Enter Sun in Leo

At 6:21 EST Thursday, the Sun will make its annual transit from Cancer to Leo. We've spent the past month in a water sign, which has cooled our summer impulses and perhaps brought a reality check to our lofty goals and fantasies. Like the Cancer crab, you've probably been feeling as if you're moving sideways instead of forwards. That's all about to change, so make sure you're pointed in the right direction come Thursday.
Enter Sun in Leo, a time for celebration, self-indulgence, and letting your ego shine. The astrological weather on and around this transit will help us to discern exactly how to approach this drastic shift of energy.
On Wednesday, Saturn will transit to Libra, the sign in which it started the year 2010. Saturn entered retrograde in January, regressing to Virgo and stationing direct there. Now, Saturn is finally moving on, and it begs the question: why aren't you? Although Saturn is classically known as the rule-maker, and is therefore branded as a combatant against change, it is only through Saturn that we can understand the laws and systems that hold us in balance. Saturn's rule from Libra will be harsh but just; only through understanding its controlling nature can we attempt to make plans and make changes. The fuel behind progress is the breaking of habits, and Saturn finds a perfect context in the harmonious scales of Libra for doing just that.

Thankfully, perfectly staged to break all the rules for us is mighty Uranus, God of gods before Saturn or Jupiter, regressing through the incredibly powerful point of Zero Aries. Its opposition to Saturn is certain to shake things up, and it won't be a gentle shaking, as both of these opposing planets square Pluto, another strong planet that is notorious for bringing about very exciting and intense circumstances. Expect that some peoples' energies and emotions will run far too high over the next two days.
As if called to action by this energetic intensification, Jupter springs into retrograde movement the day after the Sun's transit to move towards an unfriendly square with the increasingly popular Pluto. These planets are about to enter a power struggle of epic proportions, and the anticipation is building. This aspect does not bode well for our finances as individuals or as a nation. Be wary of any business interactions; greed will not be uncommon this week, and if you're not aware of it, you'll quickly become the victim.
Emotion. Excitement. Intense energy. These words are all too common (however inevitably appropriate) in any astrologer's reading when a cardinal t-square of this magnitude is in play: Saturn in Libra, Pluto in Capricorn, and Uranus in Aries, all planets resting within the earliest degrees of their respective cardinal signs. However, as Saturn is just settling into its new home in Libra, Uranus and Pluto teeter uncomfortably as they prepare to regress into Pisces and Sagittarius, respectively. I've included at the bottom an image of the zodiac upon the Sun's transit; in it you can clearly draw a "T" among these three planets.
For now, all eyes are on Saturn, and as astrologer Len Wallick says of the situation, "it’s comforting to know that the planet of conformity is behaving like we have a future". While Saturn's ingress into Libra is a hopeful endeavor, we must have ourselves oriented properly or we will quickly find ourselves traveling in the wrong direction. Set your sights, figure out where you want to go, get your finances in order, and most important, get ready. July 22nd is go time.

Note: This will likely be my last update at "Practical Astrology" for awhile. I've accepted a position writing for The Examiner, an online newspaper, so I'll be publishing my writings there. Don't worry, nothing's going to change, except that I'll be getting paid!
I'll post up a link to my Examiner page once it's up and running. Thanks to all who have followed Practical Astrology, and please continue to read my work!

Things Fall Apart

Through in-depth conversations with correspondents of mine in various locations and social circles, it has been made clear to me that the past week has seen various forms of upheaval: that is, a shift away from a certain habit, constant, or way of life that has become a source of comfort through repetition and duration. In the approach to the Solar Eclipse of Sunday, I listened to and took notes on several tales of firings, theft, bankruptcy, breakups, and even hospitalization. In attempts to piece together this puzzle of poor fortunes, I turned to my trusty ephemeris chart and current astrological map. Surely enough, I found some answers too clear to be considered "coincidence".
It all started last Monday, July 5th, when Uranus entered retrograde. Uranus has always been a planet associated with bringing sudden change, and with its recent transit to Aries, it also inspires within us a sense of self-empowerment that could direct our decision making towards deviance. Moreover, an active sextile between the Sun and Mars (perfected just before the Solar Eclipse) has given us assertive confidence and the ability to initiate decisions we've been sitting on for some time. Meanwhile, Pluto and Uranus are at ends again, now forming a square that lays an emotional foundation for a time of inevitable change, which usually manifests itself as loss, be it of capital, health, a job, or even a loved one. Pluto is also moving towards a square with Jupiter, an aspect that in the past has brought bad tidings for financial matters.
The key operator here? The Solar Eclipse amongst the formation of a cardinal t-square has an incredibly intensifying effect; think of the phrase "playing with fire", except that you've soaked both arms in gasoline beforehand. This heavy-hitting cosmic dance is a perfect example of the dense, powerful, and rare astrology we've seen this year. So what next?

