Welcome Aquarius and Mercury Retrograde!

Welcome, friends, to the first full day of Aquarius sun, which started yesterday at 6:30am!

Mercury retrograde also begins tomorrow. If you're unfamiliar with what to watch out for during Mercury retrograde, here's the drill: 

Unless you have no choice...

1) Do not sign any important paperwork. 
2) Do not get married or divorced. 
3) Do not make any large purchases (home, etc.). 
4) Do not have any major conversations about anything with any important person (spouse, boss, etc.).
5) Do not purchase a new computer, upgrade a new computer, or do any significant computer work during Merc retro. (New apps on your phone are about as far as I would go, but you should be careful with those too!)

If you must do any of these things, take precautions...make backups, check frequently to ensure understanding, go over all paperwork with a fine-toothed comb, and cross your fingers!

Merc retro has already fucked me over once. I called for a takeout order from a national chain and I called the wrong location. When I got there the lady was very apologetic and asked if she could put my order in...D'OH! At least she was very nice! :)

I'll take your Merc retro stories if you're willing to share them. Good luck! :)

F is for Fool

If you've ever looked at a deck of tarot cards, you'll notice they usually number the major arcana cards with a Roman numeral. There is one card, however, that's listed as "0", and that card is the Fool.

He's not before or after any other card. He's the 0 for a reason: He can come up anywhere in the tarot.

In many tarot decks, you'll see the Fool walking off a cliff, usually with a dog in tow. How does he know that he's going to be fine? Well, he doesn't. He takes it on faith that no matter what comes his way, he can handle it. And when the Fool comes up in a reading, many times the response is "have faith."

The Fool can also represent new beginnings of all kinds. I'm sure you remember when you were the "new kid"; it can be a nervous and somewhat intimidating feeling. And it happens to us as adults all the time when we join a new group, get a new job, or deal with new or unusual situations. 

Ignorance is often an attribute that comes up with the Fool. But for me there's a huge difference between "ignorance" and "stupidity". The Fool is naive and new to many things, and he just needs to learn them. We're not questioning his intellectual capacity to do so.

By the way, ladies, I keep using "he" in this post mainly because the Rider-Waite-Smith cards have a male Fool. That doesn't mean you can't embody the Fool yourselves. :)

Overall, I like to see the Fool come up, but there are a few situations to be aware of when you see him that may give you pause:

• He can indicate an abrupt, totally unexpected change out of the blue;
• He can tell you that other people think that you are totally out of your mind; and
• He may indicate that you or someone in your reading is engaging in "risky" (read: foolish) behavior. 

You won't be surprised to hear that the fool can also represent a person. I've seen it come up more than once for people's bosses at work. Just sayin'. :)

The Fool's ignorance is endearing, and he reminds us that we've all been "the new kid on the block". So as a more philosophical message, I like to think of the Fool as "the curse of knowledge". If you haven't heard of this, it's the concept that once we know something--anything--we forget what it was like NOT to know it. 

Astrologically, the Fool represents the planet Uranus, which includes Aquarius folks. So if he shows up...think about any Aquarius people--or anyone totally quirky and truly unique--that you may know. 

Thanks for tuning in! Please come back on Monday for my "G" post about the wonderful sign of Gemini and my Gemini sister Amy Lyre Turner. :)

U is for Uranus

Uranus, the Latinized version of the Greek "Ouranos", was discovered in 1781 by Sir William Herschel. Since Saturn is the father of Jupiter in mythology, Herschel decided to continue the tradition and name this planet for Saturn's father.

Astrologically, Uranus is one of the "outer planets", and has less of a day-to-day impact on a chart, but it shouldn't be neglected. Many astrology students don't take the time to understand it, which is a shame; it certainly has a lot to offer and a lot of different areas fall under its purview.

Uranus rules the sign Aquarius, and is called "The Light-Bringer". It brings us originality, inventiveness, intuition, and social reform. Taken too far, the planet's energy can seem overly quirky or eccentric, anarchic, or erratic, and can bring those feelings to the fore in all of us. Those days when you think about chucking it all and joining the circus are when Uranus is driving the bus.

With this planet, expect the unexpected. No, REALLY. While every person is unique, Aquarians come by it honestly: Uranus gives Aquarius folks lots of interesting quirks that the Aquarius just explains away while the rest of us stand around saying "What the fuck...? You mean there's a reason why you cut your sandwiches into the shape of a rhombus on days you have big meetings?" You can bet the explanation will be interesting but don't expect the person to change.

