On This World AIDS Day 2012: My Experiences & Advice Regarding HIV

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, IS THE 25TH ANNUAL WORLD'S AIDS DAY.

WITH MORE THAN FIVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A SOCIAL WORKER...

... serving people who have HIV, I can say that getting tested ASAP can make all the difference in the world, when it comes to how you do if you are positive.

I'D LIKE TO SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I LEARNED AND EXPERIENCED...

....while working in HIV in Wake County, North Carolina, from 2006 till early this year.

GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS

If the *bad* news is that, at this point (at least) there's still no cure for HIV (at least, not a cure that's acknowledged as such by what I'll refer to as "mainstream medicine")... 

... then perhaps the *good* news is that…

… these days, for almost everyone who lives in the United States (at least)…

...if you *have* HIV, **there is NO *medical* reason** that you cannot still have a long, full, productive, and (dare I say) happy life...

...(at least, if you've *ever* considered yourself to have had a happy life)... 

... provided that you do...

THREE THINGS THAT CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD 

As I told *almost all* of the clients that I had over the past five or six years (with *very few exceptions*--see the next section about those)...

... when it comes to how you do after being diagnosed with HIV...

.... whether or not you do three (3) things can make all the difference in the world.

Those "three things" include:

1. Keeping your medical appointments as scheduled. 

If you're newly-diagnosed with HIV, once you've started your medical care and once it's "up to speed," you may need to have appointments anywhere from once every few weeks or so to once every six months, depending your particular situation.

2. Taking your medicine(s) as prescribed.

That assumes that you *get prescribed* meds. Some people don't need to start taking meds for months or years after being diagnosed.

3. Doing the "common-sense" sorts of things we should *all* do (whether or not we have HIV) if we want to be in good health: 

get enough sleep... get some physical exercise on a regular basis.., keep our stress within normal limits... eat at least some healthy foods... stop smoking, or drink less, or use other drugs less... and so on. 

GETTING INTO TREATMENT "LATE IN THE GAME" ISN'T ALWAYS ENOUGH

Now, as I mentioned just now, I told *almost all* of my clients the above. 

Between 2006 and early this year, I did have a very few (and I repeat: very few) clients who (sadly) got tested, diagnosed, and into medical care for HIV ....

... but who, by the time that they did not, were already simply too ill (whether from having HIV alone or from having it in combination with one or more other medical conditions) to live long... 

... despite the fact that dozens of very-often effective HIV medicines are on the market in this day and age. 

GETTING INTO TREATMENT EARLY ENOUGH SOMETIMES BRINGS PEOPLE “BACK FROM THE GRAVE"

In contrast with those very few such extreme cases, I can add (happily) that I *also had* many clients who had HIV and who thrived (if not after also bouncing back, almost "from the grave") once they had gotten tested, diagnosed, and into medical care. 

SO.... BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE WORKING IN HIV IN RECENT YEARS...

here's my advice to you:

IF YOU HAVE *NEVER* BEEN TESTED FOR HIV...

.... and if you have *ever* had sex with *anyone* / shared drug works with *anyone*... 

... since, say, the mid-1970s...

... then I would encourage you to *at least* *seriously consider* getting tested. 

Yes, there *are* a few *other ways* that one could get HIV *besides having sex with someone or sharing drug works with someone who has it*...

... but these days, in the U.S. (at least), those other ways are *much less common* (for one reason or another), so I won't go into them right now...

... and yes, the advice that I've given here may be "overshooting the mark."

However, when it comes to your physical health and your overall well-being, I don't know about *you,* but I tend to think that it's worth---that *you're* worth--erring on the side of caution. 

IF YOU THINK THAT THERE'S *ABSOLUTELY NO WAY*...

... that *you* could *possibly* have HIV, then here's what I'd say to that:

Just ask either one of the newly-diagnosed 65-to-70-ish year old heterosexual women with whom I worked over the past few years about *that* one. 

During my five years and change of working in HIV, I can say that some people who got diagnosed with it *never* thought they might possibly have it. 

