Skypatterns Skytalk

The Winter Solstice has been marked and celebrated for all of recorded history. This day is when the sun will be at its most southern point in the sky for the year, giving us the shortest day and longest night of the year.After the solstice, the sun begins its return to the north and daylight hours gradually increase. Indigenous cultures and pagan religions see this day as the day to go within and recreate ourselves after shedding what no longer serves us. Then grand celebrations bring in the light of the new coming year.

This year the Moon is having a Full Lunar Eclipse at the same time.
The eclipse will begin at 1:32 a.m. and last until 5:02 a.m. The moon will be completely in shadow from 2:40 to 3:54 a.m.This is happening for the first time in 456 years! The last time the two celestial events happened at the same time was in AD 1554, according to NASA.

The 2010 Winter Solstice is an astrologically significant solstice for several reasons. The Solstice is not determined by the state of the moon, the full moon does not happen on the Winter Solstice very often. This makes the date of the 2010 Winter Solstice especially significant.The 2010 Winter Solstice is not only a full moon, but it is also a full eclipse. This is when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, hiding the sunlight and casting a shadow over the moon. Starting at 1:33 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Tuesday, the Winter Solstice Eclipse will cast an amber/red shadow over the moon, rather than an entirely black shadow that will block out the moon The eclipse is considered full at 2:41 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The best view of the full eclipse will be about 3:17 a.m. EST on the Winter Solstice. As a bonus, the Ursid meteor shower peaks on December 22, so some of the Ursid meteors may also be seen during the eclipse.

The lunar eclipse on December 21st, 2010 occurs at 29°21′ Gemini, a Mutable sign, with the Sun in Sagittarius, another Mutable sign (remember, the Sun and Moon are always opposed at a lunar eclipse, since it’s a Full Moon). There is information to be delivered, as Gemini’s ruler is Mercury, and Sagittarius ruler is Jupiter. Informing us that knowledge is power, this stellar event can awaken us to the balanced order of the Sun and Moon in concert on the Solstice.

Astrologers have been speculating on the results of the movements of the planets in these prophetic times. When planets go retrograde, it is a review of the body of knowledge and experience the planet effects. We have a chance to go over lessons over and over again to get them right.

Uranus, as already mentioned on prior articles here, is the planet of AWAKENING. It shows us where we have self imposed limitations that keep us from living life fully. It provokes us to change through sudden events or unexpected occurrences. It has been moving back and forth from the sign of Pisces into Aries, and then retrograde back in Pisces again. This is big, as Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, and Aries begins again.

So, here we are at the end of the age of Pisces, reviewing through the next few months what that all means until it moves in Aries next March 11, 2011. Pisces governs the subconscious and unconscious, so expect more awakenings that release trapped energy. We feel things so deeply in Pisces, so with the direct motion coming December 5th, we are moving forward again with our realizations, and choosing what is best for our spirit. Wherever you find yourself procrastinating you may be kicked out of your wait now, so be proactive for the best results.

Coupled with Uranus moving direct is the New Moon in Sagittarius on the 5th. New beginnings, new opportunities, plant those seeds in your intention now, and expect the unexpected!

I’ve been interested in ghosts and the paranormal since I was a little girl. I am so impressed with the new breed of ghost seekers, those who go out with the equipment and spend hours in different locations trying to collect data to prove the existence of what is usually invisible and silent to the naked eyes and ears.

I’m also interested in what makes some people seek out the paranormal, and others to pay no attention to that part of life. I decided to choose 3 of my favorite ghost hunters to see if there were things in common in their charts that might lead to a better understanding. The three I chose are Jason Hawes of GHOST HUNTERS, Ryan Buell of PARANORMAL STATE, and Zak Bagans of Ghost Adventures.

I found that each of them is a Cardinal Sun sign, which means the astrological sign ruling the first month of a season. Jason is a Capricorn, Ryan is a Cancer, and Zak is an Aries. Cardinal signs are leaders, pioneers, paving the way for those who follow them.

They all have Fixed Moon signs as well, which means the astrological sign ruling the second month of a 3 month season. Jason’s Moon sign is Taurus, Ryan’s Moon sign is Aquarius, and Zak’s Moon is in Scorpio. Fixed signs are solid and steady, so others look to them for their strength and determination. Fixed Moon signs give a power to keeping the emotions in check.They are 3 very different people with common threads that inspire the courage and dedication to prove we are not alone.

I have each of their charts up on the “Famous” page of my website, so you can read about each of them and find those common threads. Oh yes, and another thing, there is no data for their birth times that I can find, so if anyone finds it before I do, please share it with me!

Today the planets Venus and Jupiter end their retrograde cycles, bringing us all back from reviewing and moving forward again. Doesn’t this photo look like a smiling face? Jupiter, Venus and the Moon share the joy as the planets go direct motion. Jupiter’s retrograde cycle began July 23, 2010, and ends today, November 18th.

In the last article I wrote about Venus Retrograde and what it means. When Jupiter is retrograde, it’s dramatic growth potential is turned inward. We look at ourselves honestly, taking inventory of ourselves and our lives, to see if it is a true reflection of our souls purpose. Studying philosophy, religion and metaphysics in order to gain a deeper understanding of life and your part in it was time well spent during this retrograde. This is especially true as Jupiter is in the sign of Pisces, a very spiritual water sign with the potential of bringing us home to our true selves.

