Out the Comet's Ass

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Monday, July 24, 2006

Just Another Sunny California Day

Sunny Sunny California, Power Lunches, Power Plays, and Power Outages. California's just had a Stage 2 Emergency Crisis due to the recent heat wave. All the Non-profits for Global Warming have sent the college kids out to risk heat stroke and ask for money to save Global Warming. One woman just walked passed a kid today muttering, "It's already here, can't do anything about it."

California: September 9, 1850, San Jose, CA (no time)

Today we have the New Moon in early Leo. This is a strong New Moon because the Sun is in its own sign. That's great for middle of Summer fun, but, apparently this week things are going a little overboard. There's literally too much Sun. Saturn is conjunct the California North Node putting restrictions on our enjoyment of the Sun and it's record breaking heat. Jupiter loosely square Saturn creating tension between supply and demand. Jupiter is also just out of orb of having passed over California's Venus (maybe Moon) in Scorpio opposite Pluto/Uranus in Aries. Uranus governs Electricity and Pluto and Scorpio govern Power.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Oh, It's a Saturday Night, and I ain't Got Nobody...

Tonight I'm sitting alone, laundry's done, and I've just put a TV Dinner in the Microwave ("they still make those?). When I was a kid this was a Saturday night ritual. My parents would go out to dinner, and my brother and I would get to have a TV Dinner. The plate with its four compartments. A place for everything and everything in its place. I could even cook my own. 425 degrees. 25 minutes. There was an intermediary procedure where the tin foil had to be pulled back over the Chicken and the Dessert and the timer had to be reset. And, the Baby-Sitter would come over. This wasn't any babysitter, he was the biggest crush of my childhood. Libra. And so, Saturday nights at my house: TV Dinners, Libra older men and the Jackie Gleeson show. Ah, sweet memories of childhood.

Who invented this thing, the bane of modern organic culture? Well, Swanson denies it but you've got to believe the guy's obituary from 2005 that he, Gerry Thomas, was the Inventor of the TV Dinner. 1954. Wikipedia says he either got the idea from airplane food or army mess camp trays. Dang, who says that two wrongs don't make a right?

So, Gerald Ehrmann Thomas. Born February 17, 1922, Seward, Nebraska. Of course Sun is in Aquarius, the sign of Invention. Sun is conjunct Mercury in Aquarius and Mercury is in mutual reception with Uranus in Pisces. This greatly enhances one's inventiveness and knack for original thinking. In 1954, Uranus had recently trined his natal Uranus by transit.

Food, of course, is ruled by Moon. It looks as if Thomas' Moon was in Scorpio perhaps squaring his Aquarius planets. This would have meant that his Moon was in mutual reception with his Pluto in Cancer. In 1954, Jupiter passed over Thomas' Pluto. He hit the jackpot with his innovation in food production.

For the beginnings of Fast Food one would expect a Mars and Jupiter influence to indicate appreciation (and need) for speed, efficiency, and, of course, impatience. The stars do not disappoint. Sun conjunct Mercury squaring Mars (speed), trining Jupiter (impatience), and opposing Neptune (institutionalization, even poisoning). In 1954, Gerry's progressed Sun changed signs into Aries. 0 Aries, the Aries point which brings a person out into the public eye and the meal with the 3 compartments (well, 4 compartments by the time I got to it) was born.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Denise Denton

The Chancellor of the University of Santa Cruz recently passed away. She committed suicide by jumping off of the 42 story building where her Partner lived in San Francisco. Having lived in Santa Cruz I feel attached to her and can't seem to get her unfortunate Death out of my mind.

In Tribute:

Denice Denton, born August 24, 1959 (no time), El Campo, TX.
Her Biography is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denice_Denton.


Virgo Sun conjunct Pluto and Venus shows a person who feels very deeply, is very much attuned to the workings of Nature and the earth, perhaps a bit compulsive and very competitive. This would be masked under a Reserved exterior because of the Virgo. She may have been deeply insecure about expressing her female side. She wouldn't be comfortable standing out in a crowd. She may have been too much of a perfectionist, expecting too much of both herself and others. This stellium is trining Saturn at 0 Capricorn which would build her further into a strong person but with deep insecurities underneath. 0 degrees Saturn is an Aries point showing that she could become prominent for anything involving Saturnian Professions. It is the same degree Saturn of the famous architect Frank Gehry. It's so interesting that Denton became so successful in a career in Engineering which also has to do with understanding Structures, Saturn keyword. This trine in earth shows a very hardworking person who others would rely on for stability and honesty. It is sextiled by Neptune in Scorpio which could add an hysterical but also psychic quality to the deep earth vibe of the Saturn-Pluto trine.

Also in Denton's chart, Mercury is conjunct Uranus showing mental brilliance. It's in Leo squaring Jupiter which could add a lot of flair to her communication style but also create unrealistic and exaggerated communications. She could have been misunderstand at times and followed as a courageous spokesperson at other times because she could stick her neck out and say what others would be afraid to. At the time of her death Mars was conjunct Saturn within 4 degrees of this conjunction which would could have added to her depression (Saturn) and caused her to think rashly (Mars). Neptune had also been opposing this opposition which could lead to unclear thinking and victimization.

