Celestial Weather

28 August 2006 – 3 September 2006

The Week beginning August 28th, 2006

Week as a Whole:

Before listing the extensive series of planetary contacts that pile up this week, perhaps the most important take-away is the effects of this concentration of action and energy. When the celestial weather has this much activity, we are all under major stress, and we will benefit from treating ourselves and our fellow travelers with kindness and compassion. Expect to feel extremes of exhilaration and exhaustion as well as some anxiety about change occurring in our small day-to-day worlds, in our countries, and in the world as a whole. Here are the planetary actors: on Tuesday, Jupiter is exactly four signs (120 degrees) from Uranus AND Mars is exactly square to Pluto, on Thursday Saturn passes opposite Neptune, on Friday Venus is four signs from Pluto, this coming Sunday Mercury is opposite Uranus and two signs from Jupiter. And there’s a Lunar Eclipse coming next Thursday.

We’re coming to a “corner in time” and when we look back from about six weeks in the future, we will see that our world has changed. Astrologers consider the speed of planetary motion as an inverse indicator of the impact of that planet’s energy. The slower the planet the more powerful its impact on us. So Pluto, then Neptune, then Uranus, then Saturn, then Jupiter, then Mars and on into the planets that circle the Sun every year. You may note that every single one of the “slow” planets is active this week. The most powerful pairing is the Saturn – Neptune opposition. This is imagination meeting hard reality. This can be imagination given form and becoming reality. This can be the veil of imagination pulled aside to reveal reality. This is political spin and wishful thinking coming to a crisis point. This is the failure of conventional warfare defeated by a diffuse and wily populism. Saturn in Leo challenges us to focus our will and creativity in a manner that will move toward a future that expresses the humanitarian ideals of Neptune in Aquarius. We should also be wary of the bureaucratic tyranny that can erupt in any group convinced of its divinely appointed mission.

Unlike the square angle and opposition, the four sign angle that forms between Jupiter and Uranus indicates cooperation and reinforcing of each other’s energy. And this energy is emotional not intellectual. The zodiacal signs involved are Scorpio (Jupiter) and Pisces (Uranus). Both of these signs have a hidden or obscure quality; Scorpio is out and out secretive where Pisces always presents a surface image that often obscures a greater force beneath that image. Scorpio and Pisces are the human experiences of loss of edge or center, the loss of self in death or sex and the loss of ego absorbed into the universal spirit. These extreme examples should alert us to the action of Jupiter – Uranus coming as a surprise from inside us or from the “left field” of our life. We may find ourselves having powerful reactions and identifying with the plight of others. The urge to a sudden sacrifice runs through this, and should be ignored if you’re on the freeway. A need to feel connected to a larger and more meaningful cause can be an expression of this and could lead to healthy growth. Dissatisfaction with the more mundane aspects of life can also lead in healthy directions.

These four planets have been interacting for many weeks and this week is where the two wave forms reach a peak. This is not a sharp point dividing before and after rather more of a long ocean swell that may hide a potential tsunami. But this Tuesday has Mars in square to Pluto and this combo is a sharp point. We’ve seen Mars and Pluto form various combinations in the past, and none of them are pleasant. Even the “easy” combos can create conditions where there are high levels of their destructive/creative energy. We know that new growth needs room and fertilizer, and we know that Mars and Pluto create these conditions. Nonetheless, violence and death are never easy to handle. Expect levels of aggression to be high building to late Tuesday afternoon and then subsiding. Impatient Mars tends to act early and quit early, a characteristic you may note in the Aries nature.

Pluto continues to touch us personally on Friday when Venus makes the cooperative four sign angle with him from Leo to Sagittarius. Death need not be violent and does not have to be terrifying. Our social life and relationships need to grow out of old patterns, old habits must die so that we can progress in understanding. What we once thought valuable may have lost its appeal as we move on. This Venus – Pluto combination can bring graceful exit opportunities, only those who cling desperately to the status quo will find this uncomfortable.

Next Sunday Mercury moves into the Jupiter – Uranus pattern by passing opposite Uranus and moving two signs from Jupiter. Some of the “hidden” and non-verbal aspects mentioned above can now find a voice and our intellects discover words to express these big feelings. With the Virgo Sun and a Capricorn Moon on Sunday, many of us may take down-to-earth first steps toward making our lives incorporate some of these big ideas.

