I'm dusting today.

Relaxation

Take a deep breath and blow it out fully, until your chest deflates. Repeat this periodically.

A Taste to Ease the Tension

I put away the paint cans and cleaned up my workshop and it was a major improvement. But still a slight headache persisted, so I did it!! I washed my windows. I can see clearly to the mountains and my headache is gone. Easy on the smoothies!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Le Blossom du jour.

Imogen Cunningham & Jm

The South Node

As I was saying ....

The South Node is often not a happy place, especially when Saturn is there, illustrated quite dramatically this previous week when Saturn was conjunct the south in Virgo. There's not a lot to be afraid of at the south node, anymore than anyplace else. It's infrequently disastrous, and directional signals are always available. Disappointment is a characteristic but it can lead to better things when approached consciously. If you watch it closely in your own life you'll see what I mean. This week's conjunction occurred in everyone's chart so a look at it now can be informative.

The meeting came at 5 degrees Virgo. San Diego has a Moon at 7, and now it's clear that the federal government of the United States is broken, and that a battle between the states and central control is brewing. Repairs were stalled for the last 1 and 1/2 years while the south node was in Virgo, but now when the node leaves, Saturn stays there for more than two years, and a fix can proceed. It's a great time to fix things in people's personal lives too. The conjunction revealed the reality of the breakdown in an almost paralytic fashion.

Naturally, the south node isn't like the River Styx, but it is problematic and as I said, not particularly happy. The conjunction surely clarified the situation. Time to get into the tool box.

An Observation and a Question

Every disaster teaches that if you're in certain spots, you don't get hit. How do they know?
...

Which Way to Go

Therefore I am still
a lover of the meadows and the woods,
and the mountains; and of all that we behold
from this green earth
William Wordsworth

Does the road lead to or away? Highways, by-ways, up mountains, down valleys, across meadows, with the current, against -- is all life's motion leading to a destination? Or is it in the movement itself with no particular place to go? I especially feel this endless path in the woods. Around every bend is the next group of trees and there is the magic place, so I say. But onward I still go, often back where I started.

The north node in Pisces is just about to part with Saturn and no entity knows more than Pisces how fluid direction is if there really is one at all.
It matters not.

The Sun is in Scorpio, the Moon in Aries, the full moon headed to my north1, and I thought, "Now. Now is the time to move ahead." A logical path, a mighty destination. But is it? Am I already there? Am I driver or passenger? But, of course. Both.

The south node in Virgo says yes, there's a sensible pattern. My misfiring plug is fixed along with my wheel, and I'm free to go. But then there's that glorious north node in Pisces dispensing the ultimate truth. Stay or go, up to you, makes no difference.

So here I am, the cards turning logically revealing the Hanged Man and the Sun. I suppose I should give it another minute. It's too suspenseful now any way, these last days of the Pisces node. And where on this green earth would I be without bewilderment?
Galen Rowell. Mountain Light. Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Homeland Security

The fire element is associated with spirit in human experience and Sagittarius is the most spiritual of the fire signs. It's no mistake that the center of our galaxy at this point in evolution is found in Sagittarius where connection with the cosmos forms the center of our existences. Human beings are not in charge of events on earth. They are participants and occasionally the universe makes this fact apparent. Natural disaster is one way. It's also no coincidence that Pluto, the planet of evolution, is now in this Galactic Center just about to leave for 248 years. Those who don't get the point consciously will at least get it subconsciously, and development can continue. The last great disaster in the United States, Katrina, is connected to the current one, the California fires, and the issue of homeland security which has been going on since 9-11, a man-made catastrophe.

When the Trade Towers came down in fire, the north node of the Moon was in Cancer, the sign of home and safety, and Mars was exactly opposite. From that moment, the president, who has a Sun in Cancer conjunct the USA Sun, became the symbol of the country's journey through terror in search of protection at home. He was elected when the NN was in Cancer. He was re-elected when Saturn was retrograde in Cancer. New Orleans has a south node in Cancer and this was the low point in the sequence of events. Now Mars is making a long retrograde in this sign and it's time to let go of the president and the phase he represents as Pluto leaves Sagittarius for Capricorn. San Diego has a Mars retrograde in Cancer. This is beyond politics and players. This is a lesson in what forces control life on earth and why it's a good idea to cultivate understanding of equilibrium and the correct orchestration of circumstances on the planet as part of a larger system.

The Source of Terror

Terror is a part of human feeling response. It serves as a protective mechanism in itself when natural. But people seeking power use it to arouse artificial fears. They build hysteria around a monstrous enemy inciting destruction among and within nations to employ the military industrial complex and make financial profits. Some recognition of this game is trying to get through in general. Leave it to the cosmos to interfere.

It's impossible to say how much difference the Mars transit through Cancer will make. Also impossible, is to force people to fight when natural disaster automatically brings them together for safety. Fighting fake enemies is not a good way to find security at home. Building bigger and bigger houses than burn in an instant is also not a path to comfort. San Diego has a Sun-Venus conjunction at 29 Sagittarius and it looks like this is part of the bridge to Capricorn. California has Venus at 1 Scorpio, the moon at 3. Mercury retrograde is there now, pointing to knowledge about possessions, the elevation of material wealth to religious status while the drums in the resource wars continue to beat, the recognition of the confusion of humans in "charge", and the real meaning of homeland security. It feels good to be comfortable.
Top illustration: Sachiko Yoshikawa

Emotion

Mars is headed for the USA Sun in Cancer. I try to be prepared for Mars in Cancer, braced and ready. I'm familiar with it.
Young Worshipper of the Truth. Marsden Hartely. 1940

Fire at Home

This is almost impossible to believe.
The fires are raging in San Diego, California. Mars (fire) is transiting Cancer (home). San Diego has a Mars retrograde in Cancer square Pluto in Aries. People will not leave their homes. What makes them cling even in the face of annihilation. Is there a lesson for everyone about letting go of the past with Mars in Cancer for so long?

