FROM the alt-dot-love department, I'm here to tell you about BeautifulAgony.com, an Australian webspace that may appeal to your curiosity and aesthetics. It's basically a video catalog of the faces of about 1,000 people coming, with a few added every week. Now that is art.

This friendly project is perhaps the most satisfying erotica ever created because you get one of those essential nutrients of sex: learning about people in an erotic way, discovering something about them, feeling them as they feel themselves, if just a little.

In nearly all discussions of the theory and practice of monogamy, what is lost are two main points, I think. One is that all sex originates from self, not from relationship. Relationship modality is secondary. Second is the discussion of diversity and its beauty as an essential aspect of erotic experience. I think that the form the diversity takes is less important than the diversity itself being acknowledged, and given some form or space to express itself without being blamed as the source of consternation.

"Beautiful Agony is dedicated to the beauty of human orgasm," the creators of the project say in the introduction. "This may be the most erotic thing you have ever seen, yet the only nudity it contains is from the neck up. That's where people are truly naked."

Agony is also a documentary, a kind of cosmic erotic record of the human family in one of its most necessary and beautiful experiences. Each video has an associated interview, called a confession, where you get to know something of the true sexual story of everyone responding.

What is potentially interesting is how many more women are involved than men: it seems at least 10 times as many women than men are willing to discuss their sexuality and have their faces shown on camera. Maybe it's something in the water down there in Australia, but if you have a theory as to why this is, I would love to hear it.

The artists, as they are called, share about many aspects of their erotic life, their partners, the differences between orgasms from partnersex and masturbation, first experiences, and so on -- all in their own words, looking at the camera. If you're one of those people who gets turned on more fully when you have a mental connection, or who is just generally turned on by people, you'll enjoy this because you get a lot of time to listen and tune in.

Speaking of, the project is brilliant if only for its audio; you don't need to watch, listening is a lot of fun. The publishers of Agony have (or had) a related audio erotica webspace for the blind, though I can't locate it at the moment. But they are obviously into aural sex: "Make your ears blush by putting on your headphones and turning the sound to eleven," they suggest.

Anyway, this is my Valentine's Day card for you, and also my idea of an ecologically aware and socially responsible company that knows where the party is. I would also propose that this is an excellent way for parents to introduce the young adults in their household to sexuality (as opposed to just sex), and for anyone who wants to get a discussion going in their relationship, in hopes of finding the words, going deeper, or being a bit more adventurous. Have fun!

Note, all photos are screen shots copyright © 2007 by BeautifulAgony.com. This is a review, not an ad. The creators of the site have no clue I wrote this.




HERE IS some news: Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois, is the first presidential candidate with Pluto in Virgo. I have written a bit about this placement, usually in the context of discussing Sixties charts. Pluto is one of the planets that distinguishes both a generation and a phase of history, and Virgo was indeed an interesting one, a time when thought, as in use of the brain, was more encouraged than it is today.

I feel that this is an underrepresented generation in world affairs, perhaps excluded, perhaps a little too meek and mild for its own good, perhaps a little too willing to toe or tow the company line. Also, it may teeter on the brink of fear-driven conservatism (particularly as Saturn in Pisces opposed Pluto in Virgo in the mid-Sixties).

Senator Barack Obama speaks before the Democratic National Convention in 2004.

This may not be conservatism in the political sense, though this is surely possible; it may also be a sense of reticence, unwillingness to challenge anyone or anything, or the feeling that power struggle in any form is not worth bothering with. I assure you there are many reactionaries with Pluto in Virgo, people who think the Grand Canyon and the Great Pyramid are about the same age and that climate change is caused by minority polar bears smoking crack. There are a lot of Sixties people who don't know what they are: the right-wing nut vs. commie pinko debate seems to hum along rather unconsciously.

Obama does not seem to have these problems. As for why, we can speculate about his upbringing, his parents, and other early influences. He was raised between Hawaii and Indonesia, so he knows other cultures exist. As a mixed-race child (mother "milky white," as he described her, father Kenyan) he surely had some extra growing up to do. He seems to be able to stretch himself across the contradictions (he has quite a few oppositions), to use diplomacy in his relationships, and to be able to genuinely experience the viewpoints of others, no matter how strange they may be.

His Gemini Moon gives him enough of a case of ADD to be able to function in the world where this is a necessity. His Leo Sun drives him to service and allows him to wake up every day feeling pretty good about himself -- a plus.

