Rebel WITH a Cause

The Mars in Aquarius Retrograde (June 26-Aug 27) for Aries/Aries Rising and Scorpio/Scorpio Rising (Scorpio's modern ruler is Pluto, but classical ruler is Mars) impacts Mars-ruled people in weird ways. 

 

You may have a hard time prioritizing, as everything seems important. You may feel too many demands are being thrown at you from too many directions, each with their own sense of urgency. You may begin to feel resentful as the needs of friends, community and your affinity groups feel like they are about to overwhelm your own need for individuality. You might want to join a rebellion against the communal structures you've built in your own life.

 

I'm not saying "don't give in to these urges." I'm saying that by the end of August, you'll want to re-think the reactionary choices you make right now. If you're going to rebel, make sure your "cause" isn't something that will disintegrate by the end of summer.

Mars in Retrograde Aquarius: Say, You Want a Revolution?

Remember May 12-14th? That's the WHIPLASH POINT Mars will take us to, and back again, during the impending Mars in Aquarius Retrograde, which begins Tuesday, June 26. 

Here's the Celestial Schedule for Mars:
Retrograde begins on June 26 at 9 degrees Aquarius. Retrograde ends on August 27th at 28/29 Capricorn (the position Mars was in May 12th-14th).
Mars then stations Direct on August 27th and proceeds to retrace his steps through the shadow of its own Retrograde motion ("whiplash"), until it arrives back at 9 Aquarius on October 7th.

This is a tougher-than-usual time for people with Aquarius Rising. Aquarius Rising has it worst of all because Saturn (your Classical Ruling Planet until Uranus was discovered) is in Capricorn, your 12th House. 12th House transits of Saturn are never fun, but for Aquarius Rising people they are especially challenging (Saturn being the ruler of Capricorn). Why? Because 12th House is the a place of dissolving boundaries and structures, and Saturn / Capricorn is about structures, borders, building, and manifesting. The need to individuate must fight against the urge to dissolve into undifferentiated One-ness.

Aquarius Sun or Aquarius Moon also won't find this Mars Retrograde a picnic. Retrograde Mars on Aquarius Sun brings out the combative, stubborn (remember Aquarius is a FIXED Sign), rebellion for the sake of rebellion, and self-righteous side of Aquarius Sun-Signs. Retrograde Mars on Aquarius Moon is emotional revolution.

The other Fixed Signs (Leo, Taurus, and Scorpio) will be Squared by Mars in Aquarius Retrograde. Enhanced threat perception, defensiveness, passive-aggressive or just plain aggressiveness can appear, disguised as Aquarian-themed manifestations: "Humanitarianism" and "Universality", "friendship" and "community," "future" and "unique individualism." Soylent Green is a cinematic example of a Retrograde Mars in Aquarius solution to the problem of food shortages and overpopulation. Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio need to resist internal pressure to seek extreme solutions. 

As for the rest of us: In whichever of the 12 Houses of your personal natal chart the area between 28/29 Capricorn and 9 Aquarius falls, that's where all the action happens between now and when we get "back to" now on October 7th.

Mars in Retrograde Aquarius asks: "Say, you want a revolution?" Don't answer back unless you know what you're revolting against and where you want that revolution to lead. Best place to start a revolution is inside yourself. 

Melania Trump's Conservative Rebellion

Melania Trump, birth time unknown, w/Transits

Warning: Birth time unknown: This chart's Ascendant and therefore the positions of all 12 Houses and the planets therein unknown. What CAN we know about #Melania #Trump just from the planets, asteroids & theoretical mathematical symbols we use in astrology? 

Transiting Uranus, the planet of surprises / the unexpected / erratic behavior / "hiddushim" (Divinely revealed ideas) / instability, has moved into Taurus, making a conjunction to Melania's natal asteroid Admetos, symbol of entrenched stubbornness in the already ultra-stubborn sign of Taurus, as well as her natal Sun in Taurus. Uranus literally "shakes things up," especially the status-quo. 

Melania has a lot of conservative-tending planets, making her surprisingly traditional (notwithstanding her stint in the skin game). Sun, Saturn, Mercury and Venus all in solid, practical, Venus-ruled, pleasure-loving Taurus, and Moon in practical, materialistic Capricorn. So it takes something BIG, really really big, to move her from her comfort zone. 

