Jan 31 2009 Last chance (for January this Year)

The Moon in Aries was sextile Sun and sextile/trine the north/south node axis right at the crack of Dawn, setting the day off to a good start. The excitement builds as we head into evening for the official end of this cycle of Mercury Retrograde at 11:11 pm PST. You may read any symbolism you wish into that. I wouldn't. Just to add a raspberry to the event, Moon will be square Mercury, exact 10 minutes later--- so there may be a bit of confusion between feelings and thoughts, with feelings being sure of their version, and thoughts being equally obstinate about feelings being out to lunch. Rather than hurting yourself trying to resolve such matters, it may be easier to just wait a few hours, sleep it off---as our friend the Moon will have moved off to a new transit, sextile Neptune in the wee hours to assist in insightful, wild, colorful, vivid dreams.

Although Mercury Retrograde is officially over we remain in the stiction phase for another week or so.

The Birthcard today is the 9 of Clubs, a Venus expression of a Saturn core with a Queen of Hearts inside and a 6 of Diamonds outside. 9Cs include Ken Wilber whether he likes it or not, Tony Robbins, Albert King, Zane Grey, Ella Fitzgerald, Lindz Lawlor who does like it, Artie Shaw, Quentin Tarantino, and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Jan 30 2009

Moon will move from Void of Course to Aries at 7:25 am PST. She, the Moon will be square Pluto exact at 11:38 am PST, sextile Juno exact at 2:35 pm PST, and sextile Jupiter exact at 6:34 pm PST. Likely flavors today will be a need for depth with a bit of an edge or sense of urgency to it, morphing to more cuddly then to just good, magnanimous feelings. Final days of Mercury Retrograde this cycle, collective sighs of relief Feb 1st or 2nd, and another the 8th or 9th.

The Birthcard today is the 10 of Clubs, a Solar expression of a Mars core and some flexibility to experience a Venus or Mercury core with a Jack of Spades inside and a 4 of Spades outside. 10Cs include Phil Collins, Jack Abramoff, Paul Krugman, Steven Chu, Richard Dawkins, Erica Jong, Barbra Streisand, and Shirley MacLaine.

Jan 29 2009

While still in Mercury Retrograde with all it's attendant twists and turns, Moon in Pisces will be "lighting up" the Saturn/Uranus opposition today, conjunct Uranus exact at 1:15 pm PST and opposite Saturn exact at 2:31 pm PST. Be aware of a possibility of impulsive reactions to feelings of isolation or alone-ness. Later a sextile with Mercury, exact at 4:34 pm PST will lighten things up a bit. Possibly a good evening for, er, Venus and Mars, so to speak as Moon is sextile Mars and conjunct Venus overnight.

The Birthcard today is the Jack of Clubs, a Uranus expression of a Venus core, with a Jack of Diamonds inside and a 10 of Hearts outside. JCs include Rahm Emanuel, Ralph Nader, Oprah, Susie Bright, Jim Fixx, and Paula Abdul, whether they know it or not.

Jan 28 2009

Moon is Pisces was sextile Pluto at dark-thirty in the wee hours, and is sextile Vesta exact at 8:54 am PST. Probably Mercury will be getting all the attention today, so the best advice is Don't Panic, not that anyone listens to such advice...

Today we enter the exit stiction phase of Mercury Retrograde, which lasts beyond Feb 1, the official resumption of normalcy, whatever that is. If communication is missed, misunderstood or combative, desires are thwarted or blocked, you feel stuck or bottled, interpretations are taken in the worst possible way, that's retrograde---the shadow or trickster side of Hermes. It could be opposite day, but it might not be. If you ask if it is opposite day during opposite day, what answer do you get? See the link on the left under connections. The official retrograde is Jan 11 thru Jan 31, however there is more to it. Think of overlapping waves, and think of a slowly swinging pendulum. At the upper end of each swing it slows down before reversing direction. Likewise, the relative motion between Earth and Mercury passes through phases of forward, stiction, reverse, stiction, repeat. The stiction phases overlapping with the "actual" retrograde are in some ways less fun and more troubling than the "pure" retrograde. So, Jan 7 thru 17 are stiction days, overlapping with pure retro Jan 11 thru 31, overlapping exit stiction Jan 28 thru Feb 7. Relationships are prone to questioning and upsets during the stiction phase, those with a deep or solid connection will survive. An Archetypal explanation as to why bouncebacks usually don't last is that they start during retrograde right after a stiction induced breakup.

