Venus Making Its Appearance

While we have focused as of late on the Mars retrograde cycle, which is still in effect and the even tougher aspect of Saturn squaring Pluto, beginning this week Venus is rising to get our attention. But this is a less personal Venus since it will have a very Piscean tone to it. It may start out feeling a bit subtle, but it will be gaining strength in the next week. It began by conjuncting Neptune on Sunday, February 6th at 25 degrees of Aquarius and then will amplify its Neptunian ambiance as it enters Pisces on February 11th, 2010 (the ruler of Neptune) and then conjuncts expansive Jupiter at 7 Pisces on February 16th. Not only does this conjunction occur in Pisces, but Jupiter is the co-ruler of this compassionate water sign and Venus is exalted in it as well. We are about to experience this archetypal energy in a very powerful way.

Of course you’re asking what this means and I must tell you a brief story. Last night in class, a student expressed the fact that she has a very hard time understanding and talking about Pisces. Then, another student who has the Moon in Pisces in her birth chart, said, “I know, even I do too!” The reason for this is that this sign is such a dissolving archetypal form, that it defies and must defy simple verbal definition. It literally rules the principle of imagination and idealism, so no wonder that when we approach trying to describe it, we find that we must do so by using images, story, metaphor, and so on. The symbol of Pisces is literally two fish looking at or opposing one another, and yet tied together somehow. This immediately evokes the image of contradiction and to those familiar with archetypal transformational symbols, the notion of reconciliation of opposites. Another story that might help is the woman who called me a few days ago and asked me what was ‘up with the stars’ last Sunday. She said she was watching all of the Dr. Drew Celebrity Rehab shows that were on that day. Well, sure enough that was the very day that Venus aligned with Neptune. So why did this show pique her interest? Because Pisces/Neptune rules both drug addiction and the possible rehab/recovery process. But let’s go deeper. Sure, it tests us in intense ways, but it also takes us into a place where we must learn to have compassion for both ourselves and others. I know several people who participate in 12-step programs and do not have specific addictions. For them it is a way of participating in a spiritual process with others who must move towards being able to reach into one’s very bottom of despair, hopelessness and fear and come out the other side as a transformed person. It also represents ‘every-persons’ connection with one’s own human vulnerability, imperfection and even sorrow…. It is sometimes a specific sorrow that pertains to something that has happened to us, but often it is more of an existential sorrow that does not connect to anything we can clearly identify. And it can connect us with whatever we consider to be God, the Divine, or Life itself.

Archetypally, Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and this itself is quite helpful to us as we attempt to understand this mysterious sign. We can think of life as a building up process that moves us from Aries to the next to last sign, Aquarius. As we grow in concern from oneself, to one’s family, to our relationships with others, and then to society in general, we must finally arrive at Pisces, the symbolic end of the cycle. Because it represents the ending, its aspects must include surrender, letting go and a sense that only we, as individuals can regard the entire cycle as meaningful or not. Sometimes, we see that Pisces can be morose, negative, hopeless and even depressed. It can do all it can to escape the harshness of life and even the sense that it is all meaningless since we all die anyway. But this is exactly where Pisces can ennoble us and take us to new territory. What we are really needing to surrender is our ego attachments to a dying cycle. In doing this we may discover that it is not ‘we’ who are dying, but our identifications that are coming to their inevitable end. Thus, it is Pisces wherein we may encounter our own immortality, but not without a crisis first. That crisis is the result of our having to meet our own mortality and surrender to its inevitability. As we surrender our identifications and even identities, we find that what we are really doing is letting go of all the things we are NOT. It is only then, that we are able to witness what is left when all that we are NOT has dissolved.

One of the ways this can happen to us is through an encounter with the harsh aspects of life. What do people face when they are either in some sort of recovery or in close connection with someone who is? They face BOTH sides of the life cycle. First there is the fear, disgust, desire to flee that always comes with an encounter with people who are at ‘bottom.’ But then, at least for some, there may come the other side, where unconditional love is felt and experienced. It is where we let go of our judgments of self and others and arrive at a deep and profound acceptance of all that is Life. It’s amazing highs and gut-wrenching lows. It is in Pisces where every part of human life is validated, confirmed, and then appreciated and seen as necessary. Not only do we realize that there cannot be highs with lows, but more significantly we see that life without ‘everything-in-it, could not exist. This is the mystical experience of total immersion into all of Life and how we are transformed by this degree of Divine Love and Total Acceptance.

