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Articles on Astrology, Meditation & More
All articles by Benjamin Bernstein, unless otherwise noted

The Healthcare Bill's Passage Astrologized

By Benjamin Bernstein

Originally published in the March 30, 2010 newsletter

Even the Republicans who unanimously opposed the new healthcare bill have to admit that its passage on March 23 is historic. It's being called the most significant piece of social legislation since the 1960s.

Whether you favored or opposed it, the astrological energies surrounding its passage clearly showed that its time had come. In fact, the timing was so good that I have to wonder whether Obama was secretly consulting an astrologer!

As points of information, this article represents my original thinking: I have not read any other astrologers on this matter. And I'm using Porphyry houses.

Transits to Obama's Chart

Let's start with a look at some of the most important transits to Obama's chart. Unless you believe the “birthers,” he was born 8/4/1961, 7:24 PM, in Honolulu HI. (For more astrological information on Obama, see my “Obama Astrologized” article.)

For starters, Pluto, the slowest and most powerful outer planet, was making a virtually exact sextile (60°) to Obama's natal Chiron. Pluto brings transformation, and Chiron is the planet that most specifically represents health and healing. Clearly, this energetically flowing aspect did much to set the stage.

Pluto also was making another “soft” angle – a 120° trine – to Obama's natal Pluto. Since Pluto rules Obama's Scorpio midheaven (the cusp of the 10^th House), this connection empowers his ability to create transformation in the world.

Transiting Neptune (dreams and visions) and Chiron (health and healing) were conjunct Obama's South Node of the Moon. With these moving planets aligning with his “axis of destiny,” it was time to fulfill his karmic duty: making his vision of fair and affordable medical coverage for all US citizens a reality. He obviously didn't get everything he wanted. But, political pragmatist that he is, he did the best he could under the circumstances.

Neptune and Chiron were also opposing Obama's Uranus, which represents revolution and paradigm shift. (Uranus is a powerful planet in Obama's chart: with Aquarius rising, Uranus is his modern chart ruler.)

A Progressive Progressed

Looking at Obama's progressed chart, we see two additional factors. His progressed Moon – the evolving mood of the soul – was conjunct Chiron! And his progressed Sun, his evolving sense of identity and purpose, was very late in Virgo – most of the way through the 29^th and final degree!

The progressed Sun moves at a snail's pace, taking 30 years to creep through a sign. When it finally approaches the next sign, there can be a sense of urgency about wrapping up unfinished business relating to its current placement. With Obama's progressed Sun poised to enter Libra this summer, it was time for him to wrap up Virgo-related matters. And – no surprise – Virgo is the sign that rules health and healthcare.

Clearly, the moving energies affecting Obama's chart were mostly supporting his efforts to get the healthcare bill passed. But what about the chart of the country whose citizens will be so profoundly affected by it?

The USA's Transits

As usual, I am using the “Sibley” chart for the USA: July 4, 1776, 5:10 PM, in Philadelphia, PA.

Let's start once again with powerful, transformative Pluto. It was opposing two of the most important planets in the USA chart: Venus (ruler of the midheaven) and Jupiter (ruler of the chart). Even more significantly in this context, Venus rules the USA's Sixth House of health and healing.

Transiting Neptune (dreams and visions) and Chiron (health and healing), which were such major players in Obama's chart, are also important here. They both were conjuncting the USA Moon, which represents the public in a country's chart.

Given the health care bill's high level of controversy, and the difficulty Obama had getting it passed, we wouldn't expect a cakewalk USA transit chart. In fact, none of the USA transits discussed so far are “flowing” by definition. The oppositions being made by Pluto to Venus and Jupiter are considered “hard” angles – challenging by definition – and a conjunction can feel either hard or soft, depending on the circumstances.

Some of the toughest aspects were being made to the USA chart by transiting Saturn. Saturn is the planet most representative of conservatism and maintaining the status quo. One group this planet obviously represents is the Republican Party. Its representatives, more often than not, have fought vigorously against major US social legislation, including this healthcare bill.

On March 23, Saturn was sitting right on top of the USA midheaven (taking action in the world) and making a strong square to natal Venus (the USA's healthcare ruler). Fortunately for Obama, Jupiter -- transiting in the compassionate sign of Pisces – was trining the USA Sun. The Sun represents the core of the USA's identity, and also rules its Ninth House of politics.

Quantum Global Shift

As extraordinary as the passage of this landmark legislation is, it's merely an early expression of even more momentous changes to come -- in the USA and around the world. As I describe in great detail in the MP3 audio recording and accompanying PowerPoint of my "Quantum Global Shift" lecture, and touch on in two articles ("The Saturn-Uranus Opposition" and "Pluto in Capricorn"), we've now entered what could be called “The 60's, Part 2.” This is a time of global paradigm shift that will leave the world profoundly transformed before the end of this decade.

I will not go into great detail on these energies here, since I have covered that ground so thoroughly already (especially in "Quantum Global Shift"), but a few summary paragraphs seem appropriate.

In the short term, a series of five Saturn-Uranus oppositions – the first one memorably exact on the day Obama was elected president -- finishes by the end of Summer 2010. This fundamentally represents old structures that have outlived their usefulness (Saturn) being replaced by revolutionary new paradigms (Uranus). But not without a fight!

A similar theme is being played out by a series of Saturn-Pluto squares, which began in the fall of 2009 and run through the summer of 2011. Saturn's meaning is the same, but Pluto is relentlessly insisting on the transformation of everything that no longer serves the greater good into something that does.

Through 2011, Uranus and Neptune never stray far from the 30° semi-sextile (and, for most of that time, mutual reception) that has connected them since the summer of 2008. Taken collectively, the energies of these two planets and the three signs they occupy during that time – Aquarius, Pisces and Aries – could be taken to mean “initiating a compassionate global spiritual revolution.” I'm seeing more people around me waking up faster than ever before – how about you?

But the most momentous sky event, which started heating up in early 2009 and will last through most of the 2010s, is the Uranus-Pluto square. It's Uranus and Pluto who will be primarily responsible for the “60's, Part 2” phenomenon. In combination, they represent themes such as revolutionary transformation, superpowered technological innovation, shamanic breakthroughs, sexual liberation and sudden awakening.

Uranus and Pluto were conjunct during the 60s, and it is only now that they're making their next world-shaking aspect. What started in the 60s goes to its next level of evolution now – but, of course, in the context of contemporary life.

Other than that, not much going on in the world these days.

In Conclusion

In summary, we've had a look at moving energies working on three levels to support the passage of the healthcare bill: transits and progressions to Obama's chart, transits to the USA chart, and major sky transits affecting the whole world. And, from an astrological perspective, it appears that the passage of the healthcare bill is only the beginning of a series of momentous changes to come in the next few years. In this decade, increasingly rapid and radical transformation will be the global status quo.

And not a moment too soon! It is growing increasingly clear to more and more people that humanity has now reached a crucial crossroads. We all must now develop far greater compassion – for each other, for our fellow species and for the planet – or face unthinkably dire consequences.

So here's to everyone working to bring about a worldwide outbreak of compassion, love and awakening. Spread it around!

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2012 Collaboration: What You Can Do Now to Help Smooth the Transition to the New Golden Age

by Benjamin Bernstein

Originally published in the Dec. 21, 2009 newsletter

It's an exceedingly rare thing, the chance to start anew. The chance to wipe the slate clean and stride into the light of a dawn never before seen by human eyes.

That opportunity, the likes of which has not occurred for thousands of years, opened for humanity early in December. (I felt the energy shift while participating in shamanic ceremonies in the Peruvian jungle.) We now stand at a tipping point, balanced between the end of the current age and the dawn of a new one. It's as if the universe is holding its breath.

And what each of us does now will make all the difference.

Will we collectively create a smooth and graceful transition to a more utopian existence? Or will we do it the hard way, with a horrific transition filled with cataclysms such as those portrayed in the recent 2012feature film?

It's up to us. More specifically, it's up to you.

This transition is a work in progress, being shaped moment by moment by every human thought and action. When we choose fear, greed or selfishness, we vote for the hard way. When we choose love, generosity or selflessness, we vote for easy entry into something akin to Paradise.

Of course, the specific choices we make are important. But never before have our motives for those choices, and our feelings as we make them and carry them out, weighed so heavily in the balance.

Don't worry; perfection is neither required or expected. We are still human, after all (although our collective upgrade to homo luminous may be closer than we think). But by doing our best to think and act in the highest and best way we can - and getting as close to that goal as often as possible - we will each be helping to anchor this radiant new vibration on the planet now.

I don't know how long we have to shape the nature of the 2012 transition, whether this critical window will be measured in days or years. In terms of how we can best deal with it, the specific duration really doesn't matter. The strategy is the same, and feels so good that you'll want to make it a lifestyle anyway:

Choose love instead of fear

Choose generosity instead of greed

Choose selflessness instead of selfishness

If you want to expand the list, you can add these "2012 Beingways" from James Gustave Speth's marvelous book, The Bridge at the End of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability:

community, not individual

other, not self

connected, not separate

ecology, not economy

part of nature, not apart from nature

dependent, not transcendent

tomorrow, not today

Don't dwell on what's wrong with the world; fighting against the old power structures is rarely the most successful strategy. Instead, to the best of your ability, start living the beautiful reality you want to see in the world now. Embody the change that matches your highest vision.

It bears repeating that this is a collective experiment in co-creation. There are no official leaders, no rulebook and no authoritarian hierarchy. Those who feel called to lead simply stand up and start leading; those who feel called to follow them follow.

The universe is an intelligent and naturally self-organizing entity, and we humans are integrally woven into its extraordinary design. When right intention is exercised, the means for its material manifestation naturally unfolds. The magic of synchronicity will ensure that, as each person self-selects the role that best fits them, all the necessary pieces for the 2012 transition will fall beautifully into place.

Choose love.

Choose generosity.

Choose selflessness.

Above all, choose love.

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Manifesting Your Ideal Reality with "The Pivot"

By Benjamin Bernstein

Originally published in the November 9, 2009 newsletter

The Law of Attraction comes up in many of my astrology consultations. It used to surprise me when I observed how many of my clients were doing their best to manifest abundance, but weren't seeing their hoped-for results.

Over the course of many such discussions, I began to see a pattern. These well-meaning people were typically following all the guidelines laid out in books and DVDs such as The Secret -- doing affirmations and visualizations, collaging together vision boards, and all the rest.

The Problem of Negative Thought Patterns

But the few minutes a day they were spending on these exemplary activities were vastly outweighed by the hours a day that their minds were running in unconscious or semi-conscious negative loops. And those toxic thought patterns were sabotaging the positive effects of all their conscious efforts!

When I bring up this point, a common response is, "But I can't help it! I've thought this way for years, and those negative tapes just keep playing whether I want them to or not!"

Two Simple Steps to Success

Fortunately, as many of my clients have experienced, there is a way to transform destructive thought patterns into supportive ones. And it only involves two simple steps.

1. Every time you become aware of a negative thought or pattern, don't kick yourself. Instead, pat yourself on the back! You've accomplished an important victory by becoming conscious of the negative thought pattern.

2. Simply visualize the positive opposite of the negative thought. This is the "pivot," a term I learned from Spiritsong. What if you catch yourself thinking, "I'll never find a partner who suits me"? Replace it with something like, "My ideal partner is now coming into my life," and imagine the two of you enjoying all sorts of wonderful activities together.
If you were thinking, "I'll always be fat," think "I now enjoy a lean, fit body" while imagining yourself in great physical condition. Feel that blissful endorphin rush as you engage in all sorts of exhilarating athletic activities in your mind's eye!
Continue each positive replacement visualization until it seems to "click" into place, or for as long as seems reasonable.

This is not a one-shot solution. Especially during the first few weeks, you'll probably be doing a lot of pivoting! But after a few weeks, your diligent efforts will begin transforming your minds' negative thought patterns into positive ones. And at that point, your reality will begin to shift into one that better reflects the life you desire.

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The Feeling Test

By Benjamin Bernstein

Originally published in the October 12, 2009 newsletter

What do you do when you’re having trouble making a decision? I’ve already written one article, on how to take dictation from your higher self, that can help when you’re in a quandary. But here’s another technique which has helped many of my astrology clients. I call it “The Feeling Test.”

Ideally, this should be done in a quiet space with no distractions. Start with an invocation or prayer, asking Spirit to send you the feelings that will guide you to your best choice.

Start by doing whatever helps you achieve a clear, calm and centered state of mind. (Or as close as you can get!) Then visualize one of the choices you’re considering. Step into a mental 3-D movie, with all five senses operating. Let it play out for a few minutes as you imagine making that decision and experiencing its effects.

As you do this, all sorts of thoughts, opinions and judgments may bubble through your brain. Let them do their thing, but keep your attention focused on how this visualization feels. A clever mind can rationalize and justify just about anything, but feelings tend to be a much more accurate guide.

After you’ve spent a decent interval immersed in this visualization, and really tuned into its feeling state, gently bring yourself back to normal reality. Immediately take a few notes on how the experience felt, using emotionally descriptive adjectives like happy, sad, nervous, jubilant, or relieved.

Then take a short walk, take a few conscious breaths, or do whatever it takes to come back to “neutral.” Then fire up the next visualization and do the same process, once again paying close attention to the feeling of this alternate choice. Repeat for as many outcomes as you’re seriously considering.

Finally, just to cover all your bases, settle down for one final visualization. Now that you’ve run all the viable scenarios you can imagine, ask Spirit to immerse you into a vision of any other desirable alternatives that haven’t yet occurred to you. Then relax and see what pops into your head.

Once you’ve finished your various visualizations, review your notes. And don’t be surprised if the answer you’ve been seeking has now been “refeeled!”

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New Perspectives on the Triple Conjunction in Aquarius

by Benjamin Bernstein

Originally published in the June 2009 newsletter

The ideal topic for this month's article was obvious to me, since we're now in the heart of the year's most important astrological alignment: the triple conjunction of Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter in Aquarius. However, I have already written and lectured on this subject, and didn't want to simply repeat myself.

So I spent some time contemplating and researching in order to come up with some fresh perspectives on this potent partnership (including its honorary fourth member, Uranus in Pisces). If you've read my prior writing on this subject, or heard my "Quantum Global Shift" lecture, you'll see that I have included some of that material, which is essential for those new to the topic. (The previous material is "front-loaded", while the new information dominates toward the end.) In any event, you'll be rewarded with plenty of new insights!

The Triple Conjunction

From now through January 2010, we will have the opportunity to benefit from an extraordinary triple conjunction: Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron joining together in Aquarius!

