Monthly Archives: April 2008

Pole Dancing on May Day

“It’s every girl’s dream to be on the Internet in her underwear.”

I was at my day job, and the TV was on, tuned to the E! Channel. The show was called The Sexiest Jobs in Las Vegas, or something like that, and the first thing I noticed, besides all the pole dancing, was that the screen was frequently blurry in certain spots.

At first, I couldn’t figure out why they were spending hours on topless dancers, until I caught the gist of the show (I was working, catching glimpses here and there). In one segment, there was a guy talking about how the women who work these jobs make videos and put them on the Internet to get discovered. And that’s when he popped out the quote above.

I was a bit shocked to hear that. I mean, where have I been? I thought girls still grew up wanting to be ballerinas and maybe supermodels, with an occasional astronaut thrown in. It never occurred to me that posing in lingerie for Internet videos was even a profession, let alone a desired one.

But this clearly is a trend, and so I set out to understand it.

Now, I’m not exactly sure that astrology will explain this, but the timing was interesting. The show (a rerun from 2004) was being aired while Mercury was in Taurus – Mercury being the planet of communications, and Taurus being one of the two signs ruled by Venus, planet of love and desire. I admit that this could be a mere coincidence.

The bigger trend at work here appears to be the return of feminine energy to the planet. There’s been a lot of discussion about this in the astro-blogosphere, and we assume that return of the feminine means that we will see a resurgence of values such as nurturing rather than killing, cooperation rather than competition, intuition integrated with logic, and many other attitudes and behaviors that are kinder and gentler.

But what about feminine sexuality?

Tell me that this subject doesn’t make a lot of people nervous. I was squeamish watching hour after hour of firm, smooth cheeks in thongs writhing around a pole. I had to have a talk with myself to understand my discomfort. And I think the simple answer is, we’ve been programmed to believe that it’s bad, so even if we’re cool with it intellectually, we make up “reasons” to object. The biggest is that it’s degrading to women, that it sets up an impossible ideal that most women can’t meet – and that even the women in question didn’t meet until they were surgically enhanced – that we want to be loved for more than our bodies … all the usual suspects.

Enough already. It has to be OK for women to be sexual beings, in any way we wish, and if pleasing men is the objective, that’s OK, too. Ideally, when the masculine and feminine energies on the planet are integrated, the pleasing will be a two-way street. That’s what we should be aiming for, but someone has to go first.

I hope that this is what’s behind the surge of soft porn on the Internet, so I’ve made a pact to allow this energy to flourish. Something to think about as Venus enters Taurus, the day before the sexiest holiday of the year.

Dancing around the May Pole indeed.

Pat

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Marina, pictured above, is a 27-year-old Russian philologist and Internet phenom whose video series “Hot for Words” gets millions of hits a week. If I thought I could get millions of hits posing in my underwear, I might try it, too. :-)

Slogging Through the Obstacles

This is an exciting week, with major astrological shifts that should leave everyone feeling a lot better. I’m more than ready to get out of this stuck space, and I know you all are, too.

The week begins with several planets in their detriment or fall, including Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. As I noted in last week’s SkyWatch post, when planets are in their detriment or fall, the energies they embody are somehow “off,” and we feel it. Venus has been demanding and selfish in Aries, while Mars is paranoid, moody, and passive-aggressive in Cancer. In Capricorn, Jupiter turns into a workaholic, when he’s so much more jovial as master of ceremonies.

Although Mercury isn’t technically in detriment or fall in Taurus, this isn’t his best sign, and this will be doubly true when he squares Neptune on Tuesday. Slow, foggy, and confused thinking will be the order of the day. Have you ever been on the phone and momentarily forgotten who you were talking to? It’s like that…

On Wednesday, Venus enters Taurus, which is one of the signs she rules. We should start seeing signs of beauty, grace, and a general return of yumminess, with fewer selfish demands, especially among couples.

Thursday is May 1, celebrated as May Day and known to the ancient Celts as Beltaine, when virgins were deflowered, and it was OK to mate with someone other than your spouse. Venus trines Pluto, which is sure to create some irresistible temptation. And if you’re looking to make it more permanent, her trine with Saturn later in the day could bring just what you’re looking for. Saturn is about to turn direct, too, so this will be a powerful day for romantic commitment.

