Happy Thanksgiving.

In less than an hour I will partake in the traditional family dinner at my aunt’s house. She is one of the few people I know who really takes pleasure out of the 1950′s homaker role and enjoys the cooking, preparation, and the company of family.

And I am only too glad to help out by enjoying of the company and the holiday eats.

I just finished reading Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food.

He argues that what most Americans eat is no longer food in the truest sense, but a conglomeration of highly processed grains and oils, with flavorings,  and preservatives added in to prepare food-like substances that travel well, have a long shelf-life, and trick our bodies into wanting more and more, but don’t substitute for the nutrition lost from the real thing.

To achieve this, the items found on our plates, fresh from the heavily designed packaging, are products of a long industrialized process that separates us from real live plants and animals that are grown in living soils and healthy diets.

As a result, Americans have never been so sick. Our rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer keep climbing. Even with an excellent health care system (for those with decent insurance or flush bank accounts), can’t undo all of the damage of our diets.

He states that the choices of the food you eat is much more than selecting from a supermarket’s bounty. Large industrial agribusiness production not only has separated us from the sources of our food and also resulted in the shrinking of choice. Go into a supermarket and you will only find one kind of broccoli, even if you can find it served up in all kinds of combinations. Other effects such as cruel conditions for animals grown for human consumption.

The result of agribusiness on produce, for example, is that you have to eat two or three times the amount of a given fruit or vegetable today to get the same nutrition as the one grown in, say, 1940.

So we eat more and we still feel hungry. And it’s likely that the content of your plate is something other than fresh vegetables.

In many ways, the typical American diet and the way Americans consume food reflects a typical harried lifestyle in which we are divorced from natural rhythms.

Heck, even Walmart is opening at 10 pm, on Thanksgiving so that it can snag some more shoppers.

The big lesson you can learn from astrology is that our lives are intertwined with the ebb and flow of the Universe’s rhythms. Just as your day runs more easily when you honor your natural sleep/wake cycle, it runs more easily when you calibrate your activities to Mercury’s cycle of direct and retrograde movement.

Tonight Mercury begins its last retrograde period for the year. Look at it as an opportunity for reflection; a time to reconnect with people from the past, and a time to review what you’ve done and where you’ve been.

I love Halloween!

It is so much fun to step out of your everyday world to don a costume and mask. You can be anyone you want to be.
Then there are the parties… and don’t get me started on the candy. I just LOVE the concept, not to mention the practice, of trick or treating to fill big shopping bags with candy.

But did you ever notice, Halloween is a celebration of death!

How strange. And how wonderful!

Halloween takes place during the time that the Sun travels through Scorpio, a sign concerned with mystery, dying, healing and rebirth. Scorpio pushes us to explore the hidden and the forbidden and look it straight in the eye. Shining light on that which frightens us lightens the fear. So Halloween, by asking us to play and make merry with otherwise fearsome images of skeletons, ghosts and gore is just what the psychotherapist ordered.

Happy Halloween.

No, this isn’t a post about the upcoming winter season…brr, I don’t even want to think about that.

I just want to ask you–what was going on in your life during the last week of January?

Maybe you were digging your car out of the snow. But more likely it was a partner who was the focus of your energy back then.

Astrologers know that during the last week of January that Saturn, planet of structure and consequences, was standing still in that section of the sky we call Libra, sign of partnerships and negotiations.

Issues around partnerships, negotiations were coming to a head then. If you have planets or sensitive points at or near 17 degrees of Libra, Capricorn, Aries or Cancer, you experienced this kind of theme personally in the area of your chart where you find Libra. So it may have been a spouse or significant other if Libra is in your 7th house, but it was a work-related issue if Libra is in your 6th.

Then it moved slowly backward (as seen from Earth) until it did another U-turn in June (at 10 degrees of Libra) and moved forward once again.

Why am I boring you with this detail?

Because Saturn is about to travel over the very point where it stationed in January. And that means that the issues and themes going on then are going to reappear.

The difference, this time, is that you’ve had time to ponder and deal with it, consciously or unconsciously. And if the story-line is now complete, you’ll be bringing that issue to a close.

Look for a shift or an event associated with the themes you were dealing with in January.