The two women that I've just mentioned here are just two such examples. I could also cite other people in other types of situations who (to their surprise) found out that they did, in fact, have HIV. 

To end this post on what is hopefully an at least somewhat inspiring note, I'll add that...

SOME PEOPLE HAVE MANAGED TO LIVE DECADES WITH HIV...

... and to manage it, much like people manage other chronic conditions, such as diabetes.

To read about what moves and sustains 31 people who have had HIV for anywhere between 16 to 30 years each see bit.ly/SlrL1M

Time for Another Lunar Eclipse... Today!

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

Today (Wednesday), November 28, at 9.45 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 6 degrees 40 minutes Gemini, while the Sun is at 6 degrees 40 minutes Sagittarius. 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 25 and May May 31, or between roughly November 29 and December 5, 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 4 and 10 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 early-to-mid-Gemini or early-to-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 October 29 till January 28), 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 late October and late December, 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 an air sign (Gemini), you may experience challenges involving matters involving intellectual activity, communication, or social activity.

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 November 25 and December 1.

During that time period, this month’s Full Moon eclipse highlights whichever the natural tension between whichever house in your chart contain 6 40 minutes Gemini and whichever house contains 6 degrees 40 minutes Sagittarius. 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.

Let's Chat in Person This Sat. Afternoon in Cary!

REGISTRATION FEE: $2.00 or $3.00 (DEPENDING)

IF PAID IN ADVANCE: $2.00 per person

IF PAID "AT THE DOOR": $3.00 per person

SAVE A BUCK! PAY IN ADVANCE BY SKYPE... AND PAY ONLY $2.00!

The regular registration fee for this event is $3.00, but you can save $1.00 (33%) on that by paying in advance.

TO PAY IN ADVANCE: Use PayPal.com to send $2.00 to me (astrologer Paul Habit) at proudphoenix@pobox.com

TO PAY "AT THE DOOR": Bring $3.00 (in cash only, please).

REFUND POLICY: I will refund your registration fee if I cancel or reschedule the Meetup. I will also refund it if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time of the Meetup.

 -----------------------------------------------

TO MY FAITHFUL BLOG READERS: 

Can we tawk ...  ;-)  at Caribou Coffee in Cary, this Saturday afternoon?

I'd love to meet you and start getting to know you*... 

...(assuming that we haven't already had the pleasure, that is ;-) )... 

... and if we have already had the pleasure...

... then I'd love to catch up with you in person ...

... and chat with you ...

... about...

...*astrology, Life & The Universe...

... this coming Saturday afternoon (December 1)...

... from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

*Not necessarily in that order.

FOR A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT ME...

... about who I am and about my background....

... see the section "Introducing Myself: Your Friendly Neighborhood Astrologer ... and the Host of This Particular In-Person Chat" (below).

DON'T KNOW MUCH (IF ANYTHING) ABOUT ASTROLOGY?

Not to worry! 

I can minimize the jargon and maximize your chewing satisfaction...

... as we hopefully dish some most excellent food for thought for all concerned. 

VISUAL AID #1: YOUR BIRTH CHART

For all who want or need such...

... I’ll provide you with an electronic / hard copy of your birth chart…

... based on your particular time, month, day, year, city, state, and country of birth…


… that is, assuming that you provide me with all such information...

... in time for me to do so.

VISUAL AID #2: ONE (OR MAYBE EVEN TWO) CHEAT SHEETS

And since a birth chart is swimming in symbolism (which astrologers sometimes refer to as “glyphs”), I’ll also provide you with an electronic / hard copy of one or two “cheat sheets”...

...to help you identify and keep track of all of the fish that populate your particular aquarium (uh, chart).

ROOM FOR UP TO SEVEN PEOPLE TOTAL (PLUS MOI)

Now, to keep things relatively cozy and amenable
to free-flowing conversation, for whoever comes out
for this particular chat...

I’m gonna cap this baby at seven (7) people (plus moi). 

AGENDA, ANYONE? 

