Sunday, August 29, 2010

Full Moon in Pisces, Venus Max and Mercury Retrograde too!



August is so full of astrological, astronomical and astrodynamical happenings! Three more, then September is here!

Full moon in 1 Pisces, (the fish) on the 24th was an apogee moon, smaller than normal, and 15% smaller than the supermoon perigee. Pisces, as Virgo’s opposite, lives in the realm of Spirit and ideals rather than the mundane. Pisces opens the door to the worlds that lie within the soul and psyche. Virgo is practical and teaches us to create order, Pisces transcends everyday reality and ascends into more soulful experiences. Neither is better than the other– with the opposition- Sun in Virgo, Moon in Pisces- we must learn to create balance and integration.

Then there was the beginning of Mercury Retrograde on the 20th, which really started 3 days prior, on the 17th- I know because this is when my trusty car did not start! (Yes, it was a fuel pump) This will last until Sept 12... 3 weeks, as usual. This year just happens to have 4 Mercury Retrogrades, instead of 3, just like last year! Lucky us!

This new Venus Max cycle gets started with Venus as evening star (Venus Vesper or Venus Hesperus) reaching the maximum elongation east of the Sun at 12° Libra on the 20th (conjunct Mars and also in the middle of the Great 2010 T-Square/Grand Cross, AND same day as Mercury Retrograde beginning). Look into the western sky in the evening to see Venus- in Colorado, this is above the mountains... easy to find. This cycle lasts into next year, ending with Venus as the morning star.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Friday the 13th


"Boy, 13, hit by lightning on Friday 13th at 13.13pm"- headline from UK newspaper today!
Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky by Many, Lucky by Some?
Many beliefs and superstitions have come down through the ages. The most widespread one is that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. There are people who refuse to start anything new, make a decision or even step out of the house, or bed on Friday the 13th. There are mixed feelings about the combination of Friday and the 13th. Many people consider the date 13 unlucky, while even the day Friday is considered unlucky. Friday has been debated upon since ancient times—being considered both lucky and unlucky. The sixth day of the week was dedicated to Venus by the ancient Romans. Later, this was adopted by the Norsemen. However, their translation for Venus was Frigg or Freya, Goddess of fertility and motherhood, and this gave rise to the name Friday. Soon, Friday came to be considered the luckiest day of the week. On the other hand, Friday was considered an unlucky day from a religious viewpoint, according to incidents in the Bible. Legend says that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit on a Friday, they also died on a Friday. The Great Flood and the confusion at the Tower of Babel are believed to have begun on Fridays. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was the thirteenth guest at the Last Supper. It is also believed that Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday. The combination of Friday and thirteen gave rise to the belief that Friday the 13th was an unlucky day. There were other reasons that made the 13th an unlucky date. The 13th demi-god, Loki, of the Scandinavians was evil, so they believed that 13 was an unlucky number. In ancient times, counting beyond 12 was considered strange, so the number 13 was thought of as unlucky. Ancient beliefs have given rise to superstitions related to days and dates, particularly regarding Friday the 13th. However, beliefs are also colored by individual experiences and perceptions, so while many consider Friday the 13th unlucky, some consider it lucky! Parskavedekatreaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia are two of the longest words in the English language. They are the two terms that are associated with the fear of Friday the 13th. The first word is the clinical term for the phobia, and the second is the fear of the number 13. For centuries, the number 13 has been considered to be unlucky. The Masons, who were feared by many in Europe because of the secrecy of their society held 13 as a sacred number. The early Christian Church believed that 13 was an unlucky number and feared it because they associated it with femininity. Women will usually have 13 menstrual cycles in a year, and the early pagan religions held the number in high regard because of this. Friday has also always been considered as an unlucky day. There are many biblical scholars that believe that Eve gave Adam the fruit on a Friday, Cain killed Able on a Friday, Abraham died on a Friday, and that the world was flooded on a Friday. While there is no proved documentation as to these occurrences happening on a Friday, the fear cannot be denied. It is estimated that $800 - $900 million is lost in business revenues on Friday the 13th because of people not flying or handling business as normal. The British Medical Journal has proved in a study that there is a spike in automobile accidents on Friday the 13th. Modern culture has progressed this fear with the Friday the 13th movie series. The fear that there may be some kind of unwelcome death on this day is prevalent in some people's minds. The fear of Friday the 13th is rooted more in urban legend then in fact. 13, and Friday the 13th, have only been 'unlucky' for 700 years. Before that, they were 'lucky'. Among the reasons the number was sacred: its place in the Fibonacci sequence (1,1,2,3,5,8,13...), Sacred Geometry, which, for reasons unknown to many, the natural world strongly document. Friday was also considered sacred in ancient times. The reason for the change: on Friday, October 13th, 1307, all across Europe, the Knights Templar were summarily executed for sympathizing with pagans (heresy). The entire order was wiped out by Papal decree in the most coordinated military action in history. Now 13 is considered by some Christians to be 'the devil's number'. This, despite the fact that Jesus and his 12 disciples numbered 13 holy men. Unless one believes in a more historical Jesus - in which case, Mary Magdalene makes it 13 disciples. Because of its history, the number 13 has come to be associated with death. For example, a proper noose has 13 wraps in its coil, the steps leading up to a gallows traditionally number 13. So influential was "bloody" Friday the 13th, the majority of skyscrapers do not have a 13th floor. In Florence, Italy, there are no '13' addresses. The houses between 12 and 14 are labeled "12 1/2". 13 is so unlucky, in fact, that dice only roll up to 12, clocks have 12 hours, many foods come in dozens, and even Christmas has only 12 days. All this just so that no one will have to deal with a '13th'. To the ancient Egyptians, life was a quest for spiritual ascension which unfolded in stages - 12 in this life and a 13th beyond, thought to be the eternal afterlife. The number 13 therefore symbolized death - not in terms of dust and decay, but as a glorious and desirable transformation. Though Egyptian civilization perished, the symbolism conferred on the number 13 by its priesthood survived, only to be corrupted by subsequent cultures who came to associate 13 with a fear of death instead of a reverence for the afterlife.
By the way, the 13 year old boy struck by lightening survived- Lucky boy!
How was your Friday the 13th?