Here is an actual example.

This individual does have Libra in her 6th house of work. At the point of the station, Saturn was making a harsh aspect by transit (square) to her Midheaven which deals with career.

She had started a new job recently that required a long training and probation period. During her training period she had to work closely with a training supervisor (Saturn also is associated with authority figures). She found it challenging to learn and absorb the large amount of material and she was struggling. Part of the problem was a mismatch between her learning style and the manner in which the supervisor trained. Relations between the two were strained. Things came to a head during the Saturn station in January when the supervisor had to decide whether she could be allowed to move forward or leave the program.

When Saturn touches your chart, you are tested in that area.

Now Saturn is returning to that point where she was tested. She can expect a development to come up related to her training and mastery of work related skills.

So what was going on in your life in January?

Happy Labor Day!

How appropriate this holiday honoring workers occurs during the time of year when our minds turn towards work–when the Sun makes its annual pilgrimage through humble Virgo.

Two weeks ago, the Sun sailed through its own sign of Leo and we enjoyed the laid-back, dog days of August’s heat and humidity. Not to mention the beach, bar-b-ques and swimming pools.

But as summer waned, the Sun moved into the mutable sign of Virgo, which it does every year in late August and the first three weeks of September.

The summer is clearly waning; darkness comes earlier and a new crispness is in the air.

Most of us think of Labor Day as the swan song of summer. A last chance to go down the shore or enjoy a bar-b-que and bid summer adieu. And that is in keeping with Virgo, which, as the last astrological sign if summer, bridges the outgoing season with Autumn, just around the corner.

Astrologically, Virgo is the perfect follow-up to Leo. Leo entices us to create, express ourselves and have fun. Virgo pushes us to take the raw creation of Leo and polish it up to make it useful and practical. To do that we have to get down to business–to get serious, to work.

And the calendar complies. In Philadelphia where I live, tomorrow is the first day of school for public school students. And for many of us, the holiday is a wake-up call to get down to business and put the shoulder to the grindstone. When you celebrate summer’s end and then buckle down to the work in front of you, you are making great use of the energy of Virgo.

This time of year, in the northern hemisphere, is the traditional time for harvest. So it is an excellent time to take stock of the time and effort you have expended in the year-to-date and assess what has come of it. Perhaps it is that reason that Virgo is associated with accounting, when we take an account of our efforts.

But Labor Day has a rich history, designed to honor the labors of all those who keep the trains running on time, police our streets, staff our hospitals, and keep business enterprises humming.

Labor Day was a creation of the Labor movement. First proposed in 1882 by the Central  Labor Union in New York, it was adopted by 23 states before being made a national holiday by Grover Cleveland, running for reelection as President of the US who wanted to appease workers after a period of bloody labor strife. Although I doubt he was aware that the first weekend of September falls squarely within Virgo’s domain, it is a delicious coincidence.

It was a time when the industrial revolution while bringing progress, created great wealth for a select few and terrible conditions for many. It was a time when striking was illegal and those who protested against those conditions were frequently met by gunfire from police and the National Guard.

Today, the gains of those who work for a living are again under attack. Since Pluto’s entrance into Capricorn in 2008, coinciding with the economic downturn, many people have lost jobs and find it difficult or impossible to get employment. Those who do have jobs, are more cautious, knowing that job security is no sure bet even in formerly secure sectors such as government. Up to a third of the workforce, according to the Freelancers Union, work outside of a formal employment arrangement as contract workers, freelancers, temps, self employment, etc, and have no access to traditional employment benefits such as paid vacations, group health insurance and unemployment.

As a mutable sign, Virgo teaches us the benefits of adapting to change, a trait we will all need as we find our way during these times of great change.

Tensions are high and tempers flare today and tomorrow as Mars sets off the Uranus/Pluto square.
It is a time for upsets and breakdowns, but maybe a breakthrough or two.

Keep the acetylene torches packed and out of sight and just chill.

Today Mars squares Uranus–watch for crazies on the highway and chill if you tend to be accident prone.
Tomorrow Mars opposes Pluto; buried resentments erupt out of seemingly nowhere.

But for the creative and enterprising, this period is a time to burst through blocks.
It is also a time when great strides can be made if you are doing deep inner work.

