Mystic Astrologers' Blog

Me First! October 11, 2010

This isn’t my week to share.  Last week, when I should have been sharing on the blog, passed by with me focused on other deadlines and clients each day late into the evening.  So….here I am trespassing on my friend’s week.  Since today is a holiday celebrating the Italian adventurer, I thought I would talk about competition versus collaboration.  Probably you are wondering how I got to that topic thinking about Columbus.

Yesterday I was at a Scottish Fair in Scotland, Connecticut with visiting friends.   At one of the booths there was a banner stating “We beat Columbus by a hundred years.”  This banner reference a claim that Scottish adventurers had actually been to America first, way before Columbus. And let’s not forget that Vikings also have a claim on being first.  Now I don’t know who was actually first, although it is a fact that Columbus did not set foot in North America, but this controversy does illustrate the competitiveness of human beings. 

I know that I have a competitive streak when I’m playing board games and I’m certain that it comes out in other venues.  It is not part of myself that I particular like.  In these changing times I sense that the culture and the drives of the human race need to be refocused.  We really do need to think in terms of collaboration and mutuality, not who can get there first, who can win.

With Saturn in the Sign of Libra until October 2012 we are being given a chance to consider the importance of relationships and being connected to other people, perhaps even collaborating and sharing rather than competing.  Saturn in Libra takes relationships seriously.  Fairness and justice in relationships is a positive expression of Libra.  Believing that everyone should get a fair share, rather than one person or group getting  it all, is the focus.  Another way we might reflect on the energies of Saturn in Libra is that we are being given an opportunity to think about  the welfare of the community, the whole world, over our singular interests.

In Columbus time finding the quickest route to the Far East meant the possibility of wealth in spice trading and glory for Spain and Italy who were financing the journey.  When Columbus found new lands  instead of the spice route, his diaries suggest that his plan was to enslave the natives he found in the new lands as a resource for work in his homeland.  He did not see the natives as equal to himself , but rather as beings to have power over.  

Adventuring, associated with the Sign of Aries, opposite of Libra, is  about winning, being first.  Columbus’ claims  that he was first to arrive at the new lands makes him a winner.   We now celebrate  his adventure, focused on the one person, Columbus, not also on the crew of 90 men who supported the venture.  My point is that this attitude of power and winning being focused on a personality or individual is engrained in our thinking and even our celebrations and holidays like Columbus Day.

As we move forward in new adventures what if we could change the lens that seems prevalent to the ways things happen?  Let’s change the foundation of  thinking about succeeding or winning.  What if Columbus had tried to learn from the natives living and surviving in the lands discovered rather than thinking to dominate and enslave them? Maybe human kind would have a much richer experience with shared knowledge.  And how different might the attitude have been if the crew of the three ships had been recognized for the important support given to the adventure?  Would that have developed into corporations being a joint adventure of management and workers all contributing to the development of the best product possible.

Is it too late for an attitude adjustment?  I don’t think so.  At least I’m trying to play board games differently.  With Saturn in Libra we are being given an opportunity to form a more elegant structure of  accomplishing, adventuring, and surviving together with collaboration and mutuality.    May it be so!

Jacqueline    

jacqueline janes @astrotherapist.com

Jupiter/Uranus conjunction and me September 22, 2010

Whew! What a week I have had so I am a little slow in posting and yet don’t want the momentum of our  voices sharing to lose steam. So forgive me sister astrologers and readers!

What’s was so profound about my week? Well, let me share a personal story to teach about what happened to me when the Jupiter/Uranus conjoined at 29 Pisces exact last Saturday, Sept 18. Perhaps others have amazing stories to share, also.

I had known for some time that my natal Mercury in Pisces in the 10th house would have Jupiter and Uranus dancing on it in September, within less than a degree while I was writing and finishing up my book, Conscious Footsteps: Finding Spirit in Everyday Matters. That is why, though it was actually published in June, I decided I could wait out the summer and schedule my book launch party and nationwide joint venture email campaign in September instead.

Sunday afternoon, Sept 19, over 90 friends, family, clients and ever some folks I didn’t know showed up to celebrate and buy my book (49 sold!). That was magnificent enough on its own. But yesterday (Tues 9/21), over a million emails were sent out by partners who agreed to participate in my nationwide launch and to offer free downloadable gifts to sweeten the purchase. Amazingly, my book reached #1 on Amazon in 2 different categories and #3,135 of  670,000 overall. Incredible!

So how do I feel? I feel like electricity has been running through my body (Mercury rules my Gemini Moon and the 4th house) for days. I sleep well but not long and have constant inspirations, like lightbulbs going off every nano-second about things to do or create. Now that the launch is over and Jupiter and Uranus are separating, I hope I can find a little less excitement and more opportunity to meditation and “space out” even.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have missed the last several days for anything. What ride! But just as eating nothing but ice cream is not healthy, so if I had to run as this pace, my mind churning out idea after idea, I would surely burn out.