The Birthcard today is the Queen of Clubs, a Mercury expression of a Mars core, with a 3 of Hearts inside and a 10 of Diamonds outside. QCs include Michael Bolton, Robert Novak, Arthur Laffer, Aaron Spelling, Cher, and Paul McCartney.

Jan 27 2009

Our friend the Moon in Aquarius was conjunct Chiron a bit before dawn; and is conjunct Neptune, exact at 9:13 am PST, then goes Moon Void of Course till 10:12 am PST, when she enters Pisces, her home away from home. We would expect hypersensitivity today, good for dreaming and dreams---at the risk of delusions. The boundaries between the me and the not-me may be thin, the veil between meatspace and the netherlands may be fuzzy. Be creative, but exercise caution with self medication.

The Birthcard today is the King of Clubs, a double Uranus with a 2 of Spades inside and an 8 of Spades outside. KCs include Keith Olbermann, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Chaka Khan, Ric Ocasek, Barry Manilow, Gary Stadler, Jesse Ventura, and James "J Bob Dobbs" Dobson.

Jan 26 2009

Lots of heavenly bodies in Aquarius including the one and only Moon, for now. Moon will be conjunct the north node this morning, adding a bit of a sense of home, belonging, familiarity to the mix. Mercury is conjunct Mars, and both are sextile Venus and trine Saturn today. The flavor of that is something like sellling with, er, charm, the sensual kind. Not that a lot of advertising uses subliminal or blatant sex to sell as it is, really now. Just say no to anything selling you something with a smile is generally good advice, more so the next couple days. 

The Birthcard today is the Ace of Diamonds, a Jupiter expression of a Neptune core, with a 2 of Diamonds inside and an Ace of Hearts outside. ADs include George Soros, Angela Davis, Ray Conniff, Paul Hogan, Dennis Kucinich, and Gerald R. Ford.

Jan 25 2009 New Moon; Solar Eclipse

The one and only Moon will be Void of Course till 10:56 am PST, when she will be in Aquarius. Moon will be conjunct Juno exact at 2:33 ppm PST, square Vesta and conjunct Jupiter exact at 8:36 pm PST, and conjunct Sun exact at 11:55 pm PST. If you are near the Indian Ocean relaxing in Borneo for instance, you will see a spectacular eclipse. In other time zones, you will likely sleep through it. New Moon is generally a good time for new beginnings, muted a bit by Mercury retrograde. Things, ideas, concepts that have been gestating for the last two weeks are more likely to come to fruition. The Moon/Jupiter conjunct will offset some or many of the more troublesome transits that have been with us for the last week or so.

The Birthcard for today is the 2 of Diamonds, a Mars expression of a Saturn core with a 6 of Clubs inside and an Ace of Diamonds outside. 2Ds include Corazon Aquino, Viktor Yushchenko, Modest Mussorgsky, Rosie O'Donnell, Dudley Moore, Cheryl Feng, Ole Evinrude, Trent Reznor, and Howard Jones.

Jan 24 2009

Possibly intense today, Moon in Capricorn is conjunct Mars this evening, exact at 6:35 pm, highlighting the Saturn opposite Venus/Uranus configuration. There will likely be confused feelings today, as the Mars trine Venus transit will evoke feelings of desire (to put it lightly) in contrast with the not so good ones described a couple of posts ago. I want you but you drive me nuts----all stuff of pop songs.

The Birthcard today is the 3 of Diamonds, a Mercury expression of a Uranus core, with a 6 of Hearts inside and a Queen of Diamonds outside. 3Ds include John Belushi, Neil Diamond, Oral (!) Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Edward Kennedy, Fred Rogers, Rick Moranis, and Pierce Brosnan.