Saturn turns direct on Friday at 8:07 p.m. on the West Coast of the United States. He’ll take a week or two to start moving forward, but we all are going to start seeing some real progress in areas that have had us stuck for months. As I noted in a new post today on The Pisces Chronicles, the simultaneous station of Jupiter in Capricorn and Saturn coincided with an interesting experience over the weekend that seems to have bumped me up a notch on the consciousness spiral. Among other things, I made some progress in a couple of areas where I’ve been desperately stuck. Could the chant to Ganesha (pictured above) have had anything to do with it? He’s apparently an expert on dealing with Saturn issues.

Earlier on Friday, Mercury enters Gemini. Seeing as how we’re interacting primarily in cyberspace, we’re going to feel this, and I’m betting it will be almost instant. Look for lots of communications activity this weekend.

Sunday will be deliciously lazy and sensual, with the Moon exalted in Taurus trining Pluto and Saturn, then conjoining Venus – all in preparation for Monday’s New Moon. Effects of the New Moon can be felt within three days before or after peak fullness, so we should start seeing the results of all the painful breaking down we’ve been going through since the Full Moon in Scorpio.

So hang in there, and keep in touch. One of the ways we learn about how astrology works is through the stories you leave here. And don’t be shy, even if English is not your native language. RealAstrologers.com is a truly international website, and it’s always exciting for us to hear from the four corners of the planet.

Much love and manifold blessings,
Pat

Family Power Plays and Pluto

the view from Pluto

In many ways families are the microcosm for studying the effects of planets at work in synastry, natally and by transit. I’m watching one unfold in my immediate family between my Aries SO and his younger daughter. She is currently in the early stages of transiting Pluto approaching her natal Capricorn Moon and is heading into the second pass of her Saturn Return. She also has Pluto in Libra conjunct her Ascendant and so far her reaction to that natal aspect is to attempt to dominate and control every aspect of her life . . . . [Yeah, like that will work in the long run!]

Her father and I are about the only people in her immediate family who will stand their ground and not allow her to have her way. Both her dad and I have Mars in Scorpio square Pluto in Leo and we both have a definite “don’t mess with me” vibe. Her Mars is in Taurus exactly opposing her father’s and mine, so the operative synastry aspect here is a T-square with Pluto in Leo at the apex! Her Uranus in Scorpio opposes her Mars and conjuncts her father’s Mars exacerbating the situation with the arbitrary quality Uranus brings to the table. Sure does sound like power plays to me.

The latest episode revolves around her civil marriage ceremony. Instead of opening negotiations and discussing the location with her dad, she announced she wanted to have it on the ex-law’s property at the last minute [Uranus in action] knowing full well he had stated in no uncertain terms he would never voluntarily set foot there again. The reason she gave was this is what her financé wished – like her Capricorn financé ever did anything she didn’t ask?!

The upshot is a typical Pluto power play result . . . no one’s happy, there are bad feelings all the way around and almost every one is “stuffing” their feelings. With Pluto, resolution is often only possible through deliberate disengagement and that is not happening in this situation due to other complicating factors.

Plutonians in the depth of control issues tend not to respond well to confrontation and most must hit their personal “wall” hard enough to choose the path to detachment and sanity. This is what my own experience with Pluto has taught . . . the hard way.

A note on helping Plutonians and those in the throes of a Pluto transit to the personal planets and Ascendant in particular – these individuals will not likely respond to offers of help. It’s comparable to dealing with addicts who have not acknowledged their addiction. Until the door is opened a crack by the Plutonian person (they request assistance and feedback), they may not react well to even the kindest, more sincere offer of help.

posted by Neith . . .

Seeing Double with Mercury

You just have to love it when planets act out their astrological roles.

In astrology, Mercury rules Gemini, the sign of the Twins. Under his influence, people and events often arrive in pairs. Mercury also is known as the trickster (which we’ll see more of in a few weeks, when he turns retrograde in Gemini), and it seems that he had some of our ancestors tricked into believing there were two of him.

That’s because of his elusive visibility. There’s a great article by Joe Rao on Space.com with some fascinating history and Mercury trivia (another Gemini specialty). According to Joe, the next few weeks are an excellent time to view Mercury, because he’s far enough from the Sun to get a good look at him.

Here is Joe’s article. Just don’t forget to come back, OK?

One reason to do so is our exclusive Mercury Retrograde Watch. We keep you apprised of retrograde dates and shadow periods, which often can be as chaotic as the retrograde phase itself. There’s a shadow period coming up shortly, so bookmark this page and check back frequently for updates!

