The Gravity of Planetary Bodies, Weekly Horoscope for Tuesday September 6th, 2011 to Monday September 12th, 2011

La Roue De La Fortune, The Wheel of Fortune Card

While the gaze of the social and the individual converge on the attractive, but limited, permitted zones of being, there is a simultaneous rupture of the divergent in our midst. The spirit of the time eclipses our dreary past in its own dark light, and projects itself forward into a clean, clear, luxurious future – a future painted by the refined oils of civilization: brilliant hues of consumption, the fine tones of happiness, sleek and sexy colors of health and wealth. The invisible face of present time is smiling, and the whole world is smiling back at it.

And yet the streets are on fire, and nobody knows why.

Civilization and its subjects continue to redact into the incorporeal world of information, design, and marketing, while the world and its bodies have become heavy and toxic and bright with curious flames. A cultivated symptom of centripetal order and regiment in society is countered by the movement of bodies to the far out orbit of obscurity, defining trajectories on their own terms. Terrains that have been dematerialized, washed of the dirt and stink and taint of the body are being explored by the hands and feet of wistful rogues.

Defining the destiny of order has been the object of astrology for millennia. Within this, there is also the inverted knowledge that order is forever bound to chaos. The planets in themselves do not regiment our world, but on the contrary are only a reflection of our own individual and collective desire to do the same. There is immense power in the correspondence given between planets and roles in society – “The Sun and Moon are royal, while Mars is the army chief. Prince apparent is Mercury, and the ministers are Jupiter and Venus both. Rahu and Ketu (the nodes) are the army” – this is taken from the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, and reflects a general consensus in society as to what bodies rule and for what aim and purpose. The text digs deeper, however, and attributes the faculties and elements of the body itself to the correspondent bodies in the sky – “The Sun is the soul of all, while the Moon is the mind. Mars is one’s strength and will. Mercury is speech, while Jupiter confers knowledge and well-being. Venus governs semen (potency), and Saturn grief.”

The use of the body and its faculties, then, is what is important to our objective. You, dear reader, do possess a soul and a mind and a will, and strength and speech and knowledge, and potency and grief. How to use them, in whatever divergent and obscure fashion, is up to you. Explore without reserve, forgetting the sad confines of control, leaving the tainted luxury of society behind to contemplate and deal with itself.

To this week’s sky, then. On Tuesday September 6th the Moon transits through Sagittarius, the fiery sign of Jupiter, which is currently in retrograde. Our aims will be high, to be sure, but the follow through and release will be skewed. A lot of the ambition and drive that has been building up the past couple weeks will be realized, and this will also precipitate unanticipated changes in one’s sphere. What I mean by this is although the objectives that are within our scope of vision are in our reach, we are also ignoring other necessities and obligations that could be detrimental to the final goal. Cultivate awareness in a holistic way, and don’t focus too much on the particulars.

Wednesday September 7th sees the same sky as Tuesday, the Moon in Sagittarius, Jupiter retrograde in Aries, Mars in Gemini, the Sun, Venus, and Mercury pregnant in Leo, and Saturn in Virgo, but it is also the eleventh night of the waxing Moon – a night that is considered sacred to many in the world, and for good reason. As the Moon waxes on the eleventh night of its cycle, it is also the furthest away from Earth for that particular lunar month. This is a night of clearing, both inner and outer. It is the perfect night to relax the desire to perform and consume, and to simply be – and this can be facilitated by forgoing food and even conversation. Shine your own light on our body and mind on this night, and see what it reveals.

Moving into Thursday and Friday, September 8th and 9th, the Moon transits into Capricorn, the hard and rigid sign of Saturn, which is currently stationed in Mercury’s earth sign, Virgo. This flows perfectly from the calming lunar night on Wednesday, as the detailed and determined natures of Virgo, Capricorn, Mercury, and Saturn will all be projecting their character onto the receptive and open Moon. Working from a clear inner and outer space, which could be cultivated on Wednesday, these two days will prove to be productive and focused. Setting plans into motion, tackling difficult situations, and setting up a desirable infrastructure in one’s life will be rewarded.

