Tag Archives: Mercury retrograde

Weekly Forecast December 3: Lunar Aspects, A Brief Respite

Just how big is the Big Guy? A thousand times bigger than Earth. Image courtesy NASA.

The first thing I do when I sit down to write the weekly forecast is to mark up all the week’s planetary aspects in my Llewellyn’s Daily Planetary Guide. Well, I could barely believe my eyes when I saw that there are no major planetary aspects this week!

That certainly makes up for last week, when I pretty much had to write a book, on top of a video explaining the lunar eclipse. The manifestations of the eclipse and the significant aspects surrounding it are still unfolding this week and will continue to do so for another week, possibly even a month, until the next Full Moon, which falls on December 28.

In the meantime, all we have this week are lunar aspects, unless you count events like the Sun quindecile Admetos or Venus inconjunct Eris – which I don’t. The Moon is in Leo on Monday and moves through four signs, as it does in the course of a week, making aspects with the Sun and eight planets along the way. Astrologers who write daily horoscopes often use these aspects, but I tend to ignore them, because they are fleeting, and there’s simply no way to write anything meaningful about them that you can use. You’re more likely to feel the effects of the Moon aligning with a personal planet or chart angle – and even then, only briefly – and that’s not anything I can address in a weekly column. The best I can do is to reiterate the importance of being familiar with your own chart and knowing how to get information about your transits on any given day.

Mercury is picking up speed following his return direct last Monday. I’ve had several stops and starts over the past week, but in general, the frustration is easing up. One of the predictions I made about Mercury’s return direct in Scorpio was that we’d get a flood of details about things hidden, at least since Election Day and possibly longer. Yesterday while browsing the headlines of HuffPo, I came across a long and very detailed article by Julian Assange highlighting stories that have emerged in the two years since WikiLeaks published a vast archive of U.S. diplomatic cables. Although these details aren’t new, the retroactive look at government secrets is very much in keeping with Mercury’s return direct in secretive Scorpio.

On Thursday, Mercury conjoins the lunar North Node, the third pass in his retrograde cycle. If we regard the North Node as a symbol of purpose, destiny, or some other special significance, then Mercury’s back-and-forth crossing of this point should be interpreted as a message containing necessary information about these themes. The biggest event that happened in this period, of course, was the re-election of President Obama. My whole approach to the election wasn’t to support the candidate with the “right” ideology (i.e., the one you agree with) but to accept the right candidate for the extraordinary times we’re in. Although, as an astrologer, I have my view of what the next four years are going to be like, I also know that unexpected events can happen that radically alter the world as we know it, and there’s no way I can predict these events.

In looking at some charts for this week, the only other thing that stands out is a Yod that reflects the lunar eclipse chart and that will continue into next year, with Saturn and Pluto at the base and Jupiter at the apex. This is as good a time as any to discuss Yods. I’ve been changing my mind about them, based on research. When I first heard about them several years ago, I’d had no experience with them and so took it on faith from other astrologers who did have experience that there was something very important about them. I recently came across an old article by Chris Brennan that reminded me of what happens when information circulates the Internet and becomes “fact” by virtue of appearing in so many different places. When and where did this view of Yods come from? It’s not in any of the ancient texts and in fact is a modern invention. In my mind, that makes it untested. In researching how other astrologers come up with their interpretations, I’ve read many good arguments, but there is a lot of disagreement about what Yods mean, if anything. That’s to be expected with a new idea. The same thing is happening regarding the asteroids, which is why I also approach them with caution. Right now, all we have are a lot of theories. Before you can prove anything, you need a theory, so theories are great – provided you keep in mind that they are just that and don’t take them as goddess-honest truth.

Yods are said to be rare, and according to some interpretations, they represent unusually difficult challenges. Who doesn’t have difficult challenges? According to others, they indicate a special purpose or destiny. I haven’t seen any kind of systematic study showing that Yods are any rarer than, say, a T-square or a grand cross. And certainly, those configurations carry much greater weight, as they involve major aspects. A quincunx (sometimes called an inconjunct) is a minor aspect – not to be entirely ignored, but also not to be elevated above major aspects. It’s tempting, as one advances one’s astrological knowledge, to find lesser-known aspects, planets, asteroids, fictitious points in space – whatever – and to hone in on them, simply because it’s something new and carries the aura of advanced knowledge. These new ideas are all very interesting and can add richness and complexity to chart interpretation, but they shouldn’t be regarded as substitutes for the basic building blocks of astrology. The conjunction is still the most powerful aspect, and aspects to personal planets are more significant than outer planetary aspects. Pluto conjunct your Moon? You bet you’re going to feel it. Pluto in a Yod with Neptune and Vesta? Not so much.

I know that a lot of people will disagree with me and might say they have personal experience to prove their point. My response is that it’s extremely difficult to “prove” which astrological aspect correlates to an event or personality trait. It is all too easy to see connections that either aren’t there or that are weak and to miss others that are more compelling. This is one of the biggest dilemmas facing astrologers, and the more planets, asteroids, and chart patterns such as the Yod we throw into the toolbox, the more difficult it is to find the right tool to hit the nail. Sometimes you really just need the hammer, and that’s that.

One thing that’s certain is that we have an exact Sun-Jupiter opposition this evening (December 2, 8:45 p.m. EST), with the Earth in between and Jupiter the closest he’ll be to us until 2021. There’s a terrific article on the astronomy of this event at EarthSky. Financial astrologer Ray Merriman considers this aspect one the key signatures in market reversals. Keeping in mind that Jupiter is in the sign of his detriment and retrograde, it’s nevertheless an annual event worth noting. You’ll notice this aspect most if you have personal planets or chart angles at 9-13 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces).

Before I go, I want to announce that the StarGuide Winter 2013 Forecast is now available. Turnaround time is three-to-five days, so keep that in mind as you plan your holiday shopping.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast November 19: Sun Enters Sagittarius, Mars Square Uranus

Pallas and Centaur, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482

We’re in something of a twilight zone this week, between eclipses and with Mercury retrograde in secretive Scorpio. Certainly some of the news headlines have been surreal.

But we do get out of deep, dark Scorpio territory just a little bit with the Sun’s entry in Sagittarius – not that the party sign doesn’t have its dark side, too.

