Resources promised in STARCAST
I begin STARCAST with a brief roundup of pandemic-related news. I interviewed Christian Fiala yesterday for PWFM. The title of the one-hour program is Pandemic Fraud Was Far Worse than Anyone Imagined. I also refer my readers to the Mark and Sam Bailey Odysee channel. And if you like to read, especially about the history of the virus issue, try Mike Stone’s ViroLIEgy.com.
As for astrology resources, here is Venus Square Mars: A Case in Point from a couple of years ago. I also referred people to last week’s Trust Yourself followup, Trust: The Foundation. This is a talk based largely on A Course in Miracles. I’m planning a new one for Friday. Finally, here is Jealousy and the Abyss by Pennell Rock. Oh and one last — a classic, The Sacred Space of Self, about Vesta.
Art and Astrology Notes, Thursday Aug. 15
Dear Friend and Reader:
The other night I left a dome light on in my car, and drained the battery. I got it started, and whenever this happens (usually due to forgetting my police scanner is on) I drive up to Vinny’s Farm Stand, which is about 25 minutes from where I live to put a good charge on the battery. I leave it running while I’m there and drive back.
So I arrived early Tuesday morning and got this week’s low-light view of the 50-year-old farm stand owned by Vincent Neglia. I’ve been using fixed-focus, fully-manual Zeiss lenses lately, though today’s photos are shot with my 16-35mm Canon L-series.
The motif of my photography is wide-angle: the world in context. Here is a Vinny’s series of pictures from last year.
Moon, Sun, Planets — Another Description in STARCAST, Above
As for the current astrology. The horoscope below is based on the aspects I’m about to tell you about. I am able to personalize the astrology by Sun and rising sign, and many people resonate with their Moon sign reading.
Mercury remains retrograde. We reach the halfway mark Sunday, Aug. 18 at 9:50 pm EDT. This is when Mercury is passing directly between the Sun and the Earth. Mercury stations direct on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 5:14 pm EDT.
The Moon is waxing toward full phase, exact Monday, Aug. 19 at 2:26 pm EDT. Vesta is directly in the alignment, as the Sun will be a quarter-degree away from the brightest asteroid, keeper of the flame and sigil of all things Tantric. So at the time of the Full Moon, the Sun is conjunct Vesta and the Moon is opposite Vesta.
The whole arrangement is trine/sextile the Galactic Core, adding an infusion of cosmic flow and that sense of not-sure-what-it-means sublime illumination that emanates from the center of our galaxy.
Also of note, the Ceres-Pholus conjunction is exact right now — part of the five-point conjunction I am associating with Family Hunger Games. If you’re working through any family-of-origin issues, particularly involving alcohol abuse, please read that.
Jupiter-Saturn Square Engages Fully
We are now at the first peak of the Jupiter-Saturn square, which happens about every 10 years. Jupiter in Gemini is in a long, 90-degree angle to Saturn in Pisces, which lasts well into next year. This aspect comes with the “last chance” sense of desperation that is going around. The peak involves the exact meeting of the two largest planets, just a few hours past the Full Moon on Monday.
Due to the Earth moving inside this aspect, it happens three times: Monday, then Dec. 24, then again on June 15 after both planets have taken up their new signs: Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Aries.
Currently, Venus is in Virgo and Mars is in Gemini, which are making matters personal. If you’re wondering what you experienced Wednesday, that was Mars conjunct Jupiter, square Saturn — the full activation of the setup.
Centaur Nessus is also in the mix (the third-discovered in the group, after Chiron and Pholus) and that is raising concerns about consequences. Stay one step ahead of yourself and everyone else.
More in the new STARCAST.
