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Saturn Square Pluto: Reflections on 2009 and the start of 2010!

At my first yoga class of 2010, one of my favourite yoga instructors relayed a story I think quite appropriate for 2009. She was at a yoga class herself just before the New Year and the teacher in the middle of a deep quad stretch said "Just let all the tension from 2009 rip through your quads and release itself! Because I don't know anyone who didn't have their guts ripped out and handed to them in 2009!" 

And that my friends, just says it all.

What a first week of 2010 it's been! I feel like a month has gone by already myself! I keep thinking what is creating these perfect storms that seem to be happening for so many? Is it really the combination of both Mars and Mercury retrograde combined with the eclipses? Perhaps it is, and also I realized perhaps it's the addition of the dreaded triangle of "Saturn Square Pluto" aspects that just began in 2009 on November 15th. This challenging aspect between the God of Tradition & Structure (Saturn) and the God of Gut Wrenching Change (Pluto) will happen again two more times exactly on January 31st, and then finally on August 21st! 

These aspects should not be taken lightly. Challenging Saturn Pluto aspects usually indicates a time of general strife around the world (911 happened during the last period of Saturn Opposing Pluto) if it hits any sensitive area in a person's chart, it can indicate a time where Nothing Goes Right, and you're in the middle of a situation where forces larger that you are controlling a very important aspect of your life and you have no power over this. I think this in addition to the Mars/Mercury Retrograde we're in now, where finding Direction and Action is very hard, it will feel to many like they are in a No-Win situation and do not know which way to turn. 

I know that I've felt this way about an area of my life (and I know others who are also in the same situation feel the same way), and already it's been a challenging time trying to figure out what to DO. I think this is especially hard because the planets are not helping us find a way out . . . just yet that is! I think much more will change over the rest of January even, what with the Lunar Eclipse on the 15th, Mercury going Direct on the 15th as well, and also now this Saturn Square Pluto at the end of the month on the 31st which will also coincide very closely to a full moon on the 30th! 

All of this is just another reason that I've scrapped New Year's Resolutions at the moment! I'm putting them all on hold until the Equinox in March, when the start of a New Zodiac cycle will begin! At that point Mars will be moving direct again and perhaps, hopefully we will gain a bit more clarity on the right direction of what to do and where to go in 2010!

In the meantime, I've decided the only way for me to "go with the flow" with all this Retrograde energy is to practice my inversions in yoga! I have been working on getting into headstand from crow and more successfully than I have in the past! It's been giving me a new perspective on things--and perhaps during this time of change it's the only perspective to have!

Posted by Sasha at 1/9/2010 11:39 AM | Add Comment

Happy New Year! Here's to 2010!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year as we're on the last few hours of 2009 and we just recently had a lunar eclipse on this Blue Moon this afternoon (EST) around 2 pm! Did everyone feel it? I did and I was even just at the office! So much has changed in the past month and with this lunar eclipse ushering in 2010 and another eclipse, this time a solar one on January 15th there will most likely be lots more change before we hit the Spring Equinox! 

Want to also say that for those (including myself) who've had a horribly challenging month with drastic change, that sometimes things are beyond your control and it's futile to resist (isn't that a line from a movie? I think it is!). I'm not one for making new year's resolutions this year given the Mercury and Mars retrograde. In fact, I am taking my cue from their retrograde motion and celebrating my New Year's at a retro themed prohibition era party this year! 

I hope whatever you do, take a deep breath, breathe, and let go of 2009 and let in 2010, and recognize that we may have lots of waves of changes to surf this coming year so get ready!

Posted by Sasha at 12/31/2009 9:59 PM | Add Comment

Ho Ho Ho! It's Mars Retrograde and Holiday Smackaround with the Travel Plans!

Yes, Mars went officially Retrograde on Sunday December 20th at 8:27 am in New York. Anyone who lives here who hoped to be leaving for loved ones on a flight was brutally reminded that the universe sometimes has "other" plans for us. Which can include having our flight delayed for days (mine was to be on the 19th and according to Delta, they cannot get me to Oregon until the 24th). 

I should have known to book that flight on Friday instead of Saturday! Astrologically it's always wise when a planet is turning retrograde to clear at least 2 days before or after from anything majorly important in one's life. Especially if it has to do with action and motion if you're dealing with a Mars Retrograde. I thought I could squeak in under the wire and fly out on Saturday. Nope! A major Nor'easter had to roll on in! 