The constellation Sagittarius as a centaur with a bow and arrow is very old, dating at least as far back as ancient Mesopotamia. Babylonian astrologers depicted him as a centaur-like god with wings and two heads, one of a man and the other of a panther. You could say he had a third “head,” a very prominent male member. In any case, this image symbolized the dual nature of humans. We’re capable of being civilized, wise, and consciously evolved, but deep within us lies a primal, animal nature – the shadow side. Interestingly, the Mesopotamian centaur figure has a Scorpion’s tail.

In Greek mythology, the centaurs were a savage race known for getting drunk and going on wild rampages. So the story goes, they were invited to a wedding and immediately proceeded to drink too much, rape the female guests, and carry off the bride. In retribution, they were slain by Theseus of Minotaur fame, who, fortunately for the bride’s father, was among the wedding guests.

Now, you’re going to love this: One of the rapacious centaurs at the wedding was named Petraios, whose name in Latin is Petraeus – he of the rocks. Or maybe, we should say, “on the rocks.” I mean, how much of a synchronicity is this? Among the hottest news in the past two weeks was the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, forced to step down following the exposure of an extramarital affair with his buff biographer, Paula Broadwell. Prior to becoming head of the nation’s top spy agency, Petraeus, a four-star general, led rampages in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dual nature of humanity, indeed. As if facing Mrs. Petraeus isn’t punishment enough, Congress is grilling him about his apparent lies and cover-up of what really happened in Benghazi, which by some accounts was a CIA base disguised as a consulate. Fat chance we’ll get the truth on that. Then again, with Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio, perhaps the truth will “accidentally” slip out after Mercury turns direct on November 26.

Another bit of trivia: Petraeus and Broadwell are both Scorpios, with birthdays less than a week before the solar eclipse on November 13. Frankly, I think these two are soul mates. Even without their birth times, their charts tell me that they were destined to cross paths, and their “fall from grace” may have implications for the collective beyond the sordid media soap opera. At the very least, it speaks to our liminal state.

The Sun enters Sagittarius on Wednesday, with Venus entering Scorpio a few hours later. As I was saying, we’re still on the Dark Side. The love nature of Venus and the obsessed, extreme nature of Pluto aren’t a happy combination. Think jealousy, crimes of passion, and fatal attraction. Of course, Venus in Scorpio also has her very sexy side. But it’s sexy in part because it’s so dangerous. Like James Bond women. Throughout the week, Venus approaches conjunction with Saturn. More about that in a minute…

On Thursday, Thanksgiving in the United States, the Sun and Venus aspect Neptune. I have a feeling these two aspects are going to cancel each other out, so that the Sun-Neptune square won’t be so discouraging and the Venus-Neptune trine won’t be as dreamy. Do keep in mind, though, that with Mercury retrograde, misunderstandings happen more than usual, and Neptune represents confusion – in this case, probably due to too much wine with dinner. Plan ahead by having some engaging DVDs on hand. If you decide to go to a movie at the theater, I highly recommend Cloud Atlas. I saw it last week and was deeply moved. My only explanation for why it got savaged by critics is that they didn’t get it.

On Friday, Mars squares Uranus. This configuration alone can be explosive, but with Uranus in Mars-ruled Aries, in a square with Pluto and conjunct the Moon, it’s hide-under-the-bed time. Or is it? Mars also is sextile Saturn, with Venus approaching conjunction. Moreover, Saturn and Pluto are in mutual reception. This seems to me to be a major game-changer – how, exactly, it’s hard to say, because we’ve never experienced this configuration in our lifetime. I have some thoughts about this, but I’m going to save them for next week, when the alignments are exact.

Both Venus and Mars form soft aspects to Chiron from Friday through Sunday. Chiron was also a centaur. He overcame his savage nature and went on to become a wise healer and mentor to Greek heroes, but suffered greatly, in life and in death. With Venus and Mars in aspect to Chiron over the weekend, we have an opening to see our fundamental wounds with clarity and compassion, and to adopt the courage and discipline to move forward, even though we might fear that our wounds leave us vulnerable.

The day after Thanksgiving is also known as Black Friday, when retailers make up for slow sales during the rest of the year. With Saturn and Pluto in mutual reception and Jupiter retrograde, I think they’re going to be disappointed. Anyway, if you use astrology as a tool for timing, you know better than to shop for large-ticket items while Mercury is retrograde. I’d wait for the January sales. With Jupiter returning direct at the end of January, we may find some exceptionally good bargains.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast November 12: Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, Mars Enters Capricorn

Total eclipse of the sun on July 11, 1991. Image credit: Steve Albers, Boulder, CO; Dennis DiCicco, Sky and Telescope; Gary Emerson, E. E. Barnard Observatory.

It really does feel like something has shifted, even before Tuesday’s eclipse. Eclipses can be like that. We can feel the really powerful ones up to six months before and after.

The elections are over in the United States, with surprisingly few complications, given Mercury’s station retrograde just as the polls were closing on the East Coast (then, delayed effects are always possible). President Obama’s re-election wasn’t a surprise, but other results were: more women than ever in the Senate, the defeat of candidates with outdated views about women, initiatives to legalize gay marriage, and the legalization of pot in Colorado and Washington. This isn’t small change.

We’re in a period of intense change, with the Uranus-Pluto square, recently amplified by Saturn in Scorpio, the mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto, and now the new series of eclipses in Scorpio and Taurus. The keywords for Scorpio are death, transformation, and rebirth. I have to think that the grand trine between Saturn, Neptune, and Ceres also has been a major influence in the 2012 elections. Neptune rules mind-altering substances, Ceres seems to have an association with plant life, and Saturn is the planet of rules and regulations. There you have it.

While it’s possible that our “big eclipse event” is already behind us, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be more to come, especially as the Scorpio-Taurus series unfolds over the next two years. A lot can be accomplished in this time, if we put our minds to it, and given the intense nature of Saturn and Pluto, all of our courage and ingenuity will be needed to meet the tests still to come. This applies individually and collectively.

As I wrote in last week’s forecast, “For years, astrologers have spoken of this time period as a critical point in human development, during which we go through a collective transformation. The time of testing is here, with Saturn, lord of time and karma, and the lunar North Node, symbol of destiny, both in Scorpio. We’re in the thick of it now. Lessons we learned over the past two years – since the cardinal T-square of 2010 – will be invaluable as we go through this dark and confusing rebirthing process.”