Here is the chart:

He was born in 1961, when Uranus and the North Node were in Leo. His chart is very much a Uranus-Pluto conjunct chart, but the two planets are in different signs. So he has enough Virgo to appeal to the Pluto in Virgo cohort that begins in the late Fifties and enough Leo to be appealing to the eternally vital Pluto in Leo cohort as well, which we think of as the Baby Boom generation, but which really dates back to the late 1930s.

Barrack is born in a pre-sixties phase that I call the Camelot births, those which occurred during the administration of John Kennedy -- an idealistic moment. The Kennedy years began within one day of Chiron entering Pisces, which Obama has exactly opposite his Pluto. So one of the main structures of his chart is a stellium in the 10th house (Leo MC, Uranus in Leo, part of fortune in Virgo and Pluto in Virgo) all opposite Chiron in Pisces. That is a lot of Chiron, meaning a lot of awareness and, due to Chiron in the 4th house, real environmental awareness that is not strapped to corporate interests.

Soon after JFK's assassination, Uranus joined Pluto in Virgo and what we think of as "The Sixties" began, including the arrival of the Beatles in the United States just three months after Kennedy was killed (this is the subject of another article, but I don't think the Beatles would have had the same impact had Kennedy been alive; they seemed to fill his shoes). Obama, though a Camelot baby, is pretty darned close to a child of the Sixties, which in truth was a more cynical time than we often think of; a more divisive one; a time with as much loss and failure as celebration and progress. Camelot births in some ways seem spared the cynicism that is more inherent in the charts of those born after the assassination.

Obama has the Sixties conjunction placed high up, prominently in his chart: the 10th house (with Leo on the cusp), which covers government, one's relationship to it, and matters such as one's personal reputation. Leo is leadership, especially on the 10th house; it is, however, remarkable that a person made it to the United States Senate with Uranus on his midheaven. He is likely to be a lot more rebellious, forward thinking and inventive than is obvious now, though he looks pretty good. He has a reputation for being irreverent, and this is his personal trademark and indeed the source of much of his charisma. He is not afraid to be a pain in the ass. Thank God for miracles.

Pluto brings evolution to the equation, and Uranus brings revolution. They work well together, but they are difficult energies for most people to grasp. If you have them prominent in your chart, you may not be able to access them; you may have to learn and it may take a while. You're a natural if you really do things your way, and do them well.

So, politically, he's an interesting specimen.

But his real appeal is as a husband (sadly, this was also George W. Bush's appeal -- people really thought of him as a good father and good dad, and despite his apparent psychosis, some people still do). Obama does this differently, illustrated somewhat humorously by Juno on the Aries Point. Taking the archetype of Juno somewhat literally, the marriage partner, we have someone who is a kind of archetypal husband, married to every woman. This is his true appeal, if you ask me, and it's illustrated by several other points in his chart.

One is Venus in Cancer in the 8th house. The 8th is about bonding with others, identifying strongly with them, and what people have to offer one another. Venus in Cancer gives him a lot of appeal in this sense. We have the image of a nurturing lover who can really feel the woman he is with. And, he has this placement in the second degree of Cancer, making it an Aries Point placement, much like his Juno. True, the two planets are in a square, but one reading of that is that it increases the energy by increasing the tension.

He has all four of the first asteroids prominent, and I think this speaks volumes about him. If you want to understand these points (Ceres, Juno, Pallas and Vesta), think of them as other facets of the feminine that get lost in the debate between "mother vs. lover" as the only two possibilities available. They are available both to men, and within men, if we know what they are and give them a home. Count how many times in the day you do.

Ceres, representing the element earth, is about our connection to food, mother, and all the associated emotions that are associated with our relationship to mother and Mother Earth. He has this asteroid close to his horizon -- his 7th house cusp. Mother is his primary relationship -- not necessarily his actual mother, but Mother as archetype, Earth as living being, woman as Earth.

Vesta, representing the element fire, is about our sense of devotion and the clarity of intention. We know why we are doing something with Vesta in the picture, and we are willing to do what we need. He has Vesta in a close conjunction to Ceres, and also to the Moon, which is in very early Gemini. Basically, Obama has an unusual, deep, solid and more over communicative connection to what we call 'the feminine'. This is also saying he understands women well enough not to have too many games played with his head, and to not need to play too many of them himself.

All this Taurus gives him a great voice. No, he is not Martin Luther King. But he is clearheaded and appealing. This is also indicated by his earthy Saturn in Capricorn trine Ceres and Vesta, and Jupiter trine the Moon. The potentially strange aspect is Mars opposite Pallas Athene in Pisces. Pallas is the aspect of the feminine that is the guardian. She is mental, reasoned, clear-thinking and alert -- but potentially not retrograde in Pisces. So, beware, with Mars in Virgo opposite that, our man Barack is not going to tolerate any fuzzy thinking. Clarity is this guy's thing. Barack rhymes with The Facts.