Now that Jupiter has entered Pisces and will soon be followed by Venus, we are going to each of us have a chance to experience this level of love and compassion. But it is also likely that we will also experience the other side as well. In Pisces, ALL of life emerges from the unconscious and while we face the harsh side of life, we can simultaneously also see, sense and experience the deep compassionate side as well. Venus and Jupiter are identified as the higher and lesser benefics, so when they come together, it is generally considered to be a very fortunate time. And they indeed are likely to be. But perhaps it is best if we do not forget that this period could easily take us into an aspect of life that asks us to surrender our judgments and ego-attachments and just BE. Just BE with oneself, with others and with Life. Relationships may indeed form now, but they may take on a tone that is less personal than Venus alone. Venus can be motivated by physical attraction and personal desire. It can express itself as love and beauty in a positive sense, but it is also the Evil Queen who spoke those memorable words – “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all.” The coming Venus-Jupiter transit is going to have a concern for others that can go way beyond ego- gratification and exemplify the best of what Love can be.

Mundane World - It is likely that although most Republicans are wanting the health care bill to die, under the transits that are going in the next weeks, what is more likely is that the bill will be ‘resurrected’ in a new form. The Mars retrograde has brought about large changes but will probably not end the process completely. The next step will be to find some sort of compromise that at least can be embraced by a larger majority than before. It may be much smaller in scope than it was originally, but some sort of compassionate response will be more wanted now than ever. Also, I suspect there will be an increased willingness to take some actions that will relieve the sorrows of those of us who are the least able to take care of themselves.

As always, I hope many of you will tell us how you are experiencing the upcoming transits. We will all appreciate it.

Thanks,

Jim Sher

Taking a Hard Look Ain’t Easy

There are times when we can feel forced to look at aspects of our lives that just aren’t easy to confront. We are entering one of those times. What’s happening in the heavens is that on October 7th, Mercury will align with Saturn at 27 degrees of Virgo after which Venus will go over the same point 5 days later on October 12th. As I’ve often written, Saturn asks (and sometimes demands) that we be realistic, even if what we must see is painful. The way this can work is that something occurs that forces us to pay greater attention, such as an illness that stops us in our tracks. It is then that we start to ask the important question of what we can do to stay healthy so that the problem might never happen again.

However, in this case, the conjunction of Mercury and Venus with Saturn is much more serious than it is usually. On Nov. 15th, Saturn will make its first of 3 squares to Pluto at 1 degree of Libra. This means that Mercury and Venus are ‘triggering’ the upcoming square to Pluto as it is only three degrees away from where it will take place. I will be writing much more about this difficult square in the near future, but it’s time to begin referencing it.

To introduce it, let me remind you of the last time that Saturn and Pluto were in aspect to each other. It last occurred from August of 2001 to May of 2002. The significant event of that period was, of course, the 9/11 terrorist attack. It set into motion a great many things – the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the creation of the Dept. of Homeland Security, a tremendous increase in the national debt and perhaps most importantly, a change in the feeling of safety in this nation’s psyche.

For us to understand the inner effect of a transit, we must be open to examining the unconscious whether it be for a nation or for ourselves. Pluto rules the underworld and while it does include any area of life that is very powerful and intense, it is the planet that seems to be in charge of those deep inner processes that can either lead to very powerful transformation or a very intense experience that can be terrifying if we repress or seek to avoid what is coming up for us.

There is a debate going on in this country and in the world about how to deal with Iran possibly developing a nuclear device. The biggest fear is that the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmajinedad, in his hatred of Israel and the Jewish people in general, might attempt to wipe Israel off the face of the map. What is so interesting for astrologers studying Pluto’s effects is that Ahmajinedad’s family has Jewish roots. Take a look at an article on this. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/6256173/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-revealed-to-have-Jewish-past.html. Why is he hiding his past and what is the effect of that on his psyche?

