Mercury is quickly moving out of the orb of conjunction with Rahu and the energy is calmer already.  However, he is just about exactly conjunct our good friend Saturn.  The conjunction will be exact on Monday, the 25^th. 

Saturn can feel heavy and, for people who tend towards a negative mindset, the conjunction of Mercury and Saturn can lead to depression, discouragement and/or a lack of physical energy.  These two planets are considered to be friends and the sign of Libra is considered a good placement for both Saturn and Mercury.  Libra is the sign of balance and harmony – qualities which are welcome after the tumultuous planetary energetics of the recent past.  Saturn and Mercury together can give us all a moment of pause in which to rebalance from the rapid moving events of the eclipse, Mercury retrograde and the conjunction of Rahu and Mercury.  Slower energy can be a good thing especially if one uses that slower energy for rest and/or reflection.  Saturn does not give without effort and it does take an effort and discipline to find the peace behind the quiet energy of the conjunction between Mercury and Saturn. Without the effort to shift negative thoughts Saturn will allow for unlimited feelings of resentment, hopelessness and fear.  There is no other planet which allows for free will quite like Saturn.

This weekend has also has the Moon placed in the sign of Cancer aspected by Saturn which added, for some of us, a level of emotional despondency.  The Moon moves into the sign of Leo tonight, the twenty-fourth, at 8 p.m., Eastern Time.  There can be an increase in energy but also an increase in ego and, due to Mars being in this sign as well, patience with others might be required – sometimes, peace is more important than being right.

Mars moves into the sign of Virgo on Tuesday, the twenty-sixth, at 10:00, Eastern Time.  Virgo is neither the worst nor the best sign for Mars.  Virgo is the sign that rules health and it is important to pay attention to the health at this time especially with regard to the blood, intestinal area as well as viruses and infections.  Mars is a planet which likes numbers, projects and activity.  Virgo is a work sign which favors numbers, organization and details.  This is a time period that is good for paperwork, organization and food preparation.  It is a good omen for holiday shopping, decorating and cooking.  The challenge with this placement will be to pay attention to the physical health and to keep proactively busy because Mars in the detailed and mental sign of Virgo can push one towards negative mental ruminations – it is better to keep busy than to allow Mars to gain the upper hand in a negative way.  This has been a difficult year and most of us have had a share of disappointment and by staying engaged in a productive manner we can not fool ourselves into thinking that our challenges were worse than the challenges of others.

Mars will always bring out the fire in our own attitudes towards the business of whatever house he falls in for each of us.  Virgo, for all of its positive qualities, tends towards worry and the attention to detail can border on petty if we allow the negative mind to gain the upper hand.  As we approach the end of this year the planetary patterns are not as challenging and difficult as they have been – it is almost as if the cosmos decided that we in need of a holiday break.  It is up to us to take this break and to remind ourselves inner peace is up to us alone.  Fortunately, for the rest of the year even the planets are not interfering with our ability to feel peaceful balance.

I have been getting emails asking about holiday specials.  Yes, I am going to be offering the specials this season – I will email everyone with the details as soon as I have the computer details in place.

www.annaicenter.com

 

The Scorpio Eagle

I was only eighteen years of age when I became interested in astrology. I became interested because I was looking to make some sense out of the chaos of my life.  It was through astrology that I first learned about the concept of karma and it was through astrology that I began to understand that there might be a purpose to what seemed to me to be a childhood spent in chaotic madness. 

At that time I had never heard of Vedic or sidereal astrology and learned to calculate charts according to the rules of the tropical system.  The tropical system put the Sun into the sign of Scorpio from October 23^rd to November 21^st.  The sign of Scorpio has a terrible reputation and, along my own journey, I even met an astrologer who simply would not work with someone who was born with the Moon in Scorpio. 

What puzzled me was that I happened to have close relationships with a few people born in the early days of November, and their personalities did not match up with the negative traits attributed to the sign of Scorpio.  Most of my early November loved ones were not vindictive, overly sexual, sarcastic or on a mission to destroy their relationships.  In fact, they were just the opposite.  This difference was explained by classifying Scorpios along the lines of an actual scorpion, a phoenix or an eagle.  Apparently, I didn’t know any Scorpios that were “not” eagles. 

Adding to the equation were the events that tended to take place in October and November.  Most astrologers are keen observers of the world and current events.  For years I accepted the dates of the Scorpio ingress dates because Scorpio can also be known for a tendency towards anger and violence, and it did seem that the news showed a higher rate of violent crimes during the October/November time period.  For a while I just lived with an acceptance of having only eagle Scorpios in my life. 

Once I started to study Vedic astrology and the sidereal zodiac, my understanding changed.  Using the sidereal zodiac, the Sun is in Scorpio from approximately November 15^th to December 15^th.  This calculation showed me that those very same people that I wondered about years ago were actually born with the Sun in Libra and their personalities definitely matched the lighter and relationship-friendly qualities of Libra.  The new placements made sense to me.