Everybody loves Leo, right?

Leos are charming, fun, magnetic. Until they’re not.

Any sign is hard to live with when taken too far and every sign has a shadow side. But Leo can be a doozy.

If you’ve ever run into a pompous, overly self-important blowhard you know what I mean.

But sometimes Leo’s excesses are more subtle. OK, maybe not so subtle. After all, Leo, by design, is in your face.

I’m thinking of a few Leo/5th house types that I know that have crossed the line.

To protect the guilty I will pull them into one composite character that I will call Mia.

At first glance, Mia is engaging, charismatic, until you notice she has sucked the air out of the room with her depiction of, yet, another endless drama.

It wouldn’t be so bad except you can’t get a word in edgewise and there is no such thing as a short conversation. You get the feeling that she really doesn’t care much about what is going on with you. Unless she has recruited you for a role in her drama and then you are caught in whirl of intrigue that saps your time and energy until you extricate yourself.

The anecdotes are entertaining enough at first, but even the most casual relationship requires a semblance of give and take.

In one breathtaking example, a Leo psychic told me of a vision she had of me that is supposedly to take place several years in the future. Then she confided that she would be there herself playing in a starring role. Huh?

A drama in a theater can be great entertainment. And some are well worth the ticket price.

And from time-to-time every one of us will be caught in a drama of our own.

All I ask is a little consideration for the audience.

Everybody loves the astrology sign Leo.

After all, Leo is associated with the Sun; with summer.

That’s the time of year we get to play. After all, it is much too hot to do much of anything else except go down the shore. At least if you live north of the equator.

And the sign Leo is all about play, children, self expression… it is about getting in touch with your inner child. And, so it smiles brightly on the arts, all of them. Not to mention games, gambling, and parties.

Yes, it’s party time.

And who doesn’t love people born with Sun in Leo or a heavy Leo emphasis in their chart? At their best, they are cheerful, charming and magnetic, drawing people to them like the light of the Sun draws its planets around it.

No wonder Leo is associated with royalty.

At its best, Leo sends the Sun’s light to those around it, uplifting them and cheering them.

Yesterday, as the moon entered Leo in the wee hours of the morning to join the Sun in that sign later in the day, I awakened with a dream.

I was walking along the beach in Key West. The sun was full and bright, the winds were gentle and turquoise waters were lapping at my bare feet as I walked on the warm sand.

Oftentimes the environment will reflect back the astrological conditions of the sky. A headline, a topic on the radio, a snippet of conversation, and also a dream, will sum up the astrological zeitgeist.

The dream reflected the warm beams of a benevolent sun.

It is the benevolent beautiful beams of the Sun that fill the image of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot card, The Sun. Underneath a child, bare of any pretense, holds his arms out to revel in its warmth.

This child as childlike. Direct and playful.

Last evening I attended an improv performance. There, in a small theatre, improv teams of two were bathed in spotlights as the audience reveled in their shenanigans. Leo at its best and a good time was had by all.

Being a fire sign, Leo is passionate. Its passion is shown by the Tarot card, Strength.

Here, passion is shown by the lion, Leo’s astrological symbol. Passion channeled can be a mighty force. And Leo, a fixed sign, has staying power.

“Pursue your dreams” is the message. Or as the late Joseph Campbell said even more literally, “Follow your passion.”

After all, there is no shortage of self-help authors, coaches and other advisors to beseech you to reconnect to those things that were your passionate pleasures as a child as a means to find happiness in your adult life.

Follow your passion and from there your path to self-actualization.

What do you find to be fun? What comes easily to you? The answers point to your sources of passion.

Comments?

Mercury is the most underestimated of planets.

After all, he moves so quickly that when he greets a planet or sensitive point in your chart, you may just notice an uptick of activity that seems part of the normal ebb and flow of ordinary life.

But then, he’ll go retrograde and then even folks that know little more about astrology than their sun sign will rant about him.

Mercury rules functions of the mind–how you take in and process information, how you learn, how you think, how you strategize, how you communicate, talk and write. Your view of the world and your place in it is formed in large part by the way Mercury functions in your chart.