Jan 23 2009

If you remember your dreams this morning, look for the deeper meaning to them, as Moon was conjunct Pluto sometime around dark-thirty. Moon in Capricorn will be trine Vesta, exact at 7:05 am PST. The Venus/Uranus conjunct opposite Saturn transit is still with us, as is the Sun/Jupiter conjunction. See yesterdays post for more details. A likely continuation of yesterday, but with more mojo, more feeling at home wherever we are.

The Birthcard today is the 4 of Diamonds, a Neptune expression of a Venus core, with a 5 of Spades inside and a 5 of Hearts outside. 4D incarnations include Antonio Villaraigosa, Jake Steinfeld, David Geffen, Richard Tarnas, Ornette Coleman, Brian Eno, William Butler Yeats, and James Clerk Maxwell.

Jan 22 2009 Moon Void of Course

Hope your dreams were not too disturbing, as Moon was T-square Venus/Uranus and Saturn in the wee hours. Good day to chill, Moon is Void of Course from 8:24 am PST till 10:18 pm PST when she enters Capricorn. Sun in Aquarius is almost conjunct Jupiter, exact fri nite, so there will be some sense of benevolence amidst the chaos. The Venus/Uranus conjunct opposite Saturn is likely to correlate with a number of those dreaded relationship issues.

If you and yours are unexplanably at odds, feeling distant, "lost that lovin' feeling", this is the stuff that many a pop song is made of----but really it is just transits. It is suggested that you, both of you read up a bit on the descriptions of Venus/Uranus, Venus/Saturn, and Uranus/Saturn hard transits. You will be amazed at what you are experiencing being described, sometimes to the word in Archetypal terms. The classic Book "Planets in Transit" by Robert Hand along with "the Google" are resources worth studying. Your relationship will be deepened if both of you hold the space and follow these sensations deeper rather than blame, shame and move on. If that has already happened, it would be advisable to wait till after Mercury Retrograde before leaping into anything new, not that anybody listens to that kind of advice...

The Birthcard today is the 5 of Diamonds, a Saturn implementation of a Neptune core, with a 9 of Diamonds inside and a 3 of Clubs outside. 5D incarnations include Neil Bush, Sam Cooke, Patty Hearst, Ivana Trump, Peter Graves, Dusty Springfield, and Herbie Mann.

Jan 21 2009

Moon is is Sagittarius, trine/sextile the north/south Node axis, and Venus is conjunct Uranus, opposite Saturn. A chance of relational troubles, sudden lonliness; as Venus/Uranus can be experienced as upsets in matters of the heart, while Venus/Saturn can be felt as constricted, limited. Both are quite common among couples, what is less common is realizing the correlation of the flavor with transits and consciously choosing to stay connected, current and present.

The Birthcard today is the 6 of Diamonds, a Jupiter expression of a Mercury core, with a 9 of Clubs inside and a 3 of Spades outside. 6Ds include Geena Davis, Paul Allen, Seal, Rudolf Nureyev, Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Tom Hanks, Raquel Welch, and Freddie Mercury.

Jan 20 2009

Forgive a bit of editorializing, but weeeehaaaaa has been a pent-up 8 years coming. Phew.

Sun in exactly conjunct Mercury today, the very center of retrograde, look for sharp but tricksterish minds. Moon officially moves out of Void of Course at 9:30 am PST into Sagittarius. However, not included in officially is Moon sextile Juno a bit sooner, exact at 8:49 am PST. Moon is being nice today, will be sextile Mercury exact at 10:41 am PST, sextile Sun exact at 11:15 am PST, sextile Jupiter exact at 4:46 pm PST. All of these point to congenial, social, good vibes all around. Play safe, there will likely be a wave of Libras, Scorpio, and Libra/Scorpio cusp babies born 9 months from now.

The Birthcard of the day is the 7 of Diamonds, a double Venus with a "veiled" double Saturn inside and outside. 7D incarnations include George Carlin, Matt Dillon, Yoko Ono, Pat Nixon, Henny Youngman, Julie Christie, Paul Begala, F. Lee Bailey, and George Burns.

