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ARIES (Mar. 21- Apr. 19)

Independent and confident, they are the “I can do it” children. They are curious about everything and need to explore the world freely but safely. They are athletic and need to express their abundant energy and strength on a regular basis, so school athletics would appeal to an Aries child. An Aries child who is shuttered inside too much can get cranky. As they get older, they like to lead other children and may be voted class president as early as 4th grade. Speaking to the class while making a presentation does not throw an Aries child—they love the chance to do it. An Aries child also likes stickers—little stars to put on the calendar or to decorate their notebooks would make a big hit.

TAURUS (Apr. 20 -May 20)

Taurus children have very acute senses and like to take their time concentrating on various things they encounter that are new to them. They like to know ahead of time what’s coming (such as the schedule of events in school), because they like to prepare, rather than be surprised. They love the entire process of shopping for new clothes and new shoes—they are very tactile—and deciding what to wear on the first day is fun. Taurus children don’t like to be rushed, so together, choose their clothes the night before and lay them out to speed things along in the morning.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20)

Your Gemini child is ever curious, versatile, and adaptable. They conform very well to new circumstances. When little, they adore story hour—to them, being read to is one of life’s pleasures, and many adult Gemini still feel that way. Once they learn to read, it will be hard to pry their beloved books from their little hands. They also like to write, so an older child might like their very own diary or journal to write down their experiences and feelings. If the school goes on trips, that will excite Gemini the most, even if the trip were in their home town. Gemini youngsters need a lot of variety, and school would offer them that.

CANCER (Jun. 21-July 22)

The Cancer child is very sensitive and quite close to their mother. If your child is small, reassure your child that you will be there to pick them up. If that is not possible, see if a beloved relative, such as a grandparent, can pick up the child. Cancer children of any age need a nurturing environment, and having playdates and sleepovers with other children will help the small Cancer child feel oriented. They’ll look forward to seeing their friends at school. Cancer rules food, so decide with your child what to put in their lunchbox. (Older Cancer children will enjoy choosing their food at the cafeteria.) Although Cancers are mainly attached to their mother, they love the whole family, so add a photo of mother, siblings, and father to the child’s backpack or lunchbox. If the child has a sibling at the same school, that would be an advantage to the tender Cancer.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22)

A Leo child will enjoy the creative aspects of school—painting, drawing, listening to music, or playing in the school orchestra. As the child gets older, they might look forward to music lessons on a preferred instrument. The more creative materials the school has to offer, the better, for the Leo child will want to experiment with and use many different kinds of materials to create their art. Be sure to put their artwork on the refrigerator or other prominent places in the home. They also would love being in the school play and would want one of the biggest starring roles.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Virgo children are tailor-made for school. They love the idea of being out of the house where they can go to a classroom to learn and are able to ask questions. They adore the process of getting ready by shopping for new supplies, new clothes, and new shoes, and look forward to the predictable structure of school. If the classroom has a school pet, the Virgo child would look forward to the interaction they would have with that little creature. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, so once they learn to read, they keep reading—they love books—and they even like doing homework. (They are probably the only sign that does.) They adjust well to going back to school. Virgo children are quiet, so they tend to make few friends, but among those friends they have, they keep them close. Having a close friend over to do homework together makes the process more fun.

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22)

Libras are the most friend-oriented children of any in the zodiac. Playdates, sleepovers, and scheduling homework buddies are essential to keep Libra children engaged and motivated about going back to school. Libras are also tuned into culture, so if it’s possible, getting your child the “cool” sneakers or the hottest jacket, jeans, or backpack that the other kids will be wearing would help orient your Libra child, too. Generally, they love deciding what to wear each day, but doing so could take up precious morning time as they keep deciding (and changing their mind)—this decision is better left to the night before.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Scorpio children tend to be loners, preferring to have one or two very close buddies they can trust and have fun with instead of a group of kids to play with. They like familiar environments, so showing your child the school they will attend and even going inside for a little tour, if possible, would be a great way of acclimating the Scorpio child. They love routine, so once school starts, they will like the predictability of the schedule and will feel anchored by having their own cubby or locker. Scorpio children are intense and very goal-oriented, so as a parent, no matter what you child’s age, they want to succeed. Having you (rather than a tutor or outside caretaker) help them with their homework or prepare for a test will be comforting to the Scorpio child. Sometimes they become a little too obsessed with getting an A on all their work—show them when they are little that you will love them just as much if the teacher gives them a lesser grade. Underscore that what matters is the effort and knowing how they will eventually use the topic they are learning now.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Sagittarius children love “show-and-tell.” They are gregarious, so showing the class where they went over summer vacation or describing almost anything to a group would not throw them—they would look forward to it. They are strong children and need athletics to express their abundant energy. Getting on a school athletic team would delight the child of this sign. The Sagittarian child is very inquisitive, so having many questions answered is important to them. The thought of having an overnight class trips excite them—find out before school starts if that’s on the class agenda.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The Capricorn child wants to do well in school and get a star on his homework paper or have the teacher laud her test results. Having confirmation that he is doing well is critical to the little Capricorn’s success—you can help in that process by congratulating her over her good marks and helping her with those subjects she might struggle with now and then. Pleasing you is very important to a Capricorn child. Your child most likely will look forward to historical subjects, such as learning more about dinosaurs and perhaps going to the museum to see dinosaur bones or replicas of these pre-historic creatures to understand their scale. Fossils, old coins, and other objects of the past also fascinate him

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Aquarius enjoys using all the new electronic devices, even as a small child. He loves the idea of learning on new computers and tablets and maybe having one for doing his homework. Earbuds, headphones—you name it—he loves the accoutrements of electronics. The Aquarian child also loves science class and learning about the planets, deep space, and taking field trips to the planetarium. As she gets older, the Aquarius child will enjoy biology, physics, and other areas of science. This is an intelligent child that needs a lot of stimulation—school is perfect for her. Aquarians enjoy the special equipment in the science lab and, of course, using a telescope would be a big draw.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)

Pisces children are modest and private. They don’t boast about their accomplishments, and they prefer to have a one or two very close friends—not a wide variety. The Pisces child is happiest when working alone on artistic, creative projects that are within the school’s program as it allows them time to think and daydream productively. The social aspects of school would not be the most important element to them—they are happy to muse about things by themselves or with one close friend. If there is a school play, however, they would love to be given an important role. Getting to wear a costume would thill them no matter what their age. Pisces doesn’t just play the part, they become the part, which is why they make such convincing actors when they grow up. Pisces have vivid imaginations, and their expressions are likely to be original and compelling—they think for themselves and have a high degree of emotional intelligence, even at an early age. When young, they sometimes lack confidence, so be sure to celebrate their victories at home. Like Cancer children, mother plays a very important role in a Pisces’ life.

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VENUS WILL RETROGRADE

The post Retrograde Dates for Mars & Venus 2020-2050 appeared first on Susan Miller Astrology Zone.

Keeping track of Mercury retrograde periods can allow you to increase your productivity and avoid at least some of the frustration they can bring about. Let’s look closely at Mercury retrograde and what it means to you.

Mercury Retrograde Periods from 2016 to 2030

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

The post Table of Mercury Retrograde Dates to Year 2030 appeared first on Susan Miller Astrology Zone.

Eclipses are dramatic “wild cards” in our horoscopes. They are some of the most dramatic tools that the universe uses to get us to pay attention to areas in our life that need to change. They uproot us, surprise us, and get us moving. They shake us out of our feelings of complacency so that we can move from one level of maturity to another, to a higher plane, and they work very rapidly. Eclipses want us to change, and change we do!

Each year, you might want to pay special attention to the number and sign of the eclipses that are due to arrive and in what houses and degree they fall. Usually we have four eclipses in one year. In 2011 we had six, and there was one additional eclipse just ten days prior to the start of that year, so in effect, we had seven eclipses within a very short period of time. Years like that are hard, because they demand so many adjustments in a very tiny time period.

As you scroll down you will see specific points that you can keep in mind when dealing with eclipses. I have developed this list by watching them closely each year and keeping notes of what happened to people I know. I love social media, especially Twitter, because we can all share our experiences, and my research can widen. Social media is public, so we can all learn from one another. If you would like to share your experiences, you are welcome to come by and add your comments. I am on Twitter almost every day.

First, Some Basic Information

(If you feel you know the basics, skip down to the next section. Here I will speak about families of eclipses.)

Eclipses always arrive in pairs, coinciding with new moon and full moons, as solar and lunar eclipses, respectively. They appear in a family of signs that are joined on the same axis. Said another way, eclipse families come in pairs of signs that are found exactly opposite each other (six months apart) on the horoscope wheel.

For example, back in 2015 we had eclipses in the Pisces-Virgo family of signs. They included a solar new moon eclipse on March 20, 2015 in Pisces at 29 degrees, and later, a solar eclipse September 12 in Virgo at 20 degrees arrived. Two eclipses in the Aries-Libra family dotted the year too, with a lunar eclipse in Libra on April 4, at 14 degrees, and lunar eclipse full moon September 27 Aries 5 degrees. As you see we have two families of eclipses going on during the same year, and sometimes that happens.

In 2016 the same thing happened. Three eclipses in the Pisces-Virgo family of signs, including solar eclipses on March 8 in Pisces at 19 degrees, a solar new moon eclipse on September 1 at Virgo 9 degrees, and a lunar eclipse September 16 in Pisces. Earlier in the year we have lunar full moon eclipse in Libra, on March 23, 2016 at 3 degrees and that one will finally concludes two years of Libra-Aries family of eclipses.

By March 23, 2016, the total number of eclipses that occurred in the Libra-Aries family will be six. The Pisces-Virgo family will finish in February 26, 2017 with a total number of six eclipses as well, and in either case, that is enough to cause a transformation.

If you have planets that correspond to the mathematical degree of the eclipse in you natal chart, you will note the news of the eclipse in a dramatic way. You will see an eclipse works retrograde, starting with a high mathematical degree and working backward to early degrees. Most people do not feel every eclipse in a family of signs, only the ones touching planets, the Sun, moon, or ascendant in the natal chart. Eclipses are powerful so you would not need to feel all of them. The randomness of the degrees ensures a wide number of people will feel them in their natal chart at some point.

A family of signs will keep occurring in pairs, coinciding with new moons and full moons, every five and a half months for 18 to 24 months, until they are done. At that point, your transformation will be complete. Once a family of signs is finished, it will not be back for about seven or eight years.

The years that hold eclipses in your sign or rising sign will be vital for you and trigger fascinating turning points, so if you are a Pisces, Virgo, Aries, or Libra, 2015 and 2016 will be landmark years for you.

Back in 2011, we saw a striking example of how two families of eclipses can overlap, with a solar eclipse in Gemini June 1, a lunar eclipse arriving two weeks later in Sagittarius on June 15, and a third – a solar eclipse – arriving in Cancer on July 1. Three eclipses in a row are somewhat rare, each two weeks apart. The July 1, 2011, eclipse marked the end of a two-year series in Cancer-Capricorn. That was a tough time, as we were all called to make many adjustments quickly.

What is the Difference between a Solar and Lunar Eclipse

In a Scientific and Astrological Sense?

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon stands between the Sun and earth, cutting off the light of the Sun. This is what we typically think of when we use the word “eclipse,” with the moon covering the Sun.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth stands between the moon and the Sun, cutting off the light of the Sun from the moon. The moon has no light of her own, as she simply reflects the light of the Sun. Here the moon basically disappears. A lunar eclipse is always a full moon and usually marks endings or culmination points.

Any eclipse is a significant event in the heavens. In truth, a solar eclipse is really a new moon on steroids and a lunar eclipse is a full moon on steroids – they have the strength of three new moons or full moons.

I have a lot of tips, so be sure to read all the points I have listed below. I start with the most interesting points to consider, but keep reading – I would like you to know them all.

Let’s review the points to keep in mind about eclipses so that you can cope with any unexpected changes they may bring.

UNDERSTANDING AND COPING WITH ECLIPSES

1. Eclipses bring news of life’s big events.

An eclipse can bring news of a birth of a baby, an engagement or marriage, a promotion or career breakthrough, important travel, the signing of a vital business contract, or the start of one’s own business. An eclipse can bring the sale or purchase of a house, a move to a new home across the country, the acquisition (or loss) of a family pet, surgery, or an important health development. It might bring a college graduation, or the eclipse may mark the start of your course of study. Eclipses sometimes bring on a divorce, a newly published book – you get the idea. Monumental events, meetings and partings, or changes within your career may also take place at an eclipse – they are dates we usually long remember.

No matter what occurs, it will become evident that the universe is intent on moving you forward. Eclipses often mark a major turning point.

If nothing happens to you, it may be happening to friends and family around you, depending on the precise degrees of the planets in your chart. (More about that much later.)

2. With all eclipses, something ends and something else begins.

During an eclipse period, it is as though you will walk over a rickety old bridge. As you walk across this bridge, over a very deep, rugged, treacherous ravine, you may be a little nervous. Once you make it to the other side, the bridge will collapse and you will see the pieces fall far into the deep, perhaps making you jittery. The bridge snaps just as you get to safe ground, but you realize, first, that you could have been on that bridge when it fell (but you weren’t), and more importantly, you will never again be able to walk back over to the other side. Once we go through an eclipse, we can never go back to the former situation again, for the universe wants us to make progress, not go back to good old days. That option is taken away, forever. The only way with an eclipse is forward. If you find later you don’t like where you wind up, you can always have the option to make changes up ahead, but again, they must be future choices, not ones that bring you back to the past.

The changes could happen instantly, but they also can occur over a period of months with each successive eclipse. Still, the news of those changes often comes as a shock.

Solar eclipses tend to create new beginnings and bright new opportunities.
Usually, they are exciting, are often very positive, and bring news out of the blue. We always need to see the kind of conversations a moon or the Sun s having with the other planets to judge if the eclipse is completely friendly or not. Your own natal chart will matter too – I cannot see your natal chart from where I sit, so after you pass the eclipse, write a note on your calendar about what happened.

Lunar eclipses are more emotional, for they bring on final endings.
They often make us aware of the passage of time, and make us sentimental. A full moon lunar eclipse is almost always an emotional time. Memories and dreams come up to the surface, and sometimes we feel sentimental.

3. Each eclipse in a series is united in theme and is strung together like pearls on a necklace.

Each eclipse in one family of signs will advance the discussion that the eclipse first brings up to a higher, more sophisticated level, and keep doing so, as each eclipse of that family arises until the matter is resolved. By then, you have evolved too. It is as if the universe knows that we can’t possibly process all the information and massive change it needs us to do at once, so each eclipse will bring another development, related in theme to the ones that came before, until the matter is finished over an 18 or 24 month period. As said, however, only eclipses that are mathematically significant to your natal chart will affect you – not the ones that are too far away from touching planets in your chart. Those may have only a very mild effect, or none at all. This is why you need to have your horoscope chart.

I will always tell you the degrees and precise birthdays of the signs that will be affected by the eclipses. There are other ways you might be affected, and I will cover those instances later in this chapter.

4. Eclipses will bring a random event you do not expect, didn’t know about. It will be triggered by an event happening elsewhere, and that is completely outside your control, but at eclipse time bring vast changes will come straight to your doorstep.

I might be able to explain this idea more easily if I give you an example. Let’s say you are an agent for a top recording artist. You have been good to your client, working hard for him for years. When you took him on, no one else would even meet with him, but you saw talent in this person, and although he was completely unknown at the time, you built him into a superstar. His talent plus your hard work put him on top of the industry charts.

Another agent has now come in to poach your artist and has offered him an attractive contract, one you could never match. Your competitor feels that by getting this artist, he will be able to get more name artists. This artist is your main source of income, and you have always been loyal to one another. You felt you both were happy.

