Whose Life Is It Anyway?

In your birth chart, Uranus represents your individuality--that part of you that must "break away form the pack" in order to be true to yourself.

When you're roughly 42 years old, you (like all of us) experience what's called your Uranian opposition. Uranus moves 180 degrees (or the equivalent of 6 zodiac signs) away from its position in your birth chart. In other words, it opposes its natal position.
 

For example, if you were born with Uranus at 7 degrees Libra, then Uranus reaches 7 degrees Aries (and that, in fact, is where Uranus is currently).

By the time that you experience your Uranian opposition, your individuality has grown and changed to the point that it confronts the way that you've been expressing it, up until that point in your life. It begs the question of "Who's life is it anyway?"

By the time that we reach our early 40s, many of us find that we've been living our lives to a great extent to satisfy someone or something else. Maybe it's a parent we've been trying to satisfy. Maybe it's been society. Whatever the case, we're challenged to start living our lives based more on our own definitions of "truth" and "success."

For an inspiring example of how one might take a stand for freedom while going through a Uranian opposition, consider what the African-American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005) did.

In 1955, when Parks was 42 years old, she refused to obey a Montgomery, Alabama, bus driver's order to give up her seat to a white passenger. Her civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement, and Parks became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation.

So now, think about your own Uranian opposition.

If you've already experienced yours, how did you respond to the call of freedom when it arose for you?

And if you'll be experiencing your Uranian opposition in the next so-many years, how might you answer the call when it arises?

What a Character!

For an example of how to "do" Scorpio badly, consider Victor Newman on CBS TV's "The Young & The Restless." 

Sneaky, controlling ... He's a lot of fun. ;-)

How about other fictional characters from TV, movies, literature, etc.?

Who's one of your favorite characters (or favorite characters to hate)? 

Which zodiac sign does he, she, or it remind you of ... and why?

We Have a Lunar Eclipse on June 4th

 

LET'S DISCUSS IT

Would you like to discuss this topic with others? Then post a message here / on The Proud Phoenix page on Facebook. 

WHAT’S HAPPENING

On Monday, June 4, at 11:03 a.m. GMT, a lunar eclipse occurs. Lunar eclipses happen at approximately the same time as Full Moons, though only some Full Moon periods feature lunar eclipses.

(Lunar eclipses occur when a Full Moon falls within about 13 degrees of the Moon's Nodes.)

At a Full Moon, the Sun and the Moon are located at two points that are exactly opposite from each other in the zodiac. During this month’s Full Moon, the Moon is located at 14 degrees 14 minutes Sagittarius, while the Sun is at 14 degrees 14 minutes Gemini. Because it’s also a lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow passes over the Moon.

MY APPROACH TO WHO’S AFFECTED AND WHEN

As I discuss this month's lunar eclipse, I will take a somewhat conservative, middle-of-the-road approach compared to other astrologers.

(For more about a few other astrologers' individual approaches to eclipses, see the Appendix at the end of this blog entry.)

If you were born between roughly May 31 and June 6, or between roughly December 2 and December 8, then this month's eclipse is particularly significant for you. You can expect issues to arise that impact your sense of who you are and the way that you express your general vitality.

To determine more about whether your birth chart is especially triggered by this event, pull out your birth chart.

(If you don’t have a copy, then you can enter birth information and get a free chart at http://www.astro.com).

Check your birth chart to see if your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury, Venus or Mars lies between roughly 11 degrees and 17 degrees of Gemini / Sagittarius.

If so, then the affairs of the triggered planet and how you choose to respond to that planet are emphasized during this eclipse.

For example, if your Venus is triggered, then how you approach your social or aesthetic or recreational activities, and what happens in connection with them, may be emphasized during the eclipse period.

Which of your houses have Venus-ruled Taurus or Libra on their cusps (i.e., at the beginnings of them)?

Their affairs may also be emphasized now.

(On the other hand, if your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury, Venus and Mars are NOT in mid-Gemini or mid-Sagittarius, then you’ll mainly experience this eclipse in terms of whichever house in your chart it emphasizes.)

How long is an eclipse in effect?

I recommend that you start by considering the period from about a month before until about a month after the eclipse (from roughly May 4 20 till July 4), and then you see what patterns you notice in your own experiences.

