posted November 15, 2009 11:10 PM         

Going to be a rocking and rolling, not so fun, yet very eventful week on Planet Earth. We have a whomping HUGE New Moon in Scorpio with every planet in the sky answering to the energy of the 8th house and the sign of Scorpio. Or the planets are arguing with the energy of the 8th house and Scorpio. Or you are watching and amazed at what folks will agree to put themselves through. Or you are astonished at what you are doing to yourself!

Closing squares are one of my favorite aspects as we get to see our own issues right out there, hanging on the clothes line with the sheets and towels. We can see them clearly. And, so can every one else! The whole NEIGHBORhood knows what is hanging on our clothes line for all to see.

Saturn and Pluto squared each other last week so the tension built and built to (probably) culminate in a “time to restructure what you‘ve built“ moment. Or you are watching and supporting friends or family who are in the process of restructuring the lives they have built. Or you are looking at what is in front of you, feeling exhausted, dispirited and tense trying to figure out what to do to restructure the foundation of your life.

Right now it feels like it will never, ever, ever change.

Of course, that is an illusion but it FEELS that way. It will change. Things always change. BUT we don’t want to ignore those feelings. We do, however, want to understand our feelings so we are a bit more in charge of what is going on in our life and our mind. We’ll substitute the illusion of control for the illusion of no control. Both are illusions of course but some illusions make us feel a bit better.

It is kind of like railing and raging against the weather.

Pretend it is winter right now. And let's say that you simply HATE winter ~ boots, mittens, snow, dark days, cold, grey sky and yicky snow flakes. You don’t understand how people could possibly LIKE winter. You are going around stomping your feet, slamming doors and shouting because it is winter and you hate winter! Grumble, grumble, grumble! YOU HATE WINTER!

Do you think winter cares? Do you think winter is going to go any faster, even a second faster, because you are having a hissy fit about it and don‘t like it? Do you think winter is going to suddenly turn into summer because you are stomping your feet and complaining?

The situation in your life is kind of like that. You are complaining about winter. And Winter simply doesn’t care.

So what to do instead? First, understand it is a season in your life. Spring will come again. Right now, you have winter. Second, look to see if there are things about winter you could possibly have fun with and perhaps even like? Crackling fireplaces, candles lit against the darkness, no guilt about being curled up with a great book and a cup of tea as the snow falls and the wind howls outside. Maybe you could take up skiing? Or Cross country snow shoe? Or perhaps you can schedule a trip to a warm beach someplace as a break from the cold and to get a touch of color. You get the idea.

Each season in our life has a reason. This season is, perhaps, not a fun one. However, it is a CHANGE SEASON that allows, encourages and permits us to change our lives into a new form that will work better as a structural support for the next chapter of our life. So find the good in it. (It IS there if you look ~ LOOK!) Embrace the good. Encourage yourself to find things that make you happy and enhance your Venus and love of life.

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been comparing our current process to the Johnny Cash song, “A Boy Named Sue”. We have to confront our internal father/structures, have a struggle with it and transform ourselves. They, our father, our Saturn, may or may not change. However, Pluto is going to be pushing on Saturn to transform and change ~ at the very least internally!

We are the ones who have to change and evolve as we are the only ones we are in charge of. And only we can change ourselves. We can’t change anyone else but us.

We can’t change if we stamp, stomp, shout, have a hissy fit or stop talking to them. It is like railing against winter. Winter doesn’t care. It is winter. You have to learn to deal with it. Wear a coat and mittens if you are cold! Move south to a place where they don’t have winter but where they do have hot summers! Figure out what you want to do. You can change you. Only you can change you. And stop trying to change them.

I’ve had several clients involved with deep conversations with their external or internal parents ~ examining the life the parent or the structures they built, provided, complaining about it or reevaluating it. In each case, when the client complained to the actual parent, the parent told them to, essentially, stuff it and grow up. Others clients were involved in encouraging folks to take responsibility for their bad behavior. They got push back as the person didn‘t want to own their bad behavior.

Saturn and Pluto are in an ongoing conversation ALL YEAR. They are all about responsibility and accountability. Hold people accountable. Hold yourself accountable. No shouting at winter.