San Diego also has Sun conjunct Venus retrograde at 29 Sagittarius. Trial by fire. What is this saying about material possessions and the universe? How much more orchestrated could it be? There will likely be a renewal of faith when all is done. The city also has a Moon at 7 Virgo where Saturn and the SN are now opposite the NN in Pisces. The repairs will be deep in the psyche when they come, with lessons learned about life.

Revolution Meets Evolution

Revolution: a motion in a closed curve around a center; an extensive change in a condition
Evolution: the process of unfolding, growing or developing, usually in slow stages

Soon the North Node of the Moon enters Aquarius and introduces a series of Uranian transits, a sign of political change. Rebellion is on the mind, especially with Uranus in Aries on the way to square the planet of evolution, Pluto, in Capricorn, the sign of the established controlling element. Aquarius is connected with political activism and new movements representing the influence of the people. The questions have been asked of late, "Why aren't the people taking to the streets in protest? Why are the young less overtly active than before?"

Times are different now. With the long transit of Mars in Cancer people are nostalgic for the olden days. The excitement of the anti-war protests, the Reagan years, the Clinton years, whatever folks associate with their pleasant memories. After the transit ends, hopefully society will recognize the present day reality and the probability that the system will remain pretty much as is. People are enmeshed and dependent, besides being fairly comfortable. Despite growing inequities in class, they are still able to advance and disparity among the sexes and races is less than it's ever been. There is no military draft and no monolithic enemy threatening massive annihilation. Protests in the streets are a natural outgrowth of the conditions of the times. It can't be forced. And revolt takes many forms.
What's happening in reality is that the American young are starting to vote in numbers much greater than they have been for many years and it seems to be a continuing trend. The college-aged are of the Uranus-Neptune in Capricorn generation and they know something about working with and contrary to the system.

One difference in the current era is Pluto transiting Capricorn and the final quadrant of the astrological wheel, an evolutionary trend indicating more penetrating change which can be permanent. Uranus is the trigger for progress and it remains to be seen how it plays, but with USA Mars now retrograde by progression, the harder road might be ahead. Conscious work.

Do you think the leaders are the war profiteers? Think again. Everyone who owns mutual funds is profiting from the present war. What good does it do to drive your $30,000 vehicle to the rally, eating and drinking copiously, and leaving tons of petroleum based plastics in your wake? How will this end the resource wars?

So it could mean that modern times are asking for an alternative solution to modern day problems, where consumption has reached gargantuan heights and people are caught in the web pretty much unable to extricate themselves. What would they do without their corporate providers at this stage of the game? People aren't protesting because they don't want to. Simply. They want to live comfortably and take care of things. Times are getting harder and work is asking to be done, but carrying signs in the street is unlikely to solve the problems of this particular day. People are trapped in their own complications and that is the clue to their freedom.

In the height of the 60s and 70s protests, Uranus was in Libra crossing the USA Saturn. Now Uranus will oppose this position and progressed Mars retrograde will be up there with Saturn. The same battle against the establishment but in a different way. In truth, I think the people have become the system more than ever, so the battle could be within, the only solution, as small businesses fight for survival, the struggle to keep homes continues, and the lifestyle Americans have grown to depend on is up for deep consideration. What will they keep, what can they part with, how can they make the government work for them in this modern era, all the while learning to behave in a little more grown-up fashion, especially as Pluto in Capricorn progresses. Perhaps instead of waving signs with the crowd, people might become a teeny bit aware of their own complicity and responsibility. A real alternative movement.
Aspects of Negro Life: Slavery through Reconstruction. Aaron Douglass. 1934

Boomers with Bifocals

Some of us booming ladies remember the heady days of civil rights and anti-war activism years ago. After the American Negro officially got the vote and young men and women were no longer required to get murdered overseas, many of us went about our personal business and left the political arena for greener pastures. There seems to be a renewed interest now that we've met again at the cyber-circus, but what can we do? Old ladies in a new age! Refill my teacup please. Now where did I put my peace sign? My memory isn't what it used to be.
Daughters of Revolution. Grant Wood. 1932

Human Imperfection

Saturn is currently conjunct the South Node in Virgo opposite the North in Pisces, the axis of perfection, spiritual attainment, and mysticism. Part of the attainment is the acceptance of human imperfection. What can we do anyway? It's amazing that the complex machine called the human body functions as well as it does, with all the flaws and breakdowns. There is a self-healing mechanism and that in itself says that the variations are accounted for.

The same in human society. The criminals, misfits, wrongdoers, and politicians all are part of the self-healing unit. Awhile back we had a fascinating discussion about these imperfections. MPK talked about his rock-climbing experience and how the weak line in the stone allows passage. In the same vein, Tseka, an artist, stated that the flaw in a work allows entry for the viewer and the ability to participate. I knew it was true, and we're not the only ones. I came across an interview with the filmmaker, Jean Renoir, and here are some excerpts.

We know that in the history of arts, the arrival of perfect realism coincided with perfect decadence. I wonder whether man's gift for beauty isn't in spite of himself. His intelligence. What if the tendency to imitate nature is simply a tendency toward ugliness? So imitating nature can only lead to the death of an art form.

He went on to lament the advancements of film technique in which nature could be reproduced with amazing precision, pointing out that technical perfection creates boredom.
The story of my life. I know what he's asking. There must be someplace between reality and fantasy that is ideal, both in art and in life. Renoir continues:

Why is it when technique is primitive, the objects are beautiful, and when technique is perfected, almost everything is ugly? Except things created by an artist talented enough to overcome technique.

That sounds good, although I'd rather not battle with it at all, if I have a choice. Jean Renoir was a Virgo. Moon in Pisces.
Painting: Cafe. William Johnson.1934.