SOME GENERAL THOUGHTS, APPLICABLE FOR EVERYONE

During a lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks the Moon’s light. Practical considerations (the Earth) take precedence over emotional considerations (the Moon). Between early May and early July, you might unexpectedly experience a confrontation with positive or problematic facets of your feelings now—facets or feelings that you have ignored. You might also experience a sudden confrontation with someone or something external to you. In any event, don’t be surprised if some of your subtler, deeper or most hidden feelings get stirred up and brought into the light now. Since the Moon is in a fire sign (Sagittarius), you may experience challenges involving emotional or physical matters—those related to physical vitality, enthusiasm, or inspiration.

During this period, aim to focus more on what’s going on here and now, rather than what happened in the past or the feelings that you still carry around, about what happened in the past.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Astrologer Tracy Marks suggests making room in your life to expect the unexpected and deal with it flexibly; plan to wrap up your activities or let go of outdated, limiting attitudes in whatever part of your life is affected; and maybe emphasizing spending more time on activities that help you feel grounded a la Saturn, rather than more focused on internal expansion a la Neptune.

IN ANY EVENT

As always during a Full Moon, two particular houses in your chart are emphasized between roughly May 31 and June 8. During that time period, this month’s Full Moon eclipse highlights whichever the natural tension between whichever house in your chart contain 14 degrees 14 minutes Sagittarius and whichever house contains 14 degrees 14 minutes Gemini. This is true for everyone.

AN EXAMPLE: THE FULL MOON IN YOUR 3RD HOUSE AND THE SUN IN YOUR 9TH HOUSE

 For example, let’s suppose that the Moon illuminates your 3rd house and the Sun activates your 9th house.

The Full Moon highlights the polarity between what’s “near and now,” what’s familiar and immediate (your 3rd house) and life’s larger issues and possibilities, what’s unfamiliar and distant (your 9th house). Attending to what’s of immediate concern, while also considering the overall direction of your life, can be an issue now. 

How could you integrate these two threads of your life more effectively, rather than overemphasize one to the detriment of the other?

During this lunar eclipse, you may experience an ending of circumstances related to travel, education, sales or marketing (some matter related to your 3rd house).

For example, maybe you give up on some old way of dealing with classmates, or neighbors, or siblings, or someone else in your immediate world. Maybe you let go of an old idea that life has proven to be unworkable. Maybe you give up on pursuing some contract of sale or certification program that just isn’t going to happen.

Although a ending might feel painful, it could also free you from your past so that you can claim your future. You may feel tempted to act irrationally now. You may want to cling to some facet of yourself or your experience out of a heightened desire for security.

This eclipse, however, is a reminder to step out of the past. It’s a reminder to move beyond acting reflexively on your feelings, to deal with issues more objectively. Emphasize wrapping up your activities that have outlived their usefulness. Emphasize letting go of outdated, limiting attitudes or values.

2012 ECLIPSES

Solar and lunar eclipses occur when a New or Full Moon falls within about 13 degrees of the Moon's Nodes. During most years, two sets of solar and lunar eclipses occur; each set includes a solar eclipse at the New Moon and a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon 14 days later.

Here’s a list of 2012 eclipses:

On May 20, there’s a solar eclipse at the New Moon. The Sun and Moon are both at 0 degrees 20 minutes Gemini.

On June 4, there’s a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon. The Sun is at 14 degrees 8 minutes Gemini, and the Moon is at 14 degrees 8 minutes Sagittarius.

On November 13, there’s a solar eclipse at the New Moon. The Sun and Moon are both at 21 degrees 57 minutes Scorpio.

On November 28, there’s a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon. The Sun is at 6 degrees 40 minutes Gemini, and the Moon is at 6 degrees 40 minutes Sagittarius.  

APPENDIX: TIME PERIOD AND WHO’S AFFECTED: APPROACHES VARY

Astrologers vary in which people they consider to be affected significant by eclipses. They vary in the orbs they use when looking at aspects between an eclipse and a person’s natal chart.

Jeff Jawer says that the impact for an individual is greatest when the eclipse is within about five degrees of conjoining or opposes a significant point in the natal chart.

Jodie Forrest says that if an eclipse occurs within about three degrees of conjoining or opposing one of your personal natal planets, it emphasizes the affairs of that planet, and how you choose to respond to that planet.