In light of that, I receive a note from a reader telling me that Johnny Cash sang the song that Shel Silverstein wrote. And, low and behold, Shel Silverstein wrote a song “FATHER of a Boy named Sue” While not politically correct, it gives a different spin on the Boy named Sue’s version. To keep you aware that the other side has an opinion on the matter, I’ve included “FATHER of a Boy Named Sue” below. It certainly changes things to hear the father’s perspective! But isn’t that ALWAYS how it works? Three sides to every story ~ Yours, Mine and the truth. And as you know, good to hear the other side of the story. At least you know what you are working with.

From the internet: Shel Silverstein said : OK, now, years ago, I wrote a song called "A Boy Named Sue", And, that was OK and everything except, then I started to think about it, and I thought, It is unfair. I am, I am looking at the whole thing from the poor kid's point of view. And as I get more older and more fatherly, I began to look at things from a an old man's point of view. So, I decided to give the old man equal time. OK, here we go...

Yeah, I left home when the kid was three

And it sure felt good to be fancy free

Though I knew it wasn't quite the fatherly thing to do

But that kid kept screaming and throwing up

And ******* in his pants till I had enough

So just for revenge I went and named him Sue

Yeah! It was Gatlinburg in mid July

I was gettin drunk but gettin by

Gettin old and going from bad to worse

When through the door with an awful scream

Comes the ugliest queen I've ever seen

He says, "My name is Sue, how do you do?"

Then he hits me with his purse

Now this ain't the way he tells the tell

But he scratched my face with his fingernails

And Then he bit my thumb

And kicked me with his high heel shoe

So I hit him in the nose and he started to cry

And he threw some perfume in my eye

And it sure ain't easy fightin an old boy named Sue

So I hit him in the head with a cane back chair

And he screamed, "Hey dad, you mussed my hair!"

And he hit me in the navel and knocked out a piece of my lint

He was spittin blood, I was spittin teeth

And we crashed through the wall and out into the street

Kickin and gouging in the mud and the blood and the creme de menthe

Then out of his garter he pulls a gun

I'm about to get shot by my very own son

He's screaming about Sigmund Freud and looking grim - woo

So I though fast and I told him some stuff

How I named him Sue just to make him tough

And I guess he bought it cause now I'm living with him

Yea he cooks and sews and cleans up the place

He cuts my hair and shaves my face

And irons my shirts better than a daughter could do

And on the nights that I can't score

Well, I can't tell you any more

But it sure is a joy to have a boy named Sue

Yeah a son is fun but it's a joy to have a boy named Sue!

During weeks like this, it is best to smile, show up, take responsibility for your stuff and know that it will be over soon. Our week features a VERY, VERY Scorpio New Moon, the Sun changing signs into Sagittarius, Vesta entering Virgo, and Venus arguing with almost every planet in the sky. We aren’t going to be feeling the love from the outside world this week. Best to find the love on the inside. Hug yourself.

Monday has a new Moon in Scorpio square to the Gang of Three making for powerful new beginnings (or endings) as the lunation pulses to the cosmos and us time to evolve, evolve, evolve. Psychologically grow and evolve. Read the New Moon column on this site for more information on how to deal with the New Moon energy. Moon goes void as she joins with the Sun at the New Moon making the afternoon lovely for resting, recreating and meditating on the energy of transformation in your life. Mercury joins with Jupiter in the early morning hours bringing you interesting dreams. Note them upon awakening. Something withering or leaving in the dreams points to the patterns changing in your life. It isn’t that hard to change. We do it all the time, quietly, in our lives. This is a bigger one. Love and desire are busy figuring out their next steps. What small (or large) step can you take today to get you closer to your dream? Mercury is able to support Pluto by stating what is real and not real. Isn’t all reality an illusion? Look at how words or information can change your point of view! Add some words to your vocabulary today that help you go forward.

Tuesday, Moon in Sagittarius is busy during the dreaming hours offering structures or solutions to yesterday’s problems. Mercury has a sextile to Saturn ~ all problems can be worked on. Often if we let them sit, the problems work out the problems and find a solution all by themselves. I was talking to a fellow astrologer about receiving emails. Waves of emails come in flowing and some seep into the hidden corners of very full follow up boxes. If emails sit for a while, often the problem has shifted by the time I have time to follow up. Today let the problem sit. Or run it by a wise person who will probably suggest you let the problem sit. With time, the answer will be known. In the meantime, focus on the love. Focus on the love and the things you can do something about.

