​Leo time has begun. In tune with the Sign ruled by the Sun, it is hot. Beyond the temperature, it is also hot in other ways in our world as well. The U.S. Presidential Election is sure heating up and this New Moon, which occurs at 4:44 pm EDT, thus in Washington DC, will contribute to the heat.

​This New Moon marks is the first official round of the election where the contending candidates have been narrowed down to 2. Of course, there are ever many fronts to consider in the world but given the influence of the United States on the world stage, what goes on there tends to affect us all, in the ripple effect anyway.

​Politicians usually make me feel sick to my stomach so I've never really had much interest in politics in years past. This year however I'm quite excited about the race because there is such diversity among the candidates. As an astrologer first and foremost I'm interested in people and their stories.  

The more flamboyant side of my nature (Aries, Sagittarius and strong Uranus) wants to see change, and both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton certainly offer that. Donald Trump (Gemini) brings youth and great energy, but is it all just pomp and circumstance? Is there any real substance there? He's the candidate that generates the most enthusiasm though; he's got "it" as they say.

​The cusp of the 10th house is called the Midheaven, and to me, the sign on the cusp of this house embodies the traits that we most admire and therefore aspire to integrate into our lives.

​Quite often, we do this naturally through our careers. If we are so inclined we could even say destiny is to be found in our 10th house. To understand our Midheaven (MC) sign, we also to have to look at its opposite sign found on the Nadir (IC).

​At their best, astrology charts (individual or relationship) can be like having a personal owner's manual for your life. Most people intuitively live their lives very close to what their natal chart's potential describes, and I think people become unhappy and unfulfilled when they stray very far from their natal chart promise. At his or her best, an astrologer is a benevolent tour guide, guiding you through the nooks and crannies of the astrology chart. But neither the astrologer nor the astrology, has the final say — you get to choose what's best for you.

Why The Goddess Won't Come Back via the Rise of Technology 

or:

​How We Could Miss Her With Our Fingers Firmly Grasping the Remote 

​​The premise behind The Alphabet vs. the Goddess, by Leonard Shlain, is that as a result of advances in the media and the increasing prevalence of visual imagery in movies, magazines and on the Internet, we are moving away from a linear-thinking culture, and more towards a visual, imaginal, right-brained society.  

​I think fear is a component of everyone's life. No matter how confident we act, or even feel sometimes, there is always in the background this defensiveness, this fear that we will somehow be "discovered" or "seen" as the fraud we believe we really are.

​But it is holding so tightly to fear that makes us a fraud, makes it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to grow beyond, to shed the skin of the habit-thinking that keeps us petrified to become new, full, and more capable of flexible lovingness, of both ourselves and others. Fear also separates us from others, from the possibility of their deep acceptance, and the healing influence that that may have on helping us accept ourselves more deeply for who we really are.

​​

The sky continues to challenge us. We kick off the weekend with Venus opposing Pluto.  Look for old lovers to pop up. 

​The Moon in Capricorn conjuncts Pluto today. Luckily she's supported by Jupiter in Virgo and Mercury in Taurus.  Yep, that's our grand trine in earth.

​We have two grand trines on Friday.  In detail, the Sun, Venus and Mercury in Taurus interact with Jupiter in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn.

Saturn retrograde will slow down the area of your life that transiting Saturn rules so you can review and implement new strategies to improve and advance this area of life. Saturn is one of our greatest teachers, bringing test and challenges and then rewarding us for passing those tests.

This is an exciting Full Moon. It is spring, it is an eclipse and it carries the charged seed of a Solar Eclipse. This is not always the case. Sometimes there is a Lunar Eclipse all on its own. Such instances are somewhat rarer, but they do occur. The main point is that the Full Moon is the culmination the New Moon and to best understand it, from a holistic perspective, we need to also understand the New Moon, the seed event.  

 ​In this article I want to expound on the Universal Principle, "The world is a mirror of my own thoughts and beliefs".

The weekend will go smoothly for most. We have a stellium in Capricorn so everyone has some type of work they're doing.  

WHERE THE (VEDIC ASTROLOGY) PLANETS ARE THIS WEEK:

Sun transits out of Sagittarius and into Capricorn on Jan. 14 at 1:56 p.m. CST. Sun is weak in degrees until Jan. 19.  Sun is under the 5th aspect of Rahu until January 18. This is not ideal for leaders, presidents and governments. Sun is under the 5th aspect of Jupiter until Jan. 18. Taurus, Cancer, and Capricorn rising sign persons, companies, and countries, (including USA), should be careful and patient.   (Iran captures and releases 2 U.S. Navy ships and 10 sailors.)

The powerful and influential clash between Mercury and Mars in Scorpio has passed. ::sigh of relief::

We kick off a stressful week with the Moon in Scorpio, the sign of its fall. I see this as a positive though, not just because I'm partial to the Scorpio Moon; she'll enjoy a lot of support, especially today.

WHERE THE (VEDIC ASTROLOGY) PLANETS ARE THIS WEEK:

Sun transits Sagittarius, from 08:00 to 22:16°. Sun is outside of the orb of influence of other planets, but is dependent on the strength of its dispositor (landlord), Jupiter (which is weak), until Jan 15.  Leaders, physicians, administrators, and governments should get extra rest.

The Countdown to Christmas is here.....last minute shopping, cooking family favorites and of course honoring Jesus' birthday.  

​WHERE THE PLANETS ARE THIS WEEK:

Sun transits Scorpio, from 16:39 to 23:45°.  Sun moves away from the influence of Saturn and is outside the orb of influence of other planets. This should be good for leaders, physicians, administrators, and governments.

Chart of the Week:  

Jonathan Pollard, former intelligence analyst for the United States government, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for spying and providing top-secret classified information to Israel, (Aug. 7, 1954, 4:22 a.m., Galveston, TX), has the Cancer rising sign, with Sun in Cancer and Moon in Libra.  

Sun in the 1st house connects him to governments. Mercury in the 1st house gives communication skills and entrepreneurial projects. Venus in the 3rd house involves his wife with those projects. Saturn and Moon in the 4th house gives deathlike experiences in home life (prison). Mars in the 6th house connects his career with theft and litigation. Rahu in the 6th house gives scandals and false allegations. Jupiter in the 12th house gives unduly losses and imprisonment on account of theft and legal issues. Ketu in the 12th house gives incarceration and suffering due to past-life karma.

​Let me start by saying that we are in a state of victim-hood when we believe that others determine or control our feelings! No one can "make us feel" anything! We are the ones who generate our feelings with our thoughts and perceptions about a situation. 

In this article we're going to look at an example of typical Persecutor-Victim language. 

Crossing the Veil Stage #1 - Peaceful Death

We all go through the ravages of death, be it peaceful or a painful death. The transition process after death happens according to a Divine plan. It's normal to have some apprehension, even when we are totally grounded in faith. If it's a painful death, all pain and suffering ends and a peaceful feeling takes over. At that moment, we might not even know we have died.

Here's the good, the bad and the ugly for the week ahead!

I want to simply explain a common misconception. This is something that we all have fallen for at one time or another. 

Fortunately, it can be avoided simply by understanding the fundamental difference between responsibility to others versus responsibility for others.