In a debate against Hillary, to be fair, she would need to have Bill with her, or at least whispering into her secret Spy Store radio headset. I would note, though, that with Juno on the Aries Point, he must beware of "the wife." Hillary is matched for her slime potential only by Karl Rove, and she's quite experienced, having been directly involved in Washington politics as a young lawyer since the Nixon impeachment days.

Now for the big question: Can he win? We all know the long shot involved; young guy, Barack rhymes with black, Obama rhymes with Osama, and he's not an oil executive, a liar or a killer. But he is a Leo with Scorpio rising; these people don't like to take second or third place, and notably, they are patient. I think he will be president -- and the sooner the better. We may have to wait until 2012 because the Rear Guard still thinks it's the Vanguard and most people don't know the difference. But Obama does.



by Kirsti Melto

New Moon in Aquarius – February 17, 2007, 16:14 UT

The New Moon at 28+ degrees Aquarius opposes plutino Orcus at 27+ degrees Leo.

The Moon sextiles Pluto and asteroid Lilith in Sagittarius, squares asteroid Vesta and centaur planet Hylonome in early Sagittarius and trines asteroid Juno and centaur planet Echeclus in Libra. Echeclus is a minor planet which has a cometary coma and is classified not only as a centaur but also as a comet (just like Chiron). The New Moon also forms a septile to dwarf planet Eris at 20+ degrees Aries and quintiles to Jupiter and to cubewano Quaoar in Sagittarius.

The Moon is loosely conjunct Neptune and asteroid Pallas. Neptune, Eris and cubewano Logos at 19+ degrees Virgo form a Yod (150 - 150 - 60 degrees), Logos being the apex planet. Logos has a binary companion called Zoe and together they make a binary object located in the Kuiper Belt. Logos and Zoe have almost the same size. They revolve around a common point located between them.

There are two Grand Trines in the chart, one in air, the other in fire. The New Moon in Aquarius, asteroid Klotho in Gemini and Juno conjuncting comet-like Echeclus in Libra form the Air Trine. The Fire Trine is formed by Eris in Aries, retrograding Saturn in Leo and Quaoar in Sagittarius.

Klotho in Gemini, the conjunction of Pluto and Lilith in Sagittarius and Venus in Pisces form a T-square. Venus sextiles Mars and asteroid Urania. There is a semisquare between Venus and Chiron, and between Chiron and the conjunction of Pluto and Lilith. Chiron = Moon/Mars = Venus/Pluto.

Mercury retrograde in Pisces conjuncts Uranus and forms a T-square with cubewano Chaos in Gemini and centaur planet Pholus in Sagittarius.

Jupiter, Ixion and Quaoar are in conjunction. Jupiter squares the lunar nodes. Uranus and dwarf planet Ceres are on the North Node. Asteroid Psyche is retrograde on the South Node. Juno and Echeclus sesquisquare Uranus.

Hylonome = 1 Sagittarius 36
Chaos = 6 Gemini 22
Pholus = 7 Sagittarius 14
Ixion = 13 Sagittarius 22
Psyche = 15 Virgo 13 r
Quaoar = 17 Sagittarius 32
Logos & Zoe = 19 Virgo 39 r
Eris = 20 Aries 22
Lilith = 26 Sagittarius 24
Urania = 26 Capricorn 42
Klotho = 27 Gemini 01
Echeclus = 27 Libra 30 r
Orcus = 27 Leo 59 r



By Kirsti Melto

The Sun at 25+ Aquarius is aligned with the Saturn-Neptune opposition and opposing asteroid Sphinx at 24+ degrees Leo. The Sun-Neptune conjunction is at the midpoint of Venus and Mars. Both Venus and Mars are in quincunx to retrograding Saturn and thus form a Yod with Saturn.

The Sun is semisextiling asteroid Urania exactly to the minute, semisquaring the Moon, sextiling the Galactic Core and asteroid Lilith and trineing the conjunction of Juno and centaur planet Echeclus.

The Moon is forming a sextile to the stationing Mercury and the following aspects to other planets: a semisextile to asteroid Toro, a novile to Neptune, a quintile to Venus, and a quintile to the conjunction of Juno and Echeclus.

Mercury is on the North Node together with Uranus, Ceres, and Venus. Mercury quintiles Pluto, squares Toro, and forms a novile to Eris.

Venus opposes cubewano Logos, squares asteroid Eros, sextiles Mars and Sedna, forms a novile to Chiron, and semisextiles Eris. Venus and Eris are in parallel.

