Rick DiClemente’s

Astrology Newsletter

Volume 31, July 2008

(Download a printable .DOC version here)

Welcome to July. Pluto in Capricorn is pounding away at our world. Its effects are seen everywhere. While that dramatic era is well underway, another, somewhat milder and shorter term one is forming, i.e., transiting Uranus and Saturn are opposing one another. Symbolically, this is making the coming Fall election all too critical. I am hoping that we all make an educated, well-thought-out decision come November when the planetary opposition is exact.

This newsletter covers new ground and is quite different than past issues. I hope you enjoy it and that you have a great 4th!

--- July Happenings ---

§ KDKA Radio, AM 1020 - Join me on Carol Lee Espy’s talk show, “The Life Lounge”, Saturday, July 12, 9:30pm-11:00pm or streaming live and free over www.kdkaradio.com

§ Brentwood Library, www.brentwoodlibrarychanginglives.org - 3501 Brownsville Rd., Pittsburgh, PA (412) 882-5694 - Thursday July 17, 6:30-8:30pm - FREE

§ Workshop: “Astrology and Finding Your Life Direction”. The Mesa Creative Arts Center - (412) 343-3572. www.mesacreativearts.com, 30 Miller Business Park Dr., Burgettstown, PA - (724) 947-3097 Friday, July 18, 7:00-10:00pm, $30 includes a life-direction reading, bring your birth time

§ Workshop: “Astrology and Finding Your Life Direction”. The Center for Reiki and the Healing Arts – 466 Castle Shannon Blvd www.centerforreiki.com Sunday, July 20, 1:00-3:00pm $30, includes a life-direction reading, bring your birth time. (412) 343-3572

§ Psychic Summer Symposium – Gypsy Café www.gypsycafe.net - 1330 Bingham St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203, (412) 381-4977 – Various readers and psychics, Saturday, July 26, 10:00am-3:00pm

www.starself.com/polapr08.html

The Uranus-Pluto in Virgo Sub-generation

Today my office is full of people that were born between 1961 and 1968. This mini-generation all shares the Uranus/Pluto in Virgo conjunction of that time. These two intensely wild planets symbolized the radical age of upheaval that included the “Summer of Love”, The Beatles, and, of course, the War in Vietnam. Even so, this conjunction which could have been much more violent was constrained by the practical pressures from residing in the conservative sign of Virgo. Virgos don’t identify with radicals, do they? Today, these babes find themselves between the ages of 40 and 47. It is like they have been sitting on a well-controlled pressure cooker for all these years. Since the Spring of 2003, transiting Uranus has been completing its half orbit in the sign of Pisces. Now, these natives find themselves to not only be having the classical Uranus-opposite-Uranus mid-life crisis, but this stage is compounded by the fact that this compressed, delayed eruption has had to behave (been repressed) for over 4 decades! Now, I am finding that many of these forty-somethings are restless and are ready to roll - to say the least. Most of them are asking themselves, “What good has it done? I have done all the things that I should have done, but what did it get me?” For many of them, they now see that it cost them their freedom to be themselves (Uranus.)

A side note too: since the Civil Rights Act was founded during that decade, the current status of racial relationships now goes through a great test from the planet’s opposition to where it started: no happenstance that America’s first African-American is running for the top seat. This test has another 2 years to go until Uranus’ exodus from Pisces. It is also a test (the opposition) to all of us, the collective, to use our freedoms (Uranus) responsibly and to summons them with great purpose (Pluto) for the benefit of all. Thank goodness that the Virgo legacy from these talented, responsible, and powerful folks demands that we stop pointing the finger at each other and pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps.

Pluto, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn will always strut and fret their hours upon the stage of your existence, performing one intense role or another. By virtue of their natures, these dynamos must star as the heavies in the drama that is your life, and they will often dominate the footlights as they personify your major life themes. However, just as you have these outer planets somewhere in your horoscope, you also have the inner planets: Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, the Sun and the Moon. These are considered to be the personal planets; we have more conscious awareness of, and control over, how we use the energies they symbolize. Writing positive roles for your inner planets and providing them with conscious direction empowers you to enliven and enrich your unique autobiographical play.

