This is a busy week with a mixed bag of tricks. There's a difficult Moon/Mars square, followed by some happy Jupiter aspects, another Pluto-induced crisis, and a Full Moon. The inauguration of the President of the United States happens at noon Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, January 20. That's also the day when a rough-and-ready Aquarian Mars crosses swords as it squares the gentle Taurus Moon. While this Moon/Mars situation is not a total deal breaker, it can indicate unconventional or weird circumstances surrounding the inauguration. The forecast for the rest of the week is mostly sunshine with a chance of thunderstorms on Thursday, January 24. It's sunny skies on Monday, January 21, when Jupiter couples with the Moon and makes a trine to Mercury the next day. This inspiring trio signals that this will be a great week for the new President (or you) to schedule important meetings. The boom lowers on Thursday, January 24, when Pluto has a showdown with the Moon. Although this opposition is a recipe for sudden emotional upsets and possible crises, the good news is that it's only in play for a few days. In the meantime sunny skies are back on Friday, January 24, when the Sun trines lucky Jupiter. The Leo Full Moon on Saturday, January 26, is a signal that the unconscious lunar forces have reached their monthly power peak. The two weeks following this lunar power day are the best times of the month to fast, detox, or get rid of bad habits. The theme of the Leo Full Moon is to find a balance between the needs of the group and your needs within the group. Although Saturn squares this Full Moon, both the Sun and Moon still enjoy good aspects with Jupiter. The mixed alignments this week are like a yellow traffic light: you're good to go, but use caution.

Water is in danger as fracking and the rich seek to control it. As climate change shows people that cattle farming is unsustainable, milk prices may also rise.

I strongly agree regarding the rise of the feminine in the new age.

The Elders say the men should look at women in a sacred way. The men should never put women down or shame them in any way. When we have problems, we should seek their counsel. We should share with them openly. A woman has intuitive thought. She has access to another system of knowledge that few men develop. She can help us understand. We must treat her in a good way.
source: Aboriginal and Tribal Nation News
www.rawforbeauty.com

This "system of knowledge" is biological. I can dig up the videos if requested.. but I listened to a brain specialist doctor to get tips for a healthy brain. He just happened to mention that in the womb, when the gender of the fetus begins to take shape, from the 'genderless' beginning, there is a big wash of hormones which floods the brains of the males. A same type of hormone wash is released during adolescence! It doesn't mean women are better than men. Our biological natures are just DIFFERENT.

Most of us have been sickened by the rape culture that has come to light this past year. That's a huge topic, and one I've spent a lot of time discussing in other forums. It's time for society to put a stop to violence against women. Whatever it takes. The patriarchal time bomb is going to destroy us all, if we don't put an end to it.

I agree that we are equal but different. Now it is time for all to be treated equally and honored for their contribution to the whole. What we are witnessing such as guns, aggression, rape, etc. have of course always been there but now is a time of Change and for things to really change, they must be witnessed and decided upon by the majority, so there it is in our faces. And we must continue to deflect the forces of destruction in order for the new age to succeed. Namaste.

The drought conditions we've seen in the US certainly affect the animal stocks. Last year it was so bad, I read that more animals were being sold for food in order to keep them from starving.

On other shores, they have been breeding cattle to compensate. Have you seen these?

Rainforest Alliance ‏@RnfrstAlliance

Cattle ranches are responsible for 3/4 of all forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon & 18% of global GHG emissions
http://ow.ly/h7Z1b #cattle
Retweeted by Mike Millard

"We" waste too much food. I've addressed this in my own shopping habits. I rarely have to throw anything out since gaining the awareness.

