Stairway to Heaven July 23-July 29 by Tara Greene

Astrology the Science I love to watch how the planets align and explain the Cosmic Symbols and Signs unfold. I really would love to have a syndicated column, so if you like what you read here,be my Guardian Angel and connect me with the right people to make it so. So mote it be. Today’s Birthdays 1982 – Anna Paquin 1970 – Jennifer Lopez 1964 – Barry Bonds 1963 – Karl Malone 1898 – Amelia Earhart All Birthdays on July 24 more Birthdays Astrology Updates July 23-29 by Tara Greene Copyright Tara Greene HILITES OF THE WEEK July 23 SUN ENTERS LEO- 1:00 am EDT Moon in Scorpio till the 24th July 27 VENUS GOES RETROGRADE @ 1:226 pm EDT July 29 Full Moon in Aquarius @ 8:48 pm EDT ALL TIMES EDT unless otherwise indicated VOID OF COURSE MOON TIMES THIS WEEK {when not to initiate anything} July 24 6:30 am Moon goes V.C. from Scorpio July 24 Moon enters Sagittarius 4:29 pm July 26th Moon goes V.C. from Sag. @ 8:13 pm July 26 Moon enters Capricorn 11:21 pm PDT July 27 Moon enters Capricorn 2:21 am EDT July 28 Moon goes V.C. @ 10:23 pm July 29 Moon enters Aquarius @ 9:13 AM We’ll get to the biggies first- VENUS GOES RETROGRADE July 27- @ 1:26 pm EDT-Sept 8 This is a biggie! Venus travels backwards in the skies for the 1st time in over 18 months. Do you remember what happened last time? Venus rules everything that’s nearest and dearest to most people’s hearts- relationships, values, love, beauty, money, luxury, peace, harmony, and let’s not forget music and the arts. So her Retrograde movement will significantly change all that, our buying habits and social patterns over the next 6 weeks or so while she’s Retrograde. We have an opportunity to resolve unfinished business in relationships and artistic endeavours. Venus Retrograde-Odalisque by Ingres The cosmos as Venus goes Retrograde July 27 2007 @ 1:28 pm EDT Venus won’t get back to her retrograde station point again until Oct 11th when relationships, values, dating, shopping, etc. have had their complete make-over. So we’re really talking about a 10 week period here of re-evaluating our primary basic relating and consuming habits. Venus’s prescription,Rx in Virgo asks us to become more discerning, less judgemental and perfectionist-a very Virgoan trait. Venus begins her Retrograde period in earthy practical nitpicky Virgo @ 2 degrees 57 mins.to be exact, which she entered on July 14. Venus will boogie ass backwards into dramatic royal heart-centered Leo on Aug. 8th and re-evaluate all the love given in your life, all the fiery pomp and circumstance, ALL THE DRAMAS, pride, courage, will and big kid at heartedness that Leo has to offer. Venus Retrograde in Leo in the natural 5th house house of love affairs asks us to be more authentic, valueing from the heart, not the head, {Virgo} less willfull and egoistic. A re-evaluation of DRAMA becomes DARMA, meaning true unselfish service. O.K. not spelled actually correctly but phonetically and by the power of the pun it works! It might feel a bit strange to be limiting or reticent in our hearts during the Retrograde phase combined with the usual expansiveness of Leo-very much like driving your heart vehicle through a major urban traffic jam having to alternatingly put your brakes on. EXPECT SIGNIFICANT REVAMPING OF RELATIONSHIPS! Most of them will be significantly overhauled or dropped upon more diligent scrutiny. I got a call from a man on the 23rd asking me what I thought about Venus Retrograde and how it would affect his sad love life in the near future as he had his Venus in Virgo and Retro to boot at birth. I told him that Venus Retrograde natally is always a karmic signature of repeating relationship patterns and repaying lovers and loved ones through lessons one hasn’t learned yet {from past lives}. We all have those lessons to learn but Venus Retrograde at birth points out that this is a major life lesson that absolutely must be worked on and resolved. Vensu Retro at birth usually bodes ill for relationships if you are unaware and unconscious but with diligent work it can be made to really clear the decks. Yet I said I thought that it was hopeful time for him as he is having a “Venus Return” a symbolic New Moon, a new phase, a new birth in love relationships and that he would definitely be in his familiar element when Venus Goes retro in Virgo and that that would be good for him. I compared it to people with Mercury Retrograde nataly who I observe do very well when Merc. goes Retro by transits. Significantly enough he told me that he has been an alcoholic for many years and just a few weeks ago went to A.A. and stopped drinking when a relationship broke up rather than falling into that familiar pattern. I wished him much luck and blessings. My advise to him and to everyone during this Venus Rx is to review all significant love relationships and work related patterns and of course health and diet routines and values during this time in order to really reap the Venus revamp rewards. We will all have immense scrutiny and discipline to accomplish this not to mention great heart and will. There is also an element of re-evaluating work, our daily routines & health regimes with Venus in Virgo and of course our love for the Earth whose harvests’ we depend on to stay alive. We must do what we love and what we want to harvest from now and also to see love as work, as a discipline. THIS IS a biggie for the stock market which has been soaring lately! It is especially symbolic that Venus is reviewing values coming out of Virgo who wastes nothing and lives very frugally on a very tight budget using only what she needs and then re-assessing Leo royal flair, the big show, the bling, bling, bigger cars, diamonds, palaces, etc. etc. With the more recent consciousness shift that primarily America and significantly the First World Countries waste and use up most of the World’s resources this Venusian Retrograde bodes very well for a HUGE consciousness shift to only using what we need, becoming aware of just how much we waste in this instant, throw away culture, this macho-mine is bigger consciousness-yes, you suburban bleach blonde Goddesses in your SUV’s -this means you. When Venus Re-enters Virgo we will all be more entrenched in the daily routines of recycling, reusing, and living a much more basic down to earth existence. If we don’t volunteer our awareness to the task well then Saturn’s entry into Virgo on September2nd will do it for us