Aquarians should also note the place of Saturn in their charts, as Saturn was your ruling planet before 1781. And speaking of 1781, there were quite a number of big world revolutions going on. Would it surprise you to know that Uranus rules revolution, rebellion, and abrupt change? Yeah, imagine THAT coincidence. :)

Uranus is another slow-mover, changing signs once every 7 years. If the calculations about the average American life-span are correct--check out the Washington Post article here--women have a better shot at seeing a Uranus return than men at 84. If technology, which is, incidentally, Uranus-ruled, continues to be developed, maybe we'll live long enough to see a second return someday.

What is more interesting is the Uranus opposition. OK...so let's break this down. When two planets are opposed in a chart, it means that they are 180 degrees apart, forcing the person to figure out how to balance the divergent influences. In my natal chart, I was born with Saturn and Neptune opposed. But what I'm referring to here is a transiting opposition--Uranus moving into a position exactly opposite the place when you were born--which means it will happen to all of us around the age of 39. What happens around 39? Mid-life crisis! Abrupt changes in attitudes, jobs, lifestyles and behaviors can abound. I'm actually going through it right now...my Uranus was opposed last year, and because Uranus is often in retrograde it has come back into its opposite sign to my birth sign, Aries, several times.

Here are some of the other areas Uranus rules:

• Computers and networks
• Electricity
• The future and the unexpected
• Intuition and any extrasensory or psychic ability
• Natural sciences

Thanks for stopping in! Tune in tomorrow for my "V" post! 

Letter from Saturn: The Old, The New, Division of Labor and Pesky Aquarians

Dear Neptune,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy New Year 2012. It's always amazing when such a huge occasion is in your sign! It was time to look back when the sun entered Capricorn, but now it's time to look forward. We've only got a few more days until the sun enters Aquarius, which is also cool; I'm a secondary ruler for water-bearers as well. Nothing is as amazing as pure Capricorn, though. I love looking down at all of those goat men and women, boys and girls, having their understated, conservative birthday parties and being recognized for the wisdom they possess. You just can't beat it. I don't know how you can take the emotional ups and downs of your Fish. That would drive me insane. And isn't it appropriate that you get St. Patrick's day this year...probably one of the days when in many countries very few people are sober.

Honestly, when we had that meeting a few thousand years ago about what areas we would each be responsible for, we didn't think there would be any other planets. By the time you showed up in 1846, I think you got what the bull left at the fair, as John's mother would say. Let's see: You got drugs, alcohol, addiction, prisons, asylums, and monasteries. I will grudgingly admit that you've turned out some fantastic artists and musicians, even though most of them are still starving. Those two are good ones. And I don't deny my responsibility for part of the whole prisons thing--if I didn't punish people for violating society's laws by throwing them in jail, there wouldn't be a need for you to take it on. So I guess in some ways I owe you a thank you.

Anyway, I noticed in passing that John recognizes all of the signs on his Facebook status when they come and go. Somehow Capricorn got MISSED! I have no idea what happened. Maybe he was on the road to Florida or something, but I was a little disappointed. OK, I'll admit I was a lot disappointed. It's an important time of year for him, too, so of all the ones for him to miss, why did it have to be Capricorn? Oh well. I'll let it slide this time. Just don't tell anyone I did. 

I'm trying to put my happy face on for Aquarius. It's always a difficult time of the year for me. The Uranus-ruled people used to be mine, too, before Uranus' discovery in 1781. So I'm kind of torn. They still keep me around as a co-ruler, but water-bearers drive me NUTS with their rebelliousness and unpredictability. You never know what they'll do or say. And they're not fond of boundaries and existing structures, either. Always have to be cutting edge. No respect for tradition. Old doesn't mean "bad", but they don't get it. Everything has to change, I guess...but it's so hard for me. They make me feel more like the old man of this planetary committee more than most signs. And can't we CONSIDER change for a few years before we just wake up one day and do a complete 180? Whatever.

Well, I'm off. Lots to do today. I've been riding John mercilessly to get his taxes done and finish typing the last like four pages of his tarot book's main portion. Doesn't he want to have it done by spring? I can't be too upset, though...he was just named Head High Priest of his community, and received his title officially last month. I was so thrilled when I heard! He's now "father" to this group of men and women, likely a job that will take lots of time and energy. My calm, stable energy will serve him well. And oh yeah...I'm sure the rest of the planetary energies will serve him well, too. [You know I've got to say that or the Sun will sting me.] With all these budgetary difficulties in Europe, I'll be running around like a fat guy at an all you can eat Chinese buffet. I mean, come on, people, can't you spend within your means?!?!

Yours Sincerely,

Saturn

PS: Could you ask your artists not to portray me with a scythe anymore?  I'd like to go with stern and foreboding, but the whole "Angel of Death" look is passé...so Dark Ages and yersinia pestis.