Jupiter and Neptune share spirituality as a common theme. Jupiter represents your faith, your beliefs, and your specific religious path. Neptune, which transcends the specifics of any particular path, represents the dissolving of boundaries: mystical union and the indescribable, euphoric blending of consciousness with Spirit. Chiron, the wounded healer, represents the wound that needs healing. It also represents the mentorship that one can provide when one has progressed far enough on one's own healing journey.

And let's not forget that all this is happening in Aquarius, which is about revolution, paradigm shift and sudden change. These same energies are further amplified by the fact that Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, is also playing a major role in this configuration.

The Technical Paragraph

(This paragraph is for Astrology geeks, and can be skipped with no harm done.) For starters, Uranus is in "mutual reception" to both Jupiter and Neptune. This simply means that they're in each other's signs. Uranus is in Pisces, which is co-ruled by both Jupiter and Neptune. And Jupiter and Neptune are in Aquarius, which is co-ruled by Uranus. Uranus is also connecting by aspect, holding a 30° semi-sextile to Neptune through the Spring of 2011. (Uranus also semi-sextiles Jupiter April through July).

Spiritual Awakening and Healing

A valid interpretation, it seems to me, is the opportunity for God's light to pour through with extraordinary power (since Jupiter magnifies whatever it touches). As it does, this energy can bring profound healing to the personal and societal wounds afflicting humanity. (Aquarius is also the sign that represents humanity as a whole.) Even previously intractable problems, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the nuclear challenges being offered by North Korea and Iran, have a much better chance of being resolved under this transit.

I can imagine a mass awakening, with people all over the planet having a sudden "Eureka!" moment. They would realize that their kinship extends beyond their particular race or religion or culture or country. They would "grok" that they are one not only with their fellow humans, but with the sacred living spirits that inhabit every animal, insect, tree, plant and stone. Once saturated with the incomparable ecstasy of divine bliss, they would discover that slipping back into negative patterns of hate, violence and anger is intolerable, for it wipes out the supreme joy that only a heart filled with divine love can experience.

You may say I'm a dreamer, and this scenario will not play out for everyone. But I regularly associate with people who have already had this awakening, and see evidence all around the world that this type of consciousness is spreading faster and faster. This embodiment of universal love -- whose propagation will make all of our other problems so much easier to solve - is now spreading as never before!

The Importance of Community

The importance of community (Aquarius) is also becoming paramount. Those who are awakening and serving spiritually benefit from the amplified energetic and social support that they receive from associating with others on similar paths. And, on a purely practical level, we all need to be able to both depend on and assist others. This will be crucial if the coming global paradigm shifts disrupt the basic societal infrastructure and services we usually take for granted.

These communities won't always be large-scale, either. The old paradigm of massive structural hierarchy is giving way to a plethora of small, flexible and independent groups who synchronistically connect and separate as needed.

The Dark Side

Of course, we are also seeing darker manifestations of these archetypal energies. Those who succumb to fear may well let their unhealed wounds (Chiron) feed their delusions (Neptune), leading them to proclaim their rigid dogmas (Jupiter) as the One And Only True Path (Jupiter again). This applies not only to religious fanatics, but to any person or group that persists in advocating outmoded views and beliefs.

There has also been an unusual pattern of mass murders in recent months, with ordinary people snapping and wreaking bloody havoc. (Neptune=delusion, Chiron=wounding, Jupiter=amplification.) It seems to me that the divine light is growing so strong that it is driving insane some who cannot integrate it.

Powerful transits have always played out on both the light and dark sides, but, as Gandhi said so beautifully, no matter how strong evil may grow, good always wins out in the end.

A Historical Perspective

Astrological theory is all fine and good, but, as Richard Tarnas shows in his landmark (and highly recommended) book Cosmos and Psyche, it's always instructive to see what happened during previous incarnations of the same alignment.

The Triple Conjunction of 1945

The last time Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter were all together in the same place was in the late Summer and early Fall of 1945, in the sign of Libra. The events of that time were nothing if not historic: for starters, the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, which led to that country's surrender and the end of WWII.

In this instance, we see both the dark and light sides of Neptune-Chiron-Jupiter taken to extremes. The atom bombs caused extreme (Jupiter) wounding (Chiron) that caused Japan to finally surrender the illusions (Neptune) that had kept it fighting even when there was no realistic hope of victory. But that same event made it possible for new hope (Jupiter) and a spirit of unity (Neptune) to arise as the US healed the wounds of war (Chiron) and helped rebuild Europe. The Libran signature is also evident: the restoration of balance, harmony and fairness.

The same light-side qualities are self-evident in another historic event of 1945: the founding of the United Nations. And, since this conjunction occurred in Libra, the list would not be complete without mention of an artistic landmark which remains one of the world's most distinctive buildings: Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum.

The Triple Conjunction of 1881-82

What about the Neptune-Chiron-Jupiter conjunction before that? It took place from mid-1881 through the first quarter of 1882 in Taurus. Taurus, being "fixed earth," is the most stable sign of the zodiac, so shocking and dramatic events are much less likely. Taurus is associated with music and ruled by creative Venus, so it is fitting that this incarnation of the triple conjunction took on a markedly different flavor. Neptune expressed divine creative inspiration, Chiron showed its maverick side, and Jupiter amped it all up.

The result was an extraordinary creative blossoming, which included Henry James' Portrait of a Lady, R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island, Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture," Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," Wagner's "Parsifal" and Debussy's "Le Printemps." The seeds were also planted for future creative blossoming, with the births of the mavericks-to-be Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Picasso, Braque, Samuel Goldwyn, Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky.

This glimpse into the past demonstrates that we must consider more than just the planets involved: the sign they inhabit is also of paramount importance. Thus, the fact that Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter are now in Aquarius (revolution, paradigm shift, breakthrough, awakening) and partnering with Uranus in Pisces (spiritual union, unconditional love and compassion, the dissolution of boundaries) says much about the high-side possibilities of our current alignment.

The Galactic Center

It is of more than passing interest that all of the planets we're discussing are currently in strong aspect to the Galactic Center at 27° Sagittarius. (Thanks to Mayan astrologer Clare Coriell, with whom I do a Mayan-Western "Soul Journey" Consultation, for reminding me about this!) The Mayans view the Galactic Center as the place from which life originates, and the place to which the spirit returns after death. In fact, it is the alignment of the Sun and Earth with the Galactic Center which marks the famous end date of the Mayan Long Count calendar on December 21, 2012. (For more on this, download my lecture on "The Astrology of 2012.")

The spiritual energy radiating from the Galactic Center has increased substantially in recent years, and continues to build. The fact that Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter are currently sextiling this point, and Uranus is squaring it, means that all of these planets - which are already about spiritual awakening - are strongly connecting to this cosmic energy flow and transmitting it down to us!

Wet Weather

On a more mundane level, the next few months could bring events involving wounding (Chiron) involving lots (Jupiter) of water (Neptune, the sea god). Weather forecasters are expressing serious concern about the hurricane season that just began. (And is it a coincidence that Asheville, North Carolina, where I live, just had its wettest May on record?)

Ancient Bowl, Fresh Violets

I can think of no better way to close than with a look at the Sabian Symbol for 27° Aquarius, where Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter are currently hanging out. (Any planet at or after 26°01' Aquarius "rounds up" to the Sabian Symbol for 27°.) The symbol is, "An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Fresh Violets."

To me, this speaks to the time-tested indigenous, traditional and shamanic wisdom ways (the "ancient pottery bowl") being updated to fit the current times and attracting new adherents ("fresh violets"). Our post-industrial revolution mindset has led us to the brink of global environmental destruction, and we must integrate the earth-honoring perspective of our ancient ancestors into our modern lives if Mother Earth's species (including us!) are to survive and thrive. By carrying out the revolution of putting "fresh violets" (that which is sustainable from our modern lives) into the "ancient pottery bowl" (indigenous wisdom), we can chart a course from chaos and breakdown into hope and renewal.

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EFT: GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YOU?

by Benjamin Bernstein

Originally published in the May 2009 newsletter

I'm always on the lookout for tools and techniques that will help my astrology clients work through the issues that come up in our consultations. This month, I'd like to share one that I'm especially excited about: EFT.

Quick and Broad-Ranging

EFT -- or Emotional Freedom Techniques -- has been increasing in popularity since the mid-90s, when it was introduced by Gary Craig. It has repeatedly shown the ability to rapidly relieve serious emotional, psychological and physical problems, even if they've been hanging around for years. Spiritsong and I have both used it to reduce or eliminate various physical and emotional symptoms, often in less time than it will take you to read this article!

Of course, you can take classes to learn EFT (I took an excellent and inexpensive six-week course which Gary Schwartz frequently offers here in Asheville). But you can also learn everything you need to enjoy EFT's numerous benefits for free, and with no obligation. (More on that shortly.)

Clearing the Energy Blockages

The basic idea behind EFT is that most of our problems are caused by energy blockages. Once an energy blockage is cleared, the symptoms associated with it disappear.

To do this, an EFT practitioner (which can be you just doing it for yourself) uses the same energy meridians as acupuncture or acupressure. You begin with a "setup," which lets your body know which problem you wish to address. Then you rapidly tap through a series of points that stimulates each of the acupuncture meridians in turn. Now that I've learned the procedure (which didn't take long), I can do an entire tapping sequence in about 75 seconds.

"Try it on everything!"

While there is no guarantee that EFT will work on a particular issue, practitioners are encouraged to "try it on everything!" Some problems will disappear after one or two rounds, others may require significantly more time and persistence, and some may not respond to EFT at all. But, since the technique is free, quick and easy to do, I find that it's often worth a shot!

Links to Free EFT Resources

Here are links to an excellent seven-minute overview video, the main EFT site, a free 87-page PDF how-to manual, and Asheville EFT teacher Gary Schwartz's one-page EFT overview. Gary Schwartz also has a free EFT lecture on YouTube in which he explains and demonstrates the technique step by step. Here are links to each of the video clips: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, & Part 10.

I have found EFT to be so useful that it has joined the Divine Saturation Snap Meditation and the Divine Dictation Exercise in my bag of "frequently recommended techniques for clients." If you decide to give it a try, please feel free to send me an e-mail and let me know how it worked for you!

DIVINE SATURATION SNAP MEDITATION

by Benjamin Bernstein

Originally published in the August 2007 newsletter;
revised and expanded version published in the March 2009 newsletter

What if there was a way that you could:

1) live your life in a state of everyday bliss and equanimity,

2) automatically flow to each being you encounter the energy which would serve their highest need, and

3) receive powerful protection from any negative energies you encounter?

This may sound too good to be true, but I know lots of people who do this on a daily basis -- all with the help of an extremely simple, virtually effortless meditation technique. And it's free! This article will give you all the information you need to achieve these benefits for yourself.

Ideal For Sensitive Souls

This technique -- the Divine Saturation Snap Meditation -- is especially helpful If you're unusually sensitive to the subtle energies around you -- or if you'd just like a simple way to quickly charge yourself up with divine light. (I call it a "snap meditation" because it can be done fast!) I've given this technique to hundreds of my astrology clients, and have received numerous glowing reports of its effectiveness.

I often teach this technique to people who tend to easily absorb the energies in their environment. (This is often due to their having personal planets in Pisces, strong aspects from Neptune, or a loaded 12th House.) Energetically speaking, they're like sponges. If dry, they tend to soak up anything around them, whether it's positive or negative. If they're already saturated, however it's a whole different story, as you'll see!

I recommend doing this as soon as possible after you wake up, so that you can begin enjoying its benefits right away. It's also great right before you go to sleep. In fact, once you get the hang of it, you can do it whenever you think about it, no matter what else you're doing. Any time is a good time for an Instant Divine Light Recharge!

Not To Worry

Before I give you the specific steps, it's important for you to know the things that you do not have to be concerned about with this technique:

* Mental chatter. Not a problem, as long as you can hold onto enough brain space to carry out this technique's simple visualization. If you get distracted, just continue once you realize that your mind was wandering. No harm done.

* Turbulent heart. This technique is effective no matter how agitated your emotions might be.

* Restless body. Fidget all you like, as long as you can visualize while you squirm.

* External distractions. It doesn't matter what's going on around you, as long as you can visualize. Bring on the sirens, cell phones and jackhammers!

* Anything else. Name anything else you think might be a problem. I'm here to tell you that it isn't going to interfere with your ability to do the Divine Saturation Snap Meditation, as long as you can do a little imaging in the midst of it.

* Finally, keep in mind that all you have to do is visualize -- your Higher Self takes care of everything else. You don't have to worry about the color of the light that will be flowing in, what level or dimension it comes from, or its vibrational frequency. (In fact, these things will constantly change in accordance with your ever-shifting energetic needs.) There is literally no way you can screw this technique up -- it's being done for you, after all -- so just visualize and enjoy!

How To Do It

Okay, enough preamble. Let's cover this baby step by step:

1. Sit or stand comfortably -- as you're first learning the technique, anyway. After a little practice, you'll discover that body posture makes no real difference.

2. Sincerely pray to (or invoke) Spirit (or whatever name you use for God). Pray, "I now ask that, with each inhalation, I be saturated with the energy that serves my highest need," or invoke "With each breath, I am now saturated with the energy that serves my highest need." (Or words to that effect.)

3. As you inhale, imagine a stream of light flowing in the top of your head and into your heart chakra. (It's in the middle of your chest, where you feel your emotions.)

4. Hold your breath for just a moment and imagine the divine energy saturating your heart. (I sometimes imagine Dow Scrubbing Bubbles cleaning out the icky stuff!)

5. As you exhale, visualize the divine energy flowing out into every cell of your body. (Divine light is intelligent -- way smarter than us humans -- and will automatically change its vibration on the fly so that each cell gets exactly what it needs.)

6. Repeat Steps 3 thru 5 until saturated!

Don't Stop Yet!

Once your physical body is saturated, you'll be feeling wonderful: blissful, ecstatic, enraptured -- all that good stuff. You may just want to flop on a bed or a couch and bliss out. (Eventually, you'll get used to going about your ordinary daily activities in this exalted state of consciousness.)

But don't stop! Keep breathing and visualizing until you feel that your aura (the cocoon of subtle energy surrounding your physical body) has also been saturated. Any negative energies already within you will tend to be pushed out or purified by the light you’re bringing in.

A Walking Blessing (and Protected Too!)

Do you call it good once your aura is fully saturated? Not a chance, my euphoric friend! If you continue breathing and visualizing, something extraordinary happens: you become a walking blessing! This wonderful energy radiates from you as if you're a brightly shining sun ( which is how you would now appear to a psychic). This energy automatically flows to every being you encounter, giving it exactly the energy that serves its highest need.