Just Desserts

It promises to be a fine weekend as the autumn gets into full swing. I thought a little cyber-treat would be in order as we recover from the Jupiter-Uranus square and get ready for the Full Moon in Taurus. I'm not a big sweet eater as you probably remember but I am a raspberry freak! If I did exactly what I wanted to in my bad-kid bratty way, I'd take out the yellow gooey stuff and eat the rest. I believe I will. The great thing about cyber-sweets is that one feeds all. Please help yourself if you'd like!

Family and Government

Mars is transiting Cancer in preparation for the Pluto ingress into Capricorn. Thoughts of home and the world are surfacing in the collective (un)consciousness. And no one will be more influenced than the United States with 4 planets in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn. The supporting beam of the astrological chart is the Cancer 4th house (home) and the Capricorn 10th house (world). It appears to me that healthy management of the family translates to good government in society.

The tribal family unit developed for protective purposes and as the agrarian lifestyle evolved and people settled into larger communities, governments were created to protect this extended familial organization. It seems that the smaller family units these days are terribly dissatisfied with the larger "protective" entity and in the US, for the last several years, defense against evil invaders had been spoken of frequently. There is even some confusion as to whether or not they actually exist.

It's very interesting. The evolution of the outer forms of government probably parallels reconfiguration within individual consciousness.
Kadimiros

People tend to hate and fear their governments partly for this reason ... the mirror they provide. Realistically, they serve an important function in this capacity, so humans can see who they are, where they stand, and how they can affect their future development. The well-being of the family is first if people want healthy governments, and the Cancer-Capricorn opposition is an opportunity to make this connection. Personal nourishment and the nurturing of society.

We witnessed this lack of unity just recently when the veto of child health care struck such a wild nerve. While it's acceptable to murder someone else's children in a foreign land, it's horrifying to think of neglecting our own. It's interesting to note that this event occurred just as Mars was crossing the USA Cancer planets. As the Aquarian influence comes in and the USA Moon is involved, I presume some strides could be made in the direction of recognizing the commonality of all human families and the aggregation that adds up to the whole. Some theorize that the separation was designed exactly for this purpose; to ultimately re-unite the whole.

As the extended family develops perhaps an influence on the outer governments will be effected eventually. This appears to be the time to make a step in that direction as Pluto enters Capricorn, Mars transits Cancer, the north node of the Moon enters Aquarius, the mutual reception of Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius continues, the Saturn-Uranus opposition comes, Uranus squares Pluto and transits the USA 4th house, and Pluto returns to the USA Pluto on the way to Aquarius. Will society see an improvement in government? Individuals first.

The Problem With Relationship

Humans ordinarily spend their whole lives making and breaking relationships. A mind-boggling amount of time is spent in this pursuit. Trillions of dollars are exhanged annually for books, lectures, and assorted commodities in an attempt to create ones that work, with ongoing expenditure on analysis and maintenance until the end. The famous are tracked with hypnotic diligence as the tenuous threads of their liaisons fall apart. The afternoon television queens tell them everything is all right, I understand, then spend hours upon hours pretending to help their subjects fix all the broken connections.

It wasn't until my life changed from being a relationship centered one to a more solitary one that I realized how insulating the personal web can be in human society. It's easy to look around and see the problems needing attention outside of the personal sphere. Even easier is the absorption in the continuing demands of intimates to the exclusion of the community's and world's problems. Close the door and they magically disappear.

Not anymore. As gas prices climb, everything is affected, and eventually I think people will feel the urge to participate in a solution. Mr. Gore has brought this dilemma to the attention of the world, as the people recognize there is indeed a puzzle to be worked on.

My view is that the earth changes are part of human social evolution and that survival might start to include cooperation rather than murder and theft primarily. Part of this development could be the learned skills of group participation beyond the protective familial cacoon.

The United States is in an interesting position. A stellium in Cancer drives the personal and the daily gossip column called life and politics in America, but she also has a Moon in Aquarius, sensitive to the needs of the entire human family. Uranus in Aries will surely bring people an awareness of their independence that can turn them in the direction of new relationships in the collective realm. If survival starts to depend on extended relationships, they will emerge, and perhaps this congregation of people in cyberspace is the beginning of the new movement. As the earth moves, so does mankind.

The Miracle of the Universe

French archaeologists just discovered an 11,000-year-old wall painting underground in northern Syria which they believe is the oldest in the world. 9000 B.C. It looks like a modernist painting. Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by Paul Klee.

Hammamet Motif.1914

II just experienced one of those glorious moments that adds immeasurably to my faith in the universe. The artist, Paul Klee, came into my consciousness several weeks ago and I didn't know why. I simply had to study his work. Today this discovery of the oldest wall painting known to man was announced and the association was impossible to miss. Then it got even more astonishing as I investigated further.

The main thing here is Klee's Sun in Sagittarius at exactly 26 degrees, the galactic center of our Milky Way, where Pluto is positioned now.

Klee was an artist, a philosophical man, and a spiritual seeker with a Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces, precisely where the north node of the Moon is now. His natal Uranus is conjunct Saturn transiting in opposition to the node. He's known largely for his whimsy and his detachment from ordinary perception. He had this to say on the subject of evil:

Evil shouldn't be an enemy which triumphs or confounds, but rather a force which converges in the realization of everything. A factor which intervenes in generation and development, like a statement of ethical stability.

Then it goes on. Klee's chart has Mercury at 10 degrees Scorpio, where transiting Mercury is retrograde now. When his death was near, which he had known about much earlier, he painted the experience in a series spanning four months.

Death and Fire

As Klee no longer kept up his diaries, it's known from correspondence with his wife that death was omnipresent in his mind. His remaining energy was dedicated exclusively to his work which he carried out in total isolation.