On the day of the eclipse, you receive an email in error. It is an email that you were not supposed to be copied on, but on that day, you received it. It reveals the secret talks your artist has been having with the other agent. Until the eclipse, you had no idea these talks have been going on behind your back. You will have to talk with your talent quickly to try to dissuade him from leaving – he is ready to sign the other agent’s offer.

Honestly, because this is an eclipse, your efforts might be futile, as once an eclipse comes by, the results tend to be final. Of course, you should make an attempt – but make sure you make a dramatic move. In this instance, you will have to fight fire with fire!

As you see, outside events or actions of others that you did not know anything about and that were outside of your control can create forces of change on a massive scale in your own life. As a result, you may reassess your assumptions, your business strategy, and the way you conduct business. Maybe you will feel that you had too many eggs in one basket by allowing this one artist to account for such a large part of your income. Maybe you will feel you were too trusting or did not remain competitive enough. You probably will have to draw up a quick plan to attract other talent to your stable – eclipses often form a time of complete evaluation, for they have the power to change everything related to the area of your life that eclipse is emphasizing.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that things that are happening in the outside world over which you have no knowledge or control would have the power to trigger conditions of such massive change at eclipse time, but that is precisely what can happen. It can be a big or small event that changes everything. In the latter case, it could be something as small as finding a torn ticket stub in your mate’s pocket while doing laundry that eventually reveals a secret affair. Indeed, often at eclipse time an important piece of information is given to you accidentally. Still, no matter how the information comes to you, it can set off a chain of events that will force you to see things in a new light.

5. Eclipses speed your sense of time and change the timetables.

Eclipses bring events that you assumed were months or years away right up to your front door now. Let’s say that you planned to marry in two years, after you and your fiance saved up enough money for a down payment on a house. Now let’s say either you or your partner suddenly gets a big promotion that will require one of you to move to London, You would have to accept the offer immediately to take advantage of that new position. Suddenly your marriage plans will change in an instant – and you and your fiance may quickly marry in your own country so that you can move to England to begin your new life together. Timetables change in a blink of an eye.

There is always a feeling of life moving very rapidly – it is life on fast-forward, or great acceleration. Sometimes an event will make us sentimental at eclipse time, as we are very cognizant of the passage of time.

6. The job of an eclipse is to shine a glaring ray of truth to the part of your life that is being touched, and truth will likely arrive in a startling way.

Eclipses are brilliant illuminators, revealing a truth about a condition that you never in a million years knew existed. Once you are given the information, the news can act as a catalyst to a major decision or action you will take. Most often we are shocked or surprised by the information that comes to us, for the eclipse is one of the most dramatic tools the universe uses to get you to sit up, pay attention, and take action. Eclipses are always your friends, for they are there to help to protect you. Always be grateful for truth.

Here is another way to think about the way eclipse work: Imagine that a puzzle piece fell out of the sky into your hands. This new piece offers information, and when added to the overall picture of your puzzle will change the complexion of the situation and bring you a flash of insight. You may say, “For the first time, I understand!” Now you have a full picture of the situation and can make a fuller, more realistic appraisal of what it means to you. You will also know what you must do next. This is the experience of an eclipse!

7. An eclipse, especially a full moon lunar eclipse, will help you to see the true character of someone close – brace yourself, you may not like what you see.

It is hard to see someone’s true colors, but if you are being shown this, be grateful. You might have been operating in the dark for much too long, putting yourself in jeopardy. Once you know, you can make appropriate plans.

8. Take any message you hear from an eclipse as non-negotiable and firm, so accept it, and then move on.

Realize that there is little or no chance of getting things reversed. Eclipses demand that we forward, not backward to the way things used to be. Save your dignity and do not plead – eclipses are final. If you break up, don’t plead for the other person to come back.

If you are truly heartbroken, the soonest you might be able to try again to get a reconciliation would be in precisely four months from the date of the eclipse (forming a “trine” aspect to the eclipse). That would be your only option, but be aware that finding a permanent remedy to mend the problem is not likely. The eclipse wants you to have new experiences, so keep your eyes open for what is to come next.

9. Take notice of all news and signals you get near an eclipse, and take them seriously, even if news comes as subjective and ambiguous as gossip.

While sometimes news at eclipse time will be delivered in a dramatic and obvious way, at other times, the news will come in much more subtly, as a secret or as a piece of gossip. Nevertheless it will foretell dramatic changes to come. The fact that you are hearing this near an eclipse means you must listen and investigate – do not ignore it, or by the time the next eclipse comes by in five and a half months from the date you hear this piece of information, the situation, may have grown bigger. Sometimes you are able to head off difficulties by paying attention to the signals you pick up at eclipse time.

10. It’s vital you guard your health if an eclipse falls within five days of your birthday, or if the eclipse falls almost exactly opposite your birthday.

If your birthday, for instance, falls on February 1, and the eclipse falls six months from your birthday, August 1, it is still significant, as it will be 180 degrees away, and aimed directly at you, so to speak.

Also, note if the eclipse falls on or close to your rising sign degree or any planets in the first house, as that one will be felt strongly in terms of health, too. Eclipses will sometimes point out underlying weaknesses in health that can be addressed quickly so that you can soon be feeling great again.

11. Eclipses almost always bring up all kinds of unexpected changes of direction, assuming your Sun, moon, or a planet is touched.

12. Occasionally, an important person to you will be “eclipsed out” of your life.

A solar eclipse generally points to a prominent male in your life, so often a man may leave. If you are to be affected, you may break up a relationship with a man, or see that your boss has quit and is leaving, as another example. Astrologers generally use the following pecking order when trying to determine which man it may be: father, husband, grandfather, prominent boss or business associate/client, or male friend.

Lunar eclipses are generally female. A female friend may say she’s moving away or getting married, and you may not see her as often in the future. Your relationship may likely change quite a bit. Or, you may have a falling out, you may never see each other or speak again (let’s hope not)! The usual order we use for a lunar eclipse is: mother, wife, grandmother, prominent female boss, client or business associate, or female friend.

This is generally the case most of the time, but occasionally these genders will swap out, and I am not sure why!

13. Events brought on by an eclipse always have much more weight than events brought on by a normal new or full moon.

Even though eclipses coincide with new and full moons, they are much stronger than a regular new or full moon. You can think of eclipses as a new or full moon on steroids. They pack so much more energy and punch than a normal lunation of the Sun or moon. In fact, they feel like they are three new or full moons rolled into one. An eclipse may even bring on an event that seems “fated” in some way.

14. Try not to issue ultimatums or make big actions under an eclipse.

Bide your time and act a few weeks after the eclipse, at a time when less static will fill the air. It’s best to respond to others’ messages, but not to initiate your own. Said another way, it is better to listen and respond than to issue announcements and ultimatums. Hold off on beginning new ventures at eclipse time. If you need to sign a contract, try to add several days beyond the date of the eclipse to sign when your judgment will become stronger and sharper.

Let’s say you get a great new apartment, and the only day you can move in is the first of the month, the same day of a total eclipse of the moon (full moon). You didn’t choose that day to move – your landlord did, or events just worked out that way. In this case, you are responding, so it is fine to act.

Now let’s say instead of that example, we have another instance. Let’s say you want to have a major talk with your sweetheart because you are unhappy about something in the relationship. Do so later, well after the eclipse, not on the eclipse when you won’t have such a highly charged atmosphere.

Having said that, eclipses tend to get truth to the surface very fast, like a geyser of water forcefully rising to the surface. You may not keep things inside, even though you planned to do so!

The first example shows an action someone else is asking you to respond to (if your landlord – good, you can respond to any changes the landlord brings up), but the latter is an action you chose to take under the eclipse (a talk with your sweetheart – not such a good time to do so). The ancient astrologers always wrote that if you act under an eclipse, your plan would not work out quite the way you expected, and it will likely not be to your advantage. Of course, every eclipse is different, and some are friendly to your planets and some are not. That’s why it’s better to consider the ideas of others at eclipse time, but not to make proposals or decisions of your own at that time.

A final word: If you are a manager or own your own business, do not hire anyone at eclipse time! Give 10 days after the eclipse to add to your staff.

One other point: if you must act at eclipse time, make it a solar, new moon eclipse, for that one will open new doors and create new opportunities. If you know an astrologer, be sure the eclipse is friendly to the natal planets in your unique chart.

15. If an eclipse falls on your birthday, or within five days of your birthday, the year that follows that particular birthday will be a critical one for you.

You may experience a big change in lifestyle or massive change in one specific part of your life. The same is true if the eclipse falls on your rising sign – the first house of your chart. Your old life may now fade into history as a new one shapes up.

16. Eclipses that are in the same element (fire, air, water, or earth) as your birth sign are generally friendly and helpful.

Let me give you an example. If you are a Pisces (water) and there’s an eclipse in Scorpio (water), generally it will be positive for you. Of course the closer the mathematical degrees of the eclipse match your Sun, the better and the more important the eclipse will be for you.

I do have to add the disclaimer that we always have to look at all the planets involved in your chart and see how they are aspected at birth, but generally, this rule will be true. Eclipses in the same element are often friendly to each other.

The fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. The earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. The air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. The water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

17. At eclipse time, keep your schedule light and elastic. No matter what is on your agenda at the time, something else will come in to demand immediate attention.

18. Leos tend to feel new moon solar eclipses strongly, because the Sun is their ruler. Said another way, the Sun rules Leo.

19. Cancers tend to feel full moons and lunar eclipses strongly, as the moon rules Cancer.

20. Once a family of signs is finished, it will not be back for seven or eight years.

For example, as soon as the Pisces-Virgo series of eclipses are done on February 26, 2017, that series will not be back until September 17, 2024.

21. Gold Star Point: Eclipses repeat in nearly exact degree and sign every 19 years.

While the family of signs will repeat sooner than that, in about seven or eight years, they will appear in different mathematical degrees than they did recently. However if you go back 19 years and look at the series of eclipses that arrived that year, you may be astounded to see that all of them will be nearly identical in the family of sign, mathematical degree and precise date it arrived. Keep in mind that the other planets in the sky will have since changed position, so no year is ever a carbon copy of any other year. Still, by looking back 19 years, you may be able to come up with a theme that will teach you something.

The most dramatic example I can give you is one that affected me. My daughter, Diana, was to go to college for the first time on an eclipse that fell August 30. It was the day her father was driving her to Boston College, and I was a little worried because there was an eclipse that day. I was hoping all would go well, that the drive there would be uneventful, and that Diana would like her dorm room.

I thought, well, I can look back 19 years. But wait, I thought, I can’t because Diana was only 18.How could the previous eclipse in the same sign and degree of 19 years ago possibly affect her, or me? I did the math and realized, much to my shock, that 19 years earlier, to the precise day, I had found out I was pregnant with her. The first eclipse, 19 years earlier, taught me to be a mother. I was now learning to be a mother again in a different way, by letting my little bird fly away independently. As I realized this, I got goose bumps all over. The universe runs on time and is a source of vast wisdom. I will never forget the moment I realized this!

22. The four eclipses coming up each year will arrive in the same degree, sign, and precise day as those that came by nineteen years earlier.

As said, sometimes it is helpful to look back to those years to see what themes e emerged at that time so that you can predict what might come up for you now. Just take 19 years from the present and look up to see what happened at eclipse time (from the table below).

23. You might ask, does an eclipse deliver its news on the very day of the eclipse? Not always. This is important, so be sure to read this!

1) A message brought to you by an eclipse is usually delivered on the day, or within a week of the actual date of the eclipse – but not always.

2) If nothing happens then think back to exactly one month earlier and one month later plus or minus five days.

So for example, your birthday falls on February 26. An eclipse is coming February 26, 2017, or you were born on August 26, exactly six months away. Watch January 26 (one month earlier), plus or minus five days, and one month later, March 26, plus or minus five days.

3) If neither period delivers any news, then watch for the days when Mars or Saturn will move over the precise degrees of the eclipse, oppose it, or challenge it In that regard, I will let you know when that is due to happen in my column.

Let me give you a visual idea of what I mean. Let’s pretend that an eclipse burns a burning hole in the sky say with a cigarette when it appears (it doesn’t, but only in the poetic sense here, for our purposes). Afterward, the sky forms a scab over the part of the sky that has been “pierced” and “hurts.”

Later, when Mars, the warrior planet, takes the same route as the eclipse did and reaches that scab, at the same mathematical degree and sign as the eclipse, something may happen. Being the rough and tumble guy that Mars is known to be, he will break that scab open and the news of the eclipse would be released. This may also happen if Mars is in the opposite sign of the eclipse but same degree.

Saturn, being a karmic planet, can do the same if he is close enough and is due to travel over the same path, same sign, and same degree. (It’s also possible for either of these planets to oppose the degree of the eclipse from 180 degrees.)

You don’t have to watch for any of this – I will tell you about that when or if it happens in my monthly column in Astrology Zone?. I thought you might like to know how I calculate things for you!

24. You may be feeling more emotional than usual under an eclipse, especially if the eclipse is lunar (full moon).

Your judgment may be impaired, or pieces of information may be missing, so bargain for more time to think about your decision or next action. You may want to wait seven days before deciding, but that is not always possible. If someone comes to you with a proposal, consider it carefully. If after looking at it from all sides you like it, then proceed, but try to beg for just a little extra time.

25. Do not have an over-packed schedule at eclipse time.

Keep your schedule light because urgent things often come up at eclipse time that will need your immediate attention. You may see your life change as a result. Get expert help if necessary, or hire helpers in your own personal life if you need more hands on deck.

26. Don’t be too quick to pronounce an eclipse “good” or “bad.” All eclipses have a second act.

An eclipse may bring news suddenly, but it takes weeks to understand its real meaning. If you should suffer under an eclipse, consider that perhaps that situation is being swept away so that the universe can provide you with something better. Be patient and keep an open mind. In the fluid situation it creates you can find ways to benefit.

Here is one example. Mary has worked at the same company 15 years and does her job well. Her raises have been so little as to be almost non-existent, but she was so loyal to her employer she would never think of leaving. Now comes the eclipse and she is downsized. Mary is terribly upset, worried about how she will pay her rent, and if you asked Mary, she would say that the effect of the eclipse on her has been catastrophic. However, the universe, in its wisdom, knows Mary can parlay her experience and qualifications for a much more interesting and well-paying job. The universe clears her basket so it can provide her with something infinitely better. In two months, Mary found a wonderful new job, and she only then realized what a blessing in disguise the eclipse had brought her.

27. Eclipses can help you do things you never thought you could do!

Eclipses can show you that you are capable of much more than you assumed. You may be offered a chance to write a book or to record an album, for example or head up an entire department of your company. Eclipses sometimes will suddenly open a door, and it would be one that was previously bolted shut and impossible to enter.

Here is a good analogy of an eclipse. You are riding a horse in unfamiliar, beautiful terrain. The horse’s trainer told you that you would have to jump a tall stone fence ten miles down the road. Distracted by the lovely scenery, you completely forget about the fence until it looms suddenly, straight in front of you. It is so much bigger than the trainer let on – this fence is huge. You certainly don’t feel ready to jump, and you doubt you ever will. You cannot imagine going over that fence and surviving! This is a big stretch for you!

Yet, it would be something you wish you could do, but in panic, you try to pull on the reins of the horse to try to stop him. However, the horse has been trained to jump, and before you know it, you are flying through the air over a fence you feel is scary high. Each second you are in the air you feel you are moving in slow motion, for as up, up you go and over the massive stone fence. (Remember I had said earlier, eclipses play with your sense of time.) The horse is doing the jump for you. You land perfectly. The horse is fine and so are you – but you feel very shaky and breathless, and you are counting your fingers and toes. You did it! You feel proud! That is often the experience of an eclipse.