This debate is already creating intense reactions from every political corner. Some have advised that the U.S or maybe Israel destroy the nuclear reactors, even though that could throw the entire region into war (even more than it already is) and also affect the world’s economy greatly as the price of oil could skyrocket in response to “Western aggression.” This is because Pluto rules immense power and the struggles for it, while simultaneously also pointing to the hidden, repressed areas of our psyche that are actually controlling our outer behavior.

The key for us personally is to discover ways to deal with these archetypes without having to resort to the use of power. Something else may be necessary. And this takes us into Saturn’s territory. Saturn rules those areas of our life that test us because it is where we feel weak, defensive and afraid. Therefore we can be motivated to ignore and avoid those areas. We are faced with the psyche’s tendency to create defense mechanisms as a way of avoiding something with which we don’t feel able to deal. So, when Saturn begins to square Pluto the best thing to do is to be willing to look within, to blame no one, and be willing to work as consciously as possible with one’s own defenses and resistances to truth. Truth here simply means seeing what is.

We may get by ignoring ‘what is’ during much of our lives, but when there is great tension, which is what happens during a square aspect, what happens is that every defense mechanism is triggered. And this occurs because Pluto AMPLIFIES the defense mechanism or resistances we’ve created and work so hard to defend. In other words, Pluto often makes things worse so that we are forced to acknowledge that which we wish we could avoid seeing.

The worst thing one can do during this kind of transit is blame another. That doesn’t mean one doesn’t have to deal with something that is dark, fearsome or violent. But how we approach it is what this transit is all about. The breaking down of resistances, while difficult in the short run, leads us to an easy flow in the area that has been hidden. It is what this transit is going to be about for us. We will do well to be willing to face things truthfully and to INCLUDE THE OTHER when we do. It is necessary to understand one’s opponent. That will tell us the best way to approach dealing with them, including looking to see if they are, indeed, a real opponent.

What we see today in this country with the far-right gleefully enjoying every Obama failure, even if it harms the nation, is likely to continue to grow and hopefully be confronted for what it is. Is it not strange to see far-right conservatives who were the pillars of patriotism when Bush was President, now exude enthusiastic passion when Obama fails to deliver the 2016 Olympics to the U.S.? By not acknowledging Obama as a valid democratically elected President, is that not the height of being anti-United States? What is going on here? The answer is seen only when we are willing to go deeper and look through Pluto’s lens and see what is actually ruling the psyches of the people involved and more broadly, within the psyche of the nation as a whole.

If this is not made conscious, the polarization will grow exponentially. It is fair to debate issues and to disagree on policy, but when the OTHER is demonized, we have stepped into the worst of Pluto’s territory. Why? Because we then have to confront the very demons we have created. Yes, we have created. We may have opponents, but they don’t become demons unless we create them. One of the first things I read a long time ago that helped me understand this was the section of a book by General Patton. This incredible soldier respected his opposing General. He didn’t hate him. Sure he wanted to whip his ass, but that didn’t mean he had to hate his enemy. In fact, as many wise people have said, to hate one’s enemy is to become unable to deal with them successfully.

In the world arena, we need to understand Iran and what they want and need. It is then that we will be able to formulate an intelligent policy and execute it. The same thing is true as we approach very delicate and challenging issues in our personal life. Those who are the closest to us may suddenly do something that infuriates and upsets us greatly. We may even feel painfully betrayed. How we respond to such things is what matters. There’s a reason why the wise advise us to take the high road. It is only that action that prevents us from taking ourselves down into the filth of hate, blame and fury.

Saturn square Pluto will ask us to recognize what we can truly control and what we cannot. If we find that we cannot control another person or situation, then all we may be able to control in the end is OUR reaction.

Thanks a Latte!

