The planet Saturn is about to change signs.  This momentous event happens only every 2 and a half years.  You’ve probably read about Saturn on my blog before.  You probably already know that he represents the archetypal Father principle. Saturn rules the following things (and more):

•    Father
•    Career
•    Authority
•    Hierarchy
•    Discipline & structure
•    Order
•    Ambition
•    Goal-setting and achievement

Saturn can be a very harsh taskmaster.  Sometimes his lessons come through exacting, demanding, limiting experiences where we feel there is no exit.  Saturn demands maturity and self-governance in whatever area he is passing through.

Today, Saturn enters Libra, the domain of relationship.  Libra covers:

•    One-on-one relationship
•    Partnerships of all kinds
•    Fairness and equality
•    Balance and symmetry

Saturn in Libra represents fair jurisprudence, rigorous negotiation and balanced judgment.  In the next 2 and a half years, Saturn will demand that we take all our relationships more seriously.  He will press us to set those relationships in order and he’ll push us to work at it.

Libra is the very finest sign for Saturn to be in:  Libra brings out the best in Saturn, while diminishing the worse qualities of this sometimes-harsh archetype.  The harsh judge becomes the tough-but-fair judge when Saturn is in Libra.  While in Libra, he’ll also demand that we take all our partnerships of all kinds more seriously and work to improve them.  Saturn is a very simple principle:  when you feel his pressure to perform, just stop complaining and resisting and simply do the work.  Saturn hates a procrastinator and he  promises reward for those who put in effort.  His directive is:  “In the next 2 and a half years, take on your relationships with relish—I promise that if you do, there’s a toy surprise inside.”

June’s full moon is also a lunar eclipse, and a complex melting pot of influences it is too.  The Capricorn moon likes to keep a lid on all things emotional, while the Cancerian Sun says, “let ‘em rip!”  Toss intellectual Mercury and passionate Pluto into the mix and you’ve got a wealth of contradictory arguments.  Uranus adds his form of irritation and Jupiter just makes everything bigger.  What to do—should we all just stay in bed?  No, just be aware from the get-go that this day is a mass of contradictions.  Make no plans, stay flexible and be aware that circumstances may change right underneath you.

Details About This Eclipse

Date: June 26, 2010
Time of eclipse: 4:30 AM PST
Type: partial (weak in intensity)
Visible in: eastern Asia, Australasia and most of the Americas.
At: 4 degrees Capricorn
Shadow Agents: Pluto in Capricorn, also Mercury, Uranus and Jupiter

Does It Affect You Personally?

If your birthday is on any of the following dates, you most likely experienced this eclipse:
March 20-30
June 20-30
September 22-October 2
December 21-31

Remember, not every eclipse touches everyone, but when it does, it’s usually noticeable.  A lunar eclipse is likely to bring up strong emotions and to be experienced as a subjective event (unlike a solar eclipse, which is likely to be marked by an external, real-world event).  The following script is just one possible way it could go.

