Well, first there was that week in February... when a meteor exploded over Russia (and hit ground, too), and a comet (or asteroid, depending on the report) passed INSIDE the orbit of the the Moon, and the Pope resigned on the same day that lightning struck St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican….  Those were symbolically huge events and in other years might have stood out as highlights, but so much more has happened this year that they recede into the background.  My pre-2013 notes were unclear.  Words for early February included changes of power and authority figures, long time associations, and big-money and power plays.  Then Mercury went retrograde on February 23rd, which combined with the Pisces energy of February and March made much of the next month’s news illusory at best.

In March North Korea scared much of the world by declaring that the truce with South Korea (and the USA) from the 1950′s Korean War is now over, and they’re getting ready to launch nuclear weapons at the US.  Remember that the tropical zodiac had a huge stellium (clustering) of planets in Pisces–typically connected with illusions, delusions and lies.  Sidereally this cluster was in Aquarius, indicating North Korea’s status as a rebel against the rest of the world.  Nevertheless, the warning was delivered and received.  Pisces is also related to contagion, and China brought us news of the first deaths from a new avian flu, along with the bizarre news of 12,000 dead pigs found in Shanghai’s water supply, the Huangpu River; and 1000 dead ducks in Sichuan’s Nanhe River.

Also in March, the Vatican selected a new pope:  Pope Francis is the first Jesuit and the first Pope from the Americas.  Though he is conservative on much church doctrine, his care for ordinary people is unprecedented.  In my notes for 2013, I marked March 17 as a day with world healing energy.  Turns out this was the day Pope Francis made his first speech as pope. 

Mid March, Mercury went direct (the 17th) and we not only had a clustering of planets, but the Sun and Mars were in a very long dance together,  with the entire bundle moving, at month’s end, into abrupt, aggressive Aries and building into conjunction with explosive Uranus and a square to death-related Pluto.   

Which brings us to April: For the week of the 15th my notes said “Rage, danger; surprises, shocks.”  The Boston Marathon bombings, the fertilizer factor explosion that devastated the town of West, Texas near Waco, and the ricin letters sent to politicians all took place in that week.  The culprit was the Sun with Mars and Uranus, squaring Pluto–along with a bundle of other planets in impatient and angry Aries.  Uranus and Mars are a formula for explosions, and putting them both in Aries just makes  it all bigger.  The twice-yearly “eclipse season” also began in late April, with a Lunar eclipse in early Scorpio on the 23rd.  Fairly close to Saturn, this tamped down subterranean anger which we may yet see explode on the larger scene.

I’d thought the Solar Eclipse of May 9 would give us another eruption of anger.  Taking place in mid Taurus, the Moon’s exaltation here may have softened the blow, but my notes bring more shocks thru the 13th and a strong likelihood of major flooding between the 14th and the end of June.  There’s cause for optimism around the 27th of May…  and I’ll round out the year in the next newsletter.

BTW, Kudos go to Naomi Bennet, astrologer from Austin, who predicted amazingly high stock market numbers for this spring.  Indeed, the Dow Jones has reached and is holding its highest numbers EVER right now.

Book Reviews:

Vedic Secrets to Happiness:  Life’s Handbook, by Anne Beversdorf, Stariel Press, Austin, TX, 2012.  Softcover—282pp.–$22.95 (ISBN 978-0-9833930-0-9).  Available from: www.stariel.com

In antiquity, astrology was about predicting future possibilities—and preventing them from playing out, if they didn’t look good.  The ancient Babylonians were masters at this, and in India to this day, practices are prescribed to eliminate or reduce the materialization of negative karma.  For the most part, modern Western astrologers have forgotten how to do this—but Anne Beversdorf’s new book may change all that.

To understand how this astrological methodology works, remember that the ancients viewed the universe not as completely material but as deeply rooted in spirit.  They believed that the cosmos has a powerful subconscious mind, much like our own, but existing on a truly vast scale.  If you understand the connections between the archetypes in this universal consciousness, you could reshape reality on a subtle level.  This spiritual science was the basis of magic and of the astrological prescriptions still used in Vedic astrology.

