ASTROLOGY UPDATE for AUGUST 2010
 

FULL MOON IN PISCES

August 24 was a full Moon in the spiritual water sign Pisces. As this lunar cycle wanes down, time to cultivate empathy, trust your insights, and pay attention to coincidental events. The planet Uranus is also in Pisces so emotions are strong, sensitivity is heightened, and psychic perceptions could be experienced suddenly -- like a bolt out of the blue. Magical events can occur such as deeply feeling the emotions of others (clairsentient); experiencing clear vision into other realms (clairvoyant); or hearing the words of an angel or deceased loved one, or hearing what others are thinking (clairaudient). Emotions that rise to the surface offer important keys to understanding, influencing most powerfully the naturally intuitive water signs Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio and those born in the sensitive and artistic Hare, Sheep, and Pig years. Note the symbols in your dreams for insights about your emotions and relationships.

MERCURY RETROGRADE

Communication planet Mercury is still retrograde until September 12, so communicating your feelings can be confusing. Be kind and not too critical because
Mercury is retrograde in the earth sign Virgo, the sign of the pragmatic list-making doer. Try not to become overwhelmed, you can't please everyone, and avoid indulging in Monkey mind: jump to a branch, peel a banana, take a bite, drop it; jump to the next branch, peel a banana, take a bite, drop it -- on and on in a useless cycle. Instead, clean your home and office to reduce clutter and chaos. Mercury retrograde it the perfect cycle to redo and restore, making this a fortunate time to clean up, finish do-it-yourself projects, and spruce up your home. Mercury's quick mental energy can be well expressed through the focused practicality of earth sign Virgo; good for revue, balancing the books, and attention to details. It's OK to be fussy if it gets the job done.


OPERATE BY THE MOON
I get very many emails about picking surgery dates, so here is some general info:

NEW MOON: The waxing Moon occurs during the two weeks starting at the new Moon that builds up to the full Moon. This waxing Moon is the time for surgery to ADD (not remove) something to your body, like a new hip, heart valve, or a breast implant for a cancer survivor. So schedule operations to add on the new Moon or during the next nine days after the new Moon.
FULL MOON: Avoid scheduling surgeries or operations of any kind on a full Moon. Bruising and swelling is much greater on a full Moon. Like sap rising in a tree or the powerful ocean tides, fluids rise on the full Moon. Also avoid surgery three days before or three days after the full Moon because of the full Moon's strong influence.
DARK MOON: The waning Moon occurs during the two weeks after the full Moon, as the Moon wanes down. This is the time for surgery to REMOVE something from your body, such as a cyst, tumor, or excess skin. So schedule operations to remove starting three days after the full Moon, or during the last week and a half as the Moon wanes down.

More Moony info:
MENSTRUATION: Egg in the light. Bleed in the dark.
Ovulate on the full Moon. Figure out when you menstruate and get your body in sync to produce your egg when the Moon is full.
Menstruate on the dark Moon, preferably on the balsamic Moon, the last day or two of the lunar cycle. This is the quiet time to rest, release your blood, and honor your Moon time. Then you'll know when you'll be menstruating so you can plan can plan quiet restful time for your menses during the last days of the lunar cycle. Plan travel and other events, such as athletic meet, on or near the full Moon.

CONCEPTION: Girl or Boy?
A child conceived while the Moon is in a water or earth sign will be female. Water signs are Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio. Earth signs are Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus.
A child conceived while the Moon is in a fire or air sign will be male. Fire signs are Sagittarius, Aries, and Leo. Air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.

ENTERTAIN, WED, CELEBRATE:
All on the full Moon, or as close to the full Moon as possible. Having an art opening? The best attendance will be on a full Moon. An event held on a dark Moon at the end of the lunar cycle will attract only a few people.
 

MERCURY RETROGRADES

The communication planet Mercury will be retrograde from August 20 until September 12. Mercury retrograde is time to slow down, rethink, redo, research, renovate, regroup, and revise. It is not considered the best time for travel, launching new endeavors, making big plans, or signing contracts. There will be another Mercury retrograde cycle in 2010 in December:

December 10 - December 29: Mercury retrograde in Capricorn.
Good for serious ideas and serious communication. Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, symbolic of old father time, so patience is required to focus on finances, career, and health -- especially financial concerns so be diligent about checks and balances. Under Capricorn's influence, there is an awareness of hierarchical relationships so pragmatic, realistic, and concise communications are best, especially at work.

PLUTO in CAPRICORN

The planet Pluto symbolizes death, rebirth, and transformation. Pluto is named after the Roman god of the underworld, Hades to the Greeks. Pluto is also a god of wealth because the riches of the earth are in his domain: gold, silver, oil, diamonds, minerals, and precious gems. Pluto is now in the pragmatic earth sign of Capricorn and will be in Capricorn for the next fourteen years until spring 2023. So the world plutocracy, governments of wealthy men or plutocrats, can now be transformed. Change will be slow in coming, but the transformation has already begun.


WINTER SOLSTICE 2012

Tiger year 2010 brings political upheaval and violence. But Tiger chaos does not result in the end of the world on 12/21/2012. This day will go by just like 1984, 2000, and Y2K. 2012 will be a Dragon year, and in the last Dragon year 2000 people had similar fears. But a new age is predicted on 12/21/2012 by many indigenous cultures including the Mayan Indians, the Aztec Indians, and the Peruvian Q'ero Indians. The Sun on that solstice day will be in alignment with the center of the Milky Way (between Scorpio and Sagittarius). To the Mayans, this place in space was a womb of creation, the mother's milk of the Milky Way. The solstice Sun aligns with this galactic center every 26,000 years.

The Mayan calendar does not really end on winter solstice 2012; there is another cycle in the Mayan astrological system. It's based on the number two and is a smaller minor cycle of cooperation and partnership. That challenge will be people polarized between the haves and have nots, and how to balance that split of stuffed or starved. This date also marks the end of the 2,000-year Piscean age and beginning of the age of Aquarius. We're in a new world of technology, jet travel, globalization, and the internet. Old institutions end as new generations use the electronic tools of the Aquarian age. The world becomes Aquarian, multicultural, a global village.

In Vedic astrology, this is also the end of the Kali yuga, the age of iron. The Mayan Indians age began in 3114 BC and ends now. The Kali yuga began 5,125 years ago and ends now. So both cultures foresee another end and another beginning as we all swim together through this sea of life.