There are those weeks that feel like the most interesting week in galactic history, and this was one of them if you ask me. It was the confluence of events that got my attention. First, there was Bush calling for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages (as queers line up for their nups amidst much fanfare). The battles over gay marriage went to the floors of state legislatures around the country, and vibed into every home by the miracle of television. Then, mosh ado over The Passion of the Christ. Then out it comes that some 4% of all Roman Catholic priests have been accused of sexual abuse, mostly of young boys, and nearly double that figure in Boston.

First a brief recap of the week's astrology, or one aspect of it. The set-up for what happened this week is that Neptune is currently square the lunar nodes. The nodes orbit the Earth every 18 years, and it takes Neptune about 165 years to go around the Sun. So aspects between them don't happen especially often. Neptune being square the nodes means that the nodes are at 14 degrees of Taurus and Scorpio, and Neptune is at 14 degrees of Aquarius.

People seem to have a lot of trouble getting a grip on the Nodes, how they feel and how they work. Maybe that's because they are so pervasive in our experience of life. They are not physical objects but rather directions in space where the Moon moves north or south of the ecliptic once a month. The Moon's orbit is not parallel to the equator. It's a little off-kilter. That means that the Moon runs uphill for a while, 'til it crosses the ecliptic, which is the north node. Then it peaks and runs downhill for a while and crosses south of the ecliptic and at that point it's crossing its south node.

These two points are meaningful all the time. They also represent the approximate part of the sky where the next eclipses are going to happen -- so there's a direct connection between eclipses and the nodes. The nodes are a little like visiting the County Fair Grounds in March. If you stand there long enough, something really big is going to happen. The thing with the nodes is that you can stand in the County Fair Grounds in March and be transported to any fair in any year, past or future.

The nodes are VERY strange and in many respects seem to pack more influence than even a major planet or Chiron. The south node tends to orient us toward the past. The north node tends to orient us toward what we need to be doing now to reach the future. Both points are difficult, one because we can get drawn into its vortex when we don't want to, and the other because we often need to struggle to get there when we really want to, and even then it can feel difficult.

Add Neptune to the equation, exactly square the nodes, in a long, slow aspect that lasts weeks. Anything square the nodes gives you the approximate equation, "do what this planet wants you to do or you don't get to receive the benefits of the nodes." With Neptune in this position, we get something about truth and lies. We live in a culture that is dominated by addiction and denial. We live in a kind of dream world (it's horrifying -- I'm staying in an apartment with a television and it's beyond belief what's on that thing). Neptune is the basic fuel for this delusional world.

From another vantage point, Neptune is one of the most dependable of the gods. If you follow the mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien, he is Ulmo, Lord of Waters, the god who never forsook the human family, no matter what judgements the other gods were holding. He is associated with the signs Cancer and Pisces, which are known for (among other things) their lack of boundaries that allow a genuine sense of selfless compassion to come through.

So, Neptune square the nodes. Much hinging on truth and lies; questions of loving, caring, compassion; questions of addiction, substances, delusion, deception, and the evolutionary process (the nodes) directly involved. I would translate the aspect to: get clear or go nowhere.

Now, enter Mars.

Mars is in Taurus, and has just crossed the north node. That is a powerful pull in a specific direction -- toward true values (Taurus), physical needs (more Taurus) and in general arms the north node with a kind of warhead.

At the same time Mars squares Neptune. Two things happen simultaneously, as they often do in astrology. Mars square Neptune (if you ask most astrologers) is a bit treacherous. There can be wanton, aggressive disregard of truth. There can be Kamikaze tendencies. Mars can inflame all the worst attributes of Neptune. It would be difficult to say positive things about this aspect except that people born with it can be daring, they can be poetic and imaginative, and they do have a tendency to get themselves lost in darkness "without realising what they're doing." Of course, they do realise it; often there is an addiction to fear, and that, in turn, was born of their trust having been abused so often.

So, what happened the week that Mars crossed the north node and squared Neptune? Meanwhile, planets began lining up in Pisces -- Sun, Uranus, Mercury, to name three.

Well let's see.

The week begins with the theocratic government of the United States, in the person of Dubya, deciding to play dice with the universe and threaten a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage! I fell for this one a few times before realising it was a big dog and pony show to draw attention away from some of the more pressing matters at hand facing our great nation. Stuff like the Sept. 11 cover-up, around which the sharks seem to be circling ever-closer. (The fact that people think this isn't a big story and some media refuse to address the issue with any coherency does not matter in the least. The same was true of Watergate).