In Greek mythology, Mercury was known as Hermes–it was the Romans who gave him his name ‘Mercury.’ Hermes was known as the messenger. He did not act on his own, but at the behest of the Gods.

He was son of Jupiter, king of the Gods, and Maia, Goddess of clouds. There are many stories of Mercury acting as guide for people traveling through dangerous domains. He is best known as the guide of dead souls to Hades and so is known as the patron of travelers.

But he is also known for his tricks and his reputation as trickster made him a patron of thieves.

In Tarot, Mercury is associated with The Magician. When poorly placed in a spread, the card can indicate someone too glib for his own good or not to be trusted.

Certainly it seems that Mercury is particularly prone to trickster behavior when he is moving retrograde.

The Rider Waite Smith Magician card shows The Magician arm raised in the air, other arm pointing down, using his focus to manifest all four suits: cups, swords, wands and pentacles.

A lesson can be learned. When you take what is envisioned in your mind’s eye, bring it down to earth through focus (and appropriate action), you can manifest your dreams.

Mercury in trickster mode warns us that the tools of communication can be used for deception. Perhaps, as Mercury is wont to act up, as it often does in its retrograde phase, the lesson is to pay attention.

Mercury will turn retrograde form August 2nd through August 26th. It is now slowing so you may already begin to feel its effects. I will be speaking about Mercury retrograde in my astrological overview of August 2011.

Join me on Wednesday evening, August 3rd at 8:30 pm Eastern and get a heads up on August and learn more about Mercury the trickster.

If you want to understand what makes you tick, look to the planets in your astrological chart.

The planets represent the dynamic energies that shape your character and describe the ease and challenges you face.

Each represents a different component of your personality. Its sign will describe how it expresses itself and it location in your chart – its house – will describe the area of your life it is most strong.

Lastly, the relationships it makes with other planets and the patterns they form describe how well they ‘play together.’

Astrologers work with 10 planets.

The Sun and Moon, the seat of your consciousness and ego, and unconsciousness and instinct, are very central to shaping the person that you are.

Mercury describes how you process information and communicate. Venus describes your sense of style and how you attract what you need into your life.

Mars describes how you go after what you want and need, handle anger and passion.

Jupiter shows the place where you find faith and hope. No matter how rough it gets, you always have Jupiter.

Saturn describes your backbone. It describes structure, limits and discipline–how you incorporate it and how it is imposed on you. It is also the place of your greatest potential.

Uranus is where you are truly unique. It is where your genius lies.

Neptune is where you seek transcendence and also where you create illusion and find disillusion.

And, last but not least, Pluto is where you can transform, truly heal and be transformed.

There’s much, much more. You can learn more by joining me tonight at 8:30 pm Eastern, online, in the first of a four part class, as we explore this fascinating subject. If you’ve ever wanted to understand astrology on a deeper level than the sun sign column in your newspaper, here’s your chance.

Check out The Planets now and open up a whole new understanding of how and why you tick.

Do you remember the children’s rhyme?
“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

The idea was to enable children to deal with those who would taunt them. And which child was never the butt of teasing?

But as Mars moves into Gemini tomorrow, I can tell you that words can hurt. Remember the propaganda stirred up by some Hutus in Rwanda broadcasted through radio prior to the terrible massacre in the 90′s?

Propaganda was one of the weapons of the Nazi rise to power in 1930′s Germany. It prepared the path for the Holocaust.

So, not only can words hurt, they can kill.

Mars is the planet of anger and war and Gemini is the sign of words, communication and information gathering. Certainly any trial lawyer worth her salt knows that words can be weapons.

And what therapist hasn’t had many a patient in his office speaking about the damage of ill-considered words.

Could that be why the Tarot assigns the suit of Swords to the element of Air.

Swords represent precision and logic. For that reason the RWS Justice card holds a sword in the air. But first and foremost, swords are designed as weapons.

And never more so than when Mars occupies the sign which it will do until August 3.

Less than 24 hours, Sun moves into Cancer bringing the summer solstice and shining its light on our feelings. Mercury already in Cancer and now Sun coming to that sign signals to you to pay attention to your emotional responses.

It won’t be so easy to hide the damage that words as weapons can cause.

Do be considerate.