In this stunningly brilliant book, Beversdorf shows how you can design your own astrological prescriptions, based on these ancient principles, “to help you improve life’s good stuff and reduce the messes.”  What makes Vedic Secrets to Happiness so remarkable is that you don’t have to be a Vedic astrologer to experiment with these techniques.  In fact, you don’t even have to know your own horoscope! Beversdorf teaches you how to diagnose the karmic imbalances playing out in your life, how they relate to planetary archetypes, and how to heal them through the heartfelt performance of appropriate actions, rituals, or prayers.  If you’re an astrologer—Vedic or Western—there’s also advice on how to trace the real-life imbalances in your natal chart.

Beversdorf brings back the practical dimension to Western astrology, reinitiating modern practitioners into astrological remedies that are based on insights and techniques preserved in India.  Whether you’ve been reading charts your whole life or are a complete beginner, there’s a treasure trove of eminently useful astrological lore here.

Anne Beversdorf has taught at Indiana and San Diego State Universities, and owned an educational software company.  She practices both Vedic and Western astrology in the Texas Hill Country.  Vedic Secrets to Happiness is one of the most exciting astrology books I’ve seen in years.  It could revolutionize the way astrology is practiced in the West by returning it to its ancient roots.

–reviewed by Linda Johnsen

You can order it HERE:  https://www.createspace.com/3802578

I gave a lecture in two parts:  The first was Embracing Self, and the second wasRemoving Impediments.

The links to these lectures are HERE.

Here’s the link

——————

I have known Anne Beversdorf since 2003. She is an accomplished astrologer with 20 years experience. She says she has read some 14,000 charts and credits time spent at StarScroll 800 as a telephone astrologer for sharpening her skills. She is accomplished with both Western and Vedic astrology, having studied with Hart de Fouw and K.N. Rao, two of the leading Vedic astrologers. Anne has written for The Mountain Astrologer, as well as for many other journals and newsletters, including her own. She has given seminars in the US and abroad. She is the author of Vedic Secrets to Happiness, which at the moment is on my desk. Anne Beversdorf is, in sum, one of the outstanding astrologers of the present day. From long experience, she is sensitive to the needs of her clients, offering insights into psychological blind spots, as well as effective astrological remedies and useful predictive analysis.

Since 1993, I have run the Astrology Center of America, which, since 1996 has been on-line as AstroAmerica.com. I have long been the nation’s leading astrological bookstore. Since 2002 I have published books under Astrology Classics, which now number nearly 50 titles. Since I first got into astrology as a profession in 1986, I have met most of the leading astrologers of the day. I am pleased to count Anne Beversdorf not only as an outstanding astrologer, but also as a personal friend.

————

Wow!  THANK YOU, DAVID!

Click here to listen

The remedies are based on ancient principles from the Vedas, with specifics updated for modern western lifestyles.

Lecture for United Astrology Congress, New Orleans, 2012

Anne Beversdorf

This conversational lecture got great reviews.  It’s about principles of remedy systems and how to improve one’s life with remedies based on Vedic principles.

**

     March has definitely come in like a lion and may not go out like a lamb.  Mars is still retrograde, of course, until April 14.  So the principles of action, assertion, and aggression–all themes of moving forward, are being characterized by awkwardness at best and idiotic immaturity and angry impulsiveness at worst. With the New Moon (new beginnings) of March 8 conjunct Mars, these themes are re-energized for the next month.

   On March 12th, Mercury goes retrograde until April 4. This is more than the usual Mercury RX, because it will be in Mars’ sign, while retrograde Mars will be in Mercury’s sign.  This mutual exchange means we’ll be seeing a lot of screwed up messaging of the sort where one person (or country, or political party) dramatically retaliates against another for something they later discover didn’t happen.  This gets exaggerated big-time by the energies building toward…

  March 13. The 13th brings us a volatile and very exact grand trine.  Trines are an easy flow of energy between planets, and this trine isn’t pretty. Mars (action/assertion/aggression) trines Pluto (the plutocracy, the power bigger than we are, also rage, obsession). Mars and Pluto paired can be extreme violence. And this Mars is more confused than ever because of the double-retrograde connection of Mars and Mercury (miscommunications–possibly dangerous ones.) On this day they both trine Jupiter, which makes things BIGGER.  I hope we aren’t looking at an explosion in the Iraq/Israel/USA situation. We may see other outbreaks of violence.

Here’s the link to the video on this site!

Subject:  Who Are We Becoming…   A Symphony of Symbols.

We are nested within cycles of time.  In addition to the larger patterns, we are also subject to the energy fields of shorter-term cycles, and these all interact to create the conditions of our times.   How will it affect you?  How will you affect our times?   Listen here!