Jan 19 2009 Sun enters Aquarius

Mercury is in the full retrograde phase now, see the Jan 7 post for details. Moon in Scorpio is busy in a kaleidoscope day today. Moon is trine Venus, exact at 6:59 am PST, sextile Mars exact at 8:58 am PST, square Chiron exact a 12:32 pm PST, trine Uranus exact at 1:18 pm PST, sextile Saturn exact at 4:21 pm PST, and square Neptune exact at 7:37 pm PST, when Moon goes Void of Course till mid tomorrow morning. Mars is trine Saturn, good for getting things done if it was not retro. With the Moon in a kaleidoscope display of transits, it is anybody's guess for the day, but generally good transits till evening, so as much as one may be in the mood to imbibe in celebration, it is not a good evening for self medication.

The Birthcard today is the 8 of Diamonds, a crown card with a Jupiter core, with a Queen of Spades inside and a 7 of Clubs outside. 8Ds include Paris Hilton, Dolly Parton, Fabio Lanzoni, Al Green, Sly Stone, Martha Quinn, and Jim Jeffords.

Jan 18 2009

How were your dreams last night? Moon in Scorpio was sextile Pluto around dark-thirty last night. We will be feeling the Mercury-Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius, exact at 11:07 am PST, as it is T-square a Moon-Vesta opposition from right before Dawn. The Mercury-Jupiter conjunction should bring relief to Mercury Retro, with a flavor of expansive communication---however, do be aware of potential for little but important details to be left out of that expansive communication. The T-square could have a bit of edge to it, but Jupiter should make it considerably better all around.

The Birthcard today is the 9 of Diamonds, a Uranus implementation of a Mars core, with a Queen of Diamonds inside and a 5 of Diamonds outside. 9Ds include Barack Obama, Ray Dolby, Cleveland Amory, Sylvester Stallone, Dubya, and Francis Crick.

Jan 17 2009 Moon thrid quarter

Moon will be trine Neptune, exact at 8:56 am PST, then square Sun, exact at 6:46 pm PST, when she goes to Moon Void of Course till 10:20 pm PST. Dreamy, imaginative morning, if daydreams can be distinguished as such, good for setting dreams, desires, intentions in motion. Later, a chance of a challenge as "reality" calls us back from the dreamworld of creative ideas and ideals.

The Birthcard of today is the 10 of Diamonds, a double Jupiter, with a Queen of Clubs inside and a Queen of Spades outside. P. T. Barnum, Martha Stewart, Gloria Estefan, Phil McGraw, Zooey Deschanel, Andy Kaufman, Douglas Hofstadter, and Sammy Kaye are all examples of the 10 of Diamonds incarnate.

Jan 16 2009

Sun is approaching conjunct Juno, exact on the 19th. The flavor of this transit is similar to Sun/Venus---showy beauty, aesthetics with a flair. Moon in Libra is sextile/trine the north/south node axis in the morning, and square Mars, exact at 7:21 pm PST. In the morning there is likely a feeling of harmony, which will gradually give way to one of irritation by evening. Be aware of brash, even accidental events. Wear your seatbelts tonight.

The Birthcard of the day is the Jack of Diamonds, a Uranus implementation of a Neptune core, with a 3 of Spades inside and a Jack of Clubs outside. Rube Goldberg, Mojo Nixon, Samuel Hahnemann, Ann Landers, Abigail Van Buren, Kirk Kerkorian, Keith Jarrett, Max Von Sydow, Louis Armstrong and the USA were/are all Jack of Diamonds.

Jan 15 2009

Yes Virgo, within Astrology there are various schools of thought. Moon Void of Course is traditionally the time between constellations where the Moon is not exactly transiting anything. Anything used to be the 7 traditional visible planets, but as we rediscovered more and more heavenly bodies there may be something like 70 of them, some subtler than others, but there they are nonetheless. This would be an example of why this blog is called the astral fog---as it appears that many collective influences are forms in and of themselves, collectively self fulfilling as it were, and as we expand our awareness, what appeared as very real may well become transcended and essentially irrelevant within a larger context. The metaphor of ruts in a trail comes to mind: as more and more travel the trail, it re-enforces the initial form to become widely accepted. Rupert Sheldrake referred to "ruttles" as the morphogenetic forms becoming tangible through repetition. It is possible that one reason that astrology drives reason nuts and actually works is something akin to that: the astral forms become real to us over many cycles. With that...