Tracy Marks say that an eclipse is most significant when it conjoins natal planets within two degrees. She says that we may experience crises in relation to ourselves or someone else when the eclipse squares or opposes a natal planet within two degrees.

Marks adds that when an eclipse sextiles or trines a natal planet within two degrees, we usually experience people helping us or new dimensions of our “higher subconscious or super conscious” opening up.

Astrologers also vary in how long they consider an eclipse to be in effect astrologically.

For example, in The Astrology of Self Discovery (c 1985, CRCS Publications, ISBN 0-916360-20-2) Marks says that an eclipse is mainly felt during the month before it occurs. She adds that if the eclipse conjoins, squares or opposes a natal planet within two degrees, it is felt until the next eclipse cycle.

Forrest considers it to be in effect for about a month before and after it occurs.

In an article at StarIQ.com, Jawer considers it to be in effect for about six months afterwards, or until the next eclipse of the same type (solar or lunar) occurs.

Marks says that the effect of an eclipse is reactivated whenever a transiting planet (especially Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune or Pluto) conjoins the eclipse degree.

Follow Me on Twitter @theproudphoenix

Yes, the Phoenix has now joined the twitterverse ...

... so come fly with me...

... and follow me there!

Taking Risks to Radically Improve Your Situation

Have you ever found yourself in a situation, one that you knew simply had to change, but you didn’t like any of your choices for how to change it?

Then let me tell you about a daring German man from World War II ... and a free article ... that you might find inspiring. 

Wilhem Canaris: One Risk-Taker Who Made History

On Tyler Tervooren’s website, http://advancedriskology.com/, he says that he started it “for one extremely important reason – I want to help everyone I can to take smarter and more beneficial risks in their lives.”

By signing up for Tervooren’s free newsletter-by-email, I received part 1 of his series, “5 Risks That Made History.” In it, he tells how Wilhelm Canaris risked his life as a triple agent to help save millions of lives and to contribute to Adolph Hitler’s downfall.

(You can see Canaris's birth chart birth chart. Point and click on it to see a larger image of it. You can also read  Canaris's biography on Wikipedia at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Canaris .)

After telling Canaris's story, Tervooren goes on to pose some questions that one might ask oneself, questions related to changing one’s own current situation, by taking a risk.

When We're All Faced With Whether to Take a Risk

Introducing his questions for self-reflection, Tervooren says this:

“It's happened to all of us at some point. Maybe you thought it was the right place to be, but turns out, it wasn't. Perhaps you weren't paying attention and literally fell right into it. Either way, you feel trapped but, like Canaris, there's probably another option…. No matter how set in stone your options seem, there's always another way out. It usually isn't easy, and it certainly isn't obvious, but it's better than the alternative.”

I found Canaris’s example inspiring. And I found the questions that Tervooren included after it to be good food for thought.

Want to Read Tervooren's Article in Its Entirety?

If you’d like to read “5 Risks, part 1” in its entirety, just email me at proudphoenix@pobox.com and I’ll forward it to you. (If you’re wondering about any copyright infringement, Tervooren wrote, “This content is uncopyrighted. Please use it to change the world as you see fit.”)

Alternatively, you can go to the Advanced Riskology website (and then go toward the upper right-hand corner of the page) to sign up for the newsletter yourself.

And What About the Astrology, in the Case of Canaris?

I thought that it might be interesting to look at Canaris’s birth chart and consider which natal potentials, symbolized in the chart, he drew on to take the risk that he took.

Here are two questions to ponder:

1.Where in his chart do you see the potential for Canaris to act in a daring way, for the sake of principles that he  believed in, and for the sake of saving other people's lives?

2. Looking at those same symbols, if Canaris had chosen to express them in a "lower path" sort of fashion, what's one way that you could imagine him having done that?

I'll post my own answers to these two questions below, but before you read them, please try your own hand at the questions.

And consider posting your answers.

You do not need to be astrology's equivalent of Einstein to post them! ;-)

You just have to be willing to share them with the rest of us.

An Astrologer by Any Other Name...

In case there's any confusion later, I thought that it might be good to give everyone here a heads-up about the following:

So it looks like I'll be going back ... to going by my first name (Paul) ... when I relocate to Colorado in October.