The midweek story was about a movie, very Neptunian if I do say so. The movie was about fanatical religion, more Neptune, and hey, it's a violent flick in which God gets the snot beat out of him ostensibly for the gratification of Christians everywhere. Being blessed by our Lord with a TV this week, I watched some of the theological commentary, and one dude was saying how this film was so important because it gave coverage of the most important event in all of Christianity, the crucifixion.

I sat there thinking hmm, I'm familiar with another point of view. There seem to be two kinds of Christians. I'll call one kind Good Friday Christians and the other kind Easter Sunday Christians. One kind is into God getting nailed to the cross and dying for our sins. The other is into the fact that God is resurrected and proves that there is eternal life. There do seem to be a few more Good Friday types than Easter Sunday types, but I'll save that for my Easter Sermon wherein I will make contact with my Roman Catholic roots for a moment.

Anyway -- during Mars square Neptune, we got to see a lot of images on TV of a bloody Jesus and lots of theological banter and hey, the film grossed $26 million the first day. Not too shabby.

What does not come out is the source material for the film. Gibson says he based the movie on the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) A lot of biblical scholars believe that the Gospels were written long after Jesus died, and there are definitely discrepancies between each telling of the story, the only consistent thing about the Bible being its inconsistency. So Gibson just mooshed parts of all of them together.

However, it was partly "inspired" by Anne Catherine Emmerich's book "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ." There's a split in perceptions of her, a lot of Christian web-sites called her Venerable, she also gets Mystic, Stigmatist, Visionary, and Prophet. But of course she gets the anti-Semitic label too.

Here are some good links (thank you Chelsea):

http://wquercus.com/passion.htm

http://www.primechoice.com/philosophy/shelp/negaspectschrist.htm

http://www.hfienberg.com/kesher/2004_02_22_kesher_archive.html#107765525313985900

Whatever one may think of Sister Anne's interpretation, or of Sister Anne, remember, it is an interpretation, not biblical "fact" in any way. With the film opening with Mars squaring Neptune, we might be wary.

We end the week with the Catholic priest sex abuse story. From this, we learn that according to one report, 4% of priests have been accused of sexual abuse over the past 52 years. Peaking with the class of 1970, in which one priest in 10 was accused of sexual abuse, one report said that 80% of abuse survivors were boys.

"The human toll amounted to 10,667 children allegedly victimised by 4,392 priests from 1950 to 2002," The New York Times wrote in Friday's edition, "but the studies caution that even these numbers represent an undercount. Totals depend on self-reporting by American bishops, the studies note, and many victims have never come forward out of fear or shame."

That Mars square Neptune can represent that fear and shame is an understatement. That the truth comes out in multiple reports under this astrology gives us a lot of insight into this aspect, particularly when you factor in the rather awesomely influential lunar nodes.

I am wondering how many people made the connection between the fundamentally Christian opposition to gay marriage (and sex in general), the obsession over the most violent aspects of Christianity, and the result, which is the sexual abuse of people not capable of defending themselves. The Church evidently is capable of such; it spent more than half a billion dollars on legal fees, therapy and settlements for victims, but apparently this number is an understatement. ++

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Now that a fog has cleared, you can see that what appeared to be a social situation contained a lot more intrigue, which may be a polite word for psychological chaos. All was not for naught, however, and you still have your instincts to guide you, if you're in the mood to listen. One lesson that's come out of the whole affair is the power of denial, and the importance of not letting it run your life. It's a great temptation in a world where everything always seems so amiss; we do need to cope, and we do seem to need friends, even if they're a little odd or disloyal sometimes. But then are they really friends?