Yes, Jupiter/Uranus is innovation and breakthrough awareness, but thank God, it only comes every 14 years…and not again on my natal Mercury in my lifetime!  ~ Dianne Eppler Adams – www.SpiritinMatters.com

Venus in Scorpio September 11, 2010

On September 8, 2010, the day of the New Moon in Virgo, Venus entered the sign of Scorpio.  Now according to ancient wisdom Venus is in her detriment in Scorpio, meaning she doesn’t operate comfortably in that sign.  I’d like to believe, however, that we are generating new meanings for the planets in the signs based on  our evolving consciousness.

Venus is about how we take in and then maintain balance and harmony.  Affection is something she knows we need to take in to live comfortably.  Also, she asks that we examine our values on a personal level,  generally connected with how we want to be safe or secure.  Venus is about the divine feminine energy within us.

In Scorpio Venus is emotionally intense but may not show it.  One might think of Mara Hari – intense, secretive, seductive — who values getting information, getting to the bottom of an issue. This is the feminine spirit that has a secretiveness about her.  She is emotionally strong and passionate; she may also be able to sense other’s feelings and passions. 

I’m giving you a “heads up” about this energy because she will go retrograde almost half way through the Sign of Scorpio at thirteen degrees on October 8th.  She will continue her backwards motion into the later degrees of Libra, turning forward at 27 degrees on November 23rd, 2010.  (By the way, on that date Jupiter will also turn forward to begin the move out the Pisces finally to enter Aries  for a while on January 23rd, 2011.) Venus will be in Scorpio into the New Year, January 8th, when she enters Sagittarius – that’s three months plus a few days.  We have some time to spend with this energy.

When Venus is retrograde that is a good period to reflect on Venusian concerns – balance, harmony, relationships, security, and personal values.  Mundanely we want to look at money issues, especially our debt ratios given she is in the Sign of Scorpio.  We may want to check-in where we are feeling emotionally intense about issues.  Generally when Venus is retrograde the stock market does not move forward, but tends to decline.  The day Venus moved into Scorpio, she was making an aspect to Jupiter that suggested a wealth or expansion adjustment was going to occur during her period while in this sign.  She also was aspecting Pluto which may be promising for in-depth work on any debt problems.

Venus’ placement in my chart is suggesting that I reflect intensely on my creative life.  I’m already thinking about projects that might be worked on during her backwards motion through my 5th house. Of course, activities with my adult children might also happen during this period. Having fun to balance my serious nature might be in order like a “love affair” with my partner of 44 years. 

Check out your own chart— or your inner intuition.  Either one may inform you where Venusian energies are calling you to reflection.  I’ll be checking in when we are in the beginning of her journey in October.  Start now.  Let Venus take you on a journey into the depth of your being, opening to receive her messages from the dark, emotional depths.

Jacqueline Janes  www.astrotherapist.com

Life Happens August 23, 2010

I was doing a lot of walking around the neighborhood with the dogs and to the coffee shop with husband Dean located about one mile away. All this within the last few days. Our vacation was fast approaching, just a few more days and we’d be in California wine country for one week. Just two days before our vacation I walked to the Lafayette Peach Festival, another mile trek. The festival is a lovely yearly event in my community. I walked around for a few hours and that evening went to a housewarming party. Because the couple had just moved in, there weren’t a lot of chairs and I found myself standing the entire time which amounted to about 3 hours. Just as Dean and I were leaving the party, the pain started in my knee and really hurt. Yikes! I limped along to the car, arrived at home and jumped into bed hoping it would be better in the morning. When I awoke the next day which was the day before our trip, my knee was very sore and swollen and giving me a lot of pain and stiffness. So I took the pain reliever and carefully iced my knee. I also got my cane out and walked around the house using it for support. I had so much to do before the trip and it took twice as long using the cane. Now it is the evening and my knee feels better though it is still stiff and I want so much to ride my bike on this trip – well time will tell if that is possible. Oh how I love Mercury retrograde — the trickster of the zodiac strikes when you are least expecting it! And if you want the astrological behind all this, Mercury retrograded exactly square my ascendant.

