tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14017455139738478302024-03-13T16:51:39.382-07:00It's About TimeA personal approach to current transits, by astrologer Jenny YatesJenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-61638181159445048902023-02-01T14:24:00.004-08:002023-02-01T14:24:57.678-08:00Moving to Another Location<p> Nope, I'm not moving. I'm moving my monthly column to my website, and you'll now find it at: </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://astrologerjenny.com/index.php/thoughts-on-the-month-ahead/">Thoughts on the Month Ahead – astrologerjenny.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p>If you have any comments, remarks or questions about this change, please let me know. You can always write me at astrologerjenny@yahoo.com. </p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-86269945815256816742022-12-02T16:23:00.001-08:002022-12-03T13:04:53.342-08:00The Cusp of Change<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn-Gbq-siE_b-d6diLOi68m9gfTEHzNGGFmXqdFzO3z1RSV-9XWx7T0lIQczumIKRkt9aS6AoUhu6VhLJVfWQIomsqfK0ovH3o5nErqhuoAksgLVeWWOPnZVtvcxMflnsgXjiuWX83HTrlW9HuGfvy5IM2SLGjr6onWBZGX8kZaOyYZnaUJNSq_8X/s2048/jy%20-%20lesum%20snow.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn-Gbq-siE_b-d6diLOi68m9gfTEHzNGGFmXqdFzO3z1RSV-9XWx7T0lIQczumIKRkt9aS6AoUhu6VhLJVfWQIomsqfK0ovH3o5nErqhuoAksgLVeWWOPnZVtvcxMflnsgXjiuWX83HTrlW9HuGfvy5IM2SLGjr6onWBZGX8kZaOyYZnaUJNSq_8X/s320/jy%20-%20lesum%20snow.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So here it is
the last month of 2022. Now that the trees have shed almost all their leaves, my
wife and I can look down on the Christmas tree and skating rink in the town
square. It takes me back to the images in Christmas storybooks from my childhood.
I’m not actually a Christian, and I grew up in a country without snow, or even
winter, so it all feels a little make-believe to me, but I’m willing to go
along with it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m not seeing
much forward progress in December, since Mars is still retrograde this month,
and Mercury slows down mid-month. I’m okay with a more stately pace, although I
would prefer that I retain my current pace while the rest of the world slows
down, rather than the reverse happening. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The fiercest
thing happening in December is the full moon on December 7, which has Mars
exactly in the middle of the action, opposing the sun and conjuncting the moon.
It’s dynamic, exciting, but volatile, so be careful around that time,
especially when driving or walking. Mars and the moon will be in Gemini, the
sign that rules short trips of all kinds. Gemini also has to do with communication,
so there could be quite a few sharp, divisive words spoken then. Mars rules weapons,
sharp objects, and fire, so try to avoid brandishing those things about. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The next major celestial
event will be the new moon on December 23, and that’s quieter. It’s quite
festive, though, since the sun and moon will square Jupiter, newly in Aries. It
could manifest in some large-scale financial problems, and we’ve already seen
one form of currency crash in November. But for the folks on the street, it’s could
just mean an added enthusiasm for spending money and throwing lavish parties. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">After this, Mercury
goes retrograde on December 29, just in time to tangle up any last-minute
holiday plans. This is a good time to get all nostalgic, haul Dickens out of
the bookcase, and gather your young ones on your knee. Whatever traditions you’ve
got going, they’ll work just fine. With Venus, Mercury, and Pluto all together
in Capricorn, we’ll all contemplate the passage of time, its gifts and its
robberies, as we get ready for the new year. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And this is a
year I’ve been looking forward to for a while, because Pluto is going into Aquarius!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the outer planets hover around the edges
of a sign before making a final commitment and going in, so Pluto will be back
in Capricorn for a few months in the fall. But most of the year – and then the
twenty years after that - the planet of transformation will be in a new sign. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And what a
sign!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many signs have had songs
written about them? Are there others? (I am really wondering that, but I’m not
going to go look it up now.) Anyway, Aquarius is the most famous, for sure.
Harmony and understanding! Peace will guide the planets! Love will steer the
stars! The mind’s true liberation!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hot
shit!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course, it
may not be all that. Pluto going into Aquarius is not the same as the Age of Aquarius,
whose entrance date is steeped in astrological controversy, with some folks
saying it’s already happened and others saying it will be another few hundred
years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Pluto doesn’t go into a new
sign every day, and in fact, it’s been some 250 years since it was last in Aquarius.
The last time it went through this sign, the Bastille was stormed, the
Constitution written, and Simón Bolívar was born. The time before that, Henry
VIII was violently splitting from the Catholic Church, and Queen Elizabeth I was
born. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So this could
be a revolutionary time, and this doesn’t sound like peace guiding the planets.
But generally when there’s a revolution, it’s because things are not working that
well for some large group of people. They want liberty. They want to get out
from under the oppressor’s thumb. And how many people in the world right now
are dealing with some form of oppression? How many would benefit from generous
helpings of freedom, truth, justice, and hope? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The first people
that come to my mind are the climate refugees, and there will be more and more
of them. Aquarius is an idealistic sign, so will we become more and more aware
of our catastrophic effect on our own habitat? It’s already happening, but is
it happening fast enough? Aquarius is also a sign of technological advances, so
I’m hoping we will combine new technologies with fairer social structures, and
stave off collapse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The main thing
I’ve been hoping for, with Pluto in Aquarius, is a diminution of all the
conspiracy theories, personality cults and true believers. It looks to be a
more scientific age. Of course, it could go too far in that direction, and we
could all be replaced by robots in the next twenty years. (I believe Elon Musk
is already working on that, implanting chips in people.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I guess we’ll
just have to wait and see how brave this new world is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it won’t be long now! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happy holidays! <o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oI15hmGsC4vTPla6xXiZcN1jmITZ03IBKsJ_uzrDv6b_FrXxrMNO4Z3Se_sLGcO2C_Ev6UbmVTt9JXdTC8VcjxePETTOgFKoL6eTlwusnTRsGI2aVYcYhZfDgA9ABx5OiLGlBtLnWFvNX5p-cGEvU6vQd_eB3HF2waU79z-qgdWmUlKGnQ8kMnyL/s2048/jy%20-%20louvre%20and%20pyramid.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oI15hmGsC4vTPla6xXiZcN1jmITZ03IBKsJ_uzrDv6b_FrXxrMNO4Z3Se_sLGcO2C_Ev6UbmVTt9JXdTC8VcjxePETTOgFKoL6eTlwusnTRsGI2aVYcYhZfDgA9ABx5OiLGlBtLnWFvNX5p-cGEvU6vQd_eB3HF2waU79z-qgdWmUlKGnQ8kMnyL/s320/jy%20-%20louvre%20and%20pyramid.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-48842435243162144392022-11-01T16:48:00.001-07:002022-11-01T16:48:25.060-07:00Eclipse Season<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDtGqADXe2W1ewOqWZlr7EJVH4ul4DBcH2cg52B0f2bZNDRF7beSUzn0j0CMZW_c_UzDu4BT_G_x1ycOdujfdy6YwDdTEYFh2IwpQ0V3zblxdrHo9_W-ScO8aVgIR3sixnz5xjtVIjjnk_qlgk-zYHhTVHntCl2H4eLh8h59fiigIYkKfOsdENCSM/s3264/jy%20-%20dragon%20at%20neues%20rathaus,%20munich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="3264" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDtGqADXe2W1ewOqWZlr7EJVH4ul4DBcH2cg52B0f2bZNDRF7beSUzn0j0CMZW_c_UzDu4BT_G_x1ycOdujfdy6YwDdTEYFh2IwpQ0V3zblxdrHo9_W-ScO8aVgIR3sixnz5xjtVIjjnk_qlgk-zYHhTVHntCl2H4eLh8h59fiigIYkKfOsdENCSM/s320/jy%20-%20dragon%20at%20neues%20rathaus,%20munich.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m really
feeling the change of season these days. Suddenly all the trees are gold. And
down in the Town Square, I saw more kids in costumes than I’ve seen for years. There
was a big Halloween event there, with music, face-painting and balloon animals,
and the kids were out in droves. I saw baby race car drivers, haughty
Cleopatras, amorphous inflatable creatures, and dozens of young wizards in
school uniforms. My favorite costume was a little girl who dressed as a monarch
butterfly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Tomorrow is All
Soul’s Day, and my wife and I will light candles, make hot chocolate, and watch
the movie Coco, which always makes us cry. This is our tradition. The first
time we watched that movie, we had her grandmother with us, and now we don’t. This
is the time when the veil between the worlds is thin. At my age, I have more
family members in the other world than in this one, and the faces of vanished
loved ones are always with me. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">At this time of
year, we’re especially aware of change. There are big dramatic changes, and
there are small, incremental changes from day to day, but we can never sidestep
this inexorable motion. We are all moving swiftly from sunrise to sunset. We
astrologers are particularly aware of this constant flow, since we track the
planets in both their long slow cycles and their short choppy ones. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The sun,
Mercury, Venus, and the south lunar node are all in Scorpio, the sign that has
to do with deep emotion. Like all the fixed signs, Scorpio resists change, and
this makes it even more cataclysmic when it happens – and it always does.
Scorpio is especially connected to the shift from life to death, and so the
holidays at this time of year – Scorpio season - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are all about that ultimate surrender to the
inevitable. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">There are
astrological events that have a stronger charge than others, that signal deeper
and more dramatic changes. Eclipses are among these, and these point to shifts
that resonate on the karmic level, that reference our purpose here in this
life. With the north lunar node in Taurus, our purpose at this juncture in
history is to connect to the earth, to become more solid and concrete, to build
strong foundations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eclipse makes it
clear how far we need to go, in order to do this. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The chart for
this next eclipse is a particularly powerful one. Here in Washington DC, the
eclipse is visible across the east-west horizon, with the sun rising and the full
moon setting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And guess what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s happens on Election Day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We all know
that this is an especially meaningful election, and that control of Congress is
at stake. On the Republican side, there are efforts to break down democracy
itself, following the lead of the party’s delusional and autocratic leader. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Republicans take Congress, that will be an
end to any accountability for the attempted coup of January 7, 2020. And
without accountability, there’s no deterrent to a better-organized second
attempt. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m heartened
because a record number of absentee ballots have been returned in several
states. But I’m also worried, because the aspects signal change, but I don’t
know in what direction that change will go. At this full moon on Election Day,
it’s not just the Eclipse that shakes things up. The sun and Mercury are also
closely opposing Uranus, planet of sudden shifts, rebellions, and accidents.
This could mean some sort of mechanical problem, perhaps because of officials
allowing conspiracy theorists access to voting machines. It could also mean
social unrest, perhaps violence. Oppositions on the Taurus/Scorpio axis show
fixed battles over power and control. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">One reason that
I’m nervous about this configuration is that I see the Democrats as the
conservative party these days, while the Republicans are trying to rip down the
whole system. It isn’t that I don’t see the need for change, but I would like
to see it happen peacefully and organically. The right wing is in favor of
violent change these days - tearing up the earth, eliminating reproductive
rights, co-opting private choices, ignoring inequities that every generation
has worked to redress. I recently listened to Rachel Maddow put this election
in stark terms, saying that it’s a choice between a democratic system, or one
of force and violence. Autocratic governments can be voted in, as in Hitler’s dictatorship
of Germany and Trump’s unsuccessful coup in the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But to be maintained, force is generally needed.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">At the same
time, there’s one other figure in this configuration, and it’s not one that
usually gives me hope. Saturn in Aquarius is in a conflictive position,
squaring all the Taurus and Scorpio planets, turning the opposition into a
T-square. In a T-square, the planet that forms right angles to the others is
the catalyst, and Saturn is the planet of duty, responsibility and limitation.
This could be good in a volatile situation like this Election Day. Usually I
don’t feel all that positive about Saturn squares, which tend to be dour and
depressing, but in this case, I’m supporting anything that slows down the pace.
Of course, Saturn could also mean frustrating delays and glitches. There could
be long waits in line and a shortage of helpers. Still, that’s better than
Uranian events like explosions and angry mobs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">One thing we
can expect is a delay in counting the results and coming up with a conclusion. Considering
how many election officials and county clerks have been threatened by right-wing
thugs, this work will require a lot of courage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From November 9 to 11, the sun and Mercury
will be directly squaring Saturn, and hopefully Saturn’s rigid, rule-bound
approach will keep things on track. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">One thing about
November is that Mars will be retrograde all month, in the jittery,
fast-talking sign Gemini. This can mean a lot of back-and-forth movement, and
it can be hard to maintain a clear sense of purpose. It could be a month of all
talk and no action, which kind of fits in with politicians campaigning and
trying to come up with the right sound-bite. Mars retrograde can mean
correcting past mistakes, however, and we can hope that the Election might do
that. We have quite a few mistakes in Congress right now, like Marjorie Taylor
Greene and Matt Gaetz. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">From November
15 to 22, however, Mars will be squaring Neptune in Pisces, and this could feel
like wandering around in a fog. This is the time to be as alert as possible,
because if there are going to be shenanigans related to the election, they
could happen around this time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
could also be the time when we all decide that things have been just too tense,
and we’re going to collapse, or just read some escapist fiction, or go to the
movies. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The election and
the eclipse season will be over by then. We will have weathered the dramatic
configuration of Election Day, but the changes themselves still need to play
themselves out. Whether we gained or lost, whether we’re crying or celebrating,
we’ll need to look around, take stock of where we are, and carry on living our
lives. Onward we all go, moving together through unfamiliar ground, through the
heart of change. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oPZ4vXIA0b0_Gk3zf-OLioXTQq2ZEdkfICHmsa99Klt9Zy-B17ucsm0_hho5nBskZ0bpx2jhHpLnTjuzpHdjLH3NL_AGtNeXeLIpAkCapbidfg4x2Bu-Fm0jnOyzxm3BKulm51aLKlceGLCQCoanVFpA7yNvyCxBWr__DVl7sRXh5RD0aaArgUp5/s2048/jy%20-%20bottcherstrasse%20dragonslayer,%20bremen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oPZ4vXIA0b0_Gk3zf-OLioXTQq2ZEdkfICHmsa99Klt9Zy-B17ucsm0_hho5nBskZ0bpx2jhHpLnTjuzpHdjLH3NL_AGtNeXeLIpAkCapbidfg4x2Bu-Fm0jnOyzxm3BKulm51aLKlceGLCQCoanVFpA7yNvyCxBWr__DVl7sRXh5RD0aaArgUp5/s320/jy%20-%20bottcherstrasse%20dragonslayer,%20bremen.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-40837840546267482822022-10-04T13:37:00.001-07:002022-10-04T13:37:43.186-07:00Balance<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_xDC-POzJLHmpZ3vEJKK7RI8vKl9EJEx3B4ERNFc-GwhoNCoTDGwJmvFLWRel_6-_QGrMXKVMrphBhFx_L6zDbBWRbGHqca-C34-f7GwxRjAtoQ6IMO6IZa_MWbYL3FXTWlz2qMN4OxgKpTWU8h1ipRy_6v_226MRabjM3tn1I91giUt-KjwG32b/s2048/jy%20-%20leaded%20glass%20in%20cathedral,%20bremen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_xDC-POzJLHmpZ3vEJKK7RI8vKl9EJEx3B4ERNFc-GwhoNCoTDGwJmvFLWRel_6-_QGrMXKVMrphBhFx_L6zDbBWRbGHqca-C34-f7GwxRjAtoQ6IMO6IZa_MWbYL3FXTWlz2qMN4OxgKpTWU8h1ipRy_6v_226MRabjM3tn1I91giUt-KjwG32b/s320/jy%20-%20leaded%20glass%20in%20cathedral,%20bremen.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There’s a place for old habits and patterns. They make
for a smooth life, as your body remembers the way you did everything yesterday
and automatically does it in the same way today. No decisions are made, no extra
energy expended. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But when you move to a new place, you retrain yourself,
and that’s what I’ve been doing. When I reach for a dishtowel, it’s in a
different place. When I make myself a pot of tea, all the little gestures are
slightly different, even if I end up with an identical brew. When I wake up in
the middle of the night, it takes me a moment to remember where the bathroom
is. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve been relearning how to move through my daily
life, in the two weeks that we’ve been in this new apartment. We’re in a more
urban environment, leaving behind the whirr of lawn mowers and the snow drifts
of the suburbs. I like it here, and I especially like living across the street
from the library. I can practically hear the books speaking among themselves, murmuring
their facts and fictions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">One thing that’s different about this place is the balance
between light and darkness. On the west side of the apartment is a large bay
window, and on a sunny afternoon, it sheds an intoxicating amount of light over
the golden hardwood floor, stretching all the way through the living room to
the kitchen. The light is so glorious that you just want to lap it up. We moved
on a day warm enough to open the window, and we could hear the conversations of
people in the street below. We felt plugged in to the life of this small city. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On the east side of the apartment is my study, and no sunlight reaches here. When I walk in
in the morning, it’s a cave, and my computer screen is like a deep glossy well.
I grope for the first lamp, and then walk through the room twisting switches of
all sizes and shapes, making the light happen. Then I turn on the computer, and
it bursts into color. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The front door is also on the east side of the
apartment. This is apt, given that traditionally you enter a sacred circle in
the east, the direction of new beginnings. From the door, especially in the
afternoon, we walk towards the bright light of the west side window. This reminds
me of the journey made by every human on this planet – to begin in the darkness
of the womb and to move towards that famous tunnel of light. The setting sun
symbolizes the end of life, something I’m comfortable with in my later years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It figures that we would move into this place around
the time of the fall equinox, and that the sun and Venus are now moving through
Libra, the sign of the scales. (Next week, Mercury will also be in this sign.) This
is the time when day and night are equals, when our consciousness strives for
balance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Libra’s opposite on the zodiacal wheel is Aries, and currently
Jupiter is moving through the first degrees of Aries. The Aries/Libra axis is
all about the delicate negotiations of relationships, the balance of interests
between the Self and the Other. Aries represents the immediacy of the self,
while Libra is all duality, about understanding other people. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Aries imperative is to be clear about what’s
meaningful to you. The Libra stance is to recognize that we all create meaning
for each other, all the time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aries, a
fire sign, fights hard for independence, and can see Libra as too wishy-washy,
too ready to see the other side of every question. Libra, an air sign, is the
idealist, the peacemaker, and sometimes this can mean giving up personal power
and privilege in order to share them with others. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So October is a significant month, when it comes to
working out ways to live with each other. We are all somewhere on this track,
moving from birth to death. We all carry a passionate spark
of individuality, and we are also molded by the relationships around us. We can
be both, just as this apartment contains both darkness and light. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There are a lot of new beginnings in October, as we
pass the autumn equinox, the halfway point of the zodiacal year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve already seen a weather shift, with
Hurricane Ian a glaring reminder of our mishandling of the relationship between
land and water. We stole the land from the water, and the water’s way of
regaining balance is to take the land back. Climate change is all about the
earth’s efforts to re-establish equilibrium. When we go to extremes in our use
of the planet’s resources, it has to go to extremes to counter us. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And yes, October means a new session of the Supreme
Court. Libra is the sign of justice, but will justice prevail? We’ve already
seen a Court hopelessly corrupted by McConnell’s dirty tricks, refusing to vote
on a legitimate nominee during Obama’s tenure, and then rushing through much
less legitimate judges during Trump’s tenure. Trump was a minority-rule
president, as most of the last Republicans have been. And so, at this point,
the current Supreme Court doesn’t represent the people. It represents the interests
of the powerful few. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Voting itself is a very Libran concept. Imagine
equitably counting the votes and then conforming to the will of the majority!
