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by Terry Lamb

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New to astrology? Read on and ignore the technical bits. There's plenty here for you too! Why don’t I write horoscopes for each sign?

AUGUST PROVED ITSELF TO BE much as suggested in my August forecast, much to my relief. There was more activity, some movement. If it wasn’t conclusive and all-releasing, it was at least adequate. September brings even more release and release. We now have two legs to stand on.

The hush we experienced in June and July was an economic death-and-rebirth. And there are glimmers of light: Home loans are quietly being approved again. They are not troubled if a person has a foreclosure on record after two years; what they are looking for is proof that the buyer can make payments. Some real estate markets are still in free-fall, and a few are crashing to 1970s values, but in many inventories are falling as escrows are being allowed to close again. Regardless, many people are still in economic pain (and others in survival mode), but we will most of us make it through. We are more upended when we are attached to our position on the economic ladder.

Fuel prices are (temporarily?) down. Legislators have a bead on the loopholes in current laws that will rein in speculators. Even if nothing is permitted to pass during this legislative session, next year may look better for setting such common-sense limits, depending on the outcome of the election.

We still have to stay focused on the changes that need to be made in our lifestyles. We can’t go back to the old ways. On a recent Bill Moyers’ Journal, Andrew Bacevich spoke about his book, The Limits of Power. This book and its writer gives a good dose of the old-style Saturn! His viewpoint was very much “this is the way it is”, and it was grim indeed. Although a conservative, he offered some praise for President Carter, who was moving the country into a realistic awareness of our economic and energy reality. If the powers that be had only been ready to embrace that awareness instead of suppress it in so many ways, we would be in a much different position now.

This is, however, water under the bridge and worth considering only as a cautionary tale in our present and future decision-making. Bacevich was unflinching in offering his blunt perspective, but it was unusually pessimistic, and he offered no solutions — the perfect image of negative Saturn!

However, we know that this is not all there is to reality. There are other planets, and another side to Saturn. Yet, we are likely to experience more of these jolts over the next few months as Saturn and Uranus move into contact with each other. This is the Big Story of late 08 and 2009. On some level, there is a deconstruction and reconstruction of reality happening. Around the world, people are coming to terms with the limits of the resources we currently rely most heavily upon. The key resources are oil and other fossil fuels, but other resources of concern are potable water and food commodities that are being diverted for use as biofuels. Over human history, most conflicts (all?) have been due to squabbles over resources. What is today’s ho-hum substances was yesterday’s flashpoint. Look at salt: It was once as valuable pound-for-pound as gold! That’s because it was used to preserve food. Much of human effort was spent in pursuit of salt, including wars and conquests. Once we found other ways to preserve food, salt became less valuable. The same can happen with the fuel resources we have been relying on.

The Iceman Cometh . . .
It may be uncomfortable to consider (one of Saturn-Uranus’s earmarks), but we could experience some inconvenient truths during this time, both globally and personally. We will feel Saturn’s icy fingers on our shoulder. However, it does not follow that these will all be uncomfortable truths. Uranus brings the breath of fresh air that we all need at moments when we think a situation is beyond repair or recovery. Just when we think it’s over, we observe a stirring of new life. It’s not likely to be revived in a form identical to its old one, but it will come to us in the way we need, and it will often be in a form that we could never have dreamed up on our own.

This is why we have to keep ourselves open to that small window of the improbable, because this is when it will reveal itself to us — at the last minute when we think all is lost. To detect it we have to let go of preconceived notions. We have surrender to the moment, and we have to be flexible when it makes itself known.

I know several people who have had incredible good fortune recently, and they were following these guidelines. Another thing they did is to work with Saturn: They put in the hard work— often years of it with great suffering and no assurance of success.

Our discomfort level is directly related to two things: our lack of foundation in preparedness for times of change; and our attachment to a specific outcome. Preparedness is not just having enough food and water on hand for the odd earthquake. It also means participating in a community, having a mindset that is not easily shaken, and maintaining skills that others value so that you can help the community survive a challenging event.

