Planets in Motion
Mercury stationed direct in Leo Thursday afternoon in the UK and Europe, and Thursday morning in the United States, prior to the end of the Republican National Convention. Pluto stationed direct in Sagittarius on Aug. 30. Venus and Saturn formed a conjunction in Cancer Aug. 31. All of these transits have the feeling of releasing stuck energy, or completing some kind of difficult process that goes back weeks or months.
September is an eventful month, though all through the autumn there is the sense that the energy is mounting. The Sept. 14 New Moon in Virgo is conjunct Ceres, Mars and Jupiter, and square Pluto -- a doosie, considering that Virgo is a sign where things are planted, grow and are nourished. Then one by one, all those Virgo planets head into Libra, first the Sun on the 22nd, followed by Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Ceres and finally Venus.
As I've explained in other editions, the first degree of any cardinal sign (such as Libra) evokes the energy of the Aries point, the first degree of the sign Aries, also called the Vernal point. At the moment, this degree of the zodiac is intimately linked with developments in the U.S., the U.K., and the Middle-East, a subject I'll get into a bit more next week. But for now, suffice it to say that we are living through some extraordinarily significant times in history, though people rarely ever notice until they are long gone and somebody has made a dumb movie.
Keep your eyes wide. Reality is stranger than Hollywood. ++
Full Moon Door
It may be of interest to students of astrology to consider that the other great day of protest of our era, February 15, 2003, occurred on the eve of a Full Moon. The same is true of Sunday's march for peace in New York City, where an estimated half-million people filled the streets peacefully, walking past Madison Square Garden and the Republican National Convention. The protest was a clear, undeniable statement of objection to the illegal and deceitful occupation of Iraq, and many other policies of the unelected Bush administration. If nothing else, we can say that democratic principles are still alive, at least in New York City.
In particular, the 1st article of the Bill of Rights guarantees that the people shall not be prohibited from public assembly, or from petitioning the government for the redress of grievances. But it's always interesting to see how far people have to go to secure that right: facing intimidation by heavily armed police, standing down threats from public officials, and having their words and actions intentionally misinterpreted.
Charts for both Full Moons, the one after the Feb. 15 protests and that which occurred Sunday, have a striking similarity: the Full Moon in a close aspect with Uranus, the planet of invention, innovation, liberation and change. In the Full Moon that occurred the day after the F-15 protests, the Aquarius Sun was in a close conjunction to Uranus, with the Moon opposing. In Monday's Full Moon chart, the Moon was in a close conjunction to Uranus, with the Sun in a tight opposition. Both brought a peak of energy, the momentary awakening from delusion, and a moment of joining. But they also had the particular quality of a Full Moon, being polarization -- that is, raising the contrast between two different or opposing viewpoints. That is one sign of a healthy society. And it's encouraging to see that these things happen with the Moon's blessing. But also with that of Uranus.
Uranus is something of the guiding star of the United States, discovered as it was in 1781, just after the Revolution and seven years before the federal Constitution was ratified in 1788. Uranus was the first planet ever discovered; till that time, the only ones known were the traditional seven, for which one does not need a telescope.
It is often taught to astrology students that Uranus has an affinity with groups. Here we get some confirmation of that idea. But on Sunday we saw another side to Uranus, which was the power of clarity rather than of force. The event was collaborative, loving and peaceful, as calm as such a crowd can possibly be. And as is usually the case in modern protest marches, it was extremely creative. This was no 1968, when activists led by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin disrupted the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and created a violent, chaotic spectacle that may have won the election for Richard Nixon, who later resigned in scandal. New Yorkers know that quite a lot is at stake. People, including and especially the police, truly kept their cool. But then, they were vastly outnumbered.
Some may wonder whether demonstrations like this are remotely meaningful. It's impossible that they not be. To organize a crowd that large, with everyone knowing they face arrest, beating and harassment if things get even slightly out of hand, is an impressive feat -- particularly in a world where most of what happens, happens on television with one's butt safely planted in the sofa. Today if you get 15 people out of the house and joined together for one purpose, for any reason, it's impressive.
