Predictions for Week of June 27, 2011

There is an amazing set of configurations this week, although “amazing” may not be the word that comes to mind when it occurs.  Rather, it could be considered “amazing” that we are still in one piece emotionally after this week.

Actually, the more we hold on through difficult times the more emotional integrity we can sustain over time.  “Difficult” times actually are very strengthening and create a greater sense and realization of selfhood in us all.

Venus comes into contact with the Moon’s South Node (also called Ketu).  Ketu is an influence that is very subtle, and it also has the effect of separating us out of our egoic attachments to persons, places, things, or ideas.  Timing is iffy because there are two ways to measure the position of the nodes, true or mean, and both seem to work.  However, it is safe to say that sometime this week Venus will be exactly conjunct Ketu.

The human ego is a relativistic construct made out of associations, contrasting or identical, with objects and ideas of the material world.  For instance, a person thinks “I am a teacher” or “I am a banker”, or even “I am a detective novel lover”; these are all distinctions and separations out of the vast, general sea of humanity; giving one a sense of uniqueness and identity.

The human ego is also associated with a host of incorrect, unclear, or outright destructive ideas, such as “I am an alcoholic” or “I am an emotionally vulnerable person”, or even “I am God’s right hand of vengeance”, etc.

So Ketu has the net effect of removing us from these kinds of self-identifications, and the process can be rather unsettling (to say the least) because we like very much our little creature comforts, self-indulgences, and self-rationalizations, which is what ego-identifications ultimately are.

So with Venus in the equation, our emotional attachments and their vulnerabilities are acted upon, and not usually in a comfortable way.  However, if we can learn to roll with the punches, as they say, we can get a lot more mileage out of Ketu transits.

Ketu does give us the gift of subtlety however, so the Venus conjunction to Ketu this week will enable rewards in relationships or perhaps connections based on more selfless ideas: compassion, service, and spiritual liberation.

Spirituality (the Hindu moksha) is meant to be the liberation from the vain material attachments to name, fame, and overly sensual proclivities.  This is not to say that sensuality is out of order, but anything to an excess becomes more of an addiction/crutch than anything else.

Bottom line with Venus and Ketu is that there could be separations, but there is the possibility of more spiritual connections to form.  At any rate be prepared for some emotional cathartic releases, and their subsequent liberation they deliver.

On Wednesday, the 28^th, Mars makes an aspect to Pluto, pushing everything into overdrive, and tact may be the least-used quality that day.  If you have a big to-do list, Wednesday might be the best day to get it all done.

On Friday, July 1st, there will be an eclipse of the Sun, it looks like a weak one, but whenever the Sun is temporarily blocked out, it symbolizes a temporary loss of consciousness or awareness, sort of like when a fuse is blown it takes a few moments before the eyes adjust.  Typically eclipses are moderately malefic astrological events.

Then on Saturday, July 2^nd, the Sun squares Saturn, and we may encounter some of our deepest fears through situations and the tone of the day.  Be careful of accidents and injuries, delays and setbacks may characterize the day.  All in all, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday this week look particularly intense, demanding more caution and circumspection on our part.

Day by Day:

Monday, June 27
Multiple hits to Mercury, Venus, Juno, and Saturn today indicate developments in relationships for everyone, including making tough choices therein. Later on, Sun aspecting Pluto may bring about unusual, compelling, but not necessarily legitimate surges of energy to behaviors, breakdowns are possible.  (Sun opposite Pluto, Mars sextile Uranus, Mercury sextile Juno, Venus square Juno, Mercury tridecile Uranus, Venus tridecile Saturn)

Tuesday, June 28
Unusual connections may form, emotional releases may be particularly powerful, and you may make pivotal realizations with regard to relationships.  Be careful of getting facts and figures wrong and going with what you believe to be true but in fact is not.  Early on, breakthroughs or breakdowns are possible.  (Venus conjunct South Node, Sun opposite Pluto), Mercury biquintile Neptune)

Wednesday, June 29
This is not a day to sit around and meditate, get out and make things happen.  Just be careful of letting your zeal overtake your normal sense of appropriateness.  (Mars quincunx Pluto)

Thursday, June 30
The asteroid Juno enters the sidereal sign of Virgo today; shifts in relationship dynamics are possible.