Let me assure you that I have no inkling of the need for such skills in the immediate future. However, there are every day places in the world where such challenges are being faced When it is our turn, wherever we are, we can be ready.

In the meantime, we can expect Saturn-Uranus to be felt in the US election campaign. There are likely to be all kinds of ups and downs and unexpected news, even for an election year. One way that Saturn-Uranus plays itself out is as a struggle between the revolutionary/innovative and the status quo. Certainly we can see these qualities being projected onto the candidates. This can be noted not just in the presidential race but in congressional and other campaigns as well.

. . . to Build a Rainbow Bridge.
If you look at Chart A, you’ll see that Saturn is some degrees away from opposition Uranus (across the chart from each other). It won’t be until November 4 (Election Day!) that the first of their five contacts reaches perfection. The reason I bring this up now is that we are feeling it now. While the faster moving planets are in Virgo, we will be getting a strong dose of just what Saturn-Uranus will bring. Each time a fast-mover contacts Saturn, it will be hours to days away from reaching Uranus as well. The fast-movers will carry Saturn’s energy to Uranus in what is called “translation of light”. This proven phenomenon will show us what’s coming as they go through their paces in tandem over the next two years.

Here’s what happens. They connect as follows:

                        Nov 4 2008     18°58' Virgo/Pisces

                        Feb 5 2009      20°39' Virgo/Pisces

                        Sep 15 2009    24°43' Virgo/Pisces

                        Apr 26 2010   28°46' Virgo/Pisces

                        Jul 26 2010     00°25' Libra/Aries

However, with Mercury, Venus, and Mars well ahead of the Sun, we experienced some of what’s to come in July and August. In all three months, they are (were) triggered as follows:

In addition, the Moon triggers Saturn and Uranus once a week, while in each of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces). This occurs on the weekends through the 21st, then slips back to Friday-Saturday.

We can expect the unexpected (be open and flexible) during these times. We get our first wake-up call as to what is coming from September 3 to 12, when the Sun contacts Saturn, then carries light to Uranus. Although we will have had contacts to the dynamic duo before then, the major ones that come in early September will be the most substantive and tell us the most about what we will experience in the next two years.

There is a build-up of energy before, and at the end of August, from the New Moon, I noticed an escalation of the Saturn-Uranus energy. Barack Obama — youthful, innovative, and iconoclastic, may seem to own the Uranian moniker. His speech on the final day of the Democratic National Convention had the soaring rhetoric and resounding repudiation that a rebellious Uranian might have. Yet his message of idealism in the midst of realism blended the two planets’ energies successfully, even masterfully.

However, with the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate, Republican hopeful John McCain sought to get on the Uranus “cool and hip” bandwagon. Her social conservative credentials intact and no negative (or indeed any) record to undermine her, the right-wing Republican base poured millions into the campaign coffers over the weekend. Quite a Uranus effect!

The collective decision that voters make in November will be a referendum on how well the nation is grappling with the paradox that these two planets symbolize. The whole world is watching and learning and hoping there is a good lead from the US to follow.

Turnabout Is Fair Play.
The Sun is the laggard this month, as the other fast-moving bodies have already made it into Libra, ahead of the Sun. However, as is inevitable, what comes up must come down. Mercury turns on its tail and reverses direction on the 24th. Although late in the month, its slowing down process results in unusual planetary interactions, as its position in the sky creates a very high number of triple contacts that begin on September 7. The fact that Mercury has two traveling companions makes the entire retrograde experience, from September 7 to October 29.

It is fascinating to ponder how the timing and placement of this Mercury retrograde will be felt in the election campaign. In Obama’s chart, it falls in his 9th house, suggesting that falsehoods or actual ineptitude in handling foreign policy may prove a challenge to him. However, since it trines his Aquarius Ascendant and makes no difficult contacts to his natal chart, it should not be greatly troubling. See the chart at left.

In McCain’s chart, Mercury will cross his Ascendant 3 times and make difficult contacts to his MC/IC axis, the part of the chart that governs winning and taking the lead. McCain may either lie or be lied about (or both). Falsehoods from his campaign may backfire in the media and among the public. Critical days for McCain will be the 8th and 14th, before the retrograde begins but presaging its impact. See the chart at right.