“I went to Anne’s lecture for the IONS group. It was So packed, I had trouble finding parking! And I sat on the floor for part of it (gladly so). Anne is one of our best diplomats — spreading the word — making astrology appealing and palatable to the more general public (although I must say IONS people are definitely more open-minded that the regular general public). Every time I hear Anne talk, I feel validated in my experiences … like I am not crazy, there really is a reason why certain things have been going on. If you read her newsletter, you will find the same will be true for you. Example: my To Do Lists nowadays are empty threats and I often don’t follow through on them (= Saturn’s ways don’t work as well anymore); my “bug antennae” are my best guide for what is to be my next step (Neptune ingress to Pisces).”

WOW!   Thank you, Jeannie!

Here in Austin,

The Dragonfly Gallery, at

4007 Marathon Drive, is hosting its second annual

Holiday OLE Bazaar on

Dec 2, 9:30 am – 6:30 pm.

A large variety of artists and craftspersons will have material you can purchase for Christmas gifts–or just for YOU.  And what’s best, EVERYTHING is $99 or less!

I will have handcrafted baby sweaters, baby blankets, scarves and shawls for sale, and welcome you to come see my stuff and all the other wonderful creations!

Since Neptune entered Pisces last March, we earthlings have experienced totally new and different:  Neptune without the influence of Saturn!   When Neptune, the most ethereal of all planetary influences, was discovered in 1846, it apparently required the influence of Saturn to be brought to earthbound consciousness:   It was discovered at 25 degrees of Aquarius, right next to Saturn, also at 25 Aquarius.

But in 2009-2010, Neptune finally made it’s long cycle to return to the position of its discovery.  Generally, astrologers opine that the “discovery return” is our first chance to really understand an planet, since we are now seeing its cycle in its entirety.  But this time we had THREE returns to that discovery degree–and each of these returns were potently conjunct other planets.

The first, in April 09, was conjunt Chiron, both at 25 Aquarius.  This bound Neptune to the “shock that heals”.   The second, later that summer, was conjunct (at 25 degrees) BOTH Chiron and Jupiter:  Chiron helps Jupiter heal our ability to believe and trust.   The third return was in 2010, and was conjunct (all at 25 degrees) BOTH Chiron and Venus:  Healing our wounded value systems.

But the real shock came this year, when Neptune finally left Saturn’s sign of Aquarius.  Separating Neptune–our deepest spiritual ideals–from the stern taskmaster of Saturn left many of us in a strange kind of limbo–lassitude, an inability to whip ourselves into performance, a questioning of why we do what we do.  Acedia, ennui, the big “whatever” shrug…  how do we reach spiritual ideals without Saturn driving us?

The conjunctions of the return answer the question:  We are shocked into recognizing the false pairing of Saturn “shoulds” with Neptune’s ether, we are shocked into letting go and trusting, and we are shocked into revising our outmoded value systems.   This is a period of free-fall and reorientation, and it’s amazing to see the story told in the skys.

Here’s what the OED says.  There are 2 entries for “influence”.  Here’s from the first entry and the first two definitions:
Word background:  “13th century, emanation from the stars.  4th Century, Firmicus and Pico di Mirandola: The astrological sense: ‘astral influence.’”
Definition 1. “the action or fact of flowing in, said of the action of water and other fluids, and of immaterial things conceived of as flowing in.”

Definition 2. “a.  the supposed flowing or streaming from the stars or heavens of an ethereal fluid acting upon the character and destiny of man, and affecting sublunary things generally.  In later times gradually viewed less literally or as an exercise of power or ‘virtue’, or of an occult force, and in late use chiefly a poetical or humorous reflex of earlier notions. 

“b. The exercise of personal power by human beings, figured as something of the same nature as astral influence.” 
One might argue that these notions (a ‘fluid’ emanating from the stars) are hopeless scientifically outmoded–but actually, new physics are restoring the concept of the ‘ethers’, now positing the vacuum to be a rich medium of energy and energy transference, and some subatomic particles (the neutrino, the tachyon are examples) far exceed the speed of light, and in particle/wave form (fluids?) move through matter emanating from all objects in the universe to pervade all others.

So the next time someone asks you if you REALLY believe the stars “influence” people and things on earth, you can tell them “Actually, that’s the literal definition of ‘influence’.  So yes, by defnition, the stars influence us.”     Wow!