Friday, July 1, Solar Eclipse
At some point today a spirit of pessimism may override the normal sense of perspective, and cause inhibitions on expression.  However, a greater sense of practicality and the ability to strategize are enhanced at the same time.  The Sun, Moon, and Nodes lining up today may also bring its share of unusualness. (Mercury quintile Saturn)

Saturday, July 2
Obstacles and delays may touch off a disproportionate sense of fear and anxiety.  Pathological tendencies of behavior are touched off, and accidents and injuries are more likely.  Keep firmly focused on your objectives, and don’t let this little (and I really mean little) bump in the road abort your quest.  It may be possible to let spiritual reverie take you over the rougher areas, at the same time it may be necessary to double check what you believe your senses are telling you.   (Sun square Saturn, Mercury quincunx Neptune)

Sunday, July 3
Important developments in relationships are indicated, as well as learning the ins and outs of the distribution of power within them.  (Sun quintile Juno)

Monday, July 4, Independence Day
On this day of the United State’s birthday, relationships are highlighted.  Keep firm to whom and what you are within them, and strive to realize the purposes of your various relationships.  A spirit of luminous enrapturement may burden your perceptions of others, but at the same token that could help bring out the more ethereal qualities to our relationships.  (Juno square Nodes, Venus trine Neptune)

Curtis Burns
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The peak of energy occurs over Tuesday and Wednesday this week as Mars makes aspects to Pluto and Neptune respectively.  Mars’ preferred mode at times is to stir things up, and Mars tapping into the energy of the outer planets on those days can mean much potential for havok, but also potential for good.

Attitudes, expectations, and will to see only good outcomes are essential to what the so-called malefic planets bring.  An appropriate amount of caution and presence of mind is necessary as well.  Mars tends to amplify our personal and collective senses of powerlessness, a sentiment that has been the root of much trouble in the past.

When we feel powerless, one of our choices is to act in an overcompensating tough and aggressive manner.  The other choice is to bow and acquiece to that sense of powerlessnes, but at the same time harbor deep resentment subconsciously, which will only erupt later on down the road.

One of my basic points is that powerlessness is only a self-accepted reality.  In truth we are sons and daughters of God, and literally vested with the ability to access unlimted divine power which we can rise to any occasion.  Therefore it is incumbent upon you to immediately get rid of any vestige of dis-empowerent-thinking in your head.  Just believe it, the universe will most likely be giving you a few lessons in self-empowerment on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Monday, June 20
Important communications in relationships can be enhanced today.  (Mercury quintile Juno)

Tuesday, June 21
Multiple malefic aspects today may push out deeper and darker emotions in us, elicited by circumstances or not.  Emotions may run ragged with a sort of grim attitude.  Tact may be the furthest thing on people's minds, but such thoughts and attitudes do create situations that get things moving deep down.  Physical output may be called upon strongly, and much can be accomplished.  Negative thinking however may have suppressing, hindering, or inhibiting effects on events.  (Mars biquintile Pluto, Mercury square Saturn)

Wednesday, June 22
Actions and motivations behind them could quite pathological: self-justification and ego-defending at their worst.  In other ways, energy and will-power may be distinctly absent, as well as morals; addictive or self-destructive behaviors are touched off.  There may be moments of creativity and sublime reflection.  Unusual or unlikely relationship patterns may be temporality activated, possibly to introduce people to new ways of thinking. (Mars square Neptune, Sun trine Neptune, Venus quintile Uranus)

Thursday, June 23
No peaking influences

Friday, June 24
Unusual, provocative, and inspiring social, intellectual, and spiritual interactions are more likely to occur.  Be careful of spending too much money, unwisely indulging, or otherwise throwing caution to the winds.  Be sure to check all facts and figures, and not verifying what is assumed to be so. (Mercury and Venus multiple aspects to Jupiter and Neptune)

Saturday, June 25
A sudden feeling of urgency, alarm, or hysteria may take hold, keeping a cool head will give you the advantage.  Connections between people may be felt quite strongly.  At the same time, it will be possible to rise above the crowd and transcend the tyranny of the mundane.  Sudden bursts of creativity and good luck are possible, especially for minds prepared to receive it.  (Mercury semisquare Mars, Mars tridecile Juno, Sun sextile Jupiter)

Sunday, June 26
The tyranny of the status quo may become intolerable, but hopefully to elicit changes.  Unexpected or unusual developments may occur. However change is not always the answer, merely strive to remain to your original intentions.  (Sun square Uranus)

Monday, June 27
Multiple hits to Mercury, Venus, Juno, and Saturn today indicate developments in relationships for everyone, including making tough choices therein. Later on, Sun aspecting Pluto may bring about unusual, compelling, but not necessarily legitimate surges of energy to behaviors, breakdowns are possible.  (Sun opposite Pluto, Mars sextile Uranus, Mercury sextile Juno, Venus square Juno, Mercury tridecile Uranus, Venus tridecile Saturn)

Curtis Burns
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Astrology Week of June 13, 2011

Intensity continues this week with the Sun aspecting Saturn on Monday, Mars aspecting Pluto Tuesday, and then a lunar eclipse on Wednesday.  Experience proves these kinds of astrological configurations augur intensity, struggle, and disorientation. 