Today transiting Venus in Leo and Mars in Aquarius form a tight T-Square to her natal Sun/Saturn in Taurus. Transiting Jupiter in Scorpio makes that T-Square into a Grand Cross. There is literally so much internal pressure built up inside of her that she's rigidly suppressed, and unless some of it is released it's going to be Hiroshima, mon amour. At least that's what we're all hoping for - a mushroom cloud of rage directed at her husband. We all desire to partake vicariously - I'll admit it. But do the stars compel? No, they REFLECT - and this is the reflection of Melania's reality right now.

Some little leakage on that front today, as she's wearing an "I Don't Care, Do You?" jacket on her unannounced fact-finding visit to the Texas/Mexico border. "I Don't Care" is clearly a message Donald Trump had better get, loud and clear, unless he wants to find himself in the embarrassing (if indeed he is capable of such an emotion) position of being publicly outed by his wife for any number of potentially horrifying things (the mind boggles). In answer to her jacket's question - hell no, we don't care and we're here for you whenever you jump ship with Barron. An entire nation is ready and waiting to catch you and your child!

Melania wears a message to her husband on her back

Of course, wonderful as that would be, I don't actually expect it to happen. But the great thing about the current planetary transits on her natal chart (and his) is the unexpected does occur, and you never know when!

The other really prominent thing about her chart is the close Ceres/Chiron conjunction in Aries. Ceres is the "Earth Mother" who will go literally to hell and back to save her child, and Chiron is the "Wounded Healer". In Aries this is a trigger for violence (Aries) against children (her own, other children, or herself as a child). When I see that in the chart of a client, I usually ask if there was childhood trauma or violence, and there usually was. Not knowing which of her 12 Houses this conjunction falls in, I can't guess where that "Wounded Healer" around issues of children and the mother/child relationship instinct plays out or originates.

Tekufah Tammuz / The Summer Solstice (Plus Venus-Mars Opposition): It's an Energetic Day!

Modern-Day Druids Celebrating the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

Tekufah Tammuz / The Summer Solstice today - the turn of the seasons again as we welcome summer ( קיץ), my least favorite season because heat - but everyone else seems to love it, so enjoy. 


The Sun enters Cancer today, though we've been in Chodesh Tammuz for the past week already. We're moving from the Mutable Air (Transformative Thought) sign of Gemini into the Cardinal Water (Initiating Emotion) sign of Cancer. Key words for this month: FOOD, HOME, MOTHER, MONEY. Issues of emotional security are played out in these realms. Ancestors (particularly women), heritage, legacies, nostalgia, family heirlooms both material and emotional (that's called "baggage" in psych-speak) come to the forefront. 

More in celestial news: Transiting Venus in Leo and Mars in Aquarius opposite each other today. Venus in Leo says: "Adore me," Mars in Aquarius says: "Unique is the new sexy." Venus replies, "But I'm so fabulous! Sparkling, charismatic, confident, warm, affectionate - what more could you ask for?" Mars replies: "Something interesting."

Yes, it's that simple, folks. Nothing is more boring to Mars in Aquarius than the expected - and nothing more annoying to Venus in Leo than when Mars ignores or doesn't notice her.  Take my advice and give yourself the attention you deserve and don't go looking for it from other people - that will make you a lot more interesting to yourself and others.

Trump Transits: "Suffer the Little Children"

Fellow #Astrologers, join me in this #TrumpTransit analysis! 

The Full Moon in Capricorn on June 27/28 conjuncts Transiting Saturn in Capricorn in Trump's 5th House ("Children"), opposite the Sun in maternal, moon-ruled Cancer ("The Mother") - which conjuncts his Mercury (communicative self) in his 11th House (public: community, claal, collective, affinity groups, friendships).

Tremendous pressure / opposition between Moon/Saturn and Sun/Mercury - theme: "Security" (Capricorn), "Confinement" (Saturn), "Structures/Rules & Regulations" (Saturn), "Borders and Boundaries" (Saturn) "Children" and "Motherhood" (Moon) vs. "Ego" (Sun), "Think/Speak" (Mercury), "Social/Political Base" (11th House) in the naturally maternal sign of Cancer. 
 