January 27-February 2, 2013

Because Jupiter changes direction and both Mars and Venus change zodiac signs to the tune of an easy Sun/Moon trine, this week looks like it's a good time for you to make some changes. It starts off on Wednesday, January 30, when Jupiter ends its retrograde and moves into forward gear. This positive movement is a sign of growth and increase. The Sun/Moon air trine on Thursday, January 31, adds Aquarian innovation and Libran vision to this bit of Jupiter luck. Unfortunately the bad fairy crashes the party on Friday, February 1, when fiery Mars enters the hidden waters of Pisces. When a fiery planet like Mars enters a water sign, it creates a dangerous situation because water puts out fire. The aggressive energy of Mars goes underwater, where it is famous for hidden strategies, secret plans, and passive-aggressive behavior. This difficult dynamic will continue for the next six weeks. On that same day, February 1, Venus also changes sign and enters cool-headed Aquarius, so futuristic ideas and altruistic ideals will be on the front burner for the next month. Venus/Aquarius is a calming counterpoint to the Mars/Pisces combination and will help to keep things from reaching the boiling point.

February 3-9 2013

The new this week includes a dangerous Pisces trio, a sign change for Mercury, and some helpful advice from Saturn. Danger is still in the air from the passive-aggressive energies of Mars in Pisces as it meets up with shadowy Neptune on Monday, February 4. For the most evolved souls among us this alignment may serve to strengthen spiritual muscles; for the rest of us this can be a week when fears run rampant and send us looking for the nearest guilty pleasure to ease the pain. Because Pisces rules the unseen world, this Mars/Neptune alignment carries a warning label to be extra careful around drugs, alcohol, and other harmful chemical or toxic gases. Mercury puts its two cents into this mix on Tuesday, February 5, when it joins the Pisces show and communications turn to pea soup. Reasonable Mercury is the most uncomfortable in emotional Pisces of all the zodiac signs. That's a crying shame, because due to a retrograde later on this month, Mercury's murky trek through Pisces will be extended from three weeks to over two months. A square from Jupiter to this Mercury/Mars/Neptune trio on Saturday, February 9, makes it even easier to shut our eyes to reality and to be infused with a magical, if unrealistic, optimism. The planetary antidote for making sense of all this confusion is (surprise) poor old much-maligned Saturn. The best of Saturn in Scorpio is like a Navy SEAL: unbelievably tough, brave, and willing to take risks in confusing and dangerous waters. If you use this side of Saturn, you'll be cool enough to see through the Pisces veil of illusions and denial and tough enough to get the job done.

I really like about this book is that it has the Ephemeris in the back. It also shows a calendar with each day's transits. This should allow me to FINALLY learn how to read an Ephemeris.

It also makes notations of "Opportunity Periods" on the calendar section. I'll post more about these periods later.

For now, I'll just note OPs this week include: (Eastern Times)
3:56 pm on 2/4 Monday - 3:42 pm on 2/5 Tuesday
6:34 am on 2/11 Monday - 2:15 pm on 2/12 Tuesday

I'm still learning to read the symbols and calendars. So, there is room for improvement in the way I'm posting these.

February 10-16, 2013

Fireworks are on tap this week when the New Moon on Sunday, February 10, welcomes in the Chinese Year of the Fire Snake {It is the year of the Black (Water) Snake. But, the Snake is a Fire symbol.} In Chinese astrology the new year is always celebrated at the Aquarius New Moon. The date for Chinese New Year is different every year, because the Aquarius New Moon takes place on different days and sometimes even in different months. Besides being the Year of the Fire Snake, 2013 is also a Water year in Chinese astrology. Because feminine Water puts out Fire, the masculine power of the Fire Snake is said to be weak this year. How this will play out is anyone's guess, but the Fire Snake/Water year combination is exactly in synch with the concept put forth in this year's overview: 2013 is a year when the masculine/yang tide is waning and the feminine/;yin is increasing. The Aquarius New Moon signifies a time when the unconscious lunar forces are dark and at a monthly low. Since all seeds have a better chance of sprouting when the Moon is waxing, the two weeks following the New Moon are the best times of the month for any kind of groundbreaking start-up. Be sure to sign all papers to get any new project up and running before the Mercury retrograde next Saturday, February 23.


Bahraini women defy police

Last edited Sat Feb 16, 2013, 02:37 PM - Edit history (1)

Thanks for bringing it to my attention, it's a great book, especially for someone like me of little knowledge. I also like having the book in my hand, as I do with Mr. Excitements book "The Exquisite Zodiac". Here's to hoping that these books are made with recycled material.