Some Important, Basic, Fundamental Information on Eclipses

28. Not all eclipses in a family of signs will affect you. Some will, some won’t. Math will make the difference.

The eclipses that will touch you are the ones that are mathematically significant to your natal Sun, moon, and planets. Those are the ones that touch the same degree (or are close to it) of your Sun, moon, or one or two planets in that part of the sky on the day you were born.

In each chapter (and on my website), be sure to check the birthdates and degree of the eclipse that I will mention in association with each eclipse. It is true that eclipses in a family of signs that highlight your Sun sign will be vitally important.

Typically we will get six to eight eclipses in any one series (family) of signs in an 18-to-24-month period, but you may only feel two or three of those, not all six or eight. The other eclipses, in any series, may have only a mild effect, or none at all.

29. The eclipse does not have to fall in your sign or rising sign to affect you.

Let’s say you are an Aries, and there will be an eclipse in Gemini. Don’t tune out, because that eclipse may cause you to sign a contract, take a sudden short trip, or hear news about your sister or brother. The point is, you don’t have to just be a Gemini or the opposite sign of Sagittarius to feel it.

30. If your birthday is not listed, check to see if a coming eclipse falls on, or within five degrees, of one of your natal (or progressed) planets.

If you have your natal chart and you see that one planet, the Sun, or moon will be “lit up,” that means that heavenly body will be expressing lots of news in your chart. Unless you know astrology, it is hard to tell you how that eclipse will affect you. You don’t have to know astrology to learn. It would be wise for you to keep a little notebook of events that happen near each eclipse (and the sign, date, and degree of each eclipse) because in time you will see a pattern every time that planet, your Sun, or moon is visited by an eclipse. Even if nothing happens, write that down, too. If you ever see an astrologer, that information will prove very valuable.

If your Venus is well aspected in your natal chart (that means friendly to one or more planets on the day you were born), then it means that the new eclipse will trigger that happy natal configuration, and the eclipse would likely prove to be positive.

If your Venus is afflicted at birth, meaning not friendly to other planets at the time you were born, you may have problems at the eclipse, for that sore point will be triggered occasionally. The difficult eclipse will unlock underlying feelings or factors swirling around you and help you come to terms with that configuration in your chart.

An eclipse will always provide you with information you need to know about it, and for that, reason even though you may say it is “difficult,” the eclipse will still be a force for good. You can and probably will address the topic forthrightly now.

31. If you know your rising sign, read for that sign as well.

Treat your rising sign just like you would your Sun sign. They are equal in importance. Furthermore, if you have a planet near your rising sign, note if the mathematical degrees of the planet and the eclipse are close. The closer the degrees (within five degrees), the more likely you will feel something.

Your rising sign (or ascendant) can only be determined by doing your natal chart using the day, month, year, city, and precise time, to the minute, of your birth. Once you know your rising sign, you must always read for your rising sign as well as your Sun sign. Your rising sign has the same significance as your Sun sign – they are equal in importance in your chart. The rising sign partially explains why every one of the same sign is not alike – you are a combination of both. The rising sign has another critical function, and without my getting too technical here, it gives further information of the timing of events in your chart.

If you don’t know your birth time, go to the government office (not the hospital) that saves this information, such as the Bureau of Vital Statistics or the Hall of Records in your state or country capital. Request the original or vault copy of your birth certificate. In the US, it should cost $10 or more. If it is $5, it is the wrong record – the Department of Motor Vehicles has a computer copy that deletes the time of birth. You need the original, handwritten birth certificate the nurse recorded. It is available if you ask for it. If you don’t know your birth time and can’t find out, I can still write a book about your natal chart – I use sunrise as the default function – but I cannot tell you your rising sign. (At dawn, you have the same rising sign as your Sun sign. I can tell you where all eight planets were based, however, and more information about your Sun. It’s still valuable information to have.)

Once you have your explanation of your natal chart, you need never do it again. Your natal chart will remain the same for life, so memorize your rising sign and degree.

32. Look to the house of both your solar chart and your rising sign chart where the eclipse will be to find out what areas of life will bring a major change in status.

This is a very important point to remember. As said above (and bears repeating), you have two charts: your solar Sun-sign chart, and your rising sign, custom chart done by the day, month, year, time, and city of birth. Both charts are vital to have and to read! Everyone, everywhere has two charts.

If you read one without the other, you will only have half the information you need. So if you are a Capricorn, read for the section on Capricorn, and if you know you have Taurus rising, read for Taurus too.

If you have a planet, or the moon, at the same or in close degree to the eclipse, pay attention to that planet, its placement in the chart, and the house that planet rules. (I realize this may be way to complicated to comprehend, so just circle that planet and see what happens later.)

What if the news of the two charts conflict? Then the one with the more severe news will find comfort from the better aspected chart. There will be a mitigating, softening effect, so things may work out better than if you didn’t have the good news in the other chart.

The best way to learn astrology is simply to observe! You are likely to see the area of life that the house rules will become important to you, as well as the area of the chart that the planet rules. You may not know enough astrology to figure these things out, but in time, you will. Taking notes on each eclipse is a good way to get acquainted with the movements of eclipses.

You don’t have to know astrology to know this. Just read for your rising sign and your Sun (birthday) sign, and I will take care of the rest for you.

Now you know all you need to know about how to deal with eclipses and win!

The post How to Deal with Eclipses appeared first on Susan Miller Astrology Zone.

Why no changes are coming to the zodiac, why there is no 13th sign, and why you should continue to read the sign you always read.

Every so often, NASA or a member of the scientific community makes a statement about astrology that gets everyone in a tizzy. The scientists,who do not know astrology, came out recently with a statement saying that you are reading the wrong sign. You are NOT reading the wrong sign. The signs have not changed, and to prove this to you, I have written a thorough report to you in conversational style so that you will understand why you should keep reading the sign you were born into and help you instruct others on the subject as well.

The scientists are talking about the fact that constellations have moved since astrology was first put into practice by the Babylonians, who lived in Mesopotamia from approximately 2000 BC through about 700 BC. The Babylonians are considered the world’s first great astronomers.

It is true that the constellations are shifting approximately 1 degree every 72 years, and it is called the Precession of the Equinoxes, a subject you may have studied in high school science class. However, astrologers say that you don’t glean your personality from the constellations – you get your qualities from the planets. In my report I show you why there cannot be a 13th sign, why the precession of the equinoxes are not material to your sign, and that no one discovered a new constellation. As a point of information, today the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the sole authority for assigning designations and names to celestial bodies, and they have divided the sky into 88 sections or “constellations.” There was no new constellation discovered that changes your sign.

Scientists freely admit they have never studied astrology nor understand our algorithms of how we calculate a chart. After you read my report, you will understand how astrologers do our work.

To settle this debate, I prepared a report for you back in 2011, but now that it has become a hot topic again, I am posting it on my website now as a headline story.

I feel reading my paper all the way to the end will be very illuminating, and will show you precisely why you need to read for the sign you have always read. You know I am thorough – here it is!

The Precession of the Equinoxes: What Sign Am I Now?

It started as any other January morning. It was January 14, 2011, and I was excited because I had my special annual talk in New York coming up the next day, where I discuss the year ahead. The event was entirely sold out, so there was plenty to do – updates to ticket sales, flowers to be delivered, guest lists to double-check, discussions with the Club chef, and name tags to print. I had a team working on things with me, and we were all operating at top speed. Things were under control. I had booked a very early hairdresser appointment before 9:00 a.m. because I felt it was best to get that done first. My event was to be the morning of the following day, a Saturday. As I walked in, I gave a kiss to my hairdresser on both cheeks and proceeded toward my chair carrying my paper bag of coffee, breakfast muffin, and The New York Times, along with my laptop and cell phone. I was set and planned to handle some last minute details from there.

Sitting in my hairdresser’s chair, after he had completed my trim, as the sound of the blow dryer began to buzz around my ears, my cell phone started to make strange popping sounds – like popcorn popping incredibly fast. Text messages were suddenly coming in furiously, faster than I had ever seen any come in before. At first I thought the sound of the hair dryer was making me hear things that really weren’t there. I looked at my cell phone’s screen, and the texts were exploding from the press. There were 23 texts and 10 phone messages, and it wasn’t even 9:00 a.m. yet. My office was texting me, too – get back here!

What had happened? I worried that a terrible disaster had hit, but was relieved to hear it was not that, but something I never could have imagined or anticipated.

Five days earlier, on January 9, a lifestyle reporter named Bill Ward working for the Minneapolis Star Tribune had discovered a previous article dated October 23, 2007, and posted on LiveScience.com, which reported that the astrological signs used in newspapers were all wrong and that you are likely reading the wrong sign. The story went on to explain that this was due to a gradual westward shift of the constellations over thousands of years, called the precession of the equinoxes. The reporter assumed the astrological community as well as the general public knew nothing of this, and in addition, there were “new discoveries,” so he decided to dust off this old story and present it as urgently as he would have announced the cure for a modern-day plague.

Ward called on Parke Kunkle, an astronomer who currently holds a seat on the board of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, to make a comment. Ward jumped on the opportunity to “teach” the astrological community a thing or two about science. Basic to all scientific study is proper research, but neither Mr. Ward nor Mr. Kunkle called a single astrologer before going to press.

Mr. Ward reported that Mr. Kunkle had “discovered” a 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus, that was found near the celestial equator at the end of Scorpio and beginning of Sagittarius that is typically depicted as a man wrangling a serpent. “Ophiuchus,” pronounced OFF-ee-YOU-Kus or alternatively, OFF-YOO-Kus, means “serpent-bearer” in Greek, and should be added immediately as a new zodiac sign. The story went on to say you were likely a member of the sign previous to yours, so if you thought you were a Virgo, you were probably a Leo.

The media exploded, and the topic began to trend all over the world. The reporter had presented not one, but two, very complex ideas to discuss, each somewhat unrelated to the other: 1) adding a new zodiac sign (never done on a whim), and 2) the whole concept of the precession of the equinoxes. The story was clearly made to discredit astrologers, and astronomer Kunkle freely admitted later he had assumed astrologers know nothing about the precession of the equinoxes – but we do.

I knew the Minneapolis Star Tribune story was wrong, but the situation was not an easy one to address because astrologers were now in the horrendous position of having to disagree publically with a scientist and a newspaper journalist to an already inflamed, now doubtful public. The concept required discussion and explanation but the 24/7 news cycle and social media favors rapid-fire sound bytes.

The headlines were all very much the same – no matter what sign you think you are, it has changed today, so start reading that other sign. Upon hearing this news, the public was understandably upset, for the article suggested that the astrologers, through their ignorance of astronomy, had duped them. News of this small story was quickly picked up by bloggers, on Twitter, and on Facebook. Suddenly the story went viral, trending in every country of the world, and my life was being turned upside down.

By January 14, five days after the story appeared January 9 (and I had seen some casual buzz about it from the Twitterati, a term I use to denote frequent, opinion leader posters on Twitter), every major news organization was calling any astrologer they could find for comment. By then, news of this tiny story in the lifestyle section of a Minneapolis newspaper had gone ’round the world and reached me early that morning in my hairdresser’s chair.

I was finding that when I did describe things correctly, the journalist or on-air host didn’t understand what I had to say and summed up things incorrectly. Or, I found that my words were edited in such a way that made my response patently wrong, much to my horror when I saw my interviews on air later. Many times the reporter, who seemed so warm and friendly on meeting, was really out to discredit astrology – and me – any way he could. Because I am trusting, I did not think to put on my armor. Not all journalists were like this, but many were, and it made for a tumultuous time. At CNN, things went so horribly wrong, I did something I swore never to do – I called the reporter afterward and asked that he redo the interview that had already aired. Much to CNN’s credit, they invited me back two days later to have a second interview with a different reporter, who this time got things right.

Hipparchus of Nicaea Discovered the Precession of Equinoxes in 134 BC

The fact is, the theory of the precession of the equinoxes was not started by the astronomers at the Minneapolis planetarium at all, but was developed in approximately in 134 BC by the Greek mathematician, geographer, astronomer, and astrologer, Hipparchus of Nicaea (190-120 BC).

It was obvious that if Hipparchus had developed the concept of the precession of the equinoxes in 134 BC, that meant modern-day astrologers have had 2,000 years to study it – and we did!

Hipparchus is credited with founding the precepts of trigonometry, so he was certainly a giant in his time, and of course, that was only one of his discoveries. Back in those years, Hipparchus noticed that the earth’s axis had changed directions and that the constellations were gradually moving in retrograde motion. How Hipparchus developed this correct discovery is interesting, so I will describe it here.

Hipparchus had been looking at a brand new star in the Scorpio constellation, and the appearance of that star gave him the idea of cataloguing all the stars he knew about – the list numbered over 1,000 stars. He also posted the position of each stars’ latitude and longitude. To this day, that list is considered to be remarkably accurate.

Next, Hipparchus looked up observations noted by other ancient astronomers who had recorded those same star positions 150 years before and noticed that those stars had shifted from the fixed points that they had occupied in their constellations. After he made those comparisons, he must have instantly known he was on to something. Those changes had to be a result of the movement of the axis of the earth in the direction of the apparent daily motion of the stars. This causes the equinoxes to fall ever so slightly earlier than they had the year before.

A Few Scientific Facts and Definitions of Terms

Before I go on, I need to define the term “equinox”: either of the two points on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator.

That definition probably doesn’t help you, so I will make it clearer. I need to show you how we fix the position of planets in astrology.

The planets in our solar system generally exist on the same plane and move along a circular belt that surrounds the center of the earth called the “ecliptic.” Think of this as a beautiful belt of twinkling stars, where all the constellations of the zodiac are found. In other words, those constellations are not found all over the sky, but in a very narrow band that circles the earth. The constellations are of different size and brightness, but in astrology, those things don’t matter. Some constellations overlap each other a bit, and again, that’s not relevant. All twelve signs of the zodiac are comprised of 30 degrees (30 x 12 = 360 degrees in a circle). Remarkably, this holds true in all astrologic theory, whether you subscribe to Western astrology or Vedic astrology, which is practiced in India.

There are two imaginary circles we can draw in our mind’s eye to help us pinpoint the positions of the planets. One is to draw the equator, the thin circle you draw around the center of earth, separating earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres. When you extend this line into space, it is called the “celestial equator.” (This is good to know, as you may need it in the next section.) The celestial equator is important because it provides a standard of reference for positional measurements without the necessity of taking the varying distances of the planets and stars involved.

The ecliptic is defined as the path that the Sun will take, as it seems to travel around the earth. (This is an apparent motion, not a real one, because of course, the earth travels around the Sun, not the other way around. Thinking about this from our vantage point on earth is a legitimate way to help us fix the planets’ positions.) The ecliptic lies at an angle to the celestial equator, and where these two elliptical circles touch, twice, sets 1) the Vernal equinox, marking the start of Aries, and 2) the Autumnal equinox, marking the start of the sign of Libra.

Now we need a little bit more science, but this next section is easier to understand, and actually quite fun to think about. It involves the three ways the earth rotates – you may never have thought much about it.

The Three Ways the Earth Rotates, Plus a Wobble

One type of earth’s rotation is “diurnal motion” which, very simply, is the way the earth rotates to give us day and night. Every day we have a sunrise and sunset – that’s this rotation.

Another type is earth’s revolution, which is the fact that the earth takes a year to revolve around the Sun, giving us the four seasons. Lovely, yes? Sometimes we take all this for granted!

