Dear Friend and Reader,
Today marks the end of the Bush era as President Obama begins his first term. The Sun has made its ingress into Aquarius and the Moon will enter Sagittarius at 12:30 pm EST. We are also six days away from the solar eclipse in Aquarius. This particular eclipse is going to occur in a packed Aquarius, something we haven’t seen the likes of since 1962. Mercury retrograde is makes its interior conjunction with this new Sun today, which is a little like the Sun itself turning into Mercury. If you observe these days of the interior conjunction for a while (three each year), you will notice that they are indeed unusual news days — and this is no exception.
The interior conjunction to the Sun (that is, Mercury coming between the Earth and the Sun, as it is doing now) is the exact midpoint of the retrograde; it’s half over today. This particular interior conjunction is interesting because just as the Sun enters Aquarius, Mercury is about to re-enter Capricorn. So the two planets pull apart and begin a cycle through the signs that the other occupied.
It’s interesting that this is happening on one of the great turning point days of our era, the day that the Bush administration ends and that Barack Obama takes office. While this is not astrology that you would associate with the turning of an era, it is peculiar enough, and strongly indicative of change, to feel appropriate for this day. Of course there are many other images of change in the chart: Saturn and Uranus at opposition; Pluto on the edge of Capricorn; and the gradually warming-up square between Uranus and Pluto — that’s the one that indicates the biggest changes, and it’s not exact until 2012.
Let’s consider Mercury for a moment, though. When a planet goes retrograde, what it means is based on our movement in the solar system, the other planet appears to go backwards. Retrograde energy has a way of bringing up the past, or facilitating retreating (as we saw with the Israeli-Hamas cease fire Sunday). It can also bring up the more ephemeral qualities in a project or relationship. For example, it is always advised that one should avoid signing documents or buying big machines like cars or computers while Mercury is in retrograde.
While an easy route to interpretation would suggest that Mercury in retrograde means bad stuff will happen to your DVD player, another way to look at it could be that patterns from the past can be accessed in a deliberate, mindful way. Perhaps it’s not so much about the DVD player breaking as it is about the temperment broken appliances produce.
So what can we expect with Mercury retrograde in effect during the Inauguration? Maybe a bit of extra feedback in the microphones? Just kidding. But seriously, with Mercury conjoined with the Sun at this time, my input is that a lot of nuances from the past will be worked into Obama’s speeches tonight. We have already seen that in the train ride to Washington being a sort of homage to Abraham Lincoln.
In Friday’s Edition of Planet Waves Astrology News, Eric took a long look at the Inauguration chart. Here is a piece of what he came up with: “Things never go as planned with Mercury retrograde; never is a strong word and I am using it consciously. Things don’t necessarily go badly under Mercury retrograde, but the plan changes. Events and information can be confusing, and it’s difficult to get to the essence of the problem. It’s difficult to plan for. Retrogrades tend to go particularly poorly if you don’t have a little money stashed away and if you don’t take care of your computer, your car and other basic technology devices.”
There is a certain edginess to the air that is demonstrated in the astrology. Several heavy weights are on the edge of signs: Pluto, Jupiter, the Sun, Pallas Athene, Vesta, and Mercury are all experiencing transitions of power. Is it going to be like the Bush era? Well, probably not. There can only be one Behemoth in Hell and he always wears the same kind of suit. In other words, the sky is telling us it’s healthy to be a little cynical regarding this new President, even if the images being conjured up for us are token pictures of some of our best-loved Presidents.
Til then,
Genevieve Salerno w/ Eric Francis
Gardener,
The Moon is always direct, but I’m sure some (other) body was going direct (or maybe retrograde) in any case. The Moon was VOC until about 12:31 EST, and I think he was still speaking at that time. Admit I didn’t check the clock, because he WAS magnificant, wasn’t he? Auspicious indeed!
Wolf Blitzer (CNN) I believe, said the rules say that the (new)president is president at 12 Noon (on Inauguration Day) whether he or she has taken the oath or not. Then I heard Katie Couric say that at 12N on Inauguration Day, the Vice President (Joe Biden) was acting president until the president takes his oath.
We learn so much on tv.
Also to PlanetWaves. . . ditto for me regarding part of the column that was on the left but is now on the right. Frankly I don’t know WHERE the moon is right now! yeah, yeah, I know, Mercury rx.
Even if it was still void of course, it is still all good news – we were getting to know him and feeling prayerful and hopeful. The speech introduced him to a lot of people who’d never heard him speak. The speech ended with the moon stationing direct.
that’s my humble opinion, for what it is worth!!
I was wondering if the moon had stationed direct by the time Obama took the oath? I Think it had. Was he sworn in around 12:30?
Oh what an auspicious beginning!!!
Note to Planetwaves – since you moved the Daily Moon table to the right hand column, we can no longer see the information, or at least it doesn’t show up on my computer. I wonder if everyone has the same problem? It appears that it is centered in the column, but needs to be aligned left.
Gardener,
Like maryback, I want to thank you for your message, and for checking out the sabian symbol. Perfect. I heard one of the commentators (CNN? CNBC? ABC?…) say that everybody (all the people in Washington DC yesterday and today) had a smile on their face and would greet you in a friendly way. Now, don’t bruise yourself with all that pinching. I’m off for a last prayer for our young (soon-to-be) president and his beautiful family. And for our country too.
Some people fear the void of course moon, but it is a good time for spiritual matters. Prayer and focus on our well-being as a nation is desired, especially at the appointed hour on this date. It’s a good time for people to meet. and how! I keep pinching myself!
Oh, I love the reply above. Thank you, Gardener!
There have been a few missteps along the way and I’ve been so happy to see a new response in the press/crowd, resisting the typical negative pile-on. There is just no stomach, evidently, for such petty bs … and I could not be happier. We have so much to do, so many extraordinary challenges and Obama is modeling a remarkable coolness under such pressure. It certainly FEELS like a new day.
Sabian Symbol for Scorpio 30 (where the moon will be): The town jester is in his element; it is Halloween and there is now justification for any and all of his pranks.
I think we’ve spent so much time being heavy hearted the past 8 years that Obama is exactly what we need. My favorite people in the world are the people who can make light during the most trying experiences, and still inspire those around them to do their best work. The moon is void of course long enough for this loving spirit to dance over everyone. It’s that boost of exhiliration you get when starting a new project, before you dig in. Once the work is underway, you can tap into the thrill now and then to remind you why you are working so hard. We’ve all worked around people who know how to kill creativity and make you want to crawl under the covers and die. The town jester makes you come alive. Admit it – we were dead, and now we are alive again.