Pat

The Second House in Synastry: Follow the $$

going to the heart of the matter

With the Sun and Mercury now in Taurus with Venus joining them May 1, it’s a good time to consider how the second house works in synastry.

Taurus is the ruler of the second house and is noted for being fond of material things like good food, silky fabrics, and a healthy bank account. One of the most contentious areas in relationships is often money – or, rather, our attitudes about money, shown by the second house.

One of the reasons an accurate birth time is important in determining compatibility is that it establishes where the Ascendant falls, which in turn determines how the chart wheel is laid out, including what signs fall in each house.

If the Ascendants in both partners’ charts are harmonious, chances are very good the signs on the second house will be, too. For example, someone with Aries rising usually has Taurus on the second house cusp; if the partner’s chart has Leo rising, then Virgo will be on the second. Taurus and Virgo are both Earth signs and share similar ideas of how to handle money . . . thriftily!

Likewise, if the partner’s Ascendants are in conflict, the signs in their second house likely will clash, too. A Scorpio rising person with Sagittarius in the second house stands a good chance of running into disagreements with a Leo rising person with Virgo on the cusp of the second house. Sagittarius and Virgo have completely different styles for handling their finances. Sagittarius is inclined to trust luck a little too much for Virgo’s careful style. [What do you mean you bought a new SUV for a run to the mountains?!]

Planets in the second house strongly influence our values and attitudes about possessions, too. Saturn’s presence indicates extra caution with spending and handling material goods, even if the sign on the cusp is noted for being more free and easy. Likewise, Jupiter in the second house suggests generosity, even if he’s in one of the more parsimonious signs.

In synastry, if one person’s Saturn conjoins, squares, or opposes a planet in the second house, it can make the second house person feel like their spending habits are constantly being questioned – not good. Difficult Jupiter aspects often indicate that a couple will be excessive in their spending, even if they are able to maintain some discipline on their own.

Astrology is a great tool for identifying potential sore points in this sensitive area and helping discuss them, but it still is up to the individual to take the necessary steps toward resolution. Either Pat or I will be glad to offer our insights as we are both very experienced in the area of chart compatibility and do synastry reports.

posted by Neith . . .

Sexual Tension and a Bit of Drama

hawk flies free . . .

Even though the Sun and Mercury are now in placid Taurus, unstable reactive energies continue to dominate this week, promising sexual tension, melodrama, and overindulging in what isn’t good for us. Or is it?

As I write, the Moon is gliding through the last degrees of Scorpio, and we’re still trying to determine what manifested out of Sunday’s Full Moon. It has been uncomfortable for me, and I sense that many of you share that watching-and-waiting feeling. I think we’ll have an answer by the end of today.

Mars in Cancer trines Uranus in Pisces today as well, and the Scorpio Moon completed a grand trine in the water signs yesterday. Among other things, you might have noticed a spontaneous outflow of feelings, in yourself or in others. Miracles can happen when you take a chance and tell another person what’s in your heart.

Enjoy it while you can, because the cardinal T-square between Venus, Mars, and Jupiter midweek could make you squirm. It’s interesting to note that all three of these planets are in the signs of their detriment or fall. In other words, they aren’t expressing their best qualities. Venus, the planet of love, desire, and harmonious relationships, is in demanding, me-first Aries. Mars, normally the initiator and macho guy, is in nurturing, tender Cancer, where he can get resentful and passive-aggressive. Normally ebullient Jupiter is in Capricorn, which puts a chill on his warmth and generosity.

All types of relationships may suffer under these astrological conditions, but especially ones in which sexual intimacy is an issue. If you try to get what you want through manipulation, it likely will backfire. And with Jupiter involved in this three-way, it’s likely to backfire in a big way. However, I think it’s more likely that this energy will manifest as overindulgence of some kind, be it sex, alcohol, or, most likely, comfort food. Running for chocolate or diving into a bag of chips may be your fix of choice for emotional discomfort, and you won’t stop at just one.

The best way to handle these situations is to state your needs and desires very clearly and let the other person respond as he or she wishes. Of course, we’d like the same honesty and directness that we’re putting out, but it doesn’t always happen, for one reason or another. The best you can do is to take responsibility for yourself. That said, the nature of this week’s convoluted energies may make it hard to do so in a way that makes everyone feel OK.