and if you think you can bluff it in this big poker game called Life, remember that Saturn always wins! Saturn will be in Virgo till 2010! Restricting and limiting the harvest of the Earth. Yes food, and basic resources that we need to keep us warm over the upcoming fall and winter will be drastically reduced. SO be the wise ant now and meticulously store away the necessities of Life and be not the foolish Grasshopper who fiddles away the summer making merry music with total disregard of the upcoming winter. The cosmic Landscape changes a lot during Venus’s Retrograde period. See chart- Overview of this Week- July 24th after all the dramas over Harry Potter, Ron, Hermionie’s, “you know who” and everyone else in the Wizarding world’s fate Now exposed since Sat. the 20th at 12:01 am and the usual intensity of Scorpio Moon, we get to optimize while Moon enters Sagittarius. Jupiter is still Retrograde in Sagittarius as it has been since April 6th so Sagittarius fire is reflecting now and a bit held back, being raked over the coals so to speak. As a double Sagittarian myself Sun + Moon + Mercury at the Galactic Center, I’ve been feeling good with Jupiter in my home sign as all Sagittarians ought to be, but I am reflecting and reviewing how I use my words, search for truth, higher goals and of course planning trips and workshops. The Only significant planetary aspects this week are: Mars SQUARE NEPTUNE @ 7:10 m on the 24th Mars in Taurus squares Neptune indicates practical solid acts of spiritual and artistic significance but can also drain energy in wasted dreams. Moon Conjuncts JUPITER on the 25th @ 12:26 PM This is a feel good one. Book that trip, buy a lottery ticket, sign up for a workshop that expands your mind. MOON CONJUNCTS PLUTO July 26th @ 8:13 pm Deep intensive inspired feelings tone is connected to the Galactic Center. This aspect will re-evoke the July 17th FIRE THE GRID, the world wide meditation held around the world commemorating Pluto’s exact conjunction with the G.C. again. So do do some meditation at this time as the Moon goes Void of Course after this aspect until July 27 @ 2:21 am EDT. That’s 5 hours and 8 minutes of pure inspirational letting go of the past and going into the heart of the souls’ journey from the Galactic Center and into Futurama. MERCURY TRINES URANUS @ 11:25 PM July 28 Amazing inventive ideas, communications, revolutionizing awareness about spirituality. Expect to hear about a new breakthrough in cosmic mysteries. Hey E.T.’s where are you? Your timeline is running right down to the wire here. FULL MOON JULY 29th 8:48 pm Aquarian Full Moon asks us how do you want the world to be? How can you share in bringing awareness and revolutionizing the old power structures into a Oneness with all humanity? Jupiter Mr. Big is Trine the Sun and sextile the Moon bringing optimism, creativity and bodasiousness. Jupiter has been Retro since April 5 and will station Direct on Aug. 6th. Get the final re-evaluations and judgements down now and be prepared to act on your mission soon. Letting go of old beliefs and outworn philosophies enables us to fully engage in following that arrow of higher truth. Venus is kinds of dancing a wide cheek to cheek with Saturn the Cosmic Cop now from mid-June to mid October {within 16 degrees}. Highlighted during this Fullness are issues around self-esteem and commitments. Venus Retro is re-evaluating how can we be more loving to ourselves and others. Plus SATURN TRINE PLUTO- STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN Saturn Trine Pluto brings discipline,limits, structure and helps build a “stairway to Heaven” Song written by Jimmie Page and Robert Plant There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold And she’s buying a stairway to heaven And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed With a word she can get what she came for Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure And you know sometimes words have two meanings In a tree by the brook there’s a songbird who sings Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west And my spirit is crying for leaving In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees And the voices of those who stand looking Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune Then the piper will lead us to reason And a new day will dawn for those who stand long And the forest will echo with laughter And it makes me wonder If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow Don’t be alarmed now It’s just a spring clean for the May Queen Yes there are two paths you can go by but in the long run There’s still time to change the road you’re on Your head is humming and it won’t go in case you don’t know The piper’s calling you to join him Dear lady can’t you hear the wind blow and did you know Your stairway lies on the whispering wind And as we wind on down the road Our shadows taller than our soul There walks a lady we all know Who shines white light and wants to show How everything still turns to gold And if you listen very hard The tune will come to you at last When all are one and one is all To be a rock and not to roll Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold And she’s buying a stairway to heaven And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed With a word she can get what she came for And she’s buying a stairway to heaven, uh uh uh. And how symchronis is that!!!! Rock stars are archetypal messengers don’t you know. There’s a reason! FUN “STAIRWAY” FACTS: · As of January 7, 1991, “Led Zeppelin IV” had been certified platinum 10 times ten million copies sold. · Released on No. 8 1971 the song is as of this date almost 36 years old. * Stairway to Heaven” remains the biggest-selling sheet music in the history of rock. An average hit sells 10,000 to 15,000 copies. “Stairway to Heaven” has sold more than one million copies. * “Stairway” is still played 4,203 times a year by the country’s sixty-seven largest AOR (album-oriented rock) radio stations, according to trade magazine MONDAY MORNING REPLAY. How many times has it been played since it was released? ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers,refuses to release exact figures, but here’s a rough guess: Figure that on each AOR station in America, the song was played five times a day during its first three months of existence; twice a day for the next nine months; once aday for the next four years; and two to three times a week for the next fifteen years. There are roughly six hundred AOR and “classic” rock stations in the U.S., which means that “Stairway” has been broadcast a minimum of 2,874 times. At eight minutes per spin, roughly 23 million minutes – almost forty-four solid years — have been devoted to the song. So far. In effect under the Full Moon and exact on Aug 6 at 27 degrees of Leo/Sagittarius. Around 27 degrees of Leo sits the Fixed Star Regulus, one of the 4 Royal Stars, markers of the Arch Angels. Regulus is the Star marker for Angel ASTROLOGY “AS ABOVE, SO BELOW” I love to watch how the planets align and explain the Cosmic Symbols and Signs unfold. I really would love to have a syndicated column, so if you like what you read here,be my Guardian Angel and connect me with the right people to make it so. So mote it be. Today’s Birthdays 1975 – Charlize Theron 1960 – David Duchovny 1958 – Bruce Dickinson 1944 – John Glover 1942 – Garrison Keillor All Birthdays on August 7 more Birthdays Ah, the dog days of August… I’m attempting to take a bit of time off here and there after a frantically paced June and July so bear with me please. July 30- Aug. 5th Astrological Updates copryright Tara Greene all time EDT unless otherwise indicated July 30 Moon in Aquarius July 31 MOON ENTERS PISCES @ 1:40 PM Dream away for a few days. MARS OPPOSITE SATURN @ 7:59 PM Ouch this one’s gonna hurt. The planets with the two worst baddest reputations oppose each other. Who’s stronger? Mars in Taurus in his girlfriend Venus’s house or Saturn the Time Lord, the Cosmic Cop in regal Leo? Watch out for temper explosions, extreme frustration, unexpected parking tickets, break-ins and the like. It’ll be hot temperature wise too. AUGUST Aug 1-MARS QUINCUNX PLUTO @ 11:00 PM if yesterday weren’t difficult enough here comes the Double Whammy! Mars and Pluto both rule Scorpio and they’re totally in two different Universes at the moment. Tempers, road rage, shootings, killing, extremism. This is the Dark side of a Black Hole with the Lord of Death hovering at the Event Horizon. Personally I’d be on a yoga retreat if I were you. Aug 2 MOON ENTERS ARIES @ 4:43 PM Hot enough for you? Tempers are ready to explode, watch out for Arians on the warpath. MERCURY QUINCUX PLUTO @ 6:54 PM Nobody’s gonna mince words under this one. CAncerians are likely to go down that rabbit hole called the Galactic Center screaming and crying. AUg 3 Moon Trines Jupiter @ 9:29 am Hot on the heels of all of the aforementioned, Jupiter’s energies only serve to ramp em up to the Xtreme Danger Zone. MOON TRINE SUN @ 11:07 am Well at least you should be feeling sunny about it all. Remember to just keep smiling, keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side, keep on the sunny side of Life Aug 4- MERCURY ENTERS LEO @ 1:15 PM- All right, Mercury is much more at home in Leo where he bestows regal messages of great importance, and now everyone can blow their own horns once again. Time to get out there on stage and sing. Express yourself, do a tango, be Big,think big,big hearted. MOON ENTERS TAURUS @ 7:16 pm Two planets, the Moon is considered a planet in Astrology, have just entered the FIXED SIGN design category.Moon is stubborn, practical, earthy and sensual when in Taurus, do some gardening, laze about in a hammock, make sweaty love. AUg 5- Moon Squares Sun @ 5:19 PM this is a fourth Quarter Square. Sensual Taurean Moon warbles to his or her Highness. Emotions and egos chafe against each other. It’s a Holiday weekend in Canada, so have a good safe one. August as a whole Aug. 5th Astrology comes from the words astre meaning a Star, of course. Read on and you won’t go astray. In India the word for star or star light is Sitara, from which the musical instrument the sitar gets its name, so it’s actually making the music of the stars. Sitara translates as Tara, the Great Goddess still praised in Hindu and Tibetan Religions. The word disaster means literally without a star or more correctly Dis-from the Roman God of chaos + aster =chaos star Summertime and the livin’ is easy. I’m trying to take a bit of time off to relax, so if my updates are a bit late, you’ll understand. I’ll will give an overview of August ,some hi lites of planets, patterns and galactic stuff to get you through the dog days of summer if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere and cat days of winter in the Southern. Between around the 4th – 7th of August, Mars transits the Pleiades, which now extend into Gemini. The Pleiades a.k.a The 7 Sisters Now, the Pleides there are many ways to spell the name of the Star group actually doesn’t have a very good reputation traditionally. Since the mid 80’s there have been a number of channellers claiming to receive transmissions from the Pleiadians-two Barabara’s in fact-Barbara Hand Clow and Barbara Marciniak. Their interpretation of the Pleidians is that they are extremely benevolent very Goddess loving future Light beings who see us on Earth as “Living Libraries.” Personally I love all that Pleidian info they’ve received. Did you know that a very popular car,made in Japan is named for the Pleides? We drive a Subaru This transit asks us to excavate things that are traditionally associated with the troubles of the Pleidies things that might recently be under your skin-like a sliver. Recent, and not too recent annoyances, frustrations, things that are bugging you,events that have brought sadness,and/or a sense of letdown need to have time to clear. These are heavy times these are so honor your emotions, it will all pass. On the 6th Jupiter finaly slows down and gallops forwards once again. Before that turning point it’s a great time to make a plan of everything you’ll do as soon as the big guy changes course. Jupiter is one heck of an optimistic planning coach. Review all the plans that didn’t quite hit the mark and great ideas that you didn’t quite polish off since Jupiter went Retro that 1st week of April. Pick the ideas you still want/intend to pursue and direct them to the top of your TO DO list for August 6th with rebounded enthusiasm. Aug 6-12 ASTAROLOGICAL UPDATES AUG 6 – It’s a Government and Banking holiday in Canada today and good timing it is. There’s 10 count ’em aspects today! I’ll name the most important. *****SATURN TRINE PLUTO @ 6:35 am THIS IS VERY VERY POWERFULL! The blessed combo of Reality with the power to transform ANYTHING {especially being conjunct the Galactic Center is well, Galactic