Those who know me know I’m not crazy about my chart. I frequently indulge in a little “chart envy”, wishing it were possible to make a celestial nip/tuck with a placement, or five. I’ve yet to find any value to my Saturn in the 8th House, but with any luck I’ll live long enough to share something profound, or at least learn how to stop bitching about it. Fortunately, I’ve been given a golden ticket or two as well to balance out all the ick –that is, when I can actually see them in action, which I rarely do. How often do we notice when things happen so easily? It’s not uncommon to take the good for granted, and obsess over what’s wrong. These golden ticket are frequently found with what we call the easy aspects between two planets, like the trine. With a trine the connection is smooth and comfortable, creating a natural flow of energy — Think Slip ‘n Slide greased with Crisco. It operates with very little effort from the person gifted with the aspect, so many times they are completely oblivious to their good fortune, because they didn’t do anything to get the goodies. Imagine living a Paris Hilton life – here’s someone who was lucky enough to enjoy luxury and ease as a birth right, not something she earned. Granted, there’s no way to know how she feels about her life, but considering her surroundings, how could she really understand financial hardship or the necessity of work.

Trines are especially enjoyable when they’re between happy planets, like Venus and Jupiter. Everybody likes Venus and Jupiter! They’re what the ancient astrologers called the “Benefics” – Venus being the “lesser benefic” and Jupiter, the “greater benefic”. Venus is associated with money, beauty, things that bring us pleasure – the good stuff. Jupiter is expansive, nicknamed the “Santa Claus planet” for its ebullience, good fortune and generosity. Put the two together and you have a vast potential for piñata dropping bootie. Case in point: I happen to have an exact trine between the two. Now before you go all chart envy on me, let the record show I don’t have a Malibu beach house or a parlor full of gentlemen callers. Sadly. Even with the best of the best, there’s no guarantee life will be full of cash and prizes. But sometimes, if I take the time to notice I can see good fortune sliding to me in all kinds of ways. For example:

•  I find lucky coins on the street all the time. OK, pennies and quarters are not winning lottery tickets, but it happens a lot — so much that my sister ended up buying me a “Lucky Penny Piggy Bank”. It’s a big one. I’ve emptied it three times already.
• I’m really good at finding sweet parking spaces (a necessity in Los Angeles). My friends know this, so whenever we car pool everyone wants me as a passenger in their car to partake of my parking karma. 
• Once I ended up with FREE front row tickets to the one and only Barbara Streisand concert (back then) – they were worth $500. It’s too long a story to explain how I got them, but believe me, they landed in my lap. Since I didn’t really want to go, I gave them to two co-workers who were salivating over them. (And for the record, the clutch on my car had just gone out — $500 to fix — so I totally should have sold them, but it didn’t feel right.)
• Restaurant staff take extra special care of me. When a waitress asked me if there was anything else she could get us, I quipped “Yeah, you can get me an hour in the kitchen with the chef, so he can teach how to make those short ribs…” Well, I didn’t get that, but within minutes he was standing in front of our table where we could rave to him in person. And then later, the waitress delivered a hand written copy of the recipe long before the check arrived. My dinner date, a friend who worked at Bon Appétit, was incredulous – “LeeAnn, it’s Saturday night in the middle of a packed dinner hour and he took the time to write down a recipe for you. That’s huge.” Not as big as a Jupiter/Venus trine, baby!

OK, now I just sound like I’m bragging. I’ll share only one more – promise! Next to our office there’s a gas station / quickie mart. Recently I picked up a habit of heading downstairs for a morning coffee. The thing is, I’m not much the coffee drinker, but I love the instant cappuccino kind that comes out of the machine. (True coffee drinkers would say that is not coffee so much as it is a cup of melted Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream, and they would be right. And it’s goooood.) Anyway, I’ve been hooked on this routine for a few weeks now, until last week when I bounced up to the melted ice cream dispenser to see “Out of Order”. I pouted and whined a little to the guy behind the counter (a very nice Indian man named Ray), who said they were out of “powder” but would get some next week. I checked back every day, hoping it would come in sooner, but it didn’t. More pouting, no whining. Finally one day I went down to buy a real coffee to tide me over, and when I went to pay he said “it’s on the house”. Wha? I stood there a little confused, while he went on about how he felt bad that I came in every day, and they didn’t have it yet, so not only was it on the house that day, but the coffee would be on the house every day until they got the machine working again. Bemused, and a little bewildered, I walked out sipping my steaming hot cup o’ good fortune, and I remembered that sometimes it’s good to be Paris!