Who thought of that? Shouldn’t we just have a free-for-all, and the last one
standing gets to decide everything? There’s a large bloc that has always
believed this. And there are many people who give lip service to democracy, but
feel queasy at the idea of actually distributing power to the masses. But social
imbalance is not sustainable, and sooner or later there is a mass effort to make
things right. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It's the Libran way to fight for justice through
voting, through the courts, through dialogue and persuasion, through community
efforts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if this doesn’t do the
trick - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>well, by the end of the month, we’ll
see the sun, Venus, Mercury and the lunar south node all in Scorpio. And Scorpio
is not as polite a sign as Libra. It’s a sign of extremes. It’s not coincidental
that this month ends with a holiday which involves dressing up as whatever you
fear most. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Large, abrupt changes are disruptive, often violent,
but they too are efforts to end imbalance. When the tipping point is reached, things
fall. It’s natural and inevitable. So the question is – what can we do before
we reach that point? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are still
opportunities to retrain ourselves, mostly by seeing where the imbalance
exists, talking about it, and sharing solutions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So let’s appreciate the incremental but principled
movements of Libra. The sign of balance is all about the energy that flows both
ways, between darkness and light, night and day, law and liberty, self and
other. Balance here doesn’t mean stagnation, but rather many small changes all
the time, each change conscious of the others. It’s a gentle, responsive dance
of opposites. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It's idealistic, I know, but that’s Libra for you. But
it’s also true of astrology, a symbol system that’s full of oppositional patterns.
We all feel these inner tensions between one thing and its opposite, and yet we’re
breathing in and out, finding balance in each moment. We are darkness and we
are light, and all we need to do is accept our shared humanity in this world of
contrasts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLQkHTNLaqbTJazIBacVpdrYE-15rdyITC3C8tnaLZqcfgZGgUR8y8E4B5Ss-bnnWYO8SAkEab5WARM7sF7ysN-CTFf5V-o37El7PycqKKvtbSXF-e1uJ-olFFL7CYu8WFQyOwR5HZ5iMgzAhHvu5FTGgmMBC2SEVwy5CDgTHjiuSq7EsoAKferXl/s2048/jy%20-%20carousel%20seal,%20bremen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLQkHTNLaqbTJazIBacVpdrYE-15rdyITC3C8tnaLZqcfgZGgUR8y8E4B5Ss-bnnWYO8SAkEab5WARM7sF7ysN-CTFf5V-o37El7PycqKKvtbSXF-e1uJ-olFFL7CYu8WFQyOwR5HZ5iMgzAhHvu5FTGgmMBC2SEVwy5CDgTHjiuSq7EsoAKferXl/s320/jy%20-%20carousel%20seal,%20bremen.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-67296780479358652272022-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:002022-09-02T09:10:28.487-07:00The Jigsaw Puzzle of September<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUX2sZQ0ZhK7TZGuIc3AvE2JfT-oH849YsUUN9diUDAEr7M8ITjRjrJbkpJulz6isc3zeB8OfAKUekLYX1_8lD_LWte4eiiJz9RJ9cLxzxbMFnk4Uv05qlAJNvi9f-JvFEXtHGqSlYgWKT5XknZd9_OtNYZUGS539wM6PVNm7Pi-GKlod2S7zW6Qi/s2048/jy%20-%20bench%20in%20la%20boca,%20buenos%20aires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUX2sZQ0ZhK7TZGuIc3AvE2JfT-oH849YsUUN9diUDAEr7M8ITjRjrJbkpJulz6isc3zeB8OfAKUekLYX1_8lD_LWte4eiiJz9RJ9cLxzxbMFnk4Uv05qlAJNvi9f-JvFEXtHGqSlYgWKT5XknZd9_OtNYZUGS539wM6PVNm7Pi-GKlod2S7zW6Qi/s320/jy%20-%20bench%20in%20la%20boca,%20buenos%20aires.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Things are taking shape, since the chaos of last
month. It’s a new shape, but hey, I’m happy to see any shape at all. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My wife and I have found a new place to live, an
apartment right on the town square, with good access to the library, grocery
store, and a lot of little restaurants. We won’t have a yard anymore, and we
won’t have to scrape ice off the car in the winter time, or keep up with the
tall grass in the summer. I won’t have to feel guilty about not following
through on vague gardening fantasies. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We are basically apartment dwellers who somehow got
transplanted to a house for a decade. It was a good place to live while we were
taking care of elders, but now we’re on our own. We don’t have pets. Not even house-plants.
So a smaller space will suit us fine, and maybe down the line, we’ll get a fern
or something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something hardy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So we move in a little over a week, and for now, we’re
still in the old place. A lot of the furniture is gone. I tried to give my desk
to Goodwill and they refused it, so I’m hoping the garbage guys will haul it
away this morning. I’ve always liked that desk, which was actually a sturdy
table with lots of room for a computer, monitor, keyboard, printer, pot of tea,
and innumerable pens, crystals, and paperweights. I even liked the sexy nurse
sticker permanently attached to one corner by whoever owned the table before me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a smaller apartment needs a smaller desk.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Mercury is retrograding about five days before we
move, and I know this is not optimum, and that there will probably be a few
mix-ups and crossed wires. We’ve tried to think of everything that could go
wrong, but hey, I know that’s impossible. We’ve hired movers to pack it all up
and to take it across town, and then we’ll do the unpacking ourselves on the
other end. This will be like reconstructing our lives, fitting together the
jigsaw puzzle of objects in spaces, and this seems like a suitable retrograde
activity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Mercury will be retrograde almost all of September, so
a lot of people will find themselves reprising old habits, trying to remember
what used to work and what didn’t so much. Students will be back in school,
wrapping their minds around dusty old study habits, while teachers get out
their well-worked lesson plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
some comfort in old familiar forms, especially after these fearful, isolated
pandemic years. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Besides this, we’re reprising an old aspect, one that was
dominant in 2021 – Saturn’s square to Uranus. This aspect is especially complex
because Saturn, planet of tradition, is in a progressive sign, and Uranus,
planet of change, is in a sign that resists change. So you have turned-around
situations like far-right people attacking cops and the FBI, and left-wing
folks complaining about law-breakers and admiring Liz Cheney. And then of
course there’s the whole bizarre process of trying to prosecute an ex-president
for his crimes, something that feels a little slimy even when you know it’s
completely justified. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There are hopeful ways to look at both these planets.
Saturn’s passage through Aquarius does bring a sense of responsibility for the
collective. The pandemic isolated us as individuals, but it also – again
paradoxically – gave us a stronger sense of connection. We’ve all been part of an
intense global event, and we learned to reach across the planet, talking to people
who lived far away. All sorts of community practices and malpractices have been
shared more widely, and this has led to a greater emphasis on diversity, equality and inclusion. Consciences have been
stirred. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Uranus in Taurus has its own ways of breaking down the
existing social order and moving us towards change. As an earth sign, it’s all
about what’s real, what’s essential to continued life on this planet. Climate
change is now accepted by everyone except those who are most imbedded in conspiracy
cults. Recurring crises have made this clearer. One-third of Pakistan is under
water, with all the sanitary problems this brings, and Jackson, Mississippi is
dealing with the same problem. It’s all one world, and usually it’s the poorest
who fall first. But meanwhile, California is phasing out gas-powered vehicles,
and the price of solar energy is constantly dropping. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">September gives us a chance to redo things, and to get
them right this time. Mercury is retrograding in Libra, a sign that’s all about
balance, equality and justice. This will give us all an opportunity to measure
our practices against our ideals. At the same time, the sun in Virgo is meticulous,
critical, always looking for specific ways to fix whatever is wrong. Around the
fall equinox, the sun and Mercury switch signs, with the sun moving into Libra and
Mercury retrograding back into Virgo. This maintains the same balance of air
and earth, intellect and practicality. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Meanwhile, all month, Mars is in the air sign Gemini, a
fast-moving and verbal sign. This keeps everybody running around in a
distracted way, doing a million things, often all at the same time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m noticing this around here. My wife and I are
constantly thinking of new things that we need to decide, discuss, or do, and this
means frequent but rushed conversations. You can almost see the bullet points. In
the middle of the night, I wake up thinking, “Should I write this down, or will
I remember it in the morning?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So for us, September is all about disassembly and
reassembly. We take apart our lives, piece by piece, and then we put them back
together in a different place. Knowing where we’re moving to, we can visualize
all the elements of our daily existence sliding into their new slots. The tea
pot will live there, the faceted crystal there. The question that comes up for
me, more than any other, is, “Will it fit?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">September is an active month, but also a careful one. It
takes time and attention to shift your life to a different place. But we are
all always moving to different places. If you’re not moving, the river is. And
in this new place, we all ask ourselves what will fit. Where do we put this
ideal, and where do we put that practical consideration? Can they co-exist? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What can we carry from our past to our future?
What do we need to leave behind? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As a community, we answer these questions in different
ways, and we jostle each other, as we insist on our own answers. But in the
end, in the world we’re creating, there has to be room for all of us. We can
leave behind fears, prejudices, assumptions, compulsions, and defenses, as we
feel safe enough. But every human being has to fit. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYcJ0Z-LQ7LjFeQoVoodAlvVAYkekR6ilBTxcZm86Aih1bkLzRX0qijQ80j4A-jn5OD0wTqmawrmFwAuxJbfUFs-Tkx4U-RyDrSazKp67WlAxPeESEUan1DnkCSbHIDQreC8qsOaCQxfb5JLssowQwc64W_YtjLN_z1d172t8PqQEA810d6LdWPRr/s1915/jy%20-%20bridge%20sculpture%20&%20construction%20in%20berlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1915" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYcJ0Z-LQ7LjFeQoVoodAlvVAYkekR6ilBTxcZm86Aih1bkLzRX0qijQ80j4A-jn5OD0wTqmawrmFwAuxJbfUFs-Tkx4U-RyDrSazKp67WlAxPeESEUan1DnkCSbHIDQreC8qsOaCQxfb5JLssowQwc64W_YtjLN_z1d172t8PqQEA810d6LdWPRr/s320/jy%20-%20bridge%20sculpture%20&%20construction%20in%20berlin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-43008903617278306862022-08-01T15:09:00.000-07:002022-08-01T15:09:46.049-07:00A Clean Sweep<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMFI_7jzTPCYCAZlUpj8pmg-vWUcFRsvSDW78gZ7t-c4iTTtcBJde_yjekVbPTeZdby36Hd7F8XVJaDMLm528JTwel1_PKExaT8r0LNpxlsOReL_UQMTQcLFJams3oXmjb_pee16z7_FWCujNMXewi_uWey7-N819fbPd_4AtuIIAv6z0a-RHpPL4/s640/my%20study%20aug%201,%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMFI_7jzTPCYCAZlUpj8pmg-vWUcFRsvSDW78gZ7t-c4iTTtcBJde_yjekVbPTeZdby36Hd7F8XVJaDMLm528JTwel1_PKExaT8r0LNpxlsOReL_UQMTQcLFJams3oXmjb_pee16z7_FWCujNMXewi_uWey7-N819fbPd_4AtuIIAv6z0a-RHpPL4/s320/my%20study%20aug%201,%202022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Lately, I’ve
been going through my stuff, in preparation for moving. My past life is sifting
through my hands, and not only my own life, but the lives of parents and
grandparents and even great-grandparents. I see their pictures, their diaries,
their poetry, and the documents that mark important moments in their lives. Not
only that, but I’ve got fifty years of my own journals. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">It’s a little overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything around me has been overturned, re-positioned,
spread out. And a lot of things have been thrown out. I threw out the workbooks
from the German class I took more than a decade ago, deciding that I’ll never
look at them again. I’m throwing out the Times Change reference books that I
used every time I erected a natal chart, before I bought a computer program to
do it for me, about twenty years ago. I’m tossing all the scrap paper that I’ve
been saving, even though it’s only written on on one side, because I just don’t
use that much paper any more. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">While I’m at
it, I should toss away all negative beliefs about change, and embrace Octavia
Butler’s dictum, “The only lasting truth is Change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is Change.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">August is a
month of change, because Uranus (planet of revolution) is conjunct the north
lunar node, a karmic point. What this means is that we’ve reached some kind of inflection
point. This conjunction happens about every fifteen years, and the last time it
happened in Taurus was in 1855. That was the time when pro- and anti-slavery forces
were battling it out in Kansas, and John Brown was active on the anti-slavery
side. Civil war was brewing. People were reeling from the impact of the
Fugitive Slave Law, and the Supreme Court was definitely not on the side of
justice. There were still bloody wars against indigenous Americans as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In India, anti-British resentment was building,
and would erupt into a massive rebellion in a couple of years. The Crimean War broke
out too, with the Siege of Sevastopol echoing the current war in Ukraine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So there were
tensions in 1855 which echo the tensions that we’re seeing today. Taurus is a
fixed earth sign, and conflict happens because everybody is attached to their
little piece of the earth, and to their religions and prejudices, and to the
patterns and habits that they’ve developed over the years. When there’s
pressure to change, there’s a struggle. It’s not easy; it takes work to look
realistically at what has changed, and what needs to change, and to move on
from there. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Currently in
the US, we’re dealing with some neo-fascist forces. They keep springing up, like
mold spots in a closed-up closet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything
has to be taken out, cleaned off, and given a lot of air and light. Fascism
only thrives in dank, oppressive conditions. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mars is
currently in Taurus, and it’s like an activation switch to that north
node/Uranus conjunction. It sparks change, but because it’s in Taurus, the
change has to be deep and wide, in order to hold its own against the
resistance. But we’ve seen this in history many times. There’s progress,
backlash, and more progress. We don’t step into the future, we stagger there. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This will be
especially evident around August 4 to 10, when Mars squares Saturn, and we can
expect quite a lot of drag. But mostly this month is full of movement. About
halfway through August, Mars enters the zippy air sign Gemini, and so it
escapes the gravitational pull of Saturn. It will be there throughout the
winter. This is going to mean a lot more connecting, talking, thinking, reading,
writing, driving, and zooming. An online existence is perfectly adapted to Mars
in an air sign. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Air signs drift
around, and don’t tend to put down roots. But on August 22, the sun will enter
the earth sign Virgo, and that will help turn us back towards the earth, and to
all the tasks that need to be done when summer ends. For me, my roots are still
dangling in the air, as I whisk through papers, photos, books, and virtually
everything I own. But maybe by then, my wife and I will have a sense of our next
home. Maybe, instead of wiping dust off all these old possessions, I’ll be
sweeping into a new space. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-49687539777819409152022-07-01T13:49:00.002-07:002022-07-02T13:02:44.253-07:00Land of the Free<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C8GaRVAnLrUUZJs_Lqx60JtPUQZc2ci0qZEkI7gWcXFZtnDNK_rH5fkFmGT4CnzespjO7_bolJZyzFEvVg5NHnpIxdrTY5JVPmKPIkRukAWKPNxyeW2YMhKCsY5hkuYNHmio2LcWC-tbewuV2kN79Nz7mXIJXQ-DgZ-7Jviz88q9n4dVlhIP2lMO/s2048/jy%20-%20jardines%20del%20buen%20retiro%20-%20fountain%20detail.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C8GaRVAnLrUUZJs_Lqx60JtPUQZc2ci0qZEkI7gWcXFZtnDNK_rH5fkFmGT4CnzespjO7_bolJZyzFEvVg5NHnpIxdrTY5JVPmKPIkRukAWKPNxyeW2YMhKCsY5hkuYNHmio2LcWC-tbewuV2kN79Nz7mXIJXQ-DgZ-7Jviz88q9n4dVlhIP2lMO/s320/jy%20-%20jardines%20del%20buen%20retiro%20-%20fountain%20detail.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We were on
vacation in Canada, Land of the Free, when we got the news that Roe vs Wade had
been overturned. I’m being facetious about Canada, and my Canadian friends kept
reminding me that it isn’t perfect there. But it would be nice to live in a
country where a small group of religious conservatives are not the ones making the
decisions about the intimate lives of all women. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The day after
we got back to the US, I went to the doctor to get a mole removed. It was
completely voluntary, and yet, as I walked to my car in the parking lot, I
thought about how all medical procedures shock the body. No woman ever had an
abortion because it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. Women have abortions
because they can’t take care of a baby – emotionally, mentally, physically, or
financially. Some women who desperately want children have abortions to save
their own lives. Some women have abortions because they don’t want the child of
a rapist or abuser. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">None of these
things matter to those five people on the Supreme Court, three of whom lied at
their confirmation hearings. And one of whom is married to someone who tried to
overthrow the government. They are fine
with dictating the lives of women, while not doing anything to mitigate the
burden of caring for the nation’s children. Other decisions they made during
the final days of June made it more likely that people (all of whom are former
embryos) will die from gun violence and air pollution.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And of course,
as a Lesbian, all my civil rights are on the chopping block. The only thing we
can be sure of is that, while Clarence Thomas is alive, they won’t repeal
Loving vs. Virginia. But he’s already mentioned revisiting the verdicts that
made gay sex legal, not to mention gay marriage. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Equally
concerning, these are the people who will determine who retains power, if there
are legal challenges to elections in the future. Why do we assume any of them
have any allegiance to modern democratic ideals, given their arcane and often
illogical interpretations of the Constitution? Strict “originalists” are all
about returning to a time when only white landowners had rights. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So what’s going
on astrologically? Why do we have this
rogue Supreme Court, three of them nominated by the most corrupt president in
history? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">These are the
last days of Pluto’s passage through Capricorn, and it’s also the time of the country’s
first Pluto return. A Pluto cycle lasts 248 years, so this isn’t something that
any individual experiences. We do have other hard Pluto transits, and they
usually coincide with a deep transformation of some kind. This Pluto return signals
a radical realignment of the country’s character, while at the same time, since
Capricorn is a conservative sign, it’s also an effort to return us to older
beliefs and judgments. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We’ve seen this
in many ways, as Pluto has moved towards this point. There’s been a certain
fascination with our country’s origins. Even the success of a play like “Hamilton”
could have foreshadowed this trend. Then, more recently, we have Prof. Kendi’s
work, and <i>The 1619 Project</i>, by Nikole Hannah-Jones. More and more,
people are recognizing that we need to tell the truth about the past, to examine
our beginnings in a clear, unvarnished way. Advances in genealogy mean that some folks are suddenly learning that they have a mix of racial heritages.
