Category Archives: mercury retrograde astrology
Hope Rocks! Ready when you are, Jupiter!
Hope Rocks!
Many (myself included) are rejoicing in the fact that Mercury the scribe has completed its retrograde period, along with Uranus the rebel—two planets that reign supreme over my countenance of late. All that’s left is the direct motion of Jupiter, coming on Christmas Day! Hooray! Writings in the Sky has a nice rundown of all the exciting planetary activity, as well.
I had commented earlier on Jupiter’s role in lifting spirits, evoking optimism, and providing a foundation of hope. Lord (or whoever you wish to insert in the name of cosmic magnificence) knows, I ride on the pinwheel of positivity whenever I can. And sometimes, I wonder whether I’m mistaking the hopeful influence of Jupiter for the escapist influence of Neptune. I can’t deny the tendency to lose myself in music or daydreams in order to cope with a difficult situation. But then, I realize that there is a distinct difference between the two:
Jupiter = Belief; Neptune = Surrender
When I set forth to achieve something, I believe in its completion. When I listen to music, I surrender to its purpose.
So during these periods of retrograde, it’s not that I lose my beliefs—rather, I need to examine the basis of my beliefs to make sure that they are strong enough and valid enough to support me during a period of testing. Saturn has a nasty way of testing beliefs, especially when they are foolish or outdated. And when I’m ready, I turn to Neptune to lose myself in the Jupiterian safety net I’ve created.
And of course, I can’t forget the gifts of belief and surrender: my “Hope” rock was a gift from a Jupiter-ruled Sagittarian, Zen Ben of the Neptunian Splintered Sunlight family.
“Everybody’s playin’ in the heart of gold band.”- Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, Scarlet Begonias
Mercury Retrograde: Returns and Regrets!
As many of you may know, we are in the midst of a Mercury Retrograde traveling through Sagittarius. If you are like me and are ruled my Mercury—all day, every day—then you may be suffering from acute cleverness and agility withdrawal. You also may find that you are returning to or regretting something.
Regret: Just this morning, I made the horrible mistake of taking scissors to my bangs as I was rushing out of the house for work. The result? I chopped off 3 inches of hair in the front of my head from my already short hair which turned me into a female Friar Tuck! This Gemini Ascendant is NOT PLEASED.
Return: That hair travesty aside, I did edit my blog a bit—I added some of my songs and music articles—and have revisited the novel I began writing last winter. The Objectives of Urania Zed sprung out of the intense Uranus transits I’ve been experiencing: T Uranus opp N Mercury & Venus and conj P Midheaven; P Mercury conj N Uranus. I’m also the child of two highly Uranian parents.
Urania Zed, the heroine, is a senior in high school when the novel begins and she endures some pretty heavy events early on which drive her into a web of self-discovery, earthly and universal mysteries, and deathly adventures. My characters are all linked to astrology, tarot, and other spiritual references. I hope you’ll check it out and let me know what you think. Tell your friends too!
PA Political Astrology: Narrowing down the candidates for Governor (Part 1)
[tweetmeme]The race for PA Governor has taken a slight turn during this lovely Mercury Retrograde (ending this Friday, January 15, 2010), in that Jim Gerlach (R-Pisces) has decided to withdraw and, instead, run for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. This leaves only two GOP candidates left—Tom Corbett and Sam Rohrer—both Leo Suns (though Corbett is on the Leo-Virgo cusp). The Democrats, however, still have four candidates (that I’m aware of) in the mix: Joe Hoeffel (Virgo), Dan Onorato (Aquarius), Jack Wagner (Capricorn), and Tom Knox (unknown- if you know his birthdate, please share it). Fortunately for me, I can avoid experiencing the Democratic, decision paralysis that comes with more than two options—if you know me personally, then you know who my choice for Governor has always been and will be when I walk into the booth, then out of the booth, and on with my blue-blooded life. However, for the sake of the science of astrology—which has no “favorites”—I will remain relatively objective-ish and save my opinion for twitter, facebook, and casual conversation. 🙂 I’ll hold off on breaking down the natal charts of the Democratic candidates until after the field has quieted down. I wish them all luck in raising money and bolstering confidence and name recognition amongst the voters for the Primary—plus, I’d like to see some Lt. Governor action so I can have a clearer picture of what’s in store.
I will say that it’s almost obvious who the Republican candidate will be: Tom Corbett (Leo), Attorney General. I mean, come on, he has the name recognition and is the Republican poster boy leading the charge of investigating corruption in the PA House of Representatives. He’s probably investigating you right now. (Damn, I may have just been targeted…) He squatted and claimed the domain name “www.attorneygeneral.gov” before anyone else did and is very interested in technology. (I only know this because I watched him being interviewed on PCN TV a few months ago and this is what he said.) Plus, he’s got a bit of the Jimmy Johnson thing going on. So, unless some miraculous manipulator gets him to withdraw from the race in order to continue his post as Attorney General on a Legislative witch hunt, it will be Corbett who faces the “chosen one” on the Democratic side of the ballot.
