspect in our solar system.  {late addition for website readers only: an article the really captures the mood of the class struggle on the streets: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_best_among_us_20110929/

Check it out and feel intensity.

That is more than enough for now, with more current events to be analyzed, and a report-card on my predictions coming next month.

“Texas Gov. Perry Signs Pledge to Back Constitutional Amendment Against Same-Sex Marriage”

For those of you avoiding the circus that passes these days for U.S.politics, Governor Rick Perry is a recent entry into the Republican Party collective of candidates for president. Because Gov. Perry is a member of the governmental establishment and also a conservative, it is pretty easy to associate him with the planet Saturn. Saturn upholds tradition and conservatism, with a favored feeling towards the “good old days” and prefers maintaining the status quo and hierarchical power arrangements that are the patriarchal, “father knows best” type structures in our current culture. Saturn likes to build things that endure, and enduring value means resistance to change, and Saturn, when threatened, will punish or block attempts to reform and revolutionize. Libra is the sign of legal and contractual agreements, and we see the workings of Saturn through this sign (from October 2009 to October 2012, generally speaking) as the Saturnian public figure, Gov. Perry, seeks to uphold traditional [Saturn] values by ensuring that the law [Libra] of the land, the U.S. Constitution [Saturn], acts as a vehicle for limiting [Saturn] the privilege of marriage [Libra] to one man and one woman.

To bring in one interplanetary aspect, unfolding as I write, the tension-and-friction producing square between Mars (the planet of warriors, soldiers and athletes) and Saturn (the planet of Judicial Authority) can be associated with the story about U.S. District Judge Susan Illston (one of Saturn’s representatives) denying [Saturn] the motion  [Mars] for a new trial or acquittal for sports star [Mars] Barry Bonds on obstruction [Saturn] of justice [Libra] charges.

Making the correspondence between world events and the planets is known as mundane astrology. Predictions are tricky and prone to failure because there is so much information to sort out, both with the horoscope and in the news. Without going into the obscure details that were used to choose a particular upcoming date, it might be interesting, risky and fun to go out on a predictive limb with regards to world events and take the lumps or glory, depending upon the outcome, and learn from the exercise, while perhaps honing one’s abilities to “forecast” using astrological techniques and methods.

For reasons too complex to outline here, I will choose the days of September 27^th, 28^th and 29^th. Following the next New Moon, which falls in the zodiacal sign of Libra, the aspects indicate planetary activity involving Saturn, in a conjunction (joined) with Venus, also in Libra. (The image of female [Venus]  judges [Saturn], or maybe Secretary of State [Saturn] Hilary Clinton [Venus] come to my literal mind.) Additionally, the Sun is joined with Mercury while both are a quarter of a circle, or ‘square’ aspect to Pluto. As mentioned before, the square denotes tension-and-friction, and suggests that push has come to shove, as if some “unleashing” dynamic will occur after a build-up of force and resistance.

Based upon some indicators that shall remain unnamed for simplicity’s sake, I choose to look at themes happening on the front pages back on the Full Moon of July 14^th. Thinking that the planetary positions will reflect earthly occurrences related to the days around mid-July, I wonderingly anticipate, yes predict, (yikes, I feel so nervous) that further governmental and judicial [Saturn] investigation [Pluto] of Rupert Murdoch’s [Pluto-crat] News Corp. telephone tapping scandal [Pluto] will result in disgrace [Pluto]with consequences [Saturn] such as heavy fines, loss of power [Saturn]in the media world (like the loss of The Wall Street Journal) [Pluto/Mercury], termination [Saturn & Pluto] of (more) key figures and/or sentencing (by a female judge) to time in custody or community service [Saturn]. It would not surprise me if Rupert Murdoch himself, his son James, or his close confidante, Les Hinton, falls seriously ill or worse [Saturn & Pluto] due to the pressure [Saturn]and fallout [Pluto] from the scandal. These predictions are not unlikely in any account, I am simply saying that the New Moon on September 27^th will usher in news on that day or the next two. We shall see..

One more prediction: Significant upheaval [Pluto] in the banking and world economic markets [Saturn & Pluto]as the devaluation [Saturn]of the U.S. Dollar and the European Sovereign Debt Crisis make more headlines [Mercury]. Moody’s Investor’s Service, Inc.’s lowering [Saturn] of the United States’ credit rating will seem like good news [Mercury] compared to the bombs dropping [Mercury/Pluto] during the last week of September. It looks to me like the interlinking economies will drag the world economy down [Saturn]with the various markets responding to further revelations [Mercury/Pluto] regarding the extent of national insolvencies, plus threats [Mercury/Pluto]or outbreaks of hostilities, such as war, state or non-state sponsored terrorism or news [Mercury] of a major defeat or escalation of conflict [Pluto] in a hot-spot region, like the Middle East. We shall see…

Once I get my copy of The Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas Campion, the necessary astro-text for mundane astrology work, I will really go out on a limb and name some specific countries that are likely to be “in the news”, unless of course I feel utterly embarrassed by all this and never put a prediction out for public view again. We shall see…

Star-gazers tend to be sought after as problem solvers in times of uncertainty or crisis, so we astrologers, generally-speaking, are often looking for warning signs, and prone to ferret out potential challenges or “evil portents”. This interpreter of God’s cosmic shorthand is no exception and so must remind oneself that while practicing the adage “Forewarned is forearmed”, it makes at least equal sense to foretell how to best utilize the astrological weather in order to take advantage of the forces at work and accept the presenting energies as gifts from the gods, and find ways to make these gifts useful.