After an exact trine with the Sun, Moon will officially be Void of Course from 6:37 am till 2:30 pm PST, when Moon enters Libra. However, Moon will be trine Juno, exact at 10:19 am PST. Juno is one of the asteriod Goddesses, considered the higher octave of Venus. How was/is your morning? Lacking mojo, or ease of relating, or a bit of each? Later on Moon will be square Pluto, exact at 5:43 pm PST, and trine Jupiter, exact at 6:55 pm PST. In the middle of the night, Moon will be trine Mercury.

Coupled with Mercury Retrograde, today is a really, really good day to review deeply and connectedly with thoughts in harmony with feelings and the ability to articulate and communicate both.

The Birthcard today is the Queen of Diamonds, a Saturn implementation of a Mercury core, with a 3 of Diamonds inside and a 9 of Diamonds outside. Captain Beefheart, Lloyd Bridges, Jerry Zucker, Aristotle Onassis share this Birthcard, along with Edward Teller, Antonin Scalia, and Rupert Murdoch.

Jan 14 2009

Moon in Virgo is opposite Venus at the crack of Dawn for a good morning indeed, then trine Mars exact at 10:14 am PST for lots of harmonious go-juice to finish off the morning. However, later in the day Moon heads to emphasize the Saturn/Uranus opposition---exact opposite Uranus at 8:15 pm PST and exact conjunct Saturn at 11:32 pm PST. Fortunately, by then Moon will be in the orb of trine Juno, exact in the wee hours of the night. Remember the good feelings from earlier in the day---any feelings of upsets, lonley, inferiority will pass with this evening's transits.

The Birthcard today is the King of Diamonds, a Mars expression of a Venus core with a 3 of Clubs inside and a 7 of Spades outside. Faye Dunaway, Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci, Ray Manzarek, Seymour Hersh, and Vicente Fox all share this Birthcard.

Jan 13 2009 Grand trine

Still in Mercury Retrograde, see prior posts for more details. Our friend the Moon comes out of Void of Course into Virgo at 10:33 am PST. There will be a grand trine with Moon/Pluto/Vesta today, exact around 2 pm PST. Possibility of intense family stuff, but in a good, constructive way---a chance to go deeper and resolve things rather than repeat and repeat and repeat.

The Birthcard today is the Ace of Spades, a Mercury expression of a Neptune core, with a 7 of Hearts inside and 2 of Clubs outside. Stan Grof, Dan Aykroyd, Sydney Pollack, Chuck Barris, Ravi Shankar, Yuri Gagarin, and Jennifer Aniston are a cast of characters who share this Birthcard, and at least one of them knows it.

Monday Jan 12, 2008

Moon in Leo is opposite Chiron exact at 4:34 pm PST and opposite Neptune exact at 10:39 pm PST, when Moon goes Void of Course till mid tomorrow morning.  Childhood patterns and woundings may be activated, and there may be heightened sensitivity to everything, especially subconscious insecurities. Avoid self medication in the evening.

The Birthcard today is the Two of Spades, a Neptune implementation of a Mars core, with a Six of Spades inside and a King of Clubs outside. Jan 12 birthdays: Jeff Bezos, Howard Stern, Heather Mills, Melanie Chrisholm.

Sunday Jan 11, 2008 Mercury Retro

Mercury retrograde this morning at 8:44 am PST. This will last through the end of January. Good time to review situations, projects, ideas, and to research/gather information. The waning Moon will contribute to these inward processes. When Mercury turns direct in February you will be more prepared to move forward if you have taken this time for reflection. Relationships may feel tested or testy during this retrograde - communication can be experienced as blocked or full of misunderstandings. Give extra room for these challenges. Work on yourself as much as possible rather than trying to fix others.

Today Moon is opposite Jupiter before noon and opposite Mercury at 10:03 pm PST. Moon/Jupiter - drawn to be generous towards others, however you will feel this needs to be on your own terms. Moon/Mercury - feelings and logic may be at odds or at best Mercury may give you a way to articulate your feelings (Moon). 

Venus is moving into sextile with Mars - need for physical expression of love and beauty are added to the mix of relating as well as Juno conjunct Jupiter which brings in desire and hope for long term commitments. 

