Weekly Planets 2/25/7 – 3/3/7

Here is my interpretation of the planets for the week posted on The Weekly Planets .

2/25 Mars enters Aquarius - 8:53 PM EST

Mars the planet of action enters Aquarius, a fixed sign which makes Mars erratic and slower than usual. Aquarius is concerned with groups and friends, so Mars will gravitate towards activities that include others, even though Aquarius will keep everyone at a distance. A good example of this is a rock concert with lots of pyrotechnics and electric guitars. You're swinging your body, tapping your feet, and raising your arms along with strangers who tap their feet and swing. Even though you're all doing the same thing, you'll still be alone in the midst of hundreds of people. The concert ends, it's time to go, you want to stay, dance and swing, and connect with people, but everyone leaves, going separate ways, phone numbers lost in the trash. The downside of Mars in Aquarius is the stubborn, fixed, nature of Aquarius; Mars wants to push ahead, but it is not easy for Aquarius to make changes and let Mars go forward.

2/26 Mercury enters Aquarius - 10:00 PM EST

Mercury retrograde goes from Pisces (fantasy) back into Aquarius (logic). Just like Mercury, Aquarius is a mental sign, but unlike Mercury, it is fixed. Mercury is used to moving around. This creates a period of mental friction. There is one good thing, people will stop and consider what they are thinking and saying, especially with the retrograde. In addition, thoughts and ideas are innovative and inventive, so there is an opportunity to get a new slant on an old problem.

2/28 Saturn 20 Leo oppose Neptune 20 Aquarius -7:01 PM EST

Oppositions work through other people. Saturn is a critical planet and it’s easy for Neptune, which has no boundaries, to let others into their space with critical remarks that are hurtful. It’s easy for Neptune ideals to be shattered. With Neptune in Aquarius, criticism about personal expression (Leo) usually comes from more than one person at a time. Saturn is the planet of lessons. Saturn in Leo is bringing lessons about personal identity and expression, and one of the lessons is to build better boundaries in regard to friends and groups. Criticism is very subtle and not always easy to spot at first because Neptune is never obvious.

3/3 Full Moon 13 Virgo 00 - 6:17 PM EST

The Moon is shining full light on Virgo activities of service and analysis. Virgo is also the sign of harvest. Allow yourself to receive benefits from the service you have offered in the past two weeks, and to bask in the light of recognition.

Does Astrology Work? - Part Two

Part two of - Does Astrology work?

Click here for part 1

Although there are many good monthly horoscopes, they are meant to be very general. If they aren't accurate then some people get the idea that astrology is silly. Astrologers who write for publications don’t have the space to present true astrology. Their columns are only an overview for the public, and not meant to be an in-depth reading for one person. Interpretation is important. An astrologer must have many ideas in the astrological toolkit.

Let's consider the interpretation of Uranus opposite the Sun. This means that you are unique, inventive, and free. (A large portion of the population is this way.) However, for each person the way in which this manifests will vary. The houses (as well as the signs and aspects) let us hone in on the meaning for each person. One person needs freedom in marriage, but is not as concerned about freedom in a job, or in the family.

A person with the Uranus in the 7th may get a divorce the minute the mate tries to restrict their freedom. Another person with the Uranus in the fourth house is able to deal with restrictions by a mate, but can't stand parental restrictions. Someone with a 10th house emphasis may keep changing jobs, or have their own business. Uranus in opposition to the Sun needs freedom, but this aspect is tempered by the houses and signs.

It is a shame that medical astrology lost favor when science started to control everything. The accuracy of decumbiture charts is uncanny. A decumbiture chart is a chart cast for the moment a person falls ill or seeks medical help. If the medical establishment used this model, they would be prepared for flare-ups of acute health problems. The Moon is used in the chart to determine the path of the illness and critical times of pain, fever, or other discomfort.

I can understand the reasoning of some of the skeptics. Astrology was frequently misused, just as science is now misused. When I read about bleeding a King to save his life by someone who was a dabbler in astrology, I shake my head. It has been proven that drawing blood does have remedial qualities, and someday it will be common knowledge how the planets affect the pressure in the body. It is already documented that the Moon affects the tides and bodily fluids. In the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing, the patient will improve. However, I believe many of the positions at court, including the court physician, who usually knew astrology, were political and not always based on merit.

The scientific method requires years of trial to prove something. Even with proof, science admits there is room for error, and science is always evolving. At one time people were put to death for saying that the Earth was not the center of the solar system.

Astrology is also a evolving science and must be treated with respect. Astrology is is often used for entertainment, and this often takes away from the credibility of astrology. In addition, it is unfortunate that the training in astrology is at times negligible.