[There are 19 (x2) eclipse cycles and it takes 18+ years (with 2 solar eclipses most years) to cycle through them all.  Saros Series 13 South ENDED 19 years ago, with an eclipse at the North Pole.  Saros Series 13 New South begins on July 1st at the South Pole.]

This is a profound and powerful eclipse chart.  The Sun and Moon are in highly challenging relationship with the Biggie planets–meaning those that have been wreaking havoc and causing change all over the earth these last few years, namely Pluto, Uranus and Saturn.  Overall, the eclipse represents huge generational endeavors, and active world stress.  Bernadette Brady says this eclipse brings the end of long struggles and midpoints involving Neptune and Jupiter bring difficult issues to gentle conclusions.  We can hope so.

This eclipse also happens among fixed stars which ancient astrologers associate with the death of a king.  Countdown for Qaddafi?

These are the dances we must learn to understand the outer planets.   Note:  The nature of Neptune is changing, putting many into a tailspin right about now.   Enjoy the lecture!

I’m a “cherry-picker”.  I use lots of techniques, thanks to computer-generated charts, and I pick up the most blatant and obvious clues from each technique.  By comparing the blatant clues from myriad techniques, you can get a very good idea of upcoming energy patterns, and often, details of specific events, as well.   What’s more, it makes it EASY to use predictive techniques.  We’re looking for the obvious here! 

In this class we’ll use YOUR charts to demonstrate and illustrate the techniques.

Techniques: Transits, Progressions, Solar and Lunar Returns, Graphic Ephemerides, Sabian Symbols, Dasas, and Saturn/Jupiter aspects (also Ingresses, Retrogrades, Eclipses, Pre-Natal eclipses).

Come, expand, and fine-tune your tools for seeing into the future.  Contact me HERE for location and directions.

$15/class or $90 prepaid ($30 savings).  HOWEVER, if cash is tight, don’t stay away.  Payment will be on the honor system, and anything at all will be appreciated.  I love teaching an

The first eclipse in this pattern was June 1st, at 11 Gemini.  In a Solar Eclipse, the Sun is hidden, so we look for a world (or life-event) pattern where the symbolism of the Sun is darkened.  The Sun can represent Ego, Consciousness, Visibility, the quality of direct energy (rather than the indirect Lunar energies).  Eclipse events are triggered up to 2 weeks before and after the event, but the actual day remains significant.  This eclipse coincided with the rather ridiculous news (Gemini) of Senator Weiner’s Tweeter account being hacked with a crotch-photo of a man wearing underwear.  Since direct energy is compromised in a Solar Eclipse, there is reason to believe the “it was hacked” story–the underhanded action of an eclipsed Sun in Gemini.  But it was also a terrible blow to Weiner’s ego, not least in his poor handling of the communication (Gemini).   In your chart, see what house is ruled by Gemini.  That is where something may be cut out or eCLIPsed.

The second eclipse is Lunar, at 24 Sagittarius on June 15.  Here the feminine, subconscious, reflective and indirect energy of the Moon is eclipsed, in the sign of expansion.  We may see lack of reflection  (Moon) as suppressed emotions (Lunar Eclipse) expand without limit (Sagittarius).  Look for the house ruled by Sagittarius in your chart to see where activity takes place.

The third eclipse is the doozy here.  July 1 at 9 Cancer, creating a grand cross involving Pluto, Saturn and Uranus.  Conscious activity (Sun) is darkened as Homelands (Cancer) are irrationally (Solar Eclipse) defended.  Since this plays out close to the Solstice/Equinox Axis Mundi, these events will play on a world stage–except for the events in your chart in the house ruled by Cancer, and also the houses ruled by the other Cardinal signs.

There’s plenty of other stuff being written about this summer–and there are lots of other intensifying events, with retrogrades, sign changes, etc going on…  so hang on to your peace while others grab for their “piece”.

“Dancing with Transcendance: Music from the Outer Planets”

Lecture by Anne Beversdorf for the Astrological Society of Austin

Friday, June 17, 6:30 pm, Austin Texas
Remedy Center for Healing Arts
4901 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78756-2609

The “outer planets” are often called the “transcendental planets”.  Their energy is undeniable in the lives of those who have opened their awareness to CHOICE.  These energies mediate between the fixed fate of the material world, on the one hand, and the gods’ (or OUR) abilities to negotiate everyday reality on the other hand.  But this choice only comes with awareness.  You only get the choice if you know their dances and don’t get caught in their traps.