When looking at political candidates, I always look at the Moon and Venus first because those two planets deal with popularity and finances—two very crucial components for getting elected. Because I don’t have a birth time for Corbett’s natal chart, I’m using 6am. (This is a standard that I use as a default when I want to see how the planets are relating to one another.) I can only estimate the position of his natal Moon since it moves so quickly in the course of 24 hours (approx 13 degrees per day). At 6am it was at 5 degrees Leo, however, it can range between 2 to 15 degrees Leo on his recorded birth date of August 22, 1949, per Project Vote Smart. If it’s in the early degrees of Leo, his nata; Moon is favorably aspected by natal Venus (usually a good thing) and also the progressed Moon is conjunct the progressed Sun- forming a Progressed New Moon (also viewed as favorable). However, if his natal Moon is more toward the mid-degrees of Leo, it forms a tight conjunction with Pluto (a very powerful planet for good or ill) and also would be forming a favorable aspect to progressed Venus. Additionally, transiting Pluto is forming a T-square with his natal Venus and natal Uranus, an indicator of dramatic and unexpected changes to finances and popularity, or females in one’s life. Any way I look at it, he’s got a strong chart, which can be seen by his current station in PA politics.
What is interesting is transiting Saturn is conjunct his natal Venus, which is also involved in the T-square with Uranus and Pluto. Saturn always adds an element of restriction, and when involved with Venus it can signal monetary restriction. However, that may not be a big deal because of his apparent lack of need for campaigning (See header: Tom Corbett’s Free Campaign). On the other hand, Corbett has been accused of targeting Democrats over Republicans for investigation, most recently in the case of Senator Jane Orie. Time will unravel all the exciting details—his natal Sun is being supported by the energy of progressed Mars (even though the rest of us are experiencing the Mars retrograde), though opposed by the Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron conjunction. Also, the transiting north node is passing over his natal Jupiter. His chart (below) is nothing to scoff at but stay tuned…
National Political Astrology: Sagittarius Harry Reid (D) Makes a Negregious Slur
[tweetmeme]First, the Census 2010 has the word “Negro” as an option for racial classification. Then, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada says President Barack Obama lacks a “Negro dialect.” What is the deal with all this Negregiousness? Okay, I’m being a little silly, but really, is it that big of a deal? How old is Harry Reid? Um, he’s 70…and he’s a Sagittarius. His natal Mercury is not only in Sagittarius, too, but it is also, you guessed it, Retrograde. Sagittarians are born with Centaurian “hoof-in-mouth” syndrome and lack of tact. Just ask Nancy Pelosi about their inappropriate public gestures. But of all the signs of the Zodiac, Sagittarians are one of the least likely to be racist. Why? They are ruled by Jupiter, the ruler of foreign places, expansive consciousness, higher learning, and generosity. Now, I’m not saying there aren’t any Sagitta-racists, I’m just giving you some food for thought.
Give Senator Reid a break. His natal and progressed Mercury are both receiving transits from the Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron conjunction, while transiting Pluto is sitting on his natal Venus, and transiting Uranus, in concert with natal Pluto and natal Neptune, are forming aspects to his progressed Venus. In short, his reputation is taking a beating and the public is not very appreciative of him right now, while the media is using his words and actions against him rather than for him. His progressed Sun is awfully close to Chiron and Neptune which can sometimes be a signal of retirement but we will see how he fares in the upcoming election. In any case, I’ve got nothing against the man.
PA Political Astrology: Pisces Jim Gerlach (R) drops out of 2010 Gubernatorial Race
While I was fluttering about on twitter, I came across a tweet by Politicspa about Jim Gerlach’s withdrawal from the PA Governor’s race. My immediate reaction was, “Well, that sounds very Mercury Retrograde-esque,” and then I decided to check the planets. I found a birth date of February 25, 1955 on Wikipedia, and plugged it into Astro.com. I’ve used a default birth time of 6am, though exact time is unknown- I will not be taking house positions or rulerships into account. (See chart graphic below.)
The first thing I noticed was good ‘ol Uranus- the King of Unexpected. Gerlach has a natal Venus/Uranus opposition, though Jupiter is also conjunct Uranus which adds an element of expansion or luck (good or bad) into the equation. This opposition is currently being hit by a conjunction of the transiting North and South Nodes. In addition, his progressed Venus is sitting in a conjunction with transiting Uranus. To me, this signals an unexpected change in a financial situation. God knows, finances are key to succeeding in politics. It could also indicate issues with a spouse but I don’t know anything about his personal life. We’ll see if the news sheds any light on this issue.
I also noticed that transiting Pluto is conjunct Gerlach’s natal North Node, which is also being squared by transiting Saturn. Pluto always brings a heavy load with it- even when it’s good. He could be going through a major change to his lifestyle or career path, though I’d need further details on house positions to see that. There is talk that he will instead, run for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. (See articles on Politico, Politicspa, and Capitol Ideas.) In any case, I do wish him the best in whatever he decides- he is a good looking guy, even for a Republican. 🙂 I’m no longer hostile towards him since he defeated Lois Murphy…twice. She has just been elected as the first Democratic Judge in Montgomery County. You can also follow him on twitter: @JimGerlach.
mercury retrograde: REdo the Oath of Office
chart is below (courtesy of the lovely astrodienst: http://www.astro.com)
Mercury x3: SignOn2Nine 