Love is in the Air – or Is It?

For the last few months, Venus and Mars have been dancing together with so much ease that it could make it seem that it will always be easy for romance to appear. Lots of people have been telling me that they’re trying to figure out which person they’ve met is the one with whom they may want to build a relationship. (Of course I’m only talking about single people, since it is a well-known fact that love affairs between married people are extremely rare, especially among conservative Governors). Venus and Mars also affects our ability to create, have fun, and shows he we approach bringing joy into our lives. This has been a great time for us to take advantage of opportunities that come our way. The houses and aspects where this conjunction takes place in our chart will tell us where the action is likely to be.

Now, Venus is moving away from Mars, but as it does, they are both moving right into a square to the other planets dancing together.  Jupiter is conjunct  Neptune and it is these two giants that Venus and Mars are beginning to square. A square aspect brings tension and a lot of energy to any situation in which we are engaged. Perhaps there will be conflicts and difficulties as well. What will the nature of these be? Most likely they will involve confusion (Neptune), unrealistic expectations or hopes and conflicts over values and even spirituality.

I want to confide something to you. The planet I have the most difficult time writing about is Neptune. The reason is that this archetype is so enigmatic, inconsistent and subtle. Liz Greene, a Jungian therapist and astrologer wrote a very long book on this planet alone. The other thing I hate about it is that as one begins to describe its characteristics it always comes out negative. Here are some sample keywords – deception (to oneself and to others), disillusionment, disappointment, sacrifice, martyrdom, scandal, and so on. So, where can I go from here?

The fact is that the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are all archetypal forms that have not yet been integrated into the mass consciousness of humanity. This is why they often manifest more negatively. As we discover how we can work consciously with these, their positive aspects also begin to appear. So let’s look at what Neptune can help us develop. Neptune rules what can be called the ‘mystic understanding’ or ‘mystic experience’. It is not just a matter of thinking or logic. It is an experience that informs us of how we are all connected to one another and to the World itself. It dissolves the sense of separateness, which is something we’ve worked hard to create ever since we were born and came out of the primeval waters of the unconscious. Now, we have to dive back into a world that we worked so hard to leave? Well, yes, but we’re not the same as we were then. If we’ve developed a good, strong ego, Neptune can help us experience amazing heights of beauty, surrender, love and awe—-WHILE we remain working in our roles in life, fulfilling our dharma or duties (Saturn). The archetype of Saturn can help us remain grounded in life while simultaneously venturing forth into the aethers of our imagination and fantasy life. It’s where we wonder if our dreams may be far more real than we think. Maybe we create our reality from these dreams. Or maybe in another dimension, they’re really real. One can never be sure.

Right now with Jupiter conjuncting Neptune, high spiritual experiences are quite possible for us if we are so inclined. But so are high hopes and dreams that may not be possible. Should we try to actualize these even though we don’t know whether or not we are standing on solid ground? Perhaps we should. If we remain aware that we don’t know what the outcome will be, we can stand in the midst of uncertainty and the groundlessness of not knowing and we’ll be fine. We may be better than fine as we must not underestimate the importance of living in the state just described for groundlessness can inspire us and make us feel totally alive. In this state amazing feelings and emotions are invoked as our spirit is taken to wonderful heights…… while also knowing that we could fall to the ground if we go too far. The antidote for this may be ‘faith’ in its highest sense. A faith that lets us be guided in every step by an internal knowing  of what is right and best for us. It exists in each of us and the present Jupiter/Neptune transit can help us find it and put it to use.

With Venus and Mars involved, this theme is likely to play out in relationships. And not just romantic ones. It will affect all kinds. Taking a risk can be exciting, but if you can remain connected to the deepest part of yourself that does know the truth, that risk becomes something worth taking. When we stay connected to That, we can’t go too far off base and even if we do, we can look back and know that it was a great ride, worth every penny. There can be no disappointment when we have that attitude, right?

Hope you are enjoying your ride!!