There were a couple of indicators that unresolved feelings from the past may have come back to haunt her in new forms. One was that she was going through her "Half Nodal Return" in Aries/Libra. The transiting North Node was conjunct her natal North Node. This is a time of confusion and for her was connected to politics because of the signs involved. She was having problems with politics at Santa Cruz and would have been stressed to develop more Diplomacy and Strategy skills as indicated by her Libra North Node.

Another indicator, I think, is her Jupiter placement. In her natal chart Jupiter is in Scorpio. It is apex of a t-square to a Chiron (wounded healer) opposition to Mercury-Uranus. It receives the 2 most exact aspects in her chart and so receives prominence: square to Chiron (wounded healer) and sextile to Mars (masculine side). Transiting Jupiter had just passed her natal Neptune which must have brought much idealistic thinking, maybe didn't keep her realistic about what to expect out of life. It is now approaching her Jupiter Return. Often Jupiter is associated with luck and good fortune but in Scorpio, especially when involved in hard aspects, it can bring too much of something, life seems exaggerated. This could have also brought up past insecurities from power plays experienced from the time of her parents' divorce. I'm not sure of the date but Denton's first Jupiter Return was in 1971.

The Moon's placement can't be determined without a time but its aspects would be crucial for realizing Denton's emotional state. In her chart it may be opposite Saturn and squaring Mars, one of those aspects that would be great for anyone in the building profession or sciences but could also bring on depression, especially in a woman who would not be encouraged to express the constructive aspects of Saturn and Mars.

Pluto, the planet of death and crisis was squaring Denton's natal Mars, a very violent transit because of Pluto's slow orbit. This would have attracted much negativity to her in her daily life, especially with her new role as Santa Cruz's top Authority figure. Having lived in Santa Cruz I can only empathize. I now always say there's nothing more hostile than a Peace Activist.

May her Soul find Peace and her Contributions to Science, Education and Feminism not be forgotten.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Fat Man Walking

Steve Vaught walked all the way across the United States. That's a big deal for anyone. Thing is, Steve weighed 410 pounds and he left his house with only $200.00 in his pocket and no cell phone. He had only trained and planned for the trip for a couple of weeks.

Who would do that? Who could? Answer: Sun in Leo would/could/can. Those crazy, crazy Lions can be King of any Jungle.

When you look at Vaught's chart you immediately notice the strong opposition that he has. Many people born in 1965 have it. Pluto-Uranus in Virgo opposite Saturn-Chiron in Pisces. That's crises, revolution, karmic lessons, wounding, transforming, healing, innovation all bound up into one big balancing act. Put the planets in Pisces and Virgo and you add major themes of servitude, martyrdom, spiritual seeking and redemption. Pisces and Virgo also rule health issues so this is the area in life that would be affected by activation of the aspect. This opposition is sextile/trine Neptune in Scorpio on one side and is squaring Jupiter in Gemini on the other side. Gemini rules walking. Jupiter rules long distance travel. Neptune rules a Wandering Nature. Scorpio rules Extreme behavior. And in between there's this constant balancing act to achieve harmony and spiritual balance.

Steve Vaught initially set out to lose weight. But then, according to a beautifully written article in Backpacker Magazine (August, 2006), he found that he had to look more deeply into his traumatic past and his spiritual self. He stopped taking the anti-depressants he was on (Neptune trine/sextile). He left from San Diego, CA on April 10, 2005 and reached New York City on May 9, 2006 and lost more than a hundred pounds (Sun opposition Saturn). Early on he attracted a lot of media attention and a book deal which ended his financial hardship and probably gave needed incentive for finishing the trip. He's become a great inspiration for others and hopes to continue with teaching.

It's not possible to discuss weight problems in a chart without a birth time because you really need the Ascendant and Moon sign to give proper information so I'm only going to discuss the emotional problems which could lead to the weight gain shown from other aspects. The Sun rules one's ego and vitality and so, as is evident here, affects one's health in a big way.

His whole story is so well told by the movement of his progressed Sun through his chart. In 1987 Progressed Sun would have changed signs from Leo to Virgo. Progressed Sun is a great call for a person to change his/her outlook and life focus in order to "progress" one's soul in Life. Each sign improves what the sign before it is lacking but there can be a difficult adjustment period during the initial phase. Some signs transition more easily than others and some people are better prepared to take on the new energies.

The switch from Leo to Virgo is like letting the air out of one's jets all at one time. Leo pumps one up so far, so fast, it's a real gas. Virgo analyzes, discerns what's not real, criticizes, picks apart in order to create a more solid, perfect experience. This would have been an extra major force for Vaught because he has Mercury, ruler of Virgo, right at 0 degrees Virgo. A person who ready to take on the Virgo energy can use it to constructively manufacture a solid life from what he has built so far. If he hasn't reached that level in his life events can happen which bring up many insecurities and he will struggle for a few years while his self learns to adjust to the Virgo tendencies. It seems that Steve's difficult childhood and family issues hadn't provided the securities for the more stable aspects of Virgo. Mercury represents state of mind and communciation style. His progressed Sun would have passed over it at the age of 22 and it seems as if his self-esteem really began to pull out from under him at this age.