He produced a considerable number of pieces in these last four months. His leisure time was given to reading Aeschylus's Oresteia.

I'm treasuring this moment, as the oldest official wall painting of mankind is discovered. Art lives.

The Road out of Self Pity

When I first started writing songs in my early years they were sad and tortured, full of teen-age angst. As the years passed, I began writing about everyday events, often with humor and whimsy. Then I spent seven years building my sound system and I had no time to question the content of my writing, I just popped out tunes and got back to programming sounds. Now I'm ready for performance again and decisions are waiting to be made.

As I've seen it, when someone gets hurt by another, the first response from the "victim" is to look at the flaw in the other as cause, in self defense. I witness this most of the time. While the flaw is probably accurate, the approach doesn't eradicate the pain. And there is usually an element of truth in the perpetrator's accusations.

Five years ago, I began to work consciously on releasing exaggerated focus on the other in an altercation; the creation of an attacking demon. And I pretty much believe it's inner monsters being projected on the big screen, when the fatal flaws are gripped in an attempt to flee responsibility. Much of music and poetry expresses the role of the victim and is laced with self-pity. Now in terms of my artistic path, I'm at a crossroads.

Do I create artificial drama with extremes of emotion, or do I stay somewhere in the middle, a little monotonous but soothing, pleasurable, and easy? Can I risk deleting the visceral tension, the agony and ecstasy with the inevitable letdown after big emotional rides?

The sad songs have an element of self pity and they don't wear well in repetition. I lose interest because the experience is based on mood and that changes from moment to moment. The puzzle of Piscean compassion, the easy descent into personal angst being exchanged for genuine understanding of the human condition, is now in its final stages. As sad as experience is for many, it's the reality of circumstance. The place in social evolution where the collective now stands.

Some do well in envisioning their separate realities within the mass emotion, and as the north node in Pisces finishes its transit, maybe a few more will come to the knowledge and acceptance of the world as it is, the ideals the human mind is capable of perceiving, and the bridge back and forth for the individual between self and outside people and events. How much should anyone identify with mass behavior? How much detachment is advisable or even possible? It is best to act independently not engaging too much with the collective suffering, or can something really be done to help mitigate the pain?

This week Saturn conjuncts the South Node in Virgo opposite the North in Pisces, crossing paths as the nodes leaves for Leo and Aquarius. The earth is moving out of a Neptunian phase, where everyone seemed to be victimized by something or someone. The USA by terrorists, The American Progressives by a pathological government, The Iraqis by the USA, you name it, there was a tragic victim. There's been an atmosphere of waiting, some despair and helplessness, but of course with the inherent duality of Pisces, there's also been sharing of universal emotion and feelings of respite.

As Saturn crosses the node, some logic could be available as this often delusional, sometimes psychomimetic phase goes on to another one, more Uranian and less carried away by the torrents of emotion. As Saturn leaves the node it travels on to oppose Uranus maybe with some ideas as to what to do about things. Saturn clarifies and crystallizes. Virgo analyzes. At the end of the opposition, Jupiter meets Uranus for a grand entrance into Aries. Perhaps even more knowledge will come as Saturn goes to Libra, and some perceptions of victimization left behind for the new start.

There's no doubt that each individual comes to self recognition at different stages in existence, and the Saturn opposition to the Pisces points might delineate where each one stands. The collective suffering is simple arithmetic. It's the addition of each one's personal tragedy. Everyone has it, everyone descends into self-pity, and everyone also has the ability to perceive the flux of emotion and the ultimate impossibility of a-fixing the blame. In the meantime, singing uplifting songs could be a good idea with the added element of absurdity.

The Big Shots Part.

The Jupiter-Uranus square has just ended and what a square it was. Uranus brings awakening and is the earth awakened? You decide.

This has the feel of one of those watershed moments in time that will be looked back upon years from now as the breaking out point of a major movement.
Neobuckeye

I find this plausible. The timing of the earth change recognition with the square was fascinating and I assume it's connected to the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction ahead when Uranus enters Aries for exploration and innovation. The friction with the status quo and the transition beyond traditional boundaries are apparently in gear as Saturn heads for the opposition to Uranus, ending exactly when Jupiter and Uranus cross into Aries.
The fact that the planet awarded the Nobel Prize to the environmental scientists and advocates suggests this will be the theme of the upcoming conjunction and the 14 year passage of Uranus through Aries and Taurus, with Pluto in Capricorn. Will the planet be saved? Another page-turner. It's taken circumstance to a more interesting place from my perspective, so typical of Uranian doings.

When the square started, the Moon was in Virgo, the entity of repair and maintenance, and Venus was just moving to 0 Virgo. When the conjunction arrives on December 7, 2010, Mars will just be coming into Virgo at 0 degrees. But here's the difference.

As the square separates now, Saturn conjuncts the South Node at 5 degrees Virgo opposite the North Node in Pisces. They are crossing paths exactly as the nodes leave for Leo and Aquarius in December. Because the SN has been in Virgo for the last year and a half, repairs have been stalled and waiting. When the nodes change signs the fix should be getting into full swing. For the next couple of years, systems repair could fly until the last of Saturn's opposition to Uranus and the Aries ingress.

The orchestration is glorious as usual as the planet of "we the people" and liberation comes to an agreement with the elite hierarchy and conservatism, both necessary heading on into the planet's future. The added benefit is the chance for people to free themselves personally from bonds they no longer need as traditional ways of doing things give way in part to the new and the original. Will lives change? You decide. See you at the conjunction.
The Drummer: Paul Klee

The Blue Revolution

It's been suggested that the new environmental movement be named The Green Revolution.
I would like to include the blue.

Paradise Bay, Antarctica.

Sweet Revenge

As you might know, former US Vice President Al Gore has just won the Nobel Prize for his work in climate change and preservation of the earth's well-being. As usual, some interesting astrological facts are present.