We see more drastic changes, however, at the tail end of the week. On Saturday September 10th we will see the transit of the Moon into Aquarius, the airy sign of Saturn, and also Venus into Virgo, which will then be conjunct the ol’ man Saturn. A stifling blanket of ethereal passion and desire – difficult to define, difficult to ignore – could cover us all, or it could be a heady venture into realms of dedicated and realized visions. It is, of course, what you make of it, and much of the results of this transit and conjunction will be dependent on how well you prepare yourself for the task of creation. Expanding the scope of what that means could be aided with the Latin, “destruam et aedificabo,” or, “I destroy to build.”

And this leaves us to our night of brilliance, the much anticipated full Moon, on Sunday September 11th. There will be a collective resurgence of knotted and twisted emotions on this night, to be sure, teased out by the pallid light of the Moon. But our passion is too replete, brimming with possibilities and intrigues, to be sullied by the consensus of society. This night is yours, dear readers, and I only offer the simple advice of bathing the body and brain in the sweet light of the Moon. The rest is up to you.

Divining the Personal in the Planets, Weekly Horoscope for Sunday May 15th, 2011 to Saturday May 21th, 2011

Let us apply a major change to the method and scope of our weekly experiment here. Being aware that this is a relatively new horoscope, I have, as an astrologer, tried to put certain observations before others – my intention was to tease out broader and more sweeping insights from the planets and the world around me. But, as an astrologer, and being aware that “all is in flux”, I have decided to do a more traditional weekly horoscope going forward, that will focus on one’s Sun sign and what to expect for that week. In all of the manifestations of horoscopes that I have written over the past several years, I have only done this type once for a period of roughly six months – it was when I wrote for a monthly alternative newspaper that had wide distribution in the state of Wisconsin. I was frustrated with the form and content, however, and it was a short lived venture.

Before we get into the heart of the horoscope, I will preface it with saying I do my astrology using the sidereal zodiac, and that the presumption of your Sun sign is, in reality and most likely, different in this context. Information is widely available in regards to the tropical versus sidereal zodiac. If you are unsure about what your sidereal Sun sign is, please contact me.

Aries – Your sign, the fiery commencement of the zodiac, is filled to the brim with a congregation of diverse planets, and from this your sign is definitely the most affected and important this week. Wherein the creative duo of Mercury, the planet of communication between any two entities, and Venus, the bright morning star, moved into your sign, imbuing the fires of Aries with a brighter and more attractive gleam. They met with Jupiter and Mars, sympathetic planets, but both with their strong personalities and exertion of will. Mars, of course, rules your sign, and when Mars transits through Aries you benefit from an overflow of active consciousness – your very blood is enlivened, the heart of your sign beats true, and you feel what it means to be an Aries. Jupiter here allows these three planets to bloom, expanding to the limits of their potential – martial and active will, creative urges, an inclination towards art – but Jupiter also brings these things to excess, disrupting the normal course. Be aware of these potencies this week, but do not look to temper them.

Taurus – The sidereal calendar has marked the transit of the Sun into your earthy sign this past week, and thus you will be graced with the solar power for roughly a month. The lord of your sign, Venus, like mentioned previously is currently stationed in Aries, conjunct three other planets, and thus you will be feeling the overflow from that combination. Your sign shines bright, and you will notice that you exert a strong pull on the world around you – people and resources will come your way with ease, and it will seem like you are the center of all. This is true, but it’s something that you are used to – the fertile and amorous month of May is suited best to your disposition, and the identities and personalities of the other signs will feel inclined to pursue this tendency that you embody.