At this point, you have also achieved a wonderful side effect: divine protection! Your light-saturated aura now acts as a potent natural filter, neutralizing or reducing the effect of any harsh or unpleasant energies that might otherwise create problems for you. It's a perfect expression of cause and effect: by radiating high-vibration energy into the world, you now receive a far greater percentage of uplifting energy back from it!

Many sensitive people have been taught to use psychic shields, armoring or mirrors to protect themselves from the "ooga-boogas." And such techniques can achieve that purpose. But they can also have an unfortunate side effect: they can block good energy from coming in, and stop the divine energy that flows through you from going out to help others. These fear-based techniques can have an isolating effect, at a time when we all need to focus more than ever on coming together. In contrast, the Divine Saturation Snap Meditation provides abundant protection as a natural consequence of you radiating light to other beings.

As a reminder, if you feel your divine light dimming at any point during the day, this technique makes it quick and easy to recharge it. You're breathing anyway, right? Just start doing the visualization wherever you are.

In Conclusion

If you’re inspired to create variations, I encourage you to do so. As I'm fond of saying, the best technique is the one that works best for you. And if you ever find a technique that works better, forget about this one and go where the juice is. We're all evolving beings, and need different techniques at different times.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please write me at info@ItsAllGoodAstrology.com with any feedback or suggestions you may have. I hope that the Divine Saturation Snap Meditation will be of some benefit to you.

Click here for three variations on this technique!

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NOTE: While this article contains three paragraphs of rather technical Astrologese, I have italicized them so that you can skip them if you wish. I have done my best to write everything else as close to plain English as I can!

Based on the astrological indicators, 2009 will be a year of extremes -- for both challenges and opportunities!

Revolution & Paradigm Shift: Jupiter Enters Aquarius

The year's primary theme -- revolution and paradigm shift - will be set up right away by Jupiter's entry into Aquarius on January 5. Jupiter will remain in Aquarius the entire year, stimulating ingenious breakthroughs and quantum leaps. These will be essential -- on the technical, social, political and ecological levels -- in order for so many humans to be able to live sustainably on our environmentally challenged planet.

Of course, revolutions and paradigm shifts can be messy and disruptive affairs, often manifesting in unexpected and unsettling ways. As you find yourself personally affected by these powerful global shifts -- as all of us already have been -- it will be helpful to remember that they are the birth pangs of a new, more equitable, more sustainable way of life. The corrupt old economic and social structures must die as the new ones are born, and those decrepit old monsters still have plenty of fight left in them.

Saturn & Uranus Oppose - Twice!

That fight is powerfully symbolized by the continuing oppositions of Saturn and Uranus. Their first exact opposition was on November 4, Election Day in the US, and they will make four more before they're done. (As I explained in my November 2008 article, this opposition was one of the factors that helped precipitate the global financial crisis.)

There will be two exact Saturn-Uranus oppositions in 2009, on February 5 and September 15. These will be times when the existing structures that have outlived their usefulness (Saturn) will be powerfully beset by the forces of revolution and paradigm shift (Uranus). As we saw during the global financial meltdown, Uranus' effects can be rapid, powerful and surprising. One must expect the unexpected. One must also have faith that, in the greater scheme, the targets of Uranus' lightning bolts must be altered or eliminated in order to make way for new paradigms better suited for our evolving reality.

Even though these Saturn-Uranus oppositions occur more than seven months apart, these two planets will stay "in orb" the entire year. This means that they will remain energetically connected, and will experience energetic "flares" throughout the year as they are aspected by faster-moving planets. These flares will be set off every few weeks by conjunctions, squares and oppositions from the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars, keeping the tension between the forces of tradition and innovation consistently stimulated.

Universal Love Spreads like Wildfire

All will not be sturm und drang, however. For most of the year, we will have the opportunity to benefit from an extraordinary triple conjunction: Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron joining together in Aquarius!

The two slower planets, Neptune and Chiron, have already buddied up as the year opens. Jupiter gets close enough to start making a significant connection with them in mid-March, then makes an exact conjunction with them during the last week of May. They squeeze in for another tight group hug in mid-July, but stay energetically joined at the hip from May 2009 through January 2010.

Jupiter and Neptune share spirituality as a common theme. Jupiter represents your faith, your beliefs, and your specific religious path. Neptune, which transcends the specifics of any particular path, represents the dissolving of boundaries: mystical union; the indescribable, euphoric blending of consciousness with Spirit. Chiron, the wounded healer, represents the wound that needs healing. It also represents the mentorship that one can provide when one has progressed far enough on one's own healing journey.

And let's not forget that all this is happening in Aquarius, which (sorry for the unavoidable repetition) is about revolution, paradigm shift and sudden change. These same energies are further amplified by the fact that Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, is also playing a major role in this configuration.

For starters, Uranus is in "mutual reception" to both Jupiter and Neptune. This simply means that they're in each other's signs. Uranus is in Pisces, which is co-ruled by both Jupiter and Neptune. And Jupiter and Neptune are in Aquarius, which is co-ruled by Uranus. Uranus is also connecting by aspect, making a 30° semi-sextile to Neptune pretty much the entire year. (Uranus also semi-sextiles Jupiter April through July).

A valid interpretation, it seems to me, is the opportunity for God's light to pour through with extraordinary power (since Jupiter magnifies whatever it touches). As it does, this energy can bring profound healing to the personal and societal wounds afflicting humanity. (Aquarius is also the sign that represents humanity as a whole.)

I can imagine a mass awakening, with people all over the planet having a sudden "Eureka!" moment. They would realize that their kinship extends beyond their particular race or religion or culture or country. They would "grok" that they are one not only with their fellow humans, but with the sacred living spirits that inhabit every animal, insect, tree, plant and stone. Once saturated with the incomparable ecstasy of divine bliss, they would discover that slipping back into negative patterns of hate, violence and anger is intolerable, for it wipes out the supreme joy that only a heart filled with divine love can experience.

You may say I'm a dreamer, and I admit that this scenario may not play out for every human on the planet. But I regularly associate with people who have already had this awakening, and see evidence all around the world that this type of consciousness is spreading faster and faster. I have no doubt that this embodiment of universal love -- whose propagation will make all of our other problems so much easier to solve -- will spread as never before starting this spring.

Of course, there are also likely to be some darker manifestations of these archetypal energies. Those who succumb to fear may well let their unhealed wounds (Chiron) feed their delusions (Neptune), leading them to proclaim their rigid dogmas (Jupiter) as the One And Only True Path (Jupiter again). However, it is my belief that the positive incarnations of these energies will ultimately prevail.

Saturn Enters Libra and Squares Pluto

The Fall of 2009 will bring two more significant astrological events, both involving Saturn. The first is that Saturn, after having spent just over two years in Virgo, enters Libra on October 29. Since Saturn brings challenge and Libra represents relationships, watch for all of your important relationships to be tested. Be prepared to release those that have outlived their usefulness, while those that are built for the long haul will be strengthened. (Saturn will be in Libra during two time periods: 10/29/09 thru 4/7/10, and 7/22/10 thru 10/5/12.)

Saturn is quite strong in Libra (it's "exalted" there), which will help those trying to maintain the status quo dig in their heels a little bit longer. Of course, the conservative powers-that-be will need all the help they can get on November 15 when Saturn and Pluto form an exact square. This aspect, representing "challenge for growth," will be quite intense, since Pluto's job is to destroy everything that has outlived its usefulness! (Saturn and Pluto will be interacting strongly from August 2009 through late 2010, and then again March thru August 2011.) This Saturn-Pluto period, according to the respected mundane and financial astrologer Ray Merriman, may be "quite possibly one of the most intense geo-political periods of our lifetime."

The 60s, Part Two?

Finally, there are two "background players" who deserve mention: Uranus and Pluto. They're building toward a square which will not be exact until 2012, but their combined energy is already striking sparks as they tease their way toward each other. (They'll only be about 5° apart in early July, for example, which is plenty close enough for significant interaction.)

Uranus and Pluto are the volatile couple who helped bring us the 60s. They were the keynote energy for that entire tumultuous decade, radiating the power of revolutionary transformation that saw the blossoming of the civil rights and anti-war movements, feminism, and ecological awareness. The square they are building toward now, which will have seven exact iterations 2012 through 2015, will be these two planets' first major aspect since the 60s, and promises to be even more earth-shaking!

The Economy & Aspects to the US Chart

The natal chart of the United States (I am using the Sibley chart dated 7/4/1776, 6:10 PM, Philadelphia PA) is beset by numerous challenges in 2009. In fact, the rulers of all four of the chart's angles (the "power points") are under significant stress!

Economically, things continue to look challenging. The US Venus, the natural ruler of money and ruler of the US midheaven (a "power point" related to business and economic matters) is receiving a powerful opposition from Pluto that will be in orb now through 2011. While Pluto can bring massive prosperity, its first job is to destroy that which has outlived its usefulness. And, since the entire global economic system is built on the suicidal premise of unsustainable, environmentally destructive growth, the global (and US) economies will require a major tear-down so that a revamped and truly viable economic structure can replace them.

(For an outstanding explanation of how the overwhelming power of global capitalism can be transformed into an environmentally supportive force -- and how you can help bring about that change -- I enthusiastically recommend James Gustave Speth's book, The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability. Speth is Dean of Environmental Studies at Yale, a founder of two major environmental groups [the Natural Resources Defense Council and the World Resources Institute], former chairman of the President's Council on Environmental Quality and a former head of the U.N. Development Program. The man knows his stuff, and has a gift for making this complex subject easy to understand.)

I'm not the only one who sees continuing economic hard times in the near term. There is nothing bullish in the headlines, and the stockbrokers I've talked to (including my father) speak only of continued decline. Ray Merriman, the expert financial and mundane astrology I referred to earlier, feels that the market will rise in 2009 -- but only briefly, before plummeting to new lows.

While there is more than enough challenge to the US chart, there are also reasons to rejoice. For example, the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction discussed earlier will be conjunct the US Moon, helping the public feel powerful new hope and optimism as the Obama administration gets down to business.

To be honest, there's so much going on the US chart that to discuss it any further here would make this article even longer than it already is! However, I will have much more to say about what's going on in the US chart in the February newsletter, and in my This Week in Astrology podcast.

In Conclusion

So we all have a lot to look forward to in 2009. Yes, there will be significant challenges, but they will give us the opportunity to be part of a truly historic undertaking: helping to avert global environmental catastrophe by modeling and working to bring about a truly sustainable way of life. And, by embracing this year's extraordinary opportunity for spiritual awakening, you can choose to be assisted in your worldly work by an entire pantheon of invisible allies!

Few of us are celebrating the recession or the stock market or the declining value of our homes. But we all chose to be here during this extraordinary time, and we all have our part to play in making this planet a welcoming home for the seventh generation to come. So let's get to work making something good happen!

Now that Barack Obama is set to become the next president of the United States, it seems like a good time to explore how some of his key personality characteristics and talents are shown in his natal chart. (I'm using Porphyry houses and the birth information August 4, 1961, 7:24 PM, Honolulu, HI.)

Obama natal chart

Leo: Leadership as Service

Obama's strongest sign is Leo, the sign of the "king" -- one who is naturally at home in the spotlight. He has four things in Leo: the Sun, Mercury, Uranus and the North Node of the Moon.

At first blush, one might expect someone with so many Leo planets to be a preening egotist. Fortunately, their house placement counteracts this. The Sun and Mercury are in the Sixth House of humility and service, while Uranus and the North Node are in the Seventh House of others. So all his Leo planets make him a natural leader, while their house placement helps ensure that he charts a course for the benefit of others.

Unaspected Planets: The Wild Cards

Obama rose from Illinois State Senator to United States Senator to President-Elect with stunning speed. His ability to rapidly achieve his goals by making an end run around the usual path is reflected by the presence of three "unaspected" planets: the Sun*, Venus and Uranus. (I am using the classical definition of "unaspected": no Ptolemaic aspects to anything from the Sun through Saturn.)

To have one unaspected planet is noteworthy; two is rare; three is extraordinary. (In fact, out of some 2000 consultations, I cannot recall ever seeing another chart with three unaspected planets!) Unaspected planets are considered wild cards. Being mavericks, unrestrained by the other core energies of the chart, they can plunge fearlessly into areas where angels might fear to tread. For some, this could be disastrous. For Obama, it led him to believe that he could be the first black man to be elected President of the United States.

Aquarius Rising

Most people would be comfortable applying the adjectives "distinctive," "paradigm-breaking" and "one-of-a-kind" to Obama. These words describe Aquarius and its modern ruler Uranus. Obama's rising sign -- the mask or persona he presents to the world -- is Aquarius. (He also has Jupiter and the South Node in this sign, making Aquarius a powerful force in his chart.)

Aquarian energy also features prominently in Obama's "Axis of Destiny" (the archetypal journey from the South Node to the North Node). His South Node is in Aquarius, and while the North Node is in Leo, it's conjunct the Aquarius-flavored planet Uranus. Any hope this man may have had of being "just a regular guy" was doomed from the start!

Mercury and the Golden Tongue

Obama's outstanding oratorical skills are universally acknowledged, and are clearly supported by Mercury (the planet of communication) in charismatic Leo. Plus, Mercury has powerful allies! Its energy is amplified and made distinctive by its opposition to Jupiter in Aquarius. Its tight sextile to the Moon gives his words emotional power and helps them resonate with the public. (In a famous person's chart, the Moon can stand for the masses.) Mercury trines the Midheaven, the angle associated with career and public recognition. One could even make a case that Mercury makes a loose conjunction to the Sun, a signature often seen in the charts of well-known writers and speakers.

Additional support for his gifts as a communicator comes from the Moon in Gemini (the sign of communication), opposing the Midheaven and energized by a square from powerful Pluto. And pioneering Mars, which rules Obama's Third House of communication, connects easily by trine to rock-steady Saturn (dignified in its home sign of Capricorn).

Saturn and Uranus: the Tightest Aspect

Obama has made clear that he intends to accomplish his ambitious agenda by partnering with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. His ability to work with the established powers-that-be as he brings about paradigm shift is reflected by the tightest aspect in his chart: an angle of adjustment (a quincunx) between Saturn and Uranus that is only 1/20 of a degree from being exact! (Saturn represents tradition and the status quo, while Uranus represents revolution and paradigm shift.) It seems nothing less than poetry that Saturn and Uranus create Obama's most exact natal aspect, while these two planets also made an exact opposition in the sky on the day he was elected President!