Looking at the details of this New Moon Eclipse, both Sun and Moon are at 21°57′ Scorpio, not far from the lunar North Node at 26 degrees Scorpio, which gives us a total eclipse. The Sun and Moon make no close aspects with other planets. Of course, the ongoing Uranus-Pluto features prominently in the eclipse chart. Other aspects are a near-exact square from Mercury to Neptune and inconjunct between Saturn and Uranus. We’re still in a period with a high risk of lies, confusion, and distortion. Certainly, the losing party is in serious confusion. According to some press reports, Republicans were so sure of a big victory that they couldn’t believe the results. It’s not unreasonable, given these aspects, that we eventually could learn of some election fraud. The Saturn-Uranus aspect highlights the vast gulf between those who want to preserve the status quo and forces for change.

Solar Eclipse in Scorpio

Click on image to enlarge

Astrologers disagree on the meaning of eclipses. It gets a bit tricky when you’re dealing with unseen forces we don’t yet understand – or with symbolism. Some astrologers say eclipses are a sort of collective reboot. According to others, they are like supercharged New Moons and Full Moons, representing endings and radical new beginnings. Some say an eclipse has no effect at all if you can’t see it from your location. This eclipse will be at its maximum over the Pacific Ocean and will be most visible in northern Australia.

In my observation, eclipses have a great deal of meaning in your personal life, whether or not you can see them. The house position of the eclipses indicates which areas of your life are most subject to fast change. When doing consultations, one of the first things I look for is where the eclipses are falling in a client’s chart. Nine times out of then, the issues causing them the most stress are associated with the houses where the eclipses fall. Incidentally, we have two eclipses left in the Sagittarius-Gemini sign pair. One will be a lunar eclipse on November 28, and the last will be a dramatic lunar eclipse on May 25, 2013 – not a total eclipse, but with a powerful planetary alignment.

Looking at the rest of the week, Mercury re-enters Scorpio on Wednesday. I have a feeling that things will calm down a bit afterwards, as Mercury no longer will be in mutual reception with retrograde Jupiter in Gemini. The Sun and Mercury conjoin on Saturday, which could manifest as light being shed on deep secrets.

On a personal note, since retrograde Mercury didn’t wreak the predicted havoc on the U.S. elections, I guess that means I can take personally all the havoc he wreaked in my life over the past week. It started before he even officially went retrograde, which is often the case, according to the feedback I’ve received over the years from readers and clients. There’s a pre-retrograde “shadow” period in which Mercury passes through the degrees that will be activated during his retrograde phase, and often this can feel like the retrograde itself. For me, it has been classic, with frustrating delays, miscommunications, and no communications at all. The producer who was considering taking on my documentary project has fallen off the face of the earth. To top it all off, the county elections board rejected the signature on my ballot, a snafu that took three days to correct. As a result, I’m way behind on reports.

Aside from the eclipse and Mercury retrograde, the other big news this week is Friday’s ingress of Mars in Capricorn, sign of his exaltation. As long as Uranus is in Mars-ruled Aries – another six years or so – the position of Mars takes on additional significance. In Capricorn, Mars deposits to Saturn, “feeding” the mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto. It will be interesting to watch this relationship unfold. The square between Uranus and Pluto represents conflict between forces for revolutionary change and resistance by authoritarian control. With Mars in Capricorn, rebel forces could be co-opted rather than confronted by military might. Likewise, rebel leaders might seek backroom deals with those in power. There might even be a discreet back door into the halls of power for those seeking major change. Mars in Capricorn represents the military, so watch the headlines for unusual developments in war and military spending. The proverbial dirt hits the fan when Mars and Pluto conjoin at the lunar eclipse on November 28.

On Saturday, Mars sextiles Neptune. Among other things, this seems to be a perfect planetary configuration for severe winter storms. I write that with the caveat that I’m not schooled in astrological weather forecasting, so you can take that with a grain of salt … or a truckload for icy roads.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast November 5: Mercury Retrograde, Neptune Direct

The Burney Relief, Mesopotamia c. 1800-1750 BCE.

What can you say about a week when New York got knocked to its knees and 20 million people experienced a breakdown in civilization, even if for some of them it was only a few hours?

Astrologically, last week’s Full Moon was difficult in many ways, and for the past few days I’ve been pondering what the next two weeks will look like as we head into a double station of Mercury retrograde and Neptune direct, less than a week before a total eclipse of the Sun in Scorpio. I was reminded that eclipses don’t always manifest within the normal period of the New Moon – usually plus or minus three days – but that events linked to powerful eclipses can occur as long as six months in advance. Certainly two weeks before, at a Full Moon in the opposite sign of the eclipse, counts as an eclipse event.

My tentative conclusion is that for many of us, the big news related to the eclipse may already have happened. Of course it’s hard to know, but for a hint, have a look at your natal chart and ask yourself whether you’ve recently experienced an upset or radical change in one or more of the areas of life ruled by the house where next week’s eclipse will fall. If so, then your transformation-rebirth process has already started. I was going to save these thoughts until next week, but in fact, we’re already in the eclipse period.

If you haven’t read Ruth’s Scorpio article, which I posted yesterday, check it out. She has presented some profound insight into the transformation process, including the observation that some people sink into a depression while the transformation is happening. It’s as though part of you is hibernating in order to shut down and let the process happen. Now, I’m not talking about clinical depression, bipolar disorder, or serious medical conditions, but rather a process that humans have experienced since before history began. We know, because some of the first stories ever recorded in cuneiform writing deal with this theme.

For years, astrologers have spoken of this time period as a critical point in human development, during which we go through a collective transformation. The time of testing is here, with Saturn, lord of time and karma, and the lunar North Node, symbol of destiny, both in Scorpio. We’re in the thick of it now. Lessons we learned over the past two years – since the cardinal T-square of 2010 – will be invaluable as we go through this dark and confusing rebirthing process.

A telling image from last week’s storm coverage was the photo of President Barak Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who temporarily dropped their political differences to find solutions for the millions of people affected by Hurricane Sandy. Sure, there’s political calculation and self-serving motives, but it was still an important symbol of what transformation is all about – the unification of polarized forces within ourselves. Jung saw it as a union of the conscious and unconscious.

