mars, pluto, the sun, and me

ok, so a while ago i wrote some nonsense about mars neglecting to manifest in my personality but i was totally wrong. i was just being moody with my mars in cancer. but the current astro-climate has me hostile and unsettled. mars, pluto, and the sun are squaring my natal sun and also triggering the natal sextile aspect between mars and the sun, mercury, and venus. jupiter is even involved as it sits in trine to those transiting agitators.

am i complaning, no, not at them moment. i'm sitting in my pajamas, at my computer on holiday break, which is a perfect environment. otherwise, i'd be at risk of scaring others with my volatile temper that rears its ugly head in random moments when things get blown out of proportion. i think i ended a friendship last weekend- lots of mars/pluto in the air.

equal houses versus placidus

hmmm, so i was reading elsa's astrology blog last week and there was some debate about using equal houses. well, when i used equal houses for my natal chart it moved:

• my jupiter, north node, and moon from the 4th house to the 3rd; 
• my saturn to the cusp of the 4th instead of just fucking up my 4th as usual; 
• my sun, mercury, and venus from the 5th to the 4th; 
• pluto to the cusp of the 5th; 
• the vertex from 6th to 5th; 
• uranus to the cusp of the 6th
  

that's a lot of change and the funny thing is, i'm more comfortable with the 3rd house occupancy- it explains my big, loud mouth that gets me into trouble; my detailed memory and ability to mimic languages and accents; my brain that never shuts off and makes me dream of work and neverending links, and unchecked processes that run-on forever...i could go on.

now i am faced with examining the equal house method in all my return charts as well. i love learning and being surprised. 

where's the moon? where's mars? who cares? say thanks to the troops!

it takes, like, 30 seconds...

the doors: lost time

From NY Times: McCain Seeks to Delay Presidential Debate

Did his astrologer tell him to be wary of the mercury retrograde? he is a virgo...

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 -- 3:10 PM ET
-----
McCain Seeks to Delay Presidential Debate

Senator John McCain said that he would temporarily suspend his presidential campaign on Thursday to return to Washington to deal with the financial crisis and the bailout package pending before Congress. Mr. McCain is asking Senator Barack Obama's campaign and the Commission on Presidential Debates to postpone the debate scheduled for Friday night.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/us/politics/25mccain.html?ex=1379995200&en=a9aa51076406e1e3&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

mercury retrograde in my 5th house

ah, the retrograde period. this one has me REvisiting my decision to buy a laptop. however, after REconsidering my initial choice of an hp pc with windows xp, i have decided that i will invest in my 1st mac book. this also coincides with my interest and recent coursework in digital and web design (5th house activities).

meanwhile, on a transportation note, the amtrak has been running 10-20 minutes late this week due to signal problems and i got pulled over monday night because i needed to REplace my front headlight. i also have to REnew my driver's license.

Um, hello...Brett Favre is a Libra

keep your head up brett- don't let them get you down. you make up your mind when you're good and ready you studly hunk of mississippi man!

all this controversy surrounding whether or not brett will continue to play football and for what team is so fitting for his libra sun, moon, mercury (which is natally at 0 degrees of indecisive libra conjunct pluto and is being squared by transiting pluto), and jupiter. not to mention his progressed moon is conjunct his natal north node and transiting uranus which is a telltale sign of the negative publicity he's been receiving of late. he also owns a natal moon/uranus conjunction to emphasize the pattern.

oh, and his progressed mercury and sun are conjunct natal neptune which can't be good for his identity as the famed quarterback who led the packers to greatness and is now not sure where he's leading anyone or anything.


(note: birth time is defaulted for 6am and not being used for interpretation.)

Stuff Virgo Moon's Like

#4: Expressing Genuine Displeasure
If you thought the blank stare was bad enough, add on a tightly-pursed or scowling mouth, frequent heavy sighing, and most likely a list of unacceptables drafted into an email/letter (in most cases with the accompanying thread of a previous displeasure) which will be cc'd and bcc'd to any and everyone the Virgo feels could learn from his or her substandard experience of efficient service or performance.

Stuff Virgo Moon's Like

#3: Creating Lists
Having documentation for everything you haven't done, plan to get done, or have already done is a must for any Virgo-ruled creature. This provides proof of creativity, practicality, and, most importantly, industry.