Jupiter: Bringer of Hope

Obama's chart reveals so much more about him, such as his desire for a sane and stable home life for his family (Taurus on the Fourth House cusp) and his mission to bring much-needed transformation to the world (Scorpio on the Midheaven). But let's conclude by exploring why the audacious concept of "hope" - one of the words with which he is most strongly associated -- is so strong in his chart.

Jupiter, bringer of optimism, hope and luck, permeates Obama's personality because it aspects more of his personal planets than anything else. It sextiles his Moon, opposes his Mercury and quincunxes his Venus. Hope is easily visible in his message because of Jupiter's sextile to the high-profile Midheaven, and the inspiration he offers feels so stable, trustworthy and credible because of Jupiter's conjunction to Saturn.

The Right Man at the Right Time

I feel that there is something truly magical about Obama.** It seems to me that he is the right man at the right time, for the United States and the world. I, for one, will be keeping him in my prayers.
_________________
* I state later in this article that the Sun might be loosely conjunct Mercury. Even if true, the distance between them is so great (more than 10°) that their wide conjunction would not significantly impact the Sun's behavior as an unaspected planet.

** The spiritual energy Obama radiates is shown by numerous Neptune aspects: the planet of divine connection squares the Sun, trines Venus and Chiron, semi-squares Mars and quintiles Uranus and the North Node. Chiron in Pisces, Saturn and Jupiter in the 12th House, and Neptune standing alone at the top of his chart as his most elevated planet also contribute to his spiritual vibe.

What’s the most powerful astrological event of 2008? Most astrologers would agree that there are only two serious contenders. Some would give the nod to Pluto’s entry into Capricorn (1/25 and 11/26), but my choice is the Saturn-Uranus opposition, which first comes exact on Nov. 4, 2008.

It's extraordinarily synchronistic that this opposition occurs on the day of the US presidential election! As I said in my recent article, where my astrological analysis of the candidates’ charts seemed to indicate an Obama victory, this planetary lineup indicates an extraordinary "wild card factor."

I've heard a lot of ideas about how this unpredictable energy could play out, including an attempt on Obama's life (let’s hope the arrest of those two white supremacists nipped that one in the bud!) and the election being stolen through vote tampering.

I pray that neither of these dark possibilities will manifest in a meaningful way. Instead, I focus on a much simpler and more straightforward interpretation: Saturn represents McCain (the old way of doing things) and Uranus stands for Obama (revolutionary change). And, as you'll see in a moment, Uranus usually triumphs in these situations.

As Richard Tarnas definitively demonstrates in his astrological magnum opus Cosmos and Psyche, significant sky transits such as this can begin “turning on” when they’re still 15° apart. Saturn and Uranus hit that benchmark in September 2007.

It was soon after this that an increasing number of news stories about the subprime lending crisis began appearing. (Click here for a detailed credit crisis timeline.) Saturn and Uranus were only about 9° apart in early September of 2008, when the dominoes really started falling with the US government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The more exact the opposition has become, the more intense the global financial crisis has grown.

Nor can this astrological correlation just be written off as coincidence. Every time Saturn and Uranus have opposed each other, there have been tumultuous times. The effect of their prior opposition, from 1965-1967, speaks for itself: we all know the paroxysms the world went through during the mid-60’s!

The Saturn-Uranus opposition before that, exact from 1918-1920, also occurred during a turbulent time in history. The better-known events of those years included the end of World War I, the British abandoning Home Rule for Ireland, controversies over the new psychology of Freud and Jung, the ratification of Prohibition, the formation of the League of Nations (predecessor of the United Nations), proof of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the “Black Sox” baseball bribery scandal, American women gaining the right to vote, the rise of the Dadaist art movement (some exhibitions allowed visitors to smash paintings!), and Gandhi’s emergence as the leader of India’s independence movement. (There were other powerful astrological transits in force during these times as well, but I’m focusing here only on the Saturn-Uranus oppositions for the sake of simplicity.)

As one studies the events of these years, a common theme emerges: the forces of the established order (Saturn) struggling mightily against the forces of change (Uranus). Once in a while the forces of conservatism win a short-lived victory (Prohibition; civil rights marchers being beaten back by police in the South). More often, however, the forces of revolution win the day.

This Saturn-Uranus opposition will be exact five times from 11/4/2008 thru 7/26/2010. This period will be characterized by revolutionary transformation, with outmoded or corrupted structures (such as the derivatives-riddled global economic system) being replaced by new paradigms.

On a more personal level, it’s essential to recognize all the structures in your life that have outlived their usefulness. It doesn’t matter if “it’s always been done this way” - if there’s a better way to do it, it’s time to embrace a paradigm shift. Perhaps something has served you well until now -- a relationship, a way of thinking, a residence, a job -- but is no longer a good fit. It hangs poorly on you no matter how much you try to alter it. This means that it’s time to release it, and leave a void for Spirit to fill with something better! Tune in to your intuitive flashes - Uranus' method of communication - and follow them whenever you can.

This will be especially true for you if the Saturn-Uranus opposition is making a conjunction, opposition or square to sensitive points in your natal chart. Check the range from 16° to 30° in the mutable signs of Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini, as well as the first three degrees of the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. If you have a personal planet, angle or angular ruler in that range, you can expect to feel some powerful effects.

If you want to dig a little deeper, here’s a listing, using 3° orbs, which gives more precise timing of when and where the five Saturn-Uranus oppositions will be most strongly felt. (Of course, significant life events can also be triggered by other significant astrological events happening in your chart during this time.)
     11/4/2008 (US Election Day): 16-22° Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini
     2/5/2009: 18-24° Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini
     9/15/2009: 22-28° Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini
     4/26/2010: 26° Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini thru 2° Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn
     7/26/2010: 27° Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces and Gemini thru 3° Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn

There's no getting around the fact that we are now entering a multi-year period of challenging times. “It's all good" because such times are when we humans achieve our most meaningful growth, and make our deepest connections with each other.

Sadly, the historical status quo of the global powers-that-be has been the systematic gang-rape of Gaia, with little concern demonstrated for the resulting destruction of her species and environment. Therefore, nothing less than a radical paradigm shift is needed to ensure the survival of the majority of the species on this planet -- including the human race.

That life-affirming outcome, whatever we have to go through to get there, sounds like a good thing to me!

September 30th was my 60th birthday - a major milestone for me -- and Benjamin gave me a perfect gift! He brought it upstairs to my office after I sent my first draft of this article to him, and we both roared with laughter: it was a wire-wrapped pink quartz necklace! You will understand why that was "a perfect gift" and such a funny, delightful moment for us as you continue to read this article.

It was because of my birthday that I started thinking about gift giving, and how helpful it is to be able to use the recipient's astrological chart to select a present that they will almost certainly enjoy. (People often make the mistake of choosing a gift based on what they would enjoy receiving themselves.)

If we know the recipient intimately, then we don't need to consult their natal chart. But what about folks you don't know as well, or those who are just "hard to buy for" people?

This article will show you how you can use the "Four Planet Method" to choose a present they will truly treasure when that next birthday, holiday or special occasion comes around. And since so many of us are weaning ourselves from society's runaway consumerism, I'll give examples of noncommercial gifts as well.

Most articles on this subject advise you to base your gift choice on the recipient's Sun sign. This can be a good start, but a person is so much more than that! We're going to go deeper than Sun signs to identify a more meaningful present. We'll do this by examining the sign and house placement of the Sun (the "I am"), the Moon (emotional nature), Venus (what I love) and Jupiter (what makes me feel expansive), along with some basic aspects.

If the person's Sun sign is all you know, a basic Sun sign gift article such as this one can be of some help. It will also give you lots of ideas based on the usual qualities associated with each sign, which you can use whether you are looking at the Sun or any other planet.

I'll be using my chart and Benjamin's as examples. You can apply the principles to your own chart to see how they work, then use them to help you get "just the right thing" the next time you choose a gift.

Before we get started, you should know about two helpful resources. If you need to calculate a natal chart, Astrolabe's free chart calculation service is quick and easy. And if you don't already know the basic meaning of the planets, signs and houses, you can get a free copy of Kelly Lee Phipps' excellent one-page overview by clicking here.)

To identify that perfect gift, start with the Sun's sign and house, along with any conjunctions it's making. For example, my Sun is in Libra, in the First House ("I Am"), and conjunct Neptune. Therefore, gifts that are beautiful (Libra), spiritual (Neptune), and personal (First House) are indicated. Something material might be a wire-wrapped stone or crystal necklace, which is beautiful, spiritual, and personal, since I would wear it on my body. (Can you hear us laughing?)

A noncommercial gift would be something like a poem or song (Libra and Neptune) written or selected just for me (First House).

Now let's explore the other three gift-related planets. My Moon and Venus are both in the Twelfth House. This house, which embodies the same archetypal energy as Neptune, repeats the theme of Neptune conjunct my Libra Sun: things that are beautiful (Libra and Neptune) and touch the deeper realm of Spirit (Neptune and the Twelfth House) delight me (Moon and Venus)! Thus, as we saw when we analyzed my Sun, I would deeply appreciate a recording of some beautiful music, or a picture or poem that stirs my soul - especially if they had been created by the giver.

My Venus, in flamboyant Leo, likes sparkly, colorful things. However, my Moon, in grounded Virgo, is content with something more earthy. So it gets a little more complex. But since both reside in my Twelfth House, they share in its dreamy, poetic and otherworldly flavor. A soft, flowing dress (practical Virgo) with a goddess flavor (Twelfth House), accented with a sequined scarf (Leo Venus) would satisfy both Venus and the Moon. One of my favorite kinds of gifts - a stone from a stream, or shell from the ocean, costs nothing but the time and effort to spot it and pick it up.

My Jupiter is in optimistic Sagittarius. Since Jupiter is also in my Fourth House, that uplifting piece of art that stirs my soul also graces my home (Fourth House) and expands my natural feeling of enjoyment (Jupiter trines Venus) there.

For someone like Benjamin, the picture is completely different. (Then again, so is he!) His Aquarius Sun conjunct Chiron in the Seventh House likes something unusual or humanitarian (Aquarius), relating to healing (Chiron), and beautiful or relational (Seventh House). So he might appreciate a gift certificate for an alternative healing class. This satisfies his innate need to be of service to others in some healing way (Aquarius Sun and Chiron in the Seventh House). Another gift that would delight him is a good astrology book (Aquarius) that allows him to be a better mentor (Chiron) to others (Aquarius plus the Seventh House = the astrological counselor!).

Going deeper, Benjamin's Virgo Moon is in his Second House. This says, "I feel (Moon) fulfilled (self-worth is a Second House quality) by being of service to others (Virgo Moon)." This reinforces the themes revealed by his Sun's placement.

Benjamin's Venus is in Capricorn in the Sixth House. Therefore, what pleases him (Venus) is something practical or business-oriented (Capricorn) that he can use day to day, especially in his work (Capricorn and the Sixth House). Once again, this repeats the themes of practicality and service.

So an ideal noncommercial gift for Benjamin would be anything that is helpful. This could be time spent helping him with a project, or freeing him from some mundane responsibilities so he has more time for his work. On the commercial side, he would love some work-related software!

Because Benjamin's themes of work and service repeat so insistently, the energy of his final gift-related planet, Jupiter, is rather overwhelmed! (It's in Sagittarius, like mine, but in the Fifth House.) Even so, just to change it up sometimes and tickle his Jupiter (expansiveness) in Sagittarius (let's just get happy!), I could take him to an inspirational (Sagittarius) movie with a romantic flavor (Fifth House).

If I got Benjamin the kind of sentimental, sometimes "impractical" gift that would please me, I would miss the mark completely. As would he, if he chose something for me that was mundane and purely practical rather than beautiful or romantic.

In summary, all that we've basically done is analyze the four gift-related planets - the Sun, Moon, Venus and Jupiter - by examining each one's sign, house and (if present) conjunctions. If a repeated theme shows up,as it did with us, it makes choosing easy. If a look at the Sun, Moon, Venus and Jupiter reveals very different kinds of needs, you might focus on just one of the themes.

Start with your own chart, and see if these guidelines ring true for you. If you find that this procedure makes sense in your own chart, then you can feel comfortable using it to guide your gift-giving. You could end up with dozens of great gift ideas for that person who's always been so hard to buy for in the past!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAILY MAKES!
Boosting Your Intuition with a Regular Morning Meditation

Each client I work with has a unique astrology chart, but there's one piece of advice I find myself giving almost everyone: follow

your intuition. This article will give you some practical tips on how to empower your natural intuitive abilities so that you can more easily receive your inner guidance!

The best way I know to negotiate the frequently challenging transits of the "gods of change" - the life-transforming outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - is to tune in to the unique flavors of intuitive communication they each use. Uranus' modus operandi is the intuitive flash - the sudden electric jolt of insight, usually accompanied by goose bumps or some other powerful somatic signal. I call these feelings the "ITC" - the Intuitive Tingle of Certainty. When you feel the ITC riding shotgun with a sudden insight, take it seriously. Chances are, it's your Higher Self sending you a cosmic Instant Message!

While Uranus is typically the most dramatic outer planet, Neptune is usually more subtle - more flow than flash. If Uranus is a lightning bolt, Neptune is a never-ending waterfall, sending those of us wise enough to be wading downstream a constant supply of bliss and inner knowing.

Neptune and Uranus are usually the easiest outers to work with, since they give us earth-planers a way to figure out what they're up to. Pluto, however, tends to raise a huge cloud of dust while he spends about three years tearing down whatever's outlived its usefulness, then replacing it with new and improved structures. (Astrologer Rick Levine memorably called Pluto "a tsunami moving at the speed of a glacier.") Since it can be notoriously difficult to figure out what the Master of Transformation is up to, Pluto transits usually involve a test of faith. Can you manifest the courage to release the old familiar things and "rest in the not-knowingness" when their absence leaves a temporary vacuum behind? Even if you don't yet know what's coming to replace them?

And, bottom line: what do you do when all of this sounds great in theory, but you can't actually do it yet?

The thing that's worked well for me lately is a daily morning meditation. If you're time-challenged, this doesn't have to take a lot of time: my Divine Saturation Snap Meditation, for example, can be done in one breath! As the guru I once followed loved to say, there are as many paths to God as there are people. So link up with Source in whatever way works best for you. (For a more mental approach to getting specific "inside information", click here.)

In my experience, starting the day with at least a moment of inner connection makes a huge difference. When I do, I feel more balanced, centered and serene. My body is more relaxed, and I usually get more accomplished. And - more to the point of this article - I more easily receive my Uranian flashes and Neptunian flows, and can more confidently "step into the void" when it's time for a Plutonian transformation.

While we're talking about meditation, allow me to dispel the most persistent and pernicious misconception about meditation that I've come across: the idea that if your mind is not completely still, you've failed. It's the mind's job to think, so don't get upset with it when it does its duty!