Given last week’s dramatic events, this week may be anticlimactic, despite the significant astrological signatures. Mercury turns retrograde at 6:03 p.m. EST on Tuesday, with the polls still open in many states. Add to that logistical problems in some areas affected by Sandy, and it’s virtually guaranteed that this election is going to be fraught with difficulties – if not on the presidential level, then in congressional and local races. My computer already is acting up, and I’ve been backing up files while I write – three hours so far. Also make sure you set your clocks back last night. If you haven’t started your holiday shopping yet, put it off until after Thanksgiving. Although you can save hassles by shopping now and avoiding the crowds, you may end up paying more in money and frustration with products that don’t work right, aren’t what you ordered, or are missing key accessories. I’ve had to buy electronics while Mercury was in reverse, but everything that could go wrong did go wrong. With Jupiter retrograde in Mercury ruled Gemini, things that go wrong will do so in a big way.

Speaking of the Big Guy, Jupiter and Venus are in a harmonious trine on Friday, which could signify a bit of a break. Both planets are in air signs, which govern intellect, rational thought, and ideas, and both are signs of unified duality, each in its own way. Since Jupiter and Mercury are both retrograde, an old idea may turn out to be the one that works for you.

On Sunday, Neptune turns direct. I always get really sleepy when Neptune is slowing down, but this also is a great time to explore dreams and do past-life regression therapy. It’s also not a bad time to sleep, especially since we just went off daylight saving time and it gets dark early. With so much stress and anxiety, many of us aren’t sleeping well, which leads to more stress and anxiety.

The not-so-positive side of Neptune “stopped” is that we’re in a period when deceit and dishonesty flourish. Part of the cycle here is that we’re easily led to believe what we want to believe and to ignore facts, rational arguments, and our own alarm bells. Neptune also rules drugs, alcohol, and escapist behavior – although anyone would be forgiven for diving into the complete collection of X-Files on Blu-ray and tuning out the insanity.

UPDATE 11/04/12: In the original post, I had it backwards and had Neptune turning retrograde instead of direct. So, first of all, apologies for that, and thanks to those of you who wrote alerting me to the error. Mercury’s not even retrograde yet, but we’re well into the shadow, and this is exactly the kind of embarrassing errors that happen. I suppose this serves as a caution to everyone. Mercury is stationed almost exactly on my Ascendant – this is classic. Not only did I make an error in my post, but when I opened the Word document to fix it, the text was entirely in red with lines through it and all the changes of previous rewrites underlined! I never use that feature of Word. Is this weird or what? As it happens, though, the effect of Neptune stationing are pretty much the same whether he’s going retrograde or direct, so the essence of what I wrote is still valid.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast August 6: Mercury Direct

Having been pummeled thoroughly by Mercury retrograde over the past week, I am duly humbled and contrite. But I got the work done, by goddess, despite every obstacle that the trickster threw in my path – literally hundreds, if you count every computer bug, output glitch, and customer service issue separately.

My work is now online as a pitch piece to raise funding for a full-length documentary about professional astrologers.


The New Astrologers from Pat Paquette on Vimeo.

This is what I have been working on day and night for the past four months. It began as a second-quarter class project for film and video school. The day before the final cut was due in mid-June, my backup hard drive crashed to the floor and knocked the main drive just enough to cause irreparable damage. I lost all the contents, including all the original source material. Fortunately, my cameraman had all the interview footage backed up on his computer at home. That was the good news. The bad news was that I had to synch the video and sound all over again, and of course the entire piece had to be reconstructed. That seemed like a good Mercury retrograde project – and I suppose it was, given that the pitch piece is now online. But the entire process was definitely a lesson in Mercury retrograde dynamics.

The next step is applying for grants and raising donations, so please help me get the word out! If you’d like to make a donation, please feel free to do so now. However, I’ll be launching an official donation campaign later this month, with a Facebook page and possibly its own website.

I’m relieved I got the work done and uploaded this weekend, because Mercury stations direct on Wednesday. As the station approaches, we’ll likely experience Mercury retrograde gridlock, not just in traffic, but in Internet and telecommunications as well. My computer is slow today, for no apparent reason.

That said, I managed to begin reconstructing my astrology program. I’ve relocated all the custom settings for my chart wheels. The bigger task is to find out where the settings for my forecast graphs live so that I can begin working on the Fall 2012 edition of StarGuide. I’m determined to make it available around the first of September so that you can order it well ahead of the season change.

As for this week, it’s worth mentioning again that the most-recent New Moon and Full Moon both occurred while Mercury was retrograde, so any developments related to those lunations may have been delayed. Once Mercury returns direct, you may experience sudden events that normally you would have expected around the New Moon and Full Moon. For clues about what those developments might be, check the house position in your birth chart and aspects from the Moon to your natal planets. Also check to see where Mercury has been retrograde (12°33′ to 1°26′ Leo).

Mercury stations fairly close to the inconjunct with Neptune that I wrote about last week. I’ve had some odd dreams, but they actually have had a point. One of them revealed yet another detail in “other-life” memories that have been slowly rising to the surface since last summer. But I’ve also had some dreams that were just noise, like static between channels on the radio.

It’s also possible that as we begin to see more and more clearly into other dimensions of reality, we don’t entirely understand what we’re seeing and feeling, and the result is some disorientation or confusion. I’ve been getting some great reports of progress from friends, family, and clients. The influence of the Mercury-Neptune quincunx will last throughout the week, until after Mercury makes a third and final alignment to Neptune on Saturday.

Otherwise, we have only two other major planetary transits this week, both involving Venus. On Tuesday, she enters Cancer. Her sign change is especially significant, because she has been in Gemini since early April due to her own retrograde phase. Normally, Venus spends only about four weeks in a sign. It’s also significant that her movement through the final degrees of Gemini has occurred with Mercury, Gemini’s ruler, retrograde. Revisiting unresolved relationship issues has been important. At the very least, you’ve probably become aware of issues that you didn’t see before, or you may be seeing them in a new light that allows you to take a different approach. It’s possible there’s still some clarification needed.

