Ringing in 2011 with Mercury Finally Turned Direct

Lucky me and my sweetie (a Sagittarius with Venus in Scorpio and Moon conjunct Jupiter in Cancer) barely escaped the 6th-worst blizzard in NYC history on 12/26; our original afternoon flight to Chicago was canceled, but we were put on an 11 a.m. flight. The first flakes were just beginning to fall as we boarded the plane.

Awaiting us in the Windy City was a blanket of snow from Christmas Day, but we did not have to deal with any precipitation.

I'd never been to Chicago before, and although we were only there for one evening-into-afternoon before taking the train to Deerfield to meet up with my sweetie's family, whom I'd never met before, it was a wonderful time: great hotel, delicious dinner, and the wonderful Cyrus Chestnut trio at Jazz Showcase.

I was concerned about the Mars/Saturn square, but its chief manifestation for me was low energy and a drive to write.

Back home now and ready to move forward along with Mercury. For this last post of 2010, I'd like to encourage all readers, instead of coming up with a dreary resolutions list that you will break by late January, to write down or otherwise record your big, crazy, unconventional, beautiful, mystical revolutionary dreams. Jupiter is nearly conjunct Uranus at 27 degrees of Pisces, and although the aspect is not exact till January 4, it's certainly in effect now, and with the Moon having just entered the sign of Sagittarius, its despositor is none other than Jupiter.

You may not see the fruits of your current dreams for quite some time, but by making them conscious to yourself, you will be in a much better position to take unexpected (Uranus) opportunities to expand (Jupiter) those dreams and ideals, so that by the time Jupiter and Uranus have both entered self-centered Aries, you won't just dream it--you'll be it.

Happy Holidays to Those of You Reading My Blog

Jupiter is currently perching on the cusp of my 7th House at 25 degrees of Pisces, and so everything that the planet Jupiter and the sign Pisces stand for--philosophy, values, expansion, religion, education, travel (Jupiter) and Pisces (spirituality, reatreat, psychic sensitivity, the arts) have combined and are directing my energies to...others.

Given the time of the year, at least in my neck of the woods, it would seem impossible to avoid thinking of others--but there you have it. When Jupiter turned direct at 23 Pisces right before my reading last month, I anticipated a major shift with Jupiter crossing the Descendant of my chart, but did not foretell its depth of feeling. Relationships of all kinds are taking on a deeper and more profound meaning, and I find myself even less interested than usual in small talk and shallow interactions. And I find myself increasingly grateful for the connections I have formed with others that mean a whole lot, both online and off.

Then again, my progressed Mercury (planet of communication) conjuncted my prominent Pluto this year, and my progressed Moon will conjunct my Saturn next week--so I have been quite the serious, communication-oriented cookie lately, not that anyone would have ever confused me with Holly Golightly.

Whatever religion you practice (or don't practice), you are presumably reading my blog because you are interested in astrology--one of the oldest, most mysterious and yet commonsense paths in existence.

Religion means "to rejoin." In that respect, I feel that practicing astrology has reconnected me with something vast, scary, and wonderful. It may be outside myself, but it is also within.

Rejoin, and rejoice, wherever you may be, and whomever you may be with.

PS: With Mercury still retrograde, don't sweat it if you still don't know what you're doing for New Year's. You'll figure it out on the 30th. Even if you think you know how you'll usher in 2011, be prepared for a change of plans.

R.I.P. East West Books

Yesterday's Winter Solstice (as non-astrologers refer to the Sun's ingress into Capricorn) and Mercury/Jupiter square found me experiencing a sense of loss and auld lang syne: after I left the office (yes, I'm now working in an actual office part-time for the first time in 5 years!) I decided to make my annual pilgrimage to East West Books to pick up Jim Maynard's Celestial Influences wall calendar and datebook. As it was not an overly cold evening, I walked down to 14th St. and 5th Ave. I passed many chichi shops doing brisk business, but when I arrived at where East West was supposed to be...well, it wasn't. Just a vacant space. A woman smack-dab in the middle of middle age was standing right outside, looking so annoyed I decided she was also looking for East West; it turns out she wasn't (looking for East West, that is), but she told me that they'd closed this past summer and that the website was still live and that the owner was still looking for another space.