Stuff Virgo Moon's Like

#2 Email Threads
You say you don't have any record of our conversation back in April of '06 and that I must be confused. Oh, you are sure that you said no such thing. Oh, now you just don't remember. No? Doesn't ring a bell, huh? BAM! Does this email thread spanning from March 29th, 2006 at 10:47am to April 8th, 2006 at 3:42pm jog your memory?

Stuff Virgo Moon's Like

#1: Giving the Blank Stare
Everyone is running around in hysterics because a deadline has been changed from Friday, end of day, to Wednesday morning, even though the amount of time leading up to the date has been more than generous.

Mom and Dad are crying because Junior has been arrested for the same juvenile tricks he's been pulling over and over again without parental reprimand.

Girlfriends are huddled around listening to "Jane" cry about how her relationship is so rotten and horrible and how mean and heartless "John" is for being the bastard he was when she met him.

Virgo Moon is quiet and resolute because you should have known better and paid attention to all the little warning signs that led up to the crisis. Crises can be avoided by being responsible, paying attention, and having a contingency plan.

My Daemon Alvin

I had to find out who my daemon is and Alvin is his name. Defined as Modest, Spontaneous, Fickle, Flexible, and Softly Spoken. But does it fit my Gem Ascendant and Virgo Sun/Moon? hmmm...I've got 12 days before it settles and need my friends to confirm or disagree.

oh neptune, you shady character!

it turns out that i had been using an incorrect time for my brother's birth chart: i had him pegged as a pisces ascendant but instead he's an aries ascendant! AND...the corrected birth time places his natal neptune conjunct the natal MC!

i always thought the pisces AC didn't quite fit because he comes across so forcefully- even a bully at times but he's got a chameleon-like personality which fools me on many occasions. sometimes, it's hard for me to see who he really is because he can act like so many different things.

i guess it's fitting that we are siblings: i have neptune on the DC; he has neptune on the MC. i deceive or get deceived in relationships; he deceives or gets deceived by his public persona and social status.

mercury on high and the moon in my sights...

so, when i cast my lunar return for the current monthly cycle, i noticed that mercury is conjunct the MC and the moon is conjunct the AC. immediately, i thought, "oh, i must somehow be in the limelight for something- could be big, could be small, but i will be noticed this month."

well, wouldn't you know i was a lucky winner of a free year of healthcare at my job. i had attended a free health risk assessment back in march and the incentive was to enter into a chance to win free healthcare for a year. the human resources department told me that my name will be announced on their website, and in several internal newsletters and publications in the coming week.

new moon in taurus and my mars return

yay! new moon in my 12th house and mars return within 1 day of each other. i couldn't friggin sleep last night! i kept dreaming about a web link that wouldn't go away and forced me to analyze its origins, in turn making me THINK while i was sleeping. i was conscious most of the night because i was mentally processing an imaginary web link. unreal!

i AM going to the gym after work today (well, i really, really, really, plan to go). i even bought a new pair of sneakers as an incentive, which i left home today because i was in a hurry but luckily i have a set of gym attire in my desk at work. (12th house undoing FOILED by previous good intentions!) oh and remember my dreams of studying drama? well, i met with the head of the theater arts program and she recommended a night class in acting that she teaches- now i just have to get accepted...


notable aspects of my mars return include:

1) mars in 3rd house:

• conjunct angle (IC- 3 degree orb)
• square moon (2 degree orb)

2) mars-ruled 12th house

• 12th house inhabited by 3 planets (venus- chart ruler, moon, sun) and part of fortune
  

3) mercury in angular (1st) house

• square saturn (1 degree orb)
  

4) neptune/n.node/chiron conjunction in angular (10th) house

5) venus (chart ruler) conjunct part of fortune in 12th house

• trine saturn (3 degree orb)
• trine pluto (4 degree orb)
  

6) natal uranus conjunct return angle (DC- 3 degrees)

i've got some life plans cooking but not finalized so we'll see how this mars return reflects my actions over the next two years. i'll have to remember to revisit this each time there is a major transit or aspect.

music magic mania (and why does mars not matter to me?)

so, here i am on the brink of the full moon in scorpio (at the cusp of my 5th and 6th houses), occuring some time tomorrow morning, and i feel happy yet unfulfilled. music carries the magic of bringing me ecstacy while at the same time increasing my thirst and longing for more out of life.

