Astroblogick

Astroblogick 03.01.2010

Spring!

    With winter to our backs and a sense of hope in our hearts, we come to the Vernal Equinox this weekend, marking the Sun’s return to the Northern Hemisphere after a six-month absence. Not only is this the end of winter and the beginning of spring, but it’s also the end of the Sun’s yearly journey of the zodiac and the start of a new one. The official time of the Sun’s entrance into Aries and the Spring Equinox on Saturday is 1:32 p.m. (Eastern), marking the first day of spring as well as the Zodiacal New Year. Happy New Year!

    Although the entire week appears active under a waxing moon, major developments over the weekend will set into motion prominent themes that will keep on giving until late June. Even as the Sun crosses the most potent degree of the zodiac (Aries Point), it engages both Mars and Saturn at once; like stepping on the gas and slamming the breaks at the same time. Here we have an irresistible force (Sun trine Mars) colliding with an immovable force (Sun oppose Saturn).

    This combination could indicate the ability to find strength and personal resolve to overcome obstacles or taking the surge of energy and channeling it into something constructive and concrete. Another expression may be found in temper-tantrums and hissy-fits as ego desires (Sun-Mars) are blocked or denied (Sun-Saturn), suggesting contents under pressure. Proceed with caution.

[As March 20 also marks International Astrology Day, I’m in the process of adding and changing content and perhaps another piece to this week’s Astroblogick, but have run out of time right now to do much more than post this brief introduction and the daily forecasts. Check back this weekend.]

Lunar Gardening Report
 
    The Vernal Equinox arrives on Saturday, marking the start of another growing season in the Northern Hemisphere while the waxing Moon in Taurus primes the soil. Friday and Saturday show ideal conditions for planting, transplanting, bed-building, soil cultivation and enrichment; trees, shrubs, bulbs and plants requiring strong root development. Sunday and Monday host the Gemini Moon, better for planning, mapping, selecting and ordering garden stuff than for handling plants. Tuesday and Wednesday are by far the best days for germinating, planting, transplanting, cutting, fertilizing and watering we’ve had in weeks, thanks to the Moon waxing in ultra-fertile Cancer. The Moon’s journey through Leo on Thursday and Friday is best for weed/pest control, turning compost and cutting back anything you don’t want growing back right away

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Daylight/-0500 UTC)

Friday, March 19: A stable, practical and somewhat optimistic tone sounds throughout this final day of winter, watched-over by the earth-bound Taurus Moon. A small financial boon is possible mid-afternoon while a more penetrating mindset asserts itself as the night progresses. Obsessing over words or details, cutting-edge insights and/or the manipulative use of words to influence opinion are possible (Mercury square Pluto).

Saturday, March 20: Vernal Equinox/Int’l Astrology Day. Today marks a major milestone on the seasonal calendar as the Sun crosses the celestial equator into the Northern Hemisphere and the (first) tropical zodiac sign of Aries at 1:32 p.m. With the Taurus Moon presiding over this event, an expedition into the natural world is an appropriate way to ring-in the Zodiacal New Year. Avoid forming new agreements, commitments or decisions between 3:40 and 8:30 p.m. Parties and other social gatherings are lively, witty and conversational with the Gemini Moon making the rounds later tonight. With a clear view of the skies, look to see the Moon joined with the Pleiades star cluster.

Sunday, March 21: Hurry up and wait! There are two spins on activity today: a positive energy surge marks the first half of the day, lending itself to physical activity and assertion; goosing desires and greasing the ego (Sun trine Mars). Creative expression and a willingness to exert yourself are positive qualities as long as you acknowledge boundaries and limitations. If you don’t, or won’t, the second half of the day could present consequences and the need to deal with harsh realities (Sun opposed Saturn). Balance, patience and acceptance will go a long way in dealing with discomfitting contradictions.

Monday, March 22: Information torrents, multiple errands and incessant chatter are a likely backdrop today under the Gemini Moon. Unexpected developments in the early evening hours could test your flexibility while there may be opportunities for applying your creative skills to pragmatic needs (Mars sextile Saturn). Avoid making promises you intend to keep after 9:50 p.m.

Tuesday, March 23: A more emotional tone may be in evidence with the Cancer Moon entering its First Quarter Phase first thing today. Avoid pushing on projects that refuse to move this morning – instead, look to see if the original plan needs tweaking or modification before proceeding this afternoon. Family, parents, home, real estate and security needs take precedence.

