Cancer : Big Sky AstroBlog

Jul

2

When last we checked in with April and Jonny’s bed, it had been mobilized by Mars in Cancer into a particularly savage display of aggression. Today, a new and apparently fatal development in the battle of the bed: Jonny perched on the edge of the mattress this morning to don his socks, and the bed’s frame gave way in a characteristically dramatic (SNAP!) (CRASH!) - and apparently irreparable - fashion.

That’s it. This bed is a toxic mixture of weakness and vengeance, and it must be replaced.

The irony is this. Today I was scheduled to participate in an experiment my friend Simone is conducting, exploring the intersection of astrology and feng shui. Her theory is that one might note the house of the horoscope where the New Moon falls, and perform a ritual to strengthen the Gua of one’s home that fits the symbolism of the astrological house. Today’s New Moon (at 11.32 Cancer) falls in my 8th house, the house of shared resources - a house of wealth, so my assignment was to perform a ritual in the wealth Gua of our home. Which is - you guessed it - the master bedroom.

I’m not sure breaking the bed is what the Gods had in mind. But this will certainly have an impact on our shared resources; replacing this bed won’t be cheap.

Bagua

Where does today’s New Moon fall in your chart? Consider strengthening the relevant area of your house as part of your New Moon observances (New Moon exact tonight at 10:19 pm EDT). From the perspective of your home’s front entrance, superimpose the bagua onto the rooms of the house.

Simone suggests the following correlations between the houses of the horoscope and your home’s bagua:

First House: Career
Second & Eighth Houses: Wealth
Third & Ninth Houses: Knowledge
Fourth House: Family
Fifth House: Creativity & Children
Sixth & Twelfth Houses: Health
Seventh House: Love & Partnership
Tenth House: Fame
Eleventh House: Helpful People

Report back in comments, and I’ll pass on your results to Simone!

July 2, 2008 | 4 Comments

Mar

4

I spent several happy, contemplative hours last week painting one wall in our bedroom a pale, icy pink. This required us to drag our new 900 lb. sleigh bed away from the wall, a feat not unlike the raising of Stonehenge or those giant heads on Easter Island. Then, in the process of shoving the bed back into place a couple of days ago, we… broke it. We shoved a little too enthusiastically at the foot board, I guess, and finally it shoved back, exploding in a kind of splintery rage and kicking my right shin, leaving it bruised and raw.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that’s any way for a bed to behave. Beds should be comforting, Cancerian. Being attacked by one’s bed is as jarring as being smacked by one’s mother.

Sigh. Mars in Cancer, man: she’s back, she’s nearing an opposition to Pluto (exact Friday morning), and she’s not messing around!

It’s gonna be a hectic week astrologically - Venus conjoins Neptune on Thursday, Mars opposes Pluto just before Friday’s New Moon, and the Sun makes its annual rendevous with exciting (but disruptive) Uranus on Saturday. Other than my furniture attacking me, though, I can’t complain. Still, the week is young. How’s everyone else coping?

March 4, 2008 | 4 Comments

Jan

8

sensitive Cancer guy I remember my dreams infrequently, and they’re seldom populated by the rich, famous, or good looking. That’s why I get a kick out of it when, say, a Zach Braff or an Adrian Grenier stumbles into my nocturnal Second Life.

Mr. Grenier, to the uninitiated, is the handsome young star of HBO’s series “Entourage” (in which he convincingly portrays… a handsome young star) and guest star of “The Devil Wears Prada.” Last night he made a surprise cameo in a dream in which I was hosting a rather miserable party. It seems my brother (who in real life never comes to any of my parties, but then neither does Adrian Grenier - the bastard) had invited a bunch of his buddies to my bash, and they not only showed up well in advance of him but also polished off all the beer. Just as the last brewskie was popped open, my buddy Adrian arrives. Apparently he and I have such a warm, affectionate relationship that not only do I feel perfectly comfortable sending him out for beer, HE CHEERFULLY AGREES to the errand. Dreams rule!

Now if I were 15 years younger and Adrian Grenier had a walk-on part in one of my dreams, I hope I’d be putting him to work doing something a little racier than running to 7-11 for beer. But even in dreamland, when you’re an overwhelmed, tired, middle-aged woman with too many guests and too little grog, the likes of Adrian Grenier are little more than a pair of (presumably gorgeous) helping hands and a willing set of car keys.

Isn’t it fun to imagine our dreams are cast with celebrities who perfectly embody the transits and progressions moving through our charts? I’m not (much) given to magical thinking, but I like to believe something in my unconscious perceives the astrological matrix of a celebrity even when my waking mind has not given them a second thought. For instance, I’ve watched nearly every episode of “Entourage”, big old HBO whore that I am, and I enjoy the Grenier vibe - he seems like a guy who honestly likes women. Sure enough, a quick glance at Mr. Grenier’s natal planets reveals the Sun (conjunct Venus) at 18+ degrees of woman-loving Cancer - just a tad off an opposition to today’s New Moon in Capricorn at 17.33 Capricorn.

Thank you, Mr. Grenier, for your deft portrayal of the antidote to this New Moon (which happens to fall within shouting distance of my natal second-house Saturn in the 2nd house - can you say “scarcity complex”?). Trying to provide for the entertainment needs of scores of people but running short on the necessaries, like booze? Just ask for assistance from a young, sweet, straight-but-honestly-likes-women sensitive guy. And make it domestic beer, Adrian. Unless you’re buying.

January 8, 2008 | 6 Comments

Dec

21

Solstice Greetings! To celebrate Sunday’s Full Moon in Cancer (what a chart: Sun conjunct Jupiter, opposed Moon conjunct Mars… let’s get ready to rumble!), I’ve posted a new essay, “The Awakened Heart”:

The Awakened Heart

At this Full Moon, the Sun and Jupiter in Capricorn, a sign that thrives on overcoming difficulties, remind us that confronting obstacles can yield unexpected benefits. For instance, alone with my sundry terrors in the wee hours, I’ve been finding something besides fear in my heart: compassion. I feel a lot more empathy these days for people who are coping with pain, loneliness, and troubles much more profound than my own. Pema Chodrin calls this compassion “the awakened heart,” the bodhichitta. Feeling what we feel, the negative as well as the positive, is a doorway to the complex hearts of others…. (read full article)

December 21, 2007 | 2 Comments

Sign of Leo

Moon sextiles Mercury at
4:20 pm on Jul.5, 2008

Moon opposes Neptune at
5:22 pm on Jul.5, 2008

Moon trines Pluto at
3:05 am on Jul.6, 2008

Moon goes void of course at
3:05 am on Jul.6, 2008

Moon enters Virgo at
4:04 am on Jul.6, 2008

Moon conjuncts Mars at
9:19 am on Jul.6, 2008