I feel the same way. It feels like a primer for those of us who are daunted by a *real* ephemeris.

I'm glad you love it!

lol

recycled? oops? I dunno!

February 17-23, 2013

This week features a sign change for the Sun that takes you out of your head and into your heart, as well as directional changes for both Saturn and Mercury that have warnings for new projects. This week the fiery Sun adds more fuel to the fire-under-water idea when it dives into the emotional depths of Pisces on Monday, February 18. This movement indicates a shift toward using (or being used by) your sixth sense for the next month. Although the Sun in Pisces is at its most positive when engaged in compassionate service, spirituality, and the creative arts, it also brings to the fore a big fantasy factor, including all forms of addiction and escapism. On the same day the Sun enters Pisces, February 18, Saturn turns retrograde for the next five months. This U-turn indicates that at some time between now and July it would be best to review and reassess your accomplishments. Since you are going to be looking backwards, this is not the time to take on any new projects and especially any unnecessary responsibilities. If you've made commitments that are not in your best interest, this is the time to back out gracefully. On Thursday, February 21, the Pisces Sun merges with the ruler of Pisces, Neptune, which doubles the Pisces vibration mentioned earlier. Then on Saturday, February 23, Mercury follows Saturn's lead when it turns retrograde for the first time this year. Mercury will retrograde three times this year, in February, June, and October. All retrogrades signal a time-out. If you're a Type A personality who considers that unthinkable, then make sure that whatever you're doing during a Mercury retrograde starts with the prefix "re", as in rethink, refine, or repair. Since you'll be in redo mode, the next three week are not good days to start something new or sign important papers. This retrograde stalls Mercury and will add another seven weeks to the time it will be slogging through the murky waters of emotional Pisces.

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OP: An Opportunity Period (OP) is a period in which the aspects of the transiting Moon to other transiting planets show no interference with the free flow of decision and action.

2/21 - After Moon trines Mars today until Moon enters Leo on Friday. We can be highly productive as long as we're following through on projects begun before February 18.

2/23 - After Moon squares Saturn today until v/c Moon on Sunday. A wonderful time for dealing with people.

February 24 - March 2

Busy, busy. Besides the continuing Mercury retrograde, there's a hypersensitive Full Moon, a foggy Venus/Neptune aspect, plus a Sun/Moon trine to make you smile this week. Because Mercury is retrograde, communications are on the hot seat. Don't be surprised if electronic equipment and gadgets seem to be full of little gremlins that make your life difficult. Expect misunderstandings, missed calls, texts routed into cyberspace, and appointment mix-ups to be as common as cold. But Tuesday, February 26, is the real problem child of the week when Mercury backs up and merges with red-hot Mars, and you will see tempers flare. There is a Full Moon on Monday, February 25, in Virgo. The theme of the Virgo Full Moon is to find the delicate balance between being hypersensitive and obsessive-compulsive. As hard as that may be, this Full Moon also comes with a particular challenge because the Sun/Moon are both involved in a T-square with Jupiter. Because Sun/Moon/Jupiter are in flexible signs, this T-square is not as difficult as it sounds. You will have a choice to either (a) make changes in your life or (b) go completely off the rails. In general, every Full Moon signifies the time of the month when the lunar or unconscious forces are at the peak of their power. The two weeks following the Full Moon are good times to wrap things up, get rid of bad habits, and put the finishing touches on projects that are in the works. Later that same day, February 25, ladylike Venus enters feminine Pisces, where it will be an honored guest for the next four weeks. Then on Thursday, February 28, enchanting Venus teams up with dreamy Neptune, which ramps up romance, spirituality, artistic creativity, and feelings of compassion. Unfortunately this is also a time to watch your wallet, because this position indicates a nebulous approach to money. Hands down the calmest day of this week is Saturday, March 2, when the Sun and Moon/Saturn form an emotional water trine. Take advantage of this sweet alignment and make plans to visit a spa, go on a retreat, or get away for a romantic weekend.

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OPs:
Saturday 3/2 - After Moon conjoins Saturn today until v/c Moon on Sunday. Focus on on projects you had already begun, and get a lot done.