Wednesday Moon in Sagittarius offers solutions to yesterday’s problems with her sextile to the Gang of Three. It is all about how we see things. The Buddhist quote

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional” comes to mind.

Pain is part of life and inevitable. All sorts of pain exists in the world ~ physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain. I can quote you examples of each. Pain comes from 13th century via French peine from Latin poena “penalty, punishment,” or from Greek poinç “penalty” which is the source of English punish and subpoena.

Suffering is optional. Hmmm. Suffer comes from Latin and means literally “to carry up from underneath,” hence “to sustain,” from ferre “to carry” the source of English fertile. Think of how suffering can continue and sustain people for years and years. Suffering prevents us from moving on. Suffering offers us a way to delay, procrastinate, obfuscate and sit still. The actual pain is over. The suffering from the pain is what is sustained. Suffering is fertile. Lots of things grow in its rich soil.

Where can you put down suffering and get on with your life? Juno partners with the node ~ remember from the myths how Juno suffered, suffered, suffered and SUFFERED because Zeus was having sex with anything that moved? Yet, Juno stayed. She stayed, stayed, stayed, STAYED and suffered even more. Don’t do a Juno. Move on. You don’t have to suffer any more ~ UNLESS, of course, you kind of LIKE your suffering?

Thursday Capricorn Moon makes it real. Depression. Work. Structure. Reality. Today is a GREAT day for getting things out the door and off into the world ~ especially things that support your vision of where you want your life to go. Venus finishes her square to Mars so she gets to say what she wants. Mars won’t be able to get it for Venus as he’s about to go retrograde but he heard her. Mars hears you too. What do you want to change that doesn’t work for you any more? Mars won’t be able to get it for you until Mid-June but he hears you. In the meantime, YOU have work to do to get more of what you love in your life and stop suffering so much. You can’t do anything about what you are suffering about. So put it down and focus on something else that actually gives you a bit of joy! Vesta enters Virgo today so organize your various spaces with a bit of joy and abundance ~ decorate, clean, crisp, organize so your home, body, office and spaces support your life and what you love. Watch out for crabby words today. What they are doing is called resistance. You can’t make them change. That is their choice and their life.

Friday Capricorn moon supports, with a lovely sextile to the Sun, getting your great ideas, solid work and launching ideas out into the world. Push yourself. Sun joins with the North Node asking who you connected with that can further your dreams. Mars joins with Saturn by declination pushing Saturn out and forward. He’s not into suffering that Mars in Leo. Saturn maybe more into suffering but even the old ringed Lord of Restriction is getting into the swing of things. Change how you do things. Shake it up a bit. Mercury talks to the North Node and Jupiter suggesting you look at both versions of the Boy Named Sue story in YOUR life. For each of side of the story, it works. Father’s version, Son’s version. What would YOUR version of their story be? Now look at your own story ~ what is a more objective version to apply to it? Can you see how the process of looking at it completely changes the role of suffering. Your perception of why Sue suffered? Your new vision of the father now that he’s spoken. Give all the characters in your story voices to speak. Isn’t it interesting to hear what they say?

Saturn’s day we still have the Moon in Capricorn, productive and fertile. Pushing us along. Great closing aspects. This is a great day to work on something you love or deeply want to complete. Venus forms a Fist of Thor or Hammer of God with Pluto and Saturn so bang away at what you want to accomplish. That hammer of Pluto and Saturn is profound and passionate. Venus at mid-Scorpio is also extra passionate and highly emotional finding herself in the Pisces Decant ~ as wide as the Ocean as deep as the Sea. Push the energy and it will swirl. Mercury has a gift of brilliance with Chiron later today so expect wisdom and healing as you explore your wider dreams or visions with the fellow who can point out how your wounds actually make those dreams of yours possible. Sun enters Sagittarius late tonight and shifts the energy out of being ruled by impetuous, proud, boastful and ego based Mars or dour, change your structure Pluto into the energy of the Gang of Three. Jupiter in Aquarius rules Sagittarius and he’s hanging with Neptune and Chiron. He’s begging, just BEGGING you to focus on your dreams of the future. Its about the future, not the suffering or pain of the past. What do you want in your future? No more energy to the pain.

