Fire on the mountain, lightening in the air

Today began with the dignified Moon in Capricorn joining the lord of the underworld, Pluto, for some intense sharing. Matters of ultimate concern, birth and death, were felt deeply, as this serious Moon/Pluto pairing triggered a tense, unexpected awakening from rebellious Uranus. Take notes on what was triggered in you today. It's a precursor of the transformations to come.

2012 will usher in the Aquarian Age that has been dawning on us since the '60's free speech, free love, sit-ins, and marches for liberating causes. During the '60's the Uranus energy of rebellion and revolution was conjunct Pluto, the energy of transformation through death and rebirth (August 9, 1962 through September 28, 1968, in Virgo). Their energies combined to create a powerful surge of revolutionary transformations--or at least the desire for them.

Uranus was breaking open whatever seemed to restrict and hold us back, while Pluto pulled us into his dark cocoon for a bit of metamorphosis. Just doing their jobs. This energy played out in the '60's as wild and desperate attempts to liberate ourselves (Uranus) danced against the deadly backdrop of the Vietnam war (Pluto).

Now, since Uranus entered Aries on March 11th, we have this dynamic duo again, only this time Uranus and Pluto are squared-off in a tense conflict. Lightening bolts aimed at the underworld. Fire on the mountain, lightening in the air. Are we seeing molten lava surfacing, after years of pressure? Erupting rebelliously without plan or direction? Or could this be the sign we've been waiting for--a fire signaling the whereabouts of our tribe?

Halloween helps us blow off some steam. It's quite rightly a Scorpio holiday, celebrating the freeing of life from its' underworld grave. What has been deadening your life and wants to be freed? An unconscious belief perhaps that haunts your days?

Fun relief from heavy issues can be had on Thursday, November 3rd, when Mercury and Venus move into Sagittarius together. Time for a horseback ride by the ocean, saddlebags loaded with love letters, and a lavish picnic spread on colorful quilts at sunset. Venus and Mars are in fire signs again for the next 7 days. Free your passion, creativity and sense of adventure. Be a tourist vacationing in your life.

A deep water dive into the dark of the Moon

The Sun and Moon conjoin in Scorpio on Wednesday, October 26th, at 12:57 PM, PDT. This deep water dive has a Trickster guide, Mercury, and his lets-make-this-fun sidekick, Venus. With Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus traveling in Scorpio, we are in for intense discovery.

This powerful New Moon is loaded with potential for excess. Jupiter's cornucopia of earthly delights pours more of everything across the zodiac from lavish Taurus. Bad week for diets! But Jupiter's effect on this Moon is to give a warm, big, generous feeling of well-being (dare I say laziness?).

Scorpio's sleuthing loves the dark Moon--that moment when the Moon is temporarily unseen as it passes between our Earth and the Sun. Perfect time to "see" into the shadows of your mind for beliefs that limit your ability to be fully in partnership with another, for secret fears that Pluto has guarded. Scorpios are at home with secrets, easily kept, effortlessly hidden. Even from themselves.

The lovers, Leo Mars and Scorpio Venus, are star-crossed on Wednesday. Intensely attracted but needing to unload hidden tensions. Mars in fiery Leo makes interacting with watery Venus a risky venture, like a volcano erupting under water.

Friday to the rescue. With the fiery Moon now in outward-bound Sagittarius, we are readied for the adventure we'ver been preparing for--our faith moving mountains--rolling away the stones. Revolutionary road stretches out before us.

A faith that moves mountains

The big optimistic guy, Jupiter, is still in wise-money Taurus (until June 11, 2012) helping us get our house of resources in order. This week we get a benevolent boost of ambition when Generous Jupiter gets exactly in sync with Powerful Pluto in Capricorn on Friday, October 28th. Together, they are the faith that moves mountains. But, moves them where?

The Sun often sheds the light that points us in the right direction. The Sun is spending it's last week in Libra singing a dream into life with poetic, compassionate Neptune. The god of the sea continues to catch his breath in one-for-all-and-all-for-one Aquarius until February. Now is a perfect time for quietly tuning-in to your spiritual reality, and preparing yourself for Scorpio's depths which begin Sunday, October 23rd (much more sleuth work ahead!).

An example that Aquarian ideals for humanity are on the rise is the vision given us by 20/20's recent showcase of the ignored plight of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. There, before our collective eyes, we see a poverty-stricken community housing a handsome young warrior with dreams of becoming the first Indian President. Just when we might be thinking that dream is dead...

Uranus in Aires will guarantee that the face of the renovated future will be a revolutionary change. I often feel tempted to pump life into a dead idea, to revert to the comfort of a familiar habit, to wish I could do-over the past somehow. But I end up in an exhausted, depressing dead end. Like the farmer who tried to help our economy by hiring more "Americans" to harvest his crops, using fewer Mexican "immigrants," and found himself out on a rotting limb. Aquarius is always without borders.