For those of you who know me as "Brian" (my middle name): I will *not* ask you to call me "Paul" in the future... Assuming that it's easier for you to keep calling me Brian, that's fine.... With respect to those that I meet after I move, I'll just be starting a new chapter in my life ... and going "back to the future." Back to *my* future.

You see, when I left home at 16 and went to S & M... (where only 3 other people already knew me)... I switched to going by my middle name (Brian) ... for a few reasons ... Now, though, it feels like time to come full-circle ... and to come home to "me."

(Some people sing, "I've Never Been to Me." ... Me, I apparently go there every 32 years or so. ;-) To quote Babs, "How lucky can you get?")

In some ways, I'm broadening my horizons these days, doing some things ... in a few parts of my life .... that I've *never done before.*

At the same time, I'm connecting more fully with some things that have *always been a part of me* ... but that sort of went to "a more interior place" within me, when I was about 8 years old.

As time goes on, they're gonna be coming out again, more and more ... and they're gonna be doing it as Paul.

Getting a "Tune-Up"

I'll be conducting a FREE workshop, "Using Natal Planets to Accomplish What You Want" ... 

... from 7 to 9 p.m., on Wednesday, June 27, in Raleigh... 

... and YOU'RE invited!

Just as you might get a tune-up so that your *vehicle* will run more smoothly...

... you might want to get another tune-up of sorts so that your *life* will run more smoothly.

Come learn how to identify some "part of yourself" ... 

... (as symbolized by some planet in your birth chart) ... 

... that you might want to "adjust" ... 

... so that it will more fully help you accomplish whatever you want.

Triangle Astrology Meetup is sponsoring this workshop.

For details, see http://www.meetup.com/astrology-149/events/65677682/

Stretching to Victory with the Help of Astrology

It “just so happens” that that today's solar eclipse falls on (conjoins) my natal Venus (which symbolizes creating, relating, resting and relaxing).

To interpret my natal Venus (that is, Venus in my birth chart), we can consider a few points about its position and how it relates to other parts of my chart.

"My" Venus, in Terms of Astrological Jargon  

Regarding lovely Venus's role in my chart, she lies in Sagittarius (keyword: meaning) in my 7th house (intimacy). She also rules my 1st house (style) and my 6th house (responsibilities).  

NOTE: To express that same point in another way, the two signs that are naturally associated with Venus (i.e., Taurus and Scorpio) “line up” with the beginnings of those houses, respectively. 

In “astrologese,” they’re “on the cusps of” those houses.
 

My Venus Redux: In Plain English

To boil down all of the above to “plain English”…

In order to truly relate, create, and rest and relax successfully, I need to seek a sense of meaning through intimacy.

I need to establish, maintain, and deepen close bonds of any or all types with other individuals. I also need to approach the general public in a way that promotes a sense of meaning for it / for me.

And given that Venus rules my 1st and 6th houses, relating, creating, and resting and relaxing having implications for both my style and my responsibilities …

… that is, for the first impression that I make on others, and how I approach life day in and day out (1st house)… 

... and how I learn skills, assume responsibilities, and (hopefully) do things that others find helpful and that I find meaningful (6th house).

Bringing Today's Solar Eclipse Into the Picture

Now, all of the above applies to my lifetime in general (to this lifetime in general, if you believe in reincarnation).

As far as today’s eclipse goes…

I can anticipate that matters related to relating / creating / resting and relaxing will be emphasized.

And, boy, are they!

I gave my first talk as a professional astrologer this past week.

I’ve been busily creating / developing various things (such as preparing to sell copies of the audio recording of that talk as an MP3 file). 

And (I admit it) I'm finding it challenging to get adequate rest and relaxation. 

Whoever said that growth would always be relaxing?

I've been stretching myself beyond my comfort zone lately.

Stretching To Victory

In order to give my first talk this past week, I had to overcome “instinctive forces and past events (such as your memories and feelings).” I had to stretch myself outside of my previous comfort zone.

(More on that some other time. For now, suffice it to say that I have my South Node in Capricorn in my 9th house and my North Node in Cancer in my 3rd house.)

And I did it. :-)

I focused on the sort of future that I wanted for myself (a vocation in which I work solely for myself as an astrologer, giving talks and doing other things).