Gemini – As the dual nature of your airy sign is being affected by the presence of the south node – Ketu, that shadowy figure from the recesses of myth – you should be glad to know that Mercury, the lord of your sign, is traveling in good and powerful company, and thus will exert a positive, albeit chaotic and vigorous, affect on you this week. Where Mercury carries the quality of absorbing the energy from its environment, and willing little of its own, your experience  will be colored by the conjunction of Mars, Jupiter, and Venus with Mercury in Aries. By your very nature you take on the appearance of many faces, wearing the mask that best suits your environment and the conditions you find yourself in. This week your mask might even surprise yourself, with the strong and potent embellishments of Mars, the grace and charm of Venus, and the bigger than life power of Jupiter.

Cancer – The most important day for you this week, lovely Cancer, will be May 16th, as the Moon finds itself in the balanced and airy sign of Libra, in the full brightness of its form. The full Moon always gives your aura a radiant gleam, emanating from within, and the natural and tender beauty that you embody is fully realized on these nights. Be aware, however, of the Moon’s transit into Sagittarius on Thursday and Friday, as the Moon will then be conjunct with its eternal enemy, the north node, Rahu. Chaos of a high and deep order can descend on you after the bright glow of the full Moon earlier in the week. Keeping this in mind, approach this week with a receptive caution – bringing in what is healing and good, and avoiding what can obscure your brightness.

Leo – The earthy beauty and charm of the Sun as it transits through Taurus will be the main narrative of your sign this week. Keeping in line with the transit, you should look to pursue what gives you most sensual pleasure that is appropriate for this time of year – amorous tendencies, the freedom of Spring, outdoor activities, the pleasure of the garden. The strength of your sign lies in the fact that your determination can supersede the strongest of planetary influences. You stand, at times, alone in your fiery and regal sphere. But with the Sun’s energy integrated into the world, into the earth, your strong egoic tendencies will be tempered by the release into the broad and sweeping environment around you, and you will lose yourself in the same.

Virgo – With the constant and perpetual presence of a retrograde Saturn in your sign for the foreseeable future, we must look elsewhere to narrate the planetary weather that you will experience this week. Like mentioned previously, Mercury, the lord of your sign, finds itself in the motley company of Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, and this will effect your sign similarly to the other sign ruled by Mercury, Gemini. Where Gemini succeeds in adapting, for better or worse, to the fickle and changeable nature of Mercury, the earthy and virginal energy of your sign absorbs the energy into itself, and leaves little mark of change. This week you will notice the palpable effects of that congregation of planets in Aries, as the expansive realms of creativity, aggression, and exertion of the will are going to be easily apparent for you. Use these forces to the best of your ability.

Libra – Not only is the lord of your sign, Venus, conjunct that by now well talked about confluence of planets in Aries, but they are also all casting a direct aspect onto your sign. The subtlety of balance is your strength, of course, so as there are few people that will not be effected by this grouping in Aries this week, you will be able to strike the chord of balance even through the tumult of this transit. Develop this tendency of balance, and direct your aim towards a successful week of business, communication, and worldly pursuit of Mercury and Mars – but also with the spiritual impulse of Jupiter, finding wisdom in the changes around you.

Scorpio – This week will not grace your sign with the beauty or potential that many other signs will take for granted. For as Mars, the lord of your sign, wanders through Aries, the strength of this transit and the conjunction with the other three planets there will exasperate your natural tendency for destruction – or rather, plunging the depths of the real. The consequences of your constant pursuit to get to the bottom of any matter are sometimes innocuous or unseen. This week, however, the strength of the conjunction in Aries, with the fiery disposition of Mars being exasperated there, will in a way plunder many of the gains that you have seen over the past few months. What you will possess when you come out of the depths of your explorations, only you will know. And that is the real beauty of your sign, the hidden relics of the world are always within your grasp.

Sagittarius – The shadowy north node – Rahu – is of course stationed in your sign. The effects of this chaotic planet will be tempered, however, by the powerful influence that Jupiter, the lord of Sagittarius, will shower on your sign this week. Where the expansive nature of Jupiter has been duly noted, the combination with the martial, mercurial, and the venusian will give you a potent and diverse blend of energies to explore this week. The paths will lead parallel, and so choosing one will be your main goal this week. Will it be the creative, sensuous path of Venus, leading towards enjoyment and pleasure? Or perhaps the transactional, heady path of Mercury, headed towards financial gains? Or will it be the fiery and active path of Mars, ending in a burst of the unknown?