If there are any particular topics that you’d like to discuss, just shoot ‘em to me at your earliest convenience, by one or more of various means... 

Email: proudphoenix@pobox.com

Facebook:htttp://www.facebook.com/theproudphoenix

Twitter:@proudphoenix

Phone / Text*: 919.210.9697

.... or even RIGHT HERE (by posting a comment, below).

...and I’ll be sure to whip up enough of an agenda so that we can properly discuss it, sometime between 3:30 and 5:30. 

*but NOT by voice mail...

...because, effectively speaking, the Verizon store worker implied that "It’s dead, Jim." :-(

JOYFULLY RIDING OUR SYNERGISTIC FABULOUSNESS

Apart from any such topics that people know for a fact they will want to discuss before they even get to the ‘Bou...

... I figure that, during whatever time remains between curtain up and curtain call, w

and just see where the conversational flow happens to take us.

---------------------------------------------------

INTRODUCING MYSELF:  YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD ASTROLOGER... 

...AND THE HOST OF THIS PARTICULAR IN-PERSON CHAT

After starting to study astrology in 1977, I became a professional astrologer in 2002. Though primarily self-taught in astrology, I studied with Jodie Forrest.

In my astrological practice, I aim to help people use astrology as a tool to transform their lives.

I bring breadth and depth of counseling experience to my work: crisis intervention, brief solution-focused therapy, and medical case management. work with people who have HIV / severe and persistent mental illnesses; victims of domestic violence; and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

I speak English and Spanish.

This week (at least), I live in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC), in the US.

A member of the first graduating class of the NC School of Science & Mathematics, I hold a BA in International Studies & Spanish from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and an MSW.

As of about a month ago, I'm now serving as one of two Educational Co-Coordinators for he Network of Triangle Astrologers (NTA), a chapter of The National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR).

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME (ASTROLOGER PAUL HABIT)

Website: proudphoenix.com

NOTE: Please bear with me... It's under major overhaul and update right now, after a long delay.

Twitter:@theproudphoenix

Facebook: theproudphoenix

LinkedIn: paulbrianhabit

Email: proudphoenix@pobox.com

Skype: Paul Brian Habit

Join Me for an In-Person Chat (Sun., Dec. 16, in Durham)

SAVE THE DATE!

Plan now to join me and others in Durham, NC, when we get together to explore astrology, Life & The Universe*

WHEN: 2:30 p.m, Sunday, December 16

WHERE: Straw Valley Cafe in Durham (near U.S. 15-501, I-40, and Chapel Hill).

ABOUT THE AGENDA

Which astrology-related topics I will discuss at this in-person chat will depend largely on the specific interests of whichever people attend. 

IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION 

When we get together on the 16th, I want to help those who come out meet each other (or help them get to know each other a little better, for those who have met each other previously). 

I also want to encourage people to feel comfortable enough to talk freely about whatever interests them. 

Therefore, I will limit this get-together to a total of eight people (including me). 

I HOPE THAT YOU CAN JOIN ME ON THE 16TH!

Paul

*not necessarily in that order

What's Something That You're Thankful For?

What's something (or who’s someone) that you really appreciate this Thanksgiving?

How would you complete the following?

"This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for..."

I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING (ACTUALLY, TWO THINGS)...

...that I'm especially thankful for during this holiday season.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for all of the various kinds of people (i.e., friends, relatives, hiring employers, temp agency staffers, co-workers, etc.) who have each played a role, of one kind or another, in helping me and in helping other people whom I know...

…AS WE HAVE EACH ENDEAVORED TO MAKE OUR WAY...

...from one job to another, or from being unemployed to having a new job (or vice versa), or from being in school to working (or vice versa), etc., in the context of the Great Recession (which some of us lay people consider believe lingers still) and / or longer-term structural changes in local / worldwide economies…

…AS WELL AS IN THE CONTEXT OF SHIFTS...

... in our personal values, or priorities, or goals, and assorted other factors that might come into play.