at the new moon i had an epiphany and wondered about going back to school for drama. i am in the process of trying to find a way to realistically accomplish my dreams of being an entertainer- i am starting with getting face time with the theater department at the school where i work- we'll see where that takes me.

so, apparently transiting mars is trining transiting uranus and my natal uranus. my progressed mars is also approaching a square (5 degree orb) with my natal uranus as well. my thing is, i never really notice mars transits or mars returns- perhaps it's because:

1. aries is intercepted in my natal 11th;
2. my natal mars is in cancer;
3. mars only makes mild (sextile) aspects to my sun and mercury and separating aspects to my uranus and pluto (9 degree orb- trine and square respectively)

i guess mars and i have no beef with each other (no afflictions) and subsequently mars wants nothing to do with me because i'm not an enemy or threat. well, fuck you too Ares!

apr 5th: aries new moon in 11th house of hopes, wishes, and group associations

so, around the time of the new moon in aries in my natal 11th, i found myself in the company of my favorite childhood friends, and nurturing a long-held but latent ambition to apply to drama school. not to mention, i got weepy dreaming about life with a lost love and also with an actor who is basically a replica of said lost love.

well, i have started looking into the drama school thing but i'm wondering if i should start attending local auditions just to get an idea of how they are conducted. i'm at a point in my life where i am taking real, concrete steps to actualize my rampant fantasy-life that is forever running in the background of my mind (natal moon/neptune square, neptune conjunct DC).

it is interesting that the transiting north node and transiting neptune are hovering in a conjunction within1-2 degrees of my natal MC. i wonder if my natural hunger and longing for the endless and undying love that i crave from another person is pushing me to seek it from an adoring audience instead? (natal pluto in 5th, neptune on 7th cusp) maybe the love i seek is meant to be given 1,000 times over through creative performance?

i'm reminded of a scene from The Libertine:

mercury/uranus and the internet

at the moment, my progressed mercury is conjunct natal uranus, and both experiencing a trine from transiting uranus. also, today transiting mercury is conjunct transiting uranus- completing a wonderful pattern of planet harmony.

mercury rules my natal ascendant and uranus rules my natal midheaven so i love when these two come into contact with one another. recently, i have been overtaken by the urge to be on my computer ALL THE TIME!!! i started this blog, manage two others, and made a home page. i also have been having the time of my life organizing my company's internal wiki.

lately, i've been entertaining the idea of pursuing a career in information technology- most likely web design and perhaps learning how to develop software. i'm wondering if this interest will fade once the transits are over or if this is just an awakening to something that i will enjoy for years to come. i'm hopeful it's the latter as technology is rapidly changing and i don't think i could ever get bored with this wonderful world of global communication via the web.

pride (in the name of love)- we love you too, bono

so i was walking to work this morning, humming "early morning, april 4th, shots rang out in the memphis sky..." and wondered what bono's astro chart looks like. why would some guy in a rock band from ireland be singing in the 80's about martin luther king's assassination? i ran a quick google search and found out he is a taurus and i'm like, "a taurus? with a bleeding heart? that doesn't add up" and then i plug in the birth data at astrodienst and VOILA!-- he's got a moon/neptune conjunction which is opposed by a venus/mercury conjunction. i also see a capricorn ascendant with saturn conjunct by about 4 degrees, the saturn also trines his sun with a 1 degree orb. (note: this is with an alleged birth time of 2am that i found on astrodatabank.) not to mention a north node in virgo-- and though i try to keep the signs out of it because of the debate with the precessed equinox and the whole eastern astrology thing with planets 23 degrees behind the western planets--his natal n.node is at 23 degrees so it's still in virgo if you look at it from a vedic point of view.

well, mr. bleeding heart, save the world activist has moon/venus/neptune in aspect which i've read is a tell-tale aspect of unconditional love and rose-colored glasses. not to mention, liz greene mentions that moon/neptune is seen in many charts of artists, in her book the astrological neptune. (great read if you are interested.) the fact that mercury is in the mix shows how he is able to communicate his love through music and the taurus sun coupled with the cappie ascendant with saturn show his tenacity in making a change. you go, bono!!!

eliot spitzer: a look at progressions

ah, i just love patterns in astrology- they give me faith in the order of the universe. previously, i had discussed the now former governor's natal mars/venus conjunction square to neptune. well, if you take a looky at his natal and progressed chart, his sun is experiencing a lot of activity:

