Category Archives: Columnist

Special Comment: Today’s Senate Hearing

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Let’s remember the context: the showdown is being televised just as Rod Rosenstein is supposed to show up at the White House to discuss his fate, which translates to the fate of the Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian manipulating the election — a month away from another election. Everything we are seeing right now is either 1. to manipulate the election, 2. a Hail Mary on Scotus / Roe v. Wade right before an election the Pubs know whey will lose, or 3. to distract from the Special Counsel.

Anything involving the Special Counsel, the prosecution of the president or the civil liability of the president, can land at the Supreme Court.

Chart for the hearing. Click image to enlarge.

Chart for the hearing. Click image to enlarge.

Let’s look through a wide-angle lens instead of the close-up that television and even print is giving us. Context is everything. The allegations being made against Kavanaugh are so horrendous you would think they were designed to trigger anyone who had ever experienced sexual transgression. And while I personally believe that she is being authentic, Ford is there because Trump has Kavanaugh there.

So look at Kavanaugh as a kind of magnet for all of these hellacious stories, and he’s doing his job beautifully. The reason Trump is not allowing the FBI to re-open a background check that would have certainly caught this stuff (if the background check was real), is that the FBI report would end the whole thing. And the longer it would take (a week, at least, if they rush), the less likely it would be that Kavanaugh would get approved.

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Living the Aries Point at the Airport (and Weekend Astrology)

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By Amanda Painter

It always fascinates me when a personal event reflects not only the astrology, but also something about the cultural zeitgeist. I had one of those experiences early Monday evening, just a few hours before the Aries Full Moon peaked.

Heathrow airport in May; photo by Amanda Painter.

Heathrow airport in May; photo by Amanda Painter.

I was going through the security line to board a flight, and opted out of the scanning machine, requesting a pat-down instead.

This has been my policy for a number of years now: it’s kind of a solo, silent protest against the machines and their original privacy issues, and against the massive, barely questioned undermining of civil liberties swept in by the Patriot Act following the Sept. 11 disaster.

I realize a silent protest is not going to effect change, but I do it more for myself: as a way of claiming my limited power of choice in the situation, knowing that I am perfectly within my rights not to offer any explanation. Perhaps someone more hell-bent on making a point to ‘the authorities’ would make a statement, but what can I say? I am a practical Taurus; I want to get to my destination without missing my flight and having to pay for another one.

For me, it is enough to know that I am taking my space in a situation where there’s a lot of pressure — psychological and temporal — to just keep everything moving smoothly and not stand out. I know that as I stand there getting my pat-down, some people are probably wondering if I got flagged by security as a risk. So I guess there’s an element of wanting to be an example to others that it’s possible to go through this procedure without feeling like a victim: I am choosing this, and my reasons are my own.

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Above the edge of the fog bank on Bald Peak in Camden Hills State Park, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

What Hangs in the Balance This Equinox

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By Amanda Painter

Shortly after the Sun and Mercury meet for a conjunction in late Virgo today, they make a tag-team entrance into Libra. Mercury gets there first, ingressing Libra at 11:39 pm EDT Friday (3:39:15 UTC Saturday). Then the Sun follows suit at 9:54 pm EDT Saturday (1:53:59 UTC Sunday) for the equinox.

Above the edge of the fog bank on Bald Peak in Camden Hills State Park, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Above the edge of the fog bank on Bald Peak in Camden Hills State Park, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

As you know, the Libra equinox signals the start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, and is one of two times in the year when we experience equal hours of daylight and darkness (the first being the Aries equinox, which commences Northern Hemisphere spring and begins the astrological year). Seasonal shifts are major turning points.

As such, and perhaps because of the visible shift in the day-night relationship, I tend to associate them with very specific tones or moods of emotion and energy — though this can be highly personal.

Some people relish the cooler, crisper air of fall and the sense of settling back down and in; I tend to grieve the loss of warmth, bare skin and long days of outdoor play (especially in the water). Whichever way you lean (and whichever half of the globe you’re in), I think it pays to notice the shift of the season and your response to it.

Astrologically, the equinoxes (as well as the solstices) activate the Aries Point. That’s the first degree (or so) of Aries where issues of both collective (political) and personal importance intersect and inform each other, and this quality gets extended to the first degrees of all the cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra and Capricorn being the others).

