2009 May : Big Sky AstroBlog

May

26

It was by no means the most important thing that happened today in the world – a day when Pres. Obama announced his first nominee to the Supreme Court, a day when the State of California upheld Proposition 8 – or even in my community (a horrible accident about a mile from our house snarled traffic on three freeways for hours). But on the day when Jupiter and Neptune (co-rulers of my 4th house, the house of Home and the Past) met in their long-awaited embrace, with the Moon in sentimental, domestic Cancer, I had the chance to revisit the first house I lived in after moving to San Diego. This is where Jonny and I made our first home together almost exactly 16 years ago, and it’s just a few yards away from our favorite neighborhood restaurant; so we pass it often, and when we do my heart always feels a tug. A couple of weeks ago we saw a “For Rent” sign in the yard for the first time in ten years; passing by today, we noticed the front door open and peeked inside. The daughter of our former landlord was there, cleaning the place, and was kind of enough to let us walk through.

It’s larger than I remembered, but otherwise almost exactly like the picture I’ve carried in my mind all these years. The beautiful 1920s period details had survived two subsequent sets of renters completely intact – the built-ins, the picture railings, the ironing board folded into a wall of the kitchen. The floors were better than I remembered, a rich, reddish wood in gorgeous condition. And standing in the middle of the living room, my old office, the kitchen… I found I had nothing but happy memories of living in that house. Of course, I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that I was 16 years younger, an ecstatic newlywed, and hadn’t yet experienced the inevitable losses and disappointments that come with the territory of growing older. Back then, everything was still new and lovely and full of possibilities, and all the happiness dizzily overflowing our hearts was contained in that beautiful old chalice of a bungalow. For a few sweet moments this afternoon, I could still taste it.

May 26, 2009 | 2 Comments

May

21

Sunday (5:11 am PDT/8:11 am EDT) brings us a New Moon in Gemini, and prompted my latest article, entitled “Brothers and Sisters”:

Brothers and Sisters
Few people in our lives get the opportunity to influence us when we are so malleable as in childhood, when brothers and sisters leave their handprints on us as they might in wet cement. But the truth is that while the emotional connection may be less compelling, we share similar bonds with people who share our neighborhoods, our communities, our alma mater, our mother tongue, the country of our birth. Ask any expatriate about the thrill of hearing his native accent or language spoken while in a foreign land. And the next time you’re at a party with a lot of people your age, introduce a tag line from a commercial or television show that was popular when you were in grade school. Suddenly, you’ll find that you’re among siblings who understand something about your history and who speak your language…. read the full article

May 21, 2009 | 2 Comments

May

18

I think I’m allergic to my new desk. When will I learn not to buy new things while Mercury is Retrograde? First the computer, now this.

Mind you, the desk is very fetching, quite fanciful and most appropriate for my progressed Moon in Pisces. It’s painted with a fabulous sort of Tuscan landscape complete with twilight stars and crescent moon. And get this… the handle pulls are bluebirds. Bluebirds. It is adorable, I tell you, and it simply couldn’t be resisted.

But after spending several hours sitting here today, my sinuses hurt and I feel lethargic. Since I rescued the desk from the basement of my very favorite consignment store, there’s a chance it might be kinda mildewy or something… there’s a faint, dubious scent emanating from it. So I guess at the very least I’ll need to wash it down and smudge it with some sage to dispel the bad juju. (My early-30s neighbor works outside in his yard a lot and he always gives me a wry, knowing look after I’ve had the smudge wand out. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m smoking weed over here. Not with these lungs, dude.)

In other news, Jeff’s new video made me briefly reconsider my long-standing, iron-clad resolution to eschew such new-fangled gadgetry. Then I spent about fifteen minutes playing around with my laptop’s webcam and the results were horrifying. I had no idea I looked so much like James Gandolfini. That is not a good look for a woman. There’s some question as to whether it’s even a good look for James Gandolfini.

So I’ll indulge my p. Moon in Pisces reclusivity (and my vanity) and remain, for the time being, a little voice inside your head. After all, if I looked good I probably would have been a TV spokesmodel, not a writer.

May 18, 2009 | 7 Comments

May

11

How’s that Full Moon treating you? I was sick with the flu a couple of weeks ago and busting my hump to catch up on my work last week, so I didn’t have time to write anything for the Full Moon. I did, however, post the following essay from a few years back…

In the Belly of a Duck
It’s important to use all your gifts to create a life that is a sincere offering to the gods, but prosperity is a dance you must do with the unseen forces of the collective. You can’t achieve prosperity in a vacuum, not unless you own a mint. Prosperity is not a closed system; the money you hope to attract has to come from other people. And the minute you demonstrate a willingness to accept help from the collective, the oppressive weight of trying to earn a living is immediately cut in half. There’s no shame in letting others carry you part of the way along your journey ….. (read the full article)

As for Mercury Retrograde… well, it does indeed seem like I’m having to do everything at least twice these days, in keeping with one of the stereotypes about Mercury Rx. Which is mildly annoying, but hardly terminal – and in fact, is occasionally delightful. For instance, we hosted not one but two parties over the weekend for visiting friends. Terrific, chatty fun – I talked my throat raw.

But writing? Not so much. My friend Neeti Ray instigated an interesting mini-conversation on Facebook this morning, though, about feeling uncommunicative since Mercury turned retrograde in Gemini – which Beth Turnage aptly summed up as “feeling tongue-tied.” And that’s exactly where I’m at. I can’t even get up the gumption to update my Facebook status on a regular basis, let alone my blog.

Which is not to say nothing’s going on. I’m actually beside myself with excitement about an astrology project that I’m working on… just not quite ready to talk about it in detail yet, and still in the earliest stages of research (appropriately, while Mercury is Rx). Watch this space, as they say.

For now, I’m out of words – feel free to share your own about Mercury Rx, the Full Moon, or anything else in comments!

May 11, 2009 | 8 Comments

Sign of Capricorn

Moon goes void of course at
2:00 pm on Mar.10, 2010

Moon enters Aquarius at
9:44 pm on Mar.10, 2010

Moon opposes Mars at
10:20 pm on Mar.10, 2010

Moon trines Saturn at
2:02 am on Mar.11, 2010

Moon sextiles Venus at
8:16 am on Mar.11, 2010

Times given are for PST

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