Sunday's march registered in the minds of our nation's leaders. They may not take action in a lurch, but they saw it, they heard it, they know it happened -- and they know the rest of the country saw it, too. The army of journalists dispatched to cover the event got the message by osmosis and observation, as did the editors who dealt with their stories and personal accounts firsthand. The police were there in official capacity, but also were witnesses. People around the world saw footage of those thousand coffins being carried down 7th Avenue in stark contrast to America's worldwide reputation for political apathy, denial and naivete.
Kids who grow up in New York City often wonder why Madison Square Garden has that name, when the place is round (really, an oval), but we all hear the story. It's because it was originally on Madison Square. This is the third incarnation of the arena, properly called Madison Square Garden III, where the RNC was hosted this week. But as for its namesake? The Madison is James Madison, third president of the United States and author of the U.S. Constitution.
Here are some of Mr. Madison's comments to his peers and to posterity, researched by Jude, moderator of the Political Waves list.
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
"It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad."
"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."
"Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power."
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."
"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries."
"We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties."
"Conscience is the most sacred of all property."
"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm."
"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." ++
On the Scene
Over the weekend, I asked Planet Waves subscribers to report what they were seeing, hearing and feeling in New York City. Here is some of what came back. Thanks for your comments, and apologies to any that were inadvertently not used.
Hi Eric,
My sweetie is working at the NYC convention as a cameraman for CNN. Yesterday he saw the protesters and he said there were more people than he's ever seen in his life, more than during the civil rights movement. Walking 20 blocks back to his hotel last night he said there were a minimum of 12 cops at every corner and at least six cop cars or paddy wagons at every corner for 20 blocks! And that was just on 7th Avenue. He was interested to see how it would be covered by the different networks. That night WB [Warner Television] reported an estimated 400,000 protesters. Then NBC said half a million protestors showed up [also reportedly reported by The New York Times]. Then Fox reported "over 100,000 protestors" showed up. My sweetie also worked the DNC in Boston and he said the total number of protestors there were a couple of hundred at the most, and they were all protesting against the current administration and the war, not against Kerry in any way. So we wonder as well when they say the race is 'even', how that could possibly be true.
Cheers!
-- Jennifer
P.S. - My sweetie said the comparison of the number of protestors at the DNC and the Republican convention was like comparing a canoe to the Queen Mary II!
Dear Eric:
I was at the march -- insanely hot, insanely beautiful. I met a guy who is putting together a photo diary and collected about 1,000 emails so he can put together digital photos from all over.
The main disappointment: no real crescendo; we were all sent scattering at the end of the march. No speeches, so we just hung out at the park and listened to Air America under the Sun. My favorite moment: watching two suitcase-laden Republicans trying to cross 7th Avenue to get to their hotel, wife crying, husband sweating and swearing, and two teenagers pick up their bags and lug them across for them. And another: kids and cops in escalating verbal exchange, two older ladies come over and do a peace huddle with cops and kids. Four giggling policemen, two old ladies, and kids. Lovely moment.
Another great moment: jazz band at brunch place on 7th Avenue decides to step out of restaurant and play for the crowd. A long John Coltrane wail of 'A Love Supreme'.
-- Ann
horoscope writer, Brooklyn
Eric,
It was a great day! Quite celebratory and fun, lots of music, drums, bells, voices. IT WAS HUGE! Many creative displays, signs, outfits, dances. Many families with young children, older people, very mixed, an exciting vibe as always here when people take to the streets in such a diverse and wild city. Also quite serious, disciplined. I think most people are all too aware that we don't want to provide violent, chaotic events and images of NYC streets under these urgent circumstances. I've been to many peace demos and other marches in NYC (I grew up here) and yesterday shines among the best of them in terms of the joyous, hopeful quality of human interaction under serious pressures. Many, many heavily armed police, helicopters, etc. but, from my vantage point, friendly, tolerant behavior from the NYPD.
-- Anne
blogger
Hi Eric,
I kept company with Quakers, Grandmothers Against War, a transvestite ('Anti Bush, Pro Cock'), people on crutches, with canes and in wheelchairs. Babies, old people and every age in between. Signs of every shape and variety, "Bush the Butcher of Baghdad" graced a bedsheet. Very little Kerry stuff. Kalamazoo, Michigan "Supports the Troops" and wants them home. Bozeman Montana felt it was necessary to attend because not all people from Montana believe the present administration is doing the right job.