There are two major shifts happening right now.  One is big and frightening (which doesn’t mean Bad) and the other is subtle and possibly confusing.  Most of us are aware of the Pluto dances (see Anne’s article in the June/July The Mountain Astrologer magazine).  An equally powerful but far more subtle dance is with the other-worldly and imaginative Neptune.  The world is changing here as well.

All of the transcendental planets are highly active in the sky these days, which means that all of us are feeling their influence.   The wiser we are in dealing with these dance partners, the better the future we invite.  Come engage in the dance!

($7 members; $10 non-members, to support ASA)

Jupiter, or Guru, is the planet associated with the greatest good fortune. Each of us has Jupiter in our birth chart, but not all of us have great good fortune. This is where Upayas, or Astrological Remedies can be a valuable supplement to yagya participation (which you can do very inexpensively at puja.net).
Ganesha is the remover of obstacles in the form of a deity, while Jupiter is the planetary form. In order to be successful, obstacles to getting started, and obstacles to success must be eliminated. As a general rule, befriending Ganesha is a good idea and the most simple Ganesha mantra is: OM Ganapataye Namaha. The mantra for Jupiter is OM Vrim Brihaspataye Namaha.  Repeating one or both on a regular basis is a surprisingly powerful discipline. You can do 108 repetitions once or twice a day outloud or mentally.
The principle of planetary remedies is to do activities that give you more of what you want and less of what you don’t want. Jupiter’s primary difficulty is “too much of a good thing”, so we don’t often think of difficulties with this planet. However, too much of a good thing can definitely bring difficulties, as you’ll see below.

• The qualities of a strong Jupiter/Guru:

Growth and expansiveness, mildness, soft-heartedness, humanitarian and spiritual outlook, wisdom, optimism, faith, geniality, generosity, joviality, humor, idealism, good judgement, nobility, benevolence, fruitfulness, bouyancy, good relation with father, teachers.

• The qualities of a weak Jupiter/Guru:

Obesity, liver disease, diabetes, difficulties with children or difficulties conceiving children, lymphatic and circulatory congestion, ear problems, difficulties with teachers, difficulties with educational opportunities, overconfidence, overindulgence, extravagance, immorality, greed, “always right” attitude, immodesty, overly optimistic, tendency to entertain false hopes, carelessness, debts, bad speculations, bad judgement.

• To improve your Jupiter:

It is best to do Jupiter activities on Thursday because it is Jupiter’s day. You don’t have to do all of the remedies. Start with something easy that appeals to you, and add more later on as you feel motivated to do so. The important thing is to get started and then be consistent. So, on nine consecutive Thursdays,

1. Light a yellow candle, surrounding it as many of the following that you are able to; yellow flowers, gold, saffron, pictures of great teachers or your father, and spend a few minutes repeating the Ganesh or Jupiter mantra before it.
2. Gold is the color of Jupiter, so give yellow or golden colored objects to your father, a respected teacher or spiritual guide.
3. Spend some time being artistic using imagery of the divine (eg. Ganesha) or use stories about your father or great teachers, as your inspiration.

If you start this now, it won’t be long before you see an increase of good and a decrease in difficulties related to this planet. Good luck, and remember to have fun with this.

Why now?  As I’ve said before, the astrological pattern:  Three slow and powerful planets standing on 3 corners of the “cardinal cross” are literally changing our understanding of time.  These planets are all crossing, back and forth, over the points in the sky where we have soltices and equinoxes.  Solstices and equinoxes literally mark the changes of seasons:  They are how we keep time on earth.   They Mayans may say this period will be “the end of time as we know it”, and the planets now are telling us seasons are changing, the way we think of time is changing.   We can’t go back to “how it was.”   We can only discover the beauties of a new normalcy that hasn’t yet been born.

We’re in labor now.   Think of the course of a pregnancy:  usually the beginning is a lot of fun.  The pregnancy itself is literally an expansion period.  Mom eats more, her body signals her to rest, there is anticipation of great change and the discomfort of growth.  But Mom can’t just keep getting bigger and bigger.  There will come a day when the pregnancy ends, and usually that means some level of discomfort.   Labor, especially natural labor, is a difficult and  painful process.  It comes in waves, and often women fear they are about to die.  Some do.  But life can’t continue without this process.