In the end, the astrologers often have the last laugh. It is a well kept secret that those in power use astrology successfully. No company or politician will ever admit the use of astrology, and the astrologer is ususally sworn to secrecy.

If enough people used astrology in the way that it is meant to be used, it would be very clear that it works. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

Pluto Regeneration in the Year of the Pig

We are surrounded and bombarded by bad news and read it as if it is our duty to be informed about bad things. Does hearing about the latest death toll in Iraq make you want to run out and help the world, or do you find it so depressing you’d rather close the door and not leave the house? Does hearing about the latest traffic jam or air travel snarl entice you to go on a trip or do you end up putting it off? Have you noticed that the news is more often about what’s wrong, rather than what’s right? Are you tired of being scared witless about bird flu, and manipulated by drug companies?


Today Venus is square Pluto; it’s not an easy aspect for relationships with others, but this aspect can be beneficial if we allow others to help us in difficult circumstances. Venus is about relationships and society, and Pluto is about regeneration. The following story is about how one person helped another to regenerate (Pluto). Read it; it will put you in the mood to take back your power


If you do a little digging there are good pieces of news, but they’re hidden on back pages. Here is an article with a happy outcome that fits in with Venus square Pluto. Read about a man who was able to re-grow his finger with the help of his brother.

This article is just in time for the transition from the Chinese "Year of the Dog" to the "Year of the Pig".

Does astrology work?

The debate about astrology has been ongoing for many years. In the past, the debate was between astrology and emporers or religion. In ancient Rome, it was illegal to cast charts, and it was grounds for execution. Emperors feared the power of astrology in the hands of the masses. When the church lost control of astrology, they started to condemn it, although those in power still used it secretly. Now the debate is between science and astrology.

I know astrology works. I have made mistakes in casting charts that have proved to me that it is valid. When I cast the wrong time, the charts didn't fit the person, and the timing of events was off. When I corrected the chart, it made more sense and the timing was correct.

Believe me; I question myself at times when working with charts other than my own. I have my own chart down pat, and I have watched it as the transiting planets make aspects to my natal chart. I know that events will occur that are connected to the areas of life indicated by the houses and planets. Sometimes it takes a lot of detective work to determine how a transit will affect someone else's chart.

I usually have an idea of what will happen ahead of time. I have even been able to predict an event to the minute. (This normally takes time. This is one of the reasons I don't like electionals.) However, at times, I have to guess at the specific area. A house has many different meanings. For instance, the sixth house has to do with work, service, health, pets, and by polarity to the 12th house, seclusion, hospitalization, or an illicit affair. (It doesn't necessarily mean I will have an affair, but I may have to deal with someone else's affair.)

Several years ago, I was dealing with illicit affairs of people of fame, celebrities and government officials. I was successfully casting and interpreting charts for a class. My 12th house was being activated, and there was a strong connection to my 9th house of teaching and higher learning. There was a connection to the 1st house even though it was minor.

Let me digress for a minute and explain how to determine if you will have a personal event in your life

Rule of thumb - the 1st house must be involved in some way for someone to be affected personally, physically.

There are many ways that the first house is involved.

Look for an Aspect to:

the ascendant
to a planet in the first
to the ruler of the first
to the dispositor of the ruler of the first
to a dispositor of a planet in the first
to the progressed ascendant
to a planet in the progressed first
translation of light, (this depends on the strength of the planet)
the significant planet transiting the first

As you see, it's almost impossible for the first house not to be involved.

Come back tomorrow for part two.

From the Q & A Desk

With the retrograde and a fizzling blizzard, I am finally clearing off my desk and answering piles of correspondence.


Email #1

Question:

On many websites, I see that astrologers do the charts of movie stars. I am wondering how in the world they got the birth times for these people, because without that, no chart can be accurate, right?

Answer:

There are many sources for the time of birth. Birth times can often be obtained from public record. Some places require ID's other places don't. Other sources are biographies, autobiographies, memory, interviews, family or friends. Astrologers may give out birth times if the celebrities have had a reading with them. Unfortunately, accurate birth times for people in the public eye are not easily available, so noon is often used.

I agree that without the correct birth-time, the chart is not accurate, but it will still give some information. When reading a chart with an unknown birth time, the houses are ignored, and the ascendant and the midheaven, valuable parts of the chart are not used. Also the Moon may be off by degrees as well as sign.