Take this Mercury retrograde phase that lasts from August 2^nd to August 26^th. I would be remiss not to share my usual advice to avoid signing contracts and seeking final judgments on deals and court cases, to double-check all details involving business transactions and all types of correspondence, and to put off purchases of anything that uses wires, batteries or operates using electrical means. Traffic tie-ups and travel in general can be more problematic than usual during Mercury retrograde, so confirm all meeting times, accommodations and reservations to avoid headaches, and even so, give extra time all through August to get where you are going by plane, train, or automobile.

While I appreciate that seemingly more people are becoming  astrologically literate, and by extension symbolically aware, I think the cliché “a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing” can often be applied when folks voice their “Oh no, not again!” fears associated with the retrograde phase of Mercury. After all, Mercury is retrograde for about three weeks at a time, three times a year. If the Trickster Deity was the harbinger of major disasters, we puny earthlings would be picking ourselves out of the ruins so often that not much could be accomplished, and so-called civilization would not have been possible.

Sometimes, the Tricksy Winged God can signify how the “Devil is in the details” and we need to act accordingly on the days when the Giver of Letters, Signs and Numbers is apparently at a stand-still, or in his “station”, in the heavens. The most disastrous (dis=against, aster=star) example of Mercurial mischief that I can think of came when the tiny planet stationed retrograde on Election Day in the U.S. in 2000. Counts, re-counts and dare I mention, hanging chads? Obviously, astrologers are no longer consulted when it comes to timing important state affairs. On that occasion, Hermes the Thief was set loose and some say that election became a se-lection and was “stolen”. So one more general warning for Merc is retro – remember to lock your doors and do not leave valuables lying about ripe for the picking.

Aside from the election crisis, most Mercury effects are simply frustrating and make us feel scatter-brained, or thwarted that things are not going the way they should. And that is the point around how to take advantage of the gifts of a retrograde Mercury phase. The apparent reverse-motion of the Heavenly Herald calls to consciousness some of the many tasks, talents and duties related to the mythical Mercury, or Hermes for the Greeks. Aside from lording over transactions and short journeys, thieves, merchants and scribes, Mercury also serves as Herald of the Gods, as well as the Psycho-pomp, or conveyor of souls to the afterlife. The everyday interchanges among people are operating under versatile Mercury’s purview. Exchanges of information, recording and transmitting data, movement from here to there, thinking, planning, listening and learning are happening in a more or less horizontal dimension, all within the plane of normal, commonplace interactivity.

With Mercury going against the flow of typical motion through the signs of the zodiac, we can interpret that the alteration means that Mercury’s “duties” are currently focused on areas not normal, regular or typical. Thus, the everyday transactions, transcriptions and communications are relatively unsupported, as they otherwise would be with forward-moving Mercury helping things function smoothly in our day-to-day affairs. What Mercury is up to when retrograde is bringing down messages from the heavens, especially from the King of Olympus, Jupiter. What Mercury is down to is the underworld, or perhaps better phrased these days, the inner world or the sub-conscious. Therefore, while seeming to fly backwards in the sky, Mercury, the Heavenly Herald, serves Olympus by opening us to matters of meaning and perspective, belief and world-view, the big questions, and The Quest – our personal hero and heroine’s journey. Attention to concepts related to philosophy, religion and life-purpose are routinely overlooked since we are absorbed and focused upon the surface details of our daily lives. Retrograde Mercury phases are times to broaden our scope of awareness.

Likewise, in service to the sub-conscious, or the underworld travels of Mercury, we are pulled to attend to our non-rational, so-called right brain functions and capacities, like the ability to associate coincidence with meaning, to recognize an omen or sign, to relate to poetry, music, drama and symbols. Attending to one’s dreams is a very favored activity while Mercury   retrogrades. So are meditations, prayer, inner exploration of all kinds, reveries, day-dreaming and generally goofing-off – because “goofing-off” is counter to the quality of mental attention required of most of us when we are “taking care of business”. So Mercury retrograde sloughs off his business attire and puts on a magician’s cloak or vagabond’s holey hat or grabs his poetry pen or stretches out prone on the couch and tunes out the world and tunes into inner space.  

The moral of the story is this: To make the most of August 2011’s Mercury retrograde phase, tell some jokes, pull some pranks, find ways to look at your life sideways, in retrospect, or through the looking glass. Ask yourself about the meaning of life, get high, get low, take a different route to work on purpose and try to let your right brain have its way for awhile.

        In the spirit of the Mercury retro-grade phase, I have a film recommendation for you. Go see “Magic Trip – Ken Kesey’s Search For A Kool Place”. It is a very well (re-)made documentary that takes us on a journey from California to New York and back with The Merry Pranksters on their famous bus, Further. The Mercurial trickster energy is evident throughout, aptly demonstrated in a truly Sixties-era journey with Coyote as the tour guide.  I saw it and loved it. The audio tape recording of Ken Kesey’s trip on L.S.D. at a Stanford University research laboratory was my favorite part because Kesey’s voice quality altered as his journey progressed and triggered my first flashback experience.  It was sublime. Four and a half stars. Check it out.