In a fractal sense, the earth, the solar system, the universe, all go through similar processes.  The earth may buck and heave, people may shout and fight, the old, overgrown, too-large systems begin to break down.   And what is the result?   Something new–the new child, the new vision, a new social arrangement–that requires work and dedication, but which all agree is worth it.   The new life we are preparing to nurture will be worth the travail of birthing it, and worth the work to bring it to maturity.

Should we rail against the excesses of the dying age?   No.  No more than we should rail against the excesses of pregnancy.   That too, was part of the process.   And for the dear soul who worried that the pain of birth is woman’s punishment for Eve’s transgression…  I think not.   If giving birth were as pleasant as an orgasm, this earth would have been overrun with humans to die off in horrible plagues many more times than we’ve experienced so far:  my guess is that total plaguedom would have hit us about every 80 years, which is more trauma than most of us want to inherit.

We are the midwives of the process.   Our job is to watch the waves of change break over us and recede, keep adapting to the changes of the last series of pains, prepare ourselves for the next shocks, until we see the beginning of the new.   We will never “get back to normal”  because “normal” is in the process of change.  Our children and grandchildren will have enough time in the new arrangement to get a sense of “normal”, but our job is to keep riding the waves.

Wow. Let’s analyze this.

First, we are dealing with the soltice/equinox points:  Aries is the first of these points–the degree of the spring equinox.  Solstice points are the Axis Mundi– the axis upon which the world turns–the four corners of the world..  Appropriate to this symbolism, the 9.1 Japanese quakes actually moved the earth several more inches off its typical axis.

But the quake actually struck when Uranus was at 29 degrees and 59 minutes of Pisces.  Why was this such a big deal?    Let us count the ways:

1.  It’s as close to the Axis Mundi as it could possibly be, so that’s plenty.

2. 29 degrees is an “unstable degree” and Uranus is the least “stable” of all planets.

3. Uranus was in Pisces, a water sign ruled by Neptune  AND   Neptune was in Aquarius, the sign ruled by Uranus

4. AND Neptune was at 29 degrees of Aquarius.   So with both of these at 29 degrees of each others’ home signs, one of the planets long associated with instability in a water sign, and the other long associated with the ocean in a sign associated with ‘shaking things up’…  we had a perfect storm.

5. And one more thing–the Moon, the most visible object in the night sky, was very close to it’s first quarter position, long considered the position of ACTION.   It was also approaching one of the Biggest Full Moons of 20 years (because the Moon will be unusually close to the earth this time).

So can we rest now?   I’m sorry, but we can’t.   On March 19, the Full Moon will be at perigee (closest to earth) at 29 Scorpio, the sign of the underground, the underworld, the hidden.   And this powerful Full Moon will exactly conflict with Neptune (exact square), still at 29 Aquarius.   Uranus will still be on the Axis Mundi.   Unstable degrees, a powerful Moon, and a powerful Uranus, sharing MARS rulership (conflict, fire, explosions) with the Moon (both Scorpio and Aries are ruled by Mars, which is in watery Pisces).

There’s a lot more going on in these charts, but this plenty to paint a picture.   Uranus will be at the Axis Mundi until March 28, but will return to this degree later this year, resting at that specific point between 11/11/11 and 1/8/2012.   I particularly cringe at the 11/11/11 date, not because those numbers are astrologically significant, but they are VERY psychologically significant, and may prompt some unusual behavior even without Uranus’s help.

Gee.   I hate to end this post on such a dire note.    Right now the only thing I can think of are a couple of platitudes:  True, but not new.   But it’s still important to remember that these earth changes are course-corrections.   We are in the process of long-needed change, and as stubborn as we humans are, we often neglect to make change until there is no longer choice.   … or to mix our metaphors here, we are in the birth-pangs of a new age.  Birth is sometimes long, difficult, and painful, but the results evoke the most profound love we know on earth: that of a mother for her new-born child.   We are getting ready to welcome the child-form of a new era in human history.