A third way the earth moves is a little more complicated so I will describe it this way. Imagine a gigantic dinner plate that holds the earth, its moon, and all the planets, all spinning together as a group, our solar system. You can see it as you remember you were taught in grade school or how you saw those planets aligned at the Planetarium. The earth and all the planets will keep spinning on this big (imaginary) white dinner plate through all twelve signs of the Zodiac, with the rotation speed of approximately 10 miles per second, in the Milky Way. It will take earth 2,000+ years to get through one sign, and approximately 26,000 years to complete a visit through all 12 signs of the zodiac. You have heard of the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius – this is what they are talking about – the departure of the earth from its 2,000-year visit to Pisces and its recent (or impending) entrance into the sign of Aquarius.

There is some disagreement about whether we have entered into the Age of Aquarius yet or not – some astrologers say we are there, and others say it’s still 600 or more years away. (I say we arrived the minute Sputnik went up in the 1950s.) Each Age is over 2,000 years, so it’s hard to be specific about start and end dates. The Age of Pisces saw the birth of Christianity and the age of faith. The art reflected the emphasis of the times, and the beautiful cathedrals came out of the Age of Pisces. Astrologers look to the cultures of the age to help to pinpoint these Great Ages.

The earth, as it spins, creates a wobble like a fast spinning top. The term “precession of the equinoxes” refers to that motion or wobble. This means that certain fixed stars, such as Castor, which used to be in Gemini, is now in Cancer. In Western astrology we use a tropical (or fixed) zodiac, and refer to the area of the sky named after the constellations, rather than the constellations themselves. That is a vital concept, and you will see me mention it several times so that you don’t miss it.

Here is another way of understanding this concept of earth’s wobble. Imagine a round piece of fruit like an orange (earth) with a long metal rod pierced through the orange at an angle (signifying the North and South Poles). The earth’s North Pole, over the course of approximately 25,868 years, now points directly to the North Star, Polaris, but won’t do so forever. In some future date, thousands of years from now, it will point to another star altogether, such as Vega. This refers to one way the earth rotates, in a backward (or retrograde) motion, through all the zodiac signs, each called Great Years, each of which take a little over 2,000 years.

That will be important for you to know, for it relates to the Great Ages that we will talk about in regard to the Mayan Calendar in the next chapter. You may have heard that earth is moving out of the Age of Pisces, a period of over 2,000 years of faith and emphasis on religion, to the Age of Aquarius, an age of peace and brotherhood, and also likely to be a time of vast technological change.

The Great Ages – 2,000 Years Long – from Leo to Aquarius

The earliest of the Great Years known to us is the Leo Great Year (10,000 to 8000 BC). After that came the Age of Cancer (8000 to 6000 BC), Age of Gemini (6000 to 4000 BC), Age of Taurus (4000 to 2000 BC), Age of Aries (2000 to 1 BC), Age of Pisces (approximately 1 to 2000 AD), and the Age of Aquarius is due next, or, what I feel we are in now. While there were Great Ages prior to Leo, we measure those years by what can be seen as emphasized through culture. The Leo Great Year corresponds to the cave paintings of great beauty in Lascaux, France, some of the earliest artwork ever found, and typifies the creativity of Leo. The Age of Cancer showed the initiation of farming techniques and the start of structured housing, and speaks to the home-orientation of Cancer. Keep in mind that the earth is spinning in retrograde motion, so that we have the Age of Leo, followed by the Age of Cancer, and so forth, going backward.

To put astrology in context, astronomical observation began in Mesopotamia, where prominent constellations were recognized and named shortly after 3000 BC. Similarly, the astronomers/astrologers (practitioners back then did both) of Mesopotamia also identified the five wandering stars of Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn, which, along with the Sun and moon, form the seven original planets. (The word “planets” is derived from the Greek word for “wanderers.”)

Babylonians, who lived in Mesopotamia from approximately 2000 BC through about 700 BC, are considered the world’s first great astronomers. The minutes and seconds of modern astronomical measurement derive from their numbering system. It was the Babylonians who introduced the concept of astrology and the zodiac as we know it today. (Zodiac comes from the Greek word meaning “circle of animals” – and that description is true for all signs but the air signs of Gemini (twins), Libra (scales), and Aquarius (water bearer). The Virgin (Virgo) also is human, not animal, but the word zodiac covered all signs anyway. The Babylonians lived in the Great Age of Aries.

Finding out that the equinoxes were moving west is the crux of the concept of the procession of the equinoxes. It told us the constellation behind the Sun would shift slightly in retrograde (backward) motion at a rate of 1 degree every 72 years. The constellations will continue to keep moving and they will, someday, thousands of years from now, return to the original place they occupied in Babylonia, 26,000 years before, when astrology was born. That’s an important point worth reiterating – the equinoxes will return eventually to the place the zodiac started, but not anytime soon.

Do We Need or Want a Thirteenth or Fourteenth Sign Like Ophiuchus Or Cetus the Whale? No.

The assumption of the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s article was that astrologers don’t know astronomy – but we do. In fact, astrologers had long ago created an entire branch of astrology devoted to the study of the precession of the equinoxes called “Sidereal astrology” that takes the shift of the equinoxes 23 degrees into account. Reporter Ward did not call one astrologer for comment prior to going to press. If you search for this story on the Star Tribune’s website, it has since been removed, but the LiveScience.com article is still there.

The reporter posted a list of “new” sign divisions – which of course do not correspond to Western astrological thinking. The “new zodiac,” which the vast majority of astrologers reject (and from what I could see by social media posts, the public also rejects), includes the following list of cusp dates, with the addition of a new sign Ophiuchus near the sign of Sagittarius, which would have pushed Pisces down the list to be the 13th sign. Under this method, the cusp dates get shifted and condensed. Here are the dates for the “new zodiac,” but I reiterate – Western astrology does not recognize these divisions.

• Capricorn: January 20 to February 16
• Aquarius: February 16 to March 11
• Pisces: March 11 to April 18
• Aries: April 18 to May 13
• Taurus: May 13 to June 21
• Gemini: June 21 to July 20
• Cancer: July 20 to August 10
• Leo: August 10 to September 16
• Virgo: September 16 to October 30
• Libra: October 30 to November 23
• Scorpio: November 23 to November 29
• Ophiuchus: November 29 to December 17
• Sagittarius: December 17 to January 20

You will note the dates overlap by one day on each end, presumably contingent on the time of day that someone is born.

When it comes to a vote on whether Ophiuchus is a sign or not, I am on the side of Claudius Ptolemy, who was another esteemed Greek mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, and geographer. Ptolemy was the author of Tetrabiblos, a landmark work that established much of the tenets of astrology that we still use today. Ptolemy, who lived from approximately from 85 to 165, is considered the father of modern astrology. He knew about the Ophiuchus and Cetus constellations and listed them on his list of 48 known constellations at the time. Ptolemy was among the most distinguished astrologers and intellectuals of his time, and we know he was involved in the debate about whether to list Ophiuchus or not – he voted no.

(As a point of information, today, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the sole authority for assigning designations and names to celestial bodies, and they have divided the sky into 88 sections or “constellations.”)

The Minneapolis Star Tribune made a common mistake when using the word “sign” to mean both “sign of the zodiac” (such as Leo) and “constellation” (as in the constellation of Leo). They are not the same.

The Confusion: Some Think Constellations Give You Your Personality. They Don’t – Planets Do

Said another way, many people confuse “constellation” with “Sun sign” (other terms used are “birthday sign” or “zodiac sign”). Some people assume that we get our qualities from the constellations, but we do not. We all get our qualities from the planets, and in particular, our ruling planet contributes the most and is of paramount importance.

In a coming section, I will speak about the importance of your rising sign and how important it is for you to know it – once you do, keep your eye on the ruling planet of your rising sign, too.

A constellation is not capable of giving you your sign’s characteristics. It is simply a beautiful grouping of stars that have been linked into a shape so that you may more easily spot it in the evening sky. We look up and we can see Pisces and the stars shaping two fish swimming upstream and downstream, or we marvel at the beauty of the archer of Sagittarius.

Constellations do not give you your traits – the planet ruling your sign gives you those. The planets will give you your influences – constellations are not capable of that either. In fact, the constellations are like a calibration system or big tape measure that allows us to refer quickly to where the planet will be traveling at any given time, and to make quick mathematical calculations in regard to the other planets in the sky, whether square (90 degrees) or opposition (180 degrees) and so forth. When we refer to a sign, we are referring to a section of the sky that is named after the constellation, not the constellation itself.

There Is a Ruling Planet for Every Sign, but None for Ophiuchus or Cetus for they are not Planets but, Rather, Constellations!

In astrology it is vital to know the planet(s) that rules your sign. In the next paragraph, here is a list for you, and if you memorize your ruling planet, you will find this to be very helpful as you read any material on astrology, including this article, or your monthly forecast on my site, AstrologyZone.com. You may also want to memorize the planet that rules your sign, once you discover it.

Planetary Rulers:
Mars rules Aries. Venus rules Taurus and Libra. Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo. The moon rules Cancer, and the Sun rules Leo. Scorpio is the only sign ruled by two planets, the recently discovered Pluto (1930) and Mars. Jupiter rules Sagittarius. Saturn rules Capricorn. Aquarius’ ancient ruler is Saturn and astrologers tend to look at both, but might put a bit more emphasis on this sign’s modern ruler, Uranus. Finally, Pisces’ ancient ruler is Jupiter, its modern ruler is Neptune, and again, modern astrologers can, and often do, look to both planets for Pisces.

As you see, each of us has a sign and a ruling planet that bestows talents and gifts, and explains where you get your personality traits. You get those traits, not from the constellation but from the ruling planet associated with your sign. Without a ruling planet, you would have a sign that’s as empty as the little cartoon character, Casper the Ghost. (Cute, but invisible!)

Ophiuchus doesn’t even have a glyph associated with it to place in a chart (considered important), for glyphs are reserved for the 12 zodiac signs, the planets, Sun, moon, and the major asteroids. No one would have any idea of what personality traits to assign to Ophiuchus.

Why would the ancient astrologers create such a confusing situation where the name of the sign is the same name of the constellation – but not really related to each other? That’s an easy answer. When the Babylonians designed the zodiac, the constellations actually did line up perfectly with the path of the Sun. The Aries Sun was in the constellation of Aries, the Taurus Sun was in the constellation Taurus, and so forth. As said, in time, the equinoxes have drifted west at the rate of one degree every 72 years.

Back in ancient days, the sky was a big calendar that farmers used for knowing precisely when to plant seeds, reap their crops, and so forth, so starting with spring made sense. The planting season was a critical one, so it began the zodiac. To this day, Aries begins the zodiac on March 21 and begins the rhythm of life, which starts with the seed. Pisces is considered the last sign of the zodiac, and goes from February 19 to March 20.

During the time astrology started, the astrologers didn’t know that there would be a shift in the constellations and that naming those constellations the same name as the signs could bring confusion.

The Decision: Would Western Astrology Go for Fixed or Moving Constellations?
Fixed Constellations Won

After Hipparchus of Nicaea discovered the precession of the equinoxes in 134 BC, a decision had to be made by the astrological community back then about how to make calculations (astrology is very mathematical). The choice was whether to work with a fixed, unchanging zodiac, or one that moved. In Western astrology, the decision was made in favor of working with the fixed, unchanging points of the four seasons and keeping the zodiac stationary. In India, the choice was to work with a moving zodiac, called Vedic (also called sidereal astrology), and their astrologers shift the whole chart 23 degrees retrograde, the precise amount of degrees each sign and planet would have moved due to the precession.

Your zodiac sign in Western astrology corresponds to the movement of the Sun in regard to the solstices and equinoxes. In other words, astrologers in the West base the chart calculations on the four points of summer, fall, winter, and spring. Those are fixed, unchanging points. This way of treating astrology is called tropical astrology. Your sign does not change because it relates to a piece of unchanging sky, not to the shifting belt of the constellations.

In India, the Vedic astrologers acknowledge the precession of the equinoxes in their calculations, and shift all the planets and constellations 23 degrees. Vedic astrology puts much more emphasis on the fast-moving moon, and in the West, we underscore the Sun. (By the way, making the 23-degree shift is easily done on any present-day astrologer’s software program, so some Western astrologers do this to a chart, but 98 percent do not, simply because we feel the results do not produce as accurate results both in terms of personality description and forecasting.) In both systems, Western and Vedic, the sky is divided into 12 signs to correspond with each of the 12 months, with each zodiac sign accounting for 30 degrees.

The reason why there are 12 signs and not 13 has to do with the lunation cycle. There are approximately twelve cycles of the Sun and new or full moon in a year. A Sun sign stands for one month even though a month comprises a few more days than a lunar month, that latter being 28 days.

In Western astrology, the Sun is king. In Vedic astrology, astrologers in India put more emphasis on the moon, which is a faster moving body than the Sun. In the West, the Sun is the face you give to the world, and the place in the chart that shows where you shine brightest – a very Western cultural idea. The Sun indicates the father in the chart, or at the very least, authority figures. In India, the moon is more important, focusing on your inner feelings, emotions, love, family, conception, care for a child, and for mother. Each culture has a different emphasis. I am completely oversimplifying the two methods, and mean no disrespect to those who follow the Vedic method. I may have characterized things a bit too simply in the interest in clarity, but if I did go too far, forgive me.

Tropical (Fixed) Astrology of the West, Demonstrated by a Little Example

I realize the precession of the equinoxes may be a difficult concept to take in, so let me show you in another way to demonstrate the way Western astrologers think about their favored tropical (fixed zodiac) method. Let’s say you bought a large, beautiful plot of land with many acres near an old country road that runs parallel to your land. You build a charming cottage on it, and the street your cottage is near, where all your mail is sent, is called Primrose Lane, so you call your cottage Primrose House. (Not many people name their house, but stay with me on this.) In time, the town rezones, and the name of the street in front of your darling cottage changes. Part of your house stills stands on Primrose Lane, but now most of the cottage stands on the same street, suddenly called Blue Bell Lane. Like many country roads, Primrose Lane runs straight into Blue Bell Lane as you go along that old dirt road.

Your cottage is still there, and it is still the same. However, the name of the road in front of your house has changed. Your cottage is still called Primrose House. Even if someday the town rezones again and changes the name of the country road in front of your house to a completely new name, your house will remain the same – yours, untouched and constant – and you keep the same name. This is the theory behind Western “tropical” astrology that the vast majority of astrologers use today. The “road” (constellation) to your plot of land in front of your cottage (your Sun sign) would not change, and the road is the same too, but with a new name. The road (constellation) helps us find you.

In summarizing this concept, as Western astrologers we point to the piece of sky that is “owned” by your sign, and we don’t give relevance to the name on the changing road (constellation).

Western Astrology Corresponds to the Sun as it Falls in Relationship to Solstices and Equinoxes

Said in scientific terms, in Western astrology, your astrological zodiac sign corresponds to the position of the Sun as it sits in relationship to the two solstices (June 21 and December 21). At the solstice, the Sun is either nearest or farthest from the equator (depending on if you live in Northern or Southern Hemisphere). In America, for example, June 21 marks the beginning of summer. That is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and December 21 brings the shortest day of the year.

The signs are also tied to the equinoxes (March 21 and September 23). The equinox is when the time of daylight is precisely equal to nighttime – the two are in perfect balance. In springtime in northern latitudes, after March 21, the light begins to increase in length (number of hours) of each day, and beginning September 23, the number of hours of daylight decreases. (If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the reverse dates are true for you, with spring – and longer days – coming on September 23.)

Are Horoscopes Accurate for Both Northern and Southern Hemispheres? Yes!
No Correction Needed

People often ask me, since I write my forecasts based on the symbolism of nature in the Northern Hemisphere, can they be valid for the Southern Hemisphere, too? Absolutely yes. Astrology works the same in all locations, Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Think of astrology as sensitive to the pace, forces, and rhythms of life, as determined through the mathematical patterns and cycles seen in nature. Those are enduring energies that are manifested in each of our lives, and within us, no matter where we are living at the time. You will always have free will to make your choice. The answer to the question is, then, the same – you can read my forecasts or anyone’s in any part of the world and it will apply. Due to time zone changes, you may feel an aspect a day earlier or later, but that is all.