Once Venus enters Cancer on Tuesday, talking out issues becomes less important than demonstrating affection and caring, and actions will speak louder than words. If you’re one of those people who need to hear the words “I love you” or who insists on open communications, try watching your partner and other loved ones for how they show you they care in other ways. Stopping by the grocery store for you, picking up the kids when it’s your turn so that you can get a much-need break, fixing your car or computer, or just quietly holding your hand are all very loud communications that say “I care about you.” Not everyone is a good verbal communicator, and although ideally we want partners who can be direct and tell us what’s going on with them, sometimes they are better at communicating nonverbally. It can be hard for these quiet souls, because others don’t always recognize and appreciate their language.

Some people are able to communicate with each other telepathically, especially when they are in an intimate relationship. I’m betting that most of you know what I mean, since I have a high proportion of readers who are psychically sensitive. Even if you’re not, you may get a glimpse of this phenomenon this week, when Venus forms a dreamy trine with Neptune in Pisces. Connecting on a soul level can be a powerful experience under this influence.

So, hang in there for a few more days. You’ll feel a noticeable shift in the middle of this week. Overall, it should feel pretty good – keeping in mind that the Uranus-Pluto square is the elephant in the room, and more-sweeping changes are taking place on a collective level.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast July 30: Full Moon in Aquarius

© Dreaming in rose. Pat Paquette 2012

This certainly is turning out to be a classic Mercury retrograde. I’ve lost more than half of the past week addressing corrupted files, lost data, and long waits getting through to tech support – just when I’m under a huge deadline for a film project. Of course.

It’s particularly ironic that my astrology software got corrupted. The good news is that I had my client data backed up, so for anyone who has ordered a report, I still have you in my database. The bad news is that, in reinstalling the program, I lost all of my custom settings, including weeks’ worth of programming charts and the cool graphs that are included in my StarGuide forecasts. In backing up my system, I never thought to back up all of the program files. It’s a painful lesson. It also means that it will be a week or so before I can fulfill new report orders. As I said … classic Mercury retrograde.

Then, I’ve been extremely unhappy with this program, so perhaps this is a “hint” that it’s time to upgrade to Solar Fire, the gold standard in astrology software. I chose another brand on the advice of a consultant and have put hundreds of dollars into add-ons, but I’ve been tearing my hair out over the unfriendly user interface and even unfriendlier customer support. I’ve been putting off switching to a different program, not only because of the expense, but because once I buy new software, I’ll likely have to revise my report offerings – typical excuses for avoiding making changes that ultimately will improve our lives. Mercury retrograde is so good at planting these pies in our faces, with extra whipped cream.

In the meantime, I’m madly pushing to edit a pitch piece to get funding for a documentary about professional astrologers. It’s actually a reconstruction, since I lost the final cut in a hard drive accident in mid-June (Mercury wasn’t even retrograde, go figure). Recreating the work has been the one thing that has gone relatively well during this retrograde cycle, as I expected it would. The challenge is dealing with all of the other problems, which has eaten up precious time that I could have spent in the editing room.

Everywhere I go, I’ve been hearing similar stories, and I’m sure you all have plenty of your own. It seems like no matter how much you try to be prepared, something unexpected goes wrong. It’s living proof that there are “bad” transits. I’m not one of the New Age-y astrologers who believe there’s no such thing as a bad transit, that it’s what you make of it, blahblah. Shit happens, and it tends to happen more during certain planetary configurations. Sure, we can use Mercury retrograde to our advantage (as with my film reconstruction), but we also need to be aware that delays, obstacles, and extremely inconvenient situations are likely to happen more frequently and without warning. The one thing we do have control over is how we communicate. Although we can’t help it if someone misunderstands us, we can give them some leeway and not blame them for the miscommunication.

We’ve got another week and half to go before Mercury returns direct, so just hang in there and do the best you can. In the meantime, Wednesday’s Full Moon in Aquarius promises to throw some good energy into the mix, further building on the positive vibe of the recent sextile from Jupiter to Uranus. At its peak, the Full Moon makes positive connections to both Uranus and Jupiter. Together, these giants make big sparks. This could be literal – as in more giant thunderstorms – or it could be symbolic, bringing sparks of excitement into your life. As surprising as events have been lately, it looks like there’s more in store for us.

I don’t know about you, but my life has been fast and furious with opportunities over the past couple of weeks – so many that I’m overstretched, exhausted, and stressed out by the possibility that passing on an invitation could cost me connections and work down the road. Normally, I’d gauge which opportunities to take based on the potential material returns, but this time I also considered which ones were the most fun and most in line with what I want to do, whether or not it’s financially sound. It seems like more and more people are making decisions based on what’s in their heart and not on what they think they should do or what others think they should do.

The Sun forms an exact trine with Uranus on Tuesday and an exact sextile with Jupiter on Thursday, so the excitement should last for much of the week.

Chart for Full Moon in Aquarius

Click on image to enlarge

Of course, the Uranus-Pluto square is also active in this Full Moon chart. It almost feels like old news by now, but with Uranus, surprises happen. As the ruler of Aquarius, Uranus rules this Full Moon, so it’s quite possible that we’ll get a Uranus-Pluto “jolt” out of the blue.

Venus remains in a trine with Saturn. Although it’s waning, it’s still close enough to use its energy for improving communications and commitment in relationships, be they personal or professional. And with Saturn heading into the final degrees of Libra, we’re finally wrapping up the lesson we thought we learned earlier this year. For me, personally, it has been painful, but there have been very noticeable improvements, mostly in my understanding and acceptance.

On Friday, Mercury and Neptune are inconjunct (technically, quincunx, but I hate that word because it’s too hard to say). Dreams could be jarring or totally incomprehensible. If you can’t figure out a particularly bizarre or disturbing dream, don’t worry about it. It’s possible that it has nothing to do with you.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast July 23: Mercury Sextile Jupiter, Trine Uranus

© Pat Paquette 2012

As humanity experiences a shift in consciousness, more people are experiencing an increase in synchronicities in their daily lives. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of thinking about something or someone, and having them appear right before your eyes a short time later – an hour, a day, a week, sometimes a little longer.

This isn’t news for most of you. However, last week did seem to be especially active in this regard. Once experience in particular really caught my attention.