I think that whether one willingly, consciously chooses to initiate such a life transition, or one simply feels compelled by circumstances to make such a transition…

… IT CAN BE HARROWING (AND EXHILARATING!) TO FACE IT...

...and it can be even more so when one faces doing it over and over again, in one way or another, … whether one does so over the course of a matter of days, or decades, or something in between.

TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE PLAYED A ROLE...

...of one kind or another, in helping me and others navigate such changes…

....thanks for being there.

WHILE I'M AT IT, I'LL ADD A SECOND THING...

... that I especially appreciate now.

A second thing that I'm thankful for this holiday season is my friends on Facebook, my followers on Twitter, and you (of course ;-) ), my faithful blog readers.

For those who are both near to me and far from me...

...to those who are from my deep, dark, misty past and those who are of very recent acquaintance....

...to those whom I know all too well and those who may always be mysterious names on a screen to me...

...thanks for being there.

SO HOW ABOUT YOU?

What's something (or who’s someone) that you really appreciate this Thanksgiving?

What's something that you're thankful for this Thanksgiving?

HOW WOULD YOU COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING?

"This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for..."

Feel free to post your answers here.

What It Means to Be One Sign Versus Another

RECENTLY, A FRIEND WROTE THIS TO ME...

"I have a question for you. ... it makes me wonder. Perhaps you will have some thoughts. How does being born premature affect you? I should have been born in August and be a Leo...but I was born in late May making me a Gemini. Does this affect me? If so how. Also, my fiance is a Leo, how does affect the 2 of us? If I am supposed to be Leo but I'm Gemini, do I have Leo traits and how do 2 Leos fair in relationships? Have always wondered about this and I guess you would be the person to ask. Thanks for your time!"

---

Have you ever wondered what difference it makes (if any) to be, say, Cancer versus Sagittarius? 

If so, then here's my answer to that question (as posed by my friend) and answers to the other questions that she asked (above)..... 

FIRST, A CAVEAT

Different astrologers have different answers for such questions, so please bear in mind that I can't "represent" for each and every astrologer on this here planet.

HOW GREAT THOU ART: YOUR “FACULTY ADVISOR” IN LIFE… AND YOU

Imagine God (or Goddess, or the Cosmic Wow, or whatever you might call a higher power) as your faculty advisory at college. You and G / G / CW / etc. are sitting down to sort out what sort of lessons you're going to study at college--in which areas you might choose to do enough to basically get by (but otherwise not focus so much on), in which ones you might especially challenge yourself to learn all you can, etc.

MAP STUDY

I think of your birth chart as being a map of symbols that indicate what sort of college study (read: lifetime) you and a higher power agreed to before you "enrolled in school" (that is, before you took your first breath).

So in that sense, I would certainly say that it affects you that you're Gemini rather than Leo.

In any particular person’s birth chart (based on her or his specific time, date, and place of birth), the Sun symbols her or his identity (in a word). 

With your Sun being in Gemini (or in everyday parlance, since “you’re Gemini”), you’re here in this life, here on this planet, to learn--and hopefully master---Variety. You’re here to sample as many new places, and people, and things as possible, as if you were playing a verrrrrrry long game of Beat The Clock.

YOU VERSUS THE CLOCK … (AND PERSONALLY, I’M BETTING ON YOU :-)  )

Now, yes, we’re all playing Beat The Clock to some extent because we all have Gemini somewhere in our charts. However, for you, your very identity (the Sun) is riding on it because you have the Sun in Gemini. That is, playing Beat The Clock from the cradle to the grave is crucial for you to have a clear, solid, stable, adequate working sense of who you are. It’s crucial for you to have an adequate sense of basic life energy about you. It’s crucial for you to feel good about yourself.  

With the Sun in Gemini, you have certain sorts of resources at your disposal during your life (or during this life, if you believe in reincarnation)—resources that can help you emerge victorious against the Clock. 

There are certain hazards (such as boring yourself through repetition or sameness, spreading yourself too thinly, etc.) that you’d do well to avoid, though you can choose to fall for them or settle for them if you want. 