The Qualities and the Elements Form Some of the Structure of Astrology

Now let me show you a part of astrology that ties in with the argument that you can’t just make a sign active one day, on a whim like the Minneapolis Planetarium scientists thought you could. You need to take into account the three qualities and the four elements.

Each season has three months, and there are three different qualities. One is assigned to each of the signs falling within that three-month season. Consequently, within each season we find a cardinal, fixed, and mutable sign (3).

Cardinal signs begin a season, define direction, and produce energetic people who enjoy change and pioneering into new areas, sometimes for the very sake of change. (The cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.)

Fixed signs are strong leaders and remain true to goals. The fixed signs fall in the middle of each of the four seasons and are the standard-bearer or powerful pillar for their particular season. Thus, you have Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius serving as the fixed signs. For example, Leo, in August, brings us the most quintessential expression of summer in Northern Hemisphere latitudes, and in the same regions, Taurus brings, in May, the most quintessential expression of spring. In Southern Hemispheres, just substitute the words “winter” and “fall” respectively.

Mutable signs are the most communicative and flexible and are excellent in a crisis, as they are conceptual and think on their feet. Those signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. The mission of the mutable signs is to get you ready to transition into the next season, accounting for why people of these mutable signs are so adaptable. As you see, in astrology, we assign characteristics from what nature teaches us about the time of the year you were born.

The zodiac signs are also assigned one of the four elements to each of the signs and are classified by fire, air, water, and earth signs (4). Fire signs are enthusiastic and often creative. Air signs are quite analytical and intellectual, and they love a good debate. Earth signs are realistic, practical, steadfast, and reliable. Water signs have a high degree of emotional intelligence and are intuitive. They are quite compassionate, too.

When an element is paired with one of the qualities listed above, you have 4 elements x 3 qualities totaling twelve signs (12) for twelve months of the year, each of which is unique. No combination is repeated, as you will see here: Aries is fire-cardinal; Taurus is earth-fixed; Gemini is air-mutable; Cancer is water-cardinal; Leo is fire-fixed; Virgo is earth-mutable; Libra is air-cardinal; Scorpio is water-fixed; Sagittarius is fire-mutable; Capricorn is cardinal-earth; Aquarius is air-fixed, and Pisces is water-mutable. From this pairing even more unique qualities of each of the signs can be gleaned – too numerous to list here!

As you see, if you add a thirteenth sign, what quality would it have? What element would it be? Three qualities times four elements equal twelve – no room for thirteen.

Balance and Symmetry Are Key in Astrology

There is one last point to consider that will help you realize why Ophiuchus cannot become a sign unto itself now or in the future.

Astrology is based on polarities. Aries and Libra share the same axis, as do Taurus-Scorpio, Gemini-Sagittarius, Cancer-Capricorn, Leo-Aquarius, and Virgo-Pisces. These signs are tied to one another in interesting ways, working to balance one another and to bring the gift that each other possesses out in the open. The opposite sign also takes those gifts and often will bring that talent or proclivity to a new, more evolved place. This is something I wrote extensively about in my book “Planets and Possibilities” (Warner Books). In astrology, you need the yin and yang – another reason a thirteenth sign would not happen.

In the end, Mr. Kunkle was forced to admit he didn’t know astrology, never studied it, or even read one book. That served as a gentle kind of retraction that came later.

I hope you have come to understand more about the rich history that astrology brings from ancient antiquity, and why, yes, you must read for the sign you always thought you were, and came to love.

The post Is There a 13th Sign?—The Precession of the Equinoxes (or Am I Still a Leo?) appeared first on Susan Miller Astrology Zone.

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The post Table of Eclipse Dates from 1945 to 2050 appeared first on Susan Miller Astrology Zone.

April 19th, 2016

On the morning of August 11 it was a sunny day in downtown Los Angeles. I was in town visiting from New York. Since I find news stations to provide interesting overviews of local culture, I switched on the television in my hotel room to catch up on what was going on in LA and the rest of the world, and what people were saying and thinking. The total eclipse of the Sun had occurred the previous evening, and the eclipse’s path of totality had been visible from much of Europe. The news broadcast showed footage of Europeans clogging highways to get to the best vantage point from which to see this last cosmic event of our century. Some close friends in London had traveled to France to view the eclipse and called to say it was simply spectacular. On this report, the male anchor bantered easily with his female co-anchor, cheerfully stating that he had heard that this eclipse marked the official start of the Age of Aquarius. His cohort, however, seemed doubtful and dismissed her colleague’s remark with a rather flip comment, “Oh, that. The Age of Aquarius happened decades ago in the 1960s.”

In truth, nobody knows for sure what the actual inception date of the Age of Aquarius happens to be. The way this pretty blonde news journalist delivered her quip made it obvious that she not only thought the Age of Aquarius began years ago but also that she thought it must be over by now. I sighed to myself. Most people remember the term “Age of Aquarius” from the 1960s musical Hair, but few people know precisely what it means. The onset of an age is difficult for astrologers to pinpoint exactly — we will discuss why in a moment. We do know that an astrological age spans over two thousand years. Perhaps this news anchor shouldn’t have been quite so blase about living though the dawning of a new age. Most human beings won’t ever have the chance to do that in their lifetime. It is truly something special, and anyone alive at this moment in time is about to experience it.

When astrologers speak about the Age of Aquarius they are describing a phenomenon that refers to the earth’s movement backward (or in “retrograde” motion) into the sign of Aquarius. As you know, there are 11 other signs of the zodiac — the earth will retrograde in each one. It will take the earth 25,868 years to visit all 12 signs. If you divide 25,868 by 12 signs, you will get roughly 2,100 years to a particular “age”. Thus, once the Age of Aquarius is upon us (and many astrologers, myself included, feel we have reached this point) it will stay the Age of Aquarius for two thousand years. The “precession of the zodiac” that underlies this principal was first discovered by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea (c. 190 – c. 120 BC). It is due to a slight wobble in the earth’s rotation. The precession of the zodiac is a term that describes the constellation that lies behind the Sun at the vernal equinox, which changes gradually over time. Rather than negate the dates of the Sun signs, this precession adds a unique tone of character to each of the signs. But classical astrologers do not feel the precession of the zodiac changes the inherent qualities of the signs.

The age before the Age of Aquarius was the Age of Pisces. Since the earth is moving in retrograde motion, we have just left the Age of Pisces, which marked the years 1-2000 AD. This time coincides with the age of Christ and Christianity. Pisces is considered the last sign of the zodiac, a compendium of all the signs that came before it, from Aries to Aquarius. Pisces is the sign known for universal love, compassion, self-sacrifice, altruism, creativity, intuition and deep spirituality. Pisces know the truth of the universe but can’t quite say why they know it. It doesn’t matter, for Pisces know that “truth” is always in flux. To Pisces, what is in the human heart is true, for it is true to the soul. Pisces is an introspective sign. This Piscean mindset has been the way humanity has approached the world since we evolved and has colored everything that we have encountered during that period.

Early Christians used the symbol of the fish (symbol of Pisces) as a secret symbol of their faith. The emphasis on washing of the feet as a ritual signifying purification of the spirit ties into Pisces symbolism as well, for Pisces rules the feet. Pisces “carry” the cares of others and often have sore feet. Christ spoke of his role as servant to his flock, which is also a very Pisces notion. Pisces says, “I believe,” whereas Aquarius, the age we are in now, says, “Prove it to me scientifically.” Christ’s mother Mary embodied all the qualities represented by the Pisces polarity of Virgo, namely, modesty, commitment to service, and acceptance of what must not be changed. In Pisces, there is a strong need for seclusion, and Christianity puts value on retreats, convents, cloisters or spiritual pilgrimages. Aquarius puts emphasis on group activities and community, thus we have the Internet and the eye of the global village which we call television. Aquarius is a very social sign. Pisces is something of a “psychic sponge.” Pisces like people too, but need regular time to themselves to rinse away the everyday cares they have absorbed.

The Earth Has Seen Six Ages

Astrologers of the world community generally agree that mankind has experienced six separate “ages,” dating from the first appearance of humanity on earth. When each period starts and ends is slightly imprecise because of the huge time frame involved. (Over 25 thousand years, and there is always a plus or minus tolerance to any mathematical curve.) Also the ages overlap slightly because, in fact, some parts of the zodiac also overlap in the heavens. The signs of the zodiac are of unequal sizes, too, with some signs taking up more real estate in the heavens than others.

The Dawning Of The Age Of Aquarius

The total eclipse of the Sun that occurred in August 1999 was significant because it helped to get the world ready to launch into the main time of the Age of Aquarius. That eclipse occurred in the constellation of Leo, a sign that we call the “polarity” of Aquarius. This is because Leo exists at the opposite end of the spectrum from Aquarius, exactly 6 months away. That means the August eclipse was especially powerful and able to contrast, clarify and highlight classic Aquarius qualities. Not all eclipses are created equal. Some are more powerful than others and this one was considered to be very intense. In a way it was the mother of all solar eclipses. Because this eclipse also fell on a new moon, it pointed to the end of one way of life and a fresh beginning of this new era.

Every sign has a ruling planet and Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius. Appropriately enough, Uranus has been moving through its home base of Aquarius, a process that takes seven years. This exciting planet of exploration and experimentation won’t be back to the constellation of Aquarius for 84 years. Neptune is a planet that dissolves or purifies all that it touches, by rinsing in its waters, gently and yet consistently. Neptune is also moving us into an Aquarius state of mind. Neptune won’t leave Aquarius until 2012, and when it does will not be back until 2175! All these elements point to the probability that the Age of Aquarius has been established. In case you are curious, the very first age mankind experienced was the Age of Leo, and ran from 10000 to 8000 BC.

The Onset Date: October 4, 1957

Many people think the Age of Aquarius began neatly at that August eclipse, or even more neatly, that it will begin on the dot at the first hour of the year 2000. In fact, a good case could be made for its dawning a little earlier. Aquarius is a sign strongly linked to new inventions, flight, and large groups of people or nationalities. In my opinion, the first sign that humanity was entering this new age of enlightenment was on October 4, 1957, when the Russians launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, into orbit. The Americans lost little time in catching up, and on October 1, 1958, the United States announced the birth of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Eleven days after that, NASA made its first test launch. Later, in May 1961 John F. Kennedy announced a commitment to the Apollo space program in a speech called “Urgent National Needs” (when Jupiter was in Aquarius). Kennedy said: “I believe this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single space project in this period would offer a bigger contribution to mankind, or [be] more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.” On July 20, 1969, only eight years later, the world viewed the first lunar landing by the Americans.

The Soviet-American space race was on, and our lives would never be the same. Many unmanned and manned launches took place after that. In April 1990 the United States launched the Hubble Telescope into space, and in subsequent years Hubble sent back the most detailed close-up images of the planets that mankind had ever seen. Hubble later informed us that there is one planet outside our solar system, ejected into deep space by its parent stars. Located in a star-forming region in the constellation of Taurus, scientists call the planet TMR-1C. TMR-1C seems to be sitting at the end of an unusual filament of light. It is estimated to be two to three times the mass of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system!

The Age of Aquarius has barely begun and citizens of planet earth are witnessing exciting discoveries about the planets and stars, as well as enjoying new technology down here on earth. Hundreds of discoveries have come from just about every field, from medicine to biotechnology, fabrics, materials, food production and nutrition, advanced computing, and photo-imaging, many as direct descendants from humanity’s exploration into space. On an emotional level, landing on the moon rallied the earth into a kind of global citizenship. This is a quintessentially Aquarian idea, for Aquarius is the sign that that represents the platonic concept of the brotherhood of man. Humanity was touched by the news that one of us was able to leave our protective environment and achieve the near impossible: leave his footprints on another heavenly body, and return to tell the tale!

The Qualities Of Aquarius Foretell Society’s Future

As I mentioned earlier, the ancient astrologers thought of Aquarius as “the sign of all things that are newly invented”. This is why this sign — and the Age of Aquarius — is linked so strongly to technology. Aquarius is also an air sign and therefore highly communicative, bent on gathering information, which echoes what is coming toward us in the new millennium, too. Let’s quickly list other qualities of Aquarius to get an even better feeling for what the Age of Aquarius will bring us. Aquarius has a strong need for independence and individualism, and while members of this sign can be somewhat idiosyncratic they are also very original and inventive. Aquarius is visionary and creative, but rebellious, too. Aquarius’ job is to challenge authority, tear down existing structures, and replace the outdated with something better. Thus, Aquarius can be capable of great extremes. This sign acts in rather sudden and unexpected ways, thanks to being ruled by Uranus, the planet of surprise.

This future-thinking sign can often be a study in contrast. On one hand, Aquarius can be quite intellectually and emotionally aloof at times. Aquarius needs distance, and marches to a different drummer. On the other hand, it is one of the most congenial, social and gregarious signs, and certainly one of the most humanitarian (besides Pisces). Aquarius sees social wrongs and moves to right them, often through mobilizing groups into action. Unlike Pisces, a sign that works one-on-one, Aquarius likes to work in large groups, and is altruistic and democratic in spirit. Aquarius is “one for all and all for one,” rather than elitist. Since Aquarius is a fixed sign, they are quite solid when they make commitments. All these Aquarian qualities will influence us as we move more deeply into this new age. Although it began in 1957, that was just a prelude of what is to come — the curtain goes up on the Age of Aquarius now.

All The Ages Of Man

Every astrological age has a very different “face” on it and they are not similar to one another. For example, if we were entering the Age of Cancer, there would be a great social emphasis on family, housing, food and fertility. In fact, when Man experienced this period from 8000 to 6000 BC, dwellings were being developed and humanity put great emphasis on the family unit. Many examples of art and artifacts survived this era, and a dominant theme from that time depicts a female fertility goddess. This is the era when humanity learned to fish as well as made the earliest concerted attempts at farming. We don’t have space here to delve into the other ages, but I will quickly list them. Man has lived through the Age of Gemini (6000 to 4000 BC), when language was born and writing became highly developed. Next came the Age of Taurus (4000 BC to 2000 BC), when art and luxury — fairly unknown until then — came into existence. This age was followed by the Age of Aries (2000 BC to 1AD), a masculine, brawny sign, that was prevalent when the Greeks and Romans reigned. Also as mentioned earlier, before any of these periods was the Age of Leo. Leo is a creative sign, and this age is the one that left behind its ancient cave drawings. The spiritual and religious Age of Pisces followed the Greek and Roman Age of Aries, which brings us to the Age of Aquarius.

Every Sign Is Included In The Exciting Changes

Does all this mean people of the sign of Aquarius will be especially “at home” in this new environment? Well, yes, that will be the case, for their natural inclinations will also be the prevailing thinking of the day. Gemini and Libra, the other two air signs, would also be able to capitalize on the prevailing changes quite well. But nobody will be left out of the information revolution under any circumstances. Changes in thinking, lifestyles, social mores, education, work, and even love and marriage will bring everyone new choices to consider. Each of us will be able to choose how we would like to express our unique personalities under these new conditions. If Aquarius is about anything, it is about customization — this sign’s motto is “let you be you.” It is a very inclusive sign.

What Astrology Does

Let’s keep in mind that astrology is only a tool to get at deeper issues. The purpose of astrology is as a tool to help us live life productively and happily, and to teach us to interact more effectively with others. Astrology is not an end in itself but a way of dealing with complex issues. Astrology is an especially good way to stimulate your creative thinking. What will the new age bring? Everyone is curious about the next thousand years — so let’s a look at the forecast.