Today's card is a Three of Spades. It has a Spirit card of Six of Diamonds and a Soul card of the Jack of Diamonds. Creativity, decision making, and responsibility in what is of value are aspects of this card. Singer Naomi Judd and political philosopher Alexander Hamilton share this card. A wide spectrum of expression.

Saturday Jan 10, 2008 Full Moon

Full Moon in Cancer at 7:27 pm PST. Energies may be heightened especially in the pm. Moon Void of Course 8:27 pm until it goes into Leo tomorrow morning at 9:41 am PST.

Currently Sun (identity), Juno (commitment in relationship), Jupiter (expanding horizons mentally, physically, relationally), Mercury (communication, travel, details), North Node (our purpose as part of a larger group), Chiron (issues and wounds that make us aware of other's woundings), Neptune (experiences of diffuse boundaries between self/other, self/cosmos) are all within a few degrees of each other in Capricorn and Aquarius with Venus (love relationships) and Uranus (Change, revolution) (in Pisces) not too many degrees from Neptune. The Moon will consecutively oppose each of these (about two a day) as the Moon moves from Full Moon in Cancer (from opposition to the Sun) into a waning Moon in Leo and then to Virgo over the next five days (i.e. Moon opposes Sun today and Juno past midnight, Moon opposes Jupiter and Mercury tomorrow, etc.). So if it seems like there is something going on each day don't be too surprised. It is an active sky. As the lunar cycle goes towards New Moon you may feel more inward and reflective rather than action oriented.

Sun is trine Saturn - this may give extra awareness regarding responsibilities. Saturn is retrograding in Virgo over the next few months - our service to others may be in the forefront as we think this through (again). 

Mars is ten degrees past conjunct Pluto in Capricorn and moving towards trine Saturn and sextile Uranus. This will be exact Jan. 23. This has the potential for purposeful action however, be aware of the antics of Mercury Retrograde.

Tomorrow, January 11 - Mercury Retrograde starts 8:43 am PST. Good time to tend to your own issues. Be aware that new projects or relationships that are started at this time may require extra attention due to mix ups in communication and details.

Today, the card is a 4 of Spades. Venus and Jupiter are influential planets to this card. The 10 of clubs is the Spirit card and the 4 of hearts is the Soul card. Instructor to others, creating home, ability in the arts, and work are familiar aspects to this card. There can also be restlessness and some drama in relationships for the 4 of Spades. Jan. 10 birthdays: Singers Rod Stewart, Jim Croce; Poet Robinson Jeffers.

Jan 9 2009

If there was a lack of mojo dragging out of bed this morning, Moon was Void of Course. Will be till 10:14 am PST, when she enters Cancer, right at home for all the Moonchildren. Moon will be opposite Pluto, exact at 12:43 pm PST, and trine Venus exact at 9:31 pm PST. Of note, Sun is exactly sextile Uranus today, adding a flair for curoisity and, well, flair---creative change. With Moon opposite Pluto, deep emotions are likely to be stirred, but do not expect to resolve anything till later when Moon trine Venus adds the warm fuzzies to the mix.

The Birthcard today is the Five of Spades, a Venus expression of a Mars core with a Ten of Hearts inside and a Four of Diamonds outside. Sinclair Lewis, Jane Goodall, Jimmy Page, Eddie Izzard, Emo Philips, Rex Harrison, and Eddie Murphy are quite a cast of characters sharing this Birthcard.

Jan 8 2009

This morning should be off to a better start than yesterday, but the honeymoon may wear off later in the day, with our friend the Moon in Gemini T-square the Uranus/Saturn opposition. Moon will be trine Chiron, exact at 4:35 pm PST, square Uranus exact at 5:34 pm PST, square Saturn exact at 9:05 pm PST, and trine Neptune, exact at 10:40 pm PST, when Moon goes Void of Course till mid morning tomorrow. Be aware of feeling down, depressed with brash, sudden responses to it, followed by escapist fantasies as a "solution" to the feelings. Tomorrow will bring different weather of course. Stick around.