Sunday Venus joins with Ceres ~ what we focus on grows. We focus on pain, sorrow, suffering, it grows. We focus on health, love and beauty, it grows. Our world tends to want to point out the sad stuff, the pain, the be afraid of this thing or that thing. Focus on the abundance, the good, the love, the blessings. I have one client who starts every day with counting her blessings, beginning with her health, her children, her work, her life, and her joys. She’s got her share of problems and struggles. However, she chooses to focus on the stuff she’s grateful for and blessed by. When she gets in a struggle with the negative, she backs up and focuses on what she can do something about. Focus on the things and energies you want to GROW in your life. If you fuel the negative things with gasoline, wood, words or thoughts, those fires rage within you. Sagittarius is the time of multiple, mini lights ~ lots of little lights all over the place, sparkling and winking at you. Scatter lots of little light all through your day by counting your blessings.

Mundane: The first three Saturn Pluto hard aspects all were terrorist attacks on the United States or our military escapades. 1982 was the Marine Bombing in Beirut, 1994 was the first World Trade Center attack and 2001 was the second attack. The Fort Hood shootings are murmured to be terrorist acts even though to me they seem to be more of an insane man who couldn‘t take it any more. His chart is not that much different than the folks who go “postal“ all over America a couple of times a month lately. We live in an amazingly violent country.

However, the decision by the Obama administration to prosecute the people who PLANNED 9-11 in NYC’s Federal Circuit Court as well as the pending decision to purchase a prison out west to house the Guantanemo Bay detainees/prisoners is a good example of closing square activity. As Saturn and Pluto form a closing square to each other, we have to figure out, work with and psychologically deal with the issues from the first three aspects.

Reader Mail:

Nanc wrote: A little fact checking would verify that Johnny Cash PERFORMED this song, but the late, great Shel Silverstein wrote it... so, technically, "his" song, his thoughts, his philosophy and observations of the human condition. I'm sure you'll want to have your readers know the correct source. I enjoy your site...thanks for your efforts!

Anne answers: Who KNEW Johnny Cash was singing a cover? It seemed like his kind of song! And it appears to be Shel Silverstein‘s kind of song too. Shel Silverstein for those of your scratching your head was the prolific author of many children’s books that adults like too such as “The Giving Tree”, “A Light in the Attic”, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, “A Runny Babbit, a Billy Sook”, “The Missing Piece”, “Falling Up”. He also was a prolific songwriter who wrote “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers ~ one of my particular favorites growing up ~ “And the loveliest of all was the Unicorn!”

posted November 19, 2009 01:43 PM         

I agree.

Now it is getting a bit easier, but on monday, when all personal planets including the New Moon were in Scorpio, except for Mars, phew.
I got even nearly into a fight with a colleague!
I pointed out a flaw during an official meeting (they wanted to decide something, but there were only 6 people from 15 people there, and I said that it wasn`t fair nor legal to decide anything in their absence), and she was barking at me, that if I wanted to boykot...
She never got to finish her sentence, cause I cut her word, and apparently asked her: "What do you want to impute to me here?"

It was not just what we said, but I didn`t think, I was reacting purely on instinct. Had I thought about it, I would have kept my mouth shut. But I was so barking mad, I felt like I would want to hit her, if she said one more word.

Well, both of us kind of withdrew from this (the issue still isn`t clarified), but several people later on told me that firstly I was right and secondly that they had never seen me like that. I only asked this simple question, but obviously I must have had a pretty threatening or challenging undertone. Like I was really saying: "Continue.... if you dare."

*shaking head* That is not my usual Self.
WEll I was hungry, I was in a bad mood, I was really tired of this woman`s crap and tries to manipulate and make everyone else look and feel bad.
Well, usually I wouldn`t have thought it important enough to say something, but not this time.

Hmm, it is one sideeffect of losing weight, actually. It is not that I really am grumpier than usual, I am just much more emotional, which means that I am not backing away from a challenge so easily anymore. I really have to learn watch what I am saying to whom again. Too impulsive, verbally. To close to my emotions, especially the connection between emotions and action seems to be a bit too short. I guess I have to reactivate my Mercury again. lol

And all these planets in Scorpio seemed to have intensified it even more.