There are two specfic influences that are peaking this week and it would be debatable as to which one is "worse".  First Saturn, the taskmaster/karma-deliverer slows to a complete stop this week and becomes completely motionless on Friday, May 2, switching direction back into forward motion.  This is called stationary direct, ending it's retrograde phase.  The slower the planet, the deeper it's influence and therefore it's power.  As Saturn becomes absolutley motionless, it therefore becomes extremely powerful. 

The effects of Saturn primarily are to impede, depress, or curtail energy.  Positively. it causes things to become practical, organized, and realistic; negatively, it causes things to be aborted, impaired, or perverted; it has a quality that draws out latent pathological thinking in individuals or groups. 

Just prior to Saturn's full station (it is moving extremely slow right now), Thursday, May 1, transting Venus will come around to sidereal Aries and form an almost perfect grand trine with Saturn in Leo and Pluto in Sagittarius.  There should be a strong relationship angle to this Saturn event, hopefully creating strong and deep connections.  The fact that Saturn and Pluto are in trine (harmonious connection to each other) means that at some level there is opportunity to make sound fundamental change to the structure of your psyche and life.  Trines are sort of background influences, but they can help to create easy avenues for change. 

Then there will be a malefic conjunction of Neptune and the Moon's North Node (called Rahu in Vedic astrology).  Neptune is a dissolving, dissipating influence that causes confusion and escapism in individuals; and Rahu is a powerful obsession-producing agent (among other things).  Combined, this could produce formidable, but unusual, effects individually and en masse.  It is really difficult for me to say exactly what would come out, since I have yet to be able to describe exactly what the Nodes produce; but the they are powerful and usually bring a lot of turbulence with them. 

Since the Nodes are not actual planets but geometical abstractions, and their exact positions are kind of blurry, it is not possible to pin down an exact peaking date for a Neptune/Node conjunction; but according to one method of determination they will conjunct on Sunday, May 4.  Since these are very slow moving planets though, you could consider this influence to be strongly present for several months to most of 2008 entirely. 

On the higher end of things you could also expect some of the more postive outcomes of this configuration: enhanced mysticism of outlook, less ego impediments to activity, and strange or unusual manifestions or messages. 

During this time you could expect problems with allergies, sensitivities, and substances; addictive-codependent behaviors could be exacerbated; pathological behaviors in general could be activated; and some people may feel the cold hand of restriction and control "for their own good".  The pain felt at the gas pump may be exacerbated as supply/price problems are pushing costs higher, as well as shortages in general with common commodities. 

The other obvious part of Neptune is it's deceitfulness, how its transits correlate with mass delusion and high crimes of deception.  People all like to believe in happily-ever-after scenarios, not all of us anyway.  Some of us realize that some things we are lead to beleive are just too good to be true.  Relationships are great fodder for this tendency, so are politics and entertainment. 

Now on Friday, May 2, when Saturn turns direct; I find it highly interesting that this is also the premere date for the movie "Iron Man" (and I certainly read a lot of Iron Man comics in my youth).  Saturn is actually connected in the alchemical lore to the element lead and not iron; but it is not too much of a stretch to connect an "iron man" to what Saturn represents, that of emotional repression and struggle. 

Iron Man is basically the story of Tony Stark, billionaire industrialist and weapons maker, womanizer and alcoholic; he wraps himself in a thick metal casing to protect himself and power his weakened heart which was injured in a war incident.  How many workalolics wrap themselves in a iron wall of responsibility, if only to insulate themselves emotionally from others.  Do they have other secret vices?  Is their heart starved to almost non-existence? 

Is "Iron Man" the typical Saturnian character, repressed, hard to connect with, but quite formidable in his own arena?  Even more interesting is the casting of Robert Downey Jr as the lead role; he has had more than his share of public battles with addiction.  Advance reviews are very positive, you can be sure I'll be there to ;)

Day by Day:

Mon, Apr 28
Beware of the tendency to act deceitfully against others, acting from questionable or poorly formed agendas, or letting psychological quirks give you loopholes to avoid definitive accomplishments.  Sometimes we don’t find the motivation to do necessary things simply because we just don’t want to do them; we prefer to hold on to delusions that perpetuate co-dependent behaviors. In other areas the ability to persuade, discuss, and learn will be enhanced, as will the tendency to exaggerate/boast. (Mars quincunx Neptune, Mercury trine Jupiter)

Tue, Apr 29
Truth and lies will be at issue, the power to delude one's self as well as others. Connections of a competitive or aggressive nature will be highlighted. Love in relationships may be able to grow. Later on, obsessive or compulsive tendencies of thought may be activated; those with trained minds can be able to use the same energy to make breakthroughs. (Mercury square Neptune, sextile Mars; Mars quincunx Node, Mercury square Node; Venus trine Juno, Mercury biquintile Pluto)

Wed, Apr 30
Ego and ambition can be hotly activated; nothing will seem impossible to those daring enough to believe it. "Little things" like people or details that get in the way of such grandiose schemes will be the first casualties in their execution. Other people will be able to connect up with the more joyful aspects of the Divine, which is one of the first steps to abundance. (Sun tridecile Jupiter)

Thur, May 1
Depth and meaning to relationships may be brought out; there could be hard sacrifices demanded, deep painful losses to be endured, or long-sufferingness that brings one to reality in relationships.  All in all, the challenges to love make it all the stronger.  (Venus trine Saturn and Pluto)

Fri, May 2
There may be a tangible oppressiveness noticeable right now, one that would almost snuff-out your will to overcome. But it is your very willingness to overcome that is being tested right now. When you "test" something you are hardening and strengthening it. When you put a piece of newly thrown pottery into a kiln, it is the intense fire and heat that solidifies and makes permanent your handiwork.  The same goes for our malleable souls and impressionable minds; even though they are organic soft things they require their own "trial by fire" in order to become relevant to the larger world.  This is Saturn's job, not necessarily understood or appreciated by most people.  Eventually though, all people and things come to meet Saturn on the road.  (Saturn stationary direct)

Sat, May 3
As Saturn is still hot astrologically, it will be even more activated today, perhaps adding some drama and importance to the overall work of Saturn. There could be a strongly pessimistic frame of mind that could come about, but if positively channeled can bring about great realism of thought, organizing ability, and discrimination.  Important relationships matters will come about as well. 

Sun, May 4
Ethereal and uplifting connections may occur; people and situations may be brought together by a universal, unifying, connecting presence that transcends normal human understandings. Here, it would be the letting go of trying to understand things that would usher in a more intuitive comprehension of things.  Beware of tendencies toward deception, self or otherwise, and activation of deceitful, codependent, or dissipative tendencies.  In other areas, innovative trends of thought may be accessed to solve heretofore unyielding problems.  (Neptune conjunct North Node, Mercury quintile Uranus)

Mon, May 5
Venus is involved in multiple astrological configurations today; relationships, appreciation of life's finer points, and getting along with others will be highlighted.  An unreal force may seem to animate love and make it more than it really is between two people, and in other ways sudden relationships may come about that have an inherent instability.  In some ways today love can be a vehicle for getting out of the ever-present tendency of self-centeredness.  Later on, a great feeling of personal power may overwhelm a normal sense of appropriateness with others; compulsive or obsessive qualities may be brought out and acted on, but some people may be able to ride these energies on to greater personal self-transformation.  There could be tangible manifestations of breakdown, destruction, or decay.  (Venus quintile Node and Neptune, semisquare Uranus; Sun sesquiquadrate Pluto)

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