You hear a knock at the door.  You answer it.  The Sun and Moon are there and they seem to be fighting over something.  Several more deities are standing behind them.
Sun:  You can’t have it!
He’s looking relaxed in sweats and a comfortable t-shirt.
Moon:  But it needs protecting!  And I’m the right one for the job, because I’m in Capricorn.
She’s wearing a gray twin set and a business-length skirt, and trying not to look undignified as she tries to wrest the object away from the Sun.
You:  Hey, what is that you’ve got there?
The Sun holds it out of the Moon’s reach and you can see for a moment that it’s your own heart.
You:  That belongs to me!!
Sun:  Oh, you’re the one who left this lying around?
He begins to hand it to you, but at the last moment, Pluto steps around him and plucks it from his palm.  She’s dressed in business casual, much like the Moon, and she gives a wink to the Moon as she grabs your heart.  As soon as she does, a rush of previously-unconscious feelings well up into your chest, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and a little faint.  Pluto stalks past you and makes herself at home on your sofa.  The Moon sits next to her and coos over the heart, which Pluto has cradled in her arms.
You:  Whoa.  I feel so . . .
Pluto:  What you are feeling, my dear, is the rush of pure, unadulterated, undiluted power.  If you had three wishes, and you could have absolutely anything, what would you wish for?  Money?  Fame?  Power?
You:  I want a better job.  I want more money.  I want to be respected.  I want to be famous.  I want to be loved.  I want to be safe.  I want to never worry again.  I want my family to be taken care of.
Mercury pops in the door and occupies the other sofa, next to the spot the Sun has now occupied.
Mercury:  You know what always happens at the end of all those “Three Wishes” stories, right?  You’ll end up using your third wish to undo the stupid things you wished for with your first and second.
The Sun chuckles.  At that moment, Uranus and Jupiter burst through the door and into the room.
Sun:  Where’s the fire?
Uranus:  We’re here to force a decision–
Jupiter :  We’re in a terrible hurry–
Uranus:  Places to go–
Jupiter:  People to meet–
Uranus:  All very important!
Pluto:  Ri-i-ight.  Terribly important.  Have a seat, gentlemen.
Pluto points to the only chair left in the room and Jupiter and Uranus try to claim it simultaneously, then both crash to the floor.
Pluto:  They’ve just gotten into Aries and they’re not settled yet.  Speed freaks!
In the meanwhile, you’ve sneaked up behind Pluto and are now attempting to grab your heart.
Pluto:  No you don’t!
The Moon glares at you.
Pluto:  You’re going to feel all of this ambition.  All of it.  You’re going to feel the desire for power surging through your blood and in your marrow.
Jupiter: (suddenly stands up, looking frantic) What to do?  What to do?
Uranus claims the chair but can’t sit still in it.
Pluto:  There is absolutely NOTHING to do.  Nothing at all.  Just feel it.
Moon:  That’s right, just feeeel it.  Let it move through you and change you.
Sun:  Let it make you more aware of yourself and your motives.
Mercury:  Let it give you pause.
You:  OH.
You stand still for a moment, in the middle of your own living room, just noticing all the sensations, feelings, thoughts in your body.  It wells up from inside you, taking over your mind and senses like a drug.  You are filled up with dizzying sensations of glory, power, grandeur and greatness.  In your mind’s eye you see everyone around you living the way you wish they would, appreciating you the way you wish they would, and doing only what you tell them.  Just when it feels like you cannot hold anymore, you panic.
You:  It’s too much!
Pluto:  Control and power bring responsibility.
You have become very agitated.
You:  Make it stop!
Moon:  You are the one who can make it stop.  Close your eyes again.  Slow down.  Let go of the need to have everything your own way.
When you slow down and notice, the sensations that were dizzying begin to move again, and then to dissipate.  Finally, they have passed.  You find you are comfortable again.
Pluto:  Congratulations—you have acted as a surge protector.
She hands you your heart.
Pluto:  Pay better attention to your desires in future, ok?
Uranus:  And try not to get so wound up.
Mercury:  Look who’s talking!
You:  Um, ok.
Sun:  Feeling them is good.  Acting on them—not always so good.
You:  No kidding!
With that, Pluto sweeps out the front door, followed by the Moon and the rest of the crew.  You are left with your heart, none the worse for wear, and all yours again.

Want to understand how this eclipse affects your own life?
Contact Jamie for a reading.

Aloha everybody,

I’m writing to you from the beaches of Kaua’i, possibly the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands.  Now that I’m here I realize my plan of continuing to post to my blog was the product of an insane, city-dwelling mind and that there’s no way it’s going to happen.  I’ve gone troppo.  I’ll be here for another week and will be making no blogposts, no newsletter, no Twitterfeed until the stars guide me home.

mahalo,

Jamie

This December 31st we have an extremely special kind of full moon.  Not only is it a lunar eclipse, but it’s also a blue moon!  A blue moon is a second full moon inside a calendar month.  It only happens in months that are long and that begin with a full moon, allowing room for another full moon 29 days later to still be in the same month, thus the phrase “once in a blue moon.”  Full moons are times of heightened emotion to begin with, but when you add the increased intensity of the eclipse, the rarity of the blue moon and the fact that it’s New Year’s Eve for cultures using the Gregorian calendar, the day of December 31st is outrageously special.

This lunar eclipse brings strong emotions and nostalgia to pressure as the sensitive Moon in Cancer is pitted against the tough-minded Sun in Capricorn.  Saturn and Pluto act as Shadow Agents, bringing in themes of integrity and intensity.