With Mercury in Libra, the retrograde is about fair play, especially in communication and the media. The contacts with Mercury’s entourage, Venus and Mars, add spice. One element of this season will be “false appeal”. We are wise to look beneath the surface before making choices during this period.

The core issue underlying all this is the question, “What do we need to do to profoundly and irrevocably heal ourselves?” This has to do with a cultural and global wound, as well as our individual woundedness. We’ll get a chance to see inside the global psyche and see how our individual perceptions are twisted by misinformation we’ve been given since birth (even in previous lives) and throughout history. We have the opportunity to discover how the story of human life on Planet Earth has been contorted to fit the purposes of the winners, and relearn history in the light of what really happened. To begin this re-visioning process, explore works by John Perkins such as Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World ; the economic insights of Ravi Batra [www.ravibatra.com]; and the probing intellect of Thom Hartmann [on Air America and on line at www.thomhartmann.com].

The healing process relates to the Chiron-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius that is still in its formative stages (perfecting next year). I’ve written frequently about this to tease out the subtle but profound shift that it is urging us to fulfill. Mercury will bring this to the forefront during its highlighted period. We will get to integrate it more fully into our understanding (Mercury/Moon), our relationships (Venus/Mars), and our lives (Sun) as Mercury connects the dots between these planets and those in Aquarius.

Did I say that this is all harmonious? Incredibly, we are experiencing trines and conjunctions for this process. This could mean that we ignore the signs and symbols, but if we pay attention, we’ll benefit greatly. We have a chance because Mercury will be rubbing our fur in the wrong direction. There are two notes of discord in this pattern. The first is the Mercury square Jupiter, which could provide just enough grist for the mill to prompt a beneficial shift in collective consciousness, as well as our own.

The second note of discord is Mercury’s (along with those of the Sun, Venus, and Mars) quincunx to Uranus. Although the Sun’s won’t occur until October, they signal another step in the ongoing adjustment process that brackets the culmination point of any cycle. We’ve been beset by these adjustment processes all summer, as if the planets formed a solid wall against decisive and relieving change. Now that the summer pattern has broken up, the tension is greatly reduced, but we will still gain by being open to adjusting our plans.

Cyclic Changes
What could get lost in the focus on Saturn-Uranus and on the Mercury process, diverting as they are, are the milestones in the planetary cycles that occur this month, with corresponding shifts in energy and focus for us. Saturn’s new yearly cycle starts on September 3, and it is very auspicious, because the Sun-Saturn conjunction trines Jupiter. This begins our yearly round of constructive action. What do you want to build in the coming year and how will you go about it? Don’t feel you have to have all the answers now, but your insights now may be revealing.

Jupiter & Pluto Play Together.
Jupiter and Pluto both return to direct (forward) motion within hours of each other, reflecting a big release of energy in a big area of our life. We’ve been in a useful holding pattern since April-May. This gave us time to complete some essential steps that provide a foundation for new forward motion. We’ll find ourselves where we were in the spring but in a more solid, stable way. This is another step in freeing up the energy that felt very blocked and still during the summer. This brings real relief, but not a return to what we used to call normal.

Love Is in the Air.
There will be moments of real beauty this month if you have a clear view of the western horizon at sunset, particularly around the 11th, when Venus and Mars make their exact contact. Mercury, Venus, and Mars are coming together into a cluster that will be just visible above the horizon at sunset. These planets of love, communication, and courtship are found in Libra, an air sign (hence the pun). Although there are hidden factors to any relationship, and some of those factors will come to the surface during the Mercury period, love is indeed in the air in a positive way. The chart at the top of this article shows this conjunction at sunset.

It’s good to move forward, and for those who are waiting for instructions, the trickle that started in August will come through even more clearly and abundantly in September.

Significant Planetary Events

Jupiter, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are retrograde. Venus is in rulership. Mars and Jupiter are in fall.

All dates are based on Pacific Time.
Blue = harmonious/Red or orange = challenging/intense
Events in bold are more significant.

© Terry Lamb