What’s Next In The New Millennium — Specifically

Before I begin, let me tell you where I gleaned much of this information. I have been reading futurist books, scanning the Web site of http://www.abcnews.com, reading Wired magazine, and other technological and future-oriented publications. None, however, matched the information I gathered from a recent article entitled “21 Ideas For The 21st Century” from the American publication, Business Week (August 30, 1999 double issue). I felt the material reported in that issue was vital. I have encapsulated many of the more interesting parts here so that we could look at the information in a new way, through the filter of astrology. Business Week editors felt, as I do, that the future expands in non-linear fashion, so using the present in order to leap forward into the future doesn’t always work. Technology offers myriad options — some evil, some wonderful — but it will be up to us to control technology and use new inventions wisely. This is certainly a something mankind is capable of doing!

Computers, Computers

Computers are already ubiquitous and they will become an even greater part of our lives. No surprise there, but what will stun us is how computers will effect everything we do. Scientists are now predicting that the Internet will form a kind of “earth’s skin”, creating the kind of environment that was represented in the recent movie called The Truman Show. Computers will run millions of wireless electronic devices, working in concert with one another. These devices will go anywhere and record and measure anything from water level to traffic flow, pollution or conversations of people on the street. There will be cameras, microphones, gauges, sensors, EKGs and electroencephalographs watching each city and its citizens, our environment, our bodies, our actions and our reactions. This isn’t going to happen as a result of any group’s decree but it will evolve simply because of the sheer proliferation of these devises. This environment will evolve naturally around us.

“Imagine our ecosystem,” write the editors of Business Week, “with a million intelligent software agents that are much more potent than the agents or ‘bots we have now on the Net to help us search for things. Add the voices of digital pets, electronic companions and Internet caretakers, stretch out a sensory telemetric fabric — what you have is an electronic skin.” This “skin” presupposes these new supercomputers have both feeling and self-awareness, just like we do ourselves.

Humans And Machines Will Be Symbiotic

Now and probably for several years to come there will be no central intelligence to manage this organically grown network of computers. Futurists at Ernst & Young consulting suggest that there will be 10,000 telemetric devices for every human on the planet by 2010. Although there is no central intelligence on the Internet now, scientists think that eventually a certain self-awareness will emerge once the Net is enhanced with sensuality. This will allow it to act the same way as a human brain. A symbiosis of human and machine will evolve.

But while that may seem a little scary, it will also allow millions of users at their computers to work in concert with workers around the world. Experts think that by 2010, discrete, small microprocessors could be strung together like pearls on a necklace. The terminals could be embedded in devices like cell phones, and palmcorders, for we will not need tools like the big, bulky laptop computers we have now. The Internet will begin to function as neurons do in the human brain.

In an experiment going on now, hundreds of computer users are collaborating to help track the possible existence of life on other planets by downloading software from a central research lab and “listening” to deep space. This is a process that would be too big and too expensive for any one university or facility to accomplish with the same thoroughness on its own, but with many computer volunteers switching to a certain frequency around the world over a number of years, it becomes do-able. The one person who might pick up intelligent life “out there” will be immortalized in the annals of history, and although that might not be enough compensation for some people, apparently it is enough for the hundreds of others who chose to help these scientists.

The comparison of a vast telemetric network to a kind of electronic “skin” is a good one, because skin not only senses things but also protects and regulates our bodily functions. In this case, the earth’s electronic skin will help protect and regulate our environment. In as little as ten years, trillions of telemetric systems will keep us continually in touch and “speaking” to one another more quickly than we can react or think right now. Ironically, if you look up the words “sensitive skin” in a book of astrological keywords, the sign of Aquarius comes up as the ruler. (See The Rulership Book by Rex Bills, published by the American Federation of Astrologers in Tempe, AZ USA). As ever, astrology is right on point!

Satellites will circle the earth and be able to track neighborhood crime through digital photography, too. During the O.J. Simpson trial satellite digital photography of Los Angeles was examined by police to see if they could find out where Simpson’s white Bronco van was on the night of the crime. Technology was not yet ready to provide answers like these, but could in years ahead. Right now in New York City, in an effort to ticket drivers who run red lights in certain “high risk” Manhattan intersections, cars (and their license plates) are automatically photographed as they slip through red lights. The photographs are used as evidence and have proven very effective in stopping speeding and running red lights. In the future, robot photographers will be more prevalent, simply because this kind of photography is an effective crime preventative.

Will Computers Gang Up And Pit Man Against Machine? Possibly.

Can this electronic skin become a kind of nightmare? Maybe. In early simulation experiments where software agents acted as communication nodes in networks, scientists found that the nodes assembled into clans. Sometimes those clans acted out in mischievous or destructive ways. Clans could even work in ways that are at cross-purposes to one another. Yet Aquarius is a sign that is socially responsible, so we should not be overly concerned about some kind of social insurrection. As the director of Sony Corporations Digital Creatures Lab stated in theBusiness Week article, “We will carefully design the machines so that it will help human beings, not harm them.” Networks will have some of the resilience and self-healing qualities that the human body does, too. When a computer on the Internet sees danger, like an approaching hurricane, earthquake or troublesome pattern in the world’s financial markets, it will alert people on the Net and suggest solutions.

A New Internet

There is more evidence of advanced communications between computers and computer networks. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in California is about to unveil a version of the Internet that will link the moon, Mars, asteroids and comets to the earth’s expanding nervous system in a network they call InterPlaNet. Right now, the communication is quite expensive between earth and unmanned probes. But through InterPlaNet those costs would drop and citizens of planet earth will be engaged and informed more effectively. Aquarius is a communicative and objective sign, so it is not surprising that the Age of Aquarius will expand our understanding of what is a network and how far our “phone lines” can reach. With InterPlaNet, even ET could phone home and not worry about the bill!

Quantum Computers

There are other interesting developments involving computers on the horizon. Computers we have today are quite linear in their logic, and rather plodding in their ability to search thorough large batches of data. Quantum computers, available in about 20 years, will be able to work with probability algorithms to find answers to complex problems quickly, rather than in the (comparitively) slow, step-by-step way they do now. Today, computers can only see a listing which contains a 1 or a 0. However, a quantum computer can check all listings at once, using what scientist’s call “golf balls” in place of switches to build complex probability models. Will this make it easier for hackers to get into a system? Yes, that is one of the downsides of this type of system. Even so, the advantages of quantum computers far outweigh their drawbacks. Engineers will have to figure out ways to build enough barbed wire to keep those hackers out.

Using The Internet For Hardware Downloads — Not Just Software!

These days, the Internet provides us with an easy way to acquire software, but get this, in the future, we will be able to download hardware too! Nanotechnology, the science of construction of technology smaller than a billionth of a meter, will make this a reality. In twenty years, you may be able to download a blueprint for a personal computer, cell phone, beeper, or even a semi conductor. You could then use these plans to create products out of molecules by yourself, or the products themselves could actually be so tiny and microscopic, that they are downloadable directly into your “nanobox.” At that point matter will become software, too. This gives a whole new meaning to manufacturing and will have a huge impact on the economy, when not as many factories are needed.

Uranus And Product Customization

Uranus, the planet ruling Aquarius is considered “the great synthesizer” because it combines elements of what we already know to create something we’ve never seen before. It does this by using intuition and wisdom. For that reason, Uranus is considered “the higher octave of Mercury“. Mercury is the planet of thinking, but Uranus is the planet of innovation. Uranus likes customization too, and customization is a key word for the next century as you already know. Even now you are able to buy jeans that have been custom made to your precise measurements, as recorded in your department store’s computer. In the future, far more will be customized, from furniture to shoes to textbooks. Retailers will be able to keep less in stock and so have less money tied up in their inventory. Selling on the Internet lowers overhead costs, so printers who publish on the Internet can avoid spending money on ink and paper. This should be a real boon to the economy. Computers may widely replace telephone customer service representatives and be quite helpful, thanks to artificial intelligence. It may become hard to tell if one is on the phone with a human or not. This may inspire some people to be rude in an attempt to make the representative angry. If these attempts are successful, the customer will know if the “person” on the other end of the phone is man or machine! Having been on hold all day today myself, I don’t doubt people will be driven to distraction.

How About Implanting A Chip In Your Brain?

By mid-century, humans will have the option to expand the capability of their minds by having silicon chips implanted in their brains. Don’t laugh — this is almost a sure thing! Scientists speak of imbedding chips in the human body to build super-human athletic ability too. Even food and eating could be simulated, so that you will be able to “eat” your favorite foods over and over without gaining weight! Virtual reality will be developed so smartly that it will be indistinguishable from actual reality. It will become less important to travel physically, whether for meetings, your college reunion, or for the pleasure of experiencing a new place, like the Great Wall of China or on a tour of the White House. You will have the choice between going to the real thing and taking a look at it “virtually”. If your presence is required in an actual place, holograms could make your attendance possible, making your companions feel like you’ve just “beamed down” from the Star Ship Enterprise!

Some scientists feel that eventually (around 2099) only a small percentage of us will choose to “keep” our bodies, preferring instead to transfer our minds into circuit boards and attain immortality. Yes, that’s right. By 2050 people will have the option to leave our physical bodies permanently in order to convert ourselves (specifically, our souls) to a silicon chip that can run forever. It is true that some of these developments mimic Sci-Fi movies to an eerie degree. Is leaving your body forever and imbedding yourself into a chip a tad too radical for your taste? No problem, there are alternatives to consider.

The movie Strange Days came out a few years ago starring Ralph Fiennes. In this movie, the characters could experience the emotions of others by using a special headset that jacked in to tapes that recorded specific emotional situations that people had actually gone through. They could experience someone else’s love affair, exhilaration, or even fear. Through this device the characters could go on “trips” and live the memories and actions of other people. When I saw the movie a few years ago, I thought it was an intriguing idea, but still pretty fantastic. That’s how much I knew. In the future, you will be able to document everything you feel, experience, think, say, hear, read, write or do for posterity. Technology will allow you to track every single minute of your life. A machine that tracks your nervous system’s electrical activity would collect the data patterns that comprise your thoughts and emotions. A computer will automatically index your life’s experiences and make them into a searchable data file that becomes the story of your life.

If you think this is too far-fetched, check out the work of ET Laboratories PLC in England. These scientists call their special computer the “Soul Catcher.” To accomplish the data entry, you must wear a computer all over your body. Electrodes will even be embedded in your head under your hair, on your hands, legs and so forth. According to Business Week editors (and this is a direct quote concerning the Soul Catcher): “Researchers can only wonder what it will be like to wake up one day and find yourself alive inside a machine.”

Does your spine tingle and are you shifting in your chair, uneasy at the thought of this? Me too. Let’s look at other developments in the Age of Aquarius. This one might please you much more. In 1997, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University created what they call “Synthetic Interviews.” The first “interview” they have gotten ready to present is with Albert Einstein. In order to learn about Einstein’s life and theories, you start (what appears to be) an interactive video interview with the great scientist. On the hard drive of the computer is a bank of 500 recorded interviews with Albert Einstein from which the computer draws a portion of one interview to answer your question. The operations to accomplish this are so transparent that you feel like you can actually have a conversation with Albert Einstein one-on-one. Software that digitizes your speech will help the computer understand your question and a powerful search engine will select (and rank) the results. The technology isn’t quite complete yet, but artificial intelligence like this is advancing by leaps and bounds. Don’t be surprised when AI shows up in your neighborhood in a few decades from now. If we are able to ask Albert Einstein questions now, your great grandchildren will be able to do the same with you long after you’ve passed on to a better place.

People Like Machines And Machines Like People

If people are destined to become more like machines, make no mistake, machines are rapidly becoming more like people. Aquarius is a sign known to turns things upside down and inside out. Just when you thought you knew what was coming, this sign throws you a curve — a new brainstorm. Perhaps one of the most exciting kinds of computers to be developed to date is the supercomputer, a machine so intelligent that it will surpass the ability of the human brain. Problems beyond the ability of our most brilliant scientists will someday be tackled and solved by machines. This will empower humanity and give us a big edge as we try and meet our greatest challenges. This is very good news!

While some scientists fear that the megacomputers they create could become hostile to their creators — an actual Frankenstein monster — other scientists believe that these computers can be programmed to respect human life. These optimists point out that the machines aren’t human, and thus won’t have any of the hidden agendas and political instincts that some humans possess. Robot technology will go much further. In only twenty-five years, farms and factories will replace human workers with these computerized workers, freeing up their human workers for more interesting tasks. Some factories and farms have already done this on a large scale.

Medicine: Regeneration Of Body Parts

Medicine will advance enormously. Eventually doctors will be able to grow body parts for people who are ill or who were born with birth defects. I can see you are distrustful of this possibility and I was too until I saw a report about this process recently on a top rated television news show. Scientists, using genetic engineering with pieces of DNA code, have been able to grow missing body parts (they showed a nose) in a petri dish. This technology is in its infancy, so stay tuned. Deaf people will be fitted with special computer chips in their heads so they can regain the ability to hear. This is being done now, but is highly expensive. Watch for this procedure to become more affordable (and more frequent). On the other hand, scientists tell us that if we don’t use all the parts we have on our body now, those parts may be reduced or eliminated during the course of evolution, much like an ostrich’s wings. Use it or lose it will take on new meaning! We had better start going to the gym too, because sitting at computers all day long is making us a global population of unfit people.

Soon it will be possible to treat diseases before they occur. Fine-tuned genetic testing will predict our predisposition to a particular disease and we can take steps to never get sick. On the down side, you may see insurance companies insisting a person be treated for a disease he or she doesn’t have — yet. This is already happening, in cases where people take an aspirin each day to prevent heart disease, for example. One can imagine taking pills for years on end in case of illness, even though no signs have developed. The ancient discipline of Homeopathic medicine will also keep developing and more of us will use certain herbs and alternative remedies for disease prevention, too. (Pluto in Scorpio paved the way for this in the 1980s.)

The social debates surrounding organ transplants will continue to heat up as we have greater access to genetic information. Who will get the new heart or liver, the 12-year-old girl with a learning disability or the 70-year-old nuclear physicist? How society will answer these challenging questions will be anyone’s guess. Socially, plastic surgery will be so prevalent that if one chooses to “go natural”, one could find his or herself the butt of harsh jokes. The movie Gattica which starred Ethan Hawke and Uma Thuman, demonstrated that this emphasis on perfection could grow into something absurd. Can you imagine the talk at the office water cooler? It might go something like this: “I have no idea why she never bothered to have her nose fixed/face lifted/thighs lyposuctioned (whatever) because she certainly has the money … or is she really not doing that well?” Cruel!

Going au natural (no breast implants, no tummy tucks!) could be a reactionary outgrowth of the trend for seeking physical perfection through surgery, because Aquarius can take an extreme position on any side of an issue. On the other hand, Aquarius likes technology and feels it should be used, so people in the Age of Aquarius will want to tap into what’s new and available. There are some developments that might be downright humorous, though, such as a microwave oven that refuses to cook a fattening lunch or a refrigerator with a time lock that won’t allow its door to open until dinner time.

The Cost Of Good Health To Society

Economics will continue to play a big part in health care. As we have seen by the end of this century, state of the art health care costs a pretty penny to provide, and those costs are not liable to go down. Insurance companies could get even more powerful, causing lawmakers to have to change how these companies are regulated. In America, managed care has triggered a torrent of controversy. One insurance company recently announced a patient would have to call the company for permission before calling an ambulance to be rushed to the hospital. Approval of the team care clerk (a fancy word for a cost adjuster) is required before the patient would have the go-ahead to proceed to the emergency room. If a patient goes without permission the insurance company won’t pay. Many people feel the term “managed care” is simply a euphemism for “managed costs” — a benefit to only the insurance company, regardless of the patient’s needs. Unfortunately that has been true in some cases in America. Not all change will be good, but hopefully, responsible leaders will turn those conditions around into something more reasonable and workable.