Often when a noon charts is posted, you may find the words “time unknown” listed somewhere near the chart. Astrodatabank, a chart service, always rates the birth time. There are several categories of Rodden ratings such as birth certificate, autobiography, biography, from memory, etc. The AA rating is the highest rating, this comes from a state or hospital certificate. DD is low - Dirty Data - two or more conflicting quotes that are unqualified. The lowest is XX - data without a known or confirmed date.

If you see a chart that says noon, assume the birth time is unknown. If the chart is listed as 12:01, it is probably the true birth time. When the minutes are listed this is always a clue that the chart is the correct time. However, even birth records are not always reliable.

A chart cast for noon gives information, but it’s not complete. Even with a noon chart, we can root out a few personality characteristics, and the timing of some major events. However, without the birth time, the progressed Moon, which is used as a timer, is unknown. Aspects to the planets will tell us that something is going to happen, but we can only guess at the area of life. I’ll be posting an article on astrology in the next day or so that will explain this in more detail.

The ideal chart always has the correct birth time, which is backed up by events in the person's life.


I know that Mercury Retrograde is a bad time to start new ventures. But does that also mean that it is a bad time to merely apply for a job, or should you wait until the whole retrograde is over? So many conflicting messages about the retrograde period, but I can’t imagine that we should all hide under our covers for three weeks! ; )

Life must go on, even in a retrograde. If possible, be wise and hold off buying equipment that has to do with communication, (cell phones, computers, TV’s etc.) and travel, (cars, bikes, planes). If you must buy something new, make sure you have a good warranty and be prepared to take it back (save the box it came in), or set aside extra time to set it up. It’s a good time to buy used stuff.

Getting to your question about a job, caution must be used when doing something new in relation to communication and paperwork concerning the job. A job is related to many planets; Saturn is the work we do; Mercury is communication, paperwork, and thinking that relates to a job. The type of job must also be considered. Mercury is the ruler of sales jobs, so sales-job hunting may be affected by the retrograde.

Most people have applied for jobs before, so this comes under the category of re-doing something. If this is your first job application, proceed with caution if your chart is being aspected in a negative way. Try to start the application process before the retrograde. It doesn’t matter if it’s not the company you want, just start the process.

Matters during the Rx are out of our hands anyway. I’ve noticed that meetings are postponed or rescheduled, promises do not come through, and duties are misrepresented. One of my clients was promised a wonderful salary in an interview, only to find out later that it was reduced by 20%. Get promises and duties in writing, and read documents carefully before you agree or sign anything.

Mercury Rx means slow down. Mercury is not always a slow planet, it moves like the wind here and there at an erratic pace. When Mercury is retrograde it is moving in a different fashion. When it stations retrograde it is like a sailboat that is becalmed. The wind dies out, the sails flop, and the direction is unsure. Sailors have to pay attention and wait for the wind to start up again, and be ready to adjust the course. In the time of calm, they have the chance to notice what needs to be done. We must do the same.

On the day of a Mercury station retrograde, we are becalmed. For my area, a blizzard was predicted, but we only got an inch of snow, and we didn’t get fierce winds. Once Mercury starts to move, the winds will change. Because of the blizzard, I decided to stay home, go over old paperwork, and clear my desk. This is a perfect Mercury Rx thing to do.

If you're job hunting call up old friends and contacts and let them know you're looking. Think about doing something you've done before, whether it's the way you look for a job, or going to a previous employer.

Look at your chart and how it will be affected. If it is a good aspect, you problems will be minor. If it is a hard aspect, it is telling you to be diligent. Check the house of the Mercury Rx for more information.



Email #2

I started reading your site for the first time today and noticed what I think is a typo:
'evlolutionary' instead of 'evolutionary'. Can it be?
I am a Virgo (and a biochemist/medical writer/editor), so I pick up on such typos.

Since we are actually spiritual beings and our main purpose is to advance our spirits/spirituality (I have Pisces ascendent), I love your approach! Thanks for your work!

Thanks for the proofread and the compliment. I could use a good Virgo in my office. I don't have a proofreader anymore, much less an employee, so please feel free to send me corrections any time.

This is a good example of Mercury Rx. When progressed Mercury went retrograde in my chart, I started making many mistakes. I had to decrease my output, and do my proofreading with care. Sentence structure was harder for me, and this came as a surprise since I've been writing all my life. I came up with two solutions. I had to proofread several hours later, or on a different day, and do the proofread more than once. I also had to proofread in a different program, most of the time this works. I also had to learn to let go of perfection, a hard thing to do with Mars in Virgo.

If your Pisces ascendant is in late degrees, the station retrograde is bringing you a gift. Even if it is not exact on the day of the retro, it will connect at some time before 2/27.