I stretched myself, with the support of friends and family…

… and I accomplished a personal milestone.

Score one victory for “your will, your personality, your ego-oriented strivings.” 

Why I'm Telling You My Story

So now, I’m telling you about my "little" personal victory, not so much to “crow about it” ...

... as to illustrate how any of us might potentially accomplish such a person victory, with the help of astrology.

I really do believe that astrology can help you transform your life. 

That’s one of the main reasons that I started The Proud Phoenix.

I look forward to hearing about your own attempts to stretch and grow. 

Happy stretching!

Today's Solar Eclipse

  

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Today (Sunday, May 20) at 11:48 p.m. GMT, a solar eclipse occurs. Solar eclipses happen at approximately the same time as New Moons, though only some New Moon periods feature solar eclipses.

(Solar eclipses occur when a New Moon falls within about 13 degrees of the Moon's Nodes.)

At a New Moon, the Sun and the Moon meet up in the same part of the zodiac. During this month’s New Moon, they meet up at 0 degrees 20 minutes Gemini. Because it’s also a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks the Sun's light.

MY APPROACH TO WHO’S AFFECTED AND WHEN

As I discuss this month's solar eclipse, I will take a somewhat conservative, middle-of-the-road approach compared to other astrologers.

(For more about a few other astrologers' individual approaches to eclipses, see the Appendix at the end of this blog entry.)

If you were born between roughly May 17 and May 23, or between roughly December 18 and December 24, then this month's eclipse is particularly significant for you. You can expect issues to arise that impact your sense of who you are and the way that you express your general vitality.

To determine more about whether your birth chart is especially triggered by this event, pull out your birth chart.

(If you don’t have a copy, then you can enter birth information and get a free chart at http://www.astro.com).

Check your birth chart to see if your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury, Venus or Mars lies between roughly 27 degrees and 30 degrees of Taurus / Scorpio.

Also check to see if any of those same points lies between roughly 0 degrees and 3 degrees of Gemini / Sagittarius.

If so, then the affairs of the triggered planet and how you choose to respond to that planet are emphasized during this eclipse.

For example, if your Venus is triggered, then how you approach your social or aesthetic or recreational activities, and what happens in connection with them, may be emphasized during the eclipse period.

Which of your houses have Venus-ruled Taurus or Libra on their cusps (i.e., at the beginnings of them)?

Their affairs may also be emphasized now.

(On the other hand, if your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury, Venus and Mars are NOT in very late Taurus or Scorpio or in very early Gemini or Sagittarius, then you’ll mainly experience this eclipse in terms of whichever house in your chart it emphasizes.)

How long is an eclipse in effect?

I recommend that you start by considering the period from about a month before until about a month after the eclipse (from roughly April 20 till July 20), and then you see what patterns you notice in your own experiences.

SOME GENERAL THOUGHTS, APPLICABLE FOR EVERYONE

During a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks the Sun's light. Sensitivity (the Moon) takes precedence over conscious strivings (the Sun).

Between late April and late June, instinctive forces and past events (such as your memories and feelings) may take precedence over how you express your will, your personality, your ego-oriented strivings. Since the Moon is in an air sign (Gemini), you may experience challenges involving your intellectual or social life.

According to astrologer Jeff Jawer, the fact that the Moon blocks the Sun’s light during a solar eclipse suggests that lunar forces (feeling, memory, returning to the past and inner instinct) take precedence over will (the Sun) during the eclipse period. He suggests looking inward and backward are ways to learn and grow from the eclipse.

Astrologer Tracy Marks says that we tend to feel either more or less energy in relation to the sign or house activated by the eclipse. She says that we may have difficulty making wise decisions due to limited awareness or objectivity.

Consider this eclipse a reminder to tune into your subjective reactions, your motivations and fears, your dreams and fantasies. You may find it difficult to make sound decisions, due to a narrow perspective or limited objectivity. Reflect on what you can learn from your past, and how you might use it as a springboard to grow in the future. Concentrate on responding to unexpected circumstances by focusing on your future, not your past. If your attitudes or behaviors keep you tied to the past at the expense of your future, then aim to let go of them now.

