Planetary Events (all times are Eastern)

We cannot underestimate the recent New Moon that was aligned with Uranus on 2/27. Its effects will be felt for many months. Throughout much of 2005 and on into 2006, many of us have been trying to “break free” and release our true selves from restrictive situations. This Uranian New Moon made us aware that we can no longer stay a slave to the status quo and now we recognize that the separation has in fact occurred. One way or the other our inner self is finding expression and release! Whether it’s comfortable or not, well, that’s a different story.

Speaking very generally, the specific areas (more about the “Houses” below) that are being activated per Sun Sign are the following:

Aries - 12^th house spiritual awakenings, releases. You’re starting to trust your intuitions more. A time of strange dreams indeed.

Taurus - 11^th house, friendships, overall long-term aspirations. At last you see light at the end of the tunnel. What you have waited for so patiently is now here – get moving. Mars is out of Taurus now – no more excuses.

Gemini – 10^th house, career, general life-direction. Yes, indeed, it is time to take self-employment seriously or at least get noticed more at work for your own original ideas.

Cancer – 9^th house, philosophy, mind-set, travel, education, political viewpoint. Now is the time for you to separate from other’s opinions and express your own. You have a family, you are not your family.

Leo – 8^th house, sexuality, shared possessions, intimacy issues, dedication to another. Yes, your soap opera life is all warm and fuzzy, but make sure you are respected for the strong individual that you are. Don’t get lost in your partner just to be the center of attention.

Virgo – 7^th house, relationships, public role, freeing yourself from a “known” enemy. This is a time for you to peek out from behind the curtain. Step beyond your supportive role and take center stage yourself. You are more than capable. And you’re always right – right?

Libra – 6^th house, work-related issues, learning new job skills (especially computer-related), union issues. This is time for you to liven up your skill-set and start thinking about making yourself more marketable and up-to-date. Moss doesn’t grow on this ambitious sign.

Scorpio – 5^th house, self-expression, arts, recreation, children, business speculations. This is you time for you to put your natural caution aside and have some fun for a while – live! Let your passions out.

Sagittarius – 4^th house, home and family issues, feeling tied down. Don’t try to keep these Centaurs caged. They’re already suffering enough cabin-fever awaiting Spring! Let someone else do the dishes; that’s no fun.

Capricorn – 3^rd house, intellectual/mental activation, your minds are lit up now. This tired old Goat now gets quite a boost, mentally and all of a sudden is full of new ideas. Imagine that.

Aquarius – 2^nd house, money and values, a great urge to be independent financially now. Taking it all in stride, as usual, the Water-bearer’s time has come for some money. Free-lancing and consulting are the keywords here.

Pisces – 1^st house, an overall sense of release, renewal, and need to separate yourself now. Your very own Declaration of Independence. The usual fog of this Neptunian sign is being pierced right now with a strong sense of self and one of being in the flow of things. Take advantage of it – you’ve done enough for everyone else.

Mercury Retrograde -3/2, 3:29pm

!won sdrawkcab gnilevart si yrucreM, seY, er,

I mean, Yes, Mercury is traveling backwards now! “Mercury Retrograde” it’s called. Approximately every 90 days, this Messenger of the Gods makes an apparent backward trip for 21 days when juxtaposed against the background stars. This is commonly a time when communications foul up, computers go haywire (mine is), plans are disrupted, wrong messages are exchanged, etc. These Mercury “Rx” periods over the past 3 years have proven to be quite disruptive. Do what you can now (until 3/25) to express yourself clearly. Check and double-check arrangements. Don’t leave things to chance. Put off installing that Operating System upgrade you’ve been planning until after it passes. This is not the time to buy computerized Tinker-Toys. Try not to cuss too much.

3/7 Did you know Steeler greats Franco Harris and Lynn Swann share the same Piscean birthday?

3/9 – 3/12 Mars squares Uranus. This is not a time to look for a fight. Mars is Astrology’s trigger and when he combines with touchy, unpredictable Uranus, look out. Do assert yourself now but make careful distinction between assertion and aggression. You will have a tendency to blurt out sharp daggers, so be as tactful as possible. Don’t be surprised if someone is forceful with you. Think twice, as a matter of fact, sleep on it first, before pressing that return key with any irritable e-mail responses during this time. George Harrison said, “All Things Must Pass” and this will too. You will feel calmer and more constructive in a few days. It definitely marks a time when you should assert your rights however. A side note – it is quite common during “Mars times” to expend too much energy. You may feel like “where did all of this energy come from?” and work yourself too hard. Make sure to cut your efforts off a bit short else you will feel the energy crash come a few days later for having burnt the candle at both ends. This is a very common occurrence. Watch kids for fevers as Mars raises our body temperatures.

3/14 6:35 pm Lunar Appulse Eclipse, 24° Virgo making a T-square to Pluto. Whoopee. I’m just not sure how to go about saying this one. It’s gonna be explosive dear friends. And intense. And that can be good. It can also be nasty. The Eclipse is going to trigger Pluto which has been sitting in late Sagittarius. Translation: Long-term sticky, gooey situations that have become albatrosses around your neck are now coming forefront once and for all for a final solution. Finances may very well be involved, and I’m not just talking about the five bucks Buster owes you. Because of the activation of Pluto, this eclipse will have a strong Scorpionic feel (Pluto rules Scorpio). If any signs abhor self-pity it’s Scorpio (ruled by Pluto) and Virgo. Therefore, don’t seek a pat on the back now. This is a time for fast and decisive action (Virgo). For taking responsibility and making that hard decision that has been culminating over the past year. This lunation is like surgery: it’s scary and maybe even painful but you’ll benefit greatly afterwards if you let go of the old and get on with it.