Not to complain or anything but it will most likely take me 14 hours door-to-door to get home to Oregon. All that for three whole days, and then I will have to repeat said 14 hour process to get back to New York. Technically I think I could get a direct flight to India for that time. But it's what we do for jolly old Santa Claus right? 

This is where I sometimes wish I were Jewish or at the very least didn't live so far away from my family. Most people don't "hang out" with their friends for Christmas, which makes staying in New York a big drag if you're single. I've done it before and let me tell you nothing is open except maybe a Chinese takeout restaurant. If I were Jewish, of course this all wouldn't be an issue at all. 

Don't even get me started on how the rest of the month has been (can we say MASSIVE CHANGE on December the 1st when Uranus went direct very close to the full moon the next day) or how it will end (can't wait for Mercury to go Retrograde on the 26th and to have that eclipse on the full moon on the 31st)! Could someone put me into a deep coma and wake me when this is all over? Seriously! I would pay good money to not have experienced December 1st onwards. Yes, it's been that bad. But I can't disclose details as don't they make you sign something where you work saying you won't talk about it? Answer: yes they do! 

I'm sure there's a silver lining here somewhere. I'm just not sure where it is. Maybe I'll find it once Mars turns direct on March 10th. Wow that's a long time from now! I guess sometimes one's "just deserts" don't come immediately and this year, we may have to wait until Spring to see anything good come from the time from October 17 until this past Sunday the 20th. It's a dark time of year right now, and we know who's been naughty and who's been nice, but Santa may come down the chimney this Spring instead of this Christmas. 

In the meantime don't expect easy solutions, quick answers, or even a flight out of town. 


Posted by Sasha at 12/21/2009 8:48 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Breaking News: Two World Collide!

I normally don't post entries on news events, but this one may change the nature of our understanding the universe. It has been reported that today the Large Hadron Collider successfully managed to collide several particles!

This is exciting not just because my mother thinks this research will discover the existence of other dimensions, but because even if it doesn't very well do that, it supposedly will elucidate the nature of the universe, recreating the Big Bang!

How often do you get that for 10 Billion dollars?!? We spent 787 billion just on the US Economic Stimulus package alone last year, and did it even do anything? We certainly didn't get hard core answers about the nature of the universe from that (although we might have gotten hard core answers about the nature of politics). 

I applaud CERN for putting money on something that actually might change up the game plan for us as human beings. Perhaps God can now be proven once and for all! Although, I will say that if this little collider does produce some strangelets or a pocket size black hole I am rather glad that the local Swiss will be testing the safety of this new knowledge before it gets to us! 

Posted by Sasha at 11/24/2009 12:15 AM | Add Comment

Countdown to 2010 and to the Mercury/Mars Retrograde plus Bonus New Year's Eclipse!

If anyone feels like there's a lot to do this year before the holidays, you're not alone! I always feel the time right before a planet goes retrograde often feels speeded up. As if everyone knows there's some sort of deadline that is approaching and is trying to get things wrapped up before the planet takes its tour back through the zodiac. This year, in addition to wrapping presents for the holidays, one will be feeling the need to wrap things up before the next Mercury Retrograde comes around on December 26th that lasts until we're into the New Year to January 15th, 2010.

Everyone always says to me when I tell them Mercury Retrograde is coming around,  "Again?!!" "Didn't we just have one?"Mercury does indeed go Retrograde three times a year. And this year it's not just Mercury going retrograde for our New Year's but also Mars will start walking backwards on December the 20th. I had joked earlier this year that if you wanted to take a silent retreat, the week of coming New Year's would be a great time! And I still agree! Plus to make things even more interesting, we will be having a lunar eclipse on December 31st! Bonus Points!!! Eclipses always bring change, especially lunar ones, so I can imagine with two major planets walking backwards and an eclipse around New Year's we will not be feeling like moving forwards about anything, although some interesting events and perhaps some Epiphanies may transpire around this time. If you want to view this eclipse, you may have to take a trip to EurAsia or parts of Africa as it won't be visible in North America.  But don't worry--you'll feel the affects of it anyhow! We all will!