Marks says that unexpected events often occur during eclipses, whether in the form of confrontation with out “internal demons and angels” (our emotional and psychic facets that we have ignored) or through confrontations with circumstances or other people. Marks says that people often experience an ending of circumstances related to the house in which the eclipse occurs, an ending which, although it may be painful, it also frees us from the past to claim the future.

Jawer says that, because of the tendency to fall into unconscious habit patterns when meeting the South Node, eclipses that conjoin this point may be more challenging than those that conjoin the North Node. Those that conjoin the North Node are less conditioned by the past (whether solar or lunar) and may offer more opportunities for rapid change.

Marks says that we usually experience challenges according to the element of the sign in which an eclipse occurs: to our emotional or physical energy during eclipses if fire; to our material existence if earth; to our intellectual or social lives if air; and to our sources of emotional security and feelings if water.

Marks says that the nature of an eclipse is colored by its sign and planets that aspect it, especially if they conjoin, square or oppose it within five degrees. Jawer says that conjunctions, squares and oppositions to natal points make an eclipse more intense, while trines and sextiles make for gentler changes.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Marks suggests making room in your life to expect the unexpected and deal with it flexibly; plan to wrap up your activities or let go of outdated, limiting attitudes in whatever part of your life is affected; and maybe emphasizing spending more time on activities that help you feel grounded a la Saturn, rather than more focused on internal expansion a la Neptune.

IN ANY EVENT

As always during a New Moon, one particular house in your chart are also emphasized between roughly during a few days before and after the New Moon. Between May 17 and May 23, this month’s New Moon eclipse highlights whichever house in your chart contains 0 degrees 20 minutes Gemini.

For example, let’s suppose that your 10th house of public pursuits contains this point. If that’s the case, then acting in public in a way that reflects who you really are and what you are really about is an important issue now. This marks a great time of year for you to target 10th house affairs for improvement. It’s a particularly favorable time to change habits and conditions in that department of your life. Think about how you want to improve the fit between a role that you play in public and who you are in private.

If you start taking action to make that improvement between May 21 and May June 4, the waxing Moon will encourage the results of your effort to multiply.

Aim to start, say, at least 12 hours after the New Moon, but no later than the Full Moon.

Specifically, the New Moon happens at 11:48 p.m. GMT  today (May 20), so start no earlier that roughly 11:48 a.m. GMT tomorrow (May 21). The Full Moon happens at 11:12 a.m. GMT on June 4. The sooner you start between these two times, the better. 

2012 ECLIPSES

Solar and lunar eclipses occur when a New or Full Moon falls within about 13 degrees of the Moon's Nodes. During most years, two sets of solar and lunar eclipses occur; each set includes a solar eclipse at the New Moon and a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon 14 days later.

Here’s a list of 2012 eclipses:

On May 20, there’s a solar eclipse at the New Moon. The Sun and Moon are both at 0 degrees 20 minutes Gemini.

On June 4, there’s a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon. The Sun is at 14 degrees 8 minutes Gemini, and the Moon is at 14 degrees 8 minutes Sagittarius.

On November 13, there’s a solar eclipse at the New Moon. The Sun and Moon are both at 21 degrees 57 minutes Scorpio.

On November 28, there’s a lunar eclipse at the Full Moon. The Sun is at 6 degrees 40 minutes Gemini, and the Moon is at 6 degrees 40 minutes Sagittarius. 

LET’S DISCUSS IT

Would you like to discuss this topic with others? Then post a message here / on The Proud Phoenix page on Facebook. 

APPENDIX: TIME PERIOD AND WHO’S AFFECTED: APPROACHES VARY

Astrologers vary in which people they consider to be affected significant by eclipses. They vary in the orbs they use when looking at aspects between an eclipse and a person’s natal chart.

Jeff Jawer says that the impact for an individual is greatest when the eclipse is within about five degrees of conjoining or opposes a significant point in the natal chart.

Jodie Forrest says that if an eclipse occurs within about three degrees of conjoining or opposing one of your personal natal planets, it emphasizes the affairs of that planet, and how you choose to respond to that planet.

Tracy Marks say that an eclipse is most significant when it conjoins natal planets within two degrees. She says that we may experience crises in relation to ourselves or someone else when the eclipse squares or opposes a natal planet within two degrees.

Marks adds that when an eclipse sextiles or trines a natal planet within two degrees, we usually experience people helping us or new dimensions of our “higher subconscious or super conscious” opening up.