Time Changes

Aquarius also rules the concept of time, so how we treat time or think of time will change dramatically. With world travel so prevalent, we won’t think of a “day” in the same terms. When we choose to work, play or shop will change. In fact, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, a “day” is whatever 24-hour time span you designate it to be for billing purposes. This hotel receives guests from all over the world all day long. As we all work at different times, some of us will want to get a manicure at 2 AM or hit the gym at 3:30 AM. New York may be the city that never sleeps, but others are on the way — even in the suburbs.

Cities Will Prosper

The 1950s-era promise of a suburban paradise has not been fulfilled. Traffic and suburban sprawl have left whole communities disillusioned by their low quality of life. Cities will again become attractive places for families to live, allowing for more economical usage of resources like land, electricity, gas and other utilities. Aquarius rules cities, not rural or suburban locations.

Working parents will find city life more attractive, because it allows for shorter commutes and more hours with their little ones at home. Cities give greater access to cultural activities without the hassle too, and as senior citizens age, cities provide access to friendships, activities, home care and health care without the bother of driving.

Endangered Species

The list of species on the endangered list will continue to grow and this will become a more important global issue than it is today. As our rain forests become depleted, as certain species cease to exist, and as the hole in our ozone layer opens wider, it will become evident that humanity, as custodians of planet earth, must do something. Caring for planet earth will always be under the domain of Aquarius. Aquarius is the sign the ancient astrologers wisely believed was most sensitive and best qualified for improving life on the planet. So watch for great strides to be made in environmental protection during the Age of Aquarius.

Business

Going, Going, Gone — The Middleman

Agents, distributors, and brokers — middlemen — are rapidly disappearing from many business models used today. Consumers can often go directly to the source of whatever they want to purchase, like goods, services and even information. The Internet is a very Aquarian concept as it exists today, because Aquarius believes that information should be free. Agents have traditionally granted access to the top echelon, but on the Internet there is no need for agents. Soon, the only agents that will exist are the robotic kind that go and seek out information for you can come back with the answer. On the Internet everyone has the most valuable resource — access to everyone else. Those who can’t or won’t negotiate will need representatives of course, but the nature of the agent role will change. With the ease of email, an artist can just as easily get in touch with a long list of contacts himself or herself, at the touch of a keystroke.

The idea that talent is rare forms the basis of intellectual property rights. Scarce resources like paper, ink, or an editor’s time should be allocated carefully toward the author who could yield the greatest profit or do the greatest good. Photographers who used to get big fees from few clients now have a new model — tiny fees from a great many clients. Will they come out ahead? Some will, some won’t, but bucking the trend will prove fruitless. Some artwork or music will be given away free and later earn the creator a profit in concert ticket sales or a big book contract — another twist on the Aquarius idea of one for all and all for one.

Hedging Risk Will Allow Many To Follow Their Bliss

The editors at Business Week suggested in their article that the downside of business risk will be “hedged” with a kind of insurance that lowers how much you risk losing when you follow your biggest dreams. If we all were less fearful of taking a chance, the world would be so much richer for it. Imagine if people were able to write the books, compose the music or start the businesses that they always dreamed of! This kind of insurance would encourage people to think big. An individual, family, group or even a country will be able to hedge their bets by trading futures as one does on a commodity exchange.

Teams Rule! Down With Dictators!

The form of leadership driving big corporations will change, too. Gone are the days when an ego-driven leader will rule the roost — teams will be in charge. Progress will be a group effort born of shared knowledge and pooled expertise. After all, Aquarius is not like Leo or Aries, signs that like to rule — Aquarius is the egalitarian sign of groups and encourages a democratic voice for one and all. Instead of a dictator at the helm of the corporate ship the model will be more akin to that of a beehive with bees working side by side. Leaders of the future must be democratic decision-makers. Employee-owned companies are a very Aquarian concept as well.

The Trend Toward Working At Home

The boom of telecommuting and working at home is only a fraction as large as it will eventually become. Aquarius is a highly technical sign. The average person will have to possess a solid working knowledge of computers or risk being left unable to take advantage of the benefits that telecommuting offers. The gap between those who know and those who don’t know how to get these things done will represent the new “haves” and “have-nots”. This will widen the gap between rich and poor and give new meaning to the phrase “knowledge is power.”

More Nations On Earth

Experts feel it is very possible that there will be more nations in the world as time goes by. Regions of existing countries will break away and become independent nations. This is because self rule is very important to the sign of Aquarius. In 1950 there were 58 nations in the UN but now there are 158. Can we see a world where New York City becomes a nation? Maybe not, but what about Quebec? Kosovo? Palestine? Northern Basque? St. Kits and St. Nevis? The Ogoni tribeland in Nigeria? Northern Italy? Will republican Australia secede from the commonwealth? The Internet and a global economy, which were supposed to bring people together, will allow people to express their individuality too. An interesting combination, but Aquarius rules both brotherhood and individuality.

Marriage And Sex

Marriage will change, for the institution of marriage began in agricultural cultures where plenty of hands were needed to till the fields and gather the harvest. The infant mortality rate was high then and life expectancy was short, so women needed to bear as many children as possible so that their offspring could help with the farm work. The wife of the farmer was dependent on her husband for sustenance and protection. In our industrial society, women are educated and capable of making a living on their own. A woman is not normally dependent on her husband for food and shelter and will choose to marry based on love. She is far less likely than ever before to stay in an unhappy marriage. Men, too, do not require a wife or offspring in order to keep their businesses and homes operational. The rising divorce rate can be seen in this positive light: men and women no longer have to stay in bad marriages if they choose not to.

The rising divorce rate is apt to continue until conditions change and make breaking free either unattractive financially or temporarily impossible. Any institution that bases its success on the weakness of one group of participants does not have a strong of a chance of success. Aquarius tends to be a bachelor sign for it prizes independence. If marriage survives and thrives as an institution, it will certainly have to change. If a couple does choose to marry, they may want to do so much later in life. Pre-nuptial agreements will become commonplace as women have more property to protect and courts will uphold those pre-nuptial agreements, something that has not always been the case.

Few people will marry without a lawyer at their side, a clean bill of health, and a credit check of their future spouse. This is especially true of the generations of children who’ve witnessed the breakup of their own parents’ marriages. Is this a bad thing? Not at all. While it sounds unromantic, it will cut down on sadness later. Fewer people will marry for money, because they won’t need to. More people will marry for true love. In an odd way, all these conditions will allow love more freedom than ever before, because people will choose their partners without the constraints that have held them back in the past. Free at last, true love can bloom.

In a recent television report on ABC News (www.abcnews.com), futurists suggested that sex, in the sense of making love, could be separated from the function of procreation in the future. Sex, they predicted, will be for recreation alone. Creating a healthy child is way too risky for simple lovemaking. Good grief! I’ll take my baby-making the old-fashioned way, thank you.

This brings up the issues concerning DNA, “designer genes,” and cloning issues. Society will have to determine once and for all how to define a human being, how to define death (sure to become even harder), and how to define birth. The debate over abortion will get even more intense as science sails us unto these totally uncharted waters. People will tend to have fewer children but will invest more in those children, by giving them a better education and more support. Society will benefit from the attention these parents lavish on their children.

Origins Of Life

We have come so far, but other questions persist. What is the origin of life? Certainly in the next few years (let alone another millennium) scientists will show us amazing discoveries about the origin of life on earth and elsewhere in our solar system. Recently a meteor landed in Texas, and when it was cracked open, traces of water were found inside. Scientists now believe that anywhere one finds water and heat one may find signs of life.

In 1966, Russian and British scientists found a huge fresh water lake buried under a two-mile deep ice sheet in Antarctica. The depth of the lake was measured at 1,650 feet. The pressure over it kept it fluid, even though the temperature of the water was few degrees below freezing. The water in it is thought to be over a million years old — a perfect test tube sample full of microbes that can live without sunlight. Some of these species of microbes could be eons old. A lake like this could tell us much about the origins of life.

Related to this, the Age of Aquarius will inspire us to question what constitutes a human being? How do we define the soul? What is a living person? These become practical questions when you consider something like cloning science. Cloning may someday help parents who have been unable to conceive the child they always dreamed of. Will they be raising a little copy of themselves? No. Astrology shows that you are not simply a mass of DNA but also part of a social order that involves the time and place of your birth. Since everyone’s birth chart is unique. Even if you can clone the body, the mind and spirit would be vastly different and individual. Astrologically we know that a individual’s personality is influenced by the time and location of his or her birth, for that is how his or her chart is erected. Therefore, if a cloned person is born at a different time or place he or she will have a new chart — making this person different and special.

In Conclusion

I have come to the end of my predictions but could have listed many more. I have chosen some of the best and most exciting ones to report to you. There are so many more inventions coming! Cars will drive themselves to pick you up after work. New forms of education will be developed and charter schools could replace public education. Political campaigning will change as politicians use the Internet for polling. The list goes on. I hope I have turned you on to the future and that you are not one bit fearful of what’s to come. I gobble up any tidbit of information about our brave new world. The concepts being discussed are too delicious not to sink my teeth into. Hopefully, you feel the same way!

An eternal optimist, I believe deeply in the goodness of people everywhere. I feel that when the chips are down, good judgement reigns and the balance of power remains firmly tipped toward the side of the angels. We are the earth’s consciousness, and it is up to us to steer the future in the proper direction. We will do that.

Finally, Religion

Religion will survive. I firmly believe we go through these various ages to expand our knowledge and experience, not to discard what we have gone through as we move on to the next thing. The Age of Pisces has been a powerful building block upon which to stand. Hopefully, if we stand high enough we can reach the sky and discover true wisdom, but that does require that we keep building upon what we have learned.

If we lose our spirituality we will have learned nothing from the Age of Pisces. Many scientists say to me that the closer you get to mathematicians and physics the closer you come to God and the underpinnings of our beautifully, magically constructed universe. Our world is ever fascinating, but complete understanding of it is always just out of our reach.

Can we carry on and improve on the spirit of the earth’s collective consciousness? It is not, as I see it, a question of spirituality OR science but a question of blending the two. Science will bring up more questions than answers, and if we are to solve them, we will need to rely on the ethical, moral and religious judgements that we make individually. These are the conclusions we draw after a sleepless night, in the quiet pre-dawn hours when we lie awake and meet our true souls. If we are going to be able to live with ourselves, we must find those answers, even if it means pulling those solutions from the bottom of our hearts, and we must bravely state what we stand for out loud. There is a reason we came from the Age of Pisces, so let’s hold on to the treasures and mysteries of faith it gave us.

The post Age of Aquarius appeared first on Susan Miller Astrology Zone.

By Susan Miller April 19th, 2016
You may have heard friends say, “Oh, no – Mercury is about to retrograde again!” If you don’t know astrology, you may have wondered what they were talking about. Of all planetary aspects, this one seems to garner the most attention from readers, and it certainly generates the most mail.

The reason for their interest is clear – this phenomenon is one of the few that affects everyone in a fairly uniform way, and its effects are always obvious. Once you begin to pay attention to how events in your life change during these phases, you will soon see how important it is to take note of them.

Keeping track of Mercury retrograde periods can allow you to increase your productivity and avoid at least some of the frustration they can bring about. Let’s look closely at Mercury retrograde and what it means to you.

Mercury Retrograde Periods from 2016 to 2030

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

Does Mercury Really Move Backward?

Mercury doesn’t actually move backward. If you do a bit of stargazing, you will see that Mercury appears to move backward, just as the ancient astrologers perceived thousands of years ago. After a while – in Mercury’s case, a three-and-a-half-week period – the planet will reverse itself and move “forward” again.

Because Mercury is the planet situated closest to the Sun, its orbit is much shorter than Earth’s. About three or four times a year, Mercury speeds past Earth, and that is when we experience a Mercury retrograde period. If you were in a car and another car passed you, you could tell it was going faster than you. But if it slowed down and you then passed it, it would appear that that car was actually going backward. Then when the other car speeds up and passes you again, it kicks up all of the dust in the road. As Mercury speeds by, it is like a train flying past, creating a powerful, turbulent gust of “wind” in its wake. The turbulence and disruption Mercury creates when it retrogrades can affect what we feel on Earth in our everyday lives.

In astrology, we always believe the following rule is true: “As above, so too below.” By that we mean there is a fractal relationship between the orbits in the heavens and human activity down here on Earth. This idea pervades all of astrology and is a very good concept to keep in mind.

Areas of Life Mercury Rules

Mercury rules all types of communication, including listening, speaking, learning, reading, editing, researching, negotiating, selling, and buying. Mercury also rules all formal contracts and agreements, as well as important documents such as book manuscripts or term papers, agreements, deeds, contracts, leases, wills, and so forth.

Included under this planet’s domain are all types of code, including computer codes, as well as transportation, shipping, and travel. When this planet retrogrades, these areas tend to get scrambled or spin out of control.

Why does this happen? When a planet retrogrades, astrologically it is in a resting or sleeping state. Therefore, while Mercury naps, the activities that it governs don’t have the benefit of a well-functioning, wide-awake planet to supervise them. Expect a certain degree of pandemonium to ensue!

What You Should – and Should Not – Do During a Mercury Retrograde Phase

Don’t make any important moves when Mercury is retrograde. Nothing will be settled successfully for the future during these periods anyway – you will find it nearly impossible to nail down a plan. During a retrograde period, it is hard to get decisions from others. Even if a decision is made, it will be subject to change, either just after Mercury turns to direct motion or much later.

Mercury retrograde periods would not be good times to do anything involving communications, such as launch a magazine, website, or an advertising or publicity campaign.

These phases are also considered poor times to launch any new endeavors, even if they are not related to the communications industries.

Similarly, a retrograde period is not a good time to sign any contracts or even to shake hands on any new agreements. Do not close on a house during this time nor sign a lease. Verbal agreements are considered the same as written ones. The environment will be quite fluid and changeable, no matter what you are told or what you think.

It’s not that the people you are dealing with are necessarily duplicitous. It’s just that nobody can fully predict what conditions will be like later. If you start a new job, it won’t necessarily be the position you thought it was when you accepted it. If you are a manager, you will have difficulty choosing the right candidate for the job, so, if you can, hold off hiring anyone. If you buy a house, problems could crop up later that were completely unanticipated.

Do Not Have Plastic Surgery or Other Elective Surgery When Mercury, Venus, and Mars Are Retrograde

Of course, if you have an emergency, you must have surgery. At other times in life, we do have a choice about when to schedule an operation or procedure. In those cases, such as having plastic surgery, it is best to avoid Mercury retrograde periods. These are periods where mistakes are more prone to happen than at other times, or when judgment is off. Your surgeon is under the same conditions as you, so I would suggest waiting.

I would also strongly suggest that you avoid plastic surgery when Venus retrogrades, because Venus rules beauty, and the whole purpose of the surgery is to improve your looks.

Mars rules the whole area of surgery, so you would ideally want Mars to be in the best possible form, too. It is said not to have an operation on the part of the body that the sign Mars is moving through rules. For example, if Mars happens to be in Capricorn, it would not be the best time for a knee operation because Capricorn rules the knees. It is said that Mars will increase pain and swelling. A full moon at the time of the surgery will increase bleeding. We do the best we can.

Again, let me reiterate, if you have an emergency, don’t worry about any of these rules – have your surgery. I had to have very serious surgery, triggered by a new moon solar eclipse, on the wrong part of the body (because Mars was in the sign ruling the part of the body that was being affected by the surgery). Admittedly, it was a tough surgery, but it was highly successful. If you need surgery, have it!

