Today is Friday, August 5, 2011. The Moon enters Scorpio at 7:57am EDT and stays there until late Sunday morning, when it enters Sagittarius at 11:21 am EDT. As a feminine water sign, Scorpio has a feeling of intense inner focus, shining a spotlight on our subjective state, allowing us to come to grips with ourselves.
This weekend you can see the Moon with Antares, the bright red star of the constellation Scorpius. Antares is also known as the heart of the Scorpion. Antares means ante-ares, or “the rival of Mars.” Antares was considered the Fire Star to the ancient Chinese, and has the reputation of giving success through intensity and focus, but also the danger of taking this to extremes, even to the point of life-or-death struggles.
This means it’s a great idea to allow yourself to feel the intensity within you this weekend, and the resulting focus that brings to your senses and awareness. Remember, however, also to tread a little cautiously and be aware of the dangers of becoming obsessed or taking things to the extreme. This may be especially important given the news lately. There is a lot in the world many of us are struggling with — the US debt crisis, famine in Africa, and so on — and it is possible to become outraged to the point of paralysis. Keep checking in with yourself, and ask for help in shifting focus if you need it to shake an obsession loose.
Another focusing aspect this weekend is the opposition of Vesta in Aquarius with the Leo Sun. This means that the Earth is between the two of them, and that Vesta is at her closest approach to our planet, and therefore at her brightest. You can actually see Vesta in the sky now if you know just where to look. Binoculars or a telescope will help a lot. If you want to see close-up pictures of Vesta, you can check out the page for NASA’s Dawn mission, which is currently orbiting around Vesta.