• progressed sun conjunct natal mars/venus conjunction, which is 1) squared by natal neptune AND, 2) quincunx natal saturn
• natal sun square transiting uranus

and, speaking of uranus which is stirring up the pot:

• in addition to natal uranus being within an 8-10 degree conjunction of the above-mentioned sun/mars/venus stellium, it is also conjunct progressed mercury, thus both planets forming a close sextile to the natal sun as well.

and, how lovely, progressed mars has decided to join the party by forming a conjunction to natal pluto, which is currently being transited by saturn in conjunction and by pluto in trine. i don't think it helps that the transiting south node is within 5-8 degrees of the mars, saturn, pluto activity either. PHEW!

charming progressed venus is hanging out in the sidelines in wide opposition to transiting uranus, as well as squaring the natal sun by 5 degrees. i must say, the strength of the chart is in the stelliums- i'm observing that when you receive a transit to a grouping of planets, it affects them all, as they are interrelated with one another even with wider orbs.

considering that the young lady he was "cavorting" with has claimed he was asking her to do questionable or unsafe sexual acts, i would say that his chart shows a hunger for more raw types of sexual behavior and little regard for whoever it was with. well, hey, he is going through some heavy transits- will that hold up in court? HA! Anyone else have an astrological opinion?

(please note: birth time is unknown- i set it to a default of 6am but am not using house/angle positions for interpretation; only planetary aspects, excluding the moon.)

sadly, another gemini that gives the whole lot a bad name: eliot spitzer

ok, so eliot spitzer is 1) a politician; 2) a gemini; 3) a scumbag who disgraced his name, the democratic party, the city of new york, and his family. let's take a look, shall we?

right off the bat, he has a natal venus/mars conjunction (in leo, if you are a western astrology believer), which is square to natal neptune- to me this suggests a highly charged sexual nature and susceptibility to glamour and possible depravity. the fact that uranus is hanging around this venus/mars conjunction doesn't help with conventional sexual practices. as a gemini and politician, mr. spitzer aimed to maintain a squeaky-clean image of himself, as most gemini's are very aware of public presentation. too bad mr. spitzer got caught in his public hypocrisy.

i also find it interesting that mars (now at 2 deg cancer) has just crossed over his natal mercury (27 deg gemini) in opposition to transiting pluto (1 deg capricorn), indicating some buried information being brought into the open. transiting saturn is also in the mix, forming a conjunction to his natal pluto while trining transiting pluto. if saturn represents social boundaries and traditions, pluto has definitely been an agent of transformation and destruction- namely, the destruction of mr. spitzer's reputation and social standing as governor of new york. and, hello, transiting uranus is squaring his natal sun almost exactly, signifying a shocking revelation of his true character.

i could go into progressions (please comment if you would like to discuss them) but i've seen enough with a rough look at the natal and transits to gain some insight into yet another political scumbag. but listen to me, so quick to judge (well, i am a virgo who is not involved in a prostitution ring)- he could be a very nice man who just happens to have a weakness for hookers. but if that is the case, it probably isn't a good idea to engage in devious sexual behavior while you're the governor of new york and have a wife and kids who will be forever scarred.

(please note: birth time is unknown- i set it to a default of 6am but am not using house/angle positions for interpretation; only planetary aspects, excluding the moon.)

venus conjunct neptune and carmina burana

O Fortuna,
velut Luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem;
egestatem,
potestatem,
dissolvit ut glaciem.

as the planets for music and beauty align in the sky (within a 2 degree org of my MC), i will be enjoying Carl Orff's Carmina Burana this evening with the lovely renee of leicestershire. as for mars/pluto, i acknowledge that my angry aminus is tearing at my soul; however, this virgo moon conjunct saturn lady does not allow such indiscretions and displays of innapropriate behavior (except for the swearing-- that is my downfall).

god help the next man that dares to enter my life and attempt to get serious- he's in for a hellish nightmare of a lewd, lascivious, hot/cold relationship that will either end in disaster or total redemption from eternal sin.

beware the ides of march...

no, tragedy is not destined to strike because of the upcoming mars/pluto opposition, which will be exact on march 7th. however, i will be keeping my senses perked in the event i encounter any excitable folks that may be revved by this transit. my birthday dinner from hell occurred in the midst of the first pass of the mars/pluto opposition, as well as the manayunk diner incident when my brother and i were kicked out of the joint because the manager decided to talk tough on a friday night.