Mars forms an Earth Trine with Sedna and Logos. Mars semisextiles asteroid Eros, squares Eris, and forms a sesquisquare to cubewano Chaos. Saturn squares Sedna and forms a Fire Trine with Eris and Eros.

Jupiter, plutino Ixion, and cubewano Quaoar are in conjunction. Jupiter and Ixion are in parallel. Jupiter and Quaoar square the lunar nodes. Ceres is on the North Node. Asteroid Psyche is retrograde on the South Node. Uranus squares Ixion on the Great Attractor. Jupiter trines centaur planet Asbolus and quincunxes cubewano Varuna. Jupiter, Varuna, and Pallas form a Yod. Pallas, Psyche, and Asbolus form another Yod.

Neptune forms an exact quincunx to Logos, a square to Sedna, a sextile, to Eris and a septile to Pluto. Juno and Echeclus sextile Pluto and Orcus trines Pluto.

Chaos = 6 Gemini 22 r
Nessus = 8 Aquarius 20
Toro = 10 Sagittarius 09
Ixion = 13 Sagittarius 20
Psyche = 15 Virgo 53 r
Asbolus = 16 Aries 22
Varuna = 16 Cancer 33 r
Quaoar = 17 Sagittarius 29
Sedna = 19 Taurus 12
Logos & Zoe = 19 Virgo 43 r
Eris = 20 Aries 21
Eros = 21 Sagittarius 14
Sphinx = 24 Leo 23 r
Urania = 25 Capricorn 06
Lilith = 25 Sagittarius 26
Echeclus = 27 Libra 34 r
Orcus = 28 Leo 03 r





Introduction. I've asked some of our writers to share their thoughts on Mercury retrograde, looking for fresh points of view from the usual. Paloma Todd, Priya Kale, Judith Gayle and I have commented. -- Eric Francis

The winged messenger swims the back crawl; there is something relaxing and tensing in the image of the back swimmer; if you want to advance you have to make an extra effort, a different movement than you are used to; you learn to develop some power and strength in areas that were dormant: your back is awoken.

Swimming with wings is an art.

Air in water says, slow down; Mercury gets agitated in the waters as if the feathers of his wings, full of liquid, are weighing him down; this is exasperating if not fearful, as there may be a feeling of drowning. Mercury retrograding in the water signs has a double movement; this feels antagonistic given the nature of the god of speed and motion. The water pulls down, and the direction goes into the past, backward.

Floating is an art. To let go and trust that the movement coming from the water is leading somewhere; flowing with it, surrendering to this element is quite a task for a runner and a flyer. Floating requires trust and faith, feeling safe, and relaxing our body into non-gravity. The water made pillow pulls our head, and from this new point of view we can look up at the stars instead of forward into the future; Mercury has something to learn from this position.

With Mercury retrograding in the water signs, we can learn to swim backwards and listen to new ways of traveling inside, maybe connecting with some deep inner water states, or immersing ourselves into a state of non action, of letting it happen and just listening. Both ways Mercury is challenged, and with it, our perception and the digestion of the information that surrounds us.

Reality is not static. Like water, it is in constant motion. Learning its ways is allowing our senses to be watered: sensing instead of thinking, feeling instead of understanding...there is something chaotic for the mind to grasp. Mercury retrograding in the ocean of our worlds of feelings is a test and an opportunity to shift the past in our favor; to look at the past from a different perspective, to feel the past instead of remembering it; by doing this we can transform our memories and the way we relate to what has been lived.

Think of your mind becoming the womb of Cancer: our memories mixed back in the waters of our first body-to-be, our mother's imprint; this is hard to grasp for the mind. We need to float into this back state and let it be. It will make sense when Mercury resumes its motion, but in the meantime, this is our god's moment in time to surrender to the Moon and let himself rest and be nurtured.

Think of your mind as a detective of passion. How can words describe the boiling energy of Scorpio, whose waters precisely cover all that is out of the conscious mind to grasp; the unknown world of death, and shadows: the fears and repulsions, the out-of-the-dictionary labyrinth. Here Mercury feels the angst of the past and a state of no control. The winged messenger learns to be strong and cultivates the power of intuition. In due time, when the motion is resumed forward, the new strength will come out in the form of sharpness and precision.

Think of your mind as the traveler of all times. The Pisces edge of worlds and hidden dimensions is quite a vast territory for Mercury, who feels the loss and confusion breaking the boundaries of the mind. The lack of borders to our perception can feel like the vastness of the cosmos reflected in the ocean. Here Mercury learns that memory is timeless and that the stars are here to be listened to. In the vastness of all times, Mercury finds the beauty of unity. When forward motion comes back, poetry will be the language of possibility to express what has been experienced.

