Mars Return: A Time to Start Anew

When I was born Mars was in the sign of Leo. I'm on the brink of a Mars return. Mars returns signal the initiation of a new project or activity.

By tracking your Mars returns you can get an idea of how well or how difficult your chosen project will go. Mars is your action indicator and it returns to it's natal position every 22 1/2 months. Consider the first conjuction as the planning stage of your project. When the transit of Mars approaches it's first square to your natal Mars you should be well on your way to bringing your plan to fruition. If there are problems with your plan at the time of the opposition the problems will become obvious. If by the next square the problems are still obvious it is an indication that the plan may not have been a good one or well thought out from the get go.

It is interesting that my Mars is located in the third house. I have always done work involved with communications. A month ago I started a new job in the field of communications. My initial training is just about over and I am well on my way to doing my Mars in the third house. My work in astrology also requires my talent for counseling, writing and lecturing.

After experiencing many Mars returns I find this one to be one of my best.

Mercury's Shadow Period: Ugh!

Just a reminder that Mercury is still retrograde and will officially go direct on August 26th.

That's what the ephemeris says anyway but those in the know realize that until Mercury is out of its shadow period us earthlings are not in the clear. It is always best to wait on major decisions until Mercury returns back to the degree that it was before it went retrograde. So just a heads up for you all...if possible just try to hold off until after the 10th for those important document signings, iPhone purchases and promotion requests.

Jupiter is still traveling in the sign of Taurus making this security oriented sign feeling more optimistic about the future. Feisty Mars will be entering Leo on the 20th which could trigger off aggressive behavior in those born in the early degrees of fixed somewhere around October 2nd or third. This is the time when caution should be the operative word for those born in the early degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. As long as you all look before you leap this short lived transit should prove just slightly annoying.

Second Saturn Return

I was asked by a friend who is going through her second Saturn return to explain more about the celestial taskmaster's message.

A good way to get a bead on Saturn's personality is to look at a picture of the planet itself. Saturn is a ringed planet. It is quite awesome to see through a telescope. The first time I got a view of it through a telescope I was stunned. We are so far away from it that we never really get to see that it looks exactly like some high school science project rendering of its image. When I got a look at it for the first time it was hard to believe that something so beautiful hung suspended like some Christmas tree ornament so close to planet earth's neighborhood.

Saturn's rings represent boundaries. Staying within Saturn's bounds is like playing by the rules. When we go beyond the rules of Saturn thinking we can outwit the law or engage in any kind of behavior that ignores consequences we will be reminded of the fact again and again that karma exists. For every action there is a reaction...play by the rules and you will avoid unnecessary reprimands, traffic tickets, and DWI fines, as well as pesky paternity suits. Think of Saturn as your cosmic conscience.

Think of life before the age of 29 as a rehearsal or trial run. After 29 when you have gone through Saturn's maturation cycle you should be experienced enough to take your show on the road and engage in the game of life respectably and with consideration. By this time most people know from experience that driving over the speed limit can result in traffic tickets or worse. Hangovers come under the category of Saturn and anyone who has indulged in one two many knows exactly what I mean.

There are lots of examples of life before Saturn return lessons e.i., stupid boyfriends/girl friends, cheating on exams, lying to cover up indiscretions, indulging in vengeful acts, and just plain old inexperience. The list is endless. Indulging in inappropriate behavior as well as not feeling empowered before 29 is normally due to immaturity and often chalked off as such, however after the age of 29 you are supposed to have used up your excuses. It is a time for a clean slate. It is now showtime!

A normal healthy person will experience two Saturn returns. The second occurring around the age of 59 years of age. This is the age when we are expected to reap the benefits of having living an ordered and structured life. The second Saturn return can also be for some, a time when the chickens come home to roost especially if the life you have been leading since after 29 has been one of wrong choices.

I describe myself as an eternal optimist with a realistic view of life. Life is not ever perfect. If this is your second Saturn return and life is not a perfect flowerbed just remember you are still the gardener of your life. If your garden is a mass of weeds don't allow yourself to think that they will take over your entire yard. Even though your tools are rusty...just take them out of the shed. You'll see they still work.

Born Under a Mercury Retrograde

A lot has changed since I began studying astrology over thirty years ago. Back in the day the only people who understood the term "Mercury Retrograde" were astrologers. Things are very different today. It always makes me smile when I'm in a place non-astrology related and I hear someone mention the dreaded Mercury retrograde. Often when this happens I am in a public place amongst strangers. No matter how tempted I get, I hold my tongue for fear of getting in a long involved conversation which has the potential to turn into a free reading. If the temptation becomes too great and I do submit it can only result in a real life Mercury retrograde period for me because it will cause me to, just like a retrograde, make me slow down, go backwards leaving from where I was headed just to share tidbits of information about the ruler of commerce and conversation. The result of such an action on my part could possibly result in getting late to an appointment or missing a train. So of course I don't.