· Call out your Jupiter from behind the curtains! Whatever the context of the drama, he’ll show you how to live large. With sweeping gestures he will lend a philosophical interpretation, and help you see the big picture.

· Your Mars is eager to swagger courageously into the middle of the battle scene. With enthusiasm and passion he quells the bad guys, gets the job and wins the girl before the curtain goes down.

· The Venus in your chart enhances your play in her exquisite gown. She is the lead actress in the party scene, fulfilling the roles of peacemaker and diplomat. She brings beauty, romance and a happy ending to the play.

· Mercury performs as your court jester. He’s the one who jumps out of the cake cracking jokes, does a little tap dance and amazes the audience with magic tricks before he disappears down the trap door.

· The sensitive Moon in your horoscope brings a tear to your eye with a sentimental song. She brings your feelings to the surface by reminding you about lost loves, the good times, Mom, apple pie, and the American Way.

· Your Sun doesn’t feel impelled to play any role. He is happy to show you how to stand beaming at the front of the stage, radiate confidence, and accept thunderous applause and standing ovations for just being you.

As John Lennon sang, “Well we all shine on, like the Moon and the stars and the Sun. . .”

As a social worker, I show up at the doors of people who are in the middle of difficult outer-planet transits translated into hard problems such as depression, financial hardship, illness and loss. I always pray for guidance in supporting my clients to make the best of and find meaning in their situation (which of the ten planetary roles do I assume when I enter their dramas?) and hope that I can make things better, even if just in small ways. They don’t always need much from me. Sometimes they don’t need my help at all, and I am lucky to experience close-up the wonderful, creative ways in which they choose to live their lives to the fullest. To this end, I have seen people employ the energies of all of the planetary characters I have discussed above.

I share a brief example:

A few years ago I came to know a hospice patient and his family who lived in a coal mining company town, otherwise known in southwestern Pennsylvania as a “patch”. Like many patches, the one in which this patient lived had deteriorated with the decline of the coal industry. Many houses were in disrepair, some to the point of needing condemned. As I got out of my car and walked toward their house, I braced myself for a sober first visit with this dying patient and his family. I noted that the exterior of their modest house was meticulously cared-for (Mercury). Nothing prepared me, however, for the beauty (Venus), brightness and cheer (Sun) that shone from inside when the patient’s wife opened the door to greet me. Over the years, the patient, a retired coal miner, and his spouse, a homemaker, had painted (Mercury) enchanting borders and magical murals (Venus) on the inner walls of their humble home (Moon), creating an environment of vibrant color and joy (Sun). They had not allowed themselves to be overwhelmed (Pluto) by what many would see as gray despair in their lives (Saturn). Instead, they had chosen, despite a lack of formal art training, to express (Mars) their imagination and inspiration (Neptune) with paint, and had transformed (Pluto) their interior into an amazing (Uranus) place, seemingly drenched in sunbeams (Sun) and burgeoning with natural beauty (Venus). In the patient’s bower of a bedroom, I could almost hear the birds, smell the flowers and feel the breeze in my hair. Needless to say, their wonderful home (Moon) reflected what I discovered to be their positive, loving approach to the myriad challenges of living and dying. Within their little patch house on their somber street, in the midst of trials and tribulations, they had created a pocket of space and time in which beauty, laughter, joy and love thrived abundantly.

Summer Forecast

Saturn Opposite Uranus

Discipline vs. Freedom

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19) – A free-wheeling summer is possible for you, but there’s still practical work that needs to be addressed.

Taurus (Apr 20-May 20) – Group fun is in store for you, but take time to be your own best friend.

Gemini (May 21-Jun 21) – Make sure your ducks are in a row before you thumb your nose at authority!

Cancer (Jun 22-Jul 22) – Before you head off to parts unknown, double-check your reservations and make sure your vehicle is in good working condition.

Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22) – Be wary of depending too much on others this summer.

Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22) – It’s a given that you’re respected for your hard work. Make sure you have fun too!

Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22) – A feeling of free-floating anxiety abounds; pay extra attention to your dreams.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21) – We know you have great passions and ideals, but, it’s time to draft a workable plan.

Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21) – It’s time to reconcile your personal freedoms and your social responsibilities.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) – Great that you’re finally thinking outside the box, but, you still need to be level-headed.

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18) – Yes, we know that you want to be independent, especially financially, but don’t forget your obligations to others.

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20) – Most likely you’ll not be struck by lightning if you practice saying “no” this summer; stand up for yourself.

Of course, the number one topic I get asked about is romance. The Love Guru, right? Wrong. The more I practice this impossible science/art, the more I understand how unpredictable this predictive modality truly is! Astrology loves to hide - it seldom shows itself. Therefore, it is very difficult to tell anyone if and when Mr. or Ms. Right is just around the corner. It works more like this:

When Pluto is activating your chart by transit or progression, it is quite common that Scorpio people or those with strong Scorpio in their natal charts come into your life. It appears that they are here to influence you to find your own depths. It also seems that if you are dealing with your Pluto pass in an appropriate manner, they will assist you. Unfortunately, it’s also quite common that if you are not handling this intense energy with courage, the person you find on your doorstep may very well be nigh to do you in. One must be very wary and careful of Pluto energy, for sure.

Neptune brings us Piscean types to help us unfold spiritually. It’s that simple. They can inspire you to your more refined higher Self or they can lead you astray - getting yourself High with alcohol and drugs. Healthy spiritual transcendence vs. irresponsible escapism is the theme. It seems to test our trustworthiness too.

It is quite common during radical Uranus times, that we are presented with Aquarian types. They manifest in your life to teach you that you are just fine the way you are. In fact, you probably haven’t been enough of yourself heretofore. They might stay forever, but quite commonly, they’ll be around for one year. It’s also quite the case that Uranus brings us people that are much younger - or at least younger in spirit.

Finally, good ole’ Saturn brings us mature people - maybe even someone quite older. Usually they are here to help us cope with practical issues. Odds are quite high that you may have found someone who wants to stick around for a while.

Well OK, one more, Jupiter brings us those fun-loving Sagittarian-types. There.

Not knowing any better, most of us over identify too much with our Sun sign. No wonder. However, it is quite common that our charts show that we have 4 or even 5 signs very strongly represented. My brother, God rest his soul, was a Pisces with 5 planets in Leo. Therefore, he had strong Leonine traits. It would serve all of you greatly to find out more about your birth chart and see exactly what signs are strongly represented. (Simply go to www.alabe.com/freechart/ and run a free chart on yourself.)

Basically, there are 3 main indicators in your chart, 1) your Sun sign, 2) your Moon sign (emotions,) and 3) your Rising Sign or Ascendant (which rules your appearance and how you look at life.) Besides this critical triplicate, many other factors must be weighed by an astrologer. Planets near the 4 angles of a chart strongly represent major energies of the personality. Bunched up planets (stelliums) in other signs stress those very zodiacal signs. Other energy archetypes are represented by major chart constructs such as T-squares and heavily populated houses. Proper explanation of this topic is too much for this forum, but suffice it to say that you have about 4 or 5 signs emphatically represented in your native diagram. There - clear as mud.

Birth Time

I’m always trying to find lucid ways to explain this crazy, complex subject, astrology. Recently I had two different couples come to me to determine good dates and times for them to get married --- a very tricky task. Each had consulted Vedic astrologers. These Hindu astrologers felt that if they picked a day where the planets were good, it didn’t matter what time the wedding took place.

Not the case.

Here is an example of why: Imagine the planets in the signs like the wedge sectors on the Wheel of Fortune’s spinning wheel. You could liken the goodies represented by each slice to be like planets well placed in the signs. Everybody’s happy, right? - wrong. You still have to spin the wheel (determine the birth time.) Here is where the birth TIME comes in. One spin of the wheel and oops, a certain planet ends up right on the pointer. That makes that planet DISPROPORTIONALLY EMPHASIZED and likely upsets the balance in the entire chart.

Þ Since the wheel (zodiac) turns one complete revolution in

Þ 24 hours, there are many TIMES during a great day that the

Þ wrong birth time can utterly destroy an otherwise great chart.