Empowerment. YOu can move mountains, create Universes, die and be reborn! MOON CONJUNCTS MARS @ 9:50 PM La LUna REd Bull! Passionate, sensual,spread your lover with fresh picked rose petals, sing your hearts out. MOON ENTERS GEMINI @ 10:01 PM The Moon is the fleet-footed Messenger now so let your feelings take flight. Emotions are filtered through the mind’s lofty heights. Moody but quickly changing. JUPITER GOES DIRECT @ 10:04 PM Alright! Let’s get this show on the road and on the stage. PLans, travel, school plans all advance now. Optimism reigns once again. MOON SQUARES VENUS @ 11:26 PM This one will set all women on edge as Moon is playing the eternal peur, the little boy who never wants to grow up, settle down and commit. MARS ENTERS GEMINI @ 11:01 PM PDT Planets changing Signs and therefore Elements really do show how Astrology works in the real world. The Bull Market is over. Put your money in communications,companies that see both sides of an issue, youth oriented things,new fangled cel phones, Blackberries, etc. good for the Nasdaq.Actions are not well thought out and kid like, changing.Mind set is not. Mind is seeking ever newer things, busyness, sampling everything. Aug 7 MARS ENTERS GEMINI @ 2:01 am EDT MOON OPPOSITE JUPITER @ 2:58 PM Feel good, go out on the town, get a gaggle of buddies together and hit a casino. VENUS SQUARE MARS @ 7:36 PM Venus is very nitpicky these days in Virgo and she gives it to the guys for being so terribly thoughtless, late, inept, imperfect, all over the map, etc. etc. Aug 8 Another busy day. MOON SQUARES URANUS @ 4:41 am Expect upsets in plans, don’t expect people to show and you won’t be disappointed and can’t run any kind f a victim routine. MOON TRINES NEPTUNE @ 9:37 am Good for eloquence, waxing poetic, apologies, forgiveness, and transcending the whole damn thing. MOON OPPOSITE PLUTO @ 7:33 PM This is like beer these days Heavy LITE! EXpect no holds barred in the verbiage flowing out of, or into the Event Horizon. Beware being caught in the Cosmic suction of the Black Hole because once you’re in you ain’t gonna get out, at least not in the same state you entered or Universe for that matter.Which like Martha Stewart says “Is a good thing.” Take MArtha as an example she personally went into a Black Hole and came out pretty O.K. It’s not as bad as you think so don’t avoid the Void. VENUS RETROGRADES INTO LEO Venus decides to look over where her heart really is by re-visiting Leo’s throne room again. Love affairs really get the once over, as do values of all kinds. Need all that stuff to make you feel important or not? Isn’t Giving LOVE that 5th house LEO stuff what it’s really all about? MOON ENTERS CANCER @ 10:36 PM PDT For all my West coast buddies Moon comes home to roost. You’ll need to recover and nurture yourself after all the cosmic goings on. AUg 9 MOON ENTERS CANCER @ 1:36 am EDT same as above, only 3 hours later. *****MERCURY TRINE JUPITER @ 11:36 Am Trines are the sweetest deal you can get. Get all the old stuff out in the open. Very creative thinking going on. Sales, teacher and teaching,promotions,and talking your head off raucously. Enthusiasm, over doing it, splurging, hoof in mouth disease,honesty,gambling and risk taking. Aug 10 Overoptimism from yesterday gets reigned in by a tense Mercury Pluto Sesquiquadrate SUN URANUS QUINCUNX @ 4:28 PM Jarring to say the least. Earthquakes, tidal waves? tsunammis, Yellowstone to blow? A roller coaster ride to be sure. Fears may be high. The Mercury Pluto aspect from earlier today can be a blessing helping us to stay willfully focussed not paranoid or negative. Don’t obsess over problems. Remember the Universal Law is of attraction. The more you think about what gripes you the more you attract more gripes. Aug 11 MOON ENTERS LEO @ 6:42 am The Confidence Flag gets raised up the pole. Play, romance, being open hearted,and dramatic highlites this weekend. The ability to be a courageous leader is Leo’s greatest asset. Take heart courage and will now. MOON TRINE JUPITER @ 9:48 am PDT Feels so good to be dancing in the moonlight. AUG 12 the above @ 12:48 am EDT LEO NEW MOON- 20 degrees of Leo @ 7: 02 PM This is a new Moon with a Heart full of Soul.A very firey LEonine New Moon this one is. Besides the 2 luminaries we have Mercury, Venus and Saturn. That’s 5 of the 10 planets grouped together in one sign. All planets point to your Heart Chakra. Do you have the courage to dare to live and will from your heart? Do you dare to dance your dream of being a Star awake? Will you direct yourself in the starring role of your life? Will you fully open your heart and give it away, give it away, give it away. Neptune closely opposes the Luminaries at 21 degrees Rx. shedding his light on boundless love and acceptance, compassion and egolesness. Chiron the wounded healer is also opposite Sun and Moon at 12 degrees of Aquarius. The healing balm is in the wound. It may take the greatest strength and will to have the courage to be vulnerable, open to intimacy and all of Life’s hurts. The True Warrior wears no armour, has no need for defences. Mars is opposite Jupiter- Mars sends a laser beam to Jupiter. Minds can be very telepathic right now, beware of interference of how your mind is being manipulated by behind the scenes espionage. Pluto Trines SAturn Conjunct Venus The mythic Goddess of Love and Beauty meets Father Time/The Grim Reaper. This is a super Reality check. All Baby Boomers have been seriously affected personally by the Saturn Neptune Conjunction falliing on their NAtal Pluto’s which started almost a year ago. Issues about female aging, beauty and Crone Wisdom are about to be totally reversed. Valuing elders, your Ancestors will come back to put our forebears in a place of reverence for creating us. ALso a more serious realization that we are the ancestors of the Future Generations, something highlighted n Al Gore’s AN Inconvenient Truth documentary. Saturn rules the Cycles of 7. Every 7 years Saturn makes a Square to the point it was at in the previous cycle. Our bodies totally renew themselves every seven years, in concert with Saturn’s rhythmic cycles. Native American Sacred LAw stated that- “What we do now affects the next seven generations.” This movement has already begun and will continue apace with people leaving jobs they don’t love. Downsizing work to be home with children voluntarily. Venus CONJUNCT SATURN helps us to re-evaluate the Earth Itself, Her