I must admit though astrology has come away and is given more respect than years back. I can actually attest to the fact during medical consults physicians have actually honored without the wisecracks, my reasons for requesting a different date for a medical procedure rather than the one available in their appointment book.

I found that a cosmetic procedure seemed to go on and on having to return to make a wrong right because the retrograde period was the only time I could address the issue. Don't ever accept a medical opinion on a Mercury retrograde. Unless you enjoy making multiple doctor visits and getting second opinions I'd wait for any medical opinions after the retro was over.

It seems I'm cursed as far as Mercury is concerned because whenever I have important papers to sign, procedures to be done, or decisions to be made the planet Mercury is always moving backwards and I can say this happens to me almost 85% of the time.

I was told by a famous astrologer at the beginning of my studies that Mercury retro periods would never bother me since my ruling planet is Mercury and it was retrograde when I was born. I must admit most of the time these periods rarely concern me.

Anyone care to share?

Compassion: Message from Moon in Pisces

Today the Moon in Pisces is a reminder for us all to cast aside our preconceived opinions and judgements about others as well as ourselves and to remember that we are all one with the unified whole. I am afraid that I am just as guilty as the next person of forgetting that my sole purpose is to appreciate others differences and limitations and to show compassion and love for my fellow man.

With what is happening in the world it becomes easier to forget. As we watch Pluto in Capricorn bringing down irresponsible masters of the universe on Wall Street and power greedy world leaders who have forgotten that they are not above spiritual law get their due, it should be a reminder to us all especially during these most difficult times that there is such a thing as payback.

The power of the media also makes it hard for us to keep focused on what is really important. It isn't the Kardashians, the Oscars, best dressed lists or any other hot topic dreamed up by spin doctors. The media is making gazillions of dollars to distract us from what is really important and is getting very rich in the process.

Keep watching Pluto. Pluto will destroy that which is of no longer any use. An economy based on greed and unfairness is sure not to survive. Uranus demands change and does it suddenly without warning, and Neptune makes it difficult to see it coming.

We are living in challenging times. Pluto wants us to clean up our act and can be merciless in how he forces us to do it. Uranus will give us a way out if we use our ingenuity. And Neptune will give us the ability to keep the dream alive.

It's time to build upon better dreams.

Neptune

I realize that I have written many posts about the influence of Neptune and this latest post might be considered by some to be somewhat redundant. So in the event you are one of the lucky few who are not allergic to it's influence and always are able to walk a straight line towards your destination which, simply being a resident of the planet earth, I very much doubt, you can stop reading right now. Even without challenging aspects from Neptune in your chart, based on the law of probabilities you should count on the fact that one day you will be getting a transit of this celestial ducker and weaver of the zodiac who has the ability to make a veteran sailor feel like he's lost his rudder.

The purpose of this post is to provide an antidote for the victims of Neptune's most debilitating influence. I know, I know it sounds like I am being negative regarding this planetary ingrate...no I'm just being realistic. Unless you are either walking on water or living in a cloistered community chances are you could be seduced by a wolf in sheeps clothing or simply be asleep at the wheel literally or figuratively. Remember danger can even be lurking behind the convincing stage of religiosity. Let us not forget Lucifer was once an angel.

The antidote lies in using your common sense...for instance if someone is offering you something for nothing in a business deal nothing will be the result. Birds of a feather usually stick together so if you find yourself in the company of substance abusers, scammers and sneaks get thee out the door. Lending money to people who haven't proven their worth usually isn't a good idea but under Neptune it is never a good idea.

Are you susceptible to being scammed, hoodwinked, screwed, bamboozled, or cheated? Take a look at your natal horoscope to find out where Neptune landed when you were born for a slice of clarity.

House 1: Wear a face mask of yourself so people remember who you are.
House 2: Remember Bernie Madoff.
House 3: Hire a translator.
House 4: Message to all seaside dwellers: Build a seawall!
House 5: Use contraceptives; love fades; babies are forever.
House 6: Always wash your hands.
House 7: Have your spouse wear a face mask so you can remember who he/she is.
House 8: Do you use sex as an escape?
House 9: Check that Guru's credentials.
House 10: If you're career isn't Jacques Cousteau or Mozart related it better be legit.
House 11: If your friends are smoking or doping get new ones.
House 12: If you are smoking or doping get into a program.