When Al was cheated out of the Presidency on November 7, 2000, Mercury was retrograde in Scorpio at 0 degrees. The Sun was in Scorpio, Saturn was at 28 Taurus, and Mars was in Libra. The Moon was in Pisces heralding the confusing times ahead. It just so happens that Mercury just turned retrograde again in Scorpio today, and the moon is in Scorpio as well. This ties in with the current lunation, does it not? The Full Moon in Taurus brings to mind the Saturn in Taurus and the earth's resources, also connected to Scorpio.

Whatever the political machinations behind the awarding of the prize, I think this portends several things. One is the changing focus ahead on earth dilemmas coming to a head when Uranus gets to Taurus, with the cooperation indicated by Libra. Another is the gradual cleaning up of America's tarnished image. A politician receiving this honor cannot fail to help. Saturn in Virgo is in the 9th house of international relations now and will reach the top of the USA chart and conjunct Neptune for a possible restoration. This is an auspicious sign. It also points out the orchestration of life's events. Had Gore become President he never would have found this solo path that has been the best turn in his life. The country would not have suffered the terrors and confusions it needed to end the Neoconservative attempted coup of the government. And it teaches me that revenge can be sweet, indeed.

Fair Game

Q: Would you do anything different?

A: Not a thing because what has happened is a result of all the things we have experienced. I honestly believe there is a purpose to everything we experience, and it helps create what we are.

Inspirational speaker? Pastor? Spiritualist? Philosopher?..... None of the preceding. This was said by Dan O'Dowd, general manager of the Colorado Rockies baseball team. An interesting scenario has developed in Denver, Colorado. At first I paid no attention to the story, not being a sports fan, but after a closer look I got very interested from an astrological angle.

In 1993, the Rocks played their first baseball game and it was downhill from there. They remained at the bottom until this year when a winning streak arrived and now they've just won their first game of the National League Championship Series. This has stunned the baseball world, not to mention the city and the state.

What's unusual about the Colorado Rockies is money. Out of 30 teams they are 4th from the bottom in the amount the players get paid. Few figured they had a chance because of the low payroll in a sport where big bucks dominate. The team they are playing, the Arizona Diamondbacks, spent even less.

I think it just shows that it can be done. If you've got the money to spend, then do it. Colorado and Arizona aren't in the same kind of market. They've done it a different way and they've been successful. Homegrown players, bringing guys through the system -- you can save money doing so and be successful at the same time.
Jeff Salazar, D-backs outfielder

It is despite the game's leadership that baseball overcomes domination by the big spenders. This is because the game itself rewards more than individual talent. It rewards chemistry, desire, and heart, too. Teams with small payrolls tend to be composed of kids who have grown up together in the minor leagues. Both the Rocks and the D-backs cite the chemistry and the absence of big egos in their clubhouses as a major factor in their success this year.
Dave Krieger, Rocky Mt. News

I think they truly respect one another. In many cases, as corny as it sounds, I think they really love one another. I think they pull for one another. They pick each other up and they try to keep each person humble to the point they understand the team is most important. There's something satisfying about youthful innocence and enthusiasm that richer teams have a hard time replicating.
Dan O'Dowd

The obvious connection to Saturn in Virgo and humility struck me, but when I investigated, some quite interesting configurations materialized.

The franchise was awarded on July 15, 1991. Saturn was in Aquarius, Uranus and Neptune were in Capricorn. The NN was also in Capricorn. Venus was in Virgo, Mars was just entering 0 degrees Virgo. The first game was played on April 5, 1993. Saturn was still in Aquarius, with Uranus and Neptune exactly conjunct at 21 Capricorn. The moon was in Virgo.

Saturn in Aquarius reveals their uncommonly democratic team technique and Virgo, their humble work. But what really got my attention was Uranus in Capricorn. Could this be a harbinger of the Capricorn-Aquarius times ahead for the planet, and the great Jupiter-Uranus conjunction at 0 Aries square Pluto? The homegrown little guy versus big money. Team cooperation versus celebrity monarchy. Originality and invention versus the status quo. Human cooperation beats the odds. Naturally, the townsfolk are jubilant. Both towns.

I Love You to Death

New moon in Libra, Full moon in Taurus,
Mercury retrograde in Scorpio.

"I love her or him to death," they often say, and I tighten up when I hear it. Of course "Till death do us Part" is an attractive concept. Maybe. This lunation carries the Venus-Pluto theme. People's relationships could be eager to talk with the attendant Scorpian obsessions, jealousies, envies, longings, pains, pleasures, and the life & death enjoyments of the Venusian-Plutonian get-together.

Even though Libra and Taurus are both Venus ruled, they are entirely different. Libra is idealized love in the mind and equality, while Taurus is selfish love and gratification in the sensual realm. The Scorpio opposition complicates matters considerably. How shall I share? To have sex or not to have sex? Libra says maybe, Scorpio says no, Taurus says yes. Whose money is it anyway and how it is dispensed? Go away. Come closer. Don't you dare talk to anyone else. Where have you been? You're mine. You don't love me enough. You want me too much. I didn't do anything (Libra). Just touch me (Taurus). Let me eat you alive (Scorpio).

So as you can see, the barter in relationship could get complicated. Relationship factors can be easily studied and reviewed. The Mercury retrograde is a good tool to delve deeply with and use for emotional reality in communication. Buried resentments emerging, visceral connection established or broken, desires delineated, loyalties established, possessions kept or shared. Libra and Scorpio govern excretion and elimination, so waste matter in these relationships can be removed. Mars in Cancer is providing heated moisture. Equitable exchange and growth, with Taurus factoring in, are possibilities.

Of course the devouring of the mate connected with Scorpio could conceivably be an ever-present threat since this lunation is only a prelude to the month long Sun in Scorpio coming up, next new moon there too. Delectable insects beware when nearing the spider's web. As far as serpents go, I think they're generally harmless.