Packed beginning to end, sidewalk to sidewalk 2+ miles. City count (6 p.m. news) 120,000. United for Peace and Justice count (end of march announcement) 375,000-400,000. My intuit count upwards of 500,000, at least that was the level of energy. All the bigs were at the head of the line. I was at the end. Over the fence last, if you will.
WBAI [Pacifica Radio in Manhattan, affiliated with KPFA in Berkeley] had an employee walking the route with a radio as they broadcast. I found myself irritated by that because it took me out of the vibe and voices of the people around me. Another person was listening, through headphones, to WABC as they were broadcasting the march. He kept a running dialogue about what they were saying about anarchists acting up (none in our part of the march), Black Panthers (didn't see them either) and the aforementioned 100,000 possibly 120,000 participants.
"Bring my son home" written in ink on the back of a plain white T shirt worn by an Ecuadoran man, as he bore the corner of one of the coffins. His 21-year-old son has been in Iraq for 6 months. There were 972 flag draped coffins for each US soldier killed in Iraq. I ended up taking over for one of the bearers at 34th St. where pro-Bush, on the north side of the street must have faced off with anti-Bush on the south side. I say must have because I got the feeling that the sight of the coffins threw water on their verbal sparring.
My fellow pallbearer was a young man from Brewster, New York [northern suburb of the city]. He was somewhat overwhelmed by the event in which he found himself. He said he didn't know it was going to be like this and was this what it was like in 1968? No. Sixty-eight was far less organized, far more violent and it was just the beginning.
-- Emily
Dear Eric:
I marched with the Abbie Hoffman Brigade and my own wonderful poster (if I must say so myself) . . . I'll try and scan a photo to send you, it's quite a hit . . . a woman shaving her pubes, no more bush!
We went up to the park [Central Park] after and it was also quiet, the movement is indeed of spokespeople . . . to galvanize . . . met some guy Johnny America who runs around like Paul Revere, and Billionaires for Bush . . . I find it strange the whole of New York is not protesting, but the event was held on the weekend and loads of people are still upstate . . . we'll see how the week goes.
I'm knackered as I just got in, but it's so obvious how anti-Republican New York is . . . and the march made that clear!
-- Nancy
Hi there Eric,
I live in NYC and the energy here is even more palpable than usual. All the major dailies reported on yesterday's protest rally though WA Post put the number at 200,000, SF Gate at 400,000 and NYT at 500,000. Still a LOT of people. The rally itself was amazing (see NYT aerial view of flag-draped coffins) and what I found most interesting was how quiet and silent it was. No shouting, no loud chanting -- just hundreds and hundreds of people walking down the streets quietly. Well, quiet unless you read their shirts, their buttons, their signs and look at the number of coffins they carried down.
Not just another quiet Sunday afternoon -- though if you were sitting in Madison Square Park (23rd and Broadway) you could have been fooled [that nothing much was happening] even as the rally walked right by the park.
I'm looking forward to this week -- to the exhibits and other creative forms of protest. Already at Cherry Hill on Saturday afternoon was the "shoe exhibit" (http://afsc.org/eyes/) which was simple, beautiful and moving. They had up a newspaper story of a mother that exchanged the stock pair of combat boots representing her dead son with his own pair of boots. Unbelievable.
As a resident, it is also interesting to feel the energy and see the activities of all these protestors who have come in, even when they aren't protesting. At Union Square last evening there was drumming and dancing and a lot of hanging out and making friends. In the midst of brisk sales of anti-Bush buttons and t-shirts, there was a cloth sign pasted on the ground that said something like "P. Diddy. Please stop wearing diamonds. It hurts your African brothers."
A woman in a burqa and her husband stood in front of a cardboard sign saying "No Bush" and were watching as protestors wrote messages and signed their names on the sign.
Walking around downtown was amazing -- there are protestors everywhere and the convention hadn't even really begun yesterday. People of all colors and ages -- this should be a good week. More later,
-- Shreedevi
But then there is this:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/luxperpetua/91146.html
And this:
http://www.freedomunderground.org/memoryhole/pentagon121.swf
Virgo Birthdays, Part Three
"Virgo symbolizes the depths, darkness, quiet, and warmth; it is the valley of deep experience wherein secrets are discovered and eventually 'brought to light'; it is the place of slow, gentle and yet powerful crises and periodic developments which take place in the dark and yet which lead to light." -- Alice A. Bailey.