Therefore risks may have higher consequences, possibly to life and limb.  Be wary of danger (war) zones and situations that have a tendency to "explode."  It is during these times that underlying feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy are brought out, sort of like being poked with a stick, and people will indulge their various pet emotional/behavioral pathologies. 

Best rule to navigate through the mid part of this week: eschew the tendency to shame, blame, and allow yourself to become  emotionally flustered.  Claim responsibility for every wrong thing happening to you, cut yourself a little slack, and calmly seek reform strategies. 

An eclipse is when the Sun or Moon temporarily "winks out". When there is no light, confusion and misfortunes are likely.  It is best to realize though that in reality the light does not go out, but it becomes blocked out by a looming large body, like some karmic island floating in the sky.  The chill that goes through you as you pass under the shadow of it, is because your internal sun (focused in the heart) is insufficiently stoked.  We rely so much on the Sun in the sky, but we also have to cultivate our own internal sunny disposition. 

An eclipse of the Moon, like we have on Wednesday the 15th, is a slight variation on the concept.  The Moon represents the reflected light of the Sun.  Therefore the Moon in  Vedic astrology represents the mind, the projection screen, as it were, for the light of the Sun to illuminate.  The Moon also represents the traditional western meanings as well in Vedic: the feelings, the intuition, the mother, and women in general. 

So an eclipse of the Moon can be seen as a temporary loss of perception, darkened by some passing egoistic delusion represented by the earth, blocking out the Sun representing awareness. 

What's good about a loss of perception?  Simply, sometimes we need to get out of the box, and the universe likes to occasionally catapult us out of our little comfortable boxes.  We like to call these occasions a "crisis", but at the same time you could look at a baby  bird cast out of its nest by its mother.  The falling bird certainly feels like it's in a "crisis", but without it the bird will never learn to fly. 

So when you are cast out of your mind, as it were, you are forced to rely on your extra-senses, those that register on a higher plane, a different state of vibration.  It becomes easier as you go.  You can look at an eclipse (with crisis coinciding with it) as a forced meditation, flail or fly. 

Monday, June 13
Carrying over from yesterday, the tendency to look harshly and severely at situations or people will be strongly attenuated.  Setbacks, accidents, and sharp emotions elicited in us affect life as well as our relationships.  A strong, focused mind will bring you through these "dire straits" to a more open and calm sea soon.  (Sun and Mercury tridecile Saturn)

Tuesday, June 14
Anger and frustration may flare, be careful of your bones, joints, and muscles, as well as any other type of injury or misfortune.  Don't let yourself get emotionally compromised, upset, and therefore lose your power.  Stay calm and bring focused application to bear, learn the tricks to move mountains.  Significant connections and events may occur,  relationship matters and emotions may run very deep.  (Mars sesquiquadrate Saturn, Sun conjunct South Node, Venus quincunx Pluto)

Wednesday, June 15, Lunar Eclipse
Things may get strange, but for some it may be the best opportunity to let go and go with the flow of events. 

Thursday, June 16
Creativity and spiritual affairs are favored, you may be able to experience enhanced luminosity of perception.  (Mercury trine Neptune)

Friday, June 17
Discussions and relationships will be favored, hopefully with a nice blend of excitement and clarity.  (Mercury sextile Jupiter, Venus trine Saturn)

Saturday, June 18
At times perspective-altering shifts may occur, challenging your heretofore held beliefs.  (Mercury square Uranus)

Sunday, June 19
Obsessive and compulsive behaviors and thinking may be touched off.  Be careful of being swayed by inappropriately employed persuasive skills.  Breakthroughs of thinking and psychological work are possible.  (Mercury opposite Pluto)

Monday, June 20
Important communications in relationships can be enhanced today.  (Mercury quintile Juno)

Curtis Burns
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Astrology for the Week of June 6, 2011: Saturn Stationary Direct

The first part of the week is relatively smooth sailing, but seas could get very rough starting Thursday right through the weekend.  Our old friend, Saturn, turns direct after some months retrograde; called a station on Sunday, June 12.