A Wednesday Afternoon Prayer

I'm asking the Almighty, if it doesn't have a court appearance, to spare me the tragedy of any of the current front-running rag dolls becoming President of the United States of America. The line-up who wishes to murder Mohammedans. I'm on my knees in supplication asking for a reprieve. And a speech writer with a synonym for "terror".

Raghupati raghava raja rama, pati ta paban, seeta ram.

Oh, and P.S .... I'm officially ending my search for love. Human, that is. Land of the free, Home of the brave.
Signed, jm.

Raghupati: Traditional Hindu hymn sung by the Weavers. According to Hindu mythology Ram is one of the 12 incarnations of God. The 1st verse calls to Ram by several of his names. The 2nd verse says, "Oh, God! Please give good counsel to us who call you Easwar and to us who call you Allah, and lead us properly." Ghandi loved this song which pleads for peace between Muslims and Hindus.

A World of Writers

Seems like everyone wants to be a writer in this Mars in Gemini country and America has spawned many good ones. Mars is coming back to Gemini in awhile for more work on this developing collective genius. Putting feelings into words. Cancer and Gemini. This combination often gives natural talent. The US's got it.

Here's a secret. Every word has meaning. Every word has feeling. When the effort to explain is partly forgotten, the feelings of the words frequently get loose. They become entities in and of themselves. They string up on their own. As a result, the idea is communicated and the words are free to frolic. Prose and poetry blend like foot in soft shoe. Outside connection comes almost by happenstance.
Illustration: Claudia Maurner

A Productive Day

As the checker was ringing up my Romaine lettuce last night, he asked, "So. Did you get anything accomplished today?"
I was unable to answer. He looked. I was mute.
By the time the three avocados were in the bag, I was still discussing it perplexed. I asked him, "Everybody accomplishes something every day, don't they?" .. "No" says he, and went on to cite a rather unconvincing example.

Rooster Chicken Rag

Uptempo, slightly lively.....

Two times is too many times
three times is too many times
one time is enough for me to say

What I mean, I don't mean I
will never say it twice
do I have to repeat myself?

AB, DC, AC, DC, and a G
A little G, yessiree

All the letters you can get
in the alphabet
Will give you the answer that you want.

One rooster in the yard
for that chicken now
yes, a one chicken rooster man

He comes around on his skinny legs
flap his wings, she drop her egg
she sit and drop that egg right down

She loves to watch him strut his stuff
too much is never enough
she likes to watch those feathers ruffle, yeah.

She loves to watch him strut his stuff
Enough is never too much
she's a one rooster chicken, yeah.

A one rooster chicken, yeah.

Retail in the Meadow

I love country stores. Not only are they rich with emotional associations; they're also an essential part of the past. The American entrepreneurial spirit. To learn of the development of the mercantile system in this country ..... pause, turn around, and take a backward look.
Jim Harrison

I grew up on the edge of town in a neighborhood called Sunrise Terrace, next to cow pastures and woods. In the summer, we adventurous children trekked almost daily down the hills to a tiny grocery store called Parlanti's, for fudgesicles and fire balls. The freedom, the journey, the ring of the entry bell, the commodities ...... aaah, the pleasure.

These stores still exist and must be a vital thread in the American business fabric. They continue to thrive next to the foreign monsters with whom they cohabitate. Absolutely amazing. Some bitterly lament the dwindled numbers and fear their complete demise, but I have my doubts.
I was just thinking the other day of a marketing plan for my musical act, and I thought, "I can do just about anything I want". And sell it. Anywhere.
Illustration: Jim Harrison

Reversal

Uranus is known for doing the opposite of what's expected. It literally spins on its axis sideways in contrast to the rest of the planets. Once the boundaries of Saturn are passed, anything can happen. I've been contemplating this Saturn-Uranus opposition coming up and it's timing as an introduction to the transit of Uranus in Aries. I developed some theories as a result of further research. The plot has thickened considerably.

The opposition is exact for the last time precisely when Uranus leaves Pisces for Aries and stations at 0 degrees. Jupiter will be at 28, 29, and on to Aries as well while Uranus is at 0 Aries. Then Saturn goes to 29 Virgo and on to 0 Libra. Uranus will spend the next 7 years in square to Pluto in Capricorn. Quite a bit of Saturn-Uranus ahead.

Numerous predictions have been made about the upcoming controlling government and I think the opposite might happen. The government could get increasingly decentralized. Possibily. There is a sizable amount of Uranian energy in the mix. The diminishing of freedom would have a hard time taking hold within this context, so it seems to me.

The demolition of the Saturnine structure already happened, at least to some extent. It came when the Sun was at 18 degrees Virgo and the Twin Towers fell, with Pluto opposite Saturn. The American society did it to itself with the use of the government, the demolition expert, being the only way the archaic structure could be removed. I assume it was about the destructive trade practices (World Trade Center) of the many years preceding. Criminal financial dealings coming to a head.

Because the first exact opposition of Saturn in Virgo to Uranus will be at 18 degrees I started to piece it together and came up with these interesting connections in relation to dictatorial regimes.

January 30, 1933: Adolph Hitler became Chancellor of Germany with Mars just turned retrograde at 19 degrees Virgo.
December 7, 1941: Japan attacked the USA with the NN at 18 degrees Virgo. Dec. 8, war was declared on Japan and Dec. 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the US, all at 18.
May 8, 1945: Germany surrendered with Jupiter just stationing at 17 degrees Virgo.

It could be coincidence, but then again, maybe not. If there is a connection it does seem to include authoritarianism as a theme. The fact that so much anti-establishment Uranus is involved at this popular degree makes me think that the unexpected is ahead. Uranus in Aries is the start of a new cycle of survival skills with invention and originality as the key. The government appears to be primarily in disarray. The Jupiter Uranus square feels like a kick-off to me.