According to the article, Vaught dropped out of school at 17 to join the Marines and then married and divorced in his early 20's. At some time between age 25 to 30 Vaught was involved in a devastating car crash in which he killed two elderly people crossing a street. Such an event would have been the pin prick for anyone. It seems he fell apart and began to gain weight during that time and spent a couple of years wandering around, unemployed and lost. His Venus is then a few degrees farther into Virgo so his progressed Sun would have passed over that around the age of 30 (Progressed Sun advances about a degree per every year). This could indicate a new love, even marriage, but I've also seen it show a great depression, even suicidal thoughts. The Sun's presence will magnify whatever it touches. There's mention of both suicidal thoughts and then marriage a couple of years later but I'm not sure how the dates correspond to the chart.

Around the year 2000, the Progressed Sun would have passed over Vaught's Uranus which could have been a more positive time for him emotionally. Uranus rules group activities and new, inventive ways of doing things; things are usually exciting and erratic during these times so that one can't weep too much over the past. Unexpected things happen. At this point he was growing a family and the chaotic nature of family life would seem appropriate. His work as a car mechanic may have been important to his at this point also as Uranus rules mechanical things and technology.

Next Progressed Sun would have passed over Vaught's Pluto, around 2002. Emotional Crisis time. A time to look very deep within and to figure out what's really, really, really, really wrong. Often people going through a Prog. Sun/Pluto aspect simply have to flee from whatever's going on. There's a feeling that something is wrong, sort of a paranoia and mistrust, and there's are a need to search for something with more meaning and depth. Similar progressions happened to both the Runaway Bride when she left her Groom at the Altar and Dave Chapelle when he left his Comedy Show.

At first Steve Vaught realized that his weight was killing him (Pluto rules 8th house of Death) and then he looked further and saw other problems which were equally alarming. This seems to be about a year before he took off on his trip and can also bring Fame into one's life, especially when aspected by Jupiter as it is here.

Progressed Sun then Opposed his Saturn, 2005. Saturn is constricting and represents the father and disciplining behavior. It's great for going on a diet and losing weight but can also lead to a depression. The article states that both issues plagued Vaught during his walk. The article talks about how he grappled with the aftermath of his relations with both his father and his step-father. Relationships and how one relates to others can be tested, must be "taken on," during an Opposition aspect.

The Progressed Sun is approaching opposition to Vaught's Chiron. His book will be out soon and he hopes to teach and inspire others in spiritual and health matters. Nothing could be more appropriate than to have an aspect from Chiron who was the great teacher of many of the warriors of Greece. He was wounded by a jealous God and used the knowledge he realized from his own wound to heal and teach others. Uranus will also pass over Chiron-Saturn which will bring some kind of transitional period into Vaught's life. This could indicate a tough mid-life crisis or it could be a major time for taking a leadership position helping others through some kind of new health or religious teachings.

Steve Vaught's website is www.fatmanwalking.com. The article is called "Lost in America" by Steve Friedman, Backpacker (August, 2006).

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Mercury Poisoning

Feeling like a Salmon swimming up a stream? Well, maybe you've found a new exercise class; definitely it's Mercury Retrograde.

Never begin a blog during Mercury Retrograde. Don't ask me why I'm doing this now.

Astrologers say to never start anything during a Mercury Retrograde. Once, during a Mercury Retrograde I asked a guy who worked at a computer repair store if more computers were breaking than usual and he said "Gee, I certainly hope so. That's great for business." Obviously if I was at the computer repair store I was there for all the correct Mercury Retrograde reasons.

This Retrograde started on either July 4 or July 5 depending what Time Zone you're in. It began at early degrees Leo and has now passed back into Cancer. Actually, Mercury doesn't really move backward, it just appears to move backward from Earth's view point because of its Elliptical Orb. Three times a year it appears to be at a Standstill or almost Standstill as it hovers over an area of about 10 - 15 degrees in a chart.

According to a lecture I heard given by the Astrologer Adrian Duncan Ross, Retrogrades of any planets that begin in early degrees of a sign and move back into the sign before it can be especially trying because we've already experienced the "Full Monte" of that sign and are feeling tired of its energies and just want to move on to the new Sign. So, with this Retrograde we were looking forward to those Leo Energies zapping our communications with awesome flair and drama and instead have to "do more time" with Good Old Cancer. Sentimentality, Memories, Emotional Turbulence, maybe a little Passive Aggression just because we're sick and tired of all the gooey stuff and want to move onto Fun, Drama, the Kids, Snazzy Dressing, Gambling and Speculation. You know, real Summertime Fun. Well, that happens in August so just hold your horses, keep things lazy and mellow and enjoy your boredom. Retrogrades are appropriate for Summer. I'd like to say to be careful to double check for your keys and tickets and leave for important appointments 15 minutes early, but that's not a Retrograde Thing, that's just common sense. Right now, Cancer just doesn't want too many problems or too much change so don't do anything to rock the boat or you'll end up in Detox with Courtney Love (favorite Cancer personality).