-- Paloma Todd
Paris, France

 


THERE ARE times all the clichés about Mercury retrograde seem to be valid, and other times when something else happens. My favorite, pretty consistent quality is that of the truth coming out at the time of the station, whether retrograde or direct. Discoveries made, long silent words spoken, needs acknowledged and described, awareness shifting subtly or radically. Expect the story to change and develop. This is a natural time to consider, and to reconsider, and to go over the different permutations of issues, questions, and problems.

The retrograde is a good time to work with delay, to intentionally delay, to step back and reflect inwardly, to take care of old stuff. Most of the frustration, when it arises, comes from trying to mess with the natural timing of things. Usually if there is a delay, it will work for you, and what does not happen naturally or easily generally doesn't need to happen. Yes there are times during a retrograde when it's necessary to blaze forward; bon courage.

Personally, I try to take it easy on technology during or near the retrograde. I delay fixing anything that seems to be broken if I can, and use the minimal solution I can apply, saving the big fix for later (often the problem has resolved itself by then). I've learned not to make major purchases, and to allow the minor ones to go only as well as they want. I've also noticed that there's an effect of things seeming to be broken when they're really not, and the potential for "solutions" to really be the thing that goofs things up, all the worse for being complicated attempts to fix things. Usually what we need to change is awareness.

The movement of Mercury describes something about how our minds work, or need to work. What is unique about Mercury is how many times a year it changes directions. Minds are made to change! It also goes from being the fastest planet to the slowest in a few days, reversing directions and going up to full speed in a few days; then repeating this. The image is that the mind has a variable function, many modes, and needs to go over some territory several times before getting clear.

My motto for Mercury retrograde could be the same as my motto for investigative reporting -- know when you don't know. Know what you don't know. That is to say, know when you're working on assumptions, and know what they are. Know when you don't know. If you can do that, you can get the story.

-- Eric Francis
Kingston, NY




JUST AS the sky and sea meet only at the horizon, air and water are elements that on the surface don't appear to mix. Today Mercury, a decidedly mental mutable planet, begins to retrace it's steps through Pisces and then back into Aquarius.

My inbox blinked with two emails today, from all-too-familiar addresses that I hadn't seen in a long time. This is my general experience about Mercury retrograde -- that I will hear from people from my past a lot; people I've lost touch with or that have drifted away tend to float back into my life.

I find it a good time to say what was left unsaid. Being the sort of person that likes to deal with issues head on and then put them behind me, it is frustrating at times when other people have another mode of operation. I'm learning that people deal with their issues differently, and not everyone is in a position to or strong enough to deal with raw emotions. Depending on the relationship, it's an opportune to open channels of communication, strengthen and rework patterns that don't work, heal old wounds and renew bonds. And if nothing else, there is closure in place of an experience of abandonment.

Other times it's about reconnecting with friends and relationships, those that are precious, but all too easy to lose sight of in the whirlwind of our lives. These relationships are never really lost due to the nature of their solidity, but it's also a reminder for me, to never take them for granted.

Observations and Notes

This particular Mercury Retrograde is being supported and charged by some pretty potent alignments. Among other aspects, there is a fiery Yod being formed by Venus and Mars with the Saturn-Neptune opposition hanging in balance exactly at its midpoint. What strikes me about this alignment is that Venus and Mars, Saturn and Neptune, are both pairs of very opposite energies. Saturn is the planet that gives us structure while Neptune gives us fluidity. Venus represents the feminine, the yin, the passive, and on the other hand we have Mars, representing the masculine, the yang, the aggressive. The opposites seem to be drawing our attention to the need for balance, integration and a merging of opposite energies to the unified one.

The elements of Air, Water and Fire in combination bring to mind a picture of air bubbles forming in a pot of water simmering over a flame, and as the water heats up, the bubbles start increasing rapidly and are brought to the surface. I feel the retrograde is asking us to dive into our emotions, to feel them, and as we are slowly fueled by our passions, clarity arrives in the form of thoughts that like tiny bubbles,, rise to the surface and need to be expressed. So voice those fleeting thoughts.

--Priya Kale
Kingston, NY



by Judith Gayle
 
Here we are in our first Merc retro in 2007, and this time we're in the fish tank with Pisces, so I hope you know how to do the backstroke. The thing about these (mostly) tri-annual retrogrades -- besides the automatic cringe when you hear that one is due -- is that they bend and break our "should's" and "have to's," scuttle our concept of time, require us to reconfigure its use.