Venus turns direct – “A Great Example of How Changes of Planetary Direction Create Reversals”

This will be a brief newsletter, but something very interesting occurred today that directly relates to Venus changing direction and turning direct. One way to describe it is to say that values are returning back to normal

Please check out this article — http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/20/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm?postversion=2009042013

April 20th was the first day the stock market was open since Venus went direct on Friday, April 17. All the dates in the above article represent the Venus retrograde cycle. The first sentence actually says — “Stocks tumbled Monday as the six-week old rally lost steam.” Venus has been retrograde for exactly six weeks. Then the author writes that — “It was the biggest one-day selloff since March 2nd.” Venus went retrograde on March 6th.

Of course, reasons will be given for this reversal, but how can the exact dates of both changes be accounted for without examining the astrological significances? The interesting part of this article is that the Bank of America reported positive earnings and they weren’t believed. Why are they only now being disbelieved?

For those watching the market, it will be important to see what happens this week as it will reveal much about the trends of things. I must add however that we are close to the formation of a Jupiter/Neptune conjunction. It takes place for seven months and begins in mid-May. This is an important aspect to watch as it could create a very hopeful and optimistic attitude. It may or may not be realistic, but only time will tell on that. What I do know is that this conjunction will likely represent a new reversal point, indicating another possible shift.

I know some of my subscribers watch the markets so I thought I’d pass this on.

I’ve received emails from many of you and want to thank you for your stories. I’m in the process of changing my website and hope to create an active section for these stories. Permission will be requested before publishing.

What we can learn from this present moment is that this is a good time to be realistic about money and relationships.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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.

All the best,
Jim Sher

The Dance of Venus and Mars – Venus turning Direct

The six-week long Venus retrograde is about to end as Venus will turn direct on Friday, April 17 at 12:24pm PDST. It has already slowed to a crawl indicating that the issues we’ve been deeply looking into have, for the most part, been presented. Many of us are now working through what has been revealed and just beginning to either implement whatever changes we feel are needed or deal with the changes that have already been made.

The square to Pluto is still a very big part of what is still in play, though. In fact, Mars is about to join Venus and both will square Pluto from around April 19- May 4. This is a strange period. That’s exactly the words I am often hearing lately and will continue to be true for awhile longer. So, I ask people what do they mean by ’strange.’ I hear different things of course, but the flavor of what is being said is consistent with the feeling that something important is changing within oneself about their self-image, how they relate to others including romantic encounters, and the strong emergence of the priority we must give to being authentic and real in all we do.

To me, Pluto presents and can destroy those aspects within us that block us from being able to simply present ourselves to others as we are. I have heard so many people express feelings of being vulnerable in the past few weeks. But this vulnerability is stripping away the need to be ‘invulnerable’, whatever that is. Of course, it is a façade, a societally-created pretense that sometimes we need to succeed in the world, but which also makes our lives feel awful. When we allow ourselves to live with and fully feel that state of vulnerability, something magical can happen. We can begin to feel good about ourselves as we truly are and by living with that vulnerability, fear gradually gives way to feeling stronger than ever and able to deal with whatever life presents to us.

This is often how Pluto works. By intensifying negative feelings and considerations, we find that we are able to directly examine them and resolve to let them go and move toward more healthy expressions of our fundamental needs. The present transits are giving us a unique opportunity to engage in this process. It isn’t over yet, but is finally moving us towards a greater clarity of the importance of engaging fully in this process.

The Unusually Long Dance Between Venus and Mars

Usually, Venus moves much faster than Mars, but right now Venus is moving very slowly while Mars is chugging along at its usual pace. This results in these two sexy planets moving together from now until the end of June. In other words, we will have these two lovers dancing together for 10 weeks instead of just a few days. Yes, this is a great time for all kinds of romantic relationships as well as other types as well. Specifically, Mars will exactly conjunct Venus on April 21st and it will then take until June 21st for Venus to catch up and align with Mars again.

I believe the timing of this couldn’t be better. Venus retrograde is helping us discover what we truly enjoy, even love. Now, with Mars, the archetypal force of going after what we want, joining Venus, we are able to realize those very things we are now seeing as real needs. And it’s giving us time to begin going after these deeply held motivations and needs over the next 10 weeks. It’s like getting to the nub of something, having clarity and certainty, and then immediately having a chance to DO something about those things we have discovered that we really want and need. We are even being given the time to do get them started.