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">All of this is
about coming to terms with who we have been, as a country. There were some
great ideas at our birth, such as the separation of church and state, but it’s also
true that this country is based on fixed hierarchies having to do with race,
gender and wealth. Slavery was already making people rich when the Articles of
Confederation were signed, and compromises were put in place to keep Southern
states happier. The three-fifths compromise is one of the most cynical ploys
ever enshrined in a legal system. With this kind of toxic beginning, it’s no
wonder that we had to fight a bloody war less than a century later, and that we’re
still trying to hold the children of the Confederacy at bay. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is the
world that the Originalists on the Supreme Court want to return to. They can’t
literally put Black people back in chains, or take the vote away from women, <i>The
Handmaid’s Tale</i> notwithstanding. But
they’re going to try to get as close to it as they can. Meanwhile, other people
are fighting just as hard to define the country in a different way, calling out
the injustices inherent in our beginnings. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So it’s a time
for clarity. When a planet returns to its natal position, it’s a reckoning with
some aspect of its basic character. This is that moment. Those of us who do not
want to live in 1787 need to express our outrage. Luckily, that includes most
of us. The right-wing nutjobs get a lot of press, but most people are actually fairly
comfortable with diverse neighborhoods, gay family members, and a woman’s right
to choose. It’s this Court that’s out of touch. This doesn’t mean that there’s
no racism, homophobia or misogyny, but it does mean that these things are no
longer as respectable as they used to be. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">My prediction
is that things will get very stormy, though, especially after Pluto goes into the
idealistic, revolutionary sign Aquarius next year. It doesn’t really get
settled in Aquarius until 2024, and then it stays there for the next twenty
years, and there will be a lot of radical political action during that time. In
addition, the country will experience its Uranus return in 2027. We were right in
the middle of a Uranus return when the Southern states rebelled against the United
States government in 1861. Do I think something like that could happen again? I
do. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I recently read
Hanya Yanagihara’s novel <i>To Paradise</i>, and the first part of it is an alternate
history, in which there was no reconciliation after the South seceded from the
Union. Rather, the Northern states enshrined more freedoms, while the South
kept to the old toxic ways, living as two separate countries side by side. In
some ways, this imaginative construction felt more real to me than many more
factual historical novels. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Coming back to
the world I actually live in, it’s easy to see that the Southern rebellion was
never really quelled, especially when the US government refused to defend those
newly freed from slavery, after the brief flourishing called Reconstruction. So,
in a sense, we have been two different countries, living next door to each
other and pulling the reins of power back and forth. Sometimes this makes for a
bumpy ride, and sometimes we don’t move at all. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I recently read
that the Texas Republican Party’s platform includes a referendum on seceding,
so Texas may be a bellwether. So, yes, it’s possible that this Pluto return
spells the beginning of the end of the United States, at least within its
present borders. So you might as well go out there and set off some fireworks
while you can! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Anyway, we won’t
get any more bad news from the Supreme Court right away, since it’s out of
session. And we saw Ketanji Jackson Brown sworn in, so there’s something to
cheer about. She may be wishing she had stayed on a lower court where she could
have more power! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The new moon on
June 28 gives us a sense of what the next lunar cycle will be like, and with
the sun and moon in Cancer, it looks like a pretty emotional time. Women are
grieving, and telling their stories about crossroads in their lives, times when
bodily autonomy meant everything to them. With Mars in the fiery sign Aries, squaring
Pluto, there’s also a lot of anger, with women raging against this disempowerment.
And the sun and moon square Jupiter, the planet which represents the legal
system, so there may be a flurry of legislative
and community efforts to repair the damage. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The full moon lets
us know what is primed to grow during this lunar cycle, and here we have a
conjunction between the moon and Pluto. So this will be a time when our
awareness of our own power crystallizes. The moon represents women, and Pluto is
all about deeper power. The Underground is a creature of Plutonian energies. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is a
survival issue, and we women see this clearly.
It’s intimately tied into the basic identity of this country. Are we
actually working to become the Land of the Free, a place where all people have choices
about our life paths? A place where our
social contract enhances our possibilities more than it limits us? We’re at a crossroads. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPiMFpCLnUQPWgMi18_uDv0kRBIdwvG8D7reVqqE7F-yqy6yNX3krkqj1D1Tj1RGUTwrRE5zHywY8pnRyjTaI7v6JhIND54TmNonZxDML3bvU1HYDtWoiP0WG4lA7kqqLP_ojDIiVzP-_D06KOdy2tupm9beqkt96jqpJ34-_aT3VjiFFIntaGkZX/s3264/jy%20-%20chemin%20des%20pecheurs,%20monaco.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="3264" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPiMFpCLnUQPWgMi18_uDv0kRBIdwvG8D7reVqqE7F-yqy6yNX3krkqj1D1Tj1RGUTwrRE5zHywY8pnRyjTaI7v6JhIND54TmNonZxDML3bvU1HYDtWoiP0WG4lA7kqqLP_ojDIiVzP-_D06KOdy2tupm9beqkt96jqpJ34-_aT3VjiFFIntaGkZX/s320/jy%20-%20chemin%20des%20pecheurs,%20monaco.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p></div><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-52708027427019368132022-06-01T14:47:00.001-07:002022-06-01T14:47:16.796-07:00Change and Resistance <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehLbNtky-BCj6akmp0uacU9-JGaSJclNHgJhkN8NQB4fZhvHPvPf-x-l0jPE3ruRM18rCEz_qvvXEWTjsm77_wa3c1uMmnlO6c5TSvFYL5ERmNZhqtQo5KAg3ehhawSMiWo_JQnZt65FZO9qivrIn9DDGUGMAaLrlQmYFIX8KOZWIQzAAf6pzWT9_/s2048/jy%20-%20louvre%20and%20pyramid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehLbNtky-BCj6akmp0uacU9-JGaSJclNHgJhkN8NQB4fZhvHPvPf-x-l0jPE3ruRM18rCEz_qvvXEWTjsm77_wa3c1uMmnlO6c5TSvFYL5ERmNZhqtQo5KAg3ehhawSMiWo_JQnZt65FZO9qivrIn9DDGUGMAaLrlQmYFIX8KOZWIQzAAf6pzWT9_/s320/jy%20-%20louvre%20and%20pyramid.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">People are
angry. I’m angry too. After the latest school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, there’s
an uproar, mostly directed towards the weapons of war that a Texas teenage boy
can freely buy online. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so wrong,
and most people know it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">But will anything
change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mars is in Aries
now, just separating from Jupiter, and this gives a stronger urge for action.
It’s fiery, passionate, heroic, and yes, angry. So people are speaking up,
displaying their frustrations over those always-handy guns. And of course, the
gun-lovers have their usual answers ready. Not long after the murders, the NRA
had a convention in which they spoke again about arming teachers and staff at
schools. We all know that this is not a real solution – since it’s never yet
worked – but only a deflection to avoid accountability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Will all the
anger lead to a change? One problem is that Mars in Aries is not really a team
player. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aries by itself takes a Lone Ranger
approach, and that’s precisely the problem right now. Nobody is going to breeze
into town, scold everybody for their guns, and shame them into tossing them
into a big garbage pit. It sounds great, but it’s not going to happen. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mars and
Jupiter in Aries push for change, fiercely and passionately, and impatience and
aggravation do feel like appropriate responses at a time like this. But there’s
also a strong Taurus influence this month, and Taurus, as the fixed earth sign,
is quite change-resistant. It’s always easier to let things go on as they are,
even if terrible things happen to other people every once in a while. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Added to this, there’s
very little aspect activity during the first ten days of June. The planets are
not forming relationships with each other, and so there isn’t much purposeful
activity. And this keeps everybody locked in their default position. Why are
things like this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because they’ve always
been like this. So you’ve got a bunch of folks ranting about change, and a
bunch of other folks acting like turtles with their heads tucked inside their
shells. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The sun is in Gemini,
which generally means a lot of talk, so people are passing along information, opinions,
and rumors. But as June begins, Mercury, the planet of communication, is
stationary, hanging out in one spot, getting ready to go direct. On June 3, it does,
but it’s still moving very slowly. Adding to this sluggishness, Mercury is
close to the square to Saturn when it changes direction, and this can mean blocks
and delays that get in the way of communication, connection and mobility. This
doesn’t start clearing up till the month is about one-third gone. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">There is a small
shockwave around June 11, when Venus and Uranus are conjunct. Uranus, planet of
change, is not too comfortable in the fixed earth sign Taurus, and as we’ve
seen, static situations can increase pressure. When there is resistance, change
can be more explosive, and so we may see some fireworks then. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">At that time, Venus
and Uranus are also close to the asteroid Pallas. I’ve noticed many times that
Pallas is important in the charts of lesbians. It represents brave,
forward-moving women who fight for their rights. So, whatever happens, there
will be a contingent of activist women involved. This could be about the
Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on Roe vs. Wade, although that’s unlikely to
be decided as early as mid-June. But it could be a fierce collective push in
some other justice-related area. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And gun control
is a justice area. Rich white men have lots of ways to protect themselves from disenchanted,
rejected, and freaked-out young men, the ones who have no idea what to do with
themselves, the ones who’ve heard that wielding a gun turns you into a big shot.
But when things break apart, it’s the least protected who suffer most, and that
includes women, children, gay and queer people, and people of color. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mars spends the
month moving through volatile Aries, but without making any aspects to other
planets until June 27, when it makes a sextile to Saturn to Aquarius. Suddenly,
all that anger is applied to the problem. All the Lone Rangers realize that they
can do more if they get together with others in the community. And so organizations
form, plans are made, and strategies developed. Can this carry us to a fairer,
more peaceful society?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just a beginning,
but it is a beginning. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">It would be
nice if we could just bask in the status quo, especially now that the trees are
green, the grass is growing, and the air is warm. Planets in Taurus always urge
you to just lay back and relax, and enjoy the beauty. But that Mars in Aries keeps fuming, and this
anger won’t dissipate. It will stay with us, one way or the other, until we see
clear, definite movement towards justice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzdLctKdxxOu9BPu4Gpq1FTOYzZ8De0YQX2GCacU63sBY04TUcUpMNEy5oUNUMBZJkMSAgTP1M5RMZZhctqGTH7xDcb0m8aHY_noeG8qff14kl9ajsdQnE5TgH5aMkrqK8f-XDZvYpyVudaIVhqlOxeVYDviLaamHoudwCOyEPkhhAQSDlsFWbzjA/s1904/jy%20-%20louvre%20at%20night%20from%20inside%20pyramid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1904" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzdLctKdxxOu9BPu4Gpq1FTOYzZ8De0YQX2GCacU63sBY04TUcUpMNEy5oUNUMBZJkMSAgTP1M5RMZZhctqGTH7xDcb0m8aHY_noeG8qff14kl9ajsdQnE5TgH5aMkrqK8f-XDZvYpyVudaIVhqlOxeVYDviLaamHoudwCOyEPkhhAQSDlsFWbzjA/s320/jy%20-%20louvre%20at%20night%20from%20inside%20pyramid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-67882245192210078352022-04-29T14:23:00.000-07:002022-04-29T14:23:13.131-07:00Calm Skies and Brewing Storms<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbfRmBPE3y3JFYkduKCbI16OI86tTPmrv6BTUTJCbEe3USI6daztv43jbkAgoreKUUTX5sasVMkd6idau49zkwZ34uG-_YaVbjUgCIRiFf6lx87irRpcuX9vgnQw4dDnM4e97nLq36WVurMIhaOgmsL4Nvj3ijfrwUydEeKt4x3TlCZ-o2zvCxvRe/s2272/jes%20ryn%20-%20zebra%20grass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="2272" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbfRmBPE3y3JFYkduKCbI16OI86tTPmrv6BTUTJCbEe3USI6daztv43jbkAgoreKUUTX5sasVMkd6idau49zkwZ34uG-_YaVbjUgCIRiFf6lx87irRpcuX9vgnQw4dDnM4e97nLq36WVurMIhaOgmsL4Nvj3ijfrwUydEeKt4x3TlCZ-o2zvCxvRe/s320/jes%20ryn%20-%20zebra%20grass.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I hope the
neighbors are happy. We finally got the grass cut. I would’ve been quite happy
to just let our lawn become a meadow, and I think the rabbits would’ve liked
that better too. This is suburbia, though, and we would have gotten cited by
somebody or other. But as I look out my window, I miss all that
graceful tall grass, sprinkled with bright little wildflowers, and I wonder
about the price of my obedience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Our lawn
inertia was just one area in which we were stalled. A lot of things are on hold
right now, as Mercury slows down, ready to go retrograde on May 10. I’m getting
my basic work done, but all larger projects seem paralyzed, even the ones that
are closest to my heart, like the novel I’m writing. Spring itself seems
reluctant to take over from winter. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">With Mercury retrograde
through the rest of the month, forward movement will be unlikely. But moving
backwards isn’t bad, since it will give us all a chance to pick up some of the
balls we’ve dropped. Mercury will be in the frisky air sign Gemini until May 22,
when it moves back into solid, earthy Taurus. It basically trades places with
the sun, which will be in Taurus until May 20, and then in Gemini. The Gemini influence
adds to the chatter going on around us – the information, and sometimes
misinformation, that everyone is picking up. But the Taurus influences this
month keep things mostly steady for the time being. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Every new moon
is the beginning of a new chapter, and May’s chapter starts with the new moon
in Taurus on April 30. This gives this lunar cycle a stable, unwavering Taurus quality.
However, there are a couple of indications of underlying changes. At this new
moon, there’s an eclipse, which signals an important shift in perceptions. And
the moon and sun are also conjunct Uranus, the planet of change. What’s going
on with these things? It seems like something is peeking out through the long grass. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The lunar nodes
have to do with karma, and at every eclipse, they meet up with the sun and moon,
one way or another. In an individual’s birth chart, the nodes signal the work
that you signed on to do in your lifetime. The current positions of the nodes
show the work that we are all doing, here and now, as a global collective. The children
being born now will take up this work more intentionally, but it’s still here for
all of us to do at this time. It’s about turning away from the excesses of the
past and finding balance. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Currently, the
north node is in Taurus, and so it asks us to pause and sink our feet deep into
the earth. It’s about living simply and sustainably, grounding ourselves in the
moment, and appreciating all the gifts that Gaia gives us. This is our work of
the moment, and Mercury retrograde is perfect for this. In Gemini, it starts
out with a lot of fast talk and restless gestures, but then it’s like a gear
running down, slowly losing momentum and becoming still. As Mercury retrogrades
into Taurus, we speak more slowly and deliberately. We tell the truth, recognizing
what’s really happening in the world around us. These words have been said
before; they are not new. But they have to be said over and over, until they
are heard. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So this is a
good time to stand on the earth, listen to her, and take in what she feels. We know
that we – all of us together - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>need to
live in a more balanced, sustainable way. We know that the economy needs to be
entirely different, and that both extreme wealth and poverty are toxic for this
planet. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">What about that
Uranus conjunction to the new moon?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
noticed that the fixed signs, the ones that are most firmly planted in their
world-view, are also the most explosive ones. The more flexible signs know that,
if you know how to bend, you don’t break. But for the fixed signs, there’s so
much resistance to change that it comes as a thunderclap. Change is inevitable,
a natural process, and if things are calcified, change involves some breakage.