I will be going into more detail later about what exactly TO DO during this combo Merc/Mars Retro experience. Those of us with TO DO lists may feel a tad stymied. But in general anything with a Re-- in front of it is a good thing to do during retrogrades: relax, reflect, relieve, reposition, reconfigure, redesign, and lastly but most importantly: renew! So while this New Year's may not be outwardly spectacular with fireworks, internally it's a great time to start anew! Think of this year's new year, as the start of a new you: one that may take a little time to figure out, but I think it will be a great year for many changes!

Posted by Sasha at 11/23/2009 1:20 AM | Add Comment

Fall Foreshadowing of Things To Come in 2010!

Some of you may be well aware that  we have a Mars retrograde coming up at the end of this year right in time for the holidays starting on December 20th at 19 degrees Leo. What many of you may not also know is that as Mars will return to almost 0 degrees Leo, that the "affects" of this Retrograde will start even before the actual Retrograde itself will happen. It's called "foreshadowing" in literary plots and can have the same affect in our lives as well. 

And today, October 17th, marks the beginning of this "foreshadowing" period as early this morning we hit the exact mark to which Mars will later regress to on March 9, 2010. And just as Mars will be at 19 degrees Leo at December 20th, so will it also finally return to that mark on May 18, 2010. 

So what does this all mean? It means that we are about ready to have a big theme come up in our lives that will most likely go through various transformations or dramas that will more or less start from around now to fully resolving itself in May of next year. Yes, that is a long time folks so get ready! The last time Mars went Retrograde was in November of 2007 in Cancer and it coinciding not coincidentally with the Writer's Strike, as Cancer is a sign often associated with literary endeavors that have to do with the myth and dramas of human life. And not coincidentally the Writer's Strike resolved itself during the post retrograde shadow finishing up the cycle. 

Whether or not this Mars Retrograde in Leo will affect issues with artists and children or leaders or other areas ruled by Leo, the Creative King of the Jungle, on a world scale has yet to be seen. But it will affect individuals who have planets or their Asc or Midheaven in Leo the most. Wherever Leo is in your chart is about to experience a total overhaul. But as with most renovations, especially with a Mars one, things usually get messier before they turn into the new form. So once the Full Retrograde starts on December 20th, don't expect to move forwards with any new plans until March 9th. If you have a To-Do list with major items on it, try and get those done before the holidays, then you can sit back through the Winter months process, reprocessing, and seeing what will happen during the transformation time of Mars Retrograde and then when Spring comes perhaps a new, more creative, more loving, you will return just as the flowers and other plants will be returning to full flower as well!

Posted by Sasha at 10/17/2009 1:05 PM | Add Comment

Down the Rabbit Hole, or in Other Words It's Mercury Retrograde!

On my vacation several weeks ago I found myself on a placid lake, looking at the waters, reflective almost like a mirror, where a boat named "The White Rabbit" was docked. Lately I have been feeling like I fell down some kind of Rabbit Hole and like Alice in Wonderland have been wandering around in some alternate universe where nothing seems to more forward and nothing can be accomplished and the Red Queen is screaming "Off with her Head!" and absurdities abound. How did this happen? Well, it's Mercury Retrograde Time (let's call it MRT for short), and during MRT it often seems as if one has passed through the other side of a mirror and things are going on backwards, or at least not the normal way that they should. There IS good reason for this, although one wouldn't realize it. And that is that Mercury the planet, rules Mercury the metal, and in fact mirrors for many hundreds of years in the past used to be made with Mercury, because of it's liquid reflective quality. In fact, some mirrors for telescopes still use liquid mercury today!

So the analogy of falling down a rabbit hole on the other side of a mirror as a metaphor for what it's like during MRT is in fact not a bad metaphor at all. So how long has this been going on may you ask and when will I stop encountering Mad Hatters? Well we descended into this MRT on September 7th and we shall emerge on September 29th. So it shan't be long now! Many have been having a hard time this Mercury Retrograde, what with the Saturn/Uranus Opposition combined with the Sun conjuncting Saturn, affecting last week and this past weekend in particular. I found this aspect to affect many individuals greatly and some not so much. Some people were just mildly peeved, whereas others had to embark on journey's to reclaim property from ex's in another state, and some people even had to journey to other countries to try and reclaim children taken by their ex-spouses. Indeed some have had to face a journey more Herculean than Alice in Wonderland.  I think those with stressful aspects of the Saturn/Uranus opposition had a harder time of it than others. Although it does seem like there is some sort of theme of "journey" to "another place" where one tries to "reclaim" something that is/was once theirs, whether physical property or relative, or even something less concrete, like a former idea, or state of mind, or even spiritual peace. Those of you on journeys like this will most likely already be there, traveling, or may have even finished traveling by now, but the journey is not yet over as Mercury Retrograde is not yet over. 