Capricorn – The hidden, and even occult, power of your sign is revealed in the sweeping effects that Saturn, the lord of Capricorn, will be having on you this week. When the very foundation of existence, the bare forms and foundations, the blueprints themselves, are at odds by way of something as simple as Saturn turning retrograde in the celestial sphere, you know that you partake in a very special and unique power. The world will be viewing you as an example of how to deal with this retrograde Saturn, that is in fact reversing many of the gains that have been experienced over the past couple months. As you perpetually embody the earthy and solid strength of your sign, the temporal changes in the heavens have little to do with the depth of your conviction and truth of purpose. This quality will bloom full this week, and its fragrance will permeate the world around you.

Aquarius – The more subtle nature of retrograde Saturn, lord of Aquarius, will be effecting you this week, in the airs of your dreams. Whereas Capricorn embodies the solid, rigid, and earthy aspect of Saturn, Aquarius holds the contemplative, atmospheric, and encompassing qualities of the same. Saturn being currently retrograde will put in effect a reversal of terms in the dialogue of your dreams, and the hue of your atmosphere. You will meet opposition, face to face, and the impediments that normally seem so easy to overcome in the free and airy course of your nature, will now impose themselves with great force. Look not to avoid, as you are wont to do, but rather transcend these obstacles, not by a going beyond, but a going within.

Pisces – As the expansive potencies of Jupiter are realized in its conjunction with Mars, Venus, and Mercury in Aries, this historic astrologic time will be fully embodied in your sign this week. The watery depths of Pisces know no bounds, to be sure, but sometimes what is found there is nothing but the vapid trappings of one’s self. But, as the strength of the planets in Aries – Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Mercury – simmer together in those fires, the water that boils is your own. Spilling forth freely onto the other signs and into the world, this week will be a prime time for you to dive deep within to find those passions and movements of the will that will direct you for the weeks to come. The light of the mind and the brilliance of the soul may not be there, but the blind potency of creativity will.

On the Passionate Arrangement of the Planets, Horoscope for Sunday April 17th, 2011 to Saturday April 23th, 2011

It is simple and direct to observe a social consensus that, tainting the vital and potent veins of our destiny as free beings, has arisen out of pure error, and that through the application of a simple but cutting logic can be made sparse and ineffectual in our daily lives. The consensual error is seemingly enmeshed and embedded in all the categories, occupations, and pursuits of social life, to the extent that even those that have through chance or determination tasted the sweet morsels of a liberated state still fall impotently to the course of collective bondage. And further still, those that concretely situate themselves above the low lying mists of civilization, find that they perch in relative solitude, without the possibility of elevating their former companions to their state.

The error that has been swallowed, without reservation or embarrassment, was grown and nurtured in the detrimental environment of civilization, which at the present time offers no recourse or resistance to its near complete domination. To demonstrate the full extent that civilization has harmed the constitution and faculties of the human race would be too difficult a task – all that need be mentioned is that if a modern man or woman would gaze for a moment onto the felicity and joy of a society that has progressed beyond the stage of civilization, they would either have a surge of disgust for their current civilized state, or an immediate confusion for lack of experience in the context of such a social arrangement. Either way, their motivations would instantly refine themselves, and they would totally abandon the day to day tasks that civilization has offered them.

If the attributes of a society that has stepped past the error and restrictions of civilization are unknown to our experience, then we are only left with speculation. But we can, I believe, calculate our speculation sufficiently enough to sculpt visions and dreams of what this society could be. The variables in our calculation could include the planets, as they have narrated a great deal of civilization’s social relations and categories – and although they seemingly are the foundation of time, hierarchy, and social stratification, they are equally elusive in their definition and roles. They could, potentially, provide a working model for the liberation of desire, and the realization of the passions that find themselves in suppressed in civilization.