So this is the other side of this gentle, calm Taurus energy. We need to
simplify and ground ourselves, and figure out ways to live sustainably, yes. But
if we human beings can’t do this, it will take an explosion of some kind to bring
us to balance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So Uranus’
position - near the sun, the moon, and the north node - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is by nature of a warning. Nothing could be gentler
and easier than loving the earth upon which we live. But to enact this love, we
have to embrace some dramatic redistribution of resources, including power. We
have to learn how to live without exploiting her, or each other. If we don’t voluntarily
change, then change will be foisted upon us. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The other
important thing that’s happening in May is that Jupiter is going into Aries. Jupiter
takes about a year to go through a sign, so this is like the astrologer’s new
year. It’s a new beginning, especially in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. Jupiter
is the planet of community growth, and it tells us something about where the
community’s energy will take us all. As always, there’s a bright side to Aries –
heroic, passionate, spontaneous, courageous – and a shadow side – competitive, militaristic,
willful, uncooperative. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And so this
doesn’t look like a particularly tranquil year. Jupiter in Aries favors the revolutionary,
the iconoclast, and the inventor, as well as militants of various stripes. At
its heart, Aries is about the search for the true self, and so you’ll see more people
chopping through the weeds and making their own paths, eschewing the usual
social bribes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all this sedate
Taurus energy and with Mercury retrograde, we might not see the fiery quality
of Jupiter in Aries right now, in May. But we have a year for it to assert
itself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And so, the
coming year looks hot, literally and figuratively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hot people often do wild, crazy things. When
people are highly uncomfortable, they act on impulse, and there are more
accidents, more wars, and more revolts. The earth also responds in cataclysmic
ways to high concentrations of heat, and she may spend some time sweeping those
pesky humans off her surface. This is all the more reason to pay attention to
the message of the north node, which will stay in Taurus all the time that
Jupiter is in Aries. It’s like a voice telling us to stop, take a few deep
breaths, and quite literally cool out, before it’s too late. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41lVYGVe0hHMs5-to_pzwi-ISi2tdM9O-YCL5Vhi6lV3tjPHmVPJO1yVPHNEZSNdPnzJq1qpchL5UsP7E5NZyCAKA-hpqN4H1AGs8VLNF5dg7qfa0FOemSul4uOZjei4mFtinRyVXdH7mkh5p0V2JGVNU0I0dlM0LAGKaPn-mJBdPqDGuclYyzDQn/s2048/jy%20-%20balcony%20in%20la%20boca,%20buenos%20aires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41lVYGVe0hHMs5-to_pzwi-ISi2tdM9O-YCL5Vhi6lV3tjPHmVPJO1yVPHNEZSNdPnzJq1qpchL5UsP7E5NZyCAKA-hpqN4H1AGs8VLNF5dg7qfa0FOemSul4uOZjei4mFtinRyVXdH7mkh5p0V2JGVNU0I0dlM0LAGKaPn-mJBdPqDGuclYyzDQn/s320/jy%20-%20balcony%20in%20la%20boca,%20buenos%20aires.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-39043014731124295702022-04-06T14:51:00.003-07:002022-04-06T14:51:41.906-07:00The Trickster<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-gOV_mXYA_4EWkh_FFSk75Im_1QswVYBM0Sm5Zzt8-gDoAByDDsoVF1kju5brFM4W-HJynEI2jd1b0oZdoixr5GN0qT_jD8ADGvUM8IJf04EzLtVeTFyE725VQSYgcC81tEorrPW7t2CFnEpt-6NkhQTrddX_mza70qvlO7sI0a1fxfCxhn8jgow/s2048/jy%20-%20carousel%20seal,%20bremen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-gOV_mXYA_4EWkh_FFSk75Im_1QswVYBM0Sm5Zzt8-gDoAByDDsoVF1kju5brFM4W-HJynEI2jd1b0oZdoixr5GN0qT_jD8ADGvUM8IJf04EzLtVeTFyE725VQSYgcC81tEorrPW7t2CFnEpt-6NkhQTrddX_mza70qvlO7sI0a1fxfCxhn8jgow/s320/jy%20-%20carousel%20seal,%20bremen.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I always
celebrate April 1<sup>st</sup> by writing a letter full of lies and sending it
to the people I know best – in other words, those who won’t immediately call
the guys with the butterfly nets to come take me away. I write about tsunamis
in the mountains, blessings from the pope, runaway Supreme Court justices, floating
taxis, alien visitations, talking squirrels, and that sort of thing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually start out in the realm of the
probable and get more and more outlandish, hoping to lull my hapless readers into
swallowing the whole thing. It used to work, but now I very rarely fool
anybody, probably because these letters show up on the same date every year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I like to
impersonate the Trickster during that one day in the year. As a mythological
figure, the Trickster is the one who reminds us that there are always sneaky
ways around the rules and regulations that bind us. He/she is a rebel, a
shape-shifter. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Astrologically,
April is uneven, a Trickster month. There are a few stretches of relative
inactivity, but these are suddenly punctuated by high-octane days in which a
lot happens all at once. All the planets are direct until the end of the month,
when Pluto retrogrades, so everything is moving forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are not much invested in reviewing the
past, but rather pushing towards their goals and ambitions, and in the process,
coping with new conditions. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Jupiter, moving
quickly this month, has an expansive effect in many people’s lives, so that everyone
is busier, as well as more excited and expressive. Whatever people are into,
they’re more into it now, and wherever they’ve put their energy, they’re seeing
results, adding extra enthusiasm. As plans come into fruition, it’s heady. Jupiter
goes through the otherworldly, imaginative sign Pisces, keeping those creative
juices flowing. At the same time, there are people who getting carried away, losing
contact with the ground altogether. Jupiter in Pisces is magical, it’s heady,
but it’s also shaky, changeable, confusing and unreliable. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Trickster
is not always a benign figure, as we see by looking at Neptune, the Trickster
planet, the planet of imagination, hypnosis, addiction and illusion. Neptune rules
all trance states, some of them blissful (like falling in love, or feeling a
religious calling), and some awful (like drinking oneself to death, or being
taken in by a conman). Neptune takes you away from the ordinary, into a realm
which has no borders. This could be pure emotion, or an absolute belief, or a
powerful dream, or a delusion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">On April 12, expansive
Jupiter and imaginative Neptune will meet up. This conjunction happens about
every twelve years, and the last time was in 2009, in the sign Aquarius. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was the year that Barack Obama was sworn
in as president, causing lots of people to swear that racism was over. (It wasn’t.)
2009 was also the year the bitcoin was established, an economic sleight of hand
if there ever was one. There was also a pandemic in 2009, called the swine flu,
although people argued a lot about the name, and never really decided what to
call it. It wasn’t as deadly as our current pandemic, but there were major
outbreaks, especially in Asia. Here in the US, it helped that the government
took swift action, with no particular political opposition to vaccines or any
other preventative measures. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The current Jupiter/Neptune
conjunction in Pisces brings a lot more oddball conspiracy theories than we saw
the last time, as well as the strange resistance to public health measures. That’s
largely because of Trump, the trickster figure who came along halfway between
the conjunctions. A liar and a thief, he tried his best to corrupt every person
and institution he touched, and often succeeded. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We live in a
time in which many people are afraid, and this makes them especially vulnerable
to trickster characters like him. Our habitat is degrading quickly, but people
want to ignore all this, to pretend it doesn’t exist, to stay hypnotized. Trump
had the meaningless but hypnotic patter, the ability to misdirect the public
attention. His vigorous insults to the press meant that his followers had no
clear source of commonly held truths. This echoes the way abusive partners cut
off their victim’s access to the outer world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Jupiter/Neptune
opposition which produced the trickster Trump was the low point, and the new
Jupiter/Neptune conjunction both ends the cycle which began in 2009, and begins
a new one. Every Jupiter/Neptune conjunction contains the seeds of a new
spiritual vision, and we saw this when Barack Obama was elected. Some people
were afraid, but many others were joyful and inspired. His election didn’t put
an end to racism – and in fact, the backlash has been considerable – but it
made it more transparent. Racism itself involves a certain sleigh-of-hand. It
originated as a successful ruse to convince some people to participate in the
abuse of others, and, as the trick is revealed, the fog clears away. The trickster
Trump may have obscured this truth, but only temporarily. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The pandemic,
so terrible in so many ways, now seems to be ending. This is another ending and
beginning, a reset. Structures that faded away during the pandemic don’t come
back unless people want them to, and there are some things about the old world
that no longer appeal to the citizens of the new world. Cutthroat capitalism no
longer seems quite as inevitable as it did back then. It was always a trick. It
was never the only way, but a lot of folks were fooled into believing it was. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So how do we make
the best use of this Jupiter/Neptune conjunction? At its core, Neptune is holistic
consciousness, pure spiritual awareness, and Jupiter can amplify and spread
that. When we feel the unity of all people and all things, it’s very hard for malevolent
tricksters to find a foothold. They can only climb using the cracks in our psyches,
the places where we feel disconnected and powerless. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Imagine a
different kind of world. Imagine that we all could live together in peace,
helping each other freely, finding ways to rescue our habitat from the
degradations of the past, acknowledging each other’s beauty, creativity and
tenderness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that John Lennon/Yoko
Ono song, <i>Imagine</i>? It was first published during a Jupiter/Neptune conjunction.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many other songs like that, still
coming from the hearts of the people. There’s an endless flow of them. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We can’t close
our eyes and wish another world into immediate existence, but we can put our dreams
and visions into the work of our hands and our minds, and bring them forth. This
is a good time to take the first steps, towards what feels true. <o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvPSIA5OtyNCAxmICFvJKiT2sscuTo_kkzVNVoNZ4kozxbo5cWkiOsKCsdMhqOLBdOjiOEyuvtFZ-mSCFjPE6hcq29SDSrFymzzWOnyaojTj9q3mgTOJZDPQfaKrOzHW5hoidzJvF6gBdCEDPD-CJw_XlO-7Hr7K0idEW6qUalhFtjJPBARftO-_B/s3264/jy%20-%20chemin%20des%20pecheurs,%20monaco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="3264" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvPSIA5OtyNCAxmICFvJKiT2sscuTo_kkzVNVoNZ4kozxbo5cWkiOsKCsdMhqOLBdOjiOEyuvtFZ-mSCFjPE6hcq29SDSrFymzzWOnyaojTj9q3mgTOJZDPQfaKrOzHW5hoidzJvF6gBdCEDPD-CJw_XlO-7Hr7K0idEW6qUalhFtjJPBARftO-_B/s320/jy%20-%20chemin%20des%20pecheurs,%20monaco.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-36227383983631296602022-03-01T15:57:00.003-08:002022-03-01T15:57:40.963-08:00Notes on Ukraine<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2IJr9tFl6nkKiDJ2aRNYwJptTM4KS75MQtbFnU7-zoDQbA74Rvcv5i3ugWxsFLEACD9dUZv8oHcDMDs99KjbJ5tlitYjxSG22ep33IYQ8wJaawNNaT90o4DVMo-vs5NoDbOKQ1tyihuhu0aTwObsT1BYMM4gQSHx528ePCdI5HcKLryGpVkOryT8H=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="3264" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2IJr9tFl6nkKiDJ2aRNYwJptTM4KS75MQtbFnU7-zoDQbA74Rvcv5i3ugWxsFLEACD9dUZv8oHcDMDs99KjbJ5tlitYjxSG22ep33IYQ8wJaawNNaT90o4DVMo-vs5NoDbOKQ1tyihuhu0aTwObsT1BYMM4gQSHx528ePCdI5HcKLryGpVkOryT8H=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At first, it was just rumors of war, and then it was
war. On February 24, in the early morning hours, Russia invaded Ukraine. With Venus
and Mars – the planets of pleasure and desire - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>traveling together these days, you would think
everyone would be too busy making love to make war. But no. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And really, it doesn’t matter what most people are in
the mood to do. The soldiers, the ones who are trained to follow orders and
then sent out to die, have no say at all. You could say that it’s Vladimir
Putin who is invading Ukraine, using the bodies and resources of his citizens
to attempt some kind of strong-man glory. For him, pleasure and desire come
through tweaking the geopolitical currents of the world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It's a little shocking. Dictatorship seems outdated, a
barbarian concept. And yet, there are plenty of individuals in this world with power
over millions. When one of these folks has a bad hair day, somebody else can
lose their livelihood, or their life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Looking at Putin’s chart right now, my guess is that
he is having romantic problems, although of course we’ll never know. But, with
Uranus going through his 7<sup>th</sup> house and opposing his Venus in Scorpio,
the transition from one girlfriend to another is probably rockier than usual. What
better way to prove virility than to invade a neighboring country? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Countries have charts too, calculated from the moment
they take on a separate legal identity, and Ukraine’s chart derives from the
time it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Ukraine has Capricorn
rising, and Pluto is currently at the same degree in Capricorn, stressing Ukraine’s
sense of an independent self. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If Ukraine were a person, I would say that she is
sometimes lonely, and she has to work hard to keep other people from
overpowering her. Saturn is in her 1<sup>st</sup> house, close to the ascendant,
making inconjunct aspects to a whole raft of planets in bright, demanding,
bossy Leo, in the 7<sup>th</sup> house (of relationships). It seems to me that
Ukraine’s whole lifetime has been spent pivoting, trying to figure out with whom
to associate. Who will treat her right? Europe? NATO? Who will try to steal her
resources and then treat her badly? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, there are some major differences between country
charts and individual charts. People can be colonized, and they can be treated
badly by others, but nobody can get inside your skin and change your physical dimensions.
But for countries, this happens all the time. For us humans, our skins are our
boundaries. But for countries, all boundaries are artificial, a line in the
sand drawn in response to the political forces of the moment, maintained by
others who are okay with it. The earth has no real barriers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At the same time, the people of a country form a web
of emotion and intention, and this is what we see in a country chart. The human
desire to stick together is a mighty force, and it can be powerful enough to
maintain a country through hostile attacks, even through occupation. We’ve seen
this over and over in the world. Ukraine looks unexpectedly vigorous, thanks in
part to its own president, and it’s making good use of the international court
of opinion. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How will things develop during the coming month? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>March is pretty intense, and a lot of inner
planets are conjuncting outer planets, especially during the first half of the
month. This is because all the planets are so bunched up at this time, and they
can’t help tripping over each other. So what we are seeing are meetings,
connections that aren’t usually made, transfers of energy that are fiercer and
more dramatic than usual. You may see these tangles and complications in your
own life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On March 2, Mercury conjuncts Saturn in Aquarius, focusing
our attention on our responsibilities and commitments. This happens very close
to the moon in Ukraine’s chart, and it looks like a call for help. It’s also
close to Velensky’s midheaven, at the top of his chart, so it’s a moment of
reckoning for him, and it could be a tough one. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Then on March 3, Venus and Mars are both conjunct Pluto,
planet of power, and this happens right at Ukraine’s ascendant. Whatever
happens at this point, it will happen on the world stage, and it looks operatic.
Symbolically, Venus and Mars are the Lovers, and Pluto is the Demon Lover, the
Stranger, the Hand of Fate who forces them apart in so many myths and stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s strange how close the name Pluto is to Putin, and
naturally this leads me down a runaway path! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pluto is the planet that deals with the
underworld, the deep unconscious, hidden sources of power and transformation.
It’s also connected to nuclear power, which is somewhat worrisome. And Putin is
playing that role these days, with his secrecy, his naked power grab, and his
nuclear arsenal. Of course, he’s not an actual devil, but he’s putting his face
on that archetype for a lot of people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A more fortunate aspect happens on March 5, as the sun
and Jupiter come together in Pisces, trining Pluto in Ukraine’s chart. This can
give a deep, underlying strength. On March 6, Venus and Mars are exactly
conjunct in Aquarius, right on Saturn in Ukraine’s chart, and this looks to me
like diplomacy. It may mean concessions, though, including things that Ukraine
does not want to give. So it’s not necessarily a time for celebration. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">After this, the next conjunction is that between the
sun and Neptune, on March 13. And this seems like some kind of surrender, especially
since it makes tricky aspects to the planets in Ukraine’s relationship house. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, I may be interpreting this too
pessimistically. When I look at the same aspects from Russia’s point of view, however,
the only challenging one is the sun/Jupiter conjunction, which opposes Russia’s
Jupiter. So it’s clear that this is a very expensive war for Putin, probably
more than he expected. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For all of us, March is intense. There are moments of
ecstasy, some sharp desires and pleasures, but there are also fears and worries.