Depending on where Jupiter is transiting your horoscope, and what type of aspects it makes to your natal planets, decides the effect it has upon individuals. Well, that review is over, now what we’ve gained from this time period is put into action!

Venus, the planet of love, values, cooperation and harmony is retrograde. You’ve probably heard about Mercury Retrograde, but other planets have retrograde cycles as well. About every 18 months, Venus goes retrograde, meaning her transit around the Sun slows it’s normal orbit.

Just what does this mean? Whenever a planet goes retrograde, it is a review period of that planets meaning. Venus retrograde indicates there is difficulty in projecting feelings. There is a reevaluation and a reliving of past emotional satisfactions. The feeling is a lack of emotional fulfillment, which encourages us to review what has worked, and what doesn’t regarding our love, values and relationships.

Venus is in the sign of Scorpio, dredging out the deepest feelings here. Over these weeks, our relationships with women (Venus=Feminine) in partnerships, and our sensitivities will be the source of our growth. These relationships can have a fated quality, deep and rich in give and take, and show us where we stand with each other. Take the time to really review your piece of the puzzle within your relationships, and be ready for transformation.

Every day the planets and luminaries change, making for great moments, and daily challenges. As I sat down to look at the horoscope created by today’s placements, today being October 17th at exactly 9:07 AM, I notice the Sun in Libra is exactly conjunct Mercury and trine the Moon in Aquarius. Today we feel we have the support of our family and of others in our environment for our creative efforts and personal goals, which enables us to act with confidence.We are able to satisfy both our need to be an individual, and our need for caring relationships and a sense of belonging.

We are in harmony within ourselves and are therefore effective individuals. Good day for communicating to those we love!

For those of you who haven’t already been watching it, Jupiter is the second brightest luminary in the sky now, second only to the Moon. Look to the east, and there it is!

The stargazers have been out in numbers, looking through their telescopes, watching this planet as it’s been hit with many asteroids. What a stellar show!

Earth-Jupiter encounters happen every 13 months when the Earth laps Jupiter in their race around the sun. The Earth and Jupiter do not orbit the sun in perfect circles, they are not always the same distance apart when Earth passes by. On Sept. 20th, Jupiter was the closest;75 million km closer than previous encounters and will not be this close again until 2022.

It’s wonderful to look into the sky in the evening and know what you are looking at. This one is easy, head east, and WOW!

The moment of change from summer to autumn is called the Autumnal Equinox. The Sun enters 0 degrees Libra the first moment of Autumn. This year, 2010, that occurs September 22nd at 8:09 PM PDT.

The Sun in Libra usually brings in balance, harmony and compassion. This year, the Sun joins a stellium of planets creating a wide T-Square, continuing the lessons of the last two years. For the upcoming week, we can all consider how far we’ve come in resolving our fears, leaving unwanted habits and patterns behind, freeing ourselves from the ties that bind us. The Sun illuminates, brings light to the dark, encouraging us to move forward through compromise and cooperation.

The planets are aligning with the Moon this afternoon to create a more powerful square and opposition. We already have Saturn square Pluto and opposite Jupiter and Uranus as the big effect. Today we can add to the list the Moon, Venus and Mars in a stellium (all grouped together), bringing more to this already difficult time. Venus, the planet of love and values, and Mars, the planet of energy and action in Libra with Saturn bring us all lessons regarding our relationships to each other and what these planets represent. But, add the Moon and it gets emotional.

So, when the Moon goes into early Cardinal signs, Libra, Capricorn, Aries and Cancer, it puts a difficult spin on this T-Square. It is something we can all be aware of and use the time in between these cycles to get grounded from the prior lessons whiplash. The Moon changes signs every 2 1/2 days, so we can look ahead to see when this will occur. This month of August, we have Libra Moon this afternoon at 3:42 PM PDT through tonight, as it goes out of effect with this T-Square, then again August 19th when it joins Pluto in Capricorn for the day, then again August 26th in the evening it aligns with Uranus and Jupiter in Aries into the 27th.

Watch these dates for button pushing events to force you out of your comfort zone into your own learning curve. It’s at these times we need to stay open and willing to see how we operate, whether on auto pilot or consciously. Good luck to us all, as this is a grand opportunity!

Astrologers have been looking forward to this time in history. We have speculated what the planet’s influence would bring in these “end times.”

We’ve all been watching the world changes for years now, whether they be changes in weather with tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and life altering seasonal changes. Or, changes in the economic patterns around the world. Or, changes in the consciousness of mankind.

Now, with Jupiter and Pluto in an exact square to each other, teaming up with the Saturn Uranus opposition, it’s all out war for our souls. Will we survive the battle and renew ourselves under the stress of these energies, or surrender and possibly die? It’s as if we are being torn to shreds, and like the phoenix, must rise again from our own ashes to fly to greater heights.

What is being called for in these difficult times is flexibility. We are being called to action as a species to change. We are being asked to let go of our attachments, our addictions, our patterns and security and walk into the darkness unafraid. It takes true courage and strength to truly let go and CHANGE. Obama knew when he was running for his presidency that the mantra of CHANGE would be his battle cry, as we felt instinctively that it was time for a new world, where freedom truly rings. The age of Aquarius is about freedom, and in order to change as a race of humanity, we must let go of what limits us in order to be free from it. We all have our work to do, and the planets in this configuration will have it no other way!