Again it is simple to observe the general discord and disharmonious manner that our current society functions by. The hardest working in our world are often allotted the least in riches and comforts, and are forced to be content with their material and spiritual lot. Their labor, and hence their passion, is usurped by the more cunning and vicious, and those fruits are passed on to those that have clawed their way up the chaotic social ladder, not by merit but by exploit. Those that engage in the arts – music, letters, canvas, sculpture, dance – are told repeatedly, both overtly and with subtlety, that their passions will bring nothing to them, unless they are struck by the invisible hand of luck. Thus, thousands upon thousands of creative and fluid souls are rendered worthless and dried up on the vast desert of civilization, for lack of acknowledgement of their pursuits. Our rulers, the embodied dull and impotent fabrications of the passions, carry no purpose other than to coax the social order into further and deeper darkness.

Nothing in civilization moves in harmony. There is no consensual orbit that our bodies and minds and souls follow. But, if we were to look closely in our very own solar system, we find that our planets move in such an exacting harmony in their orbit, speed, and direction, and that if their harmony could be applied and emulated in the social circles of our world, a permanent revolution on our globe could result. What would this application look like?

What if we chose by consensus the most brilliant, energetic, life-giving, warm and generous to guide the affairs of our communities. To give them rule not out of lack of our own autonomy, but so they could serve to enable and cultivate the natural autonomy that can be found in any individual, community, or society – to manage the affairs of trade, infrastructure, and other practical matters of a cooperative and passionate order. And what if the most receptive, intuitive, understanding, nurturing, sensitive, and shining were rewarded for their hidden subtleties and faculties, and they were given full attention when a matter of commotion or discord would arise, so that balance could be achieved – so that instead of the most aggressive winning by default, the best result could be actualized in the soft light of truth. And ask yourself if civilization’s channeling of the world’s brightest and potent minds into occupations that enable the most horrendous and efficient exploitation and destruction, is superior to a harmonious society that allows the brightest and most creative to cultivate and inspire consensual pleasure and joy. This is only a rough sketch, of course, of what we could look like once we abandon civilization and its suffocating grasp on our lives. In a way, we only have to choose to step into this harmony that is mirrored in the planets.

And what better time to do just that? Sunday finds us full and replete in the glow of a full Moon, with a full aspect from the Sun in its exalted Aries. The collective energy of the past week will bubble over on Sunday as a spicy and potent mix of ambition, passion and a dash of disaster as the full Moon is conjunct a retrograde Saturn. Do not let this seemingly ominous conjunction inhibit the full blossom of the Moon’s light, but instead embrace the difficulties and recognize them as your own. Retrograde Saturn will continue on for some time, and the very palatable impediments that have flavored the air lately should have been by now digested. Expect only a little bout of indigestion as a full Moon cannot help but increase the latent power in Saturn. Surely a conscious abandonment of duty and obligation in favor of the distant call of the night’s passions would lend to a harmonious syncing with these two planets.

There is quick relief from the overflowing potency of Sunday’s full Moon, as we head into further into the week. The Moon transits into a stable, solitary, and balanced Libra on Monday and stays there through Tuesday. With the direct gaze of the Sun exalted in Aries, the Moon in Libra will afford ample opportunity to rectify imbalances that are surely due to the constraints of our civilized mode – pursue the rhythm of a natural setting, wander free by the foot of a mountain or a river’s stream. Engage in your friendships with an even and steady demeanor, and approach your tasks with similar exactness. Set a positive, balanced tone to the week as the Moon transits through Libra.

We cannot forget about the intensity in Pisces, however, as this whole week continues to see the conjunction of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and a retrograde Mercury. If you stay conscious of this potent mix, you definitely can enjoy the ripe and liberal fruits of their harvest – and even more so at the end of the week as retrograde Mercury goes direct. Saturday will be the perfect day for trade, communication, travel, and other matters of exchange – whether they be of idea, labor, or passion. Without much effort, but with much awareness, we continue to harmonize ourselves with the planetary sphere.