You've been here before, you know what to expect. The regular Thursday business meeting will be bumped because two coworkers' cars broke down, one is home with a sick kid, and the room where you usually meet has a water leak over the conference table -- plumber can't come this week -- and the big neighborhood get-together you planned on hosting over the weekend won't happen because cyberspace ate the e-invitation, which turns out to be a blessing since your refrigerator started whistling like a canary and then gave out with all the party goodies warming into bacteria inside.

To borrow a Rummy-ism, whatever our "known known" is about how life is ordered, it will be unknown -- and challenging -- for about three weeks.

When I was actively doing charts for a living, I had clients who only wanted to know when the Merc retros were and how bad they were going to get; they were type A overachievers who needed to plan out alternate routes to their goals. There's no question that unexpected glitches and breakdowns occur during this period; miscommunications, misinterpretations, and snafus are the rule. Surrender to the transit that slows things down for others -- their appointments are missed, their cell phones die, there's no slot in their Day-Timer (although if we're smart, we'll make space in ours.) -- but if we're smart, we'll make space in ours. We can't stop the inevitable. Knowing only makes it easier to allow ourselves to go with the flow for a few weeks. Living with a Merc retro is a kind of Zen practice, i.e., "What is the sound of one computer crashing?"

I don't think the whole planet experiences a Merc retro in quite the same way. What happens in the high peaks of the Himalayas when time "backs up"? In the Australian outback? Who breaks a sweat? But in a society that pushes ahead on checklists of daily achievements, all this is stress-producing and crazy-making. And maybe that's the whole point of retro energy -- take a moment, take a breath. Where are you? What are you pushing for? How is your life taking shape?

In the spiritual community, we say that realization comes at us on three progressively insistent levels. First, the mental level. That's Mercury, so these retros are perfect to take a moment to see what life is telling us. If we pay attention, we don't have to suffer any major hits to the second level, heart -- with Mercury in Pisces, we'll get a big dose of emotion anyway. (I'd be prepared to cry a little, if I were you. I've stocked up on Kleenex, myself.) Feeling is a requirement on this plane -- if we refuse to feel our way through what's going on in our life, our world, we're missing vital information and blocking access to our growth and well-being. The last level, the third and most dramatic bid for attention, hits us in the body. If we won't take time to smell the coffee mentally and emotionally, life conspires to give us a broken leg -- or something worse -- to really slow us down. Flat on our back, there's plenty of time to reprioritize and ponder our course.

You probably know all the "work-arounds" to a Merc retro by now -- don't count on mail or messages, or anything with moving parts; don't sign anything you don't have to; don't fail to double-check important stuff; don't travel without your credit cards or, preferably, cash; and don't freak out, because it won't help a bit. My favorite bit of advice is don't rush to fix something unless you're absolutely sure it's broken, and you can't live without it another minute. Too many odd glitches and snags have suddenly faded away when Mercury goes direct for me to quickly seek repairs.

That's the "don't" list. I've prepared a little "do" list for you, based on the added weight of more Neptunian influence later in the month. Before we finish off our retrograde, we will have the spot-on Saturn-Neptune opposition on February 28, complicated by Mars opposing Moon. Nobody knows exactly how that will look, but it's the kind of cosmic positioning that will cause a stir, perhaps an event, so it's best to be prepared for unusual happenings.

Here's a "can't hurt" list of things you might want to do to feel more secure as we make our way through the next watery weeks:

Do prioritize based on bottom lines, rather than the way things "need to be." Allow yourself to let go of "should's" and focus on what is truly important. Let time take its own course for a while.

Do prepare yourself for a storm or earthquake, a natural phenomenon of some sort, by having a pantry full and emergency needs well stocked; make sure all family members know what to do under these kinds of circumstances.

Do have some cash on hand and access to a dependable vehicle...don't put off investigating that flashing dashboard light or ignore the slow leak in your tire. If you share rides with friends, make sure you're all on the same page -- and be willing to go to Plan B in a heartbeat.

Do make sure you HAVE a Plan B...and maybe a C.

Do realize that your instincts are still your best friend -- not what you read or hear under a heavy Neptunian influence. Trust dependable resources, and yourself (unless you're in an emotional meltdown. If you find yourself a bit hysterical, don't run with scissors, but go with it...it'll pass.)

Do take some time to listen to the Quiet Voice within you -- the one telling you things you haven't taken time to listen to.
 
Do be gentle with yourself and with those you love -- and attempt to be kind to those around you who don't have a clue.
 