And during the second half of March, things are not exactly placid, since Venus
and Mars will square Uranus. So do watch your step this month. Sometimes boundaries
aren’t as firm, or as clear, as you want them to be. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As far as the US goes, several astrologers have
mentioned that this country is having a Pluto return. Pluto’s cycle takes 240
years, so no human lasts long enough for it to return to its original spot in the
birthchart. But trees do last that long, and sponges do, and so do countries,
given stability. The US has survived with its main threats coming from within,
even though we’ve been aggressive towards other nations. Crab-like, we pinch
and then retreat. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But at our Pluto return, a deeper transformation is
happening. Will we be drawn into a European war? Although I dread this idea, I
can’t say it won’t happen. However, my hope is that this Pluto return will move
us towards a deeper understanding of ourselves, our history and our potential. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We can look at the most conservative elements in the US,
and see what these folks are most alarmed about, and these things are sure
signposts towards the future. Right now, the right wing is anxious about the way
American history is taught, and so there we have the secrets that we need to
uncover, mainly the essence of our power as a nation. As we understand our
past, especially the role of Black workers in constructing the wealth of this
country, we can move ahead, no longer muffled by denial and delusion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently in the US of A, we have a bunch of white
male plutocrats running things. We need to learn how to use our actual human
potential – women, children, scientists, artists, skilled workers, indigenous
people, Black people, and people from every wave of immigrants. The pandemic
has made it necessary to reframe a lot of things, and it’s pinpointed what is
essential and what isn’t. The oncoming climate crisis is doing the same, more
slowly but even more inexorably. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As we bump along through March, all eyes are on
Ukraine. The situation there is a testing ground for us as humans. As a world, are
we mostly propelled by violence, or can we shape our lives through
communication and mutual support? Are we civilized yet? Will we get there in
time? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF96KmduDTCfX8Y6PaJPmPSlKDbICt7LD7Abgh3Bf7Iefj_aFewEojepFCj6I5VEOEujjgY3yPFJKWx1FBVXzoOk9jop5W1mrx0qEC_ewJ1AXfDHeaYUkBxLKeuQVAqEqm9SSA45vc6ANHu7OOuGm8EF_yvs6lkgZVFS9kcEvLFd8Np788L2b9mkqH=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF96KmduDTCfX8Y6PaJPmPSlKDbICt7LD7Abgh3Bf7Iefj_aFewEojepFCj6I5VEOEujjgY3yPFJKWx1FBVXzoOk9jop5W1mrx0qEC_ewJ1AXfDHeaYUkBxLKeuQVAqEqm9SSA45vc6ANHu7OOuGm8EF_yvs6lkgZVFS9kcEvLFd8Np788L2b9mkqH=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-7292849171720589482022-02-01T10:29:00.001-08:002022-02-01T12:57:21.075-08:00Mid-Winter Pause<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimIxOTnYJY85onB5h_uJoim4x1NoMCddNH9w16BwaNM8blYdIZhcjhLnzGXq7DXxYrLHZBv3qfZfbWXp_QWxFheTLCQlJnbB_MIQCq7Z-X1tDvW-e-iYB07fbQK54kx-QY4AUXxwCCUpMqwW4liIKDdwPjaqRkZU2YbkMtjEZwervWJmjsyZfeLL_L=s1577" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1449" data-original-width="1577" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimIxOTnYJY85onB5h_uJoim4x1NoMCddNH9w16BwaNM8blYdIZhcjhLnzGXq7DXxYrLHZBv3qfZfbWXp_QWxFheTLCQlJnbB_MIQCq7Z-X1tDvW-e-iYB07fbQK54kx-QY4AUXxwCCUpMqwW4liIKDdwPjaqRkZU2YbkMtjEZwervWJmjsyZfeLL_L=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We’re in the middle of winter. This time of year
always brings a sense of waiting. Outside my window, the world is monotone,
with snow edging the grey-green of old grass. The trees are bare and stark, and
in the sunlight, they cast long dark shadows across the yard. The pale blue of
the sky looks like the delicate tinting on an old photograph. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are all waiting for winter to end. Even more, we
are waiting for the pandemic to end. There were those days in summer, when it
looked like we were heading back to normal life. And then Omicron showed up,
and suddenly, lots of people we knew were getting sick. Yes, it was less
lethal, but it was still painful and scary for those who caught it. So my wife
and I are hunkered down again, waiting it out. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">People adapt to conditions, even while waiting for
them to change, and that’s what we all continue to do. We all make small
adjustments in our lives, trying to make ourselves more comfortable in
restrictive conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In January, Venus and Mercury were both retrograde, emphasizing
the past. Venus turned direct a few days before January ended, and Mercury will
be direct quite soon, on Thursday, February 3, at 11:12 pm EST. But in February,
they continue to move slowly, as they go back over territory they’ve already
covered. This is called the shadow period after a retrograde, when all the old
aspects are reprised. It’s like a singer relying on past hits, not quite daring
to sing anything new. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After Mercury turns direct, there are no retrograde
planets any more in February, and this is quite rare, since usually there are a
few outer planets that are retrograding. What it means is that all the planets are
on the same side of the earth as the sun. You can see Jupiter in the western
sky these days, setting about two hours after the sun. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you’re up early, you can see Mars rise
about two hours before the sun. But you won’t see a planet in the middle of the
night these days, even if you have a telescope. They’re all traveling on the
sunny side of the earth, aligning themselves with the daylight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With all the planets mashed together on one side of
the planet, nobody feels particularly in balance. Even though we’re all
physically separated from each other, there’s this sense that we’re in a crowd,
because so many of us are sharing the same anxieties, fears, hopes and dreams. We’re
all looking for solutions, and then passing them along to each other. The scientists
are busy, as are plenty of non-scientists who’ve decided that they have the
answers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The battle between science and faith is one of the themes
of February, and that’s because the main zodiacal influences this month are Aquarius
and Pisces. Aquarius, an air sign, tends to be reasonable, objective and
scientific, while Pisces, a water sign, depends more on intuitive knowledge and
emotional intelligence. Aquarius is a fixed sign, giving a tendency to stand
quite firmly on that base of knowledge and defend it, while Pisces is a mutable
sign, so intuitions can fluctuate randomly, rippling together and apart. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This battle between factual truth and inner truth is
not just about Covid. February is Black History month, and there have been a
lot of struggles lately around how much history white people can handle. (In
Virginia, the new governor has decided the answer is, “Not much.”) However, one
lesson that history itself teaches us is that history can never be truly
repressed. The truth always fights to emerge, in one form or another. If it’s
not recognized in schoolbooks, it lives even more vividly as myth. But
currently, with Saturn in the sign of knowledge, Aquarius, there’s an emphasis
on what we know we know. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The 1619 Project, spearheaded by Nikole Hannah-Jones,
has been going on for many years, but with the publication of the book in 2021,
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more and more people are exposed to this
pivotal information. More and more, white people are admitting what Black
people have known all along, that this country’s success was built on the labor
and skills of enslaved people. This knowledge wars with the hero tale of the
American Revolution, and this is very hard for some folks to accept. But
historical events rarely have just one cause, just as human beings are
complicated mixes of motive and desire. The sooner we stop deifying historical
figures, the better. Maybe then we can also accept ourselves as ordinary and
flawed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are waiting for the situation to change, but we’re
also adapting to less than optimal conditions. All of us can learn from those
who have become masters of adaptation. Of course, nature does this very well, responding
to scarce sunlight by wrapping things up for months at a time. And adapting
doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. Whether change takes a few months, or four
hundred years, it never happens all at once. It’s only that we see the outer
manifestations as surprising, and sometimes that’s because we haven’t been
paying attention. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Today is the new moon in Aquarius, and this brings up questions
about what kind of world we want to see. What are we waiting for? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do we want to learn from our past, from
the communities that exist around us, from nature’s deep knowledge? What do we
know instinctively, and what makes sense to our rational minds?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we find the right balance between science
and faith? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of us knows everything,
and in a better world, we don’t have to pretend we do. Learning is its own
point of balance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKIGUgFpxfGm06VsIe6uEWAvQnsCmqOllXgs6rRO5qMdhsNIUxfeomLfj1Ic3cPfoW3YDJM_2FIYi0cHeCvm_e5sXRyyN74klW_Jbq21c5-vvzIBXTvSbjvh_lciCvDtujTMqgLe5oMLQHW3o_F_fyA06bzOS8iHXgsWCKRZ9YwLsRntFJFbeIjv9u=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKIGUgFpxfGm06VsIe6uEWAvQnsCmqOllXgs6rRO5qMdhsNIUxfeomLfj1Ic3cPfoW3YDJM_2FIYi0cHeCvm_e5sXRyyN74klW_Jbq21c5-vvzIBXTvSbjvh_lciCvDtujTMqgLe5oMLQHW3o_F_fyA06bzOS8iHXgsWCKRZ9YwLsRntFJFbeIjv9u=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-88428494399969435902021-12-31T14:59:00.001-08:002021-12-31T14:59:40.573-08:00Cults<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6xEta6FWokVbCIUCyBfgoGeLVKQMfHK8XzEvjy8PZWCQ4oSN3JdUwEmtw3TdelBMG5Wv8N3nBkA9i5hs6wkwae8NFo8tIHBkqEZeoexPVk6qEHJ-hRSF_AIQ8QRj2Kvew7avl3QxnpTN6Cuk1OPTv5QMTCMTSoHiYzYU_oD9hxJcD0Zx4bWBUbXnW=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6xEta6FWokVbCIUCyBfgoGeLVKQMfHK8XzEvjy8PZWCQ4oSN3JdUwEmtw3TdelBMG5Wv8N3nBkA9i5hs6wkwae8NFo8tIHBkqEZeoexPVk6qEHJ-hRSF_AIQ8QRj2Kvew7avl3QxnpTN6Cuk1OPTv5QMTCMTSoHiYzYU_oD9hxJcD0Zx4bWBUbXnW=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s the last day of the year 2021, and I’m looking
out the window on a grey, rainy day. My wife and I have been celebrating the
holidays here with our usual eclectic traditions, accompanied by her brother,
our nephew, and a good friend. We’ve feasted, we’ve laughed and made really bad
puns, we’ve hung out and talked to each other, we’ve argued about the end of
the world, and we’ve sung a wide assortment of Venezuelan and Unitedstatesian Christmas
carols, harmonizing along with loved ones in different cities, as they peer out
of little zoom windows. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We had theatre tickets, but the play was cancelled due
to Covid. I feel hermetically sealed, but my brother-in-law regularly dons his
mask and braves the outside world, buying brackets and bulbs and all sorts of
useful little doowatchits. Whenever he visits us, he fixes things, and this
year it seems to be mostly about adding more light to our world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very welcome. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">January is a practical month, a good month for
repairing, structuring, formalizing, organizing. I know that that covers a
great many of our New Year’s resolutions! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are four planets in Capricorn when the
month begins, and four again when it ends, so we can all access the pragmatic, systematic,
self-controlled energy of this sign. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can
I say that this would be a good month to Build Back Better? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sense is that the bill will be taken apart,
and some parts of it will be passed. It’s not the optimum, but we take what we
can. All these Capricorn planets indicate slow but durable progress, and I’ll
go with that. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In 2021, much of the conflict came from the radical
right, as they struggled to recapture and solidify an outmoded power structure.
Of course, this will still be going on in 2022, since power is never given up
easily. But I believe that there will be a loss of foot-soldiers on the
conservative side. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People battling a
deadly virus, or watching their loved ones fall, don’t really have a lot of
time for rallies. And the right wing is weakened by Trump’s continuous whining and
obsessions, and his in-fighting with other conservatives. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At the same time, people need community, and the Trump
cult has given them that, strange as it seems to those of us who find community
in other ways. Cults exist because people want a sense of belonging. This isn’t
going to go away anytime soon, not in our current robotically capitalist
system. As long as we treat people like dispensable cogs in a wheel, they will
find ways to rebel, and they’ll look for comrades. The choice of enemy at that
point is almost random. Racism has a long tradition in the US, so it’s the
time-tested way to designate scapegoats. It makes people feel secure when they
hate the same people their parents and grandparents hated. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so Trump hung his hat on the White Man peg,
as so many others have done before him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But as the demographic changes in the US, and as new
ideas germinate, this stance seems not just cruel but calcified. Saturn now in Aquarius
encourages people to wake up and think, rather than reacting automatically. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in 2022, there are fewer indications of
struggle than in 2021. This doesn’t mean everything will be peaceful,
especially since the Saturn/Uranus square will be strong again in the fall. But
some battle-weariness could fall over everyone, especially those on the right
who are trying so hard to go backwards. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">One thing that’s changed in 2022 is that Jupiter has
entered a new sign, Pisces, although it will only be here through the first half
of May. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, Jupiter is much gentler and
more aware in Pisces. It’s a sign of imagination, fantasy, compassion, and emotional
sensitivity. In January, these Piscean tendencies are not as noticeable, with
the more realistic Capricorn influence predominating. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll notice it most in March, when the sun
and Mercury join Jupiter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Pisces is a very spiritual sign, so I expect that more
people will be meditating, praying, looking for signs and portents, and going
in for bouts of religious fervor. There’s a strong overlap between religion and
the capacity for fantasy, so it may be that new gods and goddesses will be created.
Probably some of them will be ordinary human beings. One of the dangers of Jupiter
in Pisces is that the public are more easily manipulated, because of the longing
to believe, to trust, and to belong. Some folks could make use of these natural
human longings, raising them to a fever pitch. We will all need to share and
spread a kinder understanding of cosmic unity, involving mutual care and
acceptance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The best thing about Jupiter in Pisces is that there’s
a great deal of creative energy here. Jupiter here enlarges our capacity to
dream, to send our thoughts out into a realm in which all things are possible.
When we return from this place, we can bring home wonderful images, feelings,
and inspirations. Yes, there will probably be more outlandish conspiracy
theories. But there will also be openings, new ways of perceiving our fellow
human beings as well as the other creatures on this planet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can be what unites us, what brings us
together, on a very deep level. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this
level, there is peace.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1q4YP58wP9wAcpddp7e_Pb3JywwsOiBY8_jnS3_qCJacfzbbRkn6l9HwZkLqp_8W94bWjOKJAdoKPcBWTbs3pgGbxIwBnzhg4soxK5KK6ifya0gSBJc6g3WmKqx_v10b080Om35NzugoruLg0QOaPKgzgvz8nT_KwfykdrGAWgkoiU93o28HAH3u5=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="3264" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1q4YP58wP9wAcpddp7e_Pb3JywwsOiBY8_jnS3_qCJacfzbbRkn6l9HwZkLqp_8W94bWjOKJAdoKPcBWTbs3pgGbxIwBnzhg4soxK5KK6ifya0gSBJc6g3WmKqx_v10b080Om35NzugoruLg0QOaPKgzgvz8nT_KwfykdrGAWgkoiU93o28HAH3u5=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-39962667306033002492021-12-06T13:52:00.002-08:002021-12-06T14:12:59.552-08:00Venus and Pluto<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_B1mKp-2Izex4YpFGIg4hfGxLNDOsiATC8pGhWliL-fLXXE936pfeYgZF515Hg0u3drPRGk5-wnB3WeTkPerAqWSO2x3ucH1jKARkNpNA7izHmiGkmQVtIT-PSGOU-kDmmeUnkhSyRzDTKNl-TZZtB-ZsWGn0n2iuwE1o9SEaO6xY9Gbc3qAL6Q2l=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_B1mKp-2Izex4YpFGIg4hfGxLNDOsiATC8pGhWliL-fLXXE936pfeYgZF515Hg0u3drPRGk5-wnB3WeTkPerAqWSO2x3ucH1jKARkNpNA7izHmiGkmQVtIT-PSGOU-kDmmeUnkhSyRzDTKNl-TZZtB-ZsWGn0n2iuwE1o9SEaO6xY9Gbc3qAL6Q2l=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Last night, my
wife and I went to get our booster shots. When we went into the community
college building where the shots were given, Venus was bright in the western sky.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet I knew she had an invisible
companion, Pluto. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Inside the
building, it was clean, plain and orderly. It was staffed mostly by young women,
and we were directed efficiently towards a table and poked with syringes. Then
we had to wait fifteen minutes on folding chairs, to make sure there were no
side effects, and then we were out in the parking lot again. Venus had set by
this time. We congratulated each other on having done it, and drove home past
houses decorated with lights. People are celebrating Christmas, Hannukah, and the
solstice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Venus is the evening
star these days, a brilliant beacon every night after sunset. She lingers
because she’s about to turn retrograde - on December 19, at 5:35 am EST. She’ll
be in apparent backwards motion until late in January. Venus’ retrograde motion
tends to freeze new romantic possibilities, and sometimes take us back to old
lovers, old pleasures, and old stories. We have to recover some forgotten happiness.
And through almost all of December, Venus will be closely conjunct Pluto,
planet of power and transformation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Venus is the
planet of love, beauty, and pleasure, and her role is to brighten people’s
lives. She gives us the respite of laughter. In this world of surprising
beauty, she’s generous with all her gifts, and everywhere we turn, we find
people longing for love. In natal charts, her work is to keep you happy, to
help you find sources of joy and fulfillment, so that you can deal more easily with
the more demanding parts of your life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Archetypically,
Venus is the Maiden, the sprightly young woman who dances through her days,
flower-bedecked and free. Yes, it’s true, Venus is on the femme side! And of
course, young men can express themselves through this archetype as well, if
they’re more into being lovers than fighters. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Venus is still part of your chart when you
grow old, so there are always ways to enjoy life, to revel in the light and
color around us, to giggle uncontrollably, to flirt, to fall in love. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">But yes, it’s
young women who mainly carry the Venus archetype. Those young women giving the
booster shots were pretty focused, and that makes sense, since Venus is
currently in the practical earth sign Capricorn. Young women are taking
themselves seriously these days, thinking about their futures, taking on
weighty roles in the community. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And even though
Venus is the planet of pleasure, being a young woman is often very tricky in
our society. They are constantly rated according to social standards of beauty,
and all but a few find themselves lacking. They are considered the epitome of
innocence, and yet continually sexualized. This is the time of life when women
learn what they can’t do:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>walk alone at
night, walk alone in any deserted place even in the day, trust strange men,
leave a drink unattended, smile too little or too much. Suddenly, they face
dangers that they never faced before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Pluto’s
archetype is the Stranger, the part of everyone that’s kept hidden, repressed,
denied. You can imagine Pluto in a deep hooded cloak, coming out of the shadows
and taking Venus’ hand. Just in writing this, I shiver, and reach for a shawl
to drape around my shoulders. Is this a side effect of the booster?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I think it’s a side effect of the things
I’ve been reading lately about the Supreme Court, the testimony given, the
questions and comments from the justices, and the threat of women losing
abortion rights. I know this won’t be decided till the spring, but we remember why
these justices were put forward in the first place. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And so young
women will have to give up one more major life choice. If they are brave or independent
or foolish enough to walk in the dark, if they get attacked, they’ll now have
one less option in handling a pregnancy that might result. If they are careless
and exuberant, and follow an impulse to make love with someone, they’ll now have
to live with the results of that for the rest of their lives. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Pluto is
currently close to the end of its sign, Capricorn, and in many ways, we’ve seen
the world become more conservative, more authoritarian, and more racist and
sexist. It’s true that we had our first Black president, but the backlash to
that was immediate and severe. The right wing worked on its ability to block
progress, to promote lies and conspiracies, and (mostly) to maintain all
economic power in a small group. At this point, thanks to gerrymandering and
the Electoral College, we have minority rule in this country, and the current Supreme
Court is the most obvious example of that. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Pluto leaves
Capricorn for good early in 2024, and enters Aquarius, and that’s when I see
this trend changing, and a more egalitarian and progressive society coming into
being. It will take a big collective push to move things in that direction, and
we’ll be dealing with global warming (and a deluge of climate refugees) at that
point. But I’m hopeful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I don’t
think the next two years, with Pluto still in Capricorn, will be wasted either.
The pandemic dismantled and simplified some systems, and they may be replaced
by something that works better and makes more sense. I’m already seeing that
happen in some places. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">In December, we
also see the third and last pass of the Saturn/Uranus square, an aspect which
has brought a lot of outrage and rebellion into the public discourse, all
through 2021.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly, reason has prevailed,
and more people have been vaccinated than not. But there’s been constant
pushback, much of which has seemed irrational. Weird conspiracy theories have
proliferated, and these may become even more evident when Jupiter enters the mystical
sign Pisces at the end of December. People are going to believe what they want
to believe. And everybody else wants to laugh at them, which is why the media
is always spotlighting the latest crackpot theory. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">While all that
is going on, we need to look in the shadows, and see what Pluto is doing to Venus.
The goddess of love and beauty has enough stumbling blocks in this world,
without the Stranger coming after her. And yet, haven’t we seen this scenario
before, in ancient mythology?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who was
left to cry when Persephone was abducted? Maybe this time, Demeter’s tears will
be longer than just a winter, but will disrupt the crops for decades to come. They
could even signal the end of human life. Maybe this time, when young women lose
their power, we all need to rise up and shout. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK01Jzt0HhmIWSkM7bvQwirPHBrDs112_xjwjwlLBznmRr2Zf1uliK7liV8CiWYmohNHXMbih-SBpJ-DD_bmtk_-rm596iDrFcoA9Yw1Va6jd2EEQ8PD5vh0zNQ_DoqwLwpT7Vgrn71KoD57_3RhHrvwYvdUuQwK4NHAC6PgMQxS-cw_IkUAtAaE8R=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK01Jzt0HhmIWSkM7bvQwirPHBrDs112_xjwjwlLBznmRr2Zf1uliK7liV8CiWYmohNHXMbih-SBpJ-DD_bmtk_-rm596iDrFcoA9Yw1Va6jd2EEQ8PD5vh0zNQ_DoqwLwpT7Vgrn71KoD57_3RhHrvwYvdUuQwK4NHAC6PgMQxS-cw_IkUAtAaE8R=s320" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-84251642080231613622021-11-02T14:54:00.001-07:002021-11-02T14:54:51.144-07:00Here, Now, Gone<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgSttBqUYpk/YYGzNtuk96I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/O5fGHgUStLIo39m3qHMDyrCsfNjCpRdUACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/jy%2B-%2Bautumn%2Bleaves%2Bin%2Balgonquin%2Bpark%252C%2Bcanada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgSttBqUYpk/YYGzNtuk96I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/O5fGHgUStLIo39m3qHMDyrCsfNjCpRdUACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bautumn%2Bleaves%2Bin%2Balgonquin%2Bpark%252C%2Bcanada.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m writing
this on All Soul’s Day, the day when we all connect with our beloved dead. For
me, at this time in my life, there are many. I’ve lost three dear people since
last All Soul’s Day, two of them from Covid. I think of them often, with love,
sorrow, and respect. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">It’s the
strangest thing when someone dies, because it’s as though a light is suddenly
turned off in a room. The room was once filled with light and energy, a place
where you sat and chatted with that person, where you ate and drank and made
jokes. And then suddenly the light goes out. They still exist in the spirit, in
our imagination, in our memories, and, on some level, it doesn’t feel like they’re
really gone. But the room is dark. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">November is the
month when people are most aware of the veil between the living and the dead,
and we look for shadows in empty rooms. Nature itself keeps this constant awareness
of mortality in front of our eyes, as the trees around us move through a range
of sunset colors and then drop their leaves. Everything seems more intense, because
we’re aware that it’s all finite. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Scorpio is traditionally
the sign of death, as well as of transformation, and one of its symbols is the
phoenix which rises from the ashes. Its opposite in the zodiac, Taurus, is a
sign of stability, practicality, construction, and comfort. With the sun, Mercury
and Mars all going through Scorpio this month, and Uranus moving through Taurus,
there is a lot of tension between change and stasis, especially at the new and
full moons. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">There’s always
a tension between these poles, but it’s heightened these days. Uranus is the planet
of change, but fixed, earthy Taurus is the sign most resistant to change. And
so we are all passing through a time in which change is demanded of us – by the
earth, no less – and in which there is an enormous resistance to it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">As I write
this, the big climate change conference in Glasgow is ending, with most heads
of state vowing to work harder to cut back on the rate of climate change, and
to maintain a survivable habitat for us humans. Will they be able to maintain
that stance when they’re surrounded by all the usual political yammering? Will
the faceless millions fade back into obscurity? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The status quo
has enormous weight, solidity, and resistance, and it can feel impossible to
fight it. And there are good reasons for that, since, after all, everything happens
in the here and now. The present moment is the locus for feeling, for action,
for belief, for meaning. Every moment has the feel of immortality, since all
the moments of the past have contributed to creating it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And yes, it’s true
that the present moment is the only thing that’s real, and that everything
around us – every person, every object, every trick of the light – has ownership
of this moment. The gift of each moment is its essential truth and beauty, as
mystics and sages remind us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And yet there
is nothing more permeable than the status quo. Things are always happening
suddenly. By the time we become aware of our awareness, it’s shifted. Circuits break,
lightning strikes, a heart stops beating. The status quo is ruler of all it
surveys one minute, and the next minute, its kingdoms have dissolved into dust.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We’re lucky
when the changes happen slowly enough to prepare for them. But those are also the
changes that can be ignored, to our peril. Would people be talking seriously
about climate change now if wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and droughts hadn’t
been disrupting our lives so frequently? Perhaps these shocking events act as a
guidance system, inexorably steering us towards necessary action? And of
course, I’m not just talking about recycling, I’m talking about wholesale
changes in our economic system. I’m talking about assigning value to what’s
good for humans as a whole, rather than what stimulates the game called
finance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">With the
upcoming new moon, on November 4, this Taurus/Scorpio tension will be especially
noticeable, as the sun and moon are exactly opposed to Uranus. A new moon is
generally a good time to set intentions for the next month, but it may be hard
to make plans during such an unpredictable period. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And at the Taurus/Scorpio full moon with its
eclipse, on November 19, these two signs will be even more evenly ranged
against each other, each demanding loyalty to its particular way of looking at
the world. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">However, there’s
enormous power in both these signs, Taurus and Scorpio. Taurus has the power of
the status quo, and that means everything that has been built and has endured. It
has the power of habit, of pragmatism, of tribal allegiances, and of a sturdy connection
to the earth. It has the power of roots going deep into the ground. And Scorpio
has power too, coming from the relentless transformative energy of life.
