CURRENT MOON

Friday, March 17, 2006

Sean Patrick's Natal Chart from Astrodeinst


Introduction

The report was generated with the following birth data: male, born on 17 March 2006 at 4:52 pm in Binghamton, New York.

Your sun sign is Pisces. This is the sign in which the Sun is in your birth chart. Your Ascendant, the rising sign, is in Virgo, and your Moon is in Libra.


Virgo Rising

You may be somewhat shy and not very self-assertive toward others. In fact you are a soft- spoken, neat and orderly person who is quite likable. Your only real problem may come from the fact that you are a perfectionist, and you may demand that others live up to the same high standards that you set for yourself. You are quick to point out people's flaws to them, but you should learn to be a bit more tactful.

You are quite practical, and you do not like to waste time on impractical schemes. But in making objects of one sort or another, you have excellent taste, although very reserved, and you like everything to be both graceful and practical.

You believe in work, and you feel best when you are involved in some project. This attitude will intensify as you get older.

Sun in Pisces

You are a very sensitive and emotional person who quickly picks up moods and emotions from other people and makes them part of your own. This trait makes it very easy for others to hurt your feelings. Because you have the ability to put yourself in someone else's place, you have an exceptional understanding of other people's needs. Whenever possible, you try to help others, because it makes you feel good about yourself.

Very often you like to go into your own private fantasy world and think about ideas that mean something only to you. Just don't spend so much time there that you lose track of what is happening outside in the real world.

You may be somewhat shy, because you feel you have to trust people before you can really open up to them. But even though you are shy, you do need other people, for without them you feel lonely, even in your own private world.

Sun in the Seventh House

You are at your best with another person, either working or just having a good time. You are able to adjust your own needs to someone else's so that together you make a pair that works better than either of you would separately.

You are very social, and you have learned early in life to get along with others. For this reason, you are able to help others patch up an argument, because you see both sides of the controversy.

Some people express another side of the seventh-house Sun. You may really feel like arguing and fighting with others, instead of trying to get along. Don't make a habit of it, because everyone gets tired of fighting eventually.

You should learn to be more independent. Also avoid making compromises that require you to give up something essential just to keep a friend.

Moon in Libra

You like life to be beautiful and prefer not to think about things that aren't pleasant. You are affectionate, warm and friendly, but you may overlook other people's faults that you should keep in mind. You are a peace-loving person and do not like to start fights with others.

You very much like to be with a group of friends so that you can talk and be friendly with everyone. But when there is work to be done you may try to use sweet talk to get out of work or to get someone else to do it. But people will like you anyway, not for the charm you use to get out of trouble, but for your real charms. Really you are a friendly and loving person, and you should try to develop that side of yourself.


Moon in the Second House

You have a strong need for emotional security, which is reflected by the desire to own things. But you should be careful not to attach too much importance to what you own, because you may become selfish and possessive, especially if you feel insecure and afraid.

If you feel very positive and secure, you may be generous and giving, but when you feel rash and impulsive, you tend to waste money or whatever else you have.

In relationships you form strong attachments to other people, which may make you feel possessive of them. If you are willing to run the risk of losing your friends, you will actually find it easier to keep them.

Venus in Aquarius

You are friendly with people but sometimes you find it difficult to form close relationships. You prefer friends who are somehow exciting and different.

You enjoy being popular and you work well with other people in group projects and team efforts. You understand immediately what is good for the group and can adjust your own goals to fit.

Venus in the Fifth House

You enjoy amusements and pleasant times, especially if you don't have to use a lot of physical energy. You like activities in which you can indulge your senses and feel good. As you get older, you will be unusually attracted to potential love partners. If you have artistic ability, this placement can help you express yourself artistically.

Mars in Gemini

Your energies get turned on very rapidly, and you work very quickly. You are inclined to start several projects at once and never finish any of them. If you cannot overcome this basic tendency to dabble shallowly in many activities, you will not master any skill very completely.

On the other hand, you do have a quick mind, which you enjoy using, especially to debate and argue with others in a spirit of friendly disagreement.

Try not to be so impulsive in the way you think. If you make decisions too rapidly, you will often be wrong.

Mars in the Tenth House

You want to get ahead in life, and you will work very hard to get there.

