A Very Telling Week Ahead

The job of an astrologer becomes very interesting whenever three transits occur at the same time. But when those same transits are also unusually significant in themselves, one can assume that we are in for a very important week. By important I mean that the events and shifts of that week are likely to signal the kind of things that will affect us for many months or even years to come.

We have just completed our recent series of eclipses and the Mercury retrograde. And no doubt these have created situations that we are now having to pay close attention to and work with in a focused way. But in my view, the last month has in actuality been leading us to what will be emerging this coming week. Here’s what’s happening:

1. There will be a Full Moon on January 29 which is closely connected to the Solar Eclipse we had on the Jan 15.
2. On the very same day, Mars retrograde will oppose the Sun of the Full Moon. This marks the mid-point of the10-week retrograde period. This is the time when we can begin to see what the underlying meaning of the entire Mars retrograde cycle. Also, because of the nature of Mars and the Sun, it is likely to feel very intense and to therefore cause us to react strongly to whatever is being felt.
3. Finally and most important, this is the second occurrence of the Saturn square to Pluto which began on November 15, 2009. It is this difficult and sometimes even depressing transit that is setting the tone for what is happening now. It can be depressing because it is forcing those of us who are affected most, to face certain realities that challenge us and demand both fortitude and courage. Our structures, either physical or psychological, are going through a transformation and while they are necessary (Saturn), they often evoke a great deal of resistance to those very changes that must be made. Yet, at this time, reality must be faced. There is no choice. In fact, any denial that has occurred since the first time these planets were in square, will come back much more strongly this time, so that it can no longer be avoided.

Politics - The surprise election of Scott Brown, a Republican, over Martha Coakley for the Massachusetts Senate has revealed a far higher level of dissatisfaction with Pres. Obama and the Democratic Congress than was believed. I’m not sure why so many people were surprised, as I sure wasn’t, but that’s another story. So, within a few days, Obama announced a major shift in his approach to the economic problems and is asking for a variety of new reforms that he has avoided until now. He has proposed new, stricter regulations, especially on the super-huge banks and is listening to a different set of economic advisors as well. (By the way, did you know that the four biggest banks now control approximately 40% of our nation’s wealth?) The confirmation of Ben Bernanke to a second term as the head of the Fed is now in question, although the Obama administration is fighting to keep him in his position. An astrological look at how the present transits affect the chart of the Federal Reserve reveals a very high likelihood that big changes are coming to that organization, so it is very possible that Bernanke will have to be replaced by someone who appears to be far more sympathetic to ‘Main Street’ than in the past. Perhaps he may actually be sympathetic, though there have been no signs of it so far. Also, the entire health care bill is up in the air which had been the cornerstone of Obama’s first year in office. This is a huge political defeat for Pres. Obama. He invested an enormous amount of political capital on this bill, so that its defeat could be devastating to his ability to influence what is happening in the next year. By the way, Obama is extremely affected by the Mars retrograde in Leo, going over his Sun and affecting his Ascendant and Jupiter. He is really being hit hard by all that is coming forward this week. What people seem to be the most upset about is the gap between what he said during the campaign which elicited great hope for many people and what has actually happened during his first year in office. Whenever there is gap in expectations, the people (ruled by the Moon) can become very unhappy and vote in even more erratic ways.

Economics- The stock market has been dropping all week. Many reasons are being given, but perhaps one of the most important is that China has announced that it is going to slow down the growth of its economy, which has been booming. The effects of its tremendous growth is that it has been buoying up the rest of the world’s major economies, which has mitigated some of the worst effects of the U.S. and international economic slowdown. Other factors include the questioning of the reasons why the market has risen so much since last March and the lack of any reforms or regulations that would deal with the causes of the original problems themselves. Here is an article for those interested that goes into some of these issues:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/23/7-things-about-the-econom_n_433688.html

The Intent of the Mars Retrograde

The basic effect of this cycle is that it demands that we change our strategy of how we assert ourselves. Its effects while we are in the midst of the period is that we can have health problems, injuries, accidents and other Mars-related problems. That depends on how the retrograde affects our personal chart. It’s very much like a forced pull-back. No wonder many members of Congress are pulling back on the health care bill so as to re-evaluate how to move forward. One even suggested that Congress wait until mid-march before revisiting it. He probably didn’t know that Mars will go direct on March 10, right in line with his timing. Another possible effect is that we must move to a new location or at least set into motion actions that will lead to that later in the spring or early summer. It has to do with looking at our goals and adjusting them to the actual realities we are facing. This is a great time for the realists of the zodiac, because they’re looking pretty good right now.