Likewise, there are certain strategies that can help you achieve glorious success by the time that you walk across that Big Graduation Stage in the Sky. You can act like a teacher, juggler, journalist, witness, networker, and so on.  

IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: YOU AS A LEO

If you had been born under the sign of Leo (say, in an alternate universe), then you would instead be studying toward getting a degree in Joyfulness--in celebrating life and yourself, and expressing what people call "personality" or a certain "stage presence" if you will.

Now, in case you're wondering if you are sentenced to a life of Utter Joylessness because you aren't Leo, dismayeth not, fair mad-mwah-zelle. We're all studying Joyfulness in some parts of our lives. You just have something other than your core identity or life force riding on it.

What you have riding on it has to do with gracefully letting go (or struggling in vain against) circumstances that are simply beyond your power to change in life. You’re learning to achieve Joyfulness (including a sense of pride or self-respect) through “letting go and letting God” (“God, grant me the serenity…”) / doing acts of kindness for others / pursuing activities in relative seclusion… that sort of thing.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE… OR DOUBLE TROUBLE?: THE CHOICE IS YOURS

The fact that you’re Gemini also affects the natural chemistry between you and your fiancé.

Now, my philosophy is that there is no combination of two people in this world that is so disastrously difficult that if they couldn't possibly ever achieve something glorious together.

Whether they ever catch even a fleeting, distant glimpse of anything that looks like it could possibly be the edge of glory...

... or they peer over the edge while keeping themselves safely (and truly happily) on this side of the edge...

... or (again, truly happily) they take their chances...

...depends on two things:

1. whether they choose to "go there" (in the first place)
2. assuming that they do choose to go there, whether they also choose to make enough effort, approach life with some sense of humor, maintain a modicum of humility (not humiliation!), and act with what  I'll will call "maturity" (some self-discipline, self-restraint, etc.) ... both today, tomorrow, and beyond... both when it's easy and when it's anything but easy to do so... to make it work. 

By the same token, I also firmly believe that there's no combination of two people in this world whose natural chemistry is so glorious that they couldn't make a royal mess of it, through their action / inaction. 

Again, the choice is theirs to make.

HIT ME AGAIN?

Does that (at least sort of) answer your questions? 

If not, please fire another round at me (gently, of course ;-)  ).  

Solar Eclipse: Let's Discuss It!

Let's discuss how to apply tomorrow's solar eclipse to individual people's birth charts... including yours!

Here's how:

1. Read the following article. 
2. Read the example that I posted on the Proud Phoenix Astrology page on Facebook about how to apply this article to my birth chart. 
3. Post comments / questions about how to apply this article to your birth chart. 

WHAT’S HAPPENING

On Tuesday, November 13, at 10:07:59 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 New Moon, they meet up at 21 degrees 56 minutes Scorpio.

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 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 November 11 and November 17, or between roughly May 10 and May 16, then this 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 19 and 25 degrees of Taurus / Scorpio.

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-to-late Taurus or Scorpio, 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 October 13 till December 13), 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 mid-October and mid-December, 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 a water sign (Scorpio), you may experience challenges involving your emotional life or inner 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 during a few days before and after the New Moon. Between November 10 and November 16, this New Moon eclipse highlights whichever house in your chart contains 21 degrees 56 minutes Scorpio.

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 November 14 and November 28, 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 10:07:59 p.m. GMT on Tuesday, November 13, so start no earlier that roughly 10:08 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, November 14. The Full Moon happens at 2:45:55 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, November 28. 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 me (and perhaps also with anyone else who might like to discuss it)? Then post a message here / on the Proud Phoenix Astrology 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.

Like Threading Very Small Needles

I don't know about you, but I find myself saying the Serenity Prayer today as I think about--and wrangle with--multiple matters related to communication, technology, etc.

Now, granted, so far (at least), the matters that I've been dealing with are relatively minor ones in The Grand Scheme of Things (at least on the face of them).

Even so... Oy vey.