Saturn went retrograde on January 26 this year, and will not station direct until June 12-13 (depending on where you are in the world).  Why does this matter?  Planets are stronger when retrograde.  KN Rao teaches us that retrograde planets make aspects from their sign and from the previous sign, meaning they will give twice as many aspects when they are retrograde.  And a strong planet is not necessarily a good planet.  It is stronger to do what it will, whether that be good or bad.   This year’s Saturn station was particularly strong.  Saturn stationed in Virgo, Mercury’s sign. If we use Virgo as Lagna, all four angles are occupied.  Mercury, Saturn’s ruler, conjoins Rahu in the 4^th, with Ketu in Gemini in the 10^th.  Saturn is very strong, and Mercury is very weak.  Saturn will overpower Mercury:  Authority and Power will overcome Thought for the period of this retrograde, and all will carry the weight of Saturn.

What do we generally think about Saturn?   Well, usually it’s not good.  But Saturn does offer some gifts and it must be respected.

Here are qualities of Saturn when it’s strong in a positive way:  Authorativeness, discipline, responsibility, conservatism, practicality, realism, durability, constancy, consistency, perseverance, prudence, frugality, endurance, industry, thrift, power to keep secrets, stability, self-control, dutifulness, faithfulness, chastity, ability to concentrate, longevity.

Here are problems that come from Saturn being strong and bad:  Pain—especially bones, muscles, ligaments, joints, teeth; diseases due to coldness, consumption, paralysis, chronic illness, bone diseases, eczema, timidity, diffidence, anxiety, fear, bad dreams, poverty, instability, shame, delays, humiliation, inhibition, loneliness, isolation, depression, mental or physical rigidity, stinginess, disappointments, resignation, melancholy, suspiciousness, doubt, difficulties, laziness, lethargy, idleness, tendency to be easily discouraged, sorrow, misfortunes, death, and excessive use of the “good” expressions—e.g., too much discipline, authority, etc.

So if you are experiencing too much Bad Saturn or not enough Good Saturn, you must befriend this greatest of all visible planets.   The easiest way to befriend Saturn is to ask Puja.net to do Saturn pujas for you, but you can also take action yourself.  The principle for propitiation is to give a Saturn-related item to a Saturn related person or place on nine consecutive Saturdays.

For example, you can give your TIME and visit the elderly, shut-ins, or prisoners on Saturday, bringing them dark-colored foods (think coffee or rye bread) or purple flowers.  Or you can give these things to a homeless person on Saturdays, or feed crows dark seeds or rye bread.   You can light a dark blue candle on Saturday morning, surrounding it with pictures of old people, grandparents, laborers, renunciates, and with purple flowers, rye seeds and blue stones.  Take a few moments to recite at least nine Mrityunjaya Mantras, (see Mantras under Astro-Remedies) or spend two minutes repeating Om Nama Shivaya.    You will be surprised at how quickly the situation begins to improve.

March 3, 2011; 6-8 pm at the Unitarian Church Gallery; 4700 Grover Avenue; Austin, TX

Featuring Thirty Five Miniature Tapestries by Anne Beversdorf  (including five brand-new ones).

Please come to this modest reception, bring your friends, nibble and drink, and enjoy the first opportunity anywhere to see ALL my unsold works in one place!

These tapestries, are made of silk and metallic thread and embellished with beads, faceted gemstones, and freshwater pearls.  They depict sacred images adapted from medieval imagery and other sources from Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions.  Each image is smaller than a piece of typing paper and takes an average of 400 hours to make, with over 500 stitches per square inch.

This WAS a shock.  Barbara was only 69.  She was taking medication for high blood pressure, but there was no medical concern about imminent death.   Her kids said her greatest fear was a long period of incapacitation.

At the gathering, I heard more.  She called 911 herself, and after the ambulance came, she was intubated–a breathing tube was inserted down her throat.  She clearly indicated that she wanted it OUT, and it was removed.  She died before reaching the hospital.

Of course, I’m questioning the accuracy of the details, repeated secondhand.   But the point was, Barbara feared incapacitation worse than death.   And quite possibly consciously made a decision to die rather than start a series of medical interventions.   And there’s good reason for that.

Thanks to the false use of the phrase “death panels” and the propoganda against “killing grannie”, old people have even more to fear than if the original health coverage plan had been allowed to pass.  The personal cost of health care for the aging and infirm, and the difficulty these people have in simply getting through the day without help, makes dying a pretty attractive alternative.  At what point does it all become Just Too Hard?  Almost no one has a pension anymore.  And social security is again being attacked.   Most people are in the position of hoping they do NOT live long lives.

It shocks and saddens me to hear friends tell me they’d rather die than face the financial and personal catastrophe of too long a life.   THIS is the country I no longer recognize.