Because it isn’t firmly grounded, it can move with whatever force comes its
way. And because it’s the sign of death, it’s also the sign of immortality. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So this new
moon could be a time to seize your power, to find great underlying strength –
either in your rootedness, or your ability to transform, or your willingness to
shift from one to the other. We are all moving on to the next thing. There’s no
stopping this process. We can be rooted in our essential selves, and at the
same time, willing to change. And when we don’t know how or when the changes
will come, we can be open to the mystery. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GfWt4-pPmNU/YYGzdvcqOsI/AAAAAAAAAqY/pIk8xjDQQyYlOtp-vIBSLRj0MWNaCnNPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Btree%2Bat%2Bjacobs%2Buniversity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GfWt4-pPmNU/YYGzdvcqOsI/AAAAAAAAAqY/pIk8xjDQQyYlOtp-vIBSLRj0MWNaCnNPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Btree%2Bat%2Bjacobs%2Buniversity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-2109044054688600832021-10-01T15:15:00.000-07:002021-10-01T15:15:02.772-07:00Fresh Air <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxwufyntr_c/YVeHEl19fpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/FV8W7PNAdjwMFk2AE5iURvR_OxBSSAagACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bchemin%2Bdes%2Bpecheurs%252C%2Bmonaco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxwufyntr_c/YVeHEl19fpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/FV8W7PNAdjwMFk2AE5iURvR_OxBSSAagACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bchemin%2Bdes%2Bpecheurs%252C%2Bmonaco.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Today, the first day of October, is one of those
perfect days. Lately we’ve been bouncing between heat and AC, but sometimes we
just get to open the windows and feel the breeze. As this intoxicating fresh
air pours into the room where I’m working, it wakes me up and fills my head
with ideas. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Air is the medium in which things move most freely and
quickly. In astrology, the air signs are connected to our mental functioning. I’ve
always believed that thoughts are as real as bits of pollen, and that they fly
through the air, looking for like thoughts and building new inspirations as
they go. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And this is a very airy month, so there are tons of
ideas floating around, waiting to be captured, ready to expand into amazing possibilities.
Mercury spends the whole month in the air sign Libra, first going backwards and
then (after October 18) forwards again. She touches other planets along her
path, and since Libra is a very social sign, it’s almost as if she’s paying
visits to old friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Mercury meets the moon when she’s new, on October 6. The new moon is always a good time to set
intentions, and it’s as if Mercury is there to make sure that nothing is left
out of these lists. Retrograde Mercury harkens back to the past, and so she reminds
the moon of the things that have been overlooked, forgotten, unfinished. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Then Mercury continues on her backwards path, connecting
with Mars and the sun. For a few days, around October 9, the three are together
like long-lost friends. They represent mind, body, and ego, all aligned in Libra,
the sign of harmony. Mars’ job is to
turn all of Mercury’s ideas into definite action, and the sun is about vision
and inspiration. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This trio is like a neon sign flashing the Libran
message, and the basic Libran message is to treat others as you would like to be
treated by them. This doesn’t just show up in every religious text, but is the basis
of every law and every civil agreement. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Libra is a sign of harmony, but also a sign of justice
and accountability, and as we know, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">accountability doesn’t make everyone feel peaceful. Especially
in the US at this time, there are some bitter divisions between people, and it’s
pretty rare that everybody gets in a circle and sings Kumbaya. Sometimes it
seems like it only happens at times of disaster.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And yet, as human beings, we have no choice but to
examine our actions and try to create a more civil and enlightened world. Everything we cherish,
from an ordinary floor lamp to the Constitution, came about because somebody was
working on a better way. And so a
retrograde Mercury in Libra is one of the best times to work for social
justice, as well as to find the path to balance and fairness in our own lives. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aquarius is the other prominent air sign of October,
with both Jupiter and Saturn placed here.
Both of them start out the month retrograde, and then turn direct.
(Saturn does this on October 10, and Jupiter on October 18, the same day as Mercury.)
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aquarius is a fixed air sign, so it takes that free,
airy energy and works on creating definite organizational systems from it. While
Libra focuses mostly on the relationship between self and other, Aquarius is
all about our relationship with the greater community. What are we building
together? What truths will hold the
weight of our future? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aquarius is also a sign that’s oriented towards scientific
understanding. With Saturn in this sign until March of 2023, we have a chance
to look realistically at such issues as climate change, drug addiction, and economic
inequality. Aquarius is inventive, inquisitive, oriented towards learning and
teaching. So this is an excellent time to listen to innovative thinkers, to test
theories, and to see what works. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aquarius is all about challenging old belief systems, the
ones that keep us burdened or afraid. There’s no shortage of these. Texas is trying
to take us all back to a time when women wore crinolines, and bounty hunters stalked
people for money. The ad campaign to de-legitimize democracy is going strong,
with hucksters and criminals briskly funneling money into their own pockets.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has completely lost the respect it had when Ginsburg
graced its bench. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We all know that we have to treat each other better,
and treat the earth better, to survive. And we really do know that there needs
to be a complete overhaul of our civic and economic systems. Aquarius is the sign
best equipped to draw the diagrams for the future. And Libra is the sign best
equipped to meet people in the moment, and say, “I’m listening.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In the ways we think, and the ways we listen to the thoughts
of others, we create our future. Our thoughts, whether we think or speak or
write them, meet each other in the air, and form larger designs. The bigger our ideas, the more we understand
other people, the more abundant are the possibilities. Yes, we have a lot to
learn and many problems to solve, but first, take a breath. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esXI3qe640g/YVeGWRdabHI/AAAAAAAAApw/YakLy1b-1Es_verFXl5oSOaibAIqpC7KwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2B%25C3%25A1vila%2Bbasilica%2Bde%2Bsan%2Bvicente%2B%25232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esXI3qe640g/YVeGWRdabHI/AAAAAAAAApw/YakLy1b-1Es_verFXl5oSOaibAIqpC7KwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2B%25C3%25A1vila%2Bbasilica%2Bde%2Bsan%2Bvicente%2B%25232.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-20609942793338529642021-09-01T14:50:00.005-07:002021-09-01T15:01:34.833-07:00Weather Systems<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGlI40TbtEU/YS_01-1LjbI/AAAAAAAAAo8/18xKVTSMFJ4iwON05PzVZ1_aJUjszlXoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/jy%2B-%2Bflooded%2Byard%252C%2Bsept%2B2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGlI40TbtEU/YS_01-1LjbI/AAAAAAAAAo8/18xKVTSMFJ4iwON05PzVZ1_aJUjszlXoACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bflooded%2Byard%252C%2Bsept%2B2021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have no Ida where all this water is coming from. Ok,
had to get that out of my system. Anyway, here in the DC area, we are dealing
with lots of flooding, although we are nowhere near as bad off as New Orleans
and other parts of Louisiana. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These are just the remnants of Ida, a sideways swipe
from a massive storm. It woke us up at 3 am with ferocious thunder and streaks
of lightning. Lying in bed, I thought about the layers and layers of swirling
energy above us. On the average day, we never notice it. But air and water are always
flowing up there, intermingling as they respond to the fire of the sun and the
contours of the earth, and sometimes they just can’t be contained. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This morning, I looked out the kitchen window to what
used to be my yard, and saw a lake lapping calmly around the house, broken up
by the little concentric circles of raindrops. Through the day, the yard has
drained, only to be refilled with more rain. Our neighbor, the handyman, is helping
us, getting ready to pump water out of our crawl space. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will take a few days. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are lucky and safe in our little island house, but
others in our area have suffered more. Thousands have lost power. And I see pictures
of rescue workers in inflatable boats, helping people trapped in basement-level
apartments. These are people who woke up to water rising around their beds. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is a soggy beginning for this new month, a month
that traditionally brings a sense of new beginnings, as many kids go back to
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But September is very tentative
this year. Parents are anxious about sending their children off, worrying that they
will be attacked by something no-one can see, a deadly virus. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can you protect yourself or your loved
ones against an invisible assailant? Meanwhile, there’s this background
drumbeat of folks complaining about masks and vaccinations, fighting them
instead of the disease. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Astrologically speaking, this September is not really a
forward-looking time. This month, all the outer planets are retrograde, and at
the end of the month, Mercury joins them. Retrograde planets signal times of
pausing and rechecking, fixing and mending, adjusting and reorganizing, taking
stock of the situation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In September, it
will be all about figuring out where we are. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When we look ahead, we see only a little ways, but
when we look behind, we can see for miles. Of course, it’s not always easy to
look clearly at our history, especially as a country, and much of it has barely been written about. But perhaps in the struggles of the past, we can
find some of the answers to our present-day polarization. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe we can tease out the various threads and
unsnarl this bitter knot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m by no means opposed to general skepticism of
government intentions, but I’m on the side of those who wear masks and get
vaccinations. From here, the anti-vaxxers seem aligned to some weird conspiracies,
to Trump, and to the waving of Confederate and Nazi flags. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after the Trump years, I have a tendency
to bunch all these folks together as the worst kind of white people – that is,
those deeply and emotionally wedded to their arbitrary hierarchies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But is it that simple? Should I be clumping these
folks together? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is the real problem this
“us vs. them” mentality?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so easy to
label big groups in derogatory ways, but if I don’t resist this tendency, how
can I ask anyone else to do so?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the
other hand, what about accountability? When it comes to trying to figure out my
political opposites, I’ve got a good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel on
the other, and my problem is that I’m not sure which is which. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At least, I have some inkling about why I’m so
confused. Neptune is the planet of confusion, and as September begins, Mars is
opposing it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m not the only one
going around in circles this week. Mars is the planet of anger, retribution, violence,
and righteous indignation, so it gives me a strong desire to place the blame
somewhere. One angel is telling me that the anti-vaxxers, and even more the
anti-maskers, are criminal, for putting so many other people in danger. The
other angel is telling me that a judgmental attitude won’t solve any problems,
least of all social ones. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And yes, this is also a month with a strong Libra influence.
As it begins, Mercury and Venus are in Libra, and when it ends, the sun, Mercury
and Mars are in this idealistic air sign. Libra is always about weighing
things, trying to find an ethical balance between two unlike things. And it
gives a tendency to bounce back and forth, like a tennis ball bounding over a
net. You think of something, and then you consider the opposite. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hope is that eventually an argument comes
to rest in a place that’s fair to both sides. (But what if it doesn’t?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if each dispute just changes form into
another dispute?) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This month, all the inner planets are bunched on one
side of the earth, and all the outer planets on the other. The inner planets
come out in the daytime, while the outer planets come out at night. The inner
planets represent our ordinary day-to-day lives: our words, our feelings, our
habits. The outer planets represent forces that are beyond our control, and
often beyond our consciousness: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
larger circles of history, the ancient looming gods in our psyches, the drive towards
the future, the inevitability of evolution. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But all through the month, the inner planets make
aspects to the outer planets, working to connect. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to go beyond our narrow confines, our houses
wrapped up in weather systems we don’t understand, our angry groups maligning
each other, our sense of separation from whatever is coming our way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But all we can do is keep moving towards it, whatever
it is. Like the weather, we are all changing together, reacting against each
other, breaking out into storms and subsiding into peace. At least we can hope
that, in the land where we’re bound, there will be some peace. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JD0AtML14H4/YS_1jNmmb3I/AAAAAAAAApM/vXJOBMIpX-IDU40rlBOFsGMZ1RBk3BpMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bpiazza%2Bpopolo%2Bflora%2B%25233.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JD0AtML14H4/YS_1jNmmb3I/AAAAAAAAApM/vXJOBMIpX-IDU40rlBOFsGMZ1RBk3BpMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bpiazza%2Bpopolo%2Bflora%2B%25233.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-90282326937702187762021-08-02T15:29:00.002-07:002021-08-02T15:29:57.957-07:00Pride and Change<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CpdoJzAEumI/YQhwrsU0QBI/AAAAAAAAAok/XmgHfPRLldk7T4DqFQAzVe3WoQNigCpgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bstatue%2Bof%2Bfrance%2Bon%2Bespace%2Bjacques%2Bcotta%252C%2Bnice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CpdoJzAEumI/YQhwrsU0QBI/AAAAAAAAAok/XmgHfPRLldk7T4DqFQAzVe3WoQNigCpgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bstatue%2Bof%2Bfrance%2Bon%2Bespace%2Bjacques%2Bcotta%252C%2Bnice.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is a peculiar summer, since we’re all half-in,
half-out. For a while there, we were almost out in the world. People got vaccinated,
the virus receded, folks emerged from their shells, and it was looking good.