The themes of dark and light, of the hidden world and the manifest world, and of deeply recognizing your potential, factor prominently into your anniversary charts this year, Virgo. Those with anniversaries near the station direct of Mercury, which occurs Thursday, Sept. 2, would seem to be ready to take new, surprising and exceedingly valuable information -- information which comes from yourself -- and put it to work in the world.
At the moment, for all Virgos, Mercury, your ruling planet, is immersed in your 12th solar house, Leo. That Mercury has made two crossings over the Virgo point in recent weeks suggests that you are getting to know yourselves in an entirely new way, as if you are involved in some kind of soul retrieval process. This will have the effect of infusing your existence with new life, and a new degree of vitality. This, in turn, will allow you to see the realities of your world in stark relief. Where there were no distinctions in the past, there will soon be sufficient contrast to notice, feel and act on choices that appear.
Where were these options before? They were there, but perception is one of the most crucial mediators of reality. It is not the only one, but to a significant degree, reality is inside us. At least we can say that reality is experienced internally even though it appears to be external. There are those days when you recognize that how you feel is entirely responsible for how the world seems, and you are entering an extended moment of that phenomenon.
You have the ingredients you need to feel good. Certain crises have recently passed, and more than being free of those little particular issues, you have gained the confidence that you can actually handle the events of your life in a mature, clear and selfloving way. You are not a victim of the world, but it took time to internalize that lesson, and it's not necessarily as solid as you would like; but you have the vital capacity for choice, and you have gathered enough experience in recent months and weeks to prove to you that how you feel, what you think, and what you decide actually have influence in your life.
In the past couple of editions I have emphasized that the presence of Uranus in your opposite sign is associated with people and events that offer surprises, moments of awakening, and a whole new way of looking at life. I'm aware that Uranus transits are not always experienced as positive, in that surprises are not always birthday parties. But in order to take advantage of the unexpected, you need to be friends with all possibilities, and if Uranus is teaching you anything, this is it. With Uranian transits, they can be difficult or disruptive at first and then, as we get used to them, we get more ideas of how to work with the energy rather than against it.
In order to meet, and relate to, the new kinds of people who are coming into your life, you're being called upon to be a new person, in the sense that you can adjust your responses, and call upon different inner resources. You do not, for example, need to react passively to every situation and would be well advised to meet energy with daring, creativity with passion, and opportunity with curiosity. It is your life you are leading, and you can interpret recent experiences to be bearers of the message that the more you live consciously, for yourself, being aware of your own needs, the more two things happen. One is that you're happier. The second is that you have more in common with the people around you and thus a more solid basis for relationship.
In March, Chiron, a planet with close associations to Virgo, enters Aquarius, your 6th solar house. This portends very well for your career aspirations, if you desire independence, freedom and the privilege of doing your thing your way. Chiron is obsessed with service and serves humanity excellently. But Chiron is also on a mission of his own, and that mission is to help you see, feel and then live out your true independence in the world.
If you have noticed a lifelong tendency to be dependent on other people, this transit -- which commences in 2005 and carries you at least four years into the future -- will offer many opportunities to experience the satisfaction of standing on your own legs and thinking with your own mind. In fact, it is a safe prediction that you will recognize how intelligent you are. While it can be a struggle to deal with the many less-than-brilliant people who suddenly reveal themselves when your own lights come on, you can take solace that enlightenment is far more desirable than carrying the weight of the world for no good reason. ++
Planet Waves Weekly
By ERIC FRANCIS
Friday, Sept. 3, 2004
Aries (March 20-April 19)
A partner is likely to be having the breakthrough you've been waiting for, but the interesting thing is that you may be experiencing this as "when I get free, everyone else gets free." And you are getting free. What you can take with you from this moment is something vital to your long-term happiness, which is the ability to keep your creative fire burning at all times, and to carry that into everything you do. Everything, as in two things in particular: your quest for wellness, and your striving for the right work and way of service. All of life is not art -- unless we make it so.
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
If you've been feeling stuck, emotionally or otherwise, I reckon that this week brings release. There is in your charts a message about the necessities of cooperating with powers greater than yourself while at the same time standing equal to them. This is an odd posture for most people, and ultimately it has less to do with our outer conduct and more with the motivation to meet the world on mutually agreed terms. Mostly it involves learning not to treat everyone like they're your dad. You are your own person: sensitive, at times passionate, at times scared, but your own person.