So what’s hanging out in the early cardinal signs to greet the Sun and Mercury when they land in the first degree of Libra this weekend? Quite an intriguing collection of objects, it turns out, especially if we look at the first three degrees (written as 00 – 02 degrees) of the cardinal signs.

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Street art in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.* Photo by Amanda Painter

Neptune on My Mind

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By Amanda Painter

What’s on your mind? Or, perhaps a better question might be: how is your mind behaving this week, especially in response to the unexpected or the unclear? I ask because Mercury in Virgo (a sign it rules) is making some aspects that could well be affecting your thought processes and perception.

Street art in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.* Photo by Amanda Painter

Street art in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.* Photo by Amanda Painter

The primary aspect in question is Mercury’s opposition to Neptune in Pisces — exact today, though it’s been in effect for several days and will continue to be so for several more.

Mercury is also in a square to the rather mysterious Great Attractor (a deep-space phenomenon in mid-Sagittarius), exact today. And between now and Sunday, Mercury is making a trine to Pluto in Capricorn and a sextile to Jupiter in Scorpio.

But first: Mercury and Neptune. At its best, this can be an aspect of heightened spiritual sensitivity and awareness. With Pluto offering assistance with investigating deep issues and mysteries, and Jupiter lending a hand with seeing how things fit the underlying patterns in your life, you may very well uncover some profound truths with this astrology.

Here’s the thing, though: in our mainstream culture and everyday life, it’s relatively rare to witness or experience Neptune in its higher manifestations. More often, we encounter Neptune’s glamour, cloudiness, slipperiness, confusion and outright deception.

One look at all the clickbait online, glossy magazine ads, the proliferation of ‘fake news’, Brett Kavanaugh’s SCOTUS confirmation hearing, and the escapist nature of most of our entertainment options will tell you where we, collectively, stand with Neptune — not to mention the many forms of mundane denial so many people live in, covering everything from the truth of our desires and most intimate relationships, to things like climate change and the abuses of the Catholic church. Which is to say, Neptune is great at obscuring where one really stands in relation to almost anything, including in relationship to oneself.

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From Neptune to the New Moon

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By Amanda Painter

Are you looking around this week wondering if you can believe what you’re seeing? I know, I know: for many, this has become the expectation, not the surprise. Yet as we wind down toward the Virgo New Moon on Sunday, your perception of the environment — and how that influences your direct interactions and immediate relationships — could use some attention and discretion.

Caterpillar mimicking the edges of the leaves it's feeding on; photo by Amanda Painter.

Ridges on a caterpillar’s back mimicking the edges of the leaves it’s feeding on, making it hard to discern; photo by Amanda Painter.

I say that because one of the most important aspects between now and the weekend (and even beyond) is the Sun in Virgo making its yearly opposition to Neptune (which itself is taking a leisurely stroll through Pisces).

This is an aspect of slippery perception: one that warns us to be wary of deception, both intentional and the accidental kind that comes with being distracted by surface impressions and glamour.

This week’s social media brouhaha over Nike’s choice to feature Colin Kaepernick as the face of its latest “Just Do It” ad campaign is one example. Kaepernick, you may recall, is the NFL quarterback who began the trend in 2016 of kneeling during the national anthem as a silent racial justice protest.

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Back to School with a Handful of Aspects

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By Amanda Painter

Now that Mars is finally direct as of Monday, what have you been able to put in motion? Is there anything you actually feel more uncertain about or stymied by than you did last week? Hopefully you’re enjoying a sense of energy freeing up for use, though it’s possible that this week’s aspects are raising some new questions.

A fellow student in the lounge of the Kristin Linklater Voice Center. Photo by Amanda Painter

A fellow student in the lounge of the Kristin Linklater Voice Center. Photo by Amanda Painter

For example, two aspects that have caught my eye are: the asteroid Vesta conjunct the centaur Ixion in Sagittarius; and the asteroid Ceres square the centaur Pholus and the Galactic Core (GC) in Sagittarius.

In general, that Sadge energy might be lending a sense of restlessness — though the tension of these aspects could also be seen as questions.