And then people resisted vaccination, a more contagious variant of the virus
appeared, and since the non-vaxxers are also non-maskers, they’ve been stricken
in large numbers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We feel for these folks, since we know circles of
suffering tend to radiate outward. At the same time, there’s some anger at the
unnecessary sacrifice of lives, and the temptation to point blame somewhere. Right-wing
politicians who’ve promoted increasing suspicion? Or years of blithe corruption
by the ruling class? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It does make me wonder about the human instinct for
self-preservation. But I think humans are always providing proof that other
things matter more to us than our own lives. One of those things is pride, and
this is especially strong now, with the sun and Mercury in Leo. Pride is the
belief in one’s own personal specialness. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Pride is goading the gods. Ha! Throw your thunderbolt
my way, I side-step! No, I won’t wear a mask. Because I want everyone to see my
glorious face, that’s why. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Pride convinces people to go to war, which means
standing in one place with other people shooting at you – which seems kind of
crazy on the face of it. Pride has convinced humans for years that we’re just
the best darned species that nature ever created, in spite of evidence to the
contrary. National pride is all about jumping up and down and waving flags, not
trying to improve conditions in the place you live. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But pride takes a beating in August, with the sun and Mercury
in Leo opposing first Saturn and then Jupiter, both in Aquarius. Aquarius represents
the community, while Saturn is the reality principle and Jupiter has to do with
excesses and over-confidence. So the “special me” comes strutting up, and finds
itself bumping up against a larger reality. Yes, there are a whole bunch of
people walking around, infected with a virus which could kill you. It’s
invisible, it’s airborne (Aquarius is an air sign), it’s part of your
community, and it could reduce you to one of those faceless, ventilator-huffing
bodies in a bed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As the statistics circulate, those who aren’t too caught
up in the magic of their own personal wonderfulness are looking around, going “Wait,
what?” and starting to take more precautions. It’s irritating, after all this
time in limited spaces, but sometimes limits keep you alive. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, just being cautious isn’t enough, since the
sun/Mercury in Leo are also contending with the wild rebel planet, Uranus, early
this month. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uranus is the planet of
sudden change, and, in the earth sign Taurus, it can appear as the avalanche, or
the whirlwind, or the flood, or the forest fire. And although these can seem
like purely random events – natural disasters - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we know by now that human beings have our
thumbs on the scale, when it comes to most weather events. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The new moon, on August 8, is dominated by these
squares between Leo and Taurus, setting the tone for the next lunar cycle. And
so there will be lots of lessons for us, involving our place in the natural
world. Climate change and the virus bring up questions around our resources,
our webs of support, and our ability to adapt. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">All the signs I’ve mentioned are fixed signs, and
adaptation is not easy. It means leaving behind deeply-rooted beliefs, as well
as cherished images of who we are. Sometimes it seems like we humans want our
time on earth to be brief and flashy, six million years of neon hubris and then
a grand exit like a Cecil B. DeMille movie. Who were we?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah, those humans - a glorious but unsustainable experiment. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Luckily, this month, there’s a strong Virgo presence
in the sky, especially in mid-month. An earth sign, Virgo represents the
workers of this world, the ones who actually do all the things that other
people take credit for. Virgo emphasizes healthy living and sensible
solutions. It’s a mutable sign, meaning that it’s responsive to the
environment, able to change according to material requirements. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And this month, three Virgo planets make trines
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- harmonious aspects - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to rowdy Uranus, giving this planet some more
positive outlets. Uranus can be symbolized by the jolt of electricity, but it’s
also the flash of creativity. And these earthy trines to Uranus give practical creativity,
so there will be a lot of useful problem-solving this month. Some of this will
come from scientists in cold labs, and some of it from gardeners, craftspeople,
and backyard tinkerers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Uranus in Taurus is like a ferocious hairy mammoth, and
at the beginning of the month, it’s ready to devour everyone. But by the end of
the month, those Virgo planets, using patience and careful observation, have it
tamed. It may still jump on you, and leave you sprawling in the grass, but it
won’t finish you off. People in general will be more willing to work together
towards rational and mutually beneficial ends. And when it comes to tricky weather
patterns, things may be gentler after mid-month.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There’s still some tension between Virgo and Aquarius though,
as August goes on. This isn’t an easy combo, and different people in your life
can represent either the Virgo or the Aquarius viewpoint. Virgo wants to fix
things right now, while Aquarius is more idealistic, and wants systems that
will move us all into a better future. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Virgo can’t stop dissecting every little thing to get
at the flaws, and then putting it back together in a better way. Aquarius can
be wildly inventive, way ahead of the times, and completely okay with shocking
more conventional people. They can differ on how to do things in the moment
(and this is always more important to Virgo) as well as what the ultimate
meaning is (and this is always most important to Aquarius). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Together, they can be a formidable duo, and so
integrating these energies is a worthwhile goal for August. And if you can find
both Virgo and Aquarius traits within yourself, you can be both an
indefatigable worker and a brilliant theorist. You can face the realities of
the moment, while at the same time, daring to build a very different future. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUK69DrGSNo/YQhw6Z38oBI/AAAAAAAAAoo/8Eaif4NsSAk574C54GsycbwSnYYfGwCrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bquilt%2Bsquare%2Bfor%2Balicia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUK69DrGSNo/YQhw6Z38oBI/AAAAAAAAAoo/8Eaif4NsSAk574C54GsycbwSnYYfGwCrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bquilt%2Bsquare%2Bfor%2Balicia.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-42640292650335088302021-07-01T18:21:00.000-07:002021-07-01T18:21:01.409-07:00Happy Fourth! <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KiHmHf1Jk3M/YN5p2XHtKBI/AAAAAAAAAoI/IHPSDesT8GwQXz2vDtvkfXUOznp9bTidACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bwinged%2Bwoman%2Bon%2Bmonte%2Bcarlo%2Bcasino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KiHmHf1Jk3M/YN5p2XHtKBI/AAAAAAAAAoI/IHPSDesT8GwQXz2vDtvkfXUOznp9bTidACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bwinged%2Bwoman%2Bon%2Bmonte%2Bcarlo%2Bcasino.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I have such a good reason to celebrate July 4 this
year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, my wife and I are
planning to go to a nice little out-of-the-way place where we can watch some
fireworks and toast the Constitution, that slippery document full of idealistic
notions and weary compromises. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m not the most patriotic person in the world, having
spent about half my life living overseas. But I’ve been living in this country
now for nine years. And once I moved here, one of the first things I did was
get married (legally, this time) to the woman who has been by my side for the
last 35 years. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So thank you to the Supremes - my fallen hero, Ruth
Bader Ginsberg, plus Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Anthony
Kennedy – who voted for my right to marry. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for believing that I have a right to
the pursuit of happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, after
all this time, my wife is also a citizen of the US. She was always an American,
but now she’s a Unitedstatesian. (I am hoping this word will catch on, so
please promote it for me.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There are a lot of things that are starting to happen,
now that Mercury is direct again, and now that the Saturn/Uranus square is
breaking up (although only temporarily). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in Maryland, masks are coming off, and restaurants
and theatres are opening. This is why we can celebrate out in the world, rather
than having bubbly in our bubble. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
a new year for us, our first year as citizens of the same country. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, a lot of the movement these days is
corrective. We’re all still recovering from a period of political trauma, as
well as the sorrow and fear of the pandemic. Mercury is direct in July, and
this keeps things clicking along. But currently, all the outer planets except Uranus
are retrograde, and Uranus is slowing down to retrograde in August. So we are trying
to make up for ground that we’ve lost. There is still so much to do, and there’s
a will to do it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">To fix what’s broken, people need to be held
accountable, and that’s a slow process. However, it is starting. The Trump
organization has just been charged with tax fraud, and its CFO was in court
today trying to explain why he didn’t have to fork out any money for his electric
bill, car payments, apartment rental, holiday vacations, and the other things that
exist in the budgets of the simple folk. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we see some of the first cracks in this tower
of illusions and corruption. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And as Trump’s empire collapses, that condo in Florida
just collapsed, trapping more than a hundred people. I’m sure that will jar
more people into realizing that infrastructure is not purely theoretical. It’s
about concrete and air and water. Maybe they’ll write their congresspeople, and
suggest that something needs to be done, now? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There are a lot of things that we’ve thought of as
fixed, that are now in flux. But it’s a constant wrangle. Even though the Saturn/Uranus
square is no longer so tight, and it will keep loosening until October, there
are still impasses. There are still plenty of people wedded to the status quo,
deathly afraid of losing money, status or power. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In the House, things are busy. I keep getting notices
that my congressman, Rep. Jamie Raskin, is voting on one bill after another, and
all these bills pass. Sometimes the margins are slim, it’s true. The Republicans
vote to keep Confederate statues in the Capitol, to ignore methane emissions,
and to let military operations in the Middle East continue indefinitely. They are
pretty much okay with giving gold medals to the Capitol police who defended
their lives in the January 6 riot, but definitely not in favor of any efforts
to find out what the heck happened there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But in the Senate, the filibuster hangs over every
bill like a guillotine blade. Even so, they’re negotiating, and infrastructure
bills are weaving in and out of the picture. And even though the Voting Rights
bill failed, it isn’t going to die. It will come up again and again, in
slightly different forms, like the demons rustling in the curtains in Mitch
McConnell’s bedroom. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Democracy is clearly as dangerous now as it was when
the Constitution was written. We can tell that by the way they keep trying to
suppress it. It’s not a miracle cure for everything that ails us, but it’s a
good tool, something we can work with – and towards – and then with, again. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We still have so much to do. But in my house, we just
added a new voter to the country. My wife and I watched Joe Biden’s little
address to new citizens, and I have to say, I got kind of teary eyed. I’m ready
to pop the cork, to toast this country, and to look up in the sky and say “Oooooh!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happy fourth of July!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7KPIhdj20Q/YN5pt2klSLI/AAAAAAAAAoA/SXUvc-ZInjUJoDplEUAtwrLAinRaog_6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bmister%2Bmais.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7KPIhdj20Q/YN5pt2klSLI/AAAAAAAAAoA/SXUvc-ZInjUJoDplEUAtwrLAinRaog_6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bmister%2Bmais.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-18589970333443550982021-06-01T14:38:00.001-07:002021-06-01T14:57:14.213-07:00The Buzz of Thought<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fhzUW4ZvbXo/YLanrO5xVtI/AAAAAAAAAnU/W4VLgfCraI8s-vCw7oeoqMesIadFfltKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/jy%2B-%2Bba%25C3%25B1os%2Bparade.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fhzUW4ZvbXo/YLanrO5xVtI/AAAAAAAAAnU/W4VLgfCraI8s-vCw7oeoqMesIadFfltKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bba%25C3%25B1os%2Bparade.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The rising and falling buzz of cicadas fills the air
today. This spring has been cold, and for the last few days, we’ve had the heat
on, and the cicadas have been dormant. Today it’s gone up to 79°F, and I can
see them looping through the air in front of my window. Many of them are the
size of hummingbirds, but their flight pattern is very different, wild and zany.
They careen along from one tree to the next, in search of love, or fun, or maybe
just a really great tree. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We humans in this house are also coming to life, after
the stasis of the pandemic. Just a few days ago, my wife and I went out and had
an unmasked visit with a friend, complete with hugs. It was just like the old
days, when people weren’t afraid of each other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s a good month to reclaim lost territory, since Mercury
will be retrograde almost all of June. Even after it goes direct on June 22, it
will amble along quite slowly for another week. This is a good time to go back
and pick up all the pieces that you’ve dropped along the way. This could
include the relationships you’ve ignored, the words you haven’t said, and the longings
you’ve swatted down. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But I have to warn you that it will be very easy to
get distracted this month. You may go back to pick up some shiny thing you’ve
dropped, and then find yourself wandering around in somebody’s back garden for
days. That’s because Mercury is in the very mercurial sign Gemini, and it stays
within 7° of a square to Neptune the whole month. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So your mind can’t be roped down this month, but will
take the long way through every maze you come across. This isn’t easy for those
of you who just want to get from Point A to Point B, but you may sometimes find
that the backwoods path will also take you to Point B, although you may have forgotten why you wanted to go there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Neptune is the planet of imagination, illusions,
hypnosis, fascinations, glamours, and addictions. Neptune and Mercury vie for
the title of Trickster planet, and with the two of them in aspect all month,
you can’t believe everything you see or hear. You’ll need to keep your wits
about you. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The new moon on June 10 brings an eclipse, and again,
there’s a very mercurial focus, with Mercury in Gemini nestled in with the sun
and moon. You can expect an explosion of ideas, brainstorms, verbal power. Words
sometimes seem like the most transient thing in the universe, constantly
vanishing in the air. Even written words are common as ants. But like ants,
they can form structures and patterns that last a long time. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And so this is the essence of this eclipse: the
burgeoning idea, passed from mind to mind. At the same time, with that square
to Neptune – less than 3° away from Mercury at the new moon – there’s always
somebody who’s going to take your idea and twist it around. There’s no piece of
information that doesn’t spawn a hundred distortions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But there are some ideas that are meant to burst forth
at this time. With Mercury retrograde, these ideas don’t have to be brand-new.
Some of them have lived among us for centuries, a low-key hum in our ears. Often
knowledge emerges from the earth, like the ancestors found in the African
Burial Grounds in the middle of New York City. Buried information dusts itself off
and enters the village square. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is the meaning of this month’s eclipse: to renew,
to remember, and to pass along. It’s not altogether an easy month, with Saturn and
Uranus again squaring each other in mid-June. There’s a continuing fixed
battle between inertia and progress, and we definitely see this in Congress,
as the Republicans steadily block everything that comes their way. But as
frustrating as this is, it doesn’t signify that nothing is moving. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are moving all the time. Reaching out towards each
other, minds open, thoughts dancing, discovering and rediscovering what is
beautiful and real. Learning how to clear away the cobwebs of illusion and see
truly – into ourselves, each other, and our world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5j1tIds0sII/YLan3pX6ORI/AAAAAAAAAnY/ZYRaGkDmwIYBOgKOdzaxVI-rvVlQi3J4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/jy%2B-%2Bblue%2Bgreen%2Bberlin%2Bwall%2Bfragment.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5j1tIds0sII/YLan3pX6ORI/AAAAAAAAAnY/ZYRaGkDmwIYBOgKOdzaxVI-rvVlQi3J4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bblue%2Bgreen%2Bberlin%2Bwall%2Bfragment.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-91654968242867248002021-04-30T15:39:00.000-07:002021-04-30T15:39:06.032-07:00The Novelty of Sanity<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYhH8JUqLIY/YIyGl6VBR4I/AAAAAAAAAms/ktIhlnSAFUY_IPhIVH4mU_2PgSEde6ECwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1577/jy%2B-%2Bsegovia%2Bdoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1449" data-original-width="1577" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYhH8JUqLIY/YIyGl6VBR4I/AAAAAAAAAms/ktIhlnSAFUY_IPhIVH4mU_2PgSEde6ECwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bsegovia%2Bdoor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A couple of nights ago, my wife and I snuggled
together in bed for the evening’s entertainment, mainly watching the president
give a speech to Congress. This is definitely not something we would’ve done in
the last administration, not unless we wanted nightmares. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And afterwards, we turned to each other and commented,
“He’s so normal!” “So sane!” This is still a novelty, a hundred days into Biden’s
presidency. We just can’t get over it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Biden wasn’t my first choice, back in the days when we
had a whole roster of Democratic candidates to pick from. But I have to say I’m
happy with him now. It’s clear that he’s working on what he promised to do. He’s
gotten one constructive bill passed, and is putting forward others that are
good for workers and the environment. Just the fact that he’s working, of
course, is the most dramatic contrast between him and the previous occupant,
who spent his days playing golf, watching TV, and vigorously massaging his own
ego. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">With Jupiter and Saturn now in Aquarius, social
progress continues. Derek Chauvin’s conviction on a murder charge was
ground-breaking, even though it left a lot of people exhausted and wondering
what it would really change. After all, it’s just one man going to jail, while there
are no doubt still a thousand white bullies out on the street, wearing guns and
acting out their fear of brown skin. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But I’ve seen a lot of changes happening in this long
life of mine. And even when there’s a definite victory, nothing changes right
away. A law that passes, a good person that’s elected, a verdict that’s fair <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– these things are celebrated and then
forgotten. And then change seeps through, years pass, and you wake up one
morning, and realize that it’s different. And it’s never different now. Now is
just now. What you realize is that it used to be different. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, there are also cataclysmic moments, when
things take a sharp turn in an unexpected direction. These are the traumas
carried for generations, never forgotten, only healed by years of peace and security.
I think it’s easier to heal when you’re brought down by the elements, by fire
or flood or a shaking earth, and much harder when you’re betrayed by other
human beings. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These cataclysmic moments
are often the impetus for the years of hard work that culminate in an election,
a law, or a trial. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Aquarius is an air sign, cerebral, idealistic, and systematic,
and its focus is on the wellbeing of the community. So this is an ideal time to
move forward, to make as much progress as we can. This doesn’t heal all the traumas
of the past, but it could help prevent some new ones from developing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And yes, there continue to be blockages. Pluto is
still in Capricorn, and Uranus is moving through the fixed earth sign Taurus. Uranus’
job is to keep us off balance, and lately it mostly seems to be taking the form
of right-wing shock tactics. Uranus in Taurus is a contradiction, the rebel
planet in the most change-resistant sign. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Will we be able to keep up the momentum on social
reform, given these fierce pockets of resistance? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we be able to make change that lasts,
change that heals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we be able to
create a new normal, in which people can wake up, stretch, and forget that it
was any other way? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Jupiter is moving very quickly these days, and halfway
through May, it enters a new sign, Pisces. It will only be here for a couple of
months before retrograding back to Aquarius in late July and staying there the
rest of the year. But it’s a little glimpse of the future, a look at what 2022
will be like.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I have two minds about Jupiter in Pisces, and that
figures, since this sign is represented by two fish swimming in different
directions. On the one hand, it’s the most spiritual and emotionally sensitive sign
in the zodiac, and it could be deeply healing. It could foster a spirit of
compassion that we haven’t seen in a while. It’s the nature of Pisces to dissolve
the walls between people, to blur the differences, to see through to the soul. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On the other hand, Pisces is also a sign that moves
quite easily into a wholly different reality. It’s a sign that gives a
particularly vivid imagination. Neptune has been there for the last decade, and
during this time, strange conspiracy theories have sprouted up like mutant
dandelions. Will this increase when Jupiter is in Pisces?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, probably. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What can we do about it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it will help that Saturn is still in Aquarius
for another couple of years. Saturn gives a little bit more intellectual ballast.
It asks you to run your beliefs through a rigorous line of questioning, and some
people will be daunted by a few undeniable facts. But when people really,
really want to believe something, it doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not.
All that matters is that it makes them feel better or more important, or it
justifies something they grew up believing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And remember, it’s not just on the right that Neptune’s
fantasies can proliferate. On the left too, we can be seduced by a patina of
holiness, a tendency to over-idealize singular charismatic figures. We have to
be careful not to turn into true believers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve got some wonderful, inspiring people on the left,
and we can appreciate the work done by all kinds of people, elected and
unelected. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But no one person is going to
magically turn this thing around. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
just hope for ordinary people who want to devote their energy to the common
good. Let’s just hope for continued sanity. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUnfU9tHrLk/YIyG0hQFyqI/AAAAAAAAAmw/U1UDYmXcfZUtpOW9GdQpjgU1G6ELo6eEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Btrevi%2Bfountain%2Bdetail%252C%2Brome.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUnfU9tHrLk/YIyG0hQFyqI/AAAAAAAAAmw/U1UDYmXcfZUtpOW9GdQpjgU1G6ELo6eEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Btrevi%2Bfountain%2Bdetail%252C%2Brome.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-10443565163092124882021-03-31T16:22:00.000-07:002021-03-31T16:22:56.273-07:00Going Somewhere<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LbISjESnyFQ/YGUDXv8i2mI/AAAAAAAAAmI/bgqzRzfnxHYSphFg9TxijufKJlwJlxQYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bcalle%2Bbail%25C3%25A9n%2B%25238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LbISjESnyFQ/YGUDXv8i2mI/AAAAAAAAAmI/bgqzRzfnxHYSphFg9TxijufKJlwJlxQYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bcalle%2Bbail%25C3%25A9n%2B%25238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Spring is officially here, but it’s not yet warm
enough to open the windows and feel the breeze, at least not here in Maryland. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a transitional time. We’re all in the
middle of a seasonal shift. We’re going somewhere, but we’re not there yet. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On the evening news, I hear that there are new surges
of Covid-19. I see young people partying in Florida without masks or social
distancing. At the same time, I hear of more friends getting
vaccinated every day. I’ve gotten my two shots, without anything much in the way
of side effects, and my wife is supposed to be vaccinated this weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So I feel safer. But I also feel like someone who has just
sidled past a sleeping lion, and is just lucky that it didn’t blink awake at
that crucial moment. I’ve never been so aware of being mortal. That’s partly
because I’ve lost loved ones this past year, and others are still in danger.
Not everyone has made it past the lion. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We who are still upright on this planet look at each
other, check each other out, breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of each
other’s faces. It won’t be too long before we’ll be able to appear to each
other in three-dimensional form, wonderfully solid. It will be strange, as if a
bunch of cartoons suddenly came to life, but I daresay we’ll get used to it! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is the thing about spring. During the winter, everything
is theoretical. Trees are reduced to bones, and flowers occupy a niche in our
memory. In spring, all that theory becomes reality. There are buds everywhere. They’re
alive, exuberant, immediate, and right on time. Every time I go outside, I see
more of them, and I know that pretty soon my study window, now grey and flecked
with rain, will be a mass of green. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In April, there’s more momentum than we’ve seen in a
while. It’s not just the drive to get everyone vaccinated. We also have this
new Democratic muscle in Congress, and we just saw the passage of the American
Rescue Plan Act. Today Biden unveiled a new infrastructure plan, full of great,
practical initiatives. What kind of legs does it have? We’ll have to see. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">An abundance of new ideas are circulating. Aries is
the sign of new beginnings, and the sun and Venus in Aries give fiery energy to
every new possibility. And Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all in air signs – verbal,
thoughtful, idealistic, socially aware. All these influences are excellent for
problem-solving, studying, planning, debating, and working out agreements. It
looks like something can happen, right? All these forces point to movement and
manifestation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And yet there are also those static forces, holding
everything back. The Covid bill was passed without a single Republican vote.