However, while you are still in the learning stage, you should be careful how you treat authority figures. You don't automatically respect all adults, because you have very high standards for others as well as for yourself.

You should probably look for a career in which you can be self-employed or else have a great deal of independent authority. This position of Mars suggests several kinds of jobs, especially those that require a lot of physical energy or hard work.

Mars Conjunct Midheaven

Very early in life, you will develop a firm determination to do everything your own way. You decide upon a course of action quite quickly, and you usually know just what you want to accomplish.

If someone questions your moves, you take it very personally. You must realize that you are more than the sum of your actions and that when someone challenges your decisions, it does not mean they are challenging you personally.

This aspect indicates that when you are older you should choose a career in which you can have a great deal of independence and expend a lot of physical energy.




AstroText Youth - Short Edition
for Sean Patrick (male)
born on 17 March 2006 local time 04:52 pm
in Binghamton, NY (US) U.T. 21:52
75w55, 42n06 sid. time 04:29:39
Planetary positions
planet sign degree house motion
Sun Pisces 27°09'37 07 direct
Moon Libra 29°25'55 02 direct
Mercury Pisces 16°06'37 07 retrograde
Venus Aquarius 10°53'22 05 direct
Mars Gemini 14°41'19 10 direct
Jupiter Scorpio 18°35'31 03 retrograde
Saturn Leo 04°41'27 11 retrograde
Uranus Pisces 11°39'18 06/7 direct
Uranus is technically near the end of house 6 and is interpreted in house 7.
Neptune Aquarius 18°42'17 06 direct
Pluto Sagittarius 26°43'04 04 direct
True Node Aries 04°19'19 07 direct

House positions (Placidus)
Ascendant Virgo 12°20'26
2nd House Libra 06°24'10
3rd House Scorpio 05°34'28
Imum Coeli Sagittarius 09°06'31
5th House Capricorn 13°39'13
6th House Aquarius 15°09'20
Descendant Pisces 12°20'26
8th House Aries 06°24'10
9th House Taurus 05°34'28
Medium Coeli Gemini 09°06'31
11th House Cancer 13°39'13
12th House Leo 15°09'20
Major aspects
Sun Quincunx Moon 2°16
Sun Trine Saturn 7°32
Sun Square Pluto 0°27
Moon Square Saturn 5°16
Moon Sextile Pluto 2°43
Mercury Square Mars 1°25
Mercury Trine Jupiter 2°29
Mercury Conjunction Uranus 4°27
Mercury Opposition Ascendant 3°46
Venus Trine Mars 3°48
Venus Quincunx Ascendant 1°27
Venus Trine Medium Coeli 1°47
Mars Square Uranus 3°02
Mars Trine Neptune 4°01
Mars Square Ascendant 2°21
Mars Conjunction Medium Coeli 5°35
Jupiter Square Neptune 0°07
Saturn Sextile Medium Coeli 4°25
Uranus Opposition Ascendant 0°41
Uranus Square Medium Coeli 2°33
Numbers indicate orb (deviation from the exact aspect angle).

Bite Me, St. Patrick. You, With the Long Hair and the Golden Torque, However . . . .


St. Patrick is no friend of mine. There were never any snakes in Ireland, but the Irish pagans, like pagans almost everywhere, worshipped the snake as a symbol of both spiritual renewal and chthonic wisdom. The story that St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland actually tells of his attempts to drive the pagan religion from Ireland.

And yet, I love Celtic culture and celebrate the bit of it that I inherited (although my mother’s family was mostly Swedish and my father’s family were Cockneys who were originally Picts). The Celts, who, in the end, were pushed to the very edge of Europe, the boggy, rocky, windy bits that no one else wanted. Europe’s beautiful losers, they’ve been called. But you know they all had the souls of poets and the Celts honored poets more than any other culture I know. So, for me, April 17th is Celtic Heritage Day. And, I’m happy to drink to that!

National Geographic has a nice article on the Celts this month. Go watch the lovely slide show and listen to the lovely music. Happy Celtic Heritage Day!

Some Countries Have All the Luck - Part the Second


Common Dreams reports that:

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will address a joint session of the U.S. Congress today. This historic honor, bestowed sparingly on international dignitaries, is a fitting tribute for Africa's first democratically elected female president. But Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is not an anomaly.

