"Ch-ch-ch-changes...turn and face the strange...."

I've been a bad Plutonian this month for not keeping my small-but-select readership abreast of all the astrological changes we've been going through...in part because Mercury was Retrograde till 9/12, which partly manifested though many difficulties with my new computer, and also because we've had so many changes that it's a formidable task to keep up with them, let alone offer up insights. Truly, it's as if we've entered another time zone, and perhaps another time--not the future, but the sort-of-recent past.

Have you been feeling unusually passionate, intense, sexy, emotional, moody, dreamy, and/or just plain thirsty? If so, you're in sync with our solar system's transits: Venus entered Scorpio on 9/8; Jupiter retrograded back into Pisces 9/9; Mars entered Scorpio 9/14. Add Uranus, which retrograded back into Pisces in mid-August, and we have four out of ten planets in the water element.

The Jupiter/Uranus conjunction at 28 degrees of Pisces ideally triggered inspiring visions, unusual and idealistic plans, and creative pursuits, especially involving film, music, dance, and writing. However, Uranus is entirely capable of rebelling against rational behavior, and Jupiter is all about exapansion. Combine these two planets in Pisces, there is unusually high danger of emotions distorting facts.

Specifically, this month we have seen more crackpot manifestos issuing from the Tea Party, the ascendancy of a Republicon (yes, I know how "Republican" is spelled, but poor Abe Lincoln has been turning over in his grave enough since the Nixon administration, so I'm spelling it with a "con" to denote both conservatism and con job or con artist) who opposes abortion even in the case of rape, and considers masturbation adultery. (And if you're not married...? I guess that means you're having pre-marital sex with yourself, and we all know how evil sex outside marriage is.) Oh yes, and the Republicons have just promised the American people a repeat of the mess that contributed largely to the recession that we are supposed to believe is over, as well as a promise to take away whatever good has come from the health care reform.

Astrologically, amnesia can be attributed to Pisces; it seems to be brought on by a blow, trauma, or shock (Uranus). I sometimes refer to the country in which I live as the Untied States of Amnesia; I am not joking, because this is no joke.

As a Plutonian, I understand all about the effectiveness of propaganda, a fancy term for having one's brain washed in bullshit. This is partly why people will vote time and time again for Republicons, who most assuredly do not have the poor and middle-class citizens' interests at what passes for their collective heart. Never mind the facts: Repubicons want for voters to be confused, poorly educated, and unhealthy, and an effective way to keep them that way is to feed them nothing but red herrings. Facts would hang the Grand Old Party out to dry.

Not that I think the Democrats are so groovy--they're in the back pocket of Wall Street, corporations, and various interest groups that are mainly self-interested opportunists, and I think the health-care reform leaves much to be desired. But politicians basically hang out with rich people, many of whom balk at the very idea of giving up a few percentage points of their vast millions and billions. Never mind that during the Eisenhower administration, the super-rich did just that and then some, and the result benefited everyone in the USA, not just the monied. Still, I really hope that the Democraps (sorry, couldn't resist) point out the obvious during this mid-term election instead of doing the usual, i.e., alienating the many voters who think "lib-uh-ruls" are wimpy, politically correct elitists preaching to the converted from their ivory tower/White House.

I honestly did not mean to go on a political tirade, but really, it all makes me sick.

In the meantime, I hope you feasted your orbs upon the big, beautiful Harvest Moon that coincided with the Autumnal Equinox (and the Sun's entrance into Libra). That bright star next to the Moon, by the way, was Jupiter.

Baby, It's Cold Outside: Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn

As I warned in my last post, which was posted on the last day of 2009, we are collectively entering 2010 looking backward. Mercury is still Retrograde in Capricorn, and at least on the East Coast, we have been in a deep-freeze unit. As I remarked to a friend last week: "My gloves need gloves." Yesterday, I finally cracked and dug out a pair of itchy woolen mittens. I have given up all pretense of stylishness until the mercury (as opposed to the planet Mercury) rises above 35 (on second thought, make that 40) degrees.

Although Mercury turns Direct on the New Moon and Solar Eclipse this Friday, 1/15, Mars remains Retrograde until 3/11. If only I could petition the Powers that Be and explain that no one should be expected to perform up to standard as long as the planet that is most responsible for determining one's personal drive is Retrograde in the sign that is all about ego (in the sense of "I am," not necessarily a bad thing and in fact a requirement for a healthy sense of self) and performance. If only I could pass an emergency law, effective for the rest of the winter, that is sort of an anti-stimulus plan: one that would encourage mass hibernation, with brief excursions for food (unless you prefer home delivery).

Rather than give an entire overview of 2010 in one post, I'd like to concentrate on a "biggie" aspect that we experienced back in November 2009, which will repeat at the end of January: the Saturn/Pluto square. Any lessons learned, or not, back in November will have to be repeated again at this time. I already posted details about the meaning of this square the first time around, but it's worth repeating here: any issues of resentment and rigidity will become heightened. This is a time in which skeletons (Saturn) will come out of the closet (Pluto). Various political (Saturn) and sex scandals (Pluto) are likely, all involving abuse of power. But so too is the ability to slam the brakes on a painful situation. A square between these two heavies of the solar system can indeed bring a lot of pain, but again, if you reach your personal breaking point, it may force you to say "never again," and really mean it this time. We will be getting yet a third Saturn/Pluto square this July, giving us all yet another opportunity to say "never again." (Third time's the charm, right?)

On 2/17 Jupiter ingresses into the emotional, visionary, compassionate sign of Pisces, and I hope this means that some of the friends we have found with Jupiter transiting through Aquarius will blossom into soul mates. If you find that you need to spend more time in solitary reflection and meditation in the coming months, though, you're right on schedule. Also, this Jupiter placement should benefit creative writers and artists, especially those working in the medium of film (both movies and photography).

More to come, and in the meantime, keep warm!