Our Strategy

So what is the best strategy in dealing with possible changes and obstacles? I know this article is not as hopeful as many of my readers would like. It’s certainly not as fun writing as most of my newsletters. But I hope it is helpful in that if we can understand and accept the underlying tone of the times and know that whatever is occurring is temporary, it can assist us to handle things in a more functional and positive way. It won’t last forever. And if there are things we must do, the sooner we do them the better it will be for us. Specifically, Mars goes direct on March 10, 2010 and this summer things change quite radically as Jupiter and Uranus enter Aries and mark a very significant shift in our ability to move forward.

And finally, whenever we’re dealing with Saturn, the one thing I’ve noticed above all is that we always feel better when we handle the necessary issues with which we are confronted. When we do not, we feel worse, more pressure and more pessimistic. The pressure lifts when we accept what we must do. There is the famous quote of Dr. Carl Jung that applies here so I will end the article on that note. “The only freedom I have is to gladly do what I must do.”

As always, as the week moves forward, I would love it if you would write on our blog. The good and the bad.

Wishing you the best.

Jim Sher

Last Eclipse of this Three-part Series – 2009

At 5:55pm PDST, Wednesday August 5th, 2009, we will have a Lunar eclipse (Full Moon) that marks the last one in this series that began at the previous Full Moon on July 7th. The Sun will be at 13 degrees of Leo and oppose the Moon at 13 deg. of Aquarius. Because this is the last one of a series, it’s likely to occasion a finishing up of what has been set into motion over the last 6-week period. Lunar eclipses do often create emotionally turbulent periods that can bring cathartic relief in their wake. This one might do something similar, but that will depend on how much a person has been dealing consciously with the myriad of forces that have been emerging so far.

This eclipse describes the nature of the possible difficulties and also provides some strong hints on the best way to deal with the issues that are coming up. Firstly, there is a square between Mars and Saturn that is likely to bring about delays and perhaps even frustration in projects on which we are working. We see this now in the health reform issue as the forces trying to stop reform have been successful in either slowing or derailing the legislative process. Although things may not be working out the way one hoped for or had intended, it is also true that this aspect suggests that continuing to work is the wisest course of action. Squares ask us to either let go completely of what can now be seen as unworkable or make a conscious decision to put in whatever effort is needed to persist and handle the obstacles in our way. Sometimes, we have to make considerable effort at a time like this and not let delay or frustrations stop us.

Also, there is a sextile (60 deg.) aspect between Mercury and Venus. This suggests that success can be achieved if we make an effort to communicate with whomever we are having difficulties and try to find common ground. This is a hopeful aspect for overcoming misunderstandings but with sextiles, one must make the effort or the flowing energy will not be used.

Finally, it is noteworthy that Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Chiron are all retrograde now. The energy I’ve been writing about in the last two articles is still strong, but all of these issues are now being reviewed. And they need to be. Let’s use the health care debate as an example. Over the past two weeks the protests against reform have become stronger and more vocal. Some of the issues are important concerns that need to be addressed, but also what is being revealed is that there has been a concerted effort to distort (Neptune) the facts which confuses things more than ever in the minds of the people (Moon). I believe however that the square between Mars and Saturn that I referred to above is doing two things. It is bringing about delays and an amplification of the negative voices, but it is also demonstrating the real motives and financial interests behind those voices. The powerful financial interests of the insurance, pharmaceutical, hospital and other health care giants is now being seen as doing all it possibly can to negatively influence the health care debate. This could bring about a kickback against these forces if enough people react to learning that their personal interests are begin highjacked by these powerful lobbyists. We’ll see in the early Fall when Mercury goes retrograde what comes of this.