Resources, Her Abundance. WE have started becoming more and more aware and we need to stay the course and keep this track ever growing if it’s really going to “grow corn.” August 10th -14th, from Philip Sedgewick-Venus, back in self-oriented Leo, joins Saturn at the foot of the throne of the regal fixed star Regulus, standing across the sky from the talented and process-oriented black hole, Cygnus X-3. The unique Cygnus black hole system functions within a 4.8 hour orbital period. Venus wants what she wants. Saturn seeks to bring excellence into form and desperately aches to restore quality of life. Regulus reminds us to give ourselves the royal treatment – that is, the positive royal treatment, not the onslaught of critical review that can pop up like an annoying Internet ad, just when one is most busy planning vacations. The summary here reminds everyone to take mini-vacations if long term intervals of repose are not readily do-able. At least once a week, chill and do something fun for a time lasting no less than five hours at a shot. When pesky moods creep up, allow enough time – like five hours – to clear them out once and for all such that they do not dog you. On the 23rd, Mars in Gemini opposes Jupiter at 10 degrees + change. Since Mercury also Squares the lunar South Node, it’s a darn good time to repeat “What have I learned?” going back to April. But don’t repeat any actions that failed to produce optimal results. Mars in Gemini prodded by Jupiter asks for “give me more, more” and to give it all you’ve got. Mars in Gemini is a frying pan for the brain, multitasking like crazy but stay aware and prioritize. Mental energies will be very high flying in Never Never LAnd,don’t squander them, but apply persistent intentions in order to finish the race. As August wanes, the Sun sails into Virgo’s earth harbors or is that arbors? Venus opposes Neptune on the 25th, both retrograding. Alternately wear and then take off those rose coloured glasses and make a dewey eyed review of how it’s supposed to turn out. But beware that big pot hole, called the rut of regret. Venus will turn direct on September 8th and again opposes Neptune on the 20th. Just in time for the balance of night and day – the equinox – Venus and Neptune step forward and issue Passports to Shangrilla/dreams fulfilled land at that time. Astrology Updates July 23-29 by Tara Greene Copyright Tara Greene HILITES OF THE WEEK July 23 SUN ENTERS LEO- 1:00 am EDT Moon in Scorpio till the 24th July 27 VENUS GOES RETROGRADE @ 1:226 pm EDT July 29 Full Moon in Aquarius @ 8:48 pm EDT ALL TIMES EDT unless otherwise indicated VOID OF COURSE MOON TIMES THIS WEEK {when not to initiate anything} July 24 6:30 am Moon goes V.C. from Scorpio July 24 Moon enters Sagittarius 4:29 pm July 26th Moon goes V.C. from Sag. @ 8:13 pm July 26 Moon enters Capricorn 11:21 pm PDT July 27 Moon enters Capricorn 2:21 am EDT July 28 Moon goes V.C. @ 10:23 pm July 29 Moon enters Aquarius @ 9:13 AM We’ll get to the biggies first- VENUS GOES RETROGRADE July 27- @ 1:26 pm EDT-Sept 8 This is a biggie! Venus travels backwards in the skies for the 1st time in over 18 months. Do you remember what happened last time? Venus rules everything that’s nearest and dearest to most people’s hearts- relationships, values, love, beauty, money, luxury, peace, harmony, and let’s not forget music and the arts. So her Retrograde movement will significantly change all that, our buying habits and social patterns over the next 6 weeks or so while she’s Retrograde. We have an opportunity to resolve unfinished business in relationships and artistic endeavours. Venus Retrograde-Odalisque by Ingres The cosmos as Venus goes Retrograde July 27 2007 @ 1:28 pm EDT Venus won’t get back to her retrograde station point again until Oct 11th when relationships, values, dating, shopping, etc. have had their complete make-over. So we’re really talking about a 10 week period here of re-evaluating our primary basic relating and consuming habits. Venus’s prescription,Rx in Virgo asks us to become more discerning, less judgemental and perfectionist-a very Virgoan trait. Venus begins her Retrograde period in earthy practical nitpicky Virgo @ 2 degrees 57 mins.to be exact, which she entered on July 14. Venus will boogie ass backwards into dramatic royal heart-centered Leo on Aug. 8th and re-evaluate all the love given in your life, all the fiery pomp and circumstance, ALL THE DRAMAS, pride, courage, will and big kid at heartedness that Leo has to offer. Venus Retrograde in Leo in the natural 5th house house of love affairs asks us to be more authentic, valueing from the heart, not the head, {Virgo} less willfull and egoistic. A re-evaluation of DRAMA becomes DARMA, meaning true unselfish service. O.K. not spelled actually correctly but phonetically and by the power of the pun it works! It might feel a bit strange to be limiting or reticent in our hearts during the Retrograde phase combined with the usual expansiveness of Leo-very much like driving your heart vehicle through a major urban traffic jam having to alternatingly put your brakes on. EXPECT SIGNIFICANT REVAMPING OF RELATIONSHIPS! Most of them will be significantly overhauled or dropped upon more diligent scrutiny. I got a call from a man on the 23rd asking me what I thought about Venus Retrograde and how it would affect his sad love life in the near future as he had his Venus in Virgo and Retro to boot at birth. I told him that Venus Retrograde natally is always a karmic signature of repeating relationship patterns and repaying lovers and loved ones through lessons one hasn’t learned yet {from past lives}. We all have those lessons to learn but Venus Retrograde at birth points out that this is a major life lesson that absolutely must be worked on and resolved. Vensu Retro at birth usually bodes ill for relationships if you are unaware and unconscious but with diligent work it can be made to really clear the decks. Yet I said I thought that it was hopeful time for him as he is having a “Venus Return” a symbolic New Moon, a new phase, a new birth in love relationships and that he would definitely be in his familiar element when Venus Goes retro in Virgo and that that would be good for him. I compared it to people with Mercury Retrograde nataly who I observe do very well when Merc. goes Retro by transits. Significantly enough he told me that he has been an alcoholic for many years and just a few weeks ago went to A.A. and