Back in the mid-nineties, East West Books was my respite from the New School across the street, where I was an unhappy, fish-out-of-water grad student in the teacher trainer program. In that one year, I must've browsed through nine-tenths of the books in East West's astrology section (I did buy some of them, as well as calendars and datebooks). I also admired the crystals, wind chimes, and Eastern trinkets.

I haven't been a "regular" at East West in many years, but would still make a point of visiting a few times a year, mostly when I was in the neighborhood and needed to buy a gift for someone, and once I attended a lecture at the upstairs cafe that was added a few years ago. The fact that East West is no more is another nail in the coffin of Old New York--or at least, the Old New York that I knew, which I realize isn't the same as the Old New York of the '60s, '70s, or '80s. Still, for over 30 years, East West was the go-to place for local astrologers, hippies, New Age lovers, and disenchanted students, and now it's gone, and leases are ridiculously high in the city, and most likely an Applebee's, Starbucks, or Rite Aid will take its place, and that really, really sucks.

Lunar Eclipse at the Edge of the Winter Solstice!

This is the third Full Moon in a row that falls in the 29th and final degree of a sign. Back in October, the Full Moon was at 29 Aries; in November, the Full Moon was at 29 Taurus; now we have the final Full Moon of 2010 at 29 Gemini, shortly before the Winter Solstice.

The last degree of any given sign is known as the "cusp," and its energy is highly unstable; it teeters on the verge of the next sign, yet is not quite there yet.

I have never read this anywhere, but it is my belief that the final "dwad" of any given sign (i.e., 27.30 to 29.59 degrees) has great potential to achieve mastery of the nature of that particular sign. My favorite aspect in my own chart is the trine between my Mercury at 28 Cancer and Neptune at 28 Scorpio.

In the case of this Full Moon, which is also a Lunar Eclipse (exact 3:13 a.m. EST--quick, go outside and start watching the Moon turn into a bronze medal!), the mastery can be found in the attributes of Sagittarius and Gemini. Although these two signs are opposite each other, they have much in common: curiosity, a desire to communicate on an intellectual and philosophical level, an affinity with travel, teaching, and learning.

When negatively expressed, Gemini is prone to gossip; Sagittarius, to overly blunt tactlessness. Since we are still within orb of the very recent Sun/Uranus, Mercury/Uranus, and Moon/Uranus squares, be particularly careful not to let your rebellion and desire for freedom get the better of you; these difficult squares may be manifesting as "December burnout"--losing patience with various holiday obligations and purchases.

Just after the Solstice at 6:39 p.m. is the Mercury/Jupiter square, so do try not to bite off more than you can chew. With the Sun moving into Capricorn, you won't be able to stomach overindulgence of any kind as well as you could with the Sun in Sagittarius.

Detective Work

Did you say or share anything of great top-secret importance last Sunday, December 5? Or did someone share that information with you? Well, it's coming back today, although in slightly different form...perhaps whatever the secret 411 is will be "taken back" or otherwise transformed via an old-fashioned game of Telephone, where the original words are rendered into something unrecognizeable.

Just don't push too hard today, whatever that sensitive info contains. Mars is moving over that already supercharged Mercury/Pluto conjunction, so despite Mercury being retrograde, silence is highly unlikely.

This is a highly productive day for detectives, amateur sleuths, bloodhounds, therapists, and surgeons. But it's not such a good day for individuals, or corporations, in positions of power (the triple conjunction falls in the highly ambitious sign of Capricorn) who have something to hide. If you happen to be a member of a gang, call in sick with the fu today unless you relish the prospect of receiving broken bones for some infraction or other. And if you absolutely must scale that mountain today, bring along extra guides and extra supplies.

I would not be surprised if more pitch-black stuff comes out regarding the aptly named (given Uranus in Pisces) WikiLeaks, or if a whole other scandal breaks.

Basically, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about. If you do have something to hide, you can either clear your conscience or join a huge club that's getting bigger all the time.