Tag Archives: News

Photo by Amanda Painter, taken at the 2016 Sacred and Profane Festival.

Expressing What’s Real: Scorpio Sun Conjunct Venus

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By Amanda Painter

As I write this on Wednesday morning, I’m hearing reports of explosive devices discovered at the homes of Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton, and also at the CNN offices in New York; this is following an explosive found at the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros on Monday. By the time you read this, there will likely be more information available; but as I write, I’m most interested in the accompanying astrology. (Ed. note: as of Thursday morning, we’re up to ten suspicious/explosive packages sent to eight people.)

Photo by Amanda Painter, taken at the 2016 Sacred and Profane Festival.

Photo by Amanda Painter, taken at the 2016 annual Sacred and Profane Festival on Peaks Island, Maine.

As if the party or parties responsible for these actions had consulted an astrologer, this all unfolded in the lead-up to Wednesday’s Taurus Full Moon conjunct Uranus (the explosive planet), opposite the Scorpio Sun (secrets, death, other people’s money). Close to the Sun in Scorpio is retrograde Venus — ruler of the Taurus Full Moon.

Sometimes it’s just astonishing how well the aspects mirror the themes of events. By now I shouldn’t be surprised, yet it can still catch me off-guard.

I’m curious whether it’s possible that the connection of Venus to laid-back Taurus is a factor in the explosives being discovered before they could detonate. Is it something about the retrograde quality? What is the significance of the lunar nodes square the Full Moon configuration; is it some kind of balancing point between what we know and what we don’t know, or a choice between paths of action?

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Looks Like Libra, Smells Like Scorpio

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By Amanda Painter

Although the Sun is still in Libra, some of this week’s news events appear to have a distinct Scorpio scent. This would seem to relate to astrology involving Mercury in Scorpio that is bookending the current workweek.

Micro-landscape at Acadia National Park one year ago. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Mossy micro-landscape at Acadia National Park in Maine one year ago. Photo by Amanda Painter.

We began the week with news coverage intensifying about the disappearance of Washington Post journalist and Saudi national Jamal Khashoggi.

Turkish officials allegedly have audio and video evidence of Khashoggi being tortured and dismembered within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, which he had visited to obtain legal documents pertaining to his upcoming marriage.

We might interpret this as representing a dark shadow side to Mercury conjunct Venus in Scorpio, which was exact on Monday and which was also sextile Vesta in Capricorn. Usually astrologers describe Mercury-Venus conjunctions as stimulating an appreciation for beauty or declarations of love. Yet Mercury-Venus can also help one to see the underlying patterns in a relationship. The alleged events surrounding Khashoggi’s disappearance and apparent murder do appear to be laying bare certain unsavory facets in the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

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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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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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It might look like they're about to step off the edge, but they're not. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Entering the Eclipse Zone with Pluto

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By Amanda Painter

Tonight is the Cancer New Moon, exact at 10:48 pm EDT (02:48 UTC Friday). But it’s not just a New Moon: it is also a partial solar eclipse. Not only that, it’s an eclipse opposite Pluto in Capricorn.

It might look like they're about to step off the edge, but they're not. Photo by Amanda Painter.

It might look like they’re about to step off the edge, but they’re not. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Perhaps the most striking story I’ve seen in the news this week that illustrates this setup is the rescue of the 12 Thai student soccer players and their coach from the Tham Luang cave. Even though the rescue was completed on Tuesday, I’d say it’s still in the zone.

Pluto (lord of the underworld) in Capricorn (mountains) is absolutely subterranean. A New Moon is the darkest part of the lunar phase, yet it’s also the turning point when a new cycle begins. Cancer, of course, is a water sign — and the one most associated with taking care of others. It’s also worth noting that Jupiter stationed direct in Scorpio on Tuesday: an image of the trapped (or ‘fixed’) water that had closed off the cave deep under the surface, and the good fortune involved in being able to emerge from it.

Yet it’s Pluto’s associations with death, fear, and profound, soul-level change that really bring it all home. Think for a moment about the inherent metaphor: 13 people were ‘entombed’ while alive underground. They were brought back to the surface, but they will forever be changed in some way (likely in many ways) as a result of this experience. They can no longer be exactly who they were before — yet they still are who they are, and they are alive.

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Photo by Amanda Painter

Chiron in Aries and the Sun in Taurus

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By Amanda Painter

Tonight, at 11:12 pm EDT (3:12 UTC Friday), the Sun enters Taurus. This happens just two days after Chiron’s noteworthy move into Aries. You might be having an “interesting” week — though having the Sun in Taurus should help you to ease back on the pace and find some solid footing.

Early sumac leaves; photo by Amanda Painter.

Early sumac leaves; photo by Amanda Painter.

Part of the “interesting” factor likely comes from the fact that Mercury is still getting itself sorted out after its station direct in Aries this past Sunday.

While the planet of the mind gradually makes its way in forward apparent motion, things sometimes stay a little bumpy for a while. Often that’s the result of new information leading to reversals of decisions, and new levels of insight.

In the midst of that, I hope you’ve taken a moment to notice some of the week’s news stories, especially those that broke on Tuesday with Chiron’s entrance into Aries. This is one way to gather clues about a planet’s “message” in a new sign; that is, what it’s trying to bring our attention to. When a planet enters Aries (or any of the cardinal signs, which also include Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) political events and news that embodies something of the current zeitgeist — and which is personally relevant for many people — can be very telling.

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