So, Nobody Wants Po Pluto Around Anymore

From “Planet” to “Dwarf Planet” to “Plutoid”

Now we have to call it “The Plutoid Pluto”

From the Science Fair blog of USA Today, 6/11/08 - Here's the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) new definition: "Plutoids are celestial bodies in orbit around the Sun at a distance greater than that of Neptune that have sufficient mass for their self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that they assume a hydrostatic equilibrium (near-spherical) shape, and that have not cleared the neighborhood around their orbit. The two known and named plutoids are Pluto and Eris. It is expected that more plutoids will be named as science progresses and new discoveries are made."

That means Ceres, which is a dwarf planet, isn't a plutoid because it's located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists also think Ceres is the only object of its kind in the system. It will need a new category all its own. Maybe they’ll call it a Steroid?

A hundred years ago when I was in college, my po college roommates and I didn’t have 2 cents to rub together. But somehow, the bathroom always had a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure Castile Soap. This magic elixir found its niche at the perfect time during the sixties and became quite famous for cleansing the Woodstock Generation. Actually, Bronner, Inc. now celebrates their 60th anniversary. This soap was professed to be for: lathering your scalp, body, hair, car, baby, teeth, pets, deodorant, after-shave, feet, and dentures among a thousand other things. The product labels are crowded with statements of Dr. Bronner's philosophy, which he called "All-One-God-Faith" and the "Moral ABCs". Many of Bronner's references came from Jewish and Christian sources. They became famous for their idiosyncratic style, including hyphens to join long strings of words and the liberal use of exclamation marks.

Dr. Emanual Bronner was born in Germany in 1908 and was wildly evangelistic about world oneness. Not such a bad idea, eh? At least the man was clean even though he had many electro-shock treatments. His product still sells today over the internet as well as in health food stores. The astrological point of this article is to show how ahead of time you can tell a lot about what must be in someone’s chart. Dr. Bronner was a health fanatic, heavily into “religion/spirituality” and humanity. Therefore, before we look into his chart, we know we have to see heavy doses of off-the-wall Aquarius, spiritual Neptune, and probably some “soap”-boxy Aries/Leo/Sag. Born on February 1, 1908 tells us that he was in fact an Aquarian. His fanaticism stemmed from the Uranus opposition to Neptune/North Node, all making a T-square to Mars in Aries (the leader.) Venus and Saturn are also found in spiritual Pisces and innovative Mercury and Chiron are found in new-agey Aquarius. The Sun is opposite Jupiter IN LEO which is why, of course, he just had to tell the world. Dr. Bronner passed on in 1997. God bless him.

We need more well-meaning fanatics like him in this world, don’t you think?

Cancers of Interest and Astrological Musings…

Helen Keller - June 27, 1880, 4:02pm, Tuscumbia, AL - was an American author, activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf & blind person to graduate from college. The story of her and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, became known worldwide through the dramatic depictions of the play “The Miracle Worker.”

What is less well known is how Keller's life developed after she completed her education. A prolific author, she was well traveled, and was outspoken in her opposition to war. She campaigned for women's suffrage, workers' rights and socialism. Her mother was a cousin of Robert E. Lee. She was not born blind and deaf, but lost those senses from a childhood illness at the age of nineteen months (exactly when Directed Pluto opposed her ascendant.)

She was quoted:

And this was a deaf and blind Cancer speaking, with a Moon in hypersensitive Pisces!

Where did she find her strength? Scorpio rising, Pluto right opposite the ascendant, Uranus in Scorpio at the midheaven, Sun/Venus in the eighth house, Mars and Mercury in Leo in the ninth, and Neptune conjunct her Chiron in tough Taurus!

So, He Stepped Down…

I Wonder If He Can Afford Health Insurance?

Free birth chart calculations are available at: http://www.alabe.com/freechart/

The PA Dept. of Vital Records form for ordering your birth time/birth certificate is at: www.starself.com/birthtime

Make sure to stay in touch with my web site at www.starself.com and as always, “May the planets be with you as you find your Starself!” - Rick