Blue Moon / Labor Day Weekend Special: Mini Reading Discount!

Greetings, all ye readers both faithful and unfaithful:

Yours truly has got a "once in a Blue Moon" treat in store for you. If you contact me between now and 11:59pm (my time, which is EDT) on Labor Day (9/3), you will receive a special discounted mini reading, either by phone or written report, for just $20.20 (in honor of the crystal-clear vision that you may experience in the aftermath of this reading).

You can choose either a Mini Moon special, which will delve into the meaning of your natal Moon placement as well explore the situation of your progressed Moon, or

a Mini Mercury special, which will put you in closer touch with our solar system's innermost planet of communication and also just happens to rule Virgo, the Labor Day sign.

If you want both Minis, you need not make that choice; just double the above price to $40.40 and double your self-awareness.

To be sure, you can plug in your birth information into an astrology site and get instant gratification in the form of a free or nearly free reading on some or all of your planets -- a cookbook, black-and-white reading that cannot even begin to cop to nuance because all planetary descriptions are pre-written, cyber-canned, and have nothing to do with YOU. And forget about asking such a site any questions about your so-called report, or engaging in a dialogue.

If you value handcrafted, highly personalized authenticity over an instantaneous, one-size-fits-all approach, we have something in common. Hit me up at PlutoRisingAstrologer@Gmail.com with your exact birth information (including year, time of day, and city/state) and if you do not have a PayPal account, either open one or be ready to deal with the relative hassle and delay of money orders.

Mercury Square Pluto: Sticks & Stones, Concealing vs. Revealing

If you do not know whether you should spill the beans or keep mum, join the club (or not). If you are caught between keeping your own counsel or confiding in someone you "should" ostensibly trust, yet are getting a funny vibe from, welcome to the dilemma of the upcoming Mercury-Pluto square (exact 4/25 at 10:50 a.m. EDT).

Mercury communicates on the road, in the air, and through the rye; Pluto communicates if and when it damn well feels like it, in its own inscrutable, relentless way, since trust and power are often major-league Issues-with-a-capital-I. The face-off between these two planets should make for some interesting fireworks (especially since Mercury is in the fire sign Aries) but also some intense burns.

Verbal manipulation or downright abuse is all too likely, so be prepared either to fight back or steer clear of any black belts in tongue karate. Any long-suffering resentment will boil over now, so if you know you're on someone's shit list and cannot avoid that person (particularly a sibling or neighbor), try to make gracious and sincere amends, even if it is long overdue. People are far more likely to obsess over perceived wrongdoings under the square, and it will be difficult not to be on the defensive.

If you find that you cannot crack an important code under this aspect, or are unable to suss out someone's true motives (including your own), take a deeeeeeep breath and come back on Thursday, when the Moon enters the intuitive water sign Cancer. Under a Mercury-Pluto square, what is hiding in plain sight may just as well be swallowed up by shadows or buried six feet under.

T-Square City: Mercury, Mars, Pluto Problems

One of the toughest things I find about being an astrologer is heeding particular planetary aspects about which I freely (and sometimes less than diplomatically) caution others.

Case in point: the T-square between Mercury, Mars, and Pluto that is still in effect, although the Mercury/Mars square (which killed Ted Kennedy, who was suffering from a malignant brain tumor [a Mars affliction] late last night) is over, as is the Mercury/Pluto square (I do not look forward to reading breaking stories on NYTimes.com.). But the Mars/Pluto opposition is not over until later today.

To backtrack just a bit, for those of you who have no idea what a T-square is: this is a configuration that involves at least three planets, two 90-degree squares, and one 180-degree opposition. As potentially nasty as a T-square can be, it is still preferable to what is called a Grand Cross, which involves at least four planets and two sets of oppositions, which means four sets of squares. A Grand Cross is an aspect that I would not wish on anyone's natal chart, as it is a classic case of being locked up, immobilized (especially when the fixed signs are involved); however, a T-square has a "key" in the form of the sign that is not involved in the second opposition.

In the case of this T-square, critical degrees (i.e., degrees traditionally considered very significant) are in play: Mercury at 0 degrees of Libra, Mars at 0 Cancer, and Pluto at 0 Capricorn. The key to this morass of misunderstandings, miscommunications, anger, resentment, aggression, and abuse of power is 0 degrees Aries--perhaps the most headstrong degree of the zodiac (keeping in mind that Aries rules the head). Aries can be a soft, wooly lamb--or a battering ram. You must decide which of these creatures to be in order to free yourself from this T-square.

Yesterday, despite the oncoming Mercury/Mars square, I chose to throw caution to the wind in terms of communication with two people, and no harm resulted; indeed, with Mercury in the last degree of Virgo and Mars in the last degree of Gemini I was bitten by a most glorious poetry bug. Yet today I decided not to confront someone else about an issue that has been troubling me. At the very least, a Mars/Pluto opposition indicates power plays, secrets, and subterfuge; at most, severe betrayal and violence result. As a Plutonian, I cannot easily shrug off the heavy vibrations and consequences that come from fucking with this planet at the wrong time. The Moon, keeper of the emotions, is still transiting the Pluto-ruled sign of Scorpio.

Time to bide my time.

Mercury Retrograde Musings

I promised this wouldn't be a traditional horoscope blog, and it isn't, but thought I'd mention that Mercury Retrograde is a particular pain in the ass to the two signs that are ruled by this planet: Gemini and Virgo. Also, if you were born with either of these signs rising, get ready to get all bollixed up. And let us widen the net even further to include all those who were born with any of the inner planets besides the Sun (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) in Gemini and Virgo.

To be sure, that's a lot of people, but this theory fits when you consider that "Mercury must be Retrograde" is the one astrologese phrase that lots of people who don't speak it get the gist of. When it takes you an hour to get someplace that normally takes half that time, or you can't remember which witch is which, or you can't pin down anyone in terms of making definite plans, including yourself . . . well, Mercury must be Retrograde.   

Other planets turn Retrograde all the time--in fact, as of this writing, Saturn is still Rx (it will turn Direct on Sunday 5/17) and Pluto is Rx till mid-September--so what is the big deal about this li'l pipsqueak planet, anyway? Here's what: Mercury is the planet that governs communication, both written (Virgo) and spoken (Gemini), as well as messengers, postal/UPS/ FedEx workers, siblings, neighbors, your neighborhood, grade school, and short-distance travel (think commuting or a stroll). In other words, Mercury covers myriad things that comprise everyday life. You may shun love or money (Venus issues), or avoid taking direct action or getting angry (Mars issues), but even if you are a total shut-in, monk, wimp, or crackpot, you probably can't avoid Mercury issues for long, including trying to figure out where the hell you put your keys that you clearly remember placing on the coffee table just two minutes ago. That's right, Mercury also rules keys.

Decisions made during a Mercury Rx period are often unmade a few or more weeks later; purchased items may not satisfy, or work, or fit. So if you can delay, it might be a wise idea not to commit to anything major, sign any contracts, or buy anything other than essentials till Mercury turns Direct, which will be at 9:22 p.m. EDT on 5/30.

Mercury Rx does have its beneficial side: you may be thinking more about the past, and such reflections may help you figure out solutions to problems that have bugged you for a long time. Someone or something from your past may pop up during this transit, as well. Depending on who or what it is, such a visitation could be either amazingly wonderful, unbelievably bad, a mixed bag, or whatever-neutral. However you react, just don't shoot the messenger.