The last time Uranus was in Aries, the Great Depression came, along with the rise of the Third Reich in Germany. Pluto was in Cancer, so the inventive New Deal was created to care for the country's impoverished, homeless people. The Motherland nationalism of Germany rose to heights the world hadn't seen before. But this time Pluto will be in Capricorn, a new deal entirely. On our own in the big wide world. Survival with a different theme.

The Republicans have been criticized for destroying the New Deal but that would have happened anyway. And they destroyed the party in the process. The health care veto could actually be a portent of things to come when the people of America will be called upon to mature and take care of themselves. It stands to reason that the national government won't be doing this as much in the Aries-Capricorn years. But the great side effect would be a new autonomy, self respect, pride in people's ability to make it on their own, and diminished governmental control as Pluto goes into Aquarius for an altered distribution of wealth. Our own parents, our own bosses, making decisions that effect our lives in communities, cities, and states nationwide. I would like to see a decent Secretary of State, though.

Jupiter meets Uranus

What is it but fragments of your own self you would discard that you may become free?

In a beautiful moment of synchronicity tonight I tuned into my tape recording of the Prophet. "Speak to me of freedom," it said, exactly on cue. Uranus, the planet of freedom is now exactly square Jupiter, the planet of expansion. Pisces and Sagittarius. This is what is commonly recognized as consciousness altering substance. Mind-blowing, to use the vernacular.

If it is an unjust law you would abolish, that law was written with your own hand upon your own forehead. You cannot erase it by burning your law books nor by washing the foreheads of your judges, though you pour the sea upon them.
And if it is a despot you would dethrone, see first that his throne erected within you is removed. For how can a tyrant rule the free and the proud, but for a tyranny in their own freedom and a shame in their own pride?

And if it is a care you would cast off, that care has been chosen by you rather than imposed upon you. And if it is a fear you would dispel, the seat of that fear is in your heart and not in the hand of the feared.
The Prophet: kahlil Gibran. Freedom

Everything is nicely orchestrated. The Moon is in Virgo, Venus just coming in, both joining Saturn. This appears to be an important moment in the larger picture as the Earth heads into the Uranus in Pisces opposition to Saturn in Virgo, when serious, perhaps long-lasting freedom, will be available to many people, along with advancement in spiritual and physical health. It's no mistake that the question of health care came through this week and touched the collective rather deeply. Freedom is under the skin.

As a further prelude after this expansive square, Mars in Cancer is generously providing the opportunity to release ourselves from constrictive habits. The Moon and Cancer govern this mechanism which works immediately to guarantee human survival. Memory and habit. Imprinting and following. Then comes the time to part with old habits, so new ones can arrive. And here is where Mars comes in handy. Through the winter a journey inward with the precise cutting edge of Mars combined with Saturn in Virgo can release people from attachment to fears and habits no longer needed as Jupiter leaves Sagittarius for Capricorn and the north node of the Moon leaves Pisces for Aquarius on December 19. Then Pluto leaves for Capricorn on January 27. All Saturn-Uranus leading up to the opposition in November, 2008, for those interested in keeping up with it.

And thus your freedom when it loses its fetters becomes itself the fetter of a greater freedom.

North Node in Canceror the Fourth House

The NN in Cancer is leaving the cruel world and coming home to warmth, security, and protection. The memory of fear, coldness, and brutality makes the discovery of refuge all that much more remarkable in a world they thought lacked emotional comfort. While others are learning how to survive and defend themselves against great odds, NN Cancers are ready to withdraw knowing they've contributed their share. Home is real. The primordial mother and father are waiting to enfold them, keeping them safe indefinitely.

Sanctuary. NN Cancers have been exposed to the elements and learned the ways of the world to completion and now can find shelter at home free of the gnawing anxiety that they haven't accomplished enough, released from the need to prove themselves in endless hostile and unfamiliar environments to brittle unforgiving authority figures. Even if they forge brilliant careers, it's from a different base of operations. Once they find the home within, they carry it with them into the outer realms, changing the environments and dynamics they were accustomed to. The appreciation of home is profound because of the accurate knowledge of just how cruel the workplace can be. Illusions are gone, the private inner dimension now holds the promise.

Protection and security. While some fear invasion of privacy and find it difficult to relax into walled inner domains, the NN Cancers can fully avail themselves of this fortress without threat of destruction. It's theirs for the taking assuming they don't invite the cruelty home. The key is waiting to be turned securely in the lock, protecting them while their feelings get free rein.

Intimacy and vulnerability. As they unwind from the hard, stiff, tense defensive mode they were in for so long, these nodal natives derive great pleasure from allowing their feelings to be revealed without hesitation, as the barriers that separate them dissolve and the natural merging with experience gets full expression. The perfect suit of armor can be sent to the thrift store in exchange for pajamas, aged socks, and the soft couch full of plump pillows waiting to embrace their weary bodies.

Immaturity, irresponsibility, and nonsense. Cancer NNs are allowed be children once again. Far more than they ever were in actual childhood. They are ready to do things for the pure fun of it, being as silly as they want to be, proving nothing to anyone, and even maybe having someone else help clean up their creative messes. Well, maybe not in the kitchen while they're learning how to cook. But the disorder of Cancer, some would say the exceptional sloppiness, is theirs to enjoy to the fullest. The premier goof-offs of the zodiac.

Inner nourishment. With so much time spent in denial of feelings, and stoic acceptance of hardship, following strict behavioral rules, pleasing authorities, and forgoing personal fulfillment, the time has arrived to completely immerse themselves in the joys of inner satisfaction, doing things solely for personal gratification without fear of consequences. The strictures of time they once were constantly aware of have disappeared as endless hours appear before them to fill with whatever whims pop up, whatever fancies tickle their imaginations.