In last week’s column, I posted a link to a mind-bending animated video that contained numerous symbols that are embedded in the collective consciousness. I must have watched that thing two dozen times, hitting the pause and replay buttons frequently to examine symbols that were fleeting or not easy to see – for example, towers with clocks always set at 12 (presumably midnight, as it was dark). If you watched it – and many of you did – you’ll also remember the boat with the head of Anubis on the prow. In Egyptian mythology, Anubis protected and guided the souls of the dead. This is a very ancient idea, one that later became associated with the Greek Hermes and Roman Mercury.

Last Tuesday, I had to go into the city to use an editing room to begin reconstructing a documentary pitch that I lost last month when my hard drive crashed. I figured that recreating a video would be more efficient during Mercury retrograde, and it was. The only problem was actually getting to the editing room. My bus pass failed to read and apparently was damaged, so before I could get to work, I had to take a detour to the Metro customer service office, which is located near the Amtrak station in the old King Street Station building.

As a promotion for the King Tut exhibit in Seattle, the neon sign for King Street Station has been modified, and there’s a 26-foot statue of Anubis in front of clock tower. And don’t you know, when I got there, it was three minutes to noon – just enough time to get out my camera and snap a few photos.

© Pat Paquette 2012

Synchronicities like this are a vehicle for messages from beyond our dimension of reality. Even that is nothing new; Greek mythology is filled with instances of mortals being visited by winged creatures or receiving messages from the gods via another person. We just need to pay attention when it happens and acknowledge these events for what they really are, especially in this time when we need input from higher planes of consciousness.

Do keep your antennae up this week, because the astrological pattern in the sky suggests that more of these messages will come through. Not only is Mercury retrograde, but this week he forms a sextile to Jupiter (Tuesday) and a trine to Uranus (Wednesday). Then on Saturday, he forms an exact conjunction with the Sun in Leo.

The sextile from Mercury to Jupiter also forms the base of a Yod with Pluto at the apex. This is quite interesting and tells me that we’re going to feel some major pressure to transform, as individuals and as a collective. Many of us feel stressed to the breaking point. Something’s got to give. That “something” may or may not be a choice you can make intentionally, but it likely will require expanding your mind so that new solutions can present themselves.

Changing beliefs and behavior may be part of the mix as well – none of which is easy. Indeed, changing beliefs is one of the most difficult things a person can do. Changing beliefs can entail breaking down the entire structure that I call the “mental matrix.” But, breaking down is what Uranus is especially good at, and Pluto in Capricorn is all about transforming structures.

It’s all inordinately stressful, but opportunities are there, too. Do your best to keep your nerve.

Wishing you all much love and courage,

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast July 16: Mars Square Pluto, New Moon in Cancer

Violent awakening of Christ Consciousness, from the cutting-edge animated film short I, Pet Goat II. See end of article for the link to watch the video.

Thanks to Mercury retrograde, all of my weekend plans fell through. And I do mean thanks! It’s been nearly a year since I had two days in a row to take my time reading e-mail, work at a speed that doesn’t make my hair fly in the air, and spend an afternoon cooking up good things in the kitchen.

I’m also counting on this retrograde to work fast and efficiently to recreate the documentary project that I lost when my hard drive crashed the day before the final cut was due in class. I still haven’t fully recovered from the shock, so maybe we can add “recover” as another fun activity for those oh-so-annoying retrogrades.

Unfortunately, the break isn’t likely to last, as this week could contain a fast and furious game-changer. Maybe more than one. Not only do we have a New Moon in cardinal Cancer, but Mars makes an exact T-square with Uranus and Pluto, all in cardinal signs. That suggests a major shift, and Uranus and Pluto generally are about breakdowns. The good news is that there are clear signs that the breakdowns contain breakthroughs, and those could come swiftly.

Mars squares Pluto on Tuesday and opposes Uranus on Wednesday, but the planet of action was within “striking distance” of Uranus and Pluto last week, so we’re already feeling the shift. I talked to several people who were having total breakdowns, thinking it was Mercury retrograde. I won’t say that wasn’t a factor, but crises and nasty circumstances that had nothing to do with computers or electronics were likely an expression of the Mars-Uranus-Pluto aspect, especially since Uranus was stationed retrograde on Friday. Difficult aspects between Mars and Uranus are explosive, and Mars-Pluto contacts can express themselves as violence. But, birth is a violent process, so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the only result of this powerful astrological configuration will be destruction. Although there’s a strong likelihood that something in your life will fall apart this week (if it hasn’t already), there’s an equally strong possibility that something new will sprout up before the ashes are cold.

The wild card this week is Jupiter. The planet of big currently is in the sign of small, so I wouldn’t count on Steven Spielberg snapping up your screenplay, but who knows? Stranger things have happened. You shouldn’t have to wait long for a hint of how the week is going to play out, as Mars forms an easy trine to Jupiter on Tuesday – before his exact contact with Pluto. That’s why I think it’s entirely possible that something new will form before the old structure is totally blown apart, whatever it may be. “Structure” can apply to your career, finances, relationships, or your life in general. If you know how to read a chart, you can look at where these planets fall in your natal houses for a better idea of how you’re responding to these volatile energies.

Chart for New Moon in Cancer

Click on image to enlarge

Thursday’s New Moon in Cancer is perfectly timed to bring new forms into existence. The only downside is that the Sun and Moon form a fairly close square with Saturn in Libra, suggesting a challenge of some kind. My take is that you’ve probably butted up against this obstacle already and know what it is. The challenge may be in finding a workable solution. For that, you (and any others involved) have to be committed, willing to do the heavy lifting, and ready to take on the responsibility.

The biggest day for opportunities is Saturday, when Jupiter sextiles Uranus. With Jupiter in Gemini, it’s possible that more than one door will open to you. How do you know which one is the right one? On Sunday, the Sun enters Leo, his home sign, symbol of the heart center and courage. Part of the shift we’re going through is finding ways to be more authentic and live what’s in our hearts. It definitely takes courage.

The T-square begins winding down at the end of the week, but retrograde Mercury makes aspects to Mars on Sunday and then Jupiter and Uranus next week. Don’t worry if you missed anything. There will be opportunities to go back, take a second look, make corrections, and patch up misunderstandings. My only caution is that if you have new opportunities that involve making deals and signing contracts, be sure you read all the fine print and know what’s involved. If you can wait to ink the deal until the second week in August, better still. But that’s not always practical, so if you’re compelled to move forward, at least take precautions like getting a second opinion or doing additional research.