This 10-week period is likely to be a special time. And during the midst of it, Saturn will also help us out as it will go direct on May 16. This can become a very powerful time for us and is one of those rare periods where we are being urged to go after what we want and are able to trust that we’re not being fooled by blind, ill-considered urges that are controlling us. Act with what you know in your heart is needed and take the risk to go for it. That’s my suggestion. And it becomes especially true after the next New Moon, which is in slow and methodical Taurus, beginning on April 24th.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The new Westside class is not quite ready to start. There remains one open slot for anyone interested in attending the new Beginning Astrology class that will be held on Thursday evenings on the Westside. The first class begins on a Sunday, April 26th and on Thursday’s after that. If you think you might want to attend, please contact me as soon as possible.

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.

All the best,
Jim Sher

The Square Between Venus & Pluto – The Intensity of Desire

Hi Everyone,

Ordinarily, Venus is a fast moving planet which results in its effects being short-lived. They may last for only a few days at most. But that’s not the case right now at all. Venus is slowing down in the latter part of its retrograde cycle and will only be moving two degrees over the next month. This means that the transit it is making with Pluto is not going to last just a few days, but until the first week of May. In my classes right now, the main topic is on this subject. Why? Because firstly, whenever a planet slows, its effects are amplified and intensified. When a planet is moving slowly or is stationary, its going to feel similar to shining a light on just one spot. That spot is getting all the heat, attention and focus.

But secondly, it will be squaring Pluto during this entire slowdown and reversal. In fact, Venus will be making a square to Pluto for a month as it doesn’t complete the square until May 3rd. Pluto intensifies whatever it touches, so the two together form a tense aspect that demands we look deeply at our feelings, what we want, and any relationships we are in or are considering. Pluto’s intensity is best understood as an ‘All-or-Nothing’ attitude or approach. The reason for this is that right now we want a real, authentic, deep form of relating or nothing at all. “Why bother?” could be our attitude.

Although there is great focus on relationships, it isn’t just that. It’s finding out what we want and like. We are asking what makes us truly happy. This is the paramount question and we can even be obsessed about this at this time. I have been honored to receive a great many emails in the past several weeks from readers who are going through their personal adventure. The deep probing is not mental by any means. People are going into their depths (and sometimes their dark bedrooms), needing to go internal in ways that can be shocking and for some, alarming as they are so focused on love and relationships that it’s scaring them. Fear itself is an important aspect of this transit and can be explored to great advantage. We can begin to examine the nature of fear itself, that it is closely connected to fear of the unknown, to the fear of admitting to oneself all the things we don’t know and cannot control. We can feel very vulnerable, which when accepted, can be a very helpful thing.

URGENCY – I want to talk about this one by itself. When Venus is in Aries, one wants to move quickly and being stationary and square to Pluto right now, this sense is intensely more prominent than ever. “I have to decide now”, “I have to get out of this painful feeling now”, “I must solve the problem immediately”, etc., are just some of the things people are saying to me. This urgency is best dealt with by simply acknowledging that we are feeling things so much more strongly than we are accustomed, that we are afraid, worried, or just want it to be over. We can even feel consumed by these feelings. Learning to sit in what we are feeling rather than try to change or do something (or anything) is the best way to deal with this transit. No, this does not mean that we should not act when we know what we must do. We should act once we are clear. But the urgency itself is a red-flag telling us that we may not have fully processed what we need to in order to make a decision we can feel good about later.

Pluto asks us to deeply process and this takes time. We are being pulled into our own unconscious right now and if we make decisions or act from this unconscious place, we may not like the results. Processing the new and emerging feelings, motivations, etc. are what we are being asked to do. And if relationships do end, the process that matters most to us is one of getting to the core of why that relationship didn’t work. What was missing? Were we able to be ourselves or were we faking it with that person and trying to fit into the image of what the other person wanted us to be?

Also, we are advised not to take the first person who shows up. The urgency I speak of can result in our wanting to find something, anything, just so the pain and/or uncertainty is reduced. Also, what we attract or are attracted to may be a reflection of our unconscious and hidden motives and desires, and not what we really want or need. When the contents of the unconscious emerge from our depths, it is a vital and important time for us where much growth can occur, but until we have integrated the material into our consciousness, any act can be premature.