The Birthcard today is the Six of Spades, a Neptune implementation of a Uranus core, with a Nine of Spades inside and a Two of Spades outside. Incarnations expressing through this Card include Soupy Sales, Elvis Presley, Stephen Hawking, Natalie Cole, Bob Marley, and Marvin Gaye, whether they know/knew it or not.

Jan 7 2009 Retro

Retro: Not just 80's big hair. Today we are entering the stiction phase of Mercury Retrograde. If communication is missed, misunderstood or combative, desires are thwarted or blocked, you feel stuck or bottled, interpretations are taken in the worst possible way, that's retrograde---the shadow or trickster side of Hermes. It could be opposite day, but it might not be. If you ask if it is opposite day during opposite day, what answer do you get? See the link on the left under connections. The official retrograde is Jan 11 thru Jan 31, however there is more to it. Think of overlapping waves, and think of a slowly swinging pendulum. At the upper end of each swing it slows down before reversing direction. Likewise, the relative motion between Earth and Mercury passes through phases of forward, stiction, reverse, stiction, repeat. The stiction phases overlapping with the "actual" retrograde are in some ways less fun and more troubling than the "pure" retrograde. So, Jan 7 thru 17 are stiction days, overlapping with pure retro Jan 11 thru 31, overlapping exit stiction Jan 28 thru Feb 7. Relationships are prone to questioning and upsets during the stiction phase, those with a deep or solid connection will survive. An Archetypal explanation as to why bouncebacks usually don't last is that they start during retrograde right after a stiction induced breakup.

In the morning, Moon emerges from Void of Course into Gemini at 10:12 am PST. Moon is trine Jupiter exact at 11:00 am PST, square Venus exact at 6:09 pm PST, and trine Mercury exact at 9:02 pm PST. After a slow start, the Moon transits today are all good, magnanamous, warm fuzzies, in touch with feelings---offsetting the Mercury retrograde stiction start for today.

The Birthcard today is the mystical Seven of Spades, a Uranus implementation of a Jupiter core, with a King of Diamonds inside and an Eight of Hearts outside. Nicolas Cage, Kenny Loggins, Katie Couric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gill Scott-Heron, Rachael Maddow, and the master of capitalism Charles Ponzi all share this Birthcard. Notice the contrast of the last two, one exposes mysteries lucidly, the other was good at keeping mysteries for a while.

Jan 6 2009

Be ready for the first cycle of Mercury Retrograde starting tomorrow, the stiction days ahead of the actual Retro.

Moon in Taurus will be a bit less active than yesterday. There is a kite formation: the grand trine of Moon/Sun/Saturn with Uranus at the tip sextile Moon and Sun which generally indicates a more synchronous or harmonious time. Moon will be trine Sun exact at noon PST, square Chiron exact at 3:37 pm PST, sextile Uranus exact a 4:46 pm PST, trine Saturn exact at 8:36 pm PST, and square Neptune, exact at 10:05 pm PST when Moon enters Void of Course till late tomorrow morning. Remembering that Mercury Retrograde is around the corner causing a bit of stiction in communications---likely flavors for the day are basically good vibes in the morning, desire for something new and/or exciting in the afternoon, possibly with a bit of and edge or urgency to it, morphing to dreaming of something different.

Today's Birthcard is the Eight of Spades, a Jupiter implementation of a Saturn core, with a King of Clubs inside and a Six of Clubs outside. Nick Park, Syd Barrett, Zig Ziglar, John DeLorean, Sun Myung Moon, John Lilly, Karen Carpenter, and famous speller Dan Quayle (correction from previous post) all share this Birthcard, whether they know it or not.

Jan 5 2009 Moon kaleidoscope in Taurus

Lots of flavors today, Moon in Taurus comes out of overnight Void of Course to a square with Jupiter at 7:46 am PST, then conjunct Vesta exact at 9:31 am PST, then trine Pluto exact at 10:14 am PST, then sextile Venus at 12:05 pm PST, then square Mercury at 4:28 pm PST, then trine Mars exact at 8:34 pm PST. A kaleidoscope day that would defy anyone to prognosticate---so here goes: The day starts out with a lack of desire to get up and go, wanna stay in bed, but kicks into gear a bit before 8. Then, depth over superficiality in desire of connection. By dusk, hard to reconcile emotions at odds with intellect, and then lots of go juice into the evening. Do get some rest, however.