More on Amy Winehouse

A shout out to the person who sent me the birth data for Amy Winehouse! I very much appreciated it. Amy was born September 14th, 1983 at 10:25PM in Southgate, England which gives Amy a Gemini ascendant.

From this point of view we can see that Amy's first impulse was to communicate. Her Mercury and Sun in the fifth house are sure indications that she had a special talent that had to be given expression and she did it perfectly through her voice and words. I sat in awe listening to her unique and perfect rendition of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" on YouTube the other day...poor Amy such a loss.

Her Moon in the seventh house would give her the ability to make an impression on others as well as be effected by the emotions and feelings of those around her. For an addictive personality like Amy this was a dangerous location for the Moon especially if she was associating with the wrong people. Was she responding to her own impressions or picking up psychic impressions of those around her?

In my opinion it's always a challenge to be clear headed even without the tendency toward substance abuse when the Moon in the seventh house. The Moon in Capricorn requires that the feelings be regulated or restrained but in this case restraint was on the off switch and Neptune in the seventh house compounded the problem. Neptune in the seventh house is like wearing the wrong eyeglass prescription. It is just plain difficult to see clearly.

Amy had a passionate and demonstrative nature with her Venus and Mars in the dramatic sign of Leo. While watching some of her performances she often gave a shout out to her Dad. From all appearances Amy loved her dad. All in all Venus and Mars in the fourth house indicates that Amy inherited a passionate and impulsive love nature which may have been a little uncomfortable for a Virgo to carry off. Amy was probably more discriminating regarding the object of her affections than we realize.

It appears, to this astrologer that Amy began to experience a transit of Pluto to her natal moon as early as 2008. Pluto would have begun it's transit bringing along with it all sorts of unsavory characters. Pluto is an addictive energy. The fact that Amy's passing happened when the Moon was around 5 degrees of Capricorn is an indication that she never was able to get over her addiction. Her natal Pluto at zero Capricorn was getting hit for years and even though it started to leave the conjunction to her Moon she was never able to kick the habit. Not a good sign.

To make matters worse she had begun to experience the first conjunction of Uranus to her Moon back in 2010 which certainly made it difficult for Amy to be able to conform to a disciplined way of life. Uranus is hard to tame. I'm curious about November 2009 when Saturn decided to visit Amy's Moon as well as the period when Saturn was conjuncting her fifth house planets back in 2009. What it does look like is one big roller coaster ride that Amy was unable to get off of.

Amy Winehouse: Neptunized

As you all know by now I have been struggling with a debilitating Neptune transit. Neptune can if transiting the right houses and natal planets inhibit or lessen enthusiasm and energetic responses. I'm not normally a person prone towards depression or drugs however I can see how it is possible for some people to succumb it's negative influence. Neptune on the highest level can inspire imagination, make sacrifices for a greater good and connect us with our spiritual natures.

Trying to function on the planet earth from this point of view can be very challenging. The earth is a very dense place. So much so that encounters of all kinds can feel as heavy as boulders dropping from the sky and as difficult as pushing one of them up a steep mountainside.

On some level Neptune acts as an Alka Seltzer for dealing with reality issues. It understands on some level that lots of the crap we consider important like being in competition with our neighbors and focusing on ego centric activities isn't. It will dissolve ego-centric interests by taking them away from us. It doesn't happen all of a sudden. It sneaks up on us and then we realize how tired we are and just can't be bothered or are at a loss as to how to remedy this state of inertia. The trouble with not being bothered is that it can cause us to not want to focus on practical and necessary things like the mortgage, rent, car maintenance and insurance. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

So all this talk about Neptune makes me think of the amazingly talented and gifted Amy Winehouse and how she succumbed to Neptune's dark side in the most destructive way. What an inspiring talent and what a mess; two very possible descriptions for Neptune.

According to astrologer Lynn Hayes, Amy was born time unknown, on September 14th, 1983 in London, England. The first thing I looked for was a strong Neptune signature. Naturally, not having her exact birth time was frustrating but there certainly was enough to make me sympathize with Amy's susceptibility to Neptune's seductive influence. Her horoscope courtesy of Astrotheme can be found on this link.

I too have a Moon conjunct Neptune but fortunately for me it never manifested in the same way it did for Amy. So sad that she didn't even have the chance to experience her Saturn return which might have helped to save her. As of now her destiny was to only leave us with but a small yet amazing body of music.