Retros aren't the enemy...and big transits aren't either. They're taking us somewhere, giving us opportunities to break out of hive mentality and see things differently. We can ride out these energy changes without experiencing them as dire if we're ready to work with them rather than dig in our heels and resist doing it "differently."

I'm ready. Now, if I can just get the fridge to stop whistling.



By Priya Kale with Eric Francis

SOLAR RETURNS are always a new beginning, but a New Moon on or near your solar return is like that added cosmic touch of heaven. This is indeed a new chapter in your journey, so where do you want to go? Dream your dream and use your vision as a guide that steers you there. The fact that this New Moon occurs so late in Aquarius is also saying use your experience; let your history guide you as to what you want, and what you don't; what you need, and what you don't.

With a stellium of planets in your 1st and 2nd house the emphasis is certainly on you, your beliefs and everything that means anything to you. Saturn and Neptune are close to their second of three exact oppositions -- and the effect is felt tangibly in your life right now. The question might be "what is real and what is not?" or "what do I really want?" The questions are worth asking, but gently, rather than with any stress. Let the opposition do the work; you just pay attention.

This is happening on the 1st and 7th house axis of your chart putting the onus clearly on you and by extension, on your most important relationships. Saturn sits in your 7th house, clearing out what does not belong in your life, and bringing you back to the reality and structure of your relationships. Neptune in the 1st house makes you long for what can be described as an idealistic dream. Hence, you may be living with a vivid dualism between what you perceive as a fantasy or dream, and what you perceive as reality or necessity.

The key to this predicament may reside in the fact that Neptune is now making a conjunction to Pallas, a mental, logical asteroid, meeting a planet whose logic is often slippery, elusive and in its own world (Neptune, where we all encounter our Pisces side). This will help you find the words for what up until now was a hum in your heart, indeed, one that may have been humming a long time, as Neptune takes pretty close to forever to cross one sign, in this case, your sign. Share your dreams and encourage partners to do the same. I assure you, if you try you will find a way to express the abstract emotions churning or swirling inside you. Allow your contradictions to come to the surface.

Your modern ruling planet Uranus is conjunct the North Node, implying one major factor, that is, you are the one in charge of making changes in your life. Being an air sign you are usually more guided by your Uranian instincts -- intelligence, inventiveness, awareness -- but your intuition is strong and your emotions and inner landscape, although changing rapidly and deeply, are the strongest magnets of the serendipity needed in your life. Uranus in Pisces is saying take chances with your feelings, with your needs, and with your creativity in all forms, particularly in love.

You are at your empathetic, sensitive, compassionate peak and it shouldn't surprise you to find yourself amongst a host of new friends and admirers. The year will certainly provide many options when it comes to your social life. There are some pretty powerful connections that can be made this year and your world and your place in it look set to widen as a result.

We rely all too often on our logic and rationality, often as a way to cling to history. There is need now to keep open the channels of spiritual guidance, especially in this period of new activity. Spiritual can take many forms: inspiration, art, nature, movement, or the more direct forms of what we think of as relationship to Spirit. Just remember, if God can create the whole universe, He or She can manifest in any form.

We tend to focus on the external circumstances in our world, relinquishing our power to the things we seemingly cannot change and must accept. But if you slow down, in a moment of stillness you will find the answer. Whatever you want to call it "prana" or "chi" or "the universal life source" -- it runs through all of us and is a power that is now accessible to you, and you need to tap into this, by choice, by small willingness. You are on the brink of new inspiration, truly, a new horizon of reality, that may indeed change your life as you know it, for better, surely for different, and happily, adding emphasis on what matters most to you.

Weekly Horoscope for Friday, February 16, 2007, #650 - By ERIC FRANCIS

Aries (March 20-April 19)
You seem to be reading a book about a love story or some extraordinary creative endeavor, but a little like Edgar Cayce used to -- with the book under your pillow. This same person or thing may be dreaming of you, imagining herself into form, reaching to you from an unseen world. You may be able to feel the contact points weaving themselves into existence behind the veils of your awareness. The less you do the better; this is indeed a situation where your receptivity is more important than striving for anything external. If you want to lean into a situation and get some results, at the moment work is an excellent place to do that.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
You're cultivating a skill of actively relating to your sixth sense directly through your feelings. Normally we think of psychic awareness as coming from above, through the crown chakra. If you're feeling a sense of mistrust in a person or situation, be aware of it, and proceed with your eyes open. If something feels absolutely excellent, I suggest you do the same thing. Something is working itself through your awareness layer by layer, as if you're working with your feelings in layers of color, and through light and shadow. However the situation may develop, you're getting an excellent tour of your perceptive abilities.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
Don't fall for the temptation that you "almost succeeded." Personally I've never read about or for that matter experienced a great invention that did not take a number of attempts, many revisions and a great deal of re-visioning. Proceed in that spirit. Put the creative process before the results and you will get the best results and have the most fun. If you're at an impasse, try an oblique strategy: go in reverse; do something random; look deeper; go out for lunch; everyone switch instruments. Basically, everything is an opportunity, and that's not New Age mumbo jumbo -- that's astrology.
 