What I was left to look at was the fact that violence still seemed to be at a higher level during October and the earlier days in November.  If this could not be put at the feet of the maligned sign of Scorpio, why would it be put at the feet of the sign of balance and harmony known as Libra?  The Sun is the planet which rules the ego and self-esteem.  It is also a fiery planet known for qualities of dominance and quick reactions to being thwarted.  The Sun just happens to be debilitated in the sign of Libra.  When a planet is debilitated, it tends to bring out the more negative attributes of the planet. I suspect that when the Sun becomes debilitated, people who are unstable and/or extremely dominant, or are prone to violence or irrational actions, tend to lose it during the time of the Sun’s debilitation.   

This particular Libra cycle has been very difficult because of the fact that Saturn, Rahu and Mercury are all in Libra and having a weakened Sun did not help matters.  I have noticed that relationships (a Libra matter) have been more difficult than usual during this particular cycle.  Because Libra is one of our business signs career relationships have suffered as well.  Because of the presence of the Sun, far too many people reacted through an impatient ego and have chosen to sever relationships prematurely.   

Each planet has signs that are considered to be strong or friendly places to reside.  The Sun actually does well in the sign of Scorpio, and it is an improvement now that the Sun is in Scorpio.  Of course, it is still 2013 and nothing is simple or easy, and we may not be able to feel the improvement just yet.  This is because Mercury is still stuck with the energy of both Rahu and Saturn until November 30^th.  Mercury is our planet of neutrality, objective mind and the nervous system.  He is now moving forward,  and now that the eclipse is done and the Sun has moved the energy is more positive – but, we do have to work a bit to feel the energetic change.

Scorpio is one of our more mystical and mysterious signs.  Scorpio can be restrained in action, and rules the subconscious mind.  Professionally, both plumbers and surgeons are favored by this sign.  It is a sign of deep feeling which tends to plumb the depths of our emotions.  The majority of us have felt the tension and uncertainties of the past few months.  Now that the focus has moved into Scorpio, this sign is going to bring up the fears and frustrations within ourselves, others and the world in general.  It is Scorpio’s job to do this.  The trick is to try and bring the Scorpion energy into looking at ourselves rather than others.  We can only change ourselves and often waste too much time and energy in trying to correct others while ignoring what needs to be worked on within our own personalities and lives.  The Scorpio process will continue no matter what choices we make, but behind the energy there is always the opportunity to clean out the negativity within ourselves and to grasp another level of understanding on a deeply energetic and spiritual level.  Until Mercury moves out of Libra there will be a lingering of the issues and emotions of past few months and, rather than wishing for the outer circumstances to right themselves, it is more proactive to use the healing of the Scorpio energy to take place.

It makes little sense to hang onto the tensions and irrational energy of the past months when the sign of Scorpio is giving us the opportunity to release the thoughts, patterns and emotions. Until Mercury is out of Libra, there will continue to be surprising events especially with regard to travel, weather and accident levels, but the worst is behind us.  We are finally at a point when the planets are going to give us a bit of breathing room, and we all deserve to be able to enjoy the reprieve since it has been that kind of a year. This year the Scorpio energy of releasing negative emotions is a truly worthwhile gift if only we will be wise enough to accept it – we can all soar like the eagle.     

Time-out is Ending.

Today, Sunday, 11/10 at 4:08 p.m., est,  Mercury will resume forward motion.  He is still in the sign of Libra and within the range of a conjunction to Rahu – the conjunction will be exact on 11/17 – for many of us the energy levels will be higher now that Mercury is no longer retrograde. 

I tend to like Mercury retrogrades despite the computer glitches, travel delays and awkward communication because it also slows us down and gives more opportunity for quiet and contemplative time.  In some ways I view it as a cosmically arranged vacation.  Of course, this particular Mercury retrograde can be compared to going on vacation to a tropical island only to have it rain for the entire vacation.  However, even a rainy vacation is still a time-out and does give one an opportunity for rest.   

This particular Mercury retrograde may move us back into the fast lane quickly.  Right now as I write this the wind is howling and the skies have all of a sudden darkened – fast weather changes and windy conditions are to be expected with Mercury and Rahu occupying the same space.  Surprises might be the norm for the next week or so and for those who have not paid attention to keeping their vata levels in balance the levels of nervous energy may be high.  The Moon is now in Aquarius which adds to the higher level of energy and unexpected events.  The Moon is also aspecting Mars which can add to the desire to move quickly and even aggressively.  It is best to stay grounded.

Mercury and Rahu together can be a positive influence and it is a good time to pay attention to new ideas and breakthrough thoughts because creativity and ambition will be on the rise.  Just keep in mind that it is still important to nurture ourselves and to allow the proper incubation period for all of those inspirational ideas don’t be fooled by the Mars need for speed or the Rahu tendency to not want to pay attention to the details – things do not have to come to fruition immediately. 

What the eclipse left behind.

The eclipse is past us and now we are left with Mercury still being retrograde and conjunct Rahu as well as the Sun and Saturn in conjunction along with the debilitated Moon’s transit through Scorpio.  Some of the emotional energy of the eclipse has passed but the energy that remains tends towards discouragement and worry.  On the 10th Mercury resumes forward motion and on the 16th the Sun moves out of  debilitation and into the sign of Scorpio – the energy should begin to pick up and move towards a more positive outlook.