Wednesday, March 24: Moody, emotional states are possible under the Cancer Moon while women could figure predominantly throughout the day. A clash of tastes or values might be a source of discombobulation for those who fail to recognize the relativity of choice and desire.

Thursday, March 25: Fresh from its recent tour of whine country, the Moon enters self-expressive, fun-loving Leo first thing this morning, immediately encountering Mars as it does. Bang! This can manifest any number of ways, but for you, it should be heard as the sound of a starting gun for a highly creative and productive day. Work alone to maximize elbow-room and minimize dramatic digressions – work with others if you get bored easily. The use (or abuse) of authority plays an important role later tonight with extremes illuminating the shadow found in the roots of taboo, terror, greed, scandal and ruin (Sun square Pluto). Properly channeled, this same alignment can help you work tirelessly toward an immediate goal.

Copyright 2010  Gary Paul Glynn

Astroblogick 03.12.2010

Winter’s End

    This is a significant week in the way of closure with the Moon in its Balsamic Phase ahead of Monday’s New Moon in the late degrees of Pisces. This final week of solar Pisces also marks the end of winter and another completion the Sun’s journey through the Big Twelve. In multiple ways, this week speaks of completions, consolidations and endings as we prepare to move toward a new seasonal year that holds as many opportunities as it does challenges.

    A large chunk of closure unwinds over the weekend as we approach Monday’s New Moon in Pisces; days more favorable for elimination, completion, retooling, prepping and planning than they are for putting anything in motion that needs a future. As an example, I plan to clear-out and clean one of the rooms in my flat this weekend; a major step toward transforming a haphazard storage area into a productive studio space for a number of projects that have slumbered at the bottom of my to-do list.

    Monday’s Pisces New Moon takes place at 5:01 p.m. (25Pis10), providing the main focus for the week as it opens a new cycle that emphasizes the qualities of empathy, compassion, contemplation, spiritual awareness, creative imagination and idealistic approaches over the next two weeks. Focusing on the esoteric qualities of water is highly favored by way of bathing and other rituals involving the use of this magical element.

    Also know that there’s a strong potential for a surge of high voltage tied into the New Moon when it unfolds alongside Mercury-Uranus, both joined at 26 degrees of Pisces. This four-planet combination (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Uranus) indicates shocks, awakenings, discoveries, revelations, revolutions, explosive news, breakthroughs, breakdowns and surprises – not only in the days that surround the New Moon, but over the course of the next two weeks. I don’t need to tell you to avoid using electrical devices in the tub, but I feel compelled to do so, anyway.

    Whether you find the days leading to the next Full Moon disconcertingly unpredictable or exhilarating is largely a matter of choice and cultural conditioning. There are now more opportunities than ever to open your heart to radically new ways of perceiving life and your place within it; but you’ll need to shift the way to look at things in order to get there. That’s what the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Uranus combination is so useful for – thinking outside of box. By allowing greater flexibility in perception as well as the ability to remain grounded in the present moment, the potential for magic and personal evolution is well within your grasp.

    As long as we’re on the subject of flexibility, perception and magic: by an act of collective agreement, time will magically jump one hour into the future on Sunday at 2:00 a.m. One hour completely vanishes into thin air by way of a consensual imagination meme called Daylight Saving Time. As always, this hallucination takes a few weeks of getting used to; until we succeed in convincing our bodies to go along with our mental construct.

Lunar Gardening Report

    Unless you have a pocket of magic beans you wish to plant on Monday between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., it would be best to hold off from planting anything until after 12:30 p.m. on Thursday as the Moon is either moving through its darkened phase or in agriculturally barren signs for most of the week. Even so, this shouldn’t deter you from getting your beds cleared out and preparations made for next week’s green light for early crops in the northern temperate zones.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern/-0500 UTC)

Friday, March 12: Grandmother Moon quietly shuffles through the drafty rooms of Aquarius without involving herself in the business of the other planets today. This lack of lunar and interplanetary aspects provides an opportunity to pause and regroup while there’s a lull in the action. The Balsamic Phase Moon directs our attention to themes involving closure, elimination, completion, consolidation and anticipation until late Monday afternoon. Starting anything from scratch this weekend isn’t recommended.