The African political landscape is being reshaped by women, generating hope for the future of the continent and raising the bar for democracy worldwide.

Few Americans would guess that the country that leads the world in political gender balance is Rwanda, where women make up half of the members of parliament, a development that started in the mid-1990s. South Africa and Mozambique, also high on the list, are both countries with women composing more than 30 percent of their parliaments. This stands in stark contrast to the United States, where women make up only 15 percent of Congress


Goddess, it's embarassing to be living in a backwards country like the US. The entire article is well-worth a read. (Thanks to Prior Aelred for sending me the article!)

PS Here's a link to the text of President Johnson-Sirleaf's address. Oh, and Cheney and Hastert? Those looks on your faces? Bite me!

Thursday, March 16, 2006

It Always Comes Back to Robert Graves


Here. Go read this great interview with Margaret Atwood. She's amazing.

Sacred Spaces in the Modern World -- Third in a Continuing Series




In just about two weeks, the thousands of cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin at the foot of the Jefferson Memorial reach their peak blooming season. If you’re in, or near, or can get to Washington, D.C., you owe it to your soul to be there. This year marks the 94th year that my lovely city will celebrate the original gift of 3,000 flowering cherry trees from the people of Tokyo to the people of Washington, D.C.

As is true of so many sacred spaces, if you haven’t been, you can’t really understand what it is that makes the cherry blossoms so special. I’ve seen them under a full moon on a night so warm you wanted to find a soft spot and sleep on the blossoms all night long if only for the pleasure of waking up covered by a snow of pink/white petals. I’ve seen them in the snow, on a grey day when I flew back from a several-week long business trip to LA and had the cab driver take me straight from National Air Port to the Tidal Basin. I’ve seen them in the late afternoon, when our case finished early and my colleague and I walked the Tidal Basin -- he in a suit and tie and I in my heels and a suit -- under a perfect blue sky. I’ve seen them on a cold windy day when I met my son and daughter-in-law to take my first long walk after breaking my ankle. And, most often, I’ve seen them very early in the morning, when I get up before the sun and wander among the blossoms while the sun comes up and lovers and families spread their picnic breakfasts of bagels, mimosas, strawberries, and chocolates under the flowering trees.

Early morning is often the least crowded time: just a few joggers, one or two skaters, the breakfast picnicers, and me. But there’s one really good reason to go in the late afternoon. There is one very short half-minute that occurs at just the moment when the temperature stops holding constant and begins to drop, usually just before the sun actually sets. At that moment, the millions of cherry blossoms all give up their fragrance, a fragrance so subtle that, absent such an immense mass of blooms, you’d never notice it. When you realize that you’re smelling cherry blossoms, it’s magic and you have to stop and stand still in order to be that blessed, that privileged, the recipient of the active grace of so much pleasure.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Pat Robertson Calls Muslims Satanic


Good grief. Now, I'm sure in a day or so, he'll say he was quoted out of context or something, but that's just the salve for the mainstream. His rabid base knows that he means every word. Explain to me why a hate-filled lunatic like this, who says things that no one in polite company should countenance, is allowed to influence our national policies? Explain to me why it's ok for him to say that Muslims are satanic, but if anyone suggests that evangelical xians need to reign it in a bit, they're persecuting xians and violating their First Amendment rights? Bush cozies up to this madman every chance he gets and the Democrats are such yellow-bellied pussies that they won't hang this bell around the cat's neck.

I'll take that retirement condo in Bedlam, now, Mr. Jeffers.

I Realize This Will Come as a Shock to You


But the people who ran Enron, Bush's biggest contributor, were blatant liars. In fact, Ken (I Know Nutting!) Lay lied to Wall Street analysts. Just something to think about when Bush proposes that you put your Social Security or health care in the hands of Wall Street.

Gives New Meaning to the Expression "As Above, So Below"




DNA-style double helix found in the cosmos.

Even More Grandson Blogging



Here's what I did the last day that I was 49:


Slept late.

Worked on a brief.

Went to a full moon ritual.

Blogged about my grandson.

Got a new poem that I love from NYMary and Thers.

I'm not sure it could get any better than that.

One Week Old Grandson Blogging



I'm fifty years old as of one minute ago. I've done a lot of things in my fifty years, but the best thing I ever did was be a mom to my wonderful son. The reward is HIS wonderful son, my grandson.