The Moon enters Capricorn, the sign of her detriment, on Friday, and she hooks up with Jupiter on Saturday night. Moon-Jupiter conjunctions are usually upbeat occasions, but I think there will be a lot of commiseration going on, probably over events earlier in the week. It may be hard to tap into how you really feel, but try. It’s the only way to make a heart connection.

On Sunday, the Moon opposes Mars and squares Venus. If the tension you felt early in the week didn’t find a release, it could happen at this time. Once again, keep in mind that others may not want what you want, and that’s OK for now. Conflict is not always a bad thing and is necessary for growth. If nothing else, events this week may help you understand your own wants and needs better, which is a needed precursor to getting them met.

Let me just add the usual caveat that I’m describing broad planetary energies. How they apply to you depends on where they fall in your chart. If you’d like to know that, Neith and I both do transit reports.

I’d just like to add a note to thank you all for dropping by. Neith just installed Site Meter, and it’s been great fun to see where you are located. We have readers from all over Europe, as well as Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, Singapore, and, of course, all across the United States.

Love and blessings,
Pat

This is one of Neith’s photos of the emerging spring growth. That speck at the top is a hawk.

Taurus and The Hierophant

Pope Benedict in his Hierophant pose Pope Benedict’s visit to the United States just as the Sun is entering Taurus provides a perfect backdrop to discuss the meaning of The Hierophant, the fifth card of the Tarot and one that often elicits a negative response.

With a couple of exceptions, each of the 78 cards in the Tarot deck has an astrological correspondence. The Hierophant, called The Pope in older decks, is associated with Taurus. (How’s that for synchronicity?)

The creators of modern decks, in an attempt to avoid association with the Catholic Church, changed the name to Hierophant or High Priest, but retained much of the symbolism of the papacy, most notably the crossed keys. It’s no wonder, then, that many people have uncomfortable feelings about this card, which seems oppressive, intolerant, moralizing, and hypocritical – just as the Church has been for most of the past millennium.

Crossed keys on Vatican seal Among the many ways the Church controlled the populace was to attach guilt to sex and to require intercession by a priest to talk to God. In other words, you couldn’t converse directly with the divine, but had to go through someone with more authority. The Pope had the highest authority on Earth and was seen as a “bridge” to God; thus the alternative name, “pontiff” (from the Latin root “pont”).

This wouldn’t have been such a bad concept if it hadn’t been enforced the way it was. In ancient cultures such as Sumer and Babylon, it was the job of the high priests and priestesses to interpret the signs in the heavens and offer divine guidance. It’s interesting to note that some of the early styles of papal headgear mirrored the hats worn by the high priests of Sumer.

The Hierophant, Smith-Waite deck. Notice the crossed keys at his feet. The true meaning of this card lies in the ability to communicate with the divine. It’s about intuition, especially through hearing the messages that come to us seemingly out of nowhere, but that we know are true and have come to us at the right time. Often, these messages help us decide what course of action to take, or they are the inner voice that stops us from doing something we’ll regret later.

Listening to your intuition can be tricky, because it’s easy to confuse with wishful thinking. Knowing that the higher voice you’re hearing is authentic requires a heavy dose of self-honesty and discipline. In that regard, this card does contain an element of a higher authority.

But we needn’t think of this as negative. Like any form of power, it’s only bad when abused.

Love and blessings,
Pat

Leo and Gemini couple – What Happened?

This request came from a Gemini woman about a relationship with a Leo man whom she met some time back online. Their initial meeting in person went very well, but things went flat after that.

They have good synastry between their charts, with both Moons in Aries and excellent Sun to Moon exchanges with her Gemini Sun sextile his Aries Moon and his Leo Sun trine her Aries Moon – all comfortable fire and air signs.

In fact, the overall compatibility between the two charts is strong with several intra-aspects (where the same planets aspect each other from both charts). There are Venus/Sun and Venus/Neptune aspects for fun and romance, along with Mars/Uranus and Mars/Pluto aspects for really great chemistry. The Saturn/Mercury intra-aspect is a little more challenging, because on some level, communications feel blocked and there may be a sense of not feeling understood by each other.

Another positive factor is having the harmonious aspect between their Ascendants. She has Pisces rising, and he has Capricorn on the Ascendant. This indicates that they have similar ideas about what a good partnership is all about. His Venus/Saturn/Jupiter stellium in Libra falls in her seventh house conjunct her Saturn/Jupiter – a lot of Saturn for durability, balanced with Jupiter’s optimism.