Mars Will Retrograde

April 17, 2016 to June 29, 2016 in fire-sign Sagittarius
June 26 to Aug 27, 2018 in air-sign Aqua. ends earth-sign Capricorn
September 9 to November 13, 2020 in fire-sign Aries

October 30, 2022 to January 12, 2023 in air-sign Gemini
December 6, 2024 to Feb 23, 2025 in air-sign Leo ends in water-sign Cancer

Venus Will Retrograde

March 4 to April 15, 2017 in fire-sign Aries, ends in water-sign Pisces
October 5 to November 16, 2018 in water-sign Scorpio, ends in air-sign Libra
May 13 to June 25, 2020 in air-sign Gemini

December 19, 2021 to January 29, 2022 in earth-sign Capricorn
July 22, 2023 to September 23, 2023 in fire-sign Leo
March 1, 2025 to April 12, 2025 in fire-sign Aries, ends in water-sign Pisces

What Other Specific Things Should You Watch Out For?

Since Mercury rules the mail and the conveyance of information, be extra careful when sending important documents. If you send faxes, be sure to call the people at the other end to let them know your documents are waiting for them. Otherwise, they may never see it. If you work in an office and have to photocopy an important document, be sure to retrieve the original. Be equally careful about whom you send email to – you don’t want to send a private email to the wrong person or have a sensitive email forwarded to others.

Your client may suddenly change direction on a project you have been working on and give you new instructions, which may require you to discard some of the work you did. Miscommunications abound, so during these periods keep summarizing what you think the other person has just told you. Go the extra mile – you will be glad you did!

Mercury retrograde periods are notorious for causing computers to crash and for machines, appliances, and other electronic devices to show signs of wear, requiring urgent repair. Backup your computer in advance of any Mercury retrograde period. If you had planned to install new software on your personal computer (or, if you work in IT, on your network), wait until the retrograde period is over to do so. Weird things happen during these periods. For example, you may suddenly discover that you were sold a defective hard drive, even though it may never have given you problems in the past, at least not until you created that vital document and your whole system went down.

Mercury also rules trade and commerce, so don’t buy or sell anything expensive during its retrograde phases. Often you will find that the item you want is out of stock. If you do buy something expensive, such as a car, computer, or jewelry, for example, you may regret your purchase later. If you are buying or selling a house, expect problems, errors, delays, and setbacks to arise. The only times you can buy something expensive during a retrograde period are if you are returning something you already bought.

Computers, high tech items, appliances, automobiles, and other machines and electronics are highly susceptible to Mercury in a retrograde period. Mercury rules moving parts, so that can be one reason. Yet, other things happen. You buy an air conditioner and 30 days later discover it has gone on sale for much less than what you paid. Or you by an expensive smartphone during a retrograde only to drop it (and crack its screen) or lose it soon afterward. It really does pay to wait to buy electronics.

In years past, Mercury always seemed to retrograde during the holiday shopping season. For example, in 2011, Mercury was retrograde from “Black Friday” (where retailers go into the black because everyone loves to shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 25) until the end of the day on December 13.

If you are driving any significant distance during a period where Mercury is retrograde, bring extra maps (or make sure your GPS is up to date), make sure you have enough gas, and verify that you have the correct address and clear driving instructions. If your car is making strange sounds, have it inspected before you leave; you don’t want a problem to emerge when you are on the road. If you are flying, check with your airline to make sure your flight is going to take off on time. Have your luggage well marked so that it won’t get lost or sent to the wrong airport, and bring your iPod and a good book to the airport, as there could be lots of delays.

Some people do not travel when Mercury is retrograde, and perhaps that might be wise if your trip is business-oriented. However, if you are returning to see a former client you’ve worked with in the past, traveling during the retrograde is fine. Sales people know that business is always most likely from former clients. If you are in sales, earmark all your former clients for special attention during these phases.

You can take a trip for pleasure during these periods. Actually, this could be a perfect time to go, for you get away from it all, and everyone back at the office will “feel” the retrograde – they will miss your quick problem-solving ability and advice while you are away! During a retrograde phase, you might want to travel to a place from your childhood that you loved but haven’t seen in a long time. It could be lots of fun because going back to places you knew is favored.

Forgetfulness can be a problem during these phases. You are more likely to leave your airline ticket or passport on your desk rather than put it in your pocket; leave your cell phone, sunglasses, or gloves in the back seat of a cab; or lock yourself out of your car or house. I always advise that you tape your business card on the back of your computer or smartphone case, and slip your card into your case holding your eyeglasses in case one of these treasures is lost.

I also suggest that if you buy a gift card for someone, you photocopy the card’s serial number so that if you or your recipient loses the card, you can get it replaced quickly by the retailer. (Of course, keep your receipt stapled to the photocopy. Some retailers can give you a gift receipt with the serial number on the receipt, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of having the card photocopied. Even so, keep a copy in your records too, for your recipient may lose everything!) Tell your recipient that you are taking precautions, in case they do lose your gift and are too shy to tell you that they did! Often there is a comedy of errors surrounding Mercury retrograde!

While we are on the topic of photocopying important documents, photocopy your passport and give your family members a copy, too. If you ever should lose your passport, you will have a copy to show the passport office, and it will make things much easier for you! Do that today, while you are thinking of it!

Romance tends to go haywire, too, during Mercury retrograde periods. Couples tend to create miscommunications that in turn can cause a domino effect of errors. Try not to jump to conclusions, and keep striving for clarity. Your sweetheart or spouse could also have a sudden change of mind. For example, if your boyfriend or girlfriend says, “I want to break up,” he or she could say later, “No, let’s not! I didn’t really mean it!” That’s because people aren’t always thinking straight during these phases. Mercury retrograde is notorious for creating confusion.

Keep in mind that Mercury retrogrades in three different signs of the zodiac during the year. If it retrogrades in your sign, delays and frustrations will become even more pronounced than usual. In this case, try to be even more vigilant and double-check proposals, ideas, creative efforts, and other plans to root out flaws or incorrect assumptions. Always go the extra mile to find errors during a retrograde. These periods demand a slow and deliberate approach.

A Handy Truth About Mercury Retrograde: Things Are In Flux, But You Don’t Know They Are – Yet

When Mercury retrogrades, think of it as an instant signal that the wind is changing direction. Something is in flux up on the road ahead, but the problem is, everything looks the same and unchanging. What makes these periods so difficult is that you cannot see yet that they are about to change, often radically.

Let’s say you take a new position while Mercury is retrograde. After you start, the company starts extreme cost-cutting procedures, and you suddenly discover you will lose some of the people who report to you. On top of that, your title changes – not in a way you like. In this typical example, you had no idea these procedures were being planned, and had you known, you would have never taken the job. Things like this happen all the time when Mercury is out of phase. Do not take a job when Mercury is retrograde, and don’t start one during a retrograde, either.

A Key to the Solution to Any Mercury Retrograde Problem Lies in the Element Mercury is Found In: Fire, Earth, Air, or Water

Each year, Mercury will favor one element over another. In 2012, Mercury will retrograde in fire signs, so that tells us we need to apply completely new, visionary, and innovative solutions to the problem that comes up. Fire signs are highly creative and also brave and pioneering – don’t be shy about suggesting a very unusual solution. Fire signs also think on a big, broad scale, so you should think that way when attacking the problem, too.

If Mercury retrogrades in an earth sign, be very practical about finding a solution, and strictly adhere to limits of time or budget. Money often plays a big part of both the problem and the answer when Mercury is retrograde. You would probably do best by not suggesting a blue-sky idea, which would have worked with Mercury in a fire sign.

If Mercury retrogrades in an air sign, lots of discussion will need to take place, as air signs are highly communicative. Talk to a lot of people and poll their responses. Do a great deal of research, too. Air signs are analytical and modern – you may hear of a solution that is so new, you may not even have known it was possible. Use the answer that seems best for you after going through this process, and make sure you are objective and not emotional in choosing your answer.

If Mercury retrogrades in a water sign, use your intuition. Research can be driven by the way questions are asked, so if your research says to go a certain way, but your intuition tells you to reject the research, follow your gut. Intellect can only get us so far; often our emotional intelligence is more accurate. If Mercury retrogrades in a water sign, it’s an instant signal to start listening to that small voice within.

What If You Can’t Put Off a Decision Until a Later Date?

What if you can’t wait a few weeks? In that case, you may have to proceed anyway. Do so knowing that the conditions around the situation will probably change, so plan to be flexible. For example, if you are looking at a great apartment, you may have to sign the lease or risk losing it. However, before you do, ask lots of questions.

If you are buying a house, hire a top engineer to check it out, or get two engineers’ opinions. Be ready for something to come up. Do all you can to extend the process: Say your lawyer is out of town or in court. Say you will be in Paris during that time!

My own daughter re-signed her lease during the retrograde (she’s Aries, and as a typical Aries, Diana doesn’t like to hear about rules). Four months later, the landlord sold the building, and Diana was forced to move immediately. A year later, my little Aries bought a computer during the retrograde. (“It’s a Mac, what could possibly go wrong?”) Nothing went wrong, except her judgment. She later said she regrets not getting the more expensive model with a much bigger screen. She finally sold her new Mac laptop to a friend, bought a Mac desktop with the big screen she needed, and is happy now.

Are There Any Exceptions to the Rule:

“Don’t Plan Big Actions During a Retrograde”? Yes!

Indeed, despite what I have just said, there are situations where you can move forward, gingerly, during Mercury retrograde. The main time you can is if you are going back to the past, either to correct something or do more with a person you know and admire.

If your editor gives you an assignment that was put on the back burner a year ago, and it has jumped to life again, proceed!

Here is another example: Let’s say you are out of work and looking for a new job. Your old boss (whom you enjoyed working with on a previous job) invites you to join the company he is at now, as a member of the team. In this case, you will be going back to a former professional relationship that you actually started a long time ago, and this is simply an ongoing situation. In this case, you CAN take the job.

Readers ask, “Well, I started interviewing for a new job before the retrograde, but the offer for the new job was made after Mercury retrograde. Technically, I knew the interviewer for a few weeks before the retrograde, so can’t I take the job?” Actually no. In this case, you have had no real history with this interviewer or company. Sorry, this does not apply. However, if you are desperate and badly need to find a job, take it, but realize it will not be a long-term solution. You may be out looking again soon, possibly because you don’t like anything about that new job. That may be fine with you, for at least you will have income for a short time, which is better than no income at all. Also, it is said to be easier to find a new job after you have one, so in that sense, it may be helpful to take a short-term, stopgap job.

What if you gave a bid on a house you loved and wanted but that was rejected. Can you go back and put in a new bid on that same house during the retrograde, even months later (assuming the house is not yet sold)? Yes. In this case, you have a history with the house, the people who live there, and your broker. This would actually be a good time to “redo” your bid and send it in again. When it comes to exceptions, if you have a history with the person or situation, you can proceed carefully during the Mercury retrograde period.

What If You Were Born Under Mercury Retrograde?

It has been said by some astrologers that people who were born under Mercury retrograde are immune from much of the mayhem of this phase, but I do not agree that this is true. (I was born while Mercury was in retrograde, and I always find these periods quite difficult, perhaps because I work in Mercury-ruled publishing!)

You can find out if you were born under these phases by checking your natal horoscope wheel. The planet Mercury’s symbol will have a small “R” under it on the horoscope wheel.

People born under this phase are said to have philosophical and reflective natures that help them think through complex concepts quite creatively. Never worry about having a baby during one of these retrograde periods – it is always a good time to have a child!

Mercury’s Impending Shadow Period

As Mercury approaches its “switch point” (the day it actually turns retrograde), it will progress along a path that it will later retrace in the sky over the next few weeks. The two- or three-week period prior to Mercury retrograde is called the “impending shadow period.” If you initiate anything important during that shadow period – that is, in the time before Mercury begins to retrograde – you still may encounter problems.

If you have a choice whether to sign papers or initiate an action prior to Mercury retrograde or just after it is finished retrograding, there is no question that I suggest you wait and act afterward. Try to secure a little breathing space (a few days or even better, two weeks) from the date Mercury goes direct, for safety. It doesn’t pay to rush to do things before Mercury retrogrades. Waiting is always the wiser option.

Here is another vital point to keep in mind: Mercury is more powerful on the onset and finish dates of its retrograde. I call them the “bookend” dates of the retrograde, and static and dust seem to fill the air more noticeably than any other time.

The presidential election date of 2000 (when President Bush was declared the winner) was on a day when Mercury was due to turn direct. This is a good example of the problems that can occur just as the planet is turning forward or backward. In that case, it was weeks until the winner of the election was chosen.

This point deserves reiteration: Always allow two days, minimum, after Mercury moves ahead to normal direct speed before you start initiating projects or making big purchases. The more time you can allow after this planet goes direct, the better. If you can wait two weeks, all the better.

Is Mercury Retrograde All Bad? Not at All!

Although these Mercury retrograde periods can be frustrating, they are often useful too, for they allow us to reassess, revisit, readdress, redo, and redesign our plans. Sometimes we rush along in life without fully considering our basic assumptions or actions. Mercury retrograde allows us to stop, look, listen, and redirect our energies more productively. Mercury also helps us find closure to certain situations.

Reconnecting with old pals and relatives is very common during retrograde periods, and that can be one of the most positive and fun sides of this planet’s retrograde orbit. If you hear from an old friend or colleague during Mercury retrograde, I feel there is a potent reason for it. It seems to me that there is something that the two of you are meant to do or plan together.

We can all benefit from taking a closer look at situations with greater depth, which happens when Mercury retrogrades. Mercury retrograde periods are like walking through glue, so they do tend to make us slow down, which at times can be a blessing.

Here are some examples of ways Mercury retrograde can help you:

• Perhaps you have been working on a project that seems to have gone down the wrong path. When Mercury retrogrades, it could become evident that the project needs to be altered slightly or redirected. Even if you did not get your way originally, if you argue your case persuasively, things might go your way now.
• You stall on accepting a job offer, and lo and behold, a better one comes your way in the meantime.
• You refrain from buying a certain big-ticket item, and within a few weeks, the coveted item goes on sale and you will be glad you waited.
• If a meeting is postponed or cancelled, you have more time to gather additional information that probably will come in quite handy.
• If you are in sales, go back to old customers and clients. You may do better by asking for more business from people who have always trusted you than by trying to extend your reach into new sales territory. Former customers like being contacted, and under Mercury retrograde, you will have the time to do so.
• Missing objects are likely to be found. That beautiful bracelet wasn’t lost after all – it was on your bookshelf, behind your favorite book!

What Else Should You Do During Mercury Retrograde Periods?

It would be a great time to reorganize your files or closets. Pack up clothes you haven’t worn in a while and give them to charity. Polish your shoes and decide which ones need repair, and while you are at it, decide which appliances need to be taken in for repair as well. Oddly, as busy as we are, during these phases we always seem to find more time to get things done. When you clean your closets, you will find treasures you thought you lost or had completely forgotten about, always a bonus of going through things you have not seen in a while.

Mercury rules anything that begins with “re”: redo, reassess, repair, repeat, redesign, or revisit. It’s always human nature to want to hear that new opportunities are coming our way, but we really do need to focus on the quality of our work and improve it to the best it can be. Often this is a better use of our time than continually chasing the newest idea. Mercury retrograde allows you to be thorough and to perfect your performance.

Don’t assume everything goes wrong during Mercury retrograde – sometimes things work in your favor. If you are self-employed and turned down an assignment because the price the client was willing to pay was too low, this same client may come back after the retrograde (after he sees many others turning down his offer) – and you get the project after all, at the right price. People reconsider their stance when Mercury is retrograde, and in some cases, conditions turn out to be more favorable to you than they might have been before.

As you can see, Mercury retrograde is not all bad – you can count on it!

Revised March 2016

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