stopped drinking when a relationship broke up rather than falling into that familiar pattern. I wished him much luck and blessings. My advise to him and to everyone during this Venus Rx is to review all significant love relationships and work related patterns and of course health and diet routines and values during this time in order to really reap the Venus revamp rewards. We will all have immense scrutiny and discipline to accomplish this not to mention great heart and will. There is also an element of re-evaluating work, our daily routines & health regimes with Venus in Virgo and of course our love for the Earth whose harvests’ we depend on to stay alive. We must do what we love and what we want to harvest from now and also to see love as work, as a discipline. THIS IS a biggie for the stock market which has been soaring lately! It is especially symbolic that Venus is reviewing values coming out of Virgo who wastes nothing and lives very frugally on a very tight budget using only what she needs and then re-assessing Leo royal flair, the big show, the bling, bling, bigger cars, diamonds, palaces, etc. etc. With the more recent consciousness shift that primarily America and significantly the First World Countries waste and use up most of the World’s resources this Venusian Retrograde bodes very well for a HUGE consciousness shift to only using what we need, becoming aware of just how much we waste in this instant, throw away culture, this macho-mine is bigger consciousness-yes, you suburban bleach blonde Goddesses in your SUV’s -this means you. When Venus Re-enters Virgo we will all be more entrenched in the daily routines of recycling, reusing, and living a much more basic down to earth existence. If we don’t volunteer our awareness to the task well then Saturn’s entry into Virgo on September2nd will do it for us and if you think you can bluff it in this big poker game called Life, remember that Saturn always wins! Saturn will be in Virgo till 2010! Restricting and limiting the harvest of the Earth. Yes food, and basic resources that we need to keep us warm over the upcoming fall and winter will be drastically reduced. SO be the wise ant now and meticulously store away the necessities of Life and be not the foolish Grasshopper who fiddles away the summer making merry music with total disregard of the upcoming winter. The cosmic Landscape changes a lot during Venus’s Retrograde period. See chart- Overview of this Week- July 24th after all the dramas over Harry Potter, Ron, Hermionie’s, “you know who” and everyone else in the Wizarding world’s fate Now exposed since Sat. the 20th at 12:01 am and the usual intensity of Scorpio Moon, we get to optimize while Moon enters Sagittarius. Jupiter is still Retrograde in Sagittarius as it has been since April 6th so Sagittarius fire is reflecting now and a bit held back, being raked over the coals so to speak. As a double Sagittarian myself Sun + Moon + Mercury at the Galactic Center, I’ve been feeling good with Jupiter in my home sign as all Sagittarians ought to be, but I am reflecting and reviewing how I use my words, search for truth, higher goals and of course planning trips and workshops. The Only significant planetary aspects this week are: Mars SQUARE NEPTUNE @ 7:10 m on the 24th Mars in Taurus squares Neptune indicates practical solid acts of spiritual and artistic significance but can also drain energy in wasted dreams. Moon Conjuncts JUPITER on the 25th @ 12:26 PM This is a feel good one. Book that trip, buy a lottery ticket, sign up for a workshop that expands your mind. MOON CONJUNCTS PLUTO July 26th @ 8:13 pm Deep intensive inspired feelings tone is connected to the Galactic Center. This aspect will re-evoke the July 17th FIRE THE GRID, the world wide meditation held around the world commemorating Pluto’s exact conjunction with the G.C. again. So do do some meditation at this time as the Moon goes Void of Course after this aspect until July 27 @ 2:21 am EDT. That’s 5 hours and 8 minutes of pure inspirational letting go of the past and going into the heart of the souls’ journey from the Galactic Center and into Futurama. MERCURY TRINES URANUS @ 11:25 PM July 28 Amazing inventive ideas, communications, revolutionizing awareness about spirituality. Expect to hear about a new breakthrough in cosmic mysteries. Hey E.T.’s where are you? Your timeline is running right down to the wire here. FULL MOON JULY 29th 8:48 pm Aquarian Full Moon asks us how do you want the world to be? How can you share in bringing awareness and revolutionizing the old power structures into a Oneness with all humanity? Jupiter Mr. Big is Trine the Sun and sextile the Moon bringing optimism, creativity and bodasiousness. Jupiter has been Retro since April 5 and will station Direct on Aug. 6th. Get the final re-evaluations and judgements down now and be prepared to act on your mission soon. Letting go of old beliefs and outworn philosophies enables us to fully engage in following that arrow of higher truth. Venus is kinds of dancing a wide cheek to cheek with Saturn the Cosmic Cop now from mid-June to mid October {within 16 degrees}. Highlighted during this Fullness are issues around self-esteem and commitments. Venus Retro is re-evaluating how can we be more loving to ourselves and others. Plus SATURN TRINE PLUTO- STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN Saturn Trine Pluto brings discipline,limits, structure and helps build a “stairway to Heaven” Song written by Jimmie Page and Robert Plant There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold And she’s buying a stairway to heaven And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed With a word she can get what she came for Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure And you know sometimes words have two meanings In a tree by the brook there’s a songbird who sings Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west And my spirit is crying for leaving In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees And the voices of those who stand looking Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune Then the piper will lead us to reason And a new day will dawn for those who stand long And the forest will echo with laughter And it makes me wonder If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow Don’t be alarmed now It’s just a spring clean for the May Queen Yes there are two paths you can go by but in the long run There’s