As Venus Makes Its Opposition With Neptune

Thursday, August 23, was a morning of thinking about fantasy and illusion. I sat on my porch swing spending my morning time daydreaming and reading The Power of Nowby Eckhart Tolle. I started to wonder about the meaning of “now” for me. I’ve always found the thought, “you should be in the now” a little off-putting. If I had to constantly sit and be aware of “being in the now”, would I be bored? I love to fantasize about the future. Thinking about driving down the street to my favorite ice cream store, choosing a flavor and deciding on a cone or a cup is almost as much fun as the real thing, but there is so much pleasure being "in the ice cream moment" with the glorious taste, texture and that sweet coolness.

This makes me think that past, present, future are all the same and that time really is an illusion. Is it the five senses that make the “now” so powerful? I often wonder how it is in the afterlife with no material form, no ice cream, no velvety fur to stroke on your loving pet.

It has been almost four months since I lost most of my possessions in a fire. Replacing my wardrobe has been fun, but the thought of it has been even more fun. I lived through the summer in t-shirts and jeans, but now it’s time to think about sweaters, and bundling up in a hand-made sweater. I like to knit and when I knit, I think about what I will work on next. I get lost imagining the colors, textures and different color combinations. One of the first things that people who knit will say, “It is so relaxing”. Maybe that is why knitting is so addictive. If I knit something in a simple stitch, my mind becomes very mercurial wandering all over the place, dreaming, and scheming. Perhaps it is my Mars in Virgo that causes that mercurial mind to come to life when I knit.

I have Mars in Virgo in the 5th house. Mars in Virgo is a signature of knitting. The 5th house is creative, and I always have a creative project around, even if I’m not working on it. In fact, a pair of knitting needles, and a sweater in progress, were the first things I retrieved from my home after the fire. The owner of my local knitting shop said there is a comfort in being surrounded by needles and yarn.

I am also replacing all my artwork. I am a watercolorist. However, when I do watercolor, my mind does not wander; I am focused on the work at hand.

As I sit on the porch swing wool-gathering and daydreaming, I return to the now, I am in the moment, thankful for the cool breeze. Soon the sweltering heat will return for a spell. I think of my friends in the south and wonder how they are surviving.

These are my musings as Venus, the planet related to pleasure in material life, makes an opposition to Neptune, the planet of mystery, illusion, and fantasy.

In my chart, pleasure-seeking Venus at 20 Leo is transiting within two degrees of my practical natal Saturn at 22 Leo. Venus also squares my ascendant at 20 Taurus. Meantime, imaginative Neptune transiting at 20 Aquarius fills in a t-square in my chart. If this is what this t-square brings me, in this moment I am very appreciative.

I wrote this a few days ago, and now the heat has returned. My days are slow and not much has been accomplished. I haven’t seen any intense outward manifestations of Venus oppose Neptune other than three knitting projects ripped out. They didn’t turn out as I imagined. Don’t let Venus fool you, she can bring intense manifestations, but for now, she has been gentle with me and is affecting only my creative projects. Neptune is making my imagination work overtime, and my writing a little rambly. I may see a bigger outcome in the future, for my creative imaginings have included my future.

Almonds, Industry, and Astrology

The US almond industry has decided to subject all raw almonds to heat or chemical pasteurization. The Cornucopia Institute is leading a campaign to convince the USDA to reopen the public comment period on this issue. The previous 45 day comment period was not publicized, and resulted in only 18 comments, none of which were submitted by private citizens or consumer advocate organizations. This campaign will be launched late this week or early next. Check their web site for information on who to contact to make your opinions heard. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets both have policies stating that they will be selling only almonds pasteurized with steam, rather than those treated with propylene oxide.

Click here to learn about modern industrial food preparation http://www.blackherbals.com/dirty_secrets_of_the_food_processing_industry.htm

In Chinese astrology almonds are associated with the rat, Vedic astrology, associates them with Jupiter, Renaissance astrology and William Lilly related the almond tree to Venus, and Al-biruni believed the hard shell made almonds of the nature of Saturn. What do you think? My Venus is strong in my chart and I like almonds, but they are not at the top of my favorite foods.

During my herbal training, I was told that eating one almond a day was good for the immune system. In The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable, Juliette de Bairacli Levy writes that it was a well kept secret that Arabain horse breeders used almonds to boost the immune systme of their Arabian horses.

Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditons says that it is a good idea to soak almonds overnight to make them more digestible.

A good cereal recipie for oatmeal and almonds. In a covered bowl, on the counter, soak oats, pre-soaked almonds, raisins, a pinch of salt, and raw milk or raw cream overnight. If you don't have raw milk substitute water.

Summer in the Northern hemisphere is a good time to support your local farmers by shopping at the Farmer’s Markets. There is plenty of healthy, often organic, food at reaonable prices. I have been told that Massachusetts is supporting the local farmers by giving money to the cities who have a weekly Farmer’s Market.

Lunar Eclipse 8/28/07

There will be an eclipse on 8/28/07 at 4 Pisces 46. Here is a great description from NASA Science News. It makes me want to get up before sunset and view the eclipse. at 5:22 AM EDT.

The event begins 54 minutes past midnight PDT (0754 UT) on August 28th when the Moon enters Earth's shadow. At first, there's little change. The outskirts of Earth's shadow are as pale as the Moon itself; an onlooker might not even realize anything is happening. But as the Moon penetrates deeper, a startling metamorphosis occurs. Around 2:52 am PDT (0952 UT), the color of the Moon changes from moondust-gray to sunset-red. This is totality, and it lasts for 90 minutes. To understand why the change occurs, close your eyes and dream yourself all the way to the Moon. Once again, you're standing on a seashore—the Sea of Tranquillity. There's no water. You're surrounded by hundreds of miles of dusty, hardened lava. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the Sun behind it. The eclipse is underway.

With the Sun blocked, you might expect utter darkness, but no, the ground at your feet is aglow. Why? Look back up at Earth. The rim of the planet seems to be on fire. Around Earth's circumference you see every sunrise and sunset in the world—all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth's shadow, transforming the Moon into a landscape of copper moondust and golden hills.

Wake up! This is really going to happen, and some planning is necessary. Set your alarm an hour or so in advance to gather snacks and dress warmly. (Even in August, four o'clock in the morning can be chilly.) Waking up early also allows you to catch some of the partial eclipse before totality.

The eclipse will be visible from Australia, Japan, parts of Asia and most of the Americas, but not from Africa or Europe. Pacific observers are favored. On the west coast of the United States, the entire eclipse will unfold high in the post-midnight sky. On the east coast, totality will be truncated by sunrise. That's okay; even a little eclipse can be a dream.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/03aug_dreamyeclipse.htm?list816542

The dreamy description suits Pisces to a T.