Planets always bring gifts, even if they are in the form of a challenge.

Mercury Retrograde 2/13/07

I have received questions on the Mercury retrograde and I hope this will provide some answers. Here is an overview of the effects, with an example of how they may play out, and a few suggestions on how to work with the retrograde.

If you would like more information, leave me a comment. I'm still backed up with answers to other emails. I hope to clear my desk soon; maybe during the Rx, I can review, redo, and repost.

In a few days, 2/13 11:38 PM EST, Mercury will go retrograde at 10 Pisces 14. It will be in Pisces for 12 days. On 2/26, 10:00 PM EST, it goes back into Aquarius. The retrograde is over on 3/7/07 at 25 Aquarius 25.

Retrogrades are about redoing. With Mercury, the redo is related to thought and communication. Re-view, re-think, and repeat.

This retrograde combines sensitive Pisces with mental Aquarius. The retrograde starts out in Pisces making us more sensitive, but when Mercury goes into Aquarius we go to the opposite pole, we become mental, and at times unfeeling.

Pisces gives us the chance to notice our feelings when we express ourselves, and Aquarius gives us the chance to shake-up and reform our expressions. Honest contemplation will lead to new and higher thoughts and expressions, but Aquarius is a fixed sign, and can be stubborn about making changes.

In the past few years, communication connections have been changing at an incredible pace. To help us with these changes, this Mercury Rx is bringing us the opportunity to release hidden mental patterns. To do this we have to allow these hidden patterns to surface, and be willing to think in a new way. In the past, we were able to say one thing, while thinking or feeling another, and the repercussions were not immediately noticeable.

Previously there was a buffer zone between people, but the buffer zone is dissolving and something similar to ESP is taking over. For instance, if someone compliments you on how you look, while thinking, you look terrible; you will have a strong reaction, and a strong awareness that there is something else going on besides a compliment. When someone gives you a false compliment, you will feel more uncomfortable than ever before. However, if you’re a balanced person and let things like this roll off your back, you’ll mirror back something that triggers their subconscious.

A person may say something such as, “you’re looking good”, while thinking your outfit is bulky and makes you look fat and ugly, even though they know you lost weight. You might say something like, “uh, yeah, thanks,” feeling self conscious, knowing you’re wearing your old baggy clothes that are now too big for you since you lost weight. The discomfort may cause you to run to the buffet in frustration.

The changes in the subconscious and conscious may cause you to act as a mirror. You'll be a little confused about the compliment, you may think you don’t really look that good, but it’s no big deal to you. The other person will instantly feel insecure and start thinking that they don’t look that great and their weight is not ideal. They will run off to find someone to gossip with and make them feel better.

People often say nice things to control a situation. Like a boomerang, the control causes energy to rebound and the consequences are worse. If you don’t like someone, don’t try to control the situation by pretending how wonderful he or she is. If you feel that you must say something nice, don’t pretend - find something you like, even if it’s their shoes or socks, or don’t talk to them in the first place. Find someone to talk to that you really like. Better still; ask yourself, what is my true agenda here? Why am I trying to control how this person reacts to me? This is a tough one; it's hard to admit that we have an agenda.

Pisces is the sign that likes to merge with whatever is nearby, it does not have boundaries, and Mercury in Pisces will cause people to overstep boundaries with thoughts, and words. During this retorgrade, this gets confusing because Mercury in Pisces wants to get close, while Mercury in Aquarius pushes personal connections away. In Pisces, people are all over you, and in Aquarius, they ignore you.

During this Rx, we have the chance to see where we are oversensitive and how that creates mental tapes that make a loop. Aquarius allows us to see this in a new way and allow each one of us to be the unique beings we are meant to be.

The main aspect in the Rx chart is Jupiter, the planet of too much too soon, making a square to the nodes. This increases sensitivity. However, Mercury is in a sextile with the Moon, so thinking and feeling will work in harmony.

Look at your chart to see how Mercury Rx will affect you. The house indicates the area of you life that will be affected. The beginning of the Rx will challenge you if you have planets in Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces. After the 2/27, the Rx will affect you if you have planets in late Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

Another Shift

I’ve received many calls, and emails lately from people in a panic about finances, partners, children, jobs, and especially health. In the past two weeks, we have been going through an intense vibrational planetary shift. This source of this shift is not the planets, although the planets are used to support and channel the shift.