I want to encourage you to write responses to this article and on any other articles in our interactive blog. You can write about your personal experiences or your thoughts about what is written. I believe that disagreement is as important as agreement as both make an important contribution to any discussion. My only request is that all posts avoid rudeness. Again, you may reply to any articles on the blog, not only the most recent. I hope you will enjoy reading these responses. Let’s have some fun together.

The Lunar Eclipse on July 7

Every six months or so, we always experience a Lunar (Full Moon) and Solar (New Moon) eclipse. They occur within two weeks of each other although sometimes the Lunar eclipse is first while at other times the Solar eclipse is. We are about to enter an unusual phase where there will be three eclipses running in succession. The first of the series is the Lunar eclipse occurring on Tuesday, July 7th, at 2:21am PDST near 15 deg. of Capricorn. The next Eclipse is a very strong Total Solar Eclipse on Tuesday, July 21st, at 7:35pm at 29 deg. of Cancer. The last will be a Lunar eclipse on Wednesday, August 5th at 5:55pm PDST at 13 Aquarius. Eclipses are inertia changers in my view.  Although many astrologers regard eclipses as predominantly negative, I don’t agree with that assessment. Yes, they can close doors, but also they open new ones. They allow new energies to come into our lives, though there are times when they also usher out old structures before the new ones can be created. When we have three eclipses instead of only the usual two, we often see a cycle of greater levels of change and this is also true in this case since the coming Solar eclipse is a very strong one. I will speak more about this in the near future.

The first thing to know about a Lunar eclipse is that it must occur at a Full Moon. The basic meaning of a Full Moon is that it always brings forth some kind of culmination, fulfillment and revelation of the ’seed’ that was born at the New Moon two weeks earlier. We get to see fully whatever is developing either in us or in our world. The fact that this Full Moon is an eclipse makes its effect much stronger. The issues are bigger and strike us more deeply. So, it is an important period for us. At this time, the Earth stands between the Sun and the Moon. If you were on the Moon, the Sun would be blotted out for a time. Since the Moon rules subconscious emotions which are often negative, the fact that those very emotions are hidden allows them to be examined more clearly. For example, if we normally feel fear about some issue, we may be more willing to experience and move through that fear at this time. We can become motivated to handle an area where we are easily triggered. Of course, sometimes, we just feel forced to do so.

To gain some perspective on the nature of the Tuesday Lunar eclipse, it is best to begin by looking at what the New Moon tells us. It occurred on June 22nd at 1 deg. of Cancer. What is significant about it was that it was in a very close opposition to Pluto. When I study the nature of the Moon in mundane astrology (the area of astrology that examines events of nations, governments, politicians, etc.) it refers to things that affect the mass consciousness, what the people think and how they are affected. With Pluto ruling transformation and even death, in the past few weeks we have seen many national figures die, including Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, Karl Malden, and the most recent tone being Steve McNair(ex-football player) who died in a violent shooting along with a woman whose relationship we do not yet know. What is significant about this type of event in the national psyche is that it often sends forth strange reactions in the people. It seems to me that any public figure who achieves some sort of intense attention, is actually resonating with something far beyond just themselves personally. It sends out ripples into the mass consciousness because those individuals somehow represent something significant in ourselves. It doesn’t matter if they are famous or infamous, they tell us about our own consciousness as a people. That’s part of the heightened expression of this New Moon. Now we are about to have the Full Moon of this very same cycle and it is an eclipse as well.

To repeat — the nature of a Lunar eclipse is that it often brings out an hidden emotions that can result in a catharsis. This can enable us to release something that has been building up for a long time, so that we can feel a great sense of freedom. Because Pluto rules the depths of our subconscious and what Carl Jung referred to as the ’shadow material (the feelings we may not approve of in ourselves), it is very helpful to confront these things, letting them see the light of day, so we can deal with them and move on. That’s what a Lunar eclipse can help us accomplish. However, the way it usually works is that one must go through a very intense confrontation with something that has been avoided, something from which we want to turn away. It will help us improve our lives if we don’t do that and instead take advantage of this pressure to work as consciously as possible with whatever is coming up.