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You seem to be giving up the idea that pushing rocks up hills is productive activity. It helps to know you have another choice or two. Gemini can have as one of its attributes the experience that everyone else except you gets to be self-centered. I would propose that putting your ideas into the world is different than pushing them on the world. Focusing your mind and saying what you really think is not a form of aggression. Go deeper. You are pondering some important questions, one of which has just revealed itself.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
There's a curious alchemy brewing in your belly. It's like your cells and nerves are infused with different kinds of chemicals or nutrients than usual, and you've been able to see the world much more clearly. At this point it's absolutely essential to keep working on your list of what you don't want from life, and in particular, from relationships. I'm not suggesting dwelling on negatives, only that you know exactly when to hand something back to the universe and move on. If you can have anything you want, why settle for what makes you sick or offers you less than true contentment?
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Complicated problems have a way of solving themselves sometimes, or so it seems. More often, our long-cultivated habits of diligence, awareness and kindness create an atmosphere wherein Murphy's Law doesn't have the power it used to. It may even be enough to say that fear is the only obstacle to love; but you can add that when you genuinely care, you cultivate a spirit of cooperation and inner harmony that can solve any problem or create any outcome you truly need. Anyway, whatever you're doing, keep doing it.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
You may be in the fighting spirit, but you may not know where you really stand on a certain vital matter -- and that's not a winning proposition. Given this, I suggest that you listen to what your dreams, intuition and tarot cards are telling you. For the next four weeks in particular there is no rush -- none at all, though your impulses may be telling you that you need to commit or push forward. A lot more will become vividly clear when Mercury returns to your sign in a couple of weeks, and when the sky starts to shift into Libra on the 23rd. Till then, easy does it.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
There may not exactly be high drama associated with the highly productive developments of this week, but once again you have a chance to walk with your feet solidly on the ground, and with a sense of direction. You are much more intuitive about how you deal with your life goals than most other people. You rarely have one set agenda, but rather work from a much more general set of feelings and desires that somehow add up to aspiration. But Saturn is urging you to be both specific and disciplined, and Venus is saying the only way left to do it is your way.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
You have so many people to deal with you may be losing your mind. You may be wondering how exactly you're going to handle them, and the answer is, one at a time. Think of it this way. Each encounter bears a gift. Technically you may be the one acting on behalf of others, but if you focus on finding out what everyone has to offer you, the game will be a lot more fun. You'll also discover that the resources that some people have go very well with the needs of others. This is called efficiency. Just remember to apply some of those resources to your own specific needs.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
Now that you've finally made up your mind that you believe in yourself, you've reached a good time to turn up the energy. This is particularly true where a professional matter is concerned. I don't suggest you spend much time wondering whether the ground is going to fall out beneath you. The developments of this phase of your life are solid, and for a variety of reasons the people you're dealing with are as invested in the situation as you are. That's the foundation; your job is to build the structure. Like the sign in the wood shop says, "Plan your work, then work your plan."
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
You cannot force breakthroughs, but it's nice when they happen. You would do well to ask just what's changed in a particular relationship: was it you, was it something in your friend or partner, or was it a shift in the climate? It may be that you eased back on your desire for a particular outcome and thus made a variety of possible outcomes that much more accessible. It may also be that you accepted the possibility that a fair outcome really was possible, and by your faith, you moved a little mountain. But what's a little mountain?
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Unexpected developments in one particular relationship promise to deliver extra portions of fulfillment, and to close up lingering communication gaps. Remember, though, that this relationship was born with a purpose. Inspiration comes a lot more easily now than it has in recent days, but you need to keep it vivid in your memory so that it's there when you need it. For example, that may be when you're compelled to focus on an upcoming project that will take quite a bit of your energy. Keep your finger on that root inspiration and learn to find it in the dark, or by scent.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
It's fair to say that all Pisces view life as a mystical experience. But your quest for understanding, for answers and for adventure is tempered these days by a desire to get the job done well. That may seem awfully practical when what you really want is to learn, to create and to bliss out. A few different developments in your chart suggest you're about to have your chance. But now the burden of discipline is back in your hands. Upcoming circumstances promise to be a lot less restrictive than in past weeks. Keep grounded, and remember to consciously balance necessity and desire.
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