Saturday, March 13: The morning gets off to a zero-gravity start when the Aquarius Moon joins Neptune at 8:00 a.m., setting-off a void-of-course (VOC) period that will last until 1:44 p.m. The imagination is very strong, providing a boost to creative visualization and spiritual endeavors although it might come up short in the practicality department. Stay awake tonight until 2:00 a.m. to experience time instantaneously moving ahead one hour for no other reason besides the fact that we say it will.

Sunday, March 14: If you haven’t already moved your clocks ahead one hour, you may want to consider doing so to minimize the level of temporal displacement messing with your life now that we’re observing Daylight Time. Mercury aligns with the far side of the Sun today, marking the “superior conjunction” – a time when important information or disinformation is released to the general public. Ideal night for meditation, contemplation, reading, music and movies under the darkly waning Pisces Moon.

Monday, March 15: With most of the day unfolding during the darkest dark of the Moon, hold off from major movements that need to have a future until we’re right on top of the Pisces New Moon set to take place at 5:01 p.m. (25Pis10). A powerfully symbolic window to set something into motion opens thirty minutes before and after the New Moon (4:30-5:30 p.m.), but then closes until late tomorrow morning. With the Pisces New Moon joined to the Mercury-Uranus conjunction, we might expect some kind of breakthrough taking place as well as flashes of creative genius, revelations, discoveries and unexpected developments. Although these features are likely to be strong tonight and tomorrow, something exciting is set into motion that will reverberate until the Full Moon – two weeks from now.

Tuesday, March 16: The Aries Moon brings a more active tone to the foreground as we come away from yesterday’s New Moon, favoring all new projects and initiatives after 10:00 a.m. With very high unpredictability levels to contend with, it would be best to assume nothing while leaving yourself as open and flexible as you’re comfortable being. The itch to do your own thing is likely to be strong tonight so it’s important to be given plenty of room for self-expression. Any sense of frustration, confinement or emotional claustrophobia could provoke an unexpected explosion of unconventional behavior that may throw things out of whack for days to come. Not every bridge is worth burning right now.

Wednesday, March 17: Kiss me! Mercury enters Aries today, suggesting quick wits, fiery intellect, verbal sparring and a low tolerance for slow pokes through the end of March. This can be conflict-oriented and accident prone when misdirected – both of which need to be taken into account if you plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in traditional fashion. Fightin’ words could be in the air early evening (Mercury trine Mars) while over-indulgences could lead to predictable problems tomorrow morning.

Thursday, March 18: Mercury’s journey through full-speed-ahead Aries could hit the proverbial wall first thing this morning when it moves opposite Saturn, resulting in serious delays, being ignored or suffering a debilitating hangover from last night’s Irish revelry. Of course, none of these features will involve you directly, so it will suffice to say that the Aries Moon will be VOC until 12:30 p.m. when the Moon enters Taurus and we feel the solid earth under our feet for a change. Stability, practicality and a stubborn streak could be in evidence later in the day and tonight while there’s more room for productivity than we’ve seen in recent weeks.

Copyright 2010  Gary Paul Glynn

Astroblogick 03.05.2010

Mars Maximum

    Things really begin to heat-up this week when Mars comes to a virtual standstill just inside the cusp of Leo (00 Leo), preparing to change directions on Wednesday after being retrograde since the Winter Solstice. This is Mars Maximum, a time when all things martial are brought to our attention, goading some people to action while others find themselves frustrated and angry in the face of setbacks and situations that run contrary to individual drives and needs. News and developments involving fires, accidents, wars and armed conflicts around the globe are likely to take priority in the collective dialog, either by choice or necessity.

    Once Mars begins to resume direction motion next week, we’ll begin to see progress in areas that have experienced impasses, divergences, delays, obstacles, blockages, filibusters and a lack of enthusiasm since late December. Even so, it won’t be until mid-May when Mars leaves its retrograde shadow that we’ll be able to move forward with new initiatives. Until then, we’ll continue to work through the same basic themes and issues that have been in front of us since October, perhaps salvaging items we once gave up for lost. New projects and initiatives that need a fresh infusion of energy won’t be cleared for take-off until the second half of May.

Venusian Hot Spot

    Mars’ opposing counterpart, Venus is particularly active this week as it continues to translate the Uranus-Saturn-Pluto configuration, suggesting a period of adjustments in relationships, personal values and global finance. A serious need to take responsibility in these areas will become more noticeable later in the week while the Venus translation could also point to climatic extremes, particularly where precipitation is concerned.