And then there’s the voter suppression bill that was passed in Georgia a few
days ago. There is a whole phalanx of people who are digging their feet in, putting
all their energy (and lots of money) into resisting the forces of change. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And I can’t say that these people won’t be in power
again. It’s true that the political tide ebbs and flows, even though I believe
that the long-range trend is towards freedom, justice and equality. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The thing is that none of the outer planets are in
particularly revolutionary signs these days. The overall energy is still conservative,
for at least a few more years. And with Uranus, the rebel planet, in the fixed
earth sign Taurus, there is a cadre of revolutionary conservatives, as
contradictory as that sounds. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">These folks want the world to freeze into a particular
configuration that favors them. They want a world in which white people have
all the power (and no ownership of their past actions), women know their place,
gay people are hidden away, and there are definitely no trans people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, they don’t want anybody around who
makes them feel uncomfortable. And they are willing to turn the world upside
down and shake it to the point of apoplexy, to make it this way. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So, yes, grab on to something solid. Because we may
see a lot of these people when Mercury, Venus and then the sun all meet Uranus during
the last week of April. The full moon of April 26 is turbulent, and a lot of survival
issues could come up around that time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Still, I believe that, on some etheric level, the
world’s minds are working together to solve all the world’s problems. This is a
matter of faith, not evidence, because our species has knotted things up quite
often, and sometimes in spectacular ways. Still, sometimes I tune into that
buzzing network of hopes, dreams, illusions, breakthroughs, and expertise, and
I’m suitably impressed. I’m not sure exactly where we’re going. But it’s not
static. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMkluc-S9i0/YGUDmI95L1I/AAAAAAAAAmM/hXkRhtUOzBkoHViTf0HToRHbZsV69HM-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bcalle%2Bdel%2Barenal%2Boutdoor%2Bbookstall%252C%2Bmadrid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMkluc-S9i0/YGUDmI95L1I/AAAAAAAAAmM/hXkRhtUOzBkoHViTf0HToRHbZsV69HM-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bcalle%2Bdel%2Barenal%2Boutdoor%2Bbookstall%252C%2Bmadrid.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-76997773063270400692021-03-02T16:05:00.000-08:002021-03-02T16:05:39.805-08:00Great Balls of Fire<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPwEqndXlVo/YD7Rv5-jJoI/AAAAAAAAAlo/rN_cuVEIdWw4DFQz18OMcRe36qEYyNM_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/jy%2B-%2Bmedieval%2Bastrology%252C%2Bjewish%2Bmuseum%252C%2Bberlin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPwEqndXlVo/YD7Rv5-jJoI/AAAAAAAAAlo/rN_cuVEIdWw4DFQz18OMcRe36qEYyNM_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bmedieval%2Bastrology%252C%2Bjewish%2Bmuseum%252C%2Bberlin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The sun’s out today and it’s glorious. In case you’ve
forgotten what the sun is, it’s this big round ball up in the sky that makes
everything glow. The earth turns slowly, soaking it up from every angle, enjoying
all those rays crunching along its spine like a good massage. As the earth
turns, the glow changes color, going from pure brightness to old gold. And we
earthly creatures are charged, enlightened, and healed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And I hear it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow too. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I know there are still plenty of problems in the world.
The Covid Relief bill is still being wrangled through Congress as I speak, and people
are very ticked that the $15 minimum raise won’t be included. And of course, they’re
right to be angry that a bunch of millionaires are making it tougher for working
people to feed their families. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Still, the idea of Congress doing anything at all –
passing an actual bill – seems like a miracle to me, at this point. For the
last few years, the House has been busy sending bills to languish and die in
the Senate. So now that Congress is about to pass something that will aid
actual people, I can’t help but cheer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And yes, I know how slim the Democratic majority is,
how it’s hanging on by a thread, even though it represents the will of the
people. I know that the Republicans are responding to their losses by coming up
with voter suppression bills. But I’m still optimistic, especially when I think
of how the demographic in this country is changing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There’s an astrological reason to be hopeful, too. The
fixed Saturn/Uranus square, which was strong all last month, is at last breaking
up. This aspect has manifested as a tense stand-off between the past and the
future, between rigidity and revolution, between order and chaos. On the one
side was fear, and on the other, wild restlessness. And many of us could feel
both at once, in our personal lives and in the political sphere. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The political parties have been so divided, especially
since the Republicans – formerly a bunch of conservatives – took such a wild
swing into Crazytown, following their fearless leader, the champ of delusion. Meanwhile,
the Dems have become more moderate, and are focused on science, the rule of
law, the Constitution, and a basically realistic approach. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Democratic leadership has also become more
responsive to its large Black voting base, and I think this helps a lot with
the realism. Survival is all about strategy, and Black people in this country
have had a lot of years to master this. Picking your battles carefully, learning
from both failures and successes, you live to fight another day, and your
children’s children survive as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Whatever is driving this new, more grounded approach,
it means that a lot of us are tentatively exhaling, for the first time in a
while. Things can change for the better, even though that means constant
negotiating and compromising. There’s progress, even if it’s inch by inch.
There are some safeguards, even if they just consist of a few more sane people
in higher positions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes, I know that the Saturn/Uranus square will come
back twice more this year, once in June and once in December. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we will be dealing with some very stubborn conflicts
all through 2021, whenever we move forward. I know that there will be young
white guys slinging guns on themselves, looking at the mirror, and thinking
they can get away with anything. And there will be old white guys who will be
crafting lies to feed them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And even though things improve in March, there will still
be plenty of activity in Crazytown, since there will be strong Pisces and
Neptune influences. Neptune is the planet of delusion and illusion, fantasy and
mirages, tricksters and con artists. So some folks will really ramp it up,
using their amazing creative gifts to convince other people that Democrats have
a gigantic sucking space ray that will seize their guns, and probably their
grandmother’s china as well. And people who are afraid of something, but aren’t
sure what, will leap at the chance to put a face on their fears.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But Neptune is also the planet of spiritual growth,
and so people will be praying, and meditating, and trancing themselves out in
various ways, and many of these people will happen across a cavity somewhere in
their chest area. And when they investigate, they may find it’s overflowing
with this amazing, beautiful energy. They'll feel the love pouring forth - for their neighbor, for the planet, for all people, even those they
thought were their enemy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It could happen. In March, some shutters could open
wide, and some people lean out their windows, and feel the heat of the sun. We could
all forget our differences, and just let it pour down on us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IE0eM7OZmaQ/YD7RPUKPR-I/AAAAAAAAAlg/LcNwzrTDLjsoMKb6vrfYgIh0T7CRj21WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/jy%2B-%2Bschnoor%2B%252323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IE0eM7OZmaQ/YD7RPUKPR-I/AAAAAAAAAlg/LcNwzrTDLjsoMKb6vrfYgIh0T7CRj21WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bschnoor%2B%252323.JPG" /></a></div><br />Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-29695857598436814862021-02-01T14:56:00.001-08:002021-02-01T14:56:33.007-08:00A Changing Landscape<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMYZ2oSwjqM/YBiGtX6ZmxI/AAAAAAAAAk8/WO3FXT2CoZ0_e6H8vA-5JYYkiLTHLT4cgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/jy%2B-%2Bbridge%2B%2526%2Btrees%2B%25232%252C%2Blesum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMYZ2oSwjqM/YBiGtX6ZmxI/AAAAAAAAAk8/WO3FXT2CoZ0_e6H8vA-5JYYkiLTHLT4cgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bbridge%2B%2526%2Btrees%2B%25232%252C%2Blesum.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There’s so much going on, so many changes. Last month,
I couldn’t write, though. Just as 2020 came to an end, my only brother died, and
I was flattened into silence. It’s still hard to believe, but it’s time to climb
out of this hole and look around again. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There are some things that are the same about this
landscape. Covid-19 is even more lethal, but now there are vaccines, and they’re
being distributed, if slowly and imperfectly. It was the promise of Saturn and Jupiter
both going into Aquarius, that science would once again be respected. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Science, truth, information – these things comprise
the home turf of Aquarius. As a fixed air sign, Aquarius’ role in the zodiac is
to pin down what’s true, and to promote it. This involves experimentation,
research, and a willingness to consider every possible idea, which is why
Aquarians are often seen as wild, different, far-out, or outrageous. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And of course, many Aquarians are harassed or
persecuted during their lives, because they’re several steps ahead of everyone
else. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People with the sun in Aquarius
like Charles Darwin, Susan B. Anthony, Betty Friedan, Huey Newton, and Angela
Davis. Or people with Aquarius rising like Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx,
Emmeline Pankhurst, Thoreau, Ralph Nader, or Barack Obama. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, not all Aquarians are progressives. Their
most common trait is a willingness to argue everybody else into the ground,
based on the truths that they have determined. Most Aquarians are open-minded enough
to take new evidence into account, and change their minds if necessary. But if
they held their positions lightly, they wouldn’t be as effective in making
change in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">February is a very Aquarian month. It begins with the
sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn all in this sign. Mercury spends the
whole of February in Aquarius, mostly retrograde. The old order is represented only
by Pluto in Capricorn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When the Capitol was stormed, on January 6, this
Aquarian surge had only just begun, with Jupiter and Saturn there. Capricorn was
still the dominant influence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
see that event as a threshold event between the old and the new. As the face of
the old order, Trump was holding on to the past with everything he had. But
Democracy itself is an Aquarian phenomenon, and we were moving inexorably into the
new Aquarian phase. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, what we know in this country as democracy
is not a purebred beast, any more than all those Aquarians I mentioned were
wholly dedicated to a progressive vision. There is no purity, except in the
dreams of idealists. Everything on this earth is mixed – every person, every
idea, every manifestation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And yet, mixed as all manifestations are, there is
always something that predominates and that gives things their shape. And so
the democracy that we have, here in the US, flawed as it is, has a rock-hard
concept at its core. It’s fixed, just like the fixed air sign Aquarius. It’s a
stubborn belief that people should choose their leaders, and it took more than
Trump’s scattered and ill-organized power plays to upend it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And now that democracy has shown itself strong enough
for another go-around, now that Aquarian principles have prevailed, where do we
go from here? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joe Biden has gotten a
good start in the two weeks since taking office, getting rid of some of Trump’s
most damaging mandates, via executive orders. Correcting old injustices is an
excellent use of a Mercury retrograde. McConnell tried a feint, which didn’t
work. And now there’s a Covid-19 relief bill being wrangled in Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Joe Biden, by the way, has no planets in Aquarius, which
shouldn’t surprise anyone. We all knew he wasn’t a trailblazer. He does have his
sun and moon in fixed signs, however, and so he has the ability to stick to a
position, once he’s taken it. Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has Saturn in Aquarius
right at the top of her chart, forming a great trine with her sun and
ascendent, so she is very much attuned to this moment in history, and she has
both the forward vision and the determination to make things happen. Of course,
she has a more pivotal role than most vice-presidents, as the deciding vote in
Congress. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I wish I could say that it will all be smooth sailing
from here on out, but there’s a very sharp, divisive aspect affecting us all
this month: the square between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus. Saturn is
generally the rigid, conservative planet, but now it’s in a progressive, enlightened
sign. Uranus is the rebel planet, but now it’s in a solid, earthy sign. What
this means is that the progressives are the mature, grown-up ones these days,
while the conservatives are the ones acting wild and crazy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s easy to become fascinated with Q-Anon and their
ilk, just because they’re so strange. On Inauguration Day, I was mesmerized by
the stories about them sitting around their TVs, just like I was. But where I
was admiring Michelle Obama’s outfit, and enjoying Lady Gaga’s voice, and
getting all excited about Kamala being sworn in by Sonia Sotomayor, they were on
the edge of their seats, expecting all the Democrats to be arrested and dragged
away any minute. Then they were all disillusioned that it didn’t happen. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The cruelty of the Trump era is what I see reflected
in his followers, including the ones who are inhabiting their own alternative
realities. And these are strange times we live in, when the headwinds of change
have to blow so strongly, and overcome so much resistance, just to promote policies
that aren’t cruel. The bottom line is that we all have the right to live, to
love each other, and to vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is
that so controversial? <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qcnad3XvvK8/YBiG9cdqSTI/AAAAAAAAAlE/gCBqsiaiZFI-medg7XWiLin9PSTy0xftQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1915/jy%2B-%2Bbridge%2Bsculpture%2B%2526%2Bconstruction%2Bin%2Bberlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1915" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qcnad3XvvK8/YBiG9cdqSTI/AAAAAAAAAlE/gCBqsiaiZFI-medg7XWiLin9PSTy0xftQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bbridge%2Bsculpture%2B%2526%2Bconstruction%2Bin%2Bberlin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401745513973847830.post-145205552801542692020-12-02T08:54:00.003-08:002020-12-02T11:51:06.404-08:00What Is That Alien Form in the Sand? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2MsJGDhYUgE/X8fF0pQ5DlI/AAAAAAAAAkA/OTYXOPFbHzAiQirQ9OyAv0K0AetcpGlIACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/jy%2B-%2Brecoleta%2Bcemetery%2Bflaming%2Blionpaw%252C%2Bbuenos%2Baires.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2MsJGDhYUgE/X8fF0pQ5DlI/AAAAAAAAAkA/OTYXOPFbHzAiQirQ9OyAv0K0AetcpGlIACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Brecoleta%2Bcemetery%2Bflaming%2Blionpaw%252C%2Bbuenos%2Baires.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At last, we’ve reached the last month of this
seemingly endless year. It’s been so strange, all these months of nothingness -
no travel, no beaches, no family visits, hardly any sightings of friends. The year
stretches behind us like the surface of an alien planet – desolate,
unpopulated, with an unfamiliar wind blowing grit in our faces. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But my wife and I have been among the lucky ones, and
we know this. We’ve made it to this last month of 2020 with our health, our
marriage and even our work intact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
now, looking ahead to December, I’m seeing change. There’s something different
forming – there, beyond the dry, shifting sands. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The election of Biden is part of that. That was just
under a month ago, and at first, we were all celebrating wildly, all over the
world. But since then, we’ve had to deal with DT trying in every way he can to overturn
the results. Every morning, reading the news, I’ve felt some dread about what
he was going to try next, and whether there was a chance he would get away with
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s only thanks to local officials,
and no thanks at all to those higher on the political food chain, that he’s
been stymied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Right now, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn are all still in Capricorn,
within 6° of each other, so the old gang of crusty cynics is still in power. They’re
disgruntled, chewing over the dip in Republican fortunes, but still working out
ways to keep their firm grip on minority rule. Some of them will stay ensconced
for another couple of years. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But December is not a stagnant month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first shock comes with the solar eclipse
of December 14. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It swoops in,
illuminating the scene like a strobe light. With the sun, moon, Mercury and
south node all in the fire sign Sagittarius, it’s passionate, zealous, and spontaneous.
It’s all about cutting loose, activating a new vision. An eclipse sets the tone
for the six-month period until the next eclipse, and this one looks especially unrestrained.
Something will be off and running. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or
someone. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It doesn’t escape my attention that December 14 is the
day that the electoral college votes, and when the election is officially over.
Is this eclipse a cosmic welcome sign to President Biden and Vice President
Harris? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No offense to Joe, but it seems
a little flashier than he is. Kamala Harris’ rise to political power is more
revolutionary, however, and her chart dovetails nicely with the eclipse chart,
making a great trine in fire signs. So maybe this is about her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">DT is the most lawless public figure we have right now,
so I wanted to see if the eclipse will affect him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was shocked to see that the sun and moon are
right on top of his moon/sun opposition, and the nodes are closely aligned with
his nodes, as well. So yes, this indicates a sudden, dramatic shift for him, an
acting out of his particular karma. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What could he possibly do at this point?, I ask
myself, but I know that his imagination exceeds my own. He’s done things I
never imagined that a U.S. President would do. Will he somehow manage to get
“his” Supreme Court to keep him in power? Will he decide to end his presidency
with some big, punchy gesture? Or could it be that he’ll take this moment to
flee, to take off for another country? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would certainly fit in with the
Sagittarius theme of liberation, since it could save him from prison. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But whatever happens, it’s not the end of the story.
Just a week after this eclipse comes the winter solstice, and the chart for
this is also really striking. On solstice day, Jupiter and Saturn are conjunct,
at 0° Aquarius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two planets come
together once every twenty years, but it’s been more than six hundred years
since they did it in Aquarius, and more than seven hundred years since it
happened at the first degree of any sign. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So the winter solstice is a sudden switch in tone,
away from the wildness and dash of fire, towards the cool intellect of
air.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jupiter and Saturn together in the
fixed sign Aquarius create stillness and clarity, and the restlessness of
Sagittarius vanishes like a candle-flame before a strong breath. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Aquarius is one of the most idealistic signs in the
zodiac, dedicated to democracy, the rule of law, and freedom from tyranny. It’s
about reason, logic, science, and truth. If DT did manage some sleight of hand in
December, this winter solstice chart looks like an enormous reaction from the
citizens of this country, with support from around the world. The streets
wouldn’t be wide enough to hold us all. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At the solstice – and afterwards - the focus will be
on determining our role in the community. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jupiter and Saturn represent the positive and
negative poles of society – on the one hand, expansion, and on the other,
restriction. With Jupiter, you grow through aligning yourself with the
interests of the community, and with Saturn, you conform to the duties,
responsibilities and restrictions that society imposes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together, Jupiter’s optimism tempers Saturn’s rigidity,
and Saturn’s caution tempers Jupiter’s extravagance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">During this strange year, 2020, small everyday
gestures – wearing masks and social distancing – have been an expression of caring
for others in our communities. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
same time, we haven’t seen much of the Jupiter side of the social contract – the
expansion, the festivals, the opportunities. All of these have been curtailed. But
starting in December, Jupiter will take its place by Saturn’s side, reminding
us that there are a million ideas still percolating in the group mind. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m reminded of that strange metallic rectangle that
recently showed up in some public land in Utah, disappeared, and then
reappeared in Romania. Everybody immediately thought of the alien object from
the movie <i>2001</i>. This definitely seems like an illustration of the shift
in time that we’re living through. We’ve been walking through an empty landscape,
and now we see something strange, something disquieting, just ahead of us. What will happen when we touch something new?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
will it change us? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2020 has taught us a great deal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s taught us patience, and it’s taught us more
about what we owe to each other. We’ve studied silence and isolation. Some of
us have learned to meditate, and others have learned to bake bread. But times
are changing, and now we have new things to learn. Where will the next phase of
our evolution take us? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are we
becoming? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--px_jieI2Dw/X8fGUIV-KuI/AAAAAAAAAkM/SYNiZwjqWV83hHJ9kXLzusa0mjZ9MP2fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jy%2B-%2Bsegovia%2B-%2Bwall%2Bin%2Balc%25C3%25A1zar.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--px_jieI2Dw/X8fGUIV-KuI/AAAAAAAAAkM/SYNiZwjqWV83hHJ9kXLzusa0mjZ9MP2fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jy%2B-%2Bsegovia%2B-%2Bwall%2Bin%2Balc%25C3%25A1zar.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Jenny Yateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959254758613050496noreply@blogger.com1