With love,
Your friendly neighborhood astrologer,
Aries (March 20-April 19) — Helpful information might come in from any direction, such as someone you meet at a social gathering. Therefore, spend as much time out and among people as you do working late nights all alone with a test tube in your laboratory. You may be strongly inclined to believe that — given your current work responsibilities — having fun is a waste of time. For many reasons, it is not. Your astrology right now is weighted in the direction of informal activities getting the best result. Learning crucial things from hints dropped in casual conversation, or encountering someone important in a setting that allows for human connection, are drawn all over your chart. In a similar way, you may also be able to get hold of a challenging situation through gentle persuasion or a sincere request. In the end, people do things because they want to, not because they have to.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You’re about to get a glimpse of your potential. This may pop your eyes open, hopefully for more than five minutes. Yet the real point of awakening is grasping how it’s some inner quality, a state of mind, an idea, a decision, that shifts your orientation in the outer world. That’s your actual point of discovery, and the thing to focus on and explore. You do not need to change the world; as your fellow Taurus Paul Hewson once wrote, “I can’t change the world, but I can change the world in me.” This is not some kind of symbolic gesture or symbol of hope. It’s evidence of the actual order of the universe, which proceeds from inside to out, from ground to figure, from cause to effect. So as you see the Full Moon go by overhead the next few days, look at the world and recognize what is possible — and remember that it’s coming from you.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Consider the matter of gender bias. The issue with bias in any form is that it tends to run unconsciously. It’s a slant that is not seen for what it is, or not noticed at all — but there is an effect on one’s worldview and decisions. By gender bias, I really mean sex bias, but modern English substitutes this vague word “gender,” which relates to genre, rank, order and species. Anyway, I am talking about any bias against men or women generally that you may detect in yourself — when you step back and observe your choices, your speech and your ideas. This may pertain specifically to your concepts of who has what kind of sexual appetite; who is more inherently fair, or humane, and who is not; who is more or less capable of lust; and a wide diversity of attributes ascribed to men or women. Bias is a slant; which way does yours go?
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Devote space, time and resources to what you value. Put the money in an envelope, dedicate the room or the tabletop, and then plan to end work at an hour when you still have some brain power left. Or get up early and/or tell people you’re not available for that super fun thing they think you want to do. There would seem to be something you really, truly want to do and you must have those three elements — space, time and resources — for it to actually happen. This means working with the concept of the ‘organizing principle’ and holding various boundary demarcations. Put your phone in the freezer. Set minimums and limits and work within those parameters. Train people to stand guard outside your door while you do your work, to ensure that others leave you alone. I am sure you get the idea; once you’re working in that space you will see why you need it.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are about to have a rather interesting week, and I mean that in the sense of unusual and curiosity-inspiring. I mean meaningful. In the total chaos of digital life, these concepts are all but lost, though you might want to keep them right in your pocket as you study what develops. You are in a good position because you’ve already decided that most of the things other people worry about are not your problem; you have little to lose, so you can afford some additional adventure and intrigue. However, there is a serious tone to events in that your ability to be steady and true to your purpose will be helpful to people around you who are not so steady on their foundations. You are able to ask the questions that most others are not even willing to acknowledge. Do so calmly and with faith that learning the underlying truth of any matter will be helpful.