For example, are you finding this week that your approach to nurturing your ‘higher purpose’ is to get critical of the ways you’ve often strayed from it? That could be one way Ceres-GC might manifest.

Yet, when we add in Pholus, another thread emerges: the idea that, just as a small act of selfless service can go a long way, so can a little self-criticism take on a life of its own. Which of those would you rather send rippling out into the world? Because even if you keep your fault-finding of yourself to yourself, there’s an excellent chance it could hinder your ability or willingness to offer your gifts fully to those around you — thereby shortchanging the world of your light. What might happen if you pushed aside any thoughts of ‘not good enough yet’ and just offered what you can do?

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Sun in Virgo, Pisces Full Moon, Mars Direct: Let’s Get On with It

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By Amanda Painter

Today the Sun enters Virgo, the last sign of the season, at 12:08 am EDT (4:08:27 UTC). It does so as we approach a Full Moon in Pisces (on Sunday) and Mars stationing direct in Capricorn (on Monday). If you’re feeling a little bit in flux, or like you’re not quite sure if you’re coming or going, or like your impulses keep switching, these combined events might describe that.

A seagull photobombs the 2015 Pisces Full Moon. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Unexpected action: a seagull photobombs the 2015 Pisces Full Moon over Casco Bay, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Think about it: right now we have a combination of energy loosening (the season winding down), energy peaking (the Full Moon), and energy that’s waiting in potential, like a charged battery (Mars stationary).

I am writing this with the Sun in the last degree of Leo, and must confess that the storied ‘edginess’ of the last degree of signs is feeling very real to me. The frustration and stuck-ness of stationary Mars is feeling all-too-real to me today (hello, writer’s block — really, more like ‘writer’s rebellion’: I just don’t wanna!). And while the Virgo-Pisces axis about to be lit up by this weekend’s Full Moon is a very creative axis of manifestation, I’m not feeling tapped into it yet.

I usually try to keep this column less personal and just about the astrology, but damn: this whole summer of retrogrades and eclipses and whatnot has been an interesting trip. I’m still processing and plotting and questioning and dreaming and scheming and trying not to back away from the possibilities that are being pointed to by what I’m discovering. Some days, like this one as I write, it’s taken a lot of effort to get my head out of my own navel and do my job. So I hope you’ll bear with me — even more, I hope that if you’ve had any moments like what I’m describing, you can take heart in knowing that you’re not alone.

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Integration and a Mercury Station

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By Amanda Painter

Although the astrology has been relatively quiet this first week following the eclipse season, I’ve definitely noticed a sense of things still feeling unsettled. Some of that may relate to Mercury and Mars still retrograde but nearing their respective direct stations. Some of it could be due to the fact that no matter how pivotal events like eclipses can be, we still have to figure out how to integrate them into the unbroken continuum of our daily lives — and of social contexts with much longer arcs.

Babbling brook at Camp Timber Trails, Tolland, MA. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Babbling brook at Camp Timber Trails, Tolland, MA. Photo by Amanda Painter.

For its part, Mercury will station direct in Leo this Sunday, Aug. 19, at 12:25 am EDT (4:24:38 UTC). Mars, which is now in late Capricorn, will station direct eight days later, on Monday, Aug. 27.

Both planets are slow right now, which according to astrological tradition, means they’re more powerful. This does not mean that they ‘make you do things’, but more that their significance is heightened. Slow, powerful, stormy Mercury may churn something up so that it comes more clearly to your attention; determined-but-frustrated stormy Mars could be asking you to understand your motivation and desires with absolute clarity before you charge ahead with them.

Inner planets stationing direct — along with events like eclipses — are often key times to notice themes in world events. Even if you’re not sure there’s a strong thematic link, it can be worthwhile to notice what grabs your attention and the headlines. I must confess, last week I just could not bring myself to deal with the news, despite that kind of contextualization being a hallmark of Planet Waves astrology writing. But as this week has progressed, a few particular stories have caught my eye.

Given how much news coverage is about disasters, it’s no surprise that many of the items I noticed are not uplifting — though there are a couple. Take, for example, reports on Wednesday that the last of Puerto Rico’s homes have had electricity restored.

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