The past week has brought us many changes in our sky, and these past three days have felt more like a month than a weekend for many. I wish I could say that we've emerged unscathed from this turmoil, but that seems not to be the case. Although you may feel a bit downtrodden or even exhausted, go on about your business as you always have. Now is not the time to make any adjustments to your daily routine. Do what makes you feel happy, comfortable, and relaxed; if that's your job, then good for you. But if you're like most people I know, that means feeding a passion that you may have been neglecting as of late, be it arts, sports, cars, tanning... whatever. Do it.
Whether you're feeling down from recent loss or misfortune, or just feeling apathetic, confused, or restless, today's Leo Moon provides a starting point for moving on. However, Venus (having just entered Virgo, shining bright here in the New York sky this past weekend) cautions us that progress can only made through emotional understanding and compassion for your peers. Keep in mind that every person you encounter is just about as dynamic and multi-faceted as you are; they have an array of moods and a selection of personalities of which you likely only see a fraction, so try not to hold them at fault for any confusing signals they send you. They don't always mean exactly what they say, and they rarely can say exactly what they mean. Most of our relationships exist in the context of a complex and dynamic network that poses so many variables that it's hard to clearly identify our roles in the lives of others: or, as they would say on Facebook, "it's complicated".
The political and economic events of late, although concurrent with the small-scale social issues I've been observing, are far too plentiful and complex to start digging into right now. Still, ever present is our struggle with the relationship between self and society. Although the challenges and frustrations that have been plaguing the headlines for over a year now seem distant and somewhat removed from our personal lives, now is a time to figure out just how important these issues really are; pick your battles, and take on a concept that you previously considered too vast for the spectrum of your existence. The strength of the cardinal cross manifests itself here, specifically in the opposition of Aries (self) and Libra (relationships and harmony). Trial, error, and more error inform us that it is ourselves and ourselves alone who prevent us from achieving a happy balance amongst friends and acquaintances, love and kinship.
Use the image below to go outside sometime this week and find Venus in the sky. She will remind you that progress towards balance and happiness is made only through understanding and patience.

Pseudo-Black Thursday

Around 2:30pm yesterday, May 6, 2010, Wall Street experienced a scare reminiscent of the stock market crash of 2008. Amidst a day of downwardly sliding stocks, the Dow suddenly plummeted an alarming 998 points in under half an hour. Our ongoing fears that the debt crises (one of which is coming to heated point in Greece, but we'll talk about that later) in Europe would spill over into American investments had been realized. Or had they?
Certain sources have received information that a trading glitch may have triggered the initial decline (marked by a 40% plunge in Procter & Gamble, a commodities mega-corporation considered one of the most solid investments on Wall Street) which sent stockholders into a selling frenzy, abandoning their more volatile assets for safer holdings such as mutual funds.

This activity is a textbook play for Mercury's retrograde cycle; throwing a wrench into the machine that is the American economy matches the classic M.O. of our favorite trickster, Hermes. Amongst three quarters of encouraging economic growth comes a mini-crisis that almost sparks a nationwide panic founded upon a simple miscommunication or computing error.
Keep in mind that electronic forms of communication are highly subject to the woes of Mercury's anti-communicative influence. Just because your messages are contained within your trusty computer-box does not make them invulnerable; in fact, electronic messages often work on a delay, and are much less reliable than face to face communication. Expect Mercury to take every advantage it can in disrupting these forms of communication.

Meanwhile, Greek's economy spirals as it bears the burden of a debt crisis combined with a regional economic downturn. The European Union as well as the IMF have proposed "bailout" measures for the country, but are debating it amongst their respective governing bodies. The people of Greece can only pray that the Moon's travel through Pisces will leave an air of compassion and sensitivity for the less fortunate, inspiring the EU or IMF to come to their aid.
These issues plaguing the Earth's globalized political economy draw strength from an opposition in our sky; Jupiter, ruler of the Gods and symbol of power and growth, opposes Saturn, which represents conventions and boundaries. When power (assuming it intends to grow, as capitalist economies do) clashes with systems and structure, some degree of crisis is inevitable. Political divisions become most apparent, the economy's cash flow diminishes, and a confidence in the system is lost. However, oppositions are not necessarily deconstructive; these two planets may likely come to an understanding to yield change. Therefore, this will be a time for crucial decisive action by Greek leaders. But enough about them... how does it affect us?
As the value of the euro declines against the dollar, America seems to be riding the waves of Jupiter through our Moon, which are both currently moving through Pisces. Jupiter, a ruling planet of the Pisces sign, can foster the rapid growth of the economy as well as bring out a large economy's excessive wastefulness, often manifested as an increasing division between the rich and the poor. As our country still boasts a 9.9% unemployment rate (which beats the hell out of Greece's 20%), hopefully the Moon's transit through Pisces will inspire in us a sympathy for the human condition, and an awareness of the economic and social oppression that many people refer to as "misfortune". Poverty and unemployment are not necessarily synonymous with misfortune, but rather the byproduct of a wasteful economic structure. As Greece's economy flounders and forces economic reform, perhaps we best heed their example and evaluate our own situation to ensure that the same "misfortunes" do not befall us. Pluto (which ironically also tends to incite power struggles) currently rests in Capricorn, telling us to accept the changes, losses, and economic woes, let go of them, and to start planning responsibly for the future.