Taurus (April 19-May 20)

It can take a long time to find your way to the truth about yourself, and it can also happen in a moment of clarity. The most important thing right now, as you well know, is for you to do what is right for you, and there has been quite the cloud around the facts that constitute that particular truth. But the clouds are clearing, and you have a measure of leverage at the moment that is allowing you to move certain obstacles out of the way and have enough admiration for yourself and what you've accomplished that your next step will be more than a flight of fancy.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)

The moments of revelation keep coming and coming. There is no end to what a mind that's tapped into its own creative process can see, think and feel. Yet there are many brilliant creative types who go through life wishing they could do more. What holds people back? What is that paralysing agent? I think it has a lot to do with hiding who we are from or parents, which is typically a pattern that's established quite young. What if you could let it all hang loose, and let all those mamas and papas in the world get a real look at your unmitigated passion? Mmmmm.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

This is the moment where you suddenly come around the bend, or rather, make a right-angle turn in the direction of something very different than your previous long-term plan called for. This is a time in your life calling for flexibility, if nothing else. You have plenty of initiative, or at least you do when you're feeling in your prime. You just need to remind yourself that it's okay to change every day if you want to live every day. It's unlikely that anyone with any credibility is going to be reminding you, so you'll just need to trust yourself.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)

The Sun in Pisces has been making some excellent aspects, and allowing you to open doors and make some unusual progress. Whatever happened recently involving a joint financial situation or business proposition taught you that you can have faith in your gifts and talents, and that you're a mutual resource for yourself and others. It is true that we live in a world of takers and shakers who do a good job of pawning themselves off as humanitarians. It's also true that you have sufficient faith in humanity to see past that, and to believe what you see.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)

Developments in your relationship life may be stunning you to your senses, and I really hope that's in the most positive way. There's really no reason why not, or none other than fear. To be sure, in order to embrace what's currently being offered to you, a brave heart and a free mind are what you need. And it appears that you've got these qualities if you'll let your mind go and trust your instincts to guide you. The thing about instincts is that they can and often do defy logic. What most people get as a result is a world of rational boredom. You're being offered irrational, spontaneous creative freedom.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)

There are some people who equate "growth" with work. While that's true much of the time, you're hearing different music and seeing different colours these days. Life opening itself up through your senses may be reminding you how much you'd rather be doing something else, or how good the world could be if you could be your own boss. You can be if you want to. Running your own life requires commitment, creativity and a true sense of responsibility. Yet you also have to love yourself and love the world enough to have one meet the other on your own terms. You're free to ignore those who say this is impossible.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)

Whether recent developments constituted a blessing, a disaster or a foolhardy plunge into an emotionally risky situation is up for grabs. Please don't be too hard on yourself, though. It seems as if inevitable events compelled you to change your feelings, and we both know you don't like being told anything is mandatory. You also don't like being manipulated. It's clear that you're far more susceptible to being twisted around someone's finger when you either don't listen to what you're feeling, or would prefer something else to be true. One challenge is passed, but you still must maintain your objectivity.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

It's as if you're in a place where you can see the sky, but can't roam the surface of the planet. Feeding your imagination is not enough; you want real life, not the mental experience of one. Real feelings, not fantasy-induced desire. You can give yourself what you want if you remember that you're the only one who can. It's one thing to look up and it's quite another thing to look for the door. And another still to turn every knob you walk past, and to go down corridors and see where they lead. Some of these may be dark, and they may be a bit musty. Sneeze your way to freedom.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)

You need to be careful not to lose your patience in a relationship situation. That situation may or may not be right for you, but you need to make your choice from a space of feeling clear and aware, rather than frustrated and with your patience drawn out to the end of your rope. If you're utterly frustrated with orthodox methods of finding happiness, that would count for a good sign. Yet there are at least two ways to get past your frustration. One involves rebelling; the other involves inventing your way out of the structures that hold us to the past. You make a better inventor than rebel, but you have to be patient.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

You know what's true for you, and you know you have to match your values with cash or the promise of support. Money is very much a secondary issue in the lives of most Aquarians, but it's a primary issue in the world. You are always free to resist, but the creative potential of this moment would make that a pretty big waste of both time and opportunity. If you're hesitating, you may want to question whether the heart of the matter is a deep issue of self-confidence. You might want to deal with that next item up. You've lived with it long enough.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

You've come through the eye of the needle, and your life is a bit rearranged. On balance, I would say you trusted your faith a shade more than you trusted your doubt. While this was not a test, you did pass, and it's time to claim the reward. It may be in the form of an idea or an opportunity, and it may be a big perk of something really fun. Whatever the case, I suggest you keep your creative discernment at full throttle, that is, rather than ever treating life like a chocolate bonbon, remember that every decision counts, and every bit of information counts toward every decision. Trust me, this is more fun than slacking, even if it's more work.

You can get instant online access to the Friday editions by subscribing here
For full details of Planet Waves subscription options please check here