2008 December : Big Sky AstroBlog

Dec

29

If you’re a tired, graying, middle-aged hostess who’s just run out of beer, you’ll be glad you invited Adrian Grenier to your party.

Cyber-cupcakes aren’t quite as satisfying as the real thing.

Looks as though I’ll have to give up my dream of starring in a remake of Hee-Haw.

Sometimes, you catch a break.

I laughed in the face of conventional astrological wisdom and bought a computer on the day Mercury turned retrograde – and yet, I continue to breathe and the world to spin upon its axis. (Pinky and I are very happy together.)

Signing copies of your book is a lot more fun than cleaning bathrooms. And, there are in fact ways of misspelling my name that I’d never encountered before.

Feeling good is more fun than writing well.

Skunks can really eat a lot of kibble.

Beds aren’t necessarily as harmless as they look.

In New Zealand one says “photocopies” instead of simply “copies” – and it’s not so easy to find a place to make them in downtown Auckland.

Everything that is utterly fabulous about NZ – the people, the scenery, the outstanding dairy products – comes with a price: tediously winding 2-land highways.

Even having the flu can feel like a vacation when you’re four time zones from home.

Not even Pluto in Sagittarius (or the Bush II administration) can last forever.

Sometimes, you catch a break.

Thanks for reading the Big Sky AstroBlog in 2008,
and warmest wishes for a bright and prosperous 2009.

December 29, 2008 | 2 Comments

Dec

17

It’s a function of my striving, discontented, and cantankerous disposition that I generally ignore pleasant transiting aspects to my chart (and for that matter – and to their disappointment – my clients’ charts). I tend to focus on what’s uncomfortable, on whatever isn’t working; basically, if it’s not a conjunction, a square, or on opposition involving a fairly nasty outer planet, I can’t be bothered.

Which is why quiet moments of peace, contentment, and happiness tend to take me by surprise. Take this week, for example. As I wrote to an astrologer friend the other day, “I know this Full Moon was supposed to suck, but I’ve been loving it – so happy! so productive!” Because I’ve been up to my elbows in website work for a couple of months and for the most part ignoring astrology, I had completely failed to notice Jupiter moving into the last degrees of Capricorn, closing in on my natal Saturn at 25 degrees. And that’s the transit that tells the whole story, really.

I tend to regard Jupiter transits as brief but delicious bursts of blessings. I enjoy them, as I would a bon-bon, but I don’t get too invested in them; they’re over too quickly, and the good vibes don’t tend to last. To my mind, Jupiter transits can’t compare to juicy, main-course fare like Pluto transits that unfold at an agonizing pace, giving you plenty of time to marinate in the horror. Rather, Jupiter’s transits are like love letters traced in the sand just before a wave comes in and washes them away – enjoy them while you can, because they disappear a lot more quickly than you’d like.

I feel a bit ripped off, having been born with Saturn conjunct Jupiter. The two are forever locked in a epic battle for supremacy over my temperament, and since Saturn is very strong in my chart I rarely get to a chance to sample Jupiter’s delights without Saturn standing over my shoulder tsk-tsking. But right now – however temporarily – Jupiter has the edge, and I’m enjoying this transit, I really am. I’m working a lot, but I’m enjoying the work. These days, in fact, I feel blessed to have the work. My Saturnine baggage feels lighter, like when I was a kid and there were still grownups around to carry some of that load for me. I feel, on some peculiar level… healed.

In another corner of my chart my Pluto/Venus transit is just beginning in earnest, so I may be singing a different tune in the coming year. But for now I’ll accept my little pre-solstice Jupiter gift with thanks, and Pluto will just have to wait his turn.

Count your blessings, and share ‘em in comments!

December 17, 2008 | 7 Comments

Dec

11

Tomorrow’s Full Moon in Gemini comes with a tough chart – the Sun/Moon opposition is square Saturn and Uranus. And as I’ve been making the holiday rounds this week catching up with friends, that configuration pretty much describes the story I’m hearing over and over again: a whole lot of people out there are having a devil of a time making ends meet. And most of the ones who are okay are a bit nervous, and feeling something akin to survivor’s guilt.

Me, I’m feeling pretty festive. As I wrote in a message to my mailing list today,

Normally I don’t much like the holiday season, but this year I’m sort of cheerily enjoying it all. I’m baking a lot, for instance, and while I bake I hum Christmas carols. This is really not my style. This is June Cleaver‘s style. But it seems that when times get tough, those of us with a strong Saturn in our birth charts get weirdly happy.

Too happy, in fact, to sit down and write a new article for tomorrow’s Full Moon in Gemini (8:37 am PST/11:37 am EST). So I’ve reposted an old piece I hope you’ll enjoy:

The Human Touch

Although I have complicated feelings about the holiday season, I still embrace certain traditions of the Christmas I grew up with. My favorite holiday ritual by far is sending Christmas cards, a tradition that’s increasingly fallen out of favor. And that’s a shame, because these little missives are potentially much more than a way to improve Hallmark’s bottom line: they’re a way to convey the human touch during a season that’s all too often lacking in that kind of thing…. read the full article here

December 11, 2008 | 1 Comment