Mercury Rx: Keep Your Pen in Your Pocket

Here we go again with another upcoming retrograde. Mercury is trying to complete his conversation which began on July 3rd. Mercury is all about news. Leo is all about entertainment and creative expression of all kinds. During it's travels in the dramatic and fun loving sign of Leo we can expect the media to be honing in on all the usual pleasure activities like vacations and summer fun. We can also expect a flood of everyday news to be full of winning front page pictorials and front page headlines related to children.

Normally Mercury in the fixed sign tells us that the news we read or decisions we make will have a lasting effect and that any documents signed when Mercury is in Leo will be difficult to append. However, Mercury will leave Leo and enter the sign of Virgo on the 29th and then go retrograde and go back into the sign of Leo indicating that corrections or changes to the original plan which was decided on in July will be subject to changes.

All matters coming under the heading of contracts, agreements and decisions should best be completed after September 12th.

It will be a good idea to keep your Bic unclicked until the celestial coast is clear.

Pisces: Victim of Guilty or Not

I may be one of the only people who didn't follow the Casey Anthony story. That doesn't mean that I have been living under a rock though. The media has provided the entire world with more than enough details to keep even a casual reader like myself informed.

Casey has been sprung and is ready to embark on a new life somewhere else. Like a true Pisces she will be able to blend in and take on her new identity as easily as putting on a new dress. We will never know exactly what really happened to little Caylee. We can only surmise. Astrology is not a perfect science and it will not be able to give us answers about guilt or innocence What it can do however, is give us a better understanding of what makes a person tick. So I decided to take a look at the chart for her birth to see if it corresponds with what has been reported about her in the news. For those of you who would like to see her actual horoscope and a far more thorough delineation than mine on the subject of Casey I am providing the link to Astropost.

According the Astropost sources Casey was born on March 19th, 1986 in Warren, Ohio at 3:10pm. As a mother myself, what I find most shocking is that this girl is only 25 years old and has been accused of the most horrid of crimes. She is probably the most hated person in the country, if not the world, and she will be forever identified as the symbol of motherhood gone horribly wrong.

I believe that her Leo rising is one of the main reasons she has suffered so much bad press. Nobody likes to see the accused behaving like she enjoys the attention she is getting. Her Pisces Sun and Leo rising makes her look like she is starring in the role of misunderstood victim. She was born with a Moon in Cancer. A most natural and appropriate sign indicating motherhood. My problem with her Moon is that it is in the 11th house. That is like having a Moon conjunct Uranus. She appeared more like a part time mom than the Madonna with Child stereotype.

The ruler of her tenth house in her 9th house certainly says something about her destiny being tied up with legal considerations. The ruler of her ninth house is Mars in the legal sign of Sagittarius located in her natal 5th house. So it is not surprising that legal matters for her would be associated with her child.

In the system of astrology that I use the third quadrant in the horoscope represents the area where ideas come. This area of the horoscope is where the fertile imagination lies. Certainly it is not a stretch to consider that a Pisces like Casey could spin tales the likes of which could be the envy of Aesop especially with Jupiter in the 7th house. Jupiter would increase the number of those tales. I have a vague recollection about an imaginary nanny or babysitter who Casey referred to during the trial or when interrogated by police. Could her imaginative seventh house be the hat out of which Casey pulled the imaginary rabbit?

Since the ruler of her seventh house is Uranus and located in the fifth house where emotional creativity is given expression I would suspect that her ideas and thoughts would be expressed in various erratic and unpredictable forms of expression. Her party girl image is a difficult one to diffuse given her penchant for having a good time. Certainly Uranus and Mars in the 5th house could be interpreted as someone who partied hard. Please understand I am not saying she is guilty or not guilty I am just looking for symbolism here that could apply to her life experience.

The majority of Casey's planets are located in the western hemisphere indicating dependency issues. Casey would have a hard time being alone and needs to seek associations with others to compensate for her deficit. Casey needed and will always need a social life.

There were some allegations that she suffered sexual abuse by her father. Whether it was the father who was the perpetrator or someone else, from this astrologer's point of view the ruler of the first in the eighth house is a good indication that something was definitely rotten in Denmark. During the first seven years of Casey's life, either she was having conversations with the dead or something sexual was going on. Since I haven't heard anything about Casey having regular otherworldly visitations I'll keep this idea open for a possibility.

I'm sure that Jupiter in her seventh house helped her to get a good lawyer. Lucky for her that the transit of Jupiter in her ninth might bring in a book deal. Lucky for her that by the time it hits her 10th she'll feeling free as a bird. Not so lucky for Caylee.