In case you want to see it happening to you, the eclipse should be visible just after sunset.

3/17 St. Patrick’s Day - Let’s loosen up, eh? What say we celebrate with a Void Moon all day! From 11:31am-5:59pm the Moon is not “significantly aligned with” the other planets. What this means is that it’s just going to be hard to get anything done productively. Most likely, whatever you do get done, you’ll have to redo the next day. You may as well just drink green beer.

3/20 1:14pm – How about we herald in the Spring and let all the Sagittarians out of the zoo?!

Rebirth, a new Zodiac, hooray!

3/25 8:42am Mercury Retrograde period ends (Mercury goes forward or direct) – Dut Da Daaahhhh - maybe we need a second trumpet here. The Messenger goes forward and all of a sudden all types of twisted and unresolved situations straighten themselves out. I have found these periods to be wonderful times of relief. Translation: If you have to arrange something that is involved, try not to do it during the Mercury Retrograde period and wait until the 25^th when Mercury has his wits about him.

3/29 5:15am Total Solar Eclipse, 9° Aries -There’s an old Astrological wife’s tale (how come there’s never an old husband’s tale?) about peril coming to the geographical area where the Solar Eclipse is visible (or is it where it’s invisible?). Well, besides going right through the heart of Africa, this one is visible on the Eastern edges of Turkey just along the Western border of Iraq. Gulp. I’m not going to resort to doomsaying but this augers ill for a country already “at war” and facing a Civil War. Let’s send them and our soldiers our best and pray for peace. Additionally, the New Moon (which all Solar Eclipses are) is occurring in the sign of Aries – God of War. Let’s hope not.

On a personal note, this marks a time of brand new initiatives. Be yourself. Be daring. As Nike says, “Just do it!”. Quit thinking. Quit procrastinating and go for it!

Just a note about Uranus in Pisces. It’s been there 3 years. This futuristic, inventive, electric, New-age planet is bringing us “music right down from the heavens” (Pisces).

Isn’t it wonderful? And clear too! Uranus: always ahead of it’s time. Woof Woof.

Dear Kid Astro, “What are Astrological ‘Houses’”?

There is this confusing weird thing in Astrology called the “houses” and if you aren’t an Astrologer it just makes guys like me sound nuts. Well, actually Astrological houses are a real big deal and a major part of Astrology. I will try not to bore you with incredibly technical details but I’ll give it a shot: Everyone’s natal or birth chart has 10 planets (the 8 planets plus the Sun and Moon) in one of the 12 signs of the Zodiac. A chart is calculated for your time of birth as well. Depending on your time of birth, the chart is then divided once again into 12 more sub-regions called “houses”. Houses are where your energies are expressed – what field in your life. For instance, you may have your Moon found in the sign of Scorpio during your birth. This indicates powerful (Scorpio) emotions (Moon). The Moon also falls into one of the 12 houses. This house position shows the Astrologer where those passions are expressed. Such as in your marriage, your career, your art, etc. Each of your 10 planets fall in a sign and a house. Houses are determined by a combination of space and time. This is one reason why an Astrologer can give a much more detailed reading to a person with an accurate birth time as opposed to someone who doesn’t know when they were born. The subject is too broad for this newsletter. Much information on the houses is available on the Web simply by searching for “Astrology houses”. There – I dodged that one – can I go to recess now?

Next month we ask Kid Astro, “What do the elements mean: Earth signs, Air signs, Water signs, & Fire signs”?

Next is this month’s list of Moon Void-of-Course times. Pay attention, for instance, on 3/22 the Moon will be Void practically all day! From 4:48am to 10:35pm. Does this mean that you have my permission to stay home from work? Of course you do. No, actually, it means that you are ill-advised to try to launch any major endeavor at this time (if you’re even able to). Try to wait till the next day if possible. It’s much like having your sailboat on a lake and there’s just no wind.

Void Void

Date Starts Ends

---- ------ ------

3/01 4:18am

3/03 2:42am - 5:22am

3/05 3:14am - 9:37am

3/07 11:09am - 5:38pm

3/09 3:41pm - 4:42am (next day)

3/12 10:38am - 5:23pm

3/14 11:33pm - 6:12am (next day)

3/17 11:31am - 5:59pm

3/20 2:54am - 3:43am

3/22 4:47am - 10:36am

3/23 6:30pm - 2:21pm (next day)

3/26 10:18am - 3:33pm

3/28 10:20am - 3:31pm

3/30 10:41am - 4:00pm

For more information on this subject, visit my earlier article, at: www.starself.com/newsletter2.html

Access my complete 2006 Void Moon table at: www.starself.com/rxvoidmoon.html

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

A free do-it-yourself Astrology program is available at: http://www.magitech.com/~cruiser1/astrolog.htm

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