still time to change the road you’re on Your head is humming and it won’t go in case you don’t know The piper’s calling you to join him Dear lady can’t you hear the wind blow and did you know Your stairway lies on the whispering wind And as we wind on down the road Our shadows taller than our soul There walks a lady we all know Who shines white light and wants to show How everything still turns to gold And if you listen very hard The tune will come to you at last When all are one and one is all To be a rock and not to roll Woe oh oh oh oh oh And she’s buying a stairway to heaven There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold And she’s buying a stairway to heaven And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed With a word she can get what she came for And she’s buying a stairway to heaven, uh uh uh. And how symchronis is that!!!! Rock stars are archetypal messengers don’t you know. There’s a reason! FUN “STAIRWAY” FACTS: · As of January 7, 1991, “Led Zeppelin IV” had been certified platinum 10 times ten million copies sold. · Released on No. 8 1971 the song is as of this date almost 36 years old. * Stairway to Heaven” remains the biggest-selling sheet music in the history of rock. An average hit sells 10,000 to 15,000 copies. “Stairway to Heaven” has sold more than one million copies. * “Stairway” is still played 4,203 times a year by the country’s sixty-seven largest AOR (album-oriented rock) radio stations, according to trade magazine MONDAY MORNING REPLAY. How many times has it been played since it was released? ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers,refuses to release exact figures, but here’s a rough guess: Figure that on each AOR station in America, the song was played five times a day during its first three months of existence; twice a day for the next nine months; once aday for the next four years; and two to three times a week for the next fifteen years. There are roughly six hundred AOR and “classic” rock stations in the U.S., which means that “Stairway” has been broadcast a minimum of 2,874 times. At eight minutes per spin, roughly 23 million minutes – almost forty-four solid years — have been devoted to the song. So far. SATURN CONJUNCT FIXED STAR REGULUS a.k.a. ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL In effect under the Full Moon,Saturn Trine Pluto with Saturn sitting right on the degree exact on Aug 6 at 27 degrees of Leo/Sagittarius. Around 27 degrees of Leo sits the Fixed Star Regulus, one of the 4 Royal Stars, markers of the Arch Angels. Regulus is the Star marker for Angel Raphael, the healer placed in the North. This Royal Star marks the Heart of the Lion. Regulus Fixed Star -the Heart of the Lion Archangel Raphael/Fixed Star Regulus Raphael’s name means “God Heals.” Archangel Raphael is the archangel that supervises healers and healing for all Earth’s population. It’s sensible for everyone to call upon Archangel Raphael for his help in healing. Ask Raphael for help when you are in any kind of pain, whether it is physical, emotional romantic, intellectual or spiritual. He will somehow inspire you with sudden ideas and thoughts giving you just the right information to help the healing. Pay attention to and then follow these angelic answers to your prayers. When asked for healing assistance, Raphael surrounds and nurtures people with the EMERALD GREEN LIGHT of his halo. Green is the color of healing and clairvoyant people may see emerald green sparkles when Raphael is around. Except for situations where the person’s death or illness is part of their overall divine plan, Archangel Raphael will energetically supply whatever is needed to promote healing. It’s important to note He will not always swoop in and heal everything right away. He could let you know that your negative thoughts have created this illness and to get rid of it, you must change your thinking. Hand over old anger to him for cleansing in the light. When this anger is gone, you will feel much more at peace and the effects of rage and anger in your body can be healed. Raphael coaches and motivates healers whispering instructions into the ears of doctors, surgeons, psychologists, nurses and other caregivers including scientists. His intervention helps scientists in making breakthroughs in medical cures. Ask for Raphael’s participation to promote healing in rocky marriages, addiction, grief and loss, family relationships and stressful lifestyles. Simply say his name or make a specific request: “Archangel Raphael, please come to my side and help me feel better about [issue]. Please surround me in your healing energy and guide my actions and thoughts so that I am healed.” Raphael is also the archangel in charge of travel. As you check in at the airport, ask Raphael watch over your luggage, the plane and your travels. Raphael and the traveler angels and can control airplane turbulence, give you directions when you’re lost, keep a leaky tire inflated and prevent your car from running out of gas (for a while anyway!). Ask Raphael to smooth the way in all your travels. Don’t forget to thank Archangel Raphael and the ange for their help! Michael, the healer placed in the North. This Royal Star marks the Heart of the Lion. Regulus Fixed Star -the Heart of the Lion Archangel Michael PRAYERS TO ARCHANGEL MICHAEL His name means, “Who is like God” and is also called The Prince of Light. He is very large and holds sword. His halo is cobalt blue mixed with purple. You may see sparkles of these colors when he is around. He’s Greatest Warrior Angel of all—the protector and guider of light and love. He helps eradicate fear and infuses people with courage. He will intercede for you instantly particularly when a situation is interfering with your life purpose. Archangel Michael is in command of all Lightworkers! Michael will help bring a peaceful end to fights with family member, loved ones, neighbors, agencies or even strangers. Archangel Michael clears negative energy when asked. Before you enter a crowded mall or area, ask Archangel Michael to clear the negativity. He can take negatively minded people (both living and deceased) to the Light of God so that their minds can be healed. Call out to Archangel Michael for his assistance whenever you feel negativity. He can clear negative energy from any space (including your mind and heart)—ask him to clear the energy in your home, office, car, etc. This is especially beneficial after arguments