The second fifty years are going to be SO much fun.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Darfur

Center for American Progress Action Fund reports that:

This week, NBC’s Today Show is airing a series of television reports on the ethnic cleansing that continues to occur in the Darfur region. Although news coverage has dwindled, the genocide in Sudan has not, and it is now spreading to endanger the lives of innocent people in neighboring Chad.

NBC journalist Ann Curry pressured network executives to send her to Chad to cover this developing crisis. Watch the videos of her first two reports, Crisis in Chad, Darfur Examined, and Women Terrorized in Darfur, and visit her blog, that includes a photo journal of her trip. Her report has also appeared on NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams.

Monday, March 13, 2006

What a Bust


Electricity deregulation certainly benefitted the folks in Houston who pushed for it. Everyone else? Not so much. Thanks, Mr. Hebert. Oh, and thanks Mr. Lott, as well. He was your boy, wasn't he?

"There were all kinds of businessmen down there in their smartest suits waiting, like anyone else, for the chance to go back and talk to their legislators about this bill," said Bunting, whose Senate office door opens into the common waiting room.

"In Delaware, you know, those guys are almost like sports stars, and they were coming up or down to little Dover to talk to their legislators about how important this was," he said.

That star power overwhelmed opposition from the state's public advocate, Patricia Stowell, and the late Robert J. McMahon, the chairman of the Public Service Commission. Both warned that small power users might never see the lower rates that deregulation proponents touted.

As it turned out, competition has not developed for small consumers. Delaware homeowners now face a May 1 increase of 59 percent as electric rates frozen in 1999 rise to the level of the free market created by deregulation.

The General Assembly returns Tuesday after a six-week break with a slew of proposals on the drawing boards to address the big increase, including possible phasing of the increase and re-regulation of electricity sales.

The environment is hostile now, but back in 1999, just about everyone loved the idea of deregulation.

Sekhmet!


Archeologists have been discovering some amazing life-size statues of the Egyptian Goddess, Sekhmet who ruled over both war and healing.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Sunday Akhmatova Blogging


Believe it or not, I've only recently begun to get into Anna Akhmatova's poetry. I suspect that she simply does not translate well and I don't read Russian. There's a new biography of her that I'm dying to dip into, though. Here's a poem of hers that I do like.



Anna Akhmatova - March Elegy

I have enough treasures from the past
to last me longer than I need, or want.
You know as well as I . . . malevolent memory
won't let go of half of them:
a modest church, with its gold cupola
slightly askew; a harsh chorus
of crows; the whistle of a train;
a birch tree haggard in a field
as if it had just been sprung from jail;
a secret midnight conclave
of monumental Bible-oaks;
and a tiny rowboat that comes drifting out
of somebody's dreams, slowly foundering.
Winter has already loitered here,
lightly powdering these fields,
casting an impenetrable haze
that fills the world as far as the horizon.
I used to think that after we are gone
there's nothing, simply nothing at all.
Then who's that wandering by the porch
again and calling us by name?
Whose face is pressed against the frosted pane?
What hand out there is waving like a branch?
By way of reply, in that cobwebbed corner
a sunstruck tatter dances in the mirror.

Leningrad, 1960

We.Told.You.So


You know, to read the recent spate of articles about what a failure electricity deregulation has been, you wouldn't know that, at the time Enron and others were hyping this idea, a lot of people tried to explain that it wouldn't work. The articles always sound as if, gee, golly whiz, who'd a' thunk that deregulating an essential service for which there is an inelastic demand would have been a bad idea? Electrons simply aren't the same sort of commodity that, say, coffee beans or pork bellies or diamonds are. You can't store electrons when they're cheap and then use them when the cost goes up. They have to be produced pretty much in real time with demand, which goes up and down and can be somewhat unpredictable, given that weather can be somewhat unpredictable. Transmission lines can only carry so many electrons at a time and the farther away that you import the electrons from, the more of them that get lost as heat on the transmission lines. People can't do without electrons, nor can they substitute something else for electrons the way that one could, if necessary, substitute tea for coffee. Which is to say that there was a reason they regulated electricity back in 1935 and there's a reason that deregulating it in the 1990s made sense only if your name was Jeff Skilling.