The Birthcard of this day is the Nine of Spades, a Venus expression of a Uranus core with a King of Hearts inside and a Six of Spades outside. This is the "ring-pass-not" Card of transformation. Jean Dixon, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Henry Heimlich, Ron Howard all share this Birthcard along with the quintessential Nine of Spades: Marilyn Manson.

Jan 4 2009 Moon first quater

With the addition of a Venus sextile Pluto transit exact today, largely a continuation of the last few day's longer transits for the first part of the day, as Moon remains neutral for the most part, and is sextile Neptune exact 6:44 pm PST, then Void of Course through tomorrow morning. Likely deep feelings and emotions today, with added sensitivity after noon.

The Birthcard today is the Ten of Spades, a Mercury expression of a Jupiter core, with a Four of Hearts inside and a Queen of Hearts outside. Incarnations include Dyan Cannon, Frank Wess, Christie Brinkley, Graham Nash, and Tom Smothers.

Jan 3 2009

After a brief Void of Course in the middle of the night, our friend the Moon is in Aries. Residual effects from a square with Pluto and sextile with Mercury in the wee hours predawn will likely be felt for the first part of the day as depth which can be communicated about. A good morning to talk about and integrate the deeper meaning of one's dreams. Moon is also sextile/trine the North/South Node axis, making easier communication of emotions from a feeling of familiarity or being in place. However, there will be a fly in the soup, Moon will also be square Mars, exact around Noon PST--- be aware of irritation, brashness creeping into the mix.

Also, the cluster of heavenly bodies largely in Capricorn and Aquarius may make for a bit of lopsidedness. Give them a few months for the faster ones to move on, as Mercury is heading into yet another retrograde soon.

Saturn in Virgo is in Retrograde through May 2009. For those born mid 1979 through mid 1980, Saturn will be backing up for a mini repeat of your Saturn return---"...and one more thing...". The Saturn return, which happens around age 29, often pushes major life shifts and changes, so if you have been holding onto anything no longer appropriate for you, expect another nudge. If you are on the right track, so to speak, no worries.

Further, for those who have the Sun Sign of Virgo, ie born Septemberish (any year), Saturn will be backing over towards or on your Sun for another set of lessons. In general for those Virgos effected, not a good time for risk taking, better to batten down the hatches, simplify, focus on what is really important.

The Birthcard of today is the Jack of Spades, a Mars expression of a Uranus core, with a Seven of Clubs inside and a Ten of Clubs outside. J. R. R. Tolkien, Jeane Dixon, Gordon Moore, Ron Howard, and Roger Daltrey all share this Birthcard, whether they know it or not.

Jan 2 2009

Moon in Pisces emphasizes the Uranus/Saturn opposition, exact conjunct Uranus at 5:41 am PST, and exact opposite Saturn at 10:23 am PST. Juno sextile Uranus and trine Saturn would point towards connections/relationships/tribe/community being key when feelings of upset or aloneness appear. When one most feels alone and upset is the very time to reach out and connect. Oh, the irony.

The Birthcard of today is the Queen of Spades, a Uranus implementation of a Mercury core, with a Ten of Diamonds inside and an Eight of Diamonds outside. Rare as this Birthcard is, here are incarnations expressing through it, knownst or unbeknownst to the characters invloved: Cuba Gooding, Lynda Barry, Isaac Asimov, and as shining examples of the shadow side: Jim Bakker and Dennis Hastert.

Jan 1 2009

For NYD, Moon in Pisces is sextile Sun, exact at 3:09 pm PST. In the evening Moon is entering the orb of conjunct Uranus. A good day to take stock, so to speak, get out, make new choices. Watch for serendipities, unexpected surprises that may shift your life for the better.

The Birthcard today is the King of Spades, a Crown/Solar expression of a Jupiter core, one of the three source cards that is the same inside as outside. Jaco Pastorius, Jon Corzine, Country Joe McDonald, Barry Goldwater, and J. Edgar Hoover are all incarnations expressing through this Birthcard.