or other negative situations. You can ask him to clear your friends and family as long as you have their permission. Whenever you feel afraid or uneasy, mentally say, “Archangel Michael, please protect and calm me now.” If you are in an unsafe place or neighborhood, ask Archangel Michael to be your angelic bodyguard–to escort, guide and protect. In fact, you can ask Michael to be permanently stationed by your side so you’ll always be safe under his powerful protection. Just mentally say, “Archangel Michael, please be my guardian angel in all directions of time. Thank you.” And it is so! Archangel Michael is who you call when you want to remove negativity and fear from your life. Layers of negative attitudes and limiting beliefs can be cleared and released energetically when you receive an angelic soul clearing. ARCHANGEL MICHAEL, LIKE UNTO GOD (Saint Michael Archangel, Angel Michael) The Archangel Michael is the closest to the Lord in the Jewish scriptures, for his very name means “Like Unto God.” As the eldest Archangel, he is given captaincy of all of God’s natural phenomena, including rain, wind, fire, snow, thunder, lightning, and hail. Michael is believed by many Jews to have appeared to Moses as the fire in the burning bush and to have led Daniel from the lions’ den. In the Christian Bible, Michael is said to be the Angel who told the Virgin Mary of her approaching death. According to Muslims, Michael’s body is covered with fine hairs and each one, like a tongue, implores the Mercy of Allah on behalf of sinners. As the Archangel of battle and defender of Heaven, Michael is said to be the Patron Saint of policemen. Additionally, because it is said in the Book of Revelations that Michael will lead God’s troops against the dragon and his angels at the final battle, many people seek the aid of Michael against wrong-doers on Earth and all people in need of protection from crime or from physical or spiritual enemies may petition the Archangel for help — and many have reported benefits from keeping an Angel Michael novena candle burning in the home. The picture of the Angel Michael at the upper left on this page is taken from a Lucky Mojo brand Catholic novena candle label. The picture at lower right is from an Italian Catholic holy card in which the Archangel is referred to as “Saint Michael Archangel,” a typical example of Catholic appropriation of Jewish Angelology. FAmous paintings of Michael depict the powerful spirit-being Michael Archangel as an armed and battle-ready defender of Heaven and Earth against the eternal enmity of the Adversary. Because of Michael’s eminent position, holy cards, religious chromo prints, pewter holy medals and aluminum wallet cards, candles, and anointing oils bearing the likeness of this archangel have long been available in the marketplace. These are used by spiritual practitioners who wish to keep the image of Michael before them as a simple adjunct to their prayers and devotions. It is said that those who light a novena candle to the Archangel Michael and recite the 91st Psalm will be under his protection as long as the candle burns. There are a total of seven Archangels according to ancient Jewish beliefs — one for each day of the week. The four best known are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel (Oriel) — and in African American hoodoo folk magic or rootwork, two of them are associated with a powerful natural curio called Angelica Root or Archangel Root. Archangel Michael, the eldest, is used with Angelica Root as a defender of women. Archangel Gabriel who is concerned with the announcements of pregnancy, is allied with this root in its role as an herbal tonic for women’s reproductive health. Here is a short excerpt from my book Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic in which help is sought from the Archangels: BAY LEAF For Victory: The LAUREL wreath was an ancient symbol of triumph, and so folks brew Bay LAUREL tea into which they dissolve Crown of Success Bath Crystals. This spiritual bath is poured over the heads of supplicants while praying for victory in sports, politics, and war. Folks also say that if you take three fresh BAY leaves and with ink write the Names of the Archangels Michael,Gabriel, and Raphael, one on each leaf, then wrap and tie the Name- Leaves in white cloth and carry them, you will win in sports contests. (Why the fourth Archangel, Oriel (Uriel), is left off, i do not know, except perhaps because he was not among the Archangels who appeared to Abraham.) Also from the book Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic comes this old-time conjuration of Saint Michael Archangel for protection from evil: Home Protection Packets: In New Orleans, conjures used to sew small cloth packets filled with GRAINS OF PARADISE and glue or crochet a holy card of Michael the Archangel to them. These were sold in pairs, one to be placed at the front door and one at the back door, for the protection of the home. It is my hope that the following prayer to the Archangel Michael will be of use to all, and will find service among those who request the intercession of this great and powerful heavenly being. PRAYER TO ARCHANGEL MICHAEL For Protetction from Evil Great Archangel Michael Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke our enemies, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell the Adversary and all other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen. When a divine spirit grants your wish, it is customary, to give an offering of some kind in return. Because Archangel Michael, Who is Like God, Bulwark of Heaven is generally depicted as the protector of the weak, it is considered appropriate to make a contribution to your local police force or community watch program, or to a shelter for the victims of violent crime, as a thank-offering. Sabian Symbols for this Full Moon fit in brilliantly with the COSMC ILLUMINATION Sun @ 7 derees Leo – “The constellations of stars shine brilliantly in the night sky; the power of basic spiritual values which refer to man’s common humanity and to all ENDURING ARCHETYPES.” –ha! STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN IT IS! Moon at 7 degrees of Aquarius- “A child is seen being born out of an egg; the emergence of new mutations according to the great rhythms of the cosmos.” The world is changing, we are changing. A new cosmic archetypal being is hatching, we are all part of this new birth.