    In the midst of this translation, Venus moves from the emotionally passive waters of Pisces across the fiery cusp of Aries on Sunday. As Venus is the planet most closely associated with partnership, harmony, compromise and cooperation she’s rather uncomfortable in restless, impulsive and oftentimes pushy Aries. Also of interest is the fact that Venus will form a powerful alignment with stationary Mars even as she crosses into Mars’ ruling sign of Aries. This can be one of the more advantageous planetary combinations for passionate lovemaking and other expressions of physical pleasure and desire. Whether any of this comes to pass or not has more to do with you than anything Venus and Mars appear to be doing.

Lunar Gardening Report

    This isn’t a favorable week for planting, repotting or germinating with the Moon moving into its Last Quarter Phase. Instead, the focus should be channeled into preparing for these types of activities once we find a fertile patch on the other side of the Pisces New Moon – March 18, to be exact. If you’re feeling the need to be doing something besides cleaning beds or constructing cold frames, look to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for fertilizing, soil cultivation and tending to existing plants while the Moon makes its way through Capricorn.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern/-0500 UTC)

Friday, March 5: Emotional intensity charges the air in ways both subtle and palatable with the Moon in Scorpio. Recent developments in the realm of love, sex and money suggest that breakthroughs, breakdowns and liberations will continue to come fast and furious throughout the week. A mixed-bag of early evening lunar alignments speak of exciting activities off the beaten-path while misunderstandings, confusions or deceptions try to mess things up. Closer to midnight, a more amorous and passionate vibe asserts itself – a nice thing if you’re in a good place to benefit by it.

Saturday, March 6: After treading emotionally murky waters of Scorpio in recent days, the Moon enters the enthusiastic fires of Sagittarius, where a more upbeat and optimistic tone is assessable. Overly-opinionated bombast is likely during the evening hours while the rest of the day is good for outdoor activities that get the blood flowing. With Venus spending its last day in Pisces, the elements of love and water can carry you away if you let yourself kick back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Sunday, March 7: A more aggressive tone begins to assert itself with Venus crossing into Aries – a definite shift away from Venus’ pacifist orientation of recent weeks. Love, sex and money are areas where we’re likely to see more personal assertion and less cooperation through the end of the month. At the same time, Venus forms a fluid alignment to motionless Mars – the ruler of Aries – with Venus being the more dominant of the two planets. This is another in a series of alignments that favor sexual relations, only in this case, we’re looking at a more physical expression than a dreamy, romantic one. Also look of a surge of information swamping headlines and media outlets – my guess is that it has to do with financial markets.

Monday, March 8: With the Moon moving through its Last Quarter Phase this week, most business activity should be focused on the completion of things already in process while avoiding new initiatives until next week. After a fairly lighthearted morning, the atmosphere is likely to shift to a heavier, somewhat more serious tone, placing an emphasis on duty, responsibility and natural limitations. The remainder of the day shows the Capricorn Moon activating the Uranus-Saturn-Pluto hotspot, leaving a trace of collective uncertainty. Markets begin to swoon.

Tuesday, March 9: A considerable amount of psychic gravity is in evidence with the specter of sadness, loss and hard lessons casting a pall (Venus opposed Saturn). Values come into question as events conspire to bring us down to Earth in a very pointed way. Not a good day to invest money, make large purchases, get married or start a business. Precipitation extremes are possible while global finance catches fire – look to your calm center while avoiding the temptation to get caught-up in the drama. With Mars stationary direct tomorrow, overheating is expected. Be safe.

Wednesday, March 10: Mars, the planet most closely associated with action, activity, behavior, assertiveness, aggression, anger, accidents and violence changes to direct motion after languishing retrograde since December 20. Projects, plans and initiatives that have been obstructed or delayed since then are likely to show stirrings of new life although full output won’t be there until May. The Capricorn Moon lends a tone of caution today, a good quality to have during this period of Mars Maximum, continuing through the weekend.

Thursday, March 11: Still feeling the heat from yesterday’s Mars station, impulsive actions and reactive responses continue to dominate in some areas. The subject of debt takes on more weight as Venus squares Pluto, completing its translation of the Uranus-Saturn-Pluto configuration with guns blazing in the financial world. Coercive behaviors, power-trips, manipulations and obsessive appetites may temporarily take hold while we’re encouraged to purge ourselves of unhealthy emotions and poisonous relationships.

Copyright 2010  Gary Paul Glynn