Thursday, August 12, 2010

2010 Perseid Peak & Planet Alignment


Perseids and Planets peak tonight beginning at sundown when Venus, Saturn, Mars and the Crescent Moon in the western twilight are aligned in conjunction. All four heavenly bodies will fit in a circle about 10 degrees diameter in the dusky colors of sunset. These planets will hang together in the western sky until 10 pm. When they leave, you should stay, because that is when the Perseid meteor shower begins. From 10 pm until dawn, meteors will fly across the starry sky displaying even more exciting night light than the planetary get-together. These meteors are called Perseids because they fly out of the constellation Perseus, from a point called Radiant. Every August the perseids put on a spectacular light show! Make a wish on a falling star...

Monday, August 9, 2010

New Leo Moon


This New Moon is in Leo! ROAR! In like a lion, out like a lamb...
This is a Supermoon, otherwise known as very influential moon!
According to Richard Nolle of Astropro.com, who originated the term of supermoon:
"After a period of relative calm, this month begins a series of SuperMoons, and the associated surge in headlining powerful storms and seismic activity. The new series starts with the new moon at 17° 25’ Leo on the 10th. This one is, as mentioned earlier, very much in the throes of the 2010 T-Square: Venus and Mars are conjunct Saturn, opposing Jupiter and Uranus, squaring Pluto. The tight Venus-Mars tie-in to this SuperMoon speaks of strong passions – great for a runaway romance or a lusty liaison, not so great in the case of runaway jealousy, hate or avarice. Something to keep in mind in one’s personal life during this particular SuperMoon shock window: sometimes lust turns to bloodlust, which is why Mars and Venus both represent warriors in one culture or another. So it’s probably not a bad idea to keep your cool (and your guard up) during this alignment too. When feelings run high and blood runs hot, it’s no time to be complacent. The Venus and Mars SuperMoon tie-in works on the collective level, as well as the individual. Border clashes, terrorist attacks, hijackings and military confrontations triggered by posturing and propaganda that gets out of control . . . we’re already under a strong Mars pattern early in August, so there are probably a few extra outbursts around the time of the SuperMoon on the 10th.
The August 10 SuperMoon has a wide effective geocosmic shock window, beginning on the 5th as the Moon’s north declination peak approaches; and continuing into the 13th. Expect the usual: unusually strong storms with high winds and heavy precipitation, extreme tidal surges, and of course a raft of newsworthy magnitude 5+ quakes and volcanic eruptions. I suspect that high winds may be this particular SuperMoon’s strong suit – think typhoons and hurricanes, for example - but that’s not to downplay the other correlates.
It’s cosmic in scale and therefore global in scope of course, but the August 10 SuperMoon’s astro-locality map shows a few areas of special vulnerability. These include a horizon arc that runs through the Pacific Northwest and the east African coast, and a couple of longitudinal arcs from the southern tip of Greenland through eastern Brazil in the western hemisphere and from Siberia due south down through central Australia in the eastern hemisphere. Do not feel complacent if you’re not in one of these zones during the August 5-13 geocosmic shock window. The skies, seas and crust of the whole planet respond to a SuperMoon, so there’s not place that’s completely off the target list. Being ready for heavy weather should be de rigueur at times like this. If traveling, be aware of the likelihood that schedules will be disrupted by weather-related delays – especially with the Mercury Max going on at the time. Have alternatives, double-check everything!"

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

CME, Solar Flares

Check out spaceweather.com as well as NASA website- we are in the solar tsunami today! It is a G-3 class Geomagnetic Storm! This will cause some colorful Auroras in the north, but the rest of us have to watch out for extreme sunburns! I have been wanting to blog about the dangers of our sun in this situation, and here we are...
Some of my friends have had cancers taken off their skin recently, they are lucky- all was removed, many people are not so lucky. Please get a skin check up, yearly, if possible. Develop melanin slowly, by tanning a little each day to build up the pigment in your skin, and stay out of the sun during days like today when a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) from the sun is occurring. See right side of this blog for daily updates on the sun, moon, earth, as this is Very Important to us all!