FINANCIAL – Just a tidbit to those of you who are watching the market. The market went up when Venus went retrograde, though it has been slipping the last several days. The next reversal point is when Venus turns direct on April 17. That will be the time to watch and see if the stock market continues to grow or begins a reversal of fortune. My guess is that since Pluto rules debt, that not all of the banks have revealed how much bad debt they are still holding. As that comes out, it will constantly exert downward pressure on our confidence. We won’t think that the financial problems have hit bottom or that our leaders have a handle on what to do.

NEW WESTSIDE ASTROLOGY CLASS

There are only a few spots remaining for the new Thursday evening astrology class, so if you are interested in learning astrology in a supportive and fun environment, please email or call as soon as possible.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

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.

All the best,
Jim Sher

New Beginning Astrology Class on the Westside – Announcing a NEW Astrology Class Forming on the Westside

I have located a space near West L.A. and am now able to offer a Beginning Astrology class for those wanting to take astrology on the Westside. The class will be on Thursday evenings although the first class is being scheduled for Sunday, April 26. This date is contingent on having enough students to begin the class. If you’re interested in taking the class or desire to learn more, please contact me at 818-501-7114.

The Subject of Reversals

One of the most interesting aspects of watching transits closely is to notice when there is a reversal in the energy or momentum of a situation or matter. Financial astrologers do this all the time in their attempt to predict where the stock and commodity prices will go. Something odd occurred when Venus went retrograde. Usually this transit marks a time when stocks go down, but not this time. Since Venus went retrograde the stock market has risen 21% in just 14 days. That sort of radical rise last occurred in 1938. This has been a truly historic rise. Then we had the Inferior conjunction of Venus to the Sun and we have had a reversal. This is not unusual. Stocks are declining and in fact, there is a possibility that the decline will accelerate between now and April 4 as Mars is moving into an opposition to Saturn. NOTE: I an not advising anything here. I am not a financial advisor at all. I am simply reporting the trends from an astrological perspective. We can watch this together and see what emerges.

The Mars opposition to Saturn is a time where we must face some hard realities. Some will do so and as always some will resist. The macro events of this cycle seems to be pertaining to the automobile industry as Obama has forced out the CEO of GM and is sending all kinds of signals of what he wants the auto companies to do. The Republicans and citizens of Michigan are renouncing this, which is to be expected. My guess is that the intensity of this matter will be growing over the next week reaching a peak on Friday. After this, Mars will move over the next two weeks into a conjunction with surprising and volatile Uranus. We will certainly feel that things are changing (perhaps radically) but that feeling will likely be accompanied by a real fear as uncertainty will also rise. It may be exciting but people generally love stability and predictability and the period between April 4 – 15 will be anything but that. For individuals though this will be a very good time to make those changes you have been pondering for a long time. The feel of this cycle will be one of ‘breaking free’ from constraints, rules, limitations, etc. Uranus rules innovation so there can be a greater openness to new ideas than usual.

More on Venus retrograde – Venus does not turn direct until Friday, April 17, so the evaluation process inherent in this cycle is continuing. However, much has already been learned so that the last part of this cycle is usually concerned with processing what one has learned and discovered over the last few weeks. For example, people may have come out of the woodwork to check in with us, seeking some kind of resolution in understanding. Now we must work with all that to see where we want to go from here. When Venus turns direct we are likely to feel refreshed and ready to move forward on any matters that pertain to love, beauty, romance, and of course, personal finance. It can be like cleaning house, especially with the Venus retrograde squaring Pluto.

This square to Pluto however can be difficult as Pluto rules the underworld. When we work with Plutonic energy we are thrust into issues from our own subconscious. This is the realm of those things we don’t want to look at, areas around which there are wounds and painful memories, but where something fundamental must be released in order for us to truly feel whole, clean, and able to move forward into a new way of Being-in-the -World.

As always, I love your emails reporting on how the transits are affecting you and am very grateful for them.

Announcements

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.

All the best,
Jim Sher