posted October 16, 2009 08:15 PM         

First, my deepest apologies to the President for misquoting his remarks regarding his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize. I should have written in quoting him, "a call to action" instead of "a call to arms," which is a far more peaceful statement than one including the Mars-edged term "arms" that I applied. My apologies to the President and my thanks to all who noted the misquote. It's great to know that people are paying attention out there. While that may have sounded sarcastic, it is not intended to be so. I am pleased that so many are fastidiously following what's happening out there.

Starting Tuesday next we'll be at the 29th and "critical" degree of Saturn in Virgo... for the first time... uh, for the first time in this current orbital revolution given that he's been there many times since the beginning of time... er, it's the first of two direct transits and one retrograde pass through the 29th degree of Virgo in this current orbit, that is... the first of three of which two are the same and one is different. Being precise requires so much attention. It's wearying. Isn't it just easier to go through life unconscious, avoiding details and getting just close enough to go Larry the Cable Guy and "getter done?" Saturn adds his tightly held two cents: "No."

As noted, collectively we experience three Saturn at the 29th degrees eras while he traverses Virgo. The first era as noted above, lasts but ten days. Saturn, retrograde, begins another such visitation commencing April 7th of next year for slightly more than two weeks and nailing down the final dirty details of this last degree passage cycle, Saturn again trudges through the 29th row of Virgo's fields for approximately a fortnight, commencing July 7th of 2010.

Many proclaim nothing new should be started with a planet traveling the 29th degree of a sign - a situation touted as stronger with Saturn. That depends actually. If a person has the Moon at 29 Taurus and Mercury at 29 Capricorn, it would be silly to pass up the grand trine. Then there's the emotional crash prevention remedy set. Knowing that a major effort winds down to completion, sometimes a creative sort like an artist or a writer might actually start a new work of art or manuscript just prior to polishing off the one in progress. The effort here intends to circumvent a postpartum emotional downturn related to the creative process. It seems applying a transit of the 29th degree of any planet works to support this line of thinking.

For whatever reason, there's a deadline quality assigned to a planet in a sign's last degree. It's like the hurried, frenzied last shopping day before a major holiday. Or the quality appears with the claim that if a task fails to be completed the world stops spinning (won't happen). True, a transit through the last degree of any sign works to wrap the energy of the planet's appearance in the specific sign with successful accomplishment. While the thought that it is better to get tasks completed that were started with a planet in a sign while the planet is in that sign holds a significant level of philosophical merit, it adds a lot of pressure. After all, when complete with one sign, a planet migrates to the next sign, reflavoring collective energy. If a task cannot be physically completed, Saturn - especially in Virgo - frowns on slopping it done just to meet an agenda of symbolic criticality. Perhaps extracting the significance of the pressure urge assigned to the 29th degree and as astrologically suggested, comprehending the message of this last planetary passage before shifting gears does the trick.

Add the discerning (critical) nature of Virgo, the mundane significance of Saturn critical agendas and the critically acclaimed 29th degree, and an unconscious charge condenses in the air. Testiness could run amok if people failed to pay attention. Unfiltered judgments and bias agendas might pollute the airwaves. One might be inclined to maintain an emotionally charged position though the reality of life, evidence of facts, consciousness or science fails to support it.

Consider that if an astrologer believes in investing and economic prosperity, the recent rise of the global markets delivers Pluto in Capricorn's promise to transform the economics of the planet. If you believe that investors are evil, Pluto in Capricorn and the transits of this present October will bring global economic collapse, the end of currency and desperate looting and scrounging for food in all nations.

I am reminded of a confrontation I had about a year ago in Sedona. At this time one of my tasks consisted of writing an astrological assessment of the polling fluctuations leading up to the election. I could not make one candidate lead or lag by my interpretations of the planets. My desires on Earth did not compel the results I sought. At the time of the confrontation, John McCain led in the polls. A woman adamantly told me the polls would rise in McCain's favor and he would win. When I suggested my view of astrology saw it differently, she went nuts, loudly declaring that I was a pup when it comes to understanding astrology and if I had studied with so and so as she had done, I would be far more enlightened. I offered to wager with her house on her convictions. On that matter, she declined.

Years ago, Omni magazine queried readers for the weirdest, wrong scientific assumptions that could be derived from observation. My two favorites: Bank clocks regulated air temperature. Whatever bank temperatures indicated was the actual air temperature (well now they regulate economic climates); Wind is caused by trees exercising their branches. An astute observer will note that no wind can ever be felt when trees are not engaged in jazzercise. A good bit of the thinking out there right now is just like this. Facts are distorted and reality skewed to support highly charged agendas. The really bad part of making Mobius strips out of truth occurs when one ceases to be able to discern promoted agenda from reality. An added hazard occurs that in rendering comments and such via the Internet, one can render opinions anonymously as if enjoying the protection of Pluto's helmet of invisibility and discounting any sense of accountability. If the world were enduring a Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction, all of this could really be a problem. Oh. Right.

If you look to the side, you'll see Saturn, sleeves rolled up on his sinewy arms, rubbing his palms together ready to get to work and making the best of his upcoming travels. It seems he has some travel tips that he'd love to Twitter except he doesn't engage in such things. But if he were to Twitter, he would feel no obligation to use all character spaces available. He'd simply lay out his solutions to the prevailing planetary signatures.

> Research. Do your own damn research.
> Where's the fun in an e-mail question you can answer yourself?
> Read, striving for total comprehension. (A non-Twitterable note here: perusal does not denote skimming. Perusal actually implies thorough reading and recognition of the concepts read).
> Think critically and logically. Maybe try out the parameters of the scientific method.
> Get it, then get on with it, and finish it.

Here's a few other notes that Saturn - within the transits he's rendering to me - would not let me break into Twitterdom.

Total comprehension occurs with absorption of facts and the unlimited and unabated experience of life events, which when subsequently filtered with objective observation, renders consciousness. In the interest of impeccability, Saturn recommends striving for and proceeding with conscientiousness and consciousness. Criticality considered, smooth and steady as you go.
http://www.philipsedgwick.com/

Raymond

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"Nothing matters absolutely;
the truth is it only matters relatively"