Saturn stations can indeed be rough, the planet in effect is standing still in the sky.  The slower a planet moves the deeper its effects on us.  So therefore a planet seemingly not moving at all will have an extremely deep effect on us.

The concept of friends is interesting indeed.  Friends both limit us (keep us at a certain level), and then they also raise us up.  We like our friends for both qualities.  They help us achieve a status quo or comfortability, but getting too comfortable can be a dangerous state to remain in.  This is where Saturn's brand of friendship comes in.

There is a saying, "friends don't let friends drive drunk."  That is, real friends will say the hard things even when we would prefer that they do not.  Saturn brings us front and center to the parts of our lives that MUST change, and he becomes the cosmic mirror letting us know all too well that there is only one source of pain in our lives: our own bad actions.  There is no one to blame, except for that one in the mirror that Saturn is holding up to us.

It's easy though to still deny what is in the mirror, to turn away.  But eventually as Saturn hacks away at that negatively reinforcing social structure of our lives (including our so-called friends), it becomes less and less possible to redirect the blame to anyone or thing except our self.  So Saturn is really our BEST kind of friend, when he comes knocking on the door don't hide.  Let him in, he'll work with you.

Monday, June 6
It may seem like anything is possible to the believing mind, but be sure that enthusiasm is not applied merely to make up for any lacking good sense or risk assessment.  Intolerance for situations that resist change may reach critical levels, inciting action.  Creative, cultural, and spiritual activities are stimulated.  (Sun semisquare Jupiter, quintile Uranus)

Tuesday, June 7
Careful, balanced study and reflection is enhanced.  Attaining a calm demeanor becomes more possible today, and communication processes can be polished.  Some may mistake a certain somberness for depression, or passivity.  (Mercury trine Saturn)

Wednesday, June 8
Some relationship patterns may experience challenges.  Hope and enthusiasm, as well as a seeking of unity may strongly characterize this day.  Be careful of overly idealistic or hopeful strategies that make everybody feel good listening to them, but in the end accomplish nothing.  (Sun square Juno, Jupiter sextile Neptune)

Thursday, June 9
Intentions and actions may seek to push the envelope quite strongly, beware of situations that pose risk, especially to life and limb.  Deceitful or deceptive behaviors are attenuated.  Strange or unusual manifestations of energy, emotions, thinking, or of health may occur.  Relationships and emotions in general are strongly intensified.  A lot can be accomplished today in a hard physical way as well as a subtle spiritual way.  (Mars sesquiquadrate Pluto, Sun tridecile Neptune, Venus biquintile Pluto)

Friday, June 10
Today Mars moves over into a new sidereal sign, Taurus (Raman ayanamsa); everyone should feel a definite shift in some area of life.  Otherwise relationships, discussions, and emotions will be strongly stimulated, hopefully opening up new areas of thought and experience.  Be careful of feeling strongly inspired about someone or something, only to be disappointed a little later on down the road.  (Venus square Neptune, Mercury semisquare Jupiter, Mercury quintile Uranus)

Saturday, June 11
Be careful of deception and self-deception, cloudiness of thinking, and other mishaps brought about by absent mindedness and the like.  (Mercury tridecile Neptune)

Sunday, June 12
Saturn, the Taskmaster, comes to a halt after hitting the brakes the past week or so; now turning around to normal forward motion.  All things Saturn come to palpable life: the need to get realistic, to overcome negative trends of thinking, and to act in a more honorable manner.  Saturn is our greatest friend, bringing to our direct attention those matters which must be urgently attended to.  Saturn's effect is like a burning fire in our veins, which a lot of us experience a panic, fear, anxiety, and desperation; but nonetheless hardening and strengthening our sense of selfhood and integrity.  Setbacks, delays, and upheavals are not uncommon with days like today, on a personal as well as collective level.  The key is to not surrender hope, but to have faith and persevere on.  (Saturn stationary direct)

Monday, June 13
Carrying over from yesterday, the tendency to look harshly and severely at situations or people will be strongly attenuated.  Setbacks, accidents, and sharp emotions elicited in us affect life as well as our relationships.  A strong, focused mind will bring you through these "dire straits" to a more open and calm sea soon.  (Sun and Mercury tridecile Saturn)