The difficulties may arise because of issues hinted at in the natal charts. His Sun in Leo is the apex of a T-square with Uranus in Scorpio opposing Chiron in Taurus. Uranus/Sun aspects make for a very independent personality, and whenever I see Chiron aspecting the Sun I suspect self-image problems – an uncomfortable pattern to learn to work with.

Also, his Moon in Aries opposite his Venus/Saturn/Jupiter stellium in Libra indicates a tendency toward emotional ups and downs and difficulty assessing how he feels about his partners. Her Saturn/Jupiter conjunction in Libra squares her Venus in Cancer. This parallel between their charts offers an avenue to understanding, but when Saturn aspects such as these are present, it can take time to develop a level of trust.

They both have Saturn in Libra, so relationships are a serious business and, as I’ve noted before, this inclines a person either to avoid commitments or to embrace them completely. These two have a lot going for them from an astrological perspective. I wish them well.

posted by Neith . . .

Visualizing Taurus

Did not! Did so! I got a kick out of this photo in the news headlines on Wednesday. Not only did it appear just as Mercury and the Sun were on the threshold of entering Taurus, but it perfectly depicts one of the most well-known keywords for the second sign of the Zodiac:

Stubborn.

It takes a lot to get a rise out of Taurus (or someone with strong Taurus in his chart). If you’re trying to get a particular action out of them or to convince them that you’re right and they’re wrong, good luck! Taurus not only is stubborn but has unlimited patience. Chances are, you’ll get frustrated and give up way before your Taurus opponent does — unless you’re a Taurus, too. Then you may find yourselves like these two, eyeball-to-eyeball and locking horns.

Some other keywords for Taurus are artistic, creative, practical, dependable, short-tempered, argumentative, and materialistic.

Of course, keywords don’t apply universally across the board. They are learning tools only and a shorthand method to use in synthesizing the energies in a birth chart. You are far more than your Sun sign, as you know if you’ve had your chart done or if you’re a serious student of astrology.

Mercury enters Taurus on Thursday, April 17, at 2:07 p.m. on the West Coast of the United States. The Sun enters the sign of the Bull on Sunday at 9:51 PDT.

Peace and love,
Pat

Photo credit: Lee Jin-man for The Associated Press.

Reflections on the Full Moon in Scorpio

In many ways the Full Moon on April 20 at 0° Scorpio 43′ feels to me like an extension of the New Moon in Aries. The zero-degree point is obviously associated with beginnings and, of course, Aries is the starting place in the zodiac. We are being offered an opportunity to build on what was started on the New Moon in Aries.

Each Full Moon in fire and air is always followed by a Full Moon in earth and water, with the exception of the upcoming lunar cycle. We are going to be spending extra time with earth and water over the next lunar month.

Fire and air need earth and water to take something from a spark of an idea to actual manifestation. Watching spring growth unfold with great speed over the past few days was an excellent example of this principle in action. We had plenty of moisture (water) available in the soil (earth) for seeds (air) to germinate but had been lacking warmth (fire). Three days of temperatures around 70 degrees F was enough to kick-start all kinds of growth – truly amazing to watch.

The zero-degree Full Moon in Scorpio (water and earth) has the potential to take the seeds planted on the Libra Full Moon (air) and really make them grow. The New Moon in Aries (fire) provided the necessary heat. I know firsthand how this works because the partnership between Pat and I gelled around the Libra Full Moon, we went public on the New Moon in Aries, and now we are in the manifestation stage approaching the Full Moon in Scorpio. However we are both aware we need to continue to nurture the growth of our website with care over the next month or so in particular. I anticipate the second Full Moon at 29° Scorpio 27′ will find us well launched and hard at work responding to our clients.

A couple of patterns in the sky at the Full Moon supporting the growth of new ventures are the grand trine in earth (Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Virgo, Sun in Taurus) and Mars in Cancer still opposing Jupiter in Capricorn, but this time it’s Venus in Aries as part of the cardinal T-square. We also still have the delightful sextile between Uranus in Pisces and Jupiter keeping us flexible and open to revision. So we are well grounded in realistic expectations with our energy source in place, but this climate is better suited to promoting existing ideas due to the shortage of planets in air signs. The next time to come up with new ideas is on the New Moon in Gemini on June 3 . . . but that’s for another day!

posted by Neith . . .

The photo is one I took showing the new growth of willow leaves against our old wood shed. Neith