Appearing, as if out of nowhere, were two related articles in major conservative news the day after the third debate of all Republican presidential candidates — Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman. In the articles, conservative pundit Bill Kristol — hands clutching pearls in horror — realized something profound: that the Republican field looks and sounds crazy.

There is the concern (terror) that Texas Governor Rick Perry (homo erectus texas ignoramus) just doesn’t have what it takes (too nuts to bring to a badger hunt) to win the Republican nomination and the Presidency in 2012,  Mitt Romney’s candidacy just isn’t generating the enthusiasm in Southern states to cinch the nomination and he is now chasing after Perry even though Romney’s candidacy and nomination was presumed inevitable as “establishment favorite.” Since Perry’s entrance, Michelle Bachmann and Ron Paul, once front-runners, are barely registering a blip. Yet, instead of handing a win to the evangelical darling Mr. Perry, the winner of last week’s Florida straw poll was Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather Pizza.

The high priests of the conventional wisdom in Punditlandia may or may not remember when and how it happened — so much for allowing conventional wisdom to dictate their perspective –  but somehow, their incredulity over the nature and response to the Republican field is a moment made for laughter. No one should be blamed for this but themselves. And unfortunately none of us are laughing. Are the republican presidential hopefuls really crazy? Oh yes they and most of their supporters are.

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Michael Moore stopped by the Occupy Wall Street protest last night to buoy morale. But New York police have banned the protesters from using any kind of public address system. What to do? The crowd recited his words phrase by phrase: many voices are stronger than one. Roseanne Barr has stopped by too — apparently before the megaphone ban.

Meanwhile, The Guardian UK reports that the senior New York City police officer accused of pepper-spraying young women at close range at this event on Saturday — while protests were peaceful — is the subject of a pending legal action over his conduct brought by a protester involved in the 2004 demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. The hacker collective Anonymous claimed responsibility on Monday for posting the name of the officer, Anthony Bologna, online.

Medillin, Colombia. Photo by Nicole Hanhan. www.facebook.com/NicoleHanhanPhotos

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011. Today the Moon is new in Libra at about 7:09 am EDT. This conjunction of the Sun and Moon has some serious company. Not only are there four other planets in Libra, but the Sun and Moon plus Mercury are making a square to Pluto in Capricorn.

This aspect indicates a potent turning point of some kind; you could say it’s got an ominous feeling, though there is also a sense of clarity about this chart, something focused and with clear intention. This could manifest many ways, personally and as a collective event. Remember, it’s sitting right opposite the Aries Point, where there is currently a planet — Uranus, which is about surprises and inventions. So there’s some psychic tension in this aspect, and it would be fair enough to get the feeling that something big is brewing. If you’ve noticed a more-pervasive-than-usual sense of anxiety or doom in the air, this aspect structure illustrates the feeling. If you’ve noticed that you’re feeling like you can actually make decisions, it’s the same picture.

Yes, fear is pervasive in our cultural messages anyway. Pluto in Capricorn has been shaking our social, cultural and institutional foundations for a couple years now. And Pluto in general, for many people, carries a feeling of what they think of as imminent death: the fear of change, of surrender, of anything compelling.

So why is this heightened now?

For one thing, having the Sun and Moon together in a perfect square to Pluto is shining the light of the solar system onto the planet known as ‘the irresistible force’. Irresistible force has a ring of inevitability to it; and that feels like one is powerless to do anything about it — that is, except dance with the idea and ultimately the experience. Culturally, we’re not trained to see powerlessness as a comfortable place. We struggle with surrender and tell ourselves stories about how in control we are, how decisive and independent and goal-oriented we are. But ultimately we are powerless against death, despite all the ways we can put it off, make it nicer or mold our conceptions of it.

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Today’s Oracle takes us to the Sagittarius monthly of Feb. 1, 2001.

There is a beautiful metaphor for relationships which says human encounters are what happens when two people walking in opposite directions get a brief chance to meet. Lately, though, it’s felt more like two trucks passing on the Interstate. Ease back on your fears and discouragement, if you can, because the word for the month, indeed for the season and well beyond, is contact. However I don’t suggest you look for all the usual people in all the usual places. As adventurous as the Sagittarian spirit is, you do get caught in what one might call spiritual habits, and these can lead you in circles. It’s impossible to let go of expectations, but you do need a few new ones; it’s not usually easy to shift your state of mind, but it’s not so difficult now. And while your mind often entices you to search far and wide for what you want, I suggest you look a lot closer to home for that which will be dearest to your heart.

Are you looking for an extra clue? That’s what astrology is for. New horoscopes are published weekly plus twice a month in Planet Waves subscriber edition and Planet Waves Light. And for your annual reading, check out Light Bridge.