Just visualize your "monkey mind" thoughts as a flowing river, imagine yourself stepping out of the water onto the bank, and watch the river flow by for a moment. Now, no longer immersed in the thought-stream, you can more easily re-establish your focus.

When you realize that your attention has once again wandered, as it inevitably will, don't beat yourself up. Instead, choose positive reinforcement: pat yourself on the back for re-establishing your attention! The more you do this, the better you'll get. I consider any meditation 100% successful, regardless of how well I focused, if I simply sat down and did it!

It may help to think of yourself in several parts, as I learned during my years of Vipassana Buddhist practice. When you mindfully observe yourself long enough, you discover all the things you're not. Ultimately, you are not your body, your emotions or your thoughts, but rather the indestructible consciousness which animates them all. The less you exclusively identify with the impermanent aspects of yourself, the more you'll be able to receive and be guided by your intuitive wisdom.

We now live in "interesting times," and, to judge by the coming transits, they're going to get considerably more interesting through 2015. (See my "Pluto in Capricorn" article for more on this.) The subprime mortgage crisis and September's near-meltdown of the U.S. financial system (still teetering on the brink as I write this) were just the warm-up acts. But, as these events so clearly exposed, there is "something rotten in Denmark." It's time for the corrupt "make a few obscenely wealthy at the expense of many" dealings in the U.S. and the world to be exposed and cleansed.

It is unfortunate that this clean-up will inevitably be accompanied by the suffering of so many who did nothing wrong themselves, but this will only be temporary. I sincerely believe that a more equitable, harmonious and enlightened world will emerge out of this massive global restructuring. In effect, a new building has to be built on the site of an existing one. Since the old one has to be torn down before the new one can go up, there's no way around the fact that we're going to be faced with a messy construction site for a while. (For more on what this might entail, listen to my lecture on "The Astrology of 2012.")

In the midst of such all-encompassing change, the things we usually turn to in the physical world for security are less capable of providing it. But, by allowing our inner wisdom to guide us through times when our usual methods and strategies no longer work, we are in the most secure place possible: in the embrace of the unconditionally loving, omniscient Source that sent us here in the first place.

And it's that daily meditation - ideally in the morning before you get caught up in your regular worldly activities - that can make you more sensitive to Spirit's perpetually available guidance. Spirit never stops speaking to you. If you're not hearing it as consistently as you would like, then perhaps some of these ideas can help you become a better listener!

Does astrology have anything to say about who will win the 2008 U.S. presidential election on November 4? Of course -- astrology can shed light on just about anything! In this article, we'll take a look at the most important astrological influences affecting this historic election.

Please note that an article such as this unavoidably requires the use of a lot of Astrologese. Please rest assured, however, that all technical terms will be promptly followed by English translations!

For those who just want the bottom line, I'll give it to you up front: my professional astrological opinion is that Obama will win. (I should note that, in doing my analysis, I have tried my best to remain objective and set aside my personal support for Obama. I have also tried to set aside from my thinking the fact that Spiritsong also supports him, and has contributed money and time to his campaign. [For better or worse, Aquarians excel at separating their heads from their hearts!])

An Obama victory was also the prevailing opinion among a panel of seven well-known astrologers at the UAC astrology conference in May. Although they used many different systems and styles of astrology to reach their conclusions, six predicted an Obama win, while one called it a tossup between Obama and McCain. (Interestingly, none predicted a win for Hillary -- even one female astrologer who was campaigning door-to-door for her!)

Even those who called it for Obama, however, noted an extraordinary synchronicity: Uranus and Saturn make an exact opposition on Election Day! Uranus rules shock, unpredictability and surprise, thus throwing a "wild card" energy into the mix. However, this aspect can also be interpreted as revolutionary new paradigms (Uranus) overcoming the old order (Saturn). Since the outermost planet (Uranus in this case) always has more power, I interpret this aspect as favoring the candidate who more truly represents change (Obama).

In looking at the transits, progressions and solar arcs (three planetary movement systems) being experienced by both candidates on Election Day, Obama has a far calmer chart. However, McCain's chart shows that busier is not always better: it's full of challenging aspects!

As we get into this, I will be identifying certain planets as benefic (having a positive influence) or malefic (having a negative influence). This may seem odd to those of you who are accustomed to my optimistic "it's all good" personal consultation style. But different types of astrology require different approaches. In client work, it's valid and helpful to use the "it's all good" approach of seeing even the greatest challenges as ultimately positive growth opportunities. When doing forecasting that involves countries and politics -- mundane astrology -- the planets can be viewed as having overtly positive or negative influences.

Finally, before we jump into the chart analyses, here's the birth data I'm using (Porphyry houses):

In Obama's Election Day transit chart, the transiting Nodes of the Moon line up on his Sun. This can indicate his ego and vital energy stepping into his destiny. Also, transiting Mars is closely sextiling natal Mars. This bodes well because transiting Mars is in the Ninth House (politics) and approaching the Midheaven (public recognition, career). Also, Mars is the ancient ruler of Obama's Scorpio Midheaven.

The most compelling success transit in this chart, however, is the transiting Moon. (In a celebrity chart, the Moon can represent the public.) While the transiting Moon conjuncts natal Saturn (a malefic) in the early morning hours, it conjuncts lucky Jupiter (the Great Benefic) in the late afternoon. Using Whole Sign houses, the Moon also moves from Obama's Capricornian 12th House (dreams and visions) into his Aquarian First House (new beginnings).

This movement of the Moon from the 12th House into the First is also shown by Obama's Progressed Moon. While late in the 12th on Election Day, it crosses the Ascendant on Dec. 17 -- placing it just past the powerful cusp of his First House on Inauguration Day.

I also find it compelling that Obama's Solar Arc Mars (his ancient career ruler and indicator of new beginnings) is conjunct his Ninth House Neptune (political dreams and visions).

Of course, Obama is also receiving his share of challenging aspects. Among them are a Neptune-Mars quincunx, Saturn approaching conjunction to Mars, a Sun-Neptune separating conjunction and Pluto squaring his progressed Sun. Compared to McCain's heavily afflicted chart, however, Obama's challenges are a relative cakewalk.

McCain's chart tells a very different story. Starting with his transits, malefic Pluto is conjunct his North Node, placing huge challenge upon the achievement of his destiny. Neptune is also quincunxing Venus, which could place a dissolving influence upon the ruler of his chart (the mask or persona projected to the world).

It also would seem to bode ill for McCain that the Election Day Uranus-Saturn opposition lines up on his natal Saturn. This highly disruptive energy challenges the core structures represented by Saturn, and in fact threatens to rock his very foundation (McCain's Saturn rules his Fourth House). The Uranus-Saturn opposition also lines up on McCain's chart ruler Venus, destabilizing another critical planet.

Transiting Saturn -- whose 30-year orbit of the chart times career cycles -- is early in McCain's 12th House on Election Day. This normally marks a fallow, contemplative time when career ambitions are released -- hardly an ideal energy for assuming the Presidency. Even McCain's transiting Jupiter, another important life cycle timer, is just entering his Fourth House -- which represents private and domestic affairs, not the national spotlight.

The Election Day transits of McCain's personal planets are overwhelmingly dominated by challenging squares and oppositions: Venus square Saturn, Venus square Venus, Venus opposing Chiron, Sun square Mars, Sun square Uranus and Sun square Mars. This is the astrological equivalent of a dense thicket of thorns and brambles! One otherwise hopeful sign -- transiting Moon conducting his natal Moon, which rules his Midheaven (career, public recognition) -- is weakened by the Moon's opposition to natal Pluto.

Like Obama, McCain has his Progressed Moon in his 12th House on Election Day. However, while Obama's immediately shifts into the First House of new beginnings, McCain's progressed Moon remains in astrology's lowest-profile (and unluckiest) house for another 18 months.

Finally, let's examine the astrological clues in the chart of the United States itself. Starting with Election Day transits, Pluto is sextiling the Moon, indicating a public excited about meaningful change (score one for Obama).

Natal Mars is getting hammered - it's receiving a Uranus square, a Neptune trine, a square from Saturn, a quincunx from itself and an opposition from Venus! Being the only personal U.S. planet in Gemini, this indicates a powerful change in how the country thinks. And since Mars rules the U.S. Nadir, these transits also indicate a revolutionary change in many of the country's foundational structures. Given what I know of the candidates, it seems to me that Obama is more likely to spearhead the far-reaching transformations suggested by this barrage of transits.

The extraordinary Election Day Uranus-Saturn opposition lines up on Neptune in the U.S. Ninth House. Neptune can represent deceit, propaganda and illusions -- which the current Republican administration has dished out in abundance -- and the huge paradigm shift indicated by Uranus-Saturn could easily swing the pendulum over to the Democrats. (I also find it interesting that the U.S. Neptune is in the Ninth House of politics!)

The final transit I want to discuss is the Moon conjuncting Pluto in the Second House. This could indicate the public desiring a profound transformation in the country's values, something most easily achieved by the candidate who represents the greatest departure from the status quo.

Shifting to other planetary movement systems, the Progressed North Node is conjunct Mercury, which can be interpreted as the country's evolving destiny being brought to fruition by a younger person. And Solar Arc Jupiter is conjunct the Moon, indicating that the public will respond most powerfully to the candidate who offers the most hopeful vision. Obama would seem to be the candidate of choice on both counts.

Let me emphasize that all of this constitutes a prediction of an Obama victory, not a guarantee. The power of the "wild card factor", created by the Election Day Saturn-Uranus opposition, cannot be underestimated. If you feel strongly about one of the candidates achieving victory, you would be wise to do whatever you can to help his campaign right up until Election Day!

For a while, it seemed as if I might have come to Hawaii to die. But now I can see that my journey here is more about the mysterious Plutonian process of spiritual death and rebirth.

The past seven weeks have been, for me, a test of courage and faith. It started with elective arthroscopic knee surgery on June 19th, which ended up being more complicated and extensive than anticipated. I had no idea that this procedure, undertaken to help me regain mobility lost in a freak accident last summer, would begin a series of health challenges that would nearly overwhelm my body. My recent brush with death has had me looking very seriously at what life lessons I am supposed to be learning from all this.

The knee surgery was followed by an elective four-hour dental surgery a few days later. Looking back, I can see that doing these two procedures so close together seriously stressed my body. The dental surgery caused a flare-up of the virus that causes fever blisters. These appeared all over the side of my mouth, which was stretched relentlessly during the long dental surgery. This compromised my immune system, resulting in a painful urinary tract infection. Chinese herbs seemed to help with the UTI, but it was still there when I started having bouts of extremely high fever day and night.

Only six days now remained before our trip to Hawaii. Despite all these health challenges, I was pushing myself hard to make our house a fitting sanctuary for our dear friends who would be staying there. And, of course, I had to prepare for my own four-week trip.

My raging fevers, however, seemed to have their own agenda. Since the symptoms of the UTI were gone, I thought I now had a really virile flu bug. But by the morning of July 24th, less than 24 hours before departure, I was still having fevers day and night that would cause my shivering body to convulse like a jackhammer for 30 minutes or longer each time my fever spiked. Benjamin and I knew we had to visit the Asheville ER to find out what was going on.

My white blood cell count was so high that the ER doctor knew I had infection in my kidneys. (I suppose this was an educated guess on his part, as he never looked at my kidneys!) Instead, he chose to focus on my gall bladder - which, I kept trying to tell him, I felt sure was not the source of the problem. My whole belly was swollen and painful, but he kept insisting I had a diseased gall bladder that needed to be removed. He released me with the name of a surgeon who could remove the "offending organ."

I slept almost all the way over to Hawaii, and went to bed an hour after arriving. But 13 hours later, we were at another ER a few blocks away from our sweet little Hawaiian "home away from home".

One of the first things the doctor said to me was "Wow, my dear, you are lucky to be alive!" The infection in my body, he said, was actually caused by a kidney stone blocking the ureter on the right side. This had caused the infection to spread to my whole body - something the ER doc in Asheville would have seen had he bothered to look. I was lucky I had not died. (CAT scans in Hawaii showed no gall bladder problems at all.)

A swift line-up of doctors led to a quick surgery to insert a stent around the kidney stone, allowing toxins to drain normally into the bladder and out of my body. I was given a combination of three potent IV antibiotics to kill the raging infection before it could kill me. I endured three more days and nights of "jackhammer" high fevers before my temperature began to approach normal again.

I am now out of the hospital with a PICC line in my arm, which allows Benjamin to hook up my antibiotic IV's each day. This allows me to be in our sweet little cottage instead of the hospital. I feel like I've been to the underworld and back several times in the past two weeks, and am just grateful to be here.

I believe that everything which happens to us is designed to move us forward into a higher place of personal spiritual evolution. So I know that all the physical suffering I've been enduring has some good purpose. Since my Higher Self has gone to such great lengths to get my attention, I am definitely taking notice! I don't want to miss any of the messages I need to receive from this grueling experience.

Astrologically, there is enough going on to cause physical challenges galore! Transiting Neptune, whose job is to either spiritualize or dissolve, is hovering at the entrance of my Sixth House of health and illness. He is also opposing Venus in the Twelfth House of spiritual union. (The Twelfth is also know as the House of Troubles!)

Transiting Uranus, which can bring sudden and radical change, is dancing back and forth across my Descendent. Uranus coming above the horizon for the first time in four decades signals a paradigm shift in how I present myself to the world. Uranus is also opposing my Ascendant, which is the house cusp ruling the physical body.

In addition, because all my angles are close to the same degree, Uranus is also squaring my Midheaven (career and work in the world) and my Nadir (home and deep psyche). The Uranian icing on the cake is its square to Jupiter, which serves to amplify the intensity of the experience.

As if that isn't enough, transiting Pluto is opposite my natal Uranus (modern ruler of my Sixth House of health and illness). Pluto is also trine my natal Saturn (ancient ruler of my Sixth House) in the Twelfth, further activating my Sixth/Twelfth House axis (physical health/spiritual health). There is plenty more, but you get the idea.

It's one thing to know the astrological reasons why something may be happening. It's yet another to find out how to work with the energies to minimize the drama and trauma, and get the "good juice" out of any potentially difficult transit. I have been aware of these transits for some time, but do not seem to have brought their energies into the most positive manifestation. So now I seek my own answers, and sit with the mysteries.

When I asked the Tarot earlier today for one card to tell me what major energy I'm working with, I pulled the Death card. In the "Light and Shadow" Tarot deck I used, this card is called "The Endless Dance of Death," and is reproduced at the top of this article. The card's interpretation is "the extraordinary metamorphosis of new life emerging from death." Thus, my questions for myself are: To what am I dying? To what am I giving birth?