Details About This Eclipse

Date:  December 31, 2009
Time of eclipse: 11:13 AM PST
Type: partial (weak in intensity)
Visible in: People in Asia, Australasia, Europe and Africa will see this small sliver of an eclipse.
At: 10 degrees Cancer
Shadow Agents: Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra

Does It Affect You Personally?

If your birthday is on any of the following dates, you most likely experienced this eclipse:
December 26-January 5
March 25-April 5
June 27-July 7
September 28-October 8

Remember, not every eclipse touches everyone, but when it does, it’s usually noticeable.  A lunar eclipse is likely to bring up strong emotions.  The following script is just one possible way it could go.

You hear a knock at the door.  You answer it.  Saturn is there:  he’s a serious-looking older man in a dark business suit, wearing a power tie.  Next to him is Pluto, the Alchemist, in a long black robe spattered with various chemicals.  Pluto is carrying a large pot.  Something seems odd about that pot, but before you can argue, both of them sweep past you and head for . . . your kitchen??
You:  wha?
Saturn:  Sit down.  Shut up.  Do as you’re told.
You:  But this is MY house!
Pluto:  You’re not in charge here.
Saturn pushes you into a chair and actually ties you to it while Pluto gets busy at the stove.  Once Saturn has finished restraining you, you can begin to see what Pluto is doing.  He’s put the giant, black, cast-iron pot onto the stove, added a lot of some strange-smelling liquid and is turning the heat up.  Way up.  You notice it’s not so much a pot as it is a cauldron.
You:  You’re not going to hurt me, are you guys?  What did I do wrong?
Saturn:  Nothing.  This is just how we roll.
The pot is now boiling.  Pluto begins to walk around the house and grab particular items to put into the pot.
You:  Hey, that’s my favorite shirt!  I aced a job interview in that shirt!
Pluto:  Does it have sentimental value?  In it goes!
You:  Oh no, not that photograph—that’s the only memory I have of her!  Damnit, will you fiends stop?
Saturn:  Who are you really?  Have you thought about it?  Where’s your integrity?
You:  I don’t know what you mean.  You guys are just torturing me.  What gives you the right?
Saturn:  You are the amalgam of all things that have ever happened to you PLUS the essential ingredient.  The thing that makes you different from every other human being alive.
You:  What’s that?
Saturn:  What you did with what happened to you.  That one single driver inside you that decided what to do with all the things that happened.  Did you achieve or fail?  Did you love or hate?  Were you a whiner or were you heroic?  That moment of decision—how you act under pressure—is the crucial ingredient.
Saturn reaches into your chest and grabs your heart, pulling it out.  You have no idea why you’re still alive as he tosses it into the pot.  Pluto claps on the lid and seals it tightly.  Belatedly you realize it’s not an ordinary pot—it’s a pressure cooker.  As Pluto turns up the heat under the pot, the pressure increases until you think your heart will explode.  All the feelings, sensations and experiences you’ve ever had are suddenly compressed together with enormous force.  You realize there are few moments in which you made the heroic choice under pressure.  You want to die but find yourself alive anyway, and open your eyes.
Saturn:  You must change your life.
Pluto:  Got it?
You:  unh.
They pack up the pot and go.

I just discovered that for some reason I had posted October’s forecast dates through only the 14th, as if that was all there was to October.  I have now added the “Fortune Cookies” for the second half of the month.  It seems both ironic and appropriate that the last day on my forecast page was also the day Mercury turned direct, as if life ended there.  Now it’s been corrected–enjoy!

Learn about yourself while playing silly astrology games like “Meet the Archetype,” “Soap Opera” and “Astrology Mad Libs.”

Astrology Games will be held monthly at the Church of Soul in Oakland, California, beginning this month on February 20. Everyone is welcome, from novice to professional. For details, click on “Upcoming Events” here or in the sidebar on the right.

See you there!

It’s in the right-hand sidebar.

-Jamie

Check out the new forecast page for July (look in the right-hand sidebar under “Pages”).

Jamie

Check it out–look in the bar on the right side of this page.

Jamie

Hi everybody, and thanks for coming here. I have not posted recently due to surgery (I’m fine and there’s nothing to worry about). I’ve recovered nicely and now I’m back. I’ll have the June forecast page up in the next few days.  In the meanwhile, check out my post today about the four elements and the orchestra.

Jamie