Family connection, ancestry, and roots. Having built upper structures so well in the past, the Cancer NNs are going back to the foundations, finding support within the family or a tribal type community, with people always there to lean on and be trusted. The real sense of participating with others, knowing one another, and feeling familiarity is a newborn enthusiasm. Occasionally they find a sense of place, a new nostalgia, treasuring some of the memories of their childhood homes in retrospect. The continuity of the family line sometimes takes on new significance, even to the point of favoring family traditions and keeping them alive. Pride in their heritage replaces achievement in strangers' eyes as they discover how little they have to prove to the world. Where they came from is just as good.

Emotional expression, softness, and sensitivity. The tremendous gift of human understanding belongs to the NN in Cancer. The closeness of shared experience is finally blossoming as these natives find the freedom to be their natural and honest selves. Sadness, so common to Cancers, now replaces the stiff upper lip that never shows how it truly feels. Weakness is revealed as equal to the show of strength, touch is a newfound sensation and wants to be given and taken without fear of obligation and professional distance lost. Cold and calculated unconcern about human frailty can be abandoned. They are free to fall apart with joy.

Imagination. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Cancer NNs is their go ahead to live in a fantasy world, shedding tears easily over beautiful poetry, believing in fairy princesses, reading science fiction day and night, living with unreal expectations, and making the real expand into worlds they never thought existed. No one to accuse them of being dreamers as if it were a misdemeanor of great proportion. They are full fledged dreamers now and proud of it. The development of artistic talents often is a byproduct. The songs and rhythms of life are their special properties.

Nurturing growth. Remembering well how people controlled people and diminished them with humiliation, making them conform to rigid laws, the Cancer NNs are willing to encourage others and nourish their growth. There are no more supportive people to be found in the universe. They've proven themselves already, and now can help others achieve their goals. The long way up is their area of expertise and they are prepared to guide their intimates to fulfillment, finding their own fulfillment in the process. Mentors, wise counselors, instructors in the ways of the world, teachers of patience, timing, respect, and dignity, they lead others to maturity, while the joyous children in them are free to frolic, love life for its own sake, safe in the moment, and at home with themselves.
House: Don Wood. Family: Diane Palmisciano. Crystal Ball: Ed Young

My Sagittarius Moon Has Freaked!

Seven months of Mars in Cancer? Are you kidding?? With Jupiter on his way to my 9th house Moon and Jupiter? Skitzo-land here we come!!!
Illustration: Chis van Dusen

The Mask of Fear

Paul Klee

Not-being an artist myself, I'm guessing it would be less than easy to draw fear or its facsimile. It's such a jumpy thing to capture.

Release

We shall not cease from exploration
and the end of our exploring
will be to arrive at where we started
and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

The ascendant of the astrological birth chart is where an individual starts, and throughout life transits to this point renew the birth in some way, and the knowledge is viewed as if for the first time. The United States just had such an experience. According to the Sibly chart the USA has 12 degrees Sagittarius rising. It's impossible to say for certain, but with Pluto at 12 when the World Trade Center came down, we have a pretty good rectification. Even disregarding the ASC, Jupiter just leaving the 12th degree is significant.

The last lunation was a special one with the new moon eclipse in Virgo and the full moon in Aries. The clean precision of Virgo coupled with the surgical action of Aries removed obstacles holding back repair, indicated by the Saturn transit of Virgo just beginning. The heightened feeling was unmistakable so I took my customary peek into the transits, and sure enough, I found some fascinating connections.

When the Towers came down, the sun was at 18 degrees Virgo. And where was this new moon eclipse, you might ask? Naturally. 18 degrees Virgo. The moon was at 28 Gemini on September 11, and Mars during the full moon was at 28 Gemini. To top it off, this Aries full moon was in trine with Jupiter just crossing the USA ascendant, exactly where the Pluto-Saturn opposition was when the explosion came. A little too much to bypass for me. The results of that experience plus the Pluto transit of Sagittarius across the ASC are starting to come in. The country's beginning to recognize herself.

Some fear life and the future, seeing bad times in the here and now, and worse times ahead. Some have romantic notions about the past, but if they lived then, they'd feel the same way. Others look forward to experience regardless of present or past circumstance. Sagittarius is associated with this positive outlook, and the country is known for optimism and spirit. With the first transit of Pluto to the ASC, America has established identity anew and with this passage of Jupiter trine the last Aries full moon, it suggests that the initial job is complete.

An odd event happened to me the Friday after the disaster. I decided to attend the monthly meeting of the local astrology chapter, something I rarely do, and amazingly, the speaker had previously prepared a lecture on the Saturn-Pluto opposition. Naturally there was a lot to add to her notes. She talked about the place in the individual charts that received the opposition and what it meant to spiritual development. What was blown apart by the explosion? It was a very very good presentation. For example, Joe mentioned how difficult it was for him to communicate during this lunation. Well, it just so happens that he has Saturn at 14 degrees Gemini in his first house, exactly where Saturn was on 9/11. There are reasons the people of the USA got a leveling with this opposition and I can't help but look at myself during this connected time and see what I can see, even put together. It happened in my 2nd and 8th. Wouldn't it be good if Saturn in my second could help me put an actual price on myself? Maybe a high one with Pluto in the 8th.
With Pluto in Saturn ruled Capricorn there likely will be continuing efforts with these lessons delivered with the downfall. For many, practical usage will come.

As a Sagittarius rising, The United States holds a potentially promising position for the world. It's impossible to deny this country's high spirited nature, despite the troubled waters of the Pluto transit. There are many serious problems ahead, but the basic rebirth is accomplished. The Towers marked the rebirth, so it appears. The beautiful Aries Moon joined up, giving the energy to push on with enthusiasm.
The degree of the ascendant is open for debate, as always.
Photo: Galen Rowell. Owens Valley, California