My primary intention in coming to Hawaii, other than relaxing and getting healthier, was to give attention to my creative processes: music and writing. I know this is new birth within me, and I fail to see why I would need to almost die to get that message. So I look deeper.

Where can I give more attention to Spirit and divinely inspired creativity? This is advice I would give anyone with Neptune entering the Sixth House if they want to keep their physical health vibrant. I can see, after contemplation, that I could be spending more focused time in meditation and spiritual practice. Since I naturally live in the realm of love and compassion, I can forget that I still need to cultivate the deeper spiritual journey. Therefore, what I need to "die to" in this realm is overdoing it in my daily schedule. I have so often allowed physical exercise and spiritual practice to get pushed aside to make room for the ten more things to do each day than I can possibly get done. What is the message in this? SIMPLIFY! PRIORITIZE! And most important: NURTURE MYSELF!

I am exploring my inner landscape to further discover what these deep outer planets are saying to me. I know I am being called to become more than I ever have been in the world, and it scares me. What if I fail? What if I don't have enough energy? What if I somehow miss my greatest calling? These are the great questions that loom in front of me.

All I can do is surrender. The best anyone can do when Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune join forces to accelerate your transformational process is Surrender, Surrender, Surrender! Here in Hawaii, I am certainly in a most exquisite and powerful place to surrender to the volcanic flow of transformational energies, and hope to emerge like the butterfly from the cocoon, like the phoenix from the ashes.

One of my favorite songs of all time comes to mind: "Let Me Fall," which Josh Groban performs so beautifully. It feels important to me to share the lyrics with you. (Actually, this is one of those songs in which the magic is truly carried by the marriage of the words and music. There are even visuals: to experience the song in its original context, as part of Cirque du Soleil's Quidam show, watch this video clip.

Someone I am
Is waiting for courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me

I will dance so freely
Holding on to no one
You can hold me only
If you too will fall
Away from all these
Useless fears and chains

Someone I am
Is waiting for my courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me

Let me fall
If I fall
There's no reason
To miss this one chance
This perfect moment
Just let me fall

This song speaks to where I am in my journey right now. May we all fall into this perfect moment!

I am so grateful to those of you who have poured out your loving support and sent healing prayers and positive energies for me. I know it has made a huge difference, and I thank you with all my heart and soul.

I still have surgery to remove the kidney stone and stent ahead of me, as well as an extended period of rebuilding my core vitality, so I welcome your continued prayers.

* Legal note: "Let Me Fall" lyrics are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels, and are provided for educational purposes only.

The 2008 UAC Astrology Conference was a truly mind-expanding experience for Spiritsong and me. We were privileged to hear lectures by many of the world's leading astrologers, and we both came home with our knowledge of astrology considerably deepened.

Those who would like to explore the gold mine of astrological wisdom presented at UAC can purchase lectures (CD or MP3) here.

There is no way to adequately describe the exhilarating feelings generated by the collective energy of over one thousand astrologers in one location! We reveled in seven days of top quality education from some of the most brilliant minds in the field of astrology.

It felt like this to me: imagine going to a buffet with 15 items to choose from. But this is no ordinary fare. Every two hours throughout the day, a new buffet is served, with 15 dishes prepared by 15 different chefs, offering their finest gourmet presentations! You can only choose one item but you get to go to a new buffet five times each day!

These presentations, were, of course, a feast for the mind and spirit, not for the body. But the hardest part was in the choosing. Never mind that I'm a Libra sun, and all the jokes about Libras trying to make a decision! There were hundreds of people doing the same thing: vacillating between agony and ecstasy as we tried to make the best choice for ourselves out of each collection of the finest possibilities imaginable!

As did Benjamin, I came home from the conference in Denver excited by all the new insights and information I had gleaned. I also share his great appreciation for presentations given by Caroline Casey and Noel Tyl, among others.

One of my favorites was a lecture given by Barbara Schermer on the new planet, Sedna. The creative way she presented the information made Sedna come alive for me in a very powerful way. I look forward to learning more, and using Sedna in my consultations with clients. I am already aware of her presence in my own chart now.

Of course, there was more - the amazing people who attended, the special evening events, the wonderful restaurants along downtown Denver's delightful pedestrian mall - but we've probably said enough. Suffice it to say that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience - one that we hope to repeat (at least to some degree) at the next UAC in 2012!

You could call it "crazy time." Or maybe you prefer "midlife crisis" (or, more optimistically, "midlife shift.") Whatever you call it, everyone in their late 30s and early 40s goes through it.

It's commonly associated with the stereotype of the middle-aged family man suddenly buying a screaming red Corvette and running off with his sexy young mistress. But it can also be a time of profound and positive change, a quantum leap to the next level of your evolutionary journey.

Astrologers call this period of transformation the "Uranus Opposition." This once-in-a-lifetime event occurs when the transiting planet Uranus circles around to a point directly across from its natal position. (The transformative power is further boosted by the fact that both Neptune and Saturn are squaring their natal positions. [A square is a 90° angle.] Neptune squares dissolve that which no longer serves your highest need, while Saturn squares challenge all outmoded structures in your life.)

Uranus embodies the archetypal energies of revolution and paradigm shift. It rules the breakthrough moment, the "Aha!", the "Eureka!" I view it, like all transiting planets, as an angel sent to serve your highest need. If something in your life no longer serves your highest need, it's Uranus’ job to get rid of it as quickly as possible!

While Uranus will use the tactics of shock and surprise when required -- and can even create wholesale chaos if need be -- it usually won’t take such extreme measures without firing warning shots across your bow. Like all transiting planets which herald an important life change, it offers you a choice: the easy way or the hard way.

The easy way is to follow the guidance of your intuitive flashes. (It's intuition when you feel the "ITC" -- the Intuitive Tingle of Certainty.) In my experience, and that of my clients, the more quickly you act on your intuition, the easier the transition will be. The longer you resist, the more you’ll experience increasingly stressful and potentially painful situations until you finally embrace the needed change.

(For a simple writing meditation that has helped many of my clients connect more easily with their intuitive guidance, click here. Pairing it with the Divine Saturation Snap Meditation can make it even more effective!)

I experienced one of the biggest turning points in my life during my own Uranus Opposition. As I approached “The Big Four-Oh”, I was living a life that looked great on the surface. I was 15 years into a job as the Oklahoma sales representative for Nabisco Food Service. The money and benefits were great, and my position with the company was secure. My sweetheart and I lived together in a very nice house and had a wonderful relationship -- my best committed romantic relationship ever to that point.

And yet I was experiencing a typical Uranus Opposition symptom -- a gnawing dissatisfaction, a disquieting feeling that something important was being left undone. Though I was still hitting my sales quotas, I had grown bored with my job. I wanted to live someplace more physically beautiful, spiritually progressive and creatively inspiring. There was a deep sense of urgency -- a feeling that if I didn't act soon, a critical "now or never" opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream would pass away forever.

The dream in danger of dying was to become a professional singer/songwriter. I had played music most of my life, studying classical piano as a child and immersing myself in 15 years of serious classical guitar study in my teens and 20s. I became fascinated by electronic music in my mid-20s, ultimately releasing the meditative electronic album The Beauty Within at 34.

Not long after that, however, my focus shifted to guitar and vocals -- first as a cathartic expression of the deep psychological purging I was experiencing in my new Buddhist Vipassana practice, and later to write songs that people might actually enjoy! My new identity as a singer-songwriter felt great, and I applied myself to it diligently. I took voice lessons, soaked up everything I could about songwriting and performance craft, and learned the business skills essential for survival as an independent musician.

Up until this point, I had been mostly living the "safe" part of my chart (cautious, detail-obsessed Virgo Moon in the security-craving second house; four planets in the conservative, don’t-rock-the-boat sign of Capricorn). But now, with transiting Uranus opposing its natal position, I finally had the planetary support to do something totally crazy: move halfway across the country to Asheville, North Carolina to become a full-time singer-songwriter!

My sweetheart, with both her boys now out of the house and also ready for greener pastures, was happy to move with me. (Although an astrological "perfect storm" -- all five transiting planets from Jupiter out simultaneously hitting sensitive relationship points in my chart! -- signaled the end of that relationship two years later. However, this allowed the relationship that has eclipsed all the ones that went before – my marriage to my beloved Spiritsong – to start blossoming just a few months later.)

As it turned out, my new career did not go as planned. Despite establishing something of a reputation around Asheville under the stage name Benjammin, and releasing the CD Shining From Inside to strong reviews, my musical income never even came close to meeting my expenses. However, moving to Asheville in pursuit of my crazy dream set up another life-changing event: meeting my astrological mentor Kelly Lee Phipps at an open mic, where he was reciting his cosmic poetry. Thanks to his inspiring teaching and expert guidance, I soon learned enough to hang out my shingle as a professional astrologer.

The contrast between the two career arcs was remarkable. As a musician, doors opened for me grudgingly or not at all. As an astrologer, they seemed to fly open everywhere I turned. There was no question where Spirit was throwing its support!

I've shared this little bit of my life story with you here to illustrate an important astrological principle. Because I followed the intuitive guidance I received during my Uranus Opposition and dared to make a radical change in my life – although, at that time, I didn't even know what a Uranus Opposition was! – my existence was utterly transformed. Even though things didn’t go as expected – and with Uranus, surprises are the norm – the outcome was far better than anything I could have imagined.

I don't even want to contemplate what a dull gray man I would have become if I had stayed in a place that no longer suited me, working at a job that had grown stagnant and unrewarding. I might never have started practicing astrology, which fills me with joy every time I have the privilege of sharing its life-affirming guidance with another client. I might never have met Spiritsong, the extraordinary human angel whom I am blessed to call my wife. And I might not be able to say that every year since I mustered up the courage to follow my dream in 2001 has been the best year of my life.

Bliss and energetic protection are the two benefits most commonly reported by those who have used my Divine Saturation Snap Meditation. It's a simple and surprisingly effective one-breath technique that I've shared with many of my astrology clients.

Since introducing it, I've created a number of variations on it to meet the needs of various clients. In this article, I'll be sharing the most universally helpful of these.

To begin, please read the article describing the original technique by clicking this link. Even if you've read it before. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Finished reading the original article? Really? No kidding, you really need to read it before going forward in order to understand what follows, so here's another chance. Go ahead, I'll wait again.

Okay, I'm going to trust that you've really truly done your homework, and we'll proceed with:

1. Mentally scan your body and take note of any areas where the energy feels blocked. This can manifest in many ways, including pain, soreness, stiffness, heaviness, and numbness.

2. Choose a particular area to work on. This can be a physical location or an area of subtle energy, such as a chakra or acupuncture point.

3. Request or invoke the energy that will serve your highest need in this area. This phrasing is sufficient, since Spirit knows what you need better than you do!

However, if you just can't resist being more specific, you can ask for a particular outcome such as pain relief or resumption of a strong, clear energy flow. If you do this, I strongly recommend that you end your request with the Universal Karma-Free Safety Clause: "This or something better now manifests for the highest need of all concerned." By doing this, if you're asking for something that does not actually serve your highest need, you're specifically telling Spirit not to give it to you.

4. Inhale the energy through the top of your head directly into the part of the body you're focusing on.

5. Hold your breath for a moment. Visualize the blocked energy being released. (I like to imagine the Scrubbing Bubbleanimated Scrubbing Bubbles, from the famous bathroom cleaner commercials, enthusiastically scouring away on my behalf.)

6. Exhale loudly and forcefully. Imagine the released dark energy being flushed out your hands and feet, and also being blown out with your breath.

Note: You can exhale more quietly if necessary. But there's something so satisfying about a full-volume primal outbreath exhaled with full shamanic intensity!

If you're feeling too spacey or "floaty," do the original technique, but with one key difference: start by asking Mother Earth to fill you with the energy of groundedness and stability. Then, instead of inhaling energy from Spirit down into your heart chakra, breathe grounding earth energy up through the soles of your feet into your root chakra at the base of your spine. (You can also try breathing earth energy up into the sexual, solar plexus and heart chakras.) Repeat until you feel firmly grounded, with your consciousness firmly anchored in your physical body.

The optimal way to do this is with your naked feet on grass, dirt or rock. However, this is not necessary: with good concentration, you can get excellent results even if you're wearing four pairs of socks and insulated boots in a three-mile-high airplane!

This combines the original technique with variation two. On your first breath, use the original technique to inhale spiritual energy through the top of your head into your heart chakra. On the next breath, breathe grounding earth energy up through your feet into your root (or other lower) chakra. Continue alternating in this manner until you feel balanced between heaven and earth.

Note: Strict alternation is not mandatory. Feel free to take as many breaths in a row from either direction as you like.

I hope that you find some or all of these variations helpful. Please feel free to share your personal stories about how any of these techniques have (or haven't) helped you.

I'd also love to hear about any helpful variations you've created on your own, the best of which I will share in one or more future articles. (You can, of course, choose whether to be credited as the variation's creator or remain anonymous.) Please e-mail your contributions to info@itsallgoodastrology.com. Thank you!

I received this email on March 6, 2009. The first paragraph is a great illustration of how the Divine Saturation Snap Meditation can benefit anyone. What "N" describes in the second paragraph, however, should only be attempted by someone who is experienced in working with higher energies! -- Benjamin

"Dear Benjamin, I shared your Snap Meditation with my friend last week and it has been very helpful to her. This morning she wrote this. Thanks, Lois.

"S. came home last night in a nasty mood over the economy....ranting and raving, venting - on and on. He was well beyond reasoning. Fortunately - because I did the Snap Meditation earlier in the day, his energy didn't penetrate my aura at all! And I didn't even have to put forth effort to avoid the onslaught of negativity spewing from him. After reading a magazine for a while, I just quietly got up and went to bed unannounced.

"Upon waking, I could still see the tension on his face and in his body while he slept. I thought about getting up and getting away from him.....but then decided to try something. I began to give him a nice relaxing body scratch in hopes that it would help him relax.....it wasn't working, his face and body were still tense and unresponsive to my touch. So....I did part one of the Snap Meditation on him....bringing in the Light to his sacred heart space and moving it out through his body. Then I brought in the whirlwind vortex - the blackness that the whirlwind brought out was solid (not flakes like mine)....I brought AA Michael's violet flame up around him to burn this black negative energy into ashes....then the whirlwind moved it up and out of his bodies --- and....the marsh behind his home came in an offered to take it and transform it! I then did part 2 of the Snap Meditation and moved the Light out from his body into his aura....at that same time he gave a big sigh....and all the tension disappeared from his face. I said "do you feel better now?".....he said "yes", smiled....put his arm around me. THEN I told him what I'd done. He said "thanks, I needed that"!!! For the rest of the morning, he was his joking, sage self.