The body symptoms have been nausea, headaches, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, body aches similar to flu, muscle tightness, mucscle weakness, walking problems, vertigo, and dizziness. The body aches seem to shift around the body. One day the ache is in the leg, and then it moves up the body to the back, arm, shoulder, often creates pressure in the head, and then moves back down the body to new places. The vertigo comes and goes. One young man said he felt as if a great force had pushed him off his chair as if the planet had tilted. Last weekend, several of us felt as if we had a hangover, even though we don’t drink. It felt like a massive Neptune fog.

Perhaps Saturn is grounding this energy into form through an opposition with Neptune. Saturn is about form life and Neptune connects us to vast unseen sea of energy. Saturn and Neptune are not the creators of the change; they are the receivers and transmitters.

For others there is a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness, or anxiety about daily life. There may be a feeling of being stuck and not getting what you want. This will soon change, especially when Saturn goes direct in April. Prepare and plan your goals in the next two months so you’ll be ready to move forward in April.

These symptoms will come and go in the next month, but should not be as continually strong. There is another surge coming up around the time of the eclipses, but since we are used to the surges, it won’t feel as panicky.

If you are more forgetful than usual, don't worry. We are all learning to use our minds in a new way. The information is still there, we just have to find new ways to use our minds and new methods of retrieval. If you can't remember something, it's on the internet somewhere. This is symbol of one of the new ways of being wired.

Astrology gave us a hint about these changes in thinking and communication with the Transit of Venus in june 2004. The transit pattern will complete in June 2012.

The new energy and the paradigm shifts are one of the reasons that we have to adjust our astrological thinking, and be open to new ideas. We did this once before with the outer planets. Now many astrologers are incorporating new celestial bodies in their work such as the Galactic Center, the Great Attractor, and Eris and Sedna. We are all on a learning curve.


If you are having physical symptoms that concern you, get them checked for your own health and peace of mind.

Grounding Your Desires

Today, the Sun in Aquarius, is making a sextile to Jupiter in Sagittarius, a favorable aspect helping us attract what makes us happy. Finally, we are moving from the uncomfortable opposition of Saturn and Neptune, although we are still feelings the effects. Saturn oppose Neptune forces us to make our fantasies realistic and bring them down to Earth so that they may appear in our world.

I've come across an article that expresses the qualities of these planets and aspects. This article, by Donna Dallal-Ferne, a yoga instructor, tells us how she is using the positive energy of these transits to manifest her desires, (whether she knows it or not). The fact that she discusses a yoga pose in this article indicates that she will ground her desires through her physical body.

Keywords for the Planets and Aspects

Neptune is fantasy, the Divine and the feet. The Sun is the self, success and the heart. Jupiter is a lucky planet that also brings success; it is connected with expansion and wisdom, and rules the hips and thighs. Saturn is career, edges, limits, and it rules the knees. Saturn is a serious planet that works hard to achieve goals. Sextiles are opportunity aspects, while oppositions are about choices and balance.

Read the article to connect the ideas with astrology, and figure out how these keywords are expressed in the article.

Excerpts from Vasistasana by Donna Dallal-Ferne

For some reason this January I have been feeling particularly moved to go after my New Year’s “anticipations” with some pretty serious energy.”

Now is the moment to make my body stronger, find an extra hour for yoga, take some time to walk daily, lose that bit of weight I keep talking about wanting to lose, go after that bigger client base I want to develop, and nurture the growing wisdom that continues to evolve…”
“And then the Divine, within me speaks up and offers a soft quieting voice reminding me of the fine edge of change. The edge of change that straddles acceptance with the desire for movement. So, how do I navigate this edge? How do I balance my eagerness with what I understand and know are my limitations? How do I use what I know about myself to make my way in a manner such that I can anticipate a level of success I can feel good about, and yet not become so ambitious that I will feel defeated before I put my first foot forward?

As I ponder this, I bring myself back to my yoga practice, where I find a sweet combination of direct and metaphorical assistance to just about everything. As I consider some of my edges in yoga, I come to this beautiful, “Ah ha” of Vasistasana (Side Plank Pose). This is the pose that will become a focal point for my practice for the next stretch of time. The metaphor of Vasistasana, and the challenges it offers me are very apt. It is a balancing pose that requires strength, confidence, and a determined spirit. I generally bring myself into it, no problem, but fall out quickly, and then, the tendency is to walk away and not come back to it for a good long time. Not so unlike some other struggles in my life!

The benefit of taking care of business through yoga is that, not only is yoga a serious practice that brings me to a depth of understanding and insight about both myself and the world around me, but it is also a friendly, playful practice, that is patient, kind, and forgiving. So I will honor and nurture my space in Vasistasana, allowing it to become my play; the play that will help me guide my determined spirit with balance, strength, and confidence.

Donna