If Trump can withstand this transit and NOT back down from his policy of separating children from parents at America's borders next week, he will surely be crowned the Once and Future Teflon President. He'll either double-down because tremendous, inflated ego (note the transit of the North Node over his natal 12th Pluto = control freak on steroids unconsciously projecting his own combativeness on everyone and everything else) or play the benevolent sovereign, setting the children free (transiting asteroid Ceres, the mother who literally went to hell and back to rescue her child, conjunct his natal Mars in Leo at his AC) and taking all the credit for solving the problem he himself created, while blaming others (the Democrats, Obama, etc.) and painting himself a hero.

What are your thoughts? Let me know!

Pictured: Trump's natal chart with transits for June 27th. The day starts off (at midnight) with transiting Moon conjunct Trump's natal Moon in Sagittarius. By the time the full moon occurs at 9:35pm Pacific time, it will be at 6 degrees Capricorn, conjunct transiting Saturn and opposite his natal Mercury & the transiting Sun in Cancer.

Retrograde Neptune in Pisces: Counter-Intuitive Clairty Opportunity!

Neptune Retrograde in Pisces, by Josephine Wall

Dreamy, inspirational/delusional/romantic/idealistic/distortion-prone Neptune in his native sign of dreamy/imaginative/porous-boundaries/vague/flow-y Pisces goes Retrograde today, until the end of November. Somewhat counter-intuitively, Retrograde Neptune is actually helpful in achieving clarity around unclear/murky (Neptune) situations.
 
The time period under review is April - November, 2017. Things that were ambiguous or unclear during that time are up for reconsideration and clarification. This is applicable in a general sense to everybody's natal chart, and in a specific sense wherever Pisces falls in your own natal 12 Houses, and the position of your natal Neptune.

Neptune is the modern astrological ruler of Pisces. The classical planetary ruler of Pisces is Jupiter, currently in Scorpio and making a supportive sextile (60 degree angle) to Neptune. As Pisces and Scorpio are both Water signs (Pisces is Mutable Water / Transforming Emotion, and Scorpio is Fixed Water / Establishing Emotion), the influence tends towards the emotional and, because Pisces rules the unconscious/subconscious mind, psychological as well. The spiritual healing potential of this transit is very high! Take advantage while you can.

Rosh Chodesh Tammuz Tov! Prepare for the Turn of the Tide!

Image from a Torah binder, Germany, 1858, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Chodesh Tammuz Tov!
 
Tammuz is the month of Cancer the Crab and the Tribe of Reuven. It's one of the four Cardinal (initiating) Signs, each of which contains a "Tefukah", or turning point in the year. In the case of Cancer, that's the Tekufah of Tammuz, a.k.a. the Summer Solstice. 

Check out my column on Tammuz in the latest edition of J-The Jewish Weekly of Northern California.  

There are four Tekufot during the year: Tekufah Nissan / Spring Equinox, Tefukah Tammuz / Summer Solstice, Tekufah Tishrei / Autumnal Equinox, and Tekufah Tevet / Winter Solstice. 

Each of the four Tekufot occurs in one of the four Cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Cardinal energy is "initiating" energy: Cardinal signs are "starters". New beginnings! 

The other modalities are the Fixed signs, which is "establishing" energy (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius), and Mutable signs, which is "transformative" energy (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces). 

Tammuz, the month corresponding to Cancer, is Cardinal Water: Initiating Emotion. This quality can clearly be seen in the archetype of Reuven, the Tribal Ruler of Chodesh Tammuz.  

Reuven is concerned with his mother’s fertility (in the incident of the mandrakes) and her honor (in the incident of moving his father’s bed). His sincere but unsuccessful efforts to save his brother Joseph in the pit and to sacrifice his own sons to redeem his brother Benyamin from Egypt reflect Cancerian concerns with family identity, responsibility and status. 

Cancer’s gift to us is sensitivity, loyalty, intuition, pride in our heritage and sacrificial love. The New Moon in Cancer today can help us all initiate heart-centered connection, repair our family ties, and strengthen communal bonds during this Moon-ruled month.