Is that the coolest or what!!!!

Love you!!!! N."

Boy, do I get asked this one a lot! I'm having a conversation with someone who knows I’m an astrologer, the subject of romance arises, and they ask, "What sign should I look for?"

If only it was that easy! The Sun sign is always an important factor in any person’s chart, but it's rarely the most relevant for romance. Venus, which carries relationship as a core part of her archetypal energy, is usually much more important. For women, Mars represents an essential part of the energy of her romantic partner, and Saturn and the Sun can also be worth a look. For men, I might look not only at Venus but also at the Moon. For each of these planets, I would also consider its sign, house and aspects.

And that's just the beginning. When describing a person's ideal long-term partner from their own natal chart, it's also essential to look at the signs ruling the seventh and eighth houses, the rulers of those signs, and any planets in those houses. And that doesn't even factor in the critically important natal aspects between all these planets. And don't even get me started talking about the transiting and progressing planets that might be temporarily stimulating everything we've been talking about so far!

Is your head spinning yet? I hope not because, believe it or not, even that isn't the whole story. When looking for compatibility between two people, I take all the natal factors discussed so far and cross-correlate them between both charts. The climax of a relationship consultation is a deep analysis of a 256-box grid which shows how all of one person's planets and sensitive points interact with those of their current or potential partner.

Bottom line: relationship astrology, like relationships, is complicated. The question of what astrological energies a person should seek in their ideal partner can never, ever be boiled down just to a Sun sign. in fact, considering only the Sun sign could cause you to weed out someone who might, when all the astrological energies are factored in, turn out to be a virtually perfect match!

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not dissing Sun sign astrology. Heck, I feel very fortunate to be able to write a triannual Sun sign column for Aquarius Magazine, and send my sincere blessings to all the other Sun sign writers who do so much to keep astrology alive in the public mind. But, since any statement about a Sun sign has to be true for 1/12 of the world's population, one has to stay very general when working at this level. And, since one has to do the opposite when seeking a life partner – move from the general to the minutely specific -- working only from a Sun sign doesn't tell you enough to even start making a decision.

So if you're going to use astrology to help you choose a partner, be sure to learn enough about the numerous relationship factors in your own chart to do it properly. Otherwise, you're really better off consulting with an astrologer who already knows the ropes.

The big astrological news in 2008 is Pluto's entry into Capricorn. I wrote this entry about it in my January 2008 forecast:

1/25. PLUTO'S ENTRY INTO CAPRICORN, which begins today, is probably the most important astrological event of 2008. When Pluto changes signs -- which only happens every 12 to 20 years -- it signals profound transformations in the areas of life which relate to that sign.
        Just look at one example of what's happened since Pluto made its prior sign change, entering Sagittarius in 1995. One thing Sagittarius represents is religion. Since 1995, the Catholic Church has weathered a huge scandal involving the sexual abuse of children by priests, and numerous fundamentalist megachurch preachers have been ruined by scandal. (Pluto loves to bring hidden dirty doings out into the light!) In a more positive vein, there has been an ever-accelerating sea change in how more and more people now approach spirituality, abandoning more intellectual or emotional approaches in favor of direct, conscious and transformative union with Spirit.
        So what can we expect as Pluto transits Capricorn for the next 16 years? For one thing, even more exposure of the hidden dirty doings of big business – the huge multinationals, in particular. Capricorn also represents the underlying structure of things – it rules the skeleton, for example – and is an earth sign. Thus, Capricorn can represent the core structure of the Earth itself. Pluto, representing death and rebirth, gives a clear and sobering message at this critical moment in history: either humans need to positively restructure how they interact with the global ecosystem, or death and destruction on a cataclysmic scale will result. And there is no guarantee that humans will be among the surviving species.
        Heavy stuff, I know, but Capricorn is a no-nonsense, let's-deal-with-the-facts kind of sign, and it is not Pluto's habit to sugarcoat hard truths. Let's just hope that the United States, China and the other major contributors to climate change quickly embrace the radical paradigm shifts needed to ensure that the Earth continues to possess a habitable ecosystem.

But Pluto will still be nostalgic for its Sagittarian years: it will retrograde back into Sagittarius on June 14, then re-enter Capricorn to stay (through 2024, anyway) on November 26.

In my January 25 entry, I focused on the dirty secrets of big business being exposed, as well as it being make or break time for the global community to deal with the world's environmental crisis. However, Pluto in Capricorn has many more ramifications. And this critical sign change sets a world-changing chain of events into motion that extends well beyond 2008.

Let's start by examining the archetypal energies we're dealing with. Pluto is the planet of transformation, death and rebirth. Metaphors for its processes include a phoenix burning to ash and resurrecting, a snake shedding its skin, and a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly. Pluto can also represent tremendous power and/or wealth.

Capricorn is the sign of existing institutions and structures, including big business, governments and established religions. It's inherently conservative, traditional and resistant to change. Its shadow side can be cold, dictatorial, and ruthless, believing that the ends justify the means. Its more evolved qualities include integrity, commitment, and perseverance, as well as being the "wise elder."

Some historical perspective is also helpful. Pluto orbits the sun about every 250 years, so a quarter of a millennium elapses between its passes through Capricorn. The last time it was there was from 1762 to 1778, during the American Revolution. The time before that, 1516-1533, Martin Luther's Protestant revolt created a religious and political crisis for Emperor Charles V and the Catholic Church. No matter how far back we go in recorded history, Pluto in Capricorn periods correspond with revolutionary changes to the existing world order.

This will also be true for us. The powers that be, however, never go down without a fight. Pluto and Capricorn do have some things in common - they both love being in control, for example - and so we can expect more of the "Big Brother" style surveillance and invasion of privacy that are already spreading through the United States and other countries such as Great Britain. (Saturn can also bring fear - of terrorism and other real and imagined threats - to justify government's systematic erosion of our fundamental civil liberties.) Government will seem to believe that, in order for freedom to be kept safe, it must be locked away.

The forces of authoritarianism and ever-increasing government control are likely to gain power through about May of 2010. On May 27 of that year, however, Uranus brings the planetary energy of revolution and paradigm shift out of its seven-year stint in Pisces (dreaming, visualizing and imagining) and into Aries (the leader or warrior taking impulsive action). At that point, we may well experience the start of something resembling another American Revolution in order to set our ship of state on a more enlightened course.

This idea is also supported by the fact that Uranus is aspecting three planets in the United States' natal chart around that time (Pluto, the moon and Mercury), and conjuncting the nadir! (I'm using the Sibley chart for the U.S.) The U.S. is also about to undergo the most powerful Pluto transits it has experienced since the 20's and 30's: between now and 2015, Pluto will oppose the United States' Venus, Jupiter and Sun. Venus and Jupiter rule the U.S. midheaven and ascendant - powerful and public points - and the Sun is the core of identity and vitality.

These Pluto transit alone are enough to guarantee that the U.S. will be profoundly transformed over the next seven years. My feeling is that we will emerge a more humble country, either by choice or because the rest of the world finally got fed up with us! Hopefully, we will move away from the arrogant "cowboy diplomacy" of recent years, and will instead adopt the spirit of harmony and cooperation that has become so essential for the well-being of the global community.

The Pluto oppositions just discussed are unique to the United States, but Uranus' entry into Aries will have a global impact. Other countries and institutions will experience revolutionary events relevant to their particular situations.

By 2010, Uranus and Pluto will already have been radiating some of the energy of their impending square (a 90° angle of challenge for growth). These two planets create revolutionary transformation and powerful paradigm shift when their energies connect. They were most recently conjunct 1964-1966, when the revolutionary fervor of the 60's shifted into high gear. (Their prior conjunction coincided with the French Revolution.)

Uranus and Pluto will make seven exact squares to each other from 2012 through 2015, wiping out old structures of all kinds that have outlived their usefulness. A square is much more dynamic and challenging than a conjunction, so this wrecking ball effect may make the 60's look tame by comparison.

This may sound scary, but look at the stakes. Nothing less than a radical shift in how the global powers-that-be operate - be they governments or multinational corporations - will be sufficient to save the planet from an environmental catastrophe too horrible to contemplate. Archaic assumptions that have held sway for hundreds of years must fall by the wayside if mankind, as well as most of Earth's other species, is to survive. These include the outmoded ideas of endless economic growth, unrestrained population expansion, and mankind's right to exploit Gaia's resources without regard to future consequences or future generations.

Some people hope for a miraculous rescue. It could be that, when the Mayan calendar ends on the Winter Solstice of 2012, mankind will experience a quantum leap into a more enlightened state of consciousness. (To hear my free lecture on that subject, "The Astrology of 2012," click here.) Or maybe the alien motherships will finally descend from the skies to save us from ourselves.

I could more easily believe in such a deus ex machina if Pluto was in Pisces, the sign of saviors. But Pluto will be in Capricorn, the sign of sweat equity, hard work and keeping your nose to the grindstone. Its spiritual motto could be, "God helps those who help themselves." If 2012 does mark an evolutionary leap, I believe that the exact nature of that transformation will be shaped by what mankind has done, individually and collectively,

up until that moment to raise its vibration. At this point in human history, more so than ever before, the work each of us does to awaken ourselves can profoundly benefit humanity as a whole.

What else can one person do when faced with such daunting astrological energies? Let's take some inspiration from Pluto itself. It's a tiny planet - not even that, if you accept its new "dwarf planet" classification. And it's nowhere near the heart of the action - so far out in the boonies of the solar system that the Sun hardly looks brighter than any other star.

Yet Pluto is astrology's most powerful transiting planet. Its diminutive size demonstrates that small things can be very powerful. It does, after all, rule plutonium, a tiny amount of which can either power or decimate a city. In the same way, one person - working with Capricornian discipline and Plutonian obsessiveness - can make a huge impact during this time. By doing whatever you are most called to do - however insignificant it might seem - you will be playing your perfect part in a leaderless web of perfect synchronicity. (For more on this idea, read Daniel Quinn's empowering book Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure. And as long as you're book shopping, pick up Richard Tarnas' Cosmos and Psyche [click here for my review], which presents compelling evidence of the outer planets' powerful effect on human history.)

Pluto's entry into Capricorn isn't the only significant astrological news of 2008, although it is by far the most important. Jupiter will be making three sextiles to Uranus, on March 28, May 21 and November 13. The periods around these dates will be times when following your intuitive flashes will bring you enhanced good fortune. You would also do well to heed any lightning strikes of sudden illumination regarding religion, foreign travel, higher education, publishing or politics.

However, the astrological event that I would rank second in importance to Pluto entering Capricorn is Saturn's opposition to Uranus. It occurs on November 4, the day of the American presidential elections! It represents the struggle between Saturn (conservatism, business as usual) and Uranus (revolution, paradigm shift). This opposition, which will occur five times between November 4, 2008 and July 26, 2010, will serve to open chinks in the armor of the powers-that-be, and will pave the way for the revolutionary shifts (Uranus entering Aries, Uranus square Pluto) that we've already covered.

So what can you do to make the best of 2008's Plutonian challenges? The bottom line is to stay open to change. As I tell my clients who are having powerful Pluto transits, the more you resist transformation at such times, the more you suffer. The more you embrace change - even if it's frightening and you can't see where it's leading - the more empowered you become.

Pluto can be experienced as cruel and greedy people and institutions conspiring against you, or as a river of divine power that flows through you. And that river is always strongest when you allow your actions to be guided by your inner wisdom. As with any astrological energy, you can use it or be used by it. The choice is yours.

The Saturn return is a life-transforming astrological event which most people only experience twice in a lifetime. For me, it contained elements of being squished like a pancake between two metal objects -- and like David facing Goliath!

Last June, on a bright sunny afternoon, my husband Benjamin and I approached the entrance of a local hotel to attend a meeting there. Happy that we had managed to arrive on time in spite of some challenges, I followed him through what appeared to be the entrance of the hotel. But, just as I started to walk through the door, I felt something slam into my left side, knocking me into the door frame to my right. I felt like a tin can in a crusher before the force of the sliding door that had hit me spit me out, stunned and disoriented, into the hotel lobby.

In another incident last month, Benjamin had to rush me to the ER. Because of an electrical malfunction in my heart, I was experiencing an episode of tachycardia (in which the heart races at 160 beats per minute or more) that would not stop. When the usual medicines used to restore normal heart rhythm didn’t work, they had to shock my heart. This reestablished my normal heart rate, but led to me staying in the hospital for six days. Spending some time in a hospital is not foreign to me, but having to fight for my rights and buck the whole medical system -- while in an extremely vulnerable state -- is!

Both of these events were quite out of the ordinary, but that is often how Saturn works.

Saturn is the stern taskmaster, and often gives us tests that write us a “reality check.” Sometimes these tests, like pop quizzes, seem to come out of nowhere. Even if we think we've done our homework and prepared for the big tests, we still may get blindsided by something we weren't expecting!

Because transiting Saturn has been waltzing along the Eastern hemisphere of my chart for the past year, dancing with each of the planets in my 11th and 12th Houses, I've been learning a lot about how to dance with Saturn while trying not to step on his toes! Because of Saturn’s long annual retrogrades, he has passed these planets, then reversed course to check for anything he’s missed. I've welcomed his instruction, since I know that all the outer planets are only working for our greater good. They come along to help us awaken to and evolve into our highest life purpose.

I thought that perhaps, if I learned enough about how to please this highly demanding teacher, I might avoid having to take too many remedial lessons to correct my dance steps. One thing is certain: when the outer planets are scheduled to show up, there is no escape. Ready or not, they will come!

My Scorpio Mars (the detective) and Virgo Moon (wanting to get all the details right) worked together to help me prepare. I was as ready for Saturn's tests as I could be. I can attest to the fact that Saturn greatly rewards our hard work. However, he doesn't hesitate to show us where our steps are out of sync with the beauty of the dance. Under his stern but wise tutelage, we can make the adjustments needed to feel the joy of flowing along more gracefully.

I wanted to partner with transiting Saturn not only because of his imminent conjunctions to my natal Pluto, Venus and Moon, but also because he would also be conjuncting my natal Saturn. Saturn's return to his natal position, called the Saturn Return, is one of the most important transits in one's lifetime. It takes Saturn about 29-½ years to make his way around the chart, so in a normal lifespan we have at least two Saturn returns, around the age of 29/30 and again around 59/60. For some, a third transit will happen around the age of 88/89. Since I have only experienced the first two, those are the ones I’ll be discussing here.