The Pisces Lunar Eclipse next week also illuminates the Jupiter – Uranus pair. Expect to adjust to some previously hidden aspect of interpersonal life, some choice with much larger ramifications than first appeared. More on this in next week’s report. Remember to treat each other and ourselves gently; we’re all tender in times of great change.

Daily Forecasts:

This Week:

Monday 28 August 2006

The Moon is Void until 12:56pm/3:56pm when she enters Scorpio. Feelings become very intense and volatile with Mars moving into his square to Pluto. People can be explosively emotional over what may seem trivial when viewed from the outside.

Tuesday 29 August 2006

More of the same. Desire and emotion rule us today. Events expressing Jupiter – Uranus as group experience may surface in the afternoon hours on the media. Take out your checkbook. Enthusiasm meets obstacles late today when the Moon squares both Saturn and Neptune at midnight.

Wednesday 30 August 2006

The Saturn – Neptune struggle takes over from the Jupiter – Uranus amplification today. Limits are reached and feet of clay revealed. It may feel like walking into a stiff wind and working against this pressure develops muscle, balance, and focus. Too long at the gym is no fun so take a break when you can, especially after the Moon goes Void at 1:41pm.

Thursday 31 August 2006

Now in Sagittarius (after midnight PDT), the Moon moves toward her First Quarter at 3:56pm/6:56pm. This always has an underlying urge to find a base or refuge. New ideas springing from the New Moon are now putting out roots and struggling with the establishment for space. Saturn and Neptune are at their peak, politics and its images are swirling. Avoid the tendency to buzz in place; take deep breaths and slow down.

Friday 1 September 2006

Now we’re into the “good” Pluto – Venus energy, but I suspect that many of us will have had more than enough Pluto by now. Use the Sagittarian Moon to take the high road and look at the big picture. Remember that these stressful times will pass away.

Saturday 2 September 2006

The Moon goes Void at 12:49am/3:49am and enters Capricorn at 7:34am/10:34am. This may be the calmest day of this week. Probably a good time to hit the couch and veg out. Find an activity that’s useful, familiar, and soothing. As Mercury moves into angles with Uranus and Jupiter later today our minds become more and more active.

Sunday 3 September 2006

There’s energy now to plan and organize a path to an enhanced long-term goal. Keep a clear detailed picture in mind of where you want to be 5 or 10 years hence. This will invoke the Saturn – Neptune power of manifestation. And avoid negative thought forms – stick your thumbs in your ears, wiggle your fingers and go “LALALALALALALA” if you have to.

Long Range Forecast:

September 22nd – A Solar Eclipse on the Fall Equinox extends the eclipse’s intensity over the autumn season. Politics and religion driven by unthinking emotion return with Jupiter square to Neptune again and Saturn still opposite Neptune. This forms the tense T-square pattern that indicates power struggles and extreme political hard ball. Sun, Moon, and Mars all in Libra may demonstrate that combat and competition are also forms of relationships.

Long-Long Range Forecast:

April 14, 2009 – August 21, 2010 - Saturn makes a series of squares to Pluto newly in Capricorn. The end of business-as-usual politics. The nationalistic dinosaurs will enter their twilight times. The transition to organic regional government will not be smooth…the result may be some corporate feudal mixture.

June 24, 2012 – April 17, 2015 - Uranus in Aries forms his first major hard aspect to Pluto, a square angle, since they were aligned in the second half of the 1960’s. Hippie dreams may come true when the ecology and/or petroleum-based economies fail. Plan to live where there is food and water and you don’t need a car. Plan to live where you’ll know your neighbors…maybe even love them. What a thought! We may have to choose between eating grain on a commune or growing very thin in the city.

Notices for Los Angeles area readers:

Ongoing Classes:

(Classes are on summer break and will resume on September 9^th at the times below.)

10:30am Intermediate Class in Predictions - Heroes and Villains. Using the charts of well-known people, good guys and bad guys, the effects of progressions, transits, and solar returns will be taught and explored. The class is open to people who know the basics of astrology. Call the New Age Bible and Philosophy Center, 1139 Lincoln Boulevard, 310-395-4346 or me, 818-316-0702, for details.

1:00pm – Beginner’s Class. All are welcome. There are no prerequisites except an open mind and curiosity. This class will begin with the signs, planets, aspects, and houses and explore the basics of reading a horoscope. Every effort will be made to teach the class in plain English. Call the New Age Bible and Philosophy Center, 1139 Lincoln Boulevard, 310-395-4346 or me, 818-316-0702, for details.

Visit the Celestial Weather Web Site at http://www.celestialweather.com