Also Jupiter is in a very loose conjunction with Neptune right now, and in fact BOTH of those planets are Retrograde adding to the enhancement that this is a time where a type of Spiritual Journey is taking place. You may come back from a trip like I did, only to find yourself mildly ill with a seasonal cold and be "forced" so to speak to slow down and retreat again. You're being asked to sit back and process your life right now, not move forward, even if that's what you want. There will be plenty of time for moving forwards in October, but for now you are behind the mirror, on a curiouser and curiouser journey and hopefully come next week will know how to slowly climb back up out of the Rabbit Hole. 

I had planned for months to go on vacation just before this MRT started and continuing a week into the MRT. It was an interesting experience because I think, contrary to what many astrologers say about recommending that one not travel during this time, I actually think it can be a good time to leave one's normal routine, precisely because it favors re-laxation, re-flection, and anything with a re: in front of it. It might not be the best time for an active filled sporting vacation or a business trip, but if it's a reflective type of vacation then in fact I think it's favored. Because you might not be getting much done if you weren't on vacation anyhow. Of interesting note, I chose a book called "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami for my trip, and without giving too much away, it was a good novel for a MRT as the main character ended up down a well for a good portion of the time because it allowed him the ability to enter another type of parallel world and accomplish work that he needed to do there. Nothing could be a better metaphor for MRT than spending time down a well in order to contact a kind of spirit world to resolve things that can only be resolved in that world yet it affects the "real" world "above."

So I will leave you to attend your final Mad Hatter Tea Parties in the last week of this MRT: remember to savor this time as sometimes our "unproductive" and "reflective" time can give us great rewards in the future that we cannot foresee until later!


Posted by Sasha at 9/21/2009 8:13 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Holy Crap! Trinity of Eclipses Ahead!

Oh Boy! Are we in for it! I can feel change coming down the line like a train coming down the tracks. And with three, instead of just the normal two, eclipses coming up in the month ahead I really don't know what things are going to look like once we hit mid to late August I think there will be so much change. I see precursors everywhere. My computer dying in an early fireworks display Saturday morning on the 4th (thank goodness for old backup computers that I never got rid of), changes at work that are scheduled to take place later this month, friends cars suddenly dying. Even the New York Public library's compuer system isn't working correctly. It's like the eclipse is already here although technically the first lunar eclipse will take place on Tuesday July 7th. Our next Solar Eclipse will be July 22nd, and finally another lunar eclipse on August 6th. 

Of note is that we're starting in on eclipses that are in the Cancer/Capricorn signs. For the last two years the eclipses have been in the Leo/Aquarius arena, and indeed we will have a final Leo/Aquarius eclipse on August 5th--kind of like a send-off into the new territory: by then I'm sure we'll have our hands full with what comes in July: a precursor to what the next couple of years of eclipses will be about. 

I'm not sure if it's just that the Leo/Aquarius eclipses didn't hit specific areas of my chart or it's that the fire/air combination was easier to handle but I find eclipses in Water signs can be very emotional because the change can hit so close to home. For instance I was let go from a job that I'd had for a very long time when there was an eclipse in the Fall of 2006 that fell in my 10th house of career. But also the eclipse was in Pisces, so it was a super big emotional change that involved letting go of where I was and moving on to a new start. I sense similar themes like that happening now just in the fact that Cancer is about home and family and Capricorn is about career and public image wherever they fall in your chart. It's a Water/Earth dynamic and change with these two can bring emotional tsunami's and earthquakes if the change is big enough.

Perhaps many will have an unexpected move, buy a house, start a family, maybe even get married way sooner than they expected. Some may change careers or have them changed for them. In the last eclipse cycle I saw a friend get offered a relocation to a completely new city on the solar eclipse, having her keep a contract for around 3 years to stay there. With the economy the way it is, she took it, and within two months had moved permanently. So a lot that happens on these eclipses can take effect in the next couple of months and have ramifications for several years to come. 