Astrologers also vary in how long they consider an eclipse to be in effect astrologically.

For example, in The Astrology of Self Discovery (c 1985, CRCS Publications, ISBN 0-916360-20-2) Marks says that an eclipse is mainly felt during the month before it occurs. She adds that if the eclipse conjoins, squares or opposes a natal planet within two degrees, it is felt until the next eclipse cycle.

Forrest considers it to be in effect for about a month before and after it occurs.

In an article at StarIQ.com, Jawer considers it to be in effect for about six months afterwards, or until the next eclipse of the same type (solar or lunar) occurs.

Marks says that the effect of an eclipse is reactivated whenever a transiting planet (especially Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune or Pluto) conjoins the eclipse degree.

 

Satisfying Both the Moon and Me

The Moon's currently in Taurus.

For me, when the Moon's in Taurus, it's gliding through my 12th house (except for the last 8 hours or so, when it's gliding through my 1st).

I don't know about you, but when the Moon is in my 12th house, I often find it challenging to occupy myself in emotionally satisfying ways.

Granted, I do realize that doing something related to spirituality... and activities conducted in seclusion .. and altruism can all be great uses of 12th-house time.

Sometimes, though, I just don't feel emotionally / physically / mentally up to acting altruistically ... or doing something all that "spiritual" ... and yet I don't necessarily want to seclude myself either ... while the Moon's in my 12th house.

So this weekend, I decided to take the 12th-house lunar bull by the horns.

I started creating a set of worksheets to help me (and others) come up with good things to do when the Moon is in each of the signs...

... things that are attuned to the spirit of each sign...

... and after working on the sheets for Moon in Taurus and Moon in Gemini...

... I managed to come up with something novel to do, related to my Moon being in Taurus and my 12th house.

Specifically, I tried using the wireless on my laptop out in the yard, for the first time.

(I moved into my house a year ago, but my old laptop was basically on life support, in a coma ... so I couldn't use the wireless. Recently, I pulled the plug on that laptop, so to speak; and I bought a new one.)

As I write this, I'm nestled near a tree and some bushes, enjoying the fresh, cool air as the Sun climbs higher in the sky, behind me...

... and, thanks to the wireless, I'm listening to songs by the cast of "Glee" (and others) on  a radio station that I created on Pandora.

By doing this, I'm accomplishing (count 'em) four things related to the Moon being in Taurus.

1. I'm doing something related to NATURE. I'm outside in the yard, surrounded by trees and bushes, a big blue sky, and birds. 
2. I'm doing something SENSUAL. I'm listening to music, looking at the greenery, and feeling the air moving on my skin. That leaves two other "natural" senses that I might satisfy... and you never know when I might catch a whiff of something on the breeze .... or go grab a mid-morning snack. :-)
3. Except for my fingers moving on the keyboard ... and stretching my legs now and then, I'm sitting STILL.
4. I'm even doing something PRACTICAL insofar as I'm sharing all of this with you on this blog, which relates to my vocation as an astrologer.

Yes, I'm still semi-secluded. I'm alone (at least at the moment)..

... but I'm a happier camper than I'd be if I were cooped up alone, say, in my bedroom.

And that satisfies both the Moon and me.

Soon to Be Released: My New MP3 Lecture

..."2012-2015: How to Make the Most of Uranus Square Pluto."

Until 2015, transiting Uranus and Pluto are challenging each of us to live with greater passion and self-determination, in a way that happens only once every 70 years or so.

Learn how to make the most of the next few years by taking advantage of this rare event.

Included with this mp3 is a FREE WORKSHEET that you can use to apply this square and other transits to your particular birth chart.

Details coming soon!

How Do You Say "Thank You" in Astrologese? ;-)

Thanks to the higher power that I believe in ...

... the Network of Triangle Astrologers (especially Beth Wilson and George Ward) ...

... Dancing Moon Books & Gifts ...

... and all of my friends and relatives...

... who provided practical help, encouragement, and reassurance...

... over the past so-many hours, days, weeks, and months...

... Thanks to you, I not only survived but really enjoyed giving my talk at last night's NTA meeting.

Thanks, too, to everyone who attended and contributed comments, questions, information, ideas.

You made it all worthwhile. :-)