Of course, where this eclipse occurs in our chart will tell us a lot about the specifics of what we will be having to deal. If it occurs in our 7th house, we may be dealing with important relationship issues or have to deal with someone who is going through the things I have spoken about here. If it is in our 4th house, it can affect our home, family or parents. This is a time to be a warrior and to make a noble effort to see into our depths no matter what we think we might see. Have the courage to face the demon and it may turn out to be far less of a beast than we thought.

An unusually busy and interesting week – The Coming Full Moon and More

Hello Everyone,

We have a most interesting and possibly eventful week ahead, especially if you have natal planets being affected between 18-22 degrees of the mutable signs, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces. Beginning on Sunday, March 8, there will be three significant astrological signatures and each of these are meaningful when they occur by themselves. Together there are likely to be unusual and shocking developments in our financial systems as well as in our personal lives.

The first is tomorrow at 12:53 pm when the Sun opposes Saturn. This is a fast-moving transit whose effect is usually short but this time, it can trigger bigger events or issues for us. The meaning is that the Sun will shine its light on whatever we consider to be an area of duty, responsibility, or personal weakness but with which we must deal. It brings certain difficult issues to a head which we’ve already been dealing with for some time. Also, Mercury will enter Pisces, which can be great for creative, imaginative thought, but also contribute to some unclear or fuzzy thinking that will be tinged with more emotion than usual. Pisces speaks, not as much in words, as in the realm of images, archetypes, and above all, symbols. Pisces seeks to play in many layers of meaning, knowing that life is not composed of mere facts and figures. It knows that understanding is not a function of rationality/irrationality, but something more intangible yet no less important.

Also, we are in the midst of a Mars-Neptune conjunction at 24 Aquarius. Mars loves to act, but with Neptune, those actions are likely to be motivated by confusion and uncertainty. It is best when decisions are based on a finely honed sense of intuition. But when in doubt, it is often best to wait until the transit subsides a bit before making the final decision, especially if we know we don’t have all the facts. The bigger the decision, the better it is to wait. What this transit is good for is letting yourself go and indulging your imagination and dreams. Neptune softens us, makes us dreamy, and can enhance our desire nature. Mars/Neptune is a puzzle as it can activate deception and just plain lying, with approaching solving problems magically, through the use of a Will under control. And sometimes, it’s tricky to know which one is more in play. Enjoy the feeling of openness and even glamour. Let the mind loosen, unlocking one’s blockages that tend to close the door prematurely to all sorts of possibilities.

The Full Moon then occurs on Tuesday, March 10. This is what can trigger a great deal since the Moon will conjunct Saturn and oppose the Sun conjunction with Uranus, the planets of excitement and sudden shocks. Oppositions are full of dilemmas and paradoxes. The Moon coming upon Saturn is concerned with maintaining discipline, order, and in Virgo, details. And at the same time, with the Sun conjuncting Uranus, the natural instinct will be to rebel, break free from restricting circumstances, and avoiding awful routine. Now that’s a great example of what an opposition can be. What this Full Moon can do is break open stale or unmoving situations, bringing things to a forced conclusion so that as the Moon cycle proceeds, one will find oneself moving in a new direction.

Oppositions are very fertile times as well as active ones. They ask us to operate in ways we may not find easy but which are transforming. Here, it asks us to learn to handle responsibility with the need for freedom and new encounters of all kinds. Sometimes change can be orderly, but more often than not, it is messy, and cannot be simply regulated. Chaos is, after all, our chance for real change and at the same time must be full of uncertainty and unpredictability.

Since the Sun will not conjunct Uranus until Wednesday, the 12th, the change aspect may be delayed until then. I am looking for something in the news that will shock our society and whose effects will ripple through our society for the next few weeks. Revelations about our economy is one likely source of shock, but with Uranus, by definition, we cannot know since it rules surprise and the unexpected.

As always, I love the responses I get from my readers and enjoy them very much. Please feel free to write.

ANNOUNCEMENT

I know the economy is difficult so I am continuing the reduced price of $110 for a 60- 80 minute consultation. I welcome people who have never had an astrological consultation to give it a try as well as those of you who have.

If you haven’t already, please check out the website for Sher School of Wisdom at www.sherschoolofwisdom.org.

Best to All,
Jim Sher