Before I go, I want to tell you about an exciting new animated short film that has created a buzz on the Internet. It’s called I, Pet Goat II and is largely the work of Montreal animation artist Louis LaFebvre. As a work of art, it’s cutting edge and mesmerizing. But it also has a message, one that’s very similar to what I’ve written about since starting my first blog in late 2005. You’ll have fun trying to identify all the hidden symbolism, which has many conspiracy theorists foaming at the mouth about the Illuminati and the NWO. Just the sort of thing I love, and I think you will, too.

Wishing much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast July 9: Uranus and Mercury Retrograde

Illustration of a decaying Higgs-Boson. Can you spot the muons? Photo courtesy CERN.

After all the astrological tumult of the past two months, a “simple” Mercury retrograde seems like rather ho-hum news.

Mercury goes retrograde this Saturday at 12°33′ Leo, and he’ll return to 1°26′ before returning direct on August 8. Among other things, Leo is the sign of entertainment and fun. Mercury in Leo loves a practical joke, but when he’s retrograde, the intended effect could backfire. Standup comedians take note.

For the rest of us, all the usual caveats apply. You know the drill by now. Back up your computer, get big purchases out of the way, sign the contract to sell your house now (actually, it’s a bit late for that already), and wrap up as much as you can on projects under way. On the positive side – and this definitely applies to me – this Mercury retrograde period will be beneficial for editing, rewriting, revising, repair, and revisiting old issues in general. If you’d like to know more about how Mercury retrograde could play out in your life, check out the StarGuide Summer 2012 forecast. Although we’re already well into the season, there’s a ton of useful information in this report, and for anyone who orders now, I’ll extend the transit section until the end of September.

Nonetheless, there are a couple of unique and interesting things happening with this retrograde period. First, at the moment Mercury stations – when he appears to stop moving in the sky from one day to the next – he is in a near-exact sextile with Venus in Gemini. Venus herself recently went retrograde, and on her reverse path crossed the face of the Sun. The astrological implications of the Venus transit aren’t entirely known yet, but intuitively, I think it has something to do with reconnecting opposites on all levels. For many people, communications and connections with a person or situation had to be severed in order to reboot relationships, including our relationship with the various aspects of ourselves. Outwardly, you may have re-established contact with someone, perhaps a romantic partner, but not necessarily. At the highest level, we have been able reconnect with our energetic bodies, what some call the “higher self.” Although you can’t see or measure this connection, it is a very big deal.

With Mercury stationing at a close, positive angle with Venus in the sign he rules, there is another wide open door for meaningful communications to take place within relationships, especially those renewed after a period of distance. Communications are fundamental to strong relationships. I once read a book written for men about how to have better sex, and the first half was all about communicating. Amen to that.

The second interesting factor about this Mercury retrograde, and by far the more volatile one, lies in the simultaneous retrograde of Uranus on Friday. On a collective scale, this reverse is more significant than Mercury’s phase shift, especially since Uranus and Pluto are still within a degree of an exact square. Unless transiting Uranus is sitting on a personal planet or sensitive point in your chart, you’re not likely to feel this one personally. But combined with Mercury’s retrograde on the following day, the reversal of Uranus could manifest as major mischief … as though there hasn’t been plenty already.

We know about the fires, power outages (Uranus rules electricity), and other Uranus-related trends, including financial surprises. In his column this week, Ray Merriman writes about Uranus-Pluto and the Barclay’s Bank scandal. But there was another big event in the news last week that I believe could be the sleeper hit of the Uranus-Pluto cycle.

Last Wednesday, while fireworks were going off in most of the United States, scientists from around the world gathered at CERN in Geneva for a big announcement that they’d found the Higgs-Boson – the so-called “God particle.” Well, at least, they found something like it. It’s unclear at this point exactly what they discovered, but scientists were all jubilant and teary eyed over the possibility that after decades of searching and billions of public money spent, they’d finally found a critical piece of the Standard Model of Physics – the current theory about how the material universe forms.

Astrologers are plenty interested in this development, because part of our job is predicting possible ways that energy patterns in a horoscope might manifest into material reality. Long before I was aware of the Higgs-Boson or any scientific evidence of energy manifesting as physical matter, I knew intuitively that it does, and that astrology is a tool for predicting how and when material results might show up, either in an individual’s life or as global trends.

There were so many ironies in last week’s announcement, starting with the fact that researchers aren’t claiming to have found the Higgs-Boson, but may have accidentally stumbled on something else. That “something else” may be key to understanding the 96 percent of the universe that currently is invisible. That alone boggles the mind. Take a good look around you, and then try to wrap your head around the idea that you’re seeing only 4 percent of what’s actually there (if you’re exceptionally psychic, you may see more).

Another irony is that the announcement and the media attention it generated, including trending on the social media, was very similar to the “news” in January 2011 about the alleged 13th sign of the zodiac. The media got a lot of details wrong, and the public got all excited about something that didn’t happen. Still, scientists were surprised to have something as geeky as the Higgs-Boson trending on the Internet – just as astrologers were shocked that a bizarrely named and little-known constellation got so much attention amid the latest rock videos, celebrity breakups, and political scandals.

The biggest irony, though, lies in the public perception of what this announcement could mean. Faster computers? Smarter cell phones? Zero-gravity trains? In other words, all most people can see in a discovery of this magnitude is that it will somehow translate into new inventions – something material, like, say, space-based weapons or Cheez-It. Because so few people grasp the concept of energy manifesting into matter, the implications are beyond the imagination of most people – scientists included.

Just as scientific discoveries of the past took years to translate to applications in the mainstream, and just as the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of the sixties continued to manifest for many years afterward, this new discovery of how matter is formed likely will take years to produce any noticeable effects. One thing is sure, though: how we see ourselves in the universe and how we interact with the world and each other is going to go through a massive overhaul. Meanwhile, if you need any further convincing that the Higgs-Boson is related to the Uranus-Pluto square, check out the CERN article titled, “The Higgs-Boson: Evolution or Revolution? ” Anyone familiar with astrology knows that “evolution” and “revolution” are keywords for Pluto and Uranus.