Blogging August 19, 2010

Last night at my Rocky Mountain Astrologer’s (ROMA) Board Meeting, one of my board members suggested we start a blog for our astrology group. It was met with mixed reactions, and honestly it was met with thumbs down by all the other members except the person suggesting it and myself. I wondered if it was because the woman who suggested it was the youngest in the group and those who were not so enthused about it were much older. Many used excuses like “too busy” and “what is the value?”, etc. And they were all valid excuses because this is a very busy board who have many outside interests and obligations that have nothing to do with astrology. So we tabled the idea for now and will bring it up at a later date. However, during the discussion, I talked a bit about technology and how that was the wave for the future, which included things like blogs, websites, facebook, and e-newsletters. I did not have to mention email since they all do email and agree it is an efficient and instant way to communicate board business as well as other things. I even mentioned how so many groups are now only doing e-newsletters, no more paper postal mailings. I can understand why there is resistance to blogging, I was resistant in the beginning but now when it is my week to blog I amaze myself. I amaze myself because I just start writing and there is ALWAYS something to talk about! So I give blogging a thumbs up and do hope my ROMA board at some time in the future will give it a second consideration and not be left behind in the world of electronic communication. Sandra-Leigh Serio, www.sandraleigh.com

Mercury about to retrograde August 16, 2010

I sit here thinking, it’s my turn to blog and Mercury is about to turn retrograde – a time for me when I get organized and catch up on procrastinated projects. Knowing that Mercury is about to retrograde on Friday at 1:59 PM, MDT, and knowing that we are now in the shadow of Mercury and that is often the time when things happen, I eagerly watch for Mercury mishaps. Today, Monday August 16, one has already happened. Had to log on to a training for a video conference that I am participating in (go to www.forumonastrology.com for information). Everything seemed to be progressing without only minor hitches when our moderator, Robert Corre, a Virgo with Gemini rising (both signs ruled by Mercury) had to log off the video conference because his voice suddenly was muted. His lips were moving but no one could hear him. It was about five minutes later when he finally came back onto the video conference and told us that he did something with his headset that accidently muted his voice. And I thought here we are again, Mercury acting up, showing us his humorous side by taking the moderator out of the training! The best thing to do when Mercury retrogrades is just to laugh along with this Jester of the Zodiac. After all, you can’t put your head in the sand and stop communicating and sending and answering email just because Mercury is retrograde. So I begin this blog with Mercury in the shadow and hope that the deeper side of Mercury will evolve and that is that I will uncover something about blogging that I missed four weeks ago when it last was my turn to blog. We shall see. Sandra-Leigh Serio, www.sandraleigh.com

Expectancy August 15, 2010

This week I have been thinking a lot about the word expectancy which means a state of watchfulness or apprehension or anticipation.  Astrologers had noted the coming together of five planets plus the moon in  a challenging configuration the last week in July into August 2010.  Given the nature of the planets, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto with Jupiter and Mars joining  in Cardinal Signs, the signs of the solstices and equinoxes, there was speculation that something significant in the economy or between governments or with Mother Earth  was going to happen.  Cardinal Signs do mean action. I confess I believed that significant meant BIG and,whatever the event or events,  it would force us all  to examine our lives and raise our consciousness about the care of our planet.

I came to the end of this week wondering why nothing had happened.  Then I realized I wasn’t paying attention. Talk about being unconscious.   Big events were happening.   The rains  in China were causing landslides  and the monsoons in Pakistan were causing flooding with thousands dying in both countries and even more people struggling with diseases like cholera because of a  lack of good water.  In Russia there were serious underground peat fires due to dry conditions.  Paradoxically  flooding is being considered as the only way to control the fires with the smoke now covering parts of Moscow.  Concerns around the Gulf oil spill continue.  An Italian scientist has raised the alarm that the gulf current loop has stalled possibly because of the dispersant fluids used to control the oil spill.  Now the worry is that this current  stall, if it continues, will affect the moisture produced for  agricultural cycle next year. And the USA is still engaged in war on two fronts.

I had to ask myself  why I hadn’t considered all these tragedies the “wake up call”  promised by the “Cardinal Energies”.  What was I expecting?  

 Probably for most of us unless something happens directly in our neighborhood, or state, or country we aren’t fully engaged.   Even when something happens, like unemployment goes almost to 10 % officially,   the event doesn’t seem earth-shaking enough to take us out of our complacency unless a  family member is affected.

Is there a possibility that we are getting numb because there have been so many international tragedies already this year — earth quakes and volcanoes erupting — and the economic news for the lower economic strata continues to be less than encouraging with every report and those holding economic power don’t seem to “get it”.  No jobs.  No recovery.

I do get the message.  I’ve decided that we are fortunate that we haven’t experienced  a BIG EVENT.    A flood on the scale that Noah built the ark for is not necessary.  The events happening in the past several months on a world-wide and national scale have been life changing enough for many of our brothers and sisters.  I don’t think I need anything else to happen to inform me about the need to make changes in my life to ease the planet’s pain.  The cardinal energies are doing the job, informing us to act now to bring about changes in the way we live on this planet.   What do you think?

One last thought:  Expectancy also has hope associated with it…..like the hope we all have before the birth of something new and different.

Jacqueline Janes www.astrotherapist.com