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You don't need to go on faith alone, though as you're seeing a little goes a long way. You also don't need to determine your opinion about a situation based on what is plainly visible or supported by the apparent evidence. Better things are happening than you can yet imagine, though it may be some time before you have a sense of the whole picture. At the moment take things one step at a time, and take an active role in giving yourself the gift of appreciating your life. No matter how exciting the future may be, this is the moment you're alive, and that is saying a lot.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
The idea is to give people the space to consider their commitments without fearing for a moment that they are considering reneging on them. This is a truly meaningful freedom to give one another, the freedom to think and feel what is right, and to experiment with what is possible. If more people gave one another this space, more of us would be certain that the people in our lives are acting out of heartfelt desire rather than duty. I suggest that you give yourself the same space, which will likely remind you how deep your feelings go once you take a moment to reflect.
 
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Mercury is now stationing retrograde in your opposite sign, Pisces. This offers you a depth of insight into the feelings and needs of others, a direct empathy that is accessible through your own emotions, feelings and perceptions. You may feel closer than you've ever been to someone you care about deeply, and yet unable to cross the distance entirely. This will come in time, but for now let what feels like the space between you remind you of how much space you've covered, how close you've become, and how real your feelings are. Practice that awareness as a devotion. Feel the gradual mingling of your lives on the soul level. Feel the pulses of your lives beginning to synchronize.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Your glimpse of the future is pouring through your heart, soul, brain and body. Take it with you. Love is about faith. Nothing can reassure us that it's true or real. Faith is an individual experience, but it's one that creates an atmosphere of strength that others can draw upon and grow merely by bearing witness to. Faith heals the world as surely as fear drives it to the brink of nonexistence. Indeed, faith is the special form of trust that makes love possible. From there it is just one gentle step to freedom. And though this may have come to you as a vision of what may be, the mere notion that it's possible means it can be true right now, and can guide you the rest of your life.
 
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Would it not be beautiful to cycle in and out of balance, in and out of awareness? You can do it, but you must replace the cycle of your consciousness sleeping and awakening with another reality. That could be shifting from companionship to solitude as a conscious and even daily act; it could be remembering and honoring your past as a devotion that helps you stay in the present; it could be applying all your life energy to some moments every day of experiencing the reality of another as fully and as deeply as humanly possible. All that matters is that some form of alternation awareness replace the troubling cycle of awareness and the lack of it.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
Yes, it all comes back to you. Yes, the fate of the world -- that is, the world you see, and know, and believe in -- is in your hands. Rare have been the opportunities to make a difference, much less to turn patterns woven into centuries of history to your favor, and that of everyone around you. Today you have the strength to break free of everything your parents taught you, and everything their parents taught them. Today you have the strength to live steadily in your original instructions, your seed idea, your true dharma. This involves not forgetting all that you've discovered is not true, but rather, remembering it.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Understanding of another person's situation is rushing through like so much blood, air and water, as natural as anything can be. You don't need to say anything, but you certainly can. You don't need to ask, but you are free to. What you may want to do, though, is to open up as wide as possible to the experience of connection as your defenses will allow you. If you notice one of those defenses, greet them by name, and take full responsibility, and let them pass through you. Defenses cover something much more beautiful -- that's their main job. You no longer need them, but you can let them point you to the truth they contain.
 
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Slowly you are crossing the little gap between awareness and denial. This may feel like a negotiation process within yourself; granting yourself permission to accept that you're really safe, remembering what you forgot, accepting what you had rejected, and feeling what you refused to feel. This is about admitting feeling safe, and all the more safe for being aware of that safety. You no longer need to consider awareness of your security as an invitation to disaster. The truth is, at this point of your life, it works quite the other way.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
What an ominous time for you, what an impressionable moment. You are wide open and it's as if you're embodying the whole world in your daily experiences. You contain the people you love inside you, which is why your feelings are so vital now, and why you need to be truly careful the way you let your fear guide you. Spoken simply, your fear can guide you toward or away from people; it can become an excuse or an opportunity. A Course in Miracles puts it beautifully: lack of faith in love, in any form, attests to chaos as reality. Ah, and faith in love attests to sanity and joy.