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It’s a New Moon in Libra tomorrow morning at about 7:09 am EDT. Every New Moon is a conjunction of the luminaries, Moon and Sun. A conjunction is two or more objects in the same degree of the same sign. Every New Moon is also the start of a lunation, the period from one luminary conjunction to the next. The beginning of a lunation is for Moon what a new season is for Sun, forming the template of a paradigm that will be developed and carried through until the cycle is completed and another commences. It would not be surprising if new patterns were rapidly emerging in your own life about now. It would be entirely consistent with the sky if those themes were aptly described or readily explained as paradoxical.

A paradox is a contradiction that conceals, or reveals, a truth. We have that going on symbolically in Libra right now. Tomorrow’s New Moon will emphasize, amplify and be a part of it. Most obviously, the apparent contradiction is with the concept of balance.

In last Friday’s edition of Daily Astrology, Eric Francis characterized an important dimension of Libra as “the expression of beauty through balance.” That phrase succinctly captures the essence of the one and only cardinal air sign. Most fundamentally, Libra’s glyph is uniquely an inanimate object, a set of balance beam scales. Those scales are an ancient and practical tool with an aesthetic appeal, representing an ideal of indifference. The sheer number of visible objects in Libra right now would seem to belie that ideal.

In addition to the luminaries, the planets commonly accepted as visible to the unaided eye are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These seven wandering lights are the traditional sign rulers and have been a part of human consciousness for uncounted thousands of years. They are the core of astrology. As of tomorrow, five of them will be concentrated into one twelfth of the zodiac, a thin slice of sky we call Libra. That is an intrinsically unbalanced arrangement called a stellium.

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Photo by Eric Francis.

Today is Monday, Sept. 26, 2011. The Moon is in Virgo all day, which can have a mental or perfectionist feeling. Make sure you know that feeling is in the background — that you have to get it right. It may be more of an annoyance than an inspiration. Yet while this happens, the emphasis of the sky is on Libra. We now have four of the traditional planets (Mercury, Venus, Sun and Saturn) and an important asteroid (Juno) in Libra, and we’re about to experience the New Moon in that sign on Tuesday at 7:08 am EDT. Though the equinox was technically Friday, we are still in the equinox time of year, that first moment of the new season. Feel it while it’s here to experience.

For the next day or so we’re in the dark of the Moon (just before the New Moon), which can be one of those times when you might feel a loss of momentum, greater desire to sleep, and the desire to go into your inner world. If you’re feeling those things, definitely respond as best you can — even if you’re busy, find an hour or two to honor your inner existence. Yet the week of the New Moon is also the time to set your goals, intentions and desires for the new month.

So despite what may be a drifting sensation, or the sense that you cannot quite get people to agree with you, be gently persistent. Keep your focus on what you want, what you’re doing and what you want to do. Take satisfaction in small accomplishments, never forgetting the larger goals you hold.

These last hours before the New Moon are a truly useful time to do this. Most astrologers advise that the moment of the New Moon is a good time for meditation, ritual and celebrations, but for manifesting and setting goals, it’s helpful to work with the end of the old cycle as a time for working out the beginning of the new one.

This New Moon has high mental focus. Many planets align with the Sun and the Moon at the same time, which means that we will be feeling it in a bold and direct way as some kind of inner decision process. The aspects include both the Sun and Moon square Pluto; Sun and Moon conjunct Mercury; and then Mercury square Pluto as a result. This whole arrangement has a sense of urgency. Libra, while it has a reputation of being laid back, is an action-oriented sign, and this is the time for action that begins from the inside out. So in the true spirit of Libra, start the business of meeting your most important goals.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the threshold represented by Libra ushers in a time of reaping. It is the time of harvest. This is the season of release and surrender for the vegetative kingdom, and we get the benefits. It’s also when we see the colors that make up up the beautiful green we’ve been looking at all spring and summer. Autumn is a moment of transparency.

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Today’s Oracle takes us to the Capricorn weekly of April 2, 2004.

You are quickly heading toward a solution to a seemingly deadlocked situation. It may be that you’ve put too much emphasis on security and not enough on taking a chance. There are virtues to both, but in the end there is very little security in the world, and its value is mainly psychological. Focus on investigating what you’re actually willing to do, and whether you leave yourself room to revise your plans or change your mind. You will need this flexibility, but at the moment it’s better to have too much to do rather than too little.

Are you looking for an extra clue? That’s what astrology is for. New horoscopes are published weekly plus twice a month in Planet Waves subscriber edition and Planet Waves Light. And for your annual reading, check out Light Bridge.

This is an artfully done presentation on yesterday’s protests. The orange kettle? That’s something I haven’t seen before.