There is one other aspect this week worth mentioning, and that’s the Sun’s square to Saturn on Sunday (late Saturday in Western time zones). Difficult Sun-Saturn aspects typically manifest as power struggles, especially those involving ego and social structures. The structures could be within your family, ethnic group, company, or government. Fortunately, it’s a short influence that doesn’t last more than a few days, but it could have longer-range implications for you if the Sun and Saturn are transiting a sensitive point in your natal chart.

Wishing you all unlimited energy, love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast April 8: Pluto Retrograde, Mars Direct

I wrote this post yesterday. Then, early this morning, my website went offline due to an accounting error by my hosting service. How’s that for astrological correlation? Apologies to everyone who tried to access the site, and especially if you got a security alert. As of 15:45 PDT, everything appears to be back to normal, although now I’m behind in my reports.

The MV Klahowya, newly returned from retrograde repairs. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

Last week’s Full Moon with Mercury stationed direct marked a turning point, but this week is when the shift hits the fan, so to speak.

Mars, retrograde since January 23, finally returns direct this week, unleashing the new growth and furious activity that should have come along with the New Moon in Aries on March 22. Some of you may have experienced those fresh starts, but from what I hear, that New Moon was a non-starter for most people. As I mentioned early on, the combined energies of Mars retrograde in Virgo and Mercury retrograde in Aries was great for revisions and repairs.

The Washington State Ferries perfectly illustrates my point. The agency is a Gemini and typically experiences more glitches than usual while Mercury is retrograde. However, WSF also has Aries Rising and so was particularly attuned to this combined Mercury-Mars retrograde. To cite just one example, one of the three boats dedicated to Vashon went to the yard for scheduled maintenance in January and spent more than an extra month there while engineers tore out worn drive-motors. It just came back into service as Mercury returned direct. However, the crew has been instructed to run the boat at a reduced speed from now on to prevent further damage. The order extends to other boats in the same class. Engines are ruled by Mars, and mechanical engineering falls within the purview of Virgo. I just love it when astrology works this neatly!

If you intentionally used this retrograde period to repair, revise, retrofit, restore, or any other “re” verb, you should fare pretty well this week. It might take you a little time to get back up to speed, but it will happen, especially once Mercury re-enters Aries next week. I also should mention that you may find yourself at a near standstill late this week and into the weekend, as Mars stations on Friday. With Mercury in dreamy Pisces, it might be difficult just to haul your sorry ass out of bed in the morning. If you absolutely must be somewhere by a certain time, you might want to set two alarms. It wouldn’t hurt to set them a little early.

In the meantime, Pluto turns retrograde on Tuesday. Part of me can’t get too excited about this. Pluto spends almost half of every year retrograde, so in some ways it’s not a big deal. However, around the dates when he shifts motion, you may notice some strange correlations, depending on where he’s currently transiting your chart.

The conventional interpretation is that retrograde Pluto is about turning inward and confronting the shadow. Feelings of jealousy, obsession, and the desire to overpower another may surface. Needless to say, these emotions can make us squirm, as we’d rather not admit we’re capable of such uncivil behavior. Well, we all are. It’s much better to acknowledge it and make peace to the extent possible – much easier for some people than for others. If your job or social position requires you to use power, then this is a good opportunity to examine your attitude toward power and to be more aware of how you use it – or, as the case may be, how you fail to use it.

Speaking of power, you may want to maintain your vigilance over the weekend, when the Sun opposes Saturn. The aspect is exact on Sunday, but you could feel it a day on either side. With Saturn retrograde in Libra, we’re going back over old relationship territory to learn lessons that we haven’t quite assimilated. The Sun in Aries, meanwhile, suggests confidence in who we are, what we’re here to do, and what we need. At his best, Aries is a strong leader and knows the difference between selfishness and enlightened self-interest. You can’t carry out your life’s work if you’re stuck in a relationship that is sucking the life out of you. Pluto retrograde in Saturn’s sign suggests an underlying power struggle that you may need to get to the bottom of in order to be on more equal footing with your partner. The back-and-forth could get mighty uncomfortable, but if you can go into those places fearlessly, you’ll come out with incomparable rewards.

Rather than taking this week chronologically, I’ve covered the dominant transits first. So now let’s go back to the beginning of the week and look at a couple of interesting aspects with Venus on Monday. First, she forms a sextile with Uranus. I touched on this briefly in my Full Moon post and added that past-life connections could play a significant role in any romantic surprises you encounter. As I mentioned in that post, Venus in nearing the lunar South Node, while Juno, an asteroid often associated with marriage and commitment, is on the North Node. On Monday, the Moon conjoins the North Node and Juno, amplifying this energy and possibly correlating to developments in your love life.

My story on this theme is a bizarre series of synchronicities over the past week that called my attention to the mythology of the Egyptian gods Nut and Geb. What’s curious about this pair is that the god symbolizes the earth, while the goddess is the sky. This is backwards from convention, where the sky is “male” and the earth “female.” I’ve given a lot of thought to what it means, why this image was so in my face, and why now. I still don’t have the answers and perhaps won’t find them anytime soon, but it appears to have something to do with the relationship between matter and energy (remember that Higgs boson from last week?).

Nut represents the unmanifest and the energetic universe, while Geb represents the manifest and material universe. In the myth, they are twin brother and sister and want to have sex constantly. Their father, Shu, decides to separate them by holding Nut up high over his head. He explains that this is necessary to create the space for the Sun and Moon to exist, and that if he allowed the lovers to merge into union, the world would be engulfed in chaos.

As much as we might like to know about “past lives” and to delve into the unconscious realms, most of us wouldn’t be able to function if we had total access. There’s a good reason that our brains have a protective mechanism to keep the conscious and unconscious apart. Nevertheless, we have a nagging sense that there’s something behind the veil. Many of us have seen glimpses of it, and more and more people are meeting others they recognize from other lifetimes. When that happens, we may feel a sense of separation.

Keep your antennae up this week, but try to stay grounded. It’s easy to become destabilized when you’re stepping into unfamiliar psychic territory. If you drink or use drugs, be very careful and monitor your response. A little goes a long way right now.

Wishing you all eternal love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. I haven’t forgotten Part II of Ruth’s post. It will be up soon…