ELECTIONAL ASTROLOGY

And granted, I am not currently a specialist in electional astrology. (Electional astrology is basically the art of choosing astrologically favorable times for when to do specific things, once we've "elected"--or chosen--to do them).

However, I dare say that I do already know enough about electional astrology to know that, astrologically speaking, today (and much of tomorrow, for that matter) can be quite challenging.

Now, that's not to say that astrology / etc. can't help meet today's challenges. I think that astrology / other tools can be quite helpful, depending on one's pleasure(s).

Even so, when it comes to using electional astrology specifically today, it can be like trying to thread very tiny needles.

I say that because doing so means navigating unusual factors (specifically, Mercury being retrograde and Mercury moving to square Neptune, in another day and a half or so) on top of life's everyday sorts of challenges.

The current combination of such factors makes for very thin and infrequent "slits of opportunity" (never mind "windows of opportunity").

THE SERENITY PRAYER

In case you’re feeling it, too, and in case you’d like to join in a virtual round of the Serenity Prayer, here (according to Wikipedia, at least) is the “best-known form” of it:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.”

The Monster Mash(Up) Between Uranus & Pluto

Glancing at Google News headlines this morning, I'm struck by the fact that at least two of them smell a lot like the ongoing fistfight between Uranus and Pluto.

Uranus represents change that's sudden, unexpected, improbable, and disruptive, at least depending on your point of view.

Pluto represents gradual, deep, profound change that at least seems more or less "inevitable," again, at least depending on your point of view.

And these two dudes are duking it out over and over again between this year and 2015.

SUDDENNESS AND SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABILITY VS. THE SECRET OCTOPUS

In the case of the first headline ("The sudden resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus over an extramarital affair has sent shock waves through Washington"), the CIA is a Plutonian organization. It's long-established, octopus-like, and in the business of espionage. It doesn't get much more Plutonian than that.

Anything sudden (such as the resignation of Petraeus) is pretty Uranian. Furthermore, anything that's  considered "socially unacceptable" (at least by some people), such as an extramarital affair, is also Uranian.

SWEEPING, SLOW-BREWING CHANGE AND PEOPLE WHO "AREN'T LIKE US"

In the case of the second headline ("Nonwhite voters and cultural shifts make 2012 election pivotal"), cultural shifts are Plutonian, at least insofar as they pertain to sweeping (demographic-related) changes.

Speaking of such changes, here's an aside about them...

You know, it ain't like people couldn't foresee that they were brewing and building for years. I mean, puh-lease.

Is there any person who's not being disingenuous, and who's not in a coma, who's surprised that these changes have happened?

Changes involving "nonwhite" (read: "people who aren't like us") are Uranian.

THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING

So the over-and-over-again collision between individuality (Uranus, in a word) and transformation (Pluto, in a word) just keeps on a-comin' ...

...and that will continue to be the case through 2015, when the two make their final separation from their seventh and final exact 90-degree angle in three years.

(That angle, by the way, is one that Uranus and Pluto form with each other once every 70 years or so.

The last time that these two guys faced off was in the 1930s, and the next time that they do it will be in.. wait for it... 2073.)

OH, YEAH... WE "LITTLE PEOPLE" ARE ALL AFFECTED, TOO

One other point: Lest you think that you're getting off easy here just because you're not a celebrity, or societal institution, or whatever, think again.

Each of us individual human beans on the planet are also affected, to one extent or another, in one sense or another, by this big planetary mash-up.

If nothing else, we're each challenged to strike workable compromises between (if not come up with superbly effective blends of) two forces:

... one force (Uranus) that cries in your face, "I gotta be me"...

...and another force (Pluto) that mutters from the shadows, "Luke, I am your father" (or something like that... I'm not exactly sure what he's saying sometimes... The guy seems to mumble half the time).

To know exactly how this three-year trend applies to you specifically ... and to know what sorts of creative (and destructive) choices are available to you, in light of them... consult your favorite local (or not-so-local)-astrologer.

(c) Proud Phoenix Astrology, 2012