Even though I missed the fireworks this year, I shouldn't be dissapointed. All I have to do is sit back and watch the major changes coming up unfold and that will be plenty for a while! 

Posted by Sasha at 7/5/2009 11:40 PM | Add Comment

A Change of Cards, A look at the "Shadow" of Mercury Retrograde!

I know this posting is a little past the start of the latest Mercury Retrograde Cycle, but I think it's a good time to look back at what's happened since May 6th, when Mercury started it's Retrograde Cycle. Especially important I think is looking at the "Shadow", the time before Mercury goes direct which is the degree to which Mercury will return in the retrograde cycle. The reason this is important is because it almost always seems like events that happen pre-retrograde in this shadow will somehow change during the actual retrograde cycle. It's almost like you're playing a game of cards and suddenly mid-game you find the cards in your hand have actually changed, and it's like you're playing a different game than the one you started. . .

So let's go back in time to this "Shadow" period, which was between April 23rd and May 6th. I have two wonderful examples that I've seen that illustrate this example of how the "Shadow" period relates to the actual Retrograde period. One friend had been looking to buy a place, and in fact during this pre-retro period had even put down an offer and it had been accepted! She wrote a check and was waiting for the seller to officially sign the contract. Then comes Mercury Retrograde, after May 6th, and lo and behold the seller changes their mind! And the game has completely changed!

Another friend managed to get a job offer even before the "Shadow" period. But during the "Shadow" she actually started the job! Some astrologers would say this would be O.K. given that she actually started before Mercury went Retrograde, but it's usually the "Shadow" period that shows were most of the game changes are going to occur! Sure enough, when Mercury went retro, the job she thought was going to be so good, fell apart pretty quickly and it was like the original job as advertised was never going to materialize, and circumstances beyond her control left her to now re-look for a new position!

This particular Mercury Retrograde is coming to a close soon. . . by the end of the day on Saturday, May 30th, Mercury will have gone direct again at 22 degrees Taurus, and will slowly return through that Shadow period until June 17th, this time with a knowledge of what the REAL game is! So while most likely many already have had their cards switched up on them and found themselves sitting at the craps table vs the high roller table they thought they were at, things still can switch up through Saturday. After that most likely things will be on more steady ground, and you'll find out what cards you need to play for the next three months! 


Posted by Sasha at 5/25/2009 8:47 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Venus Retrograde: It's not Over til it's Over!

We're almost finished with this Venus Retrograde: but it's important to point out, it's not over yet! There always seem to be points in the Retrograde cycle where I think things can't still be going backwards, miscommunications and horrors of all kinds can't still be happening, and more surprises aren't on the way. But then I realize that in fact, Venus is still going backwards: that we're not done yet! Although it may not make a lot of degree progress backwards, so that for all intensive purposes it's almost stationary, for the next week, until April 17th, Venus is indeed still not making any progress forwards and is in fact going backwards. It's an important thing to remind yourself because there have been some intensely cathartic aspects that may make one feel that you're in the clear. On March 27th Venus Conjuncted the Sun during the retrograde cycle: this usually is a point that gives us great insight into what this particular retrograde cycle is about for us. Oftentimes it's a turning point, where some information is found out and realizations occur about what your values are compared to the values of someone else. Sometimes an ethical choice is presented to one and one has to decide where one stands with a particular situation. It might then seem like things would take a turn for the better: at least I thought they might in my life at that date. However, the rest of Venus retrograde is still playing itself out: it's not done yet. And I knew that for sure when on April 2nd-3rd Venus squared Pluto and the reconciliation with a friend that I thought had happened at the Venus conjunct Sun point, was blown out of the water and as it turns out, such a lack of humanness was shown that I realize I cannot be friends with this person anymore. 

So even though there are only 7 days left: remember that Venus is still in reflection mode where it's best not to move forwards on any decisions regarding your love life, but it's better to simply re-evaluate your values and what it is that you want in your life. I find that once Venus goes direct, things will clear up. It may take til May 20th, another month later, when we've finished with the "shadow" but come the end of next week thing may really be looking up. In the meantime don't assume anything, especially in regards to relationships, for things are not as they seem, and although we may not like it, it's not over til it's over. 

Posted by Sasha at 4/11/2009 3:44 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment
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