Leo Astrology Studio 2024-25 is now available.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You may want to break free of something, though first I suggest you study it from the inside. It’s not like you have to cut a fence; you’re close to whatever this thing is, and already have a good interior view of the space I’m describing. It’s a concept or idea about yourself, though there is often some physical metaphor that helps describe the astrology (which is theoretical) in a more tangible form. Notice anything that describes containment. Pay attention to your dreams for these symbols. Consider the idea of ‘holding space’ for what you want, which means actual clearing of emotional, mental and physical areas and setting a boundary. This might mean writing every morning first thing, or practicing guitar every night at 9 pm, or working in the garden every day for one hour — no matter what’s going on. There is something very important to you, and you’ll feel much better if you do something about it every day.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You know that your old ways are getting way too old to be useful, but what exactly are they? You might write down a list of all your concepts of commitment. Then write down everything you’re resentful about. Be real with this. You will have a clue wherever you want to even the score with someone. The therapy question is: how does holding grudges serve you? Write this in lipstick on your mirror. There is a vast field of experience calling you forth into the adventure of life. This particular set of influences won’t be around forever. And the question is, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid someone would be jealous of you?” Also, you might think you know who that jealous person would be, though it’s unlikely to be that individual. Look a little further into the past.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — At some point in the distant past, someone you perceived as an authority figure said to you: “Don’t do this thing you want to do because it will make me feel insecure.” Or jealous, or envious, or like my life lacks meaning. In this transaction, they handed you responsibility for their happiness — which was a terrible burden to place on a young person, and a total deception. You might ask yourself the real reasons why you feel so boxed in, and contained within a limited set of ambitions or passions. Once you see the governing devices for what they are, you still have to do the work of claiming the actual scale of your existence. It’s far greater than you’ve ever known, though you’re likely to feel unstable if you step outside of the restrictions that were placed on you. And the actual responsibility you possess — for your own life and your own choices — suddenly pops into focus; this can be daunting. It’s your choice whether to feel intimidated by your own potential.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You seem to be figuring out that you want something all your own. And you may be in some conflict over it. Sticking with this tension is important: the power source that makes growth possible. The mind, by which I mean the ego, generally wants to avoid any kind of uncomfortable tension, especially if it involves the need to confront a belief. So it’s easier to slip back into an unquestioning stage and let go of the stress. By now you may know something about this. Anyway, my question is: who do you feel you’re defying? Whose intent or will do you feel you’re crossing? Why does this make you nervous? The past still has a strong hold on you. By that I mean some element in the distant past, beyond memory, which for you registers as “tradition” or maybe “the values of my family.” At least be aware of this potential influence.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — This week’s Full Moon takes place with the Sun in Leo, which for Capricorn is the house of sex, orgasm and death. To have Leo as your 8th place (of the aforementioned themes) bestows you with tremendous vitality, if you dare to express your desire. Otherwise, you’re like someone who brings a kiddy pool to the beach, fills it with sunblock, and immerses beneath the surface of the chemical goo, breathing with a straw. Your sexuality is your vitality. It is your light. Yet to experience this vitality, you need to establish a place to explore, and you will benefit greatly from having a purpose. Really, any purpose will do, spanning from fun for its own sake to ceremonial magic. And please, don’t be morally outraged if someone or lots of people are attracted to you. As my old friend Scott Grace used to say, “If I told you you have a great body, will you hold it against me?”
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The sparks are flying in a potential relationship situation, or an actual one — which could mean tension, friction or passion. Yet there is a question present in the equation — which is about appropriateness. More specifically, the question is about whether what is developing comports with your deeper principles (a concept that has lost its meaning in the digital age, but which you will come to rely on more than ever.) You might need to be the one who applies the brakes in this scenario, and asks both inwardly and openly what’s really going on. It may feel like one thing and be another. If there’s conflict, it’s unlikely to be the result of the issue floating around on the surface. Relationships aside, this same astrology is also describing concentrated creative fuel. That would turn the attention to your relationship with yourself — which would be productive. There is an artist in you who wants to burst forth and recreate your soul. What other person, by name, is compatible with that? Think carefully.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Your enlightenment — meaning, dropping some of the weight of existence and feeling lighter — depends on being truthful with yourself. Any heaviness is related to some form of denial or not acknowledging how you feel; which is about acknowledging who you are. This is easier than it seems. Any drama is rooted in fear and guilt. With your ruling planet Jupiter putting the squeeze on Saturn, you may feel like this is your last chance to accomplish something. It may be; it may not be; though if you want to honor your sense of urgency, do so gently, with a step-by-step approach. Yes, this is an important time of completion for you. One important mission is to clean up the loose ends and tidy up the edges. This is all part of the process of self-honesty. With each facet of yourself that you encounter, decide whether you want it on the basis of what is helpful and what is not. Ask honestly and you will get a real answer.
Trust Yourself – 2024 Midyear Reading Now Available