The first Saturn return, at around age 29, gives us the urge to leave any remnants of untamed adolescent irresponsibility behind if we haven't already done so. The Time Lord says that it's time to grow up, to willingly shoulder our responsibilities and make our contribution in the world. Whatever has been preventing us from doing this may well be changed or eliminated, either by our choice for change or circumstances clearing the way for us.

Although this process is not always painful, it can be. If we are “on purpose” and living in an empowered way, we may not have to make any huge changes during the first Saturn return. But if we are still playing the old tapes of our early “authorities”-- parents, teachers, peers, or anyone to whom we have surrendered our power -- this will be an opportunity to become our own “author”ity and write our own script. It is common at this time to take different jobs, change life partners, relocate and make other significant life changes.

The second Saturn return comes around age 59, when we have had 30 years or more of “tending to business” -- managing a home, earning a living and fine-tuning our true purpose for being here. At this time, we are invited to become the “elders,” the mentors. It is now our time to pass on the wealth of knowledge and wisdom gained through our now significant number of years of “living, laughing, loving, crying, and learning” from it all!

Second Saturn Returns are often accompanied by a shift into a second career, or sometimes a dedication to a cause where your gifts and talents can benefit others. Sometimes a new gift or talent is discovered as you explore inner territories which you have previously neglected while raising a family and pursuing your livelihood. This is a time to be treasured!

So what does Saturn have to do with being squished by automatic doors and having to stand your ground against hospital authorities?

Let's look first at the hotel accident. The “doorway” we had entered was really an emergency opening to the right of the main automatic opening doors. For some reason, it was standing open when it should have been closed. Just as I started to go through the open “doorway” behind Benjamin, someone approached the automatic sliding doors in front of the hotel, triggering them to fly open. Unfortunately, I was in the way. In an instant, the damage was done.

Transiting Saturn was still 10 degrees away from its natal position at this time -- too far away for the accident itself to be considered a true Saturn Return event. However, Saturn had, within the last 24 hours, entered my Twelfth House -- often called "the House of Troubles." (Saturn changing houses is an astrologically significant event, since this only happens about every 2-1/2 years.) In addition, the extended period of healing and rehabilitation that the accident made necessary -- and which I'm still working through -- is very much a Saturn Return experience!

This freak accident tested the strength of my physical body and revealed structural defects and deterioration that needed my attention. (Saturn rules the body’s skeletal structure.) Without that accident, and the resulting scrutiny my body received through x-rays and other medical imaging techniques, I might not have realized that I have some serious arthritis developing. Now I can address this situation with additional supplements and care.

I was also “slowed down”, another Saturn signature. This caused me to look at the other symbolic meanings of this impact, which literally challenged my physical boundaries (yet another Saturn function). I asked myself where I might need to adjust the boundaries in my life. I am still working with the healing of those injuries and learning what I need to in the process. The full extent of that impact revealed itself over a period of several days as the injuries “ripened.” This slow, months-long healing process, and the limitations it has imposed upon me, has tested my patience repeatedly. And, yes, you guessed it: endurance is another of Saturn's lessons, as well as learning how to deal with limitations.

My Saturn Return Day, September 12th, felt very significant. I viewed it as a kind of “rebirth” day. Birthdays come every year, but a Saturn Return Day is a rare event which signals a major new life chapter. I went to the forest and created my own spiritual ceremony as dusk came, welcoming this next leg of my life journey. It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful day.

What I was not prepared for was the pop quiz I would get immediately after my Saturn Return. My hospital test was clearly a reality check. It was as if Saturn was saying, “Okay, it's great that you can do all this spiritual celebration and feel good about my return. Now let's see if you're ready for my graduation ceremony!”

On the fifth day of my hospitalization I had to challenge the authority (another Saturn word) of my attending physician. I had to become my own “author”ity, re-writing the script when the doctor's version was not acceptable to me.

While I am truly grateful for the benefits of Western medicine in emergency situations, I try to avoid allopathic medicines whenever I can. But, since my heart had required electroshock to regain its normal rhythm, I understood the doctor's desire to find a drug that would prevent future episodes of tachycardia. So I was willing to participate in an experiment while they monitored my heart, to see if we could find a drug that would keep my heart beating steadily without causing significant side effects.

After four days of trying different drugs that were not working -- at least not without significant undesirable side effects -- the doctor came in to see me. She seemed upset from the moment she walked into my hospital room. It felt as if she blamed me for the fact that the drugs were having detrimental side effects.

When I suggested a drug combination that would include the only allopathic heart medicine I've never had problems with, she became even more upset. I told her that I was not trying to cause any problems, but rather was trying to work with her to find a solution. Her response was to say that she was discharging me, telling me that I basically had two choices for medicine combinations. Each of the two choices she gave me left an aspect of my medical situation unaddressed and me in jeopardy. She seemed to be tired of her experiments failing, and appeared to be out of ideas. I don't know why she was upset. But when she left, I was the one who broke down.

I was in a bit of shock that I had somehow seemed to upset the doctor. I was only trying to be a helpful member of the team! I felt huge sadness at being treated so disrespectfully, and in despair at being given two unacceptable medical options. After having a good long cry, I began to realize how unfair the situation was. Calmness, my usual state, began to return. I realized that whatever was going on for the doctor, she was not behaving in a way that supported my well-being.

I saw the test that Saturn had set for me. It was time for me to step into my power.

I called for my nurse and asked to talk to someone in charge who could assess the situation objectively. When she returned, she brought me another pill...a sedative! (She said that this was her supervisor's suggestion.) I calmly refused the sedative, stating that while it would certainly lower my blood pressure, it would also render me unable to have an intelligent and lucid conversation about my concerns.

After she returned to report this new development, I finally got to talk to someone who was in a higher position of authority. This woman’s initial behavior was polite but distant, since she probably thought that she had a “basket case” on her hands! But by the time we finished our conversation she understood that I had some legitimate concerns, and had become warm and cordial. She then took the proper steps to find a more appropriate solution. My willingness to stand up to “the system” finally resulted in my being able to talk to someone who respected my opinions about what was best for my care. This allowed me to be part of the team making medical decisions which affected my life, rather than the subservient “subject” of the “queen” (the doctor) and the “empire” (the hospital system).

Although I was initially overwhelmed with emotion and upset by my doctor’s lack of respect, in the end I felt empowered and liberated by the way I demonstrated to myself and to others that I am ultimately my own authority. As a Neptunian Libra (Neptune conjunct my Sun natally), I am not comfortable making waves and bucking the system. But, that same Libra energy (justice must prevail) combined with my Scorpio Mars (fiery initiative to create transformation) enabled me to rise to the occasion and become a diplomatic but powerful force to be reckoned with. I was able to understand, almost immediately, that Saturn had given me the opportunity to demonstrate that I am ready to be standing in my power. It was a clear test, and I feel like I graduated to another level of maturity in this “Saturn school.”

I have read numerous helpful texts and articles about Saturn during the past several months. The one from which I have most benefited, and recommend most highly, is Caroline Casey’s Making The Gods Work For You. In this book, subtitled “The Astrological Language of the Psyche”, Caroline gives invaluable insights on how to work with the energies of the transiting planets. I read her chapter on Saturn several times, and will do so again. I have no doubt that it helped me prepare for my Saturnian tests. Thank you, Caroline!

I leave you with the following quote from Caroline's book for working with Saturn transits, and invite you to call me at 828-777-6688 if you would like some compassionate assistance to help you navigate the beneficial but sometimes tricky territories of the outer planet transits.

“Saturn teaches the art of mundane physical magic. If you're feeling constrained, tie yourself up – and escape. If you're feeling weighed down, lift weights. Saturn transits can make you feel like God's knee were on your chest, or as if you were doing resistance training with weights on. Eventually you will reach a point where you unstrap the weights and realize how strong you have become.”

VENUS SPEAKS: ARE YOU LISTENING?
How to Work With the Current Venus Retrograde

Venus, celestial guide to your heart's deepest desires, has been calling to you for several weeks. She started quietly, but now her voice is so loud that you can hardly avoid hearing it!

On June 23, Venus entered the “shadow” preceding her retrograde at 16° Leo, then began her apparent backward motion on July 27 at 2° Virgo. Throughout July, she whispered to you about how well you are, or are not, honoring your life... your relationship to all things of value... your beloved, your children, your job, your home, your money, your creative expression – and, most of all, yourself!

Have you heard her? Any nagging thoughts about changes you'd like to make in those areas should now be nearly impossible to ignore.

The bigger questions are these: Are you willing to make the adjustments needed to be in integrity and live in harmony with your truest inner needs? Are your primary relationships balanced and healthy? Are you in harmony with your finances? Are you fully expressing your creative gifts and talents?

Venus is ready to assist you with her natural beauty and grace -- and with a graceful kick in the wazoo, if necessary! She rules whatever gives you pleasure. During her retrograde period, with her power intensified, she will do whatever is needed to help you rebalance your relationship to everything important in your life.

She'll be clearly sending you the signals you need through September 8th, her last day of retrograde motion. Then, through October 11, when she completes the transit of her "shadow zone," she'll give you the chance to assimilate the messages you've received, create an action plan, and implement it. Most astrologers agree that it’s best to wait until Venus has completed her retrograde on Sept. 8 before making any big changes. Some even advise waiting until she has cleared her shadow, on Oct. 11.

Minor adjustments can be made anytime....it's just the major changes that should wait until after the retrograde. You can trust your inner voice to know the perfect time to make them. In fact, if you're listening carefully and attending to the fine tuning, you may not need to make any major changes at all!

Venus retrogrades occur every 18 months, and last for about six weeks. In your natal chart, the houses she is activating, along with the planets and angles she aspects, will determine your unique experience of this powerful event. Please don't hesitate to call if we can help you use this Venus retrograde to create a more abundant and joyous life!

Certainly, there are plenty of astrology books out there competing for your attention. But one recently published volume stands apart. In fact, it may do more than any other astrology book in modern times to give astrology significantly increased mainstream legitimacy!

After all, how often does an author who’s the toast of the scientific and academic communities – and whose prior best-selling (non-astrological) work is required reading in many universities – come out with a book that exhaustively documents the effect of the outer planets on world events?

The author in question is Richard Tarnas. The book that put him on the map was The Passion of the Western Mind, and his revolutionary new one – 30 years in the making – is Cosmos & Psyche. In it, he delves into the patterns formed by Uranus, Neptune and Pluto at important moments in history. Whether the pivotal times he’s probing involve politics, war, literature, art, music, science or medicine, his research demonstrates that there is invariably an archetypally appropriate outer planet alignment fueling it.

One such example is the 1960’s, when powerful waves of revolution and transformation swept the entire world. During this decade, Uranus and Pluto formed a conjunction, which only happens every 110 to 150 years. Uranus carries the energy of revolution and paradigm shift, and Pluto stimulates core-level transformation.

A coincidence? Skeptics would hasten to say so, but then how do they explain the fact that the prior Uranus-Pluto conjunction exactly coincided with the French Revolution?

The word “coincidence” gives way to “synchronicity” as Tarnas methodically documents an impressive body of evidence. He shows consistent correlations between the archetypal meanings of the outer planets and the world events that occur when they make significant aspects to each other.

Cosmos & Psyche is not light beach reading – it’s a thick book – but I found that it never failed to fascinate. No prior knowledge of astrology is needed, since Tarnas explains everything you need to know as he goes. My understanding of, and appreciation for, the power of astrology was considerably deepened by it – as I’m sure yours will be too.

Inner guidance writing: how to get the information you need right from the source!

Usually, an article on "Great Ways to Benefit from Astrology" goes in this space. But this month, I'm being guided to write about a non-astrological technique I've been sharing with many of my clients recently. You could call it "inner guidance writing," unless

you think that a term like "divine transcription," "higher self journaling," or "morning pages plus" has more zing to it.

This technique is similar in spirit to automatic writing, but no disincarnate entity is required. The idea is to channel information from your own Higher Self.

I can't claim that this is a completely original idea. My thinking on this was inspired by several sources, including Julia Cameron's “morning pages” (see The Artist’s Way), Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations With God series, and Stephen King’s excellent book On Writing.

To do this, sit someplace where you won't be disturbed. Get out your writing tools, whether that's a pen and paper, a computer, or whatever. If you prefer, you can dictate into a voice recorder for transcription later, or use a speech-to-text program such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking (to which I have become happily addicted!). Do what works for you. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll just say “write” to describe whatever you’re doing.

You should also have a timer with an alarm. Fifteen minutes is a good duration for starters, although you can pick shorter or longer times as you see fit.

Begin with a sincere prayer, asking Spirit to flow the words through you which will give you the information you most need right now. Then start writing!

The idea is to write continuously until the alarm goes off. This means that there may be times when you’re writing “I don’t know what to write” over and over, but that’s fine. (If you find yourself repeatedly writing "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” it probably means you've seen The Shining too many times!) Continuous writing helps create a receptive flow, inviting Spirit to join in.

I strongly suggest keeping these writings completely private, even to the point of keeping them under lock and key or password-protecting your computer file. This means that not even your spouse or your best friend gets to read it.

Why? Because if you have even the tiniest worry about what someone else might think about what you're writing, you will start to censor yourself. The workings of your internal editor might be so subtle that you hardly notice, but it will be there nonetheless.

Keeping your inner guidance writing to yourself increases the chance that you will feel completely free to write whatever comes out, no matter what. Spirit may guide you to do some emotional purging, and you may need to scribble out some bottled-up anger. Or you might receive a life-changing message from an angel -- only to have it ridiculed by someone who isn't yet evolved enough to understand it.

Bottom line, it's better to keep the information you receive through this process to yourself. The only exception I can think of would be if Spirit specifically instructs you to share a certain part of it with someone.

Another reason to keep it private is that you must feel free to write down really stupid things. This process works best when absolutely anything that comes into your head goes down on the page. It's amazing how often that idiotic thing you cringed to write is immediately followed by a stunning insight of breathtaking brilliance. If you hadn't written the stupid thought down, the brilliant one might have stayed bottled up in the pipeline and never come through. Censor nothing!

This anything-goes, stream of conscious approach is a wonderful foundation technique, but you can also experiment with variations. If there’s a particular life issue that you’d like clarity on, begin your writing with an open-ended topic sentence. Examples could be, "What I need to do about my relationship right now is..." or "The type of spiritual path I should be following now is..."

As Don Miguel Ruiz says in The Four Agreements, practice makes the master. The longer and more consistently you do this, the more easily you'll be able to receive the information Spirit wants to send you. To insure that you'll be able to do this practice consistently, be sure to keep your sessions short enough that you can reliably make time for them.

I hope you find this technique for inner guidance writing helpful. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact me!