i personally don't have a strong mars/pluto aspect in my natal chart (separating square with 9 degree orb) but the two warring planets are forming a square to my natal sun. if anything pops off, i will be sure to tell about it; though, i'm not counting on anything extraordinary and don't plan on getting into any fist-fights.

on another subject, i was close to enraged when i watched an "oust" room deodorizer commercial where they advertised a woman spraying her entire house with "oust" to get rid of odors instead cleaning the fucking place! they actually want you to spray surfaces like countertops, toilets, tables, beds, rugs, sofas, etc. instead of getting a goddamn cloth rag and disinfectant spray or cleaner, or fucking vacuum cleaner and scrubbing your goddamn dirty-ass living quarters. un-fucking-believable! what kinds of chemicals are those sprays made of that they are okay to spray all over the damn place? and that stupid febreze commercial, with those assholes inhaling the febreze up their noses like cocaine.

perhaps, mars/pluto are spurring me to clean my bathroom and vacuum my bedroom floor without the aid of oust and febreze. oh, fuck all!

feb 20th lunar eclipse at 2 degrees virgo

i must say, i did reach a "benchmark" in a certain personal relationship- let's just say, we are closer than we were before ;) other than that, nothing too crazy has revealed itself- except maybe that my car transmission is hinting that it will completely rebel against me if i don't get it checked. hopefully, i just need some fluid or something. (okay, i'm in denial- it may need to be replaced but who knows?)

the eclipse was 6 degrees from my natal north node in virgo and 4 degrees from my natal jupiter in leo, all in my natal 4th house. i guess you can say that i had an emotional illumination through a personal relationship as a result of the lunar eclipse. jupiter rules my natal 7th house.

car accidents and mercury the trickster

so, my dad was in 2 back-to-back minor car accidents in less than 2 days. and i recently learned that he experienced his mercury return on the day of the 1st accident (during this wonderful retrograde). the first accident he rear-ended someone at an intersection; the second accident someone rear-ended him as he was parked at a gas station.

the first thing i noticed was the transiting mercury has activated his natal merc/pluto opposition. i suppose natal neptune is not making things better by forming a trine to natal and transiting mercury. All the while transiting neptune is hovering a wide conjunction with transiting and natal mercury. boo!

(the unknown thing is my dad's birthtime- I have used at 6am for his natal so his natal house positions are not accurate. the lack of birthtime could also throw off the mercury return chart; though, i'm sure the placement of natal mercury is close enough.)

dad natal- outside in red; mercury return- inside in blue

on another note, while i was driving home last night a car flew by me doing at least 100mph. i saw it swerve into the median of grass, do a complete 360 in the middle of the highway and then keep driving. damn you mercurious!

in the midst of the mercury retrograde

current mercury rx cycle: january 28th at 24 degrees aquarius until february 18th at 8 degrees aquarius. since i am ruled by mercury, i find it necessary to add that the retrograde period has occurred in my 9th house and:

• prompted the reunion of myself and my defective dell inspiron with heating/cooling issues (i missed the class action suit)- though i must admit it is working much better.
• made me revisit this blogging thing, as i started a blog during a merc rx back in '06
• reminded me how much i love jethro tull, yes, and pandora radio
• shed light on the fact that i can reconfigure my web browser to run firefox as the default instead of internet explorer
• made me rethink my plans on a new laptop- maybe i don't need to buy a prepacked microsoft bundle so that i can maintain control of my computer
  

and it begins, again

let's see how long i can keep this up. who wants to place a bet on my consistency, or lack thereof, of posting? and i write in lowercase letters because i hate using the shift key. so there.

i finished phillip pullman's his dark materials and was a bit disappointed at the end. however, i'm always disappointed at the end of good stories because i want them to go on forever.

here's a story to start things off:

my brother and i used to share an apartment and one summer evening, he had a new girlfriend over to hang out. we were all sitting around and talking, when i suddenly felt the urge for a fudgesicle. so i went to the freezer to find the fudgesicles behind a huge bag of ice. well, of course i dropped a bunch of ice onto the floor while trying to get my fudgesicle and bent down to pick it up. as i stood up to throw the ice into the sink, i forgot that the freezer door was open right above me, and i knocked the freezer door clean off of the refrigerator!