My grandson is such a wise young man. Once upon a time at our family dinner table there was a discussion about the politically correct names for various cultural groups. Suddenly his innocent clear voice said, "why do we have to name them anything?" Aren't we all just humans trying to be--free?

This is the season of the sleuth

The Aries Full Moon occurs Tuesday evening at 7:06 PDT. This pioneering, innovative Moon may be lit with impatient fire, but she'll propel you to start something fresh and new. Being in exact opposition to the Libra Sun provokes a yin-yang balancing act between your passions and your need to keep the peace.

But Aires emotions will likely dominate the scene, since the Aries Moon gets a kick out of Warrior Mars in Leo. Plus, Saturn in Libra is currently levying heavy responsibilities and hard work on the gentle Libra Sun--sapping solar vitality. However, this combo could be just the ticket to get you off your butt and into action, without having to endlessly weigh the pros and cons!

Thursday the mercurial trickster, Mercury, will take the sense of Justice he learned in Libra, and dive into the sleuthy, secretive waters of Scorpio. He'll stay there, side by side with Venus, until November 1st. We will be gathering clues, getting to the bottom of things, and planning costumes with long black capes. Mercury in Scorpio is the craftsman of joint finances--wills, taxes and corporate resources. Just remember, if you're negotiating a deal, you're not likely to know what the other person is really thinking.

Luckily, Mercury is not left to do his detective work alone. Venus has already spent four days in Scorpio, stirring up dangerous liaisons. Mercury paired with Venus would ordinarily mean Valentine notes, but in Scorpio it will be darkly encrypted messages captured in a bottle. You're gonna have to fish for them! Or, more in tune with the beautiful upcoming harmonic (stay tuned for next week!) of Jovial Jupiter and Powerful Pluto, you could sit quietly by the seashore and wish upon a star.

Steve Jobs left us on a beam of Light

Because I was delayed at the John Wayne airport last night, I had an opportunity to witness a passing phenomenon of our times. A stream of awe-struck travelers paused by a TV monitor that was perched over a "2 for $20" teeshirt display. The news of Steve Job's death was being broadcast, ticker-tape style across the bottom of the screen, as clips of his Apple presentations were being shown.

There was an immediate reverence about our watching.

I had just recovered my Apple laptop from the parade of white plastic bins at security check-in, so I decided to stop and look up Steve's birthdate for the astrological indicators of his death. Amazingly, I did not find malevolent indicators, but instead I saw the goddess of Love, Venus, had "triggered" a harmonic cluster of Steve's stars lead by the visionary dreamer, Neptune.

Steve left his body on a soul-union ray of inspired spiritual light. I feel certain that Steve was surrounded by those who loved him, and that the moment of his passing was a spiritual experience they will never forget. It was in his stars.

Piscean Steve Jobs embodied the humanitarian Aquarian Age ideal of helping to connect millions of us in an instantaneous network. Here I sit, in my home, on my Mac, sharing my thoughts effortlessly with you throughout our global community, as we think together, "thank you Steve."

Neptune teaches the fine art of "woodeling"

Get out your pens and paints for a stimulating right brain adventure. This week ushers in a dreamy combo of creativity--woolgathering and doodling--when the Moon slides into the high, cool air of humanitarian Aquarius early Thursday morning.

This Moon carries hints of the dawning Age of Aquarius (that's right, it hasn't happened yet!) as she moves into a union of sensitivity with Neptune on Friday, October 7th, and harmonizes with Venus for the sweetest, dreamy TGIF in recent history.

The Moon & Neptune, together in Aquarius, set off a domino chain of creative thinking that will stimulate all those planets now lined-up in Libra: Neptune will inspire the imagination of Mercury on October 11th; then turn your head toward the spiritual plane when Neptune mystifies the Sun on October 22nd; and last, but most importantly, Neptune will team with Saturn throughout the month of January, 2012, to bring us a balance between our ideals and the realities of life.

The heavenly design of Neptune's last days in Aquarius prepares us for "peace will guide the planet," before Neptune moves to Pisces on February 4, 2012. Neptune's last journey through peaceful, compassionate Pisces began December, 1848--notably the end of our war with Mexico, and the springtime of the European revolutionary wave that collapsed traditional authorities.

Our new millennium opened with both Neptune (dreams and collective visions) and Uranus (rules technology) in Aquarius. For the initiating first decade of this century we've been riding the rapids on the information highways of technology, rushing toward 2012, which is the interface between the passing Age of Pisces to the coming Age of Aquarius. The transition holds a challenge for our compassionate hearts to embrace the age of Avatars. Can we take the Piscean God without, and see that Light is within us all?