going rogue...

So, i finally watched an episode of 24. The show has been on for something like seven years, and I tune in with six episodes left.

Mercury retrograde.

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Anyway, two things I noticed... one, Jack has “gone rogue.” This is very Uranus-in-Aries. It’s like the pirate thing, only with principle (see March 31 and April 1 for more on this). And where do you go when you go rogue?

Off the Grid.

Getting off the grid is big stuff these days. The Simpsons went off the grid (the electric grid) yesterday. Pirates are off the grid, of course. And it is where many people will be heading, as Uranus, the planet of revolution (and eccentricities) moves into Aries.

The only question, for many people, will be “what grid were you on?”

actually,

With Mercury retrograde, I figure this isn’t a bad time to consider some verbal issues, so with my DSL up to something like normal speed some of the time, I thought now would be a good time. It’s actually almost a week into the retrograde period, and I am finding it to be a very tough one.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that I was using a word - a common word - with uncommon frequency. Actually, I was using it in a variety of situations, apparently as a marker in my conversation, a way of saying “this is important.”

The thing is, although I found myself using this word with uncommon frequency, I actually started hearing others using it as well. Was this just a case of my being more sensitive and perceptive to the word, or was it actually being used more? There is probably no way to tell, but I think the word is actually being used more and more, and for the same reason that I am using it - to serve as a conversational marker. Actually, since I have become aware of it, I am trying to use it less.
produce

Here’s another word that has emerged over the last few months: “Conventional” - with regard to produce. It seems that in places like Whole Foods, you can buy either “Organic” or “Conventionally Grown” fruits and vegetables. Dr. Andrew Weil also used this distinction in one of his recent columns, and I have seen it elsewhere as well.

It’s a funny thing, because it makes “Organic” sound so new and special. But the truth is, throughout most of human history our food was organically grown. And while there is no single marker in time when we began using pesticides and artificial fertilizers, we can say that “conventional” farming is far less than a hundred years old. As we have added in GMO foods and irradiation, “conventional” produce has become more and more unconventional.

Just a thought for Mercury retrograde.

variosity

Mercury retrograde is not without it’s serious side, including my DSL working at about 1/3 speed and mail missing from my inbox. The former problem (which appears to be former in the good sense as well as the sequential one) has stopped me from adding to the Astroblog for a few days. It is also causing me a devil of a time trying to make these posts look like I want them to... something somewhere is wrong and I can’t introduce paragraphs where I want them.Today is Earth Day, a holiday with a place in our consciousness about 3 quantum levels below Columbus Day and a smidgeon above Secretary’s Day (but remember, there are very few secretaries around these days). I offer a picture of a burning oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, as a reminder that a bit more attention to the environment might not be a bad idea. Or perhaps I am just in a grouchy mood (although with the moon in Leo, you’d think I’d have on my smiley face)._47696945_009158636-1One more little errata in this unfocused post... it seems I severely misunderestimated the effects of the Aries new moon last week (around the 14th). The moon passing over Uranus and then the sun and moon meeting in the sign which is about to receive him apparently caused more of a stir than I had imagined. No doubt that is a reflection of Uranus’ pending entry into Aries, next month.At any rate, a good number of people felt the tension. Relationship issues boiled up (logical, since Aries opposes Libra, the sign of relationship) but lots of folks had work issues. Interesting....

backpedaling

The volcano eruption in Iceland may have us wondering about the Plutonian forces at work, but the consequences are very Mercurial when we consider the air traffic delays across Europe (click here for the BBC story). Of course, more Mercury retrograde stuff is sure to be coming our way (or is it “becoming our way”?) At any rate, between now and May 11 (or 12, or even 15th), it would be good to back off of activities which require a lot of support from electronics.

In another Mercury-retrograde event, Apple announced that it will delay some international sales of the iPad because demand in the U.S. is so strong. So, you see, the retrograde doesn’t always work against you...


and, of course, I’m having trouble getting this post to look as I want it... so excuse the odd placement of the picture...

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Mapping it out

I’m here in San Jose at the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) Scientific Conference. There’s all sorts of great information available, based on good, solid studies that are taking place.

For example, there is a study showing how MDMA (Ecstasy) can be used to facilitate healing in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Other studies are showing positive results for the use of entheogens (psychedelics) - particularly mushrooms - in patients with advanced cancer and other end-of-life conditions.

Almost a thousand people are here. It depends which way you look... sometimes it appears like any other scientific conference, with MDs and PhDs in slacks and blazers representing universities. But turn your head a bit and it can look like a Grateful Dead concert. All are welcome.
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Our optimism is tempered with a bit of reserve, of course. No matter how good the studies are, and no matter how enthusiastic we are that psychedelic research is (slowly) moving forward again after almost 40 years, it’s obvious that we are long way from having these valuable substances accepted in the scientific and mainstream communities.

A plenary session with Dr. Andrew Weil yesterday afternoon brought that message home. Dr. Weil talked about how the source of research is often more important than the content. He pointed out that a general practitioner figured out that aspirin could help prevent heart attacks back in the 1950s, but it took 30 years until that idea was accepted - when more “scientific” researchers came up with the same idea.

More to come on this interesting conference in the days ahead...

the (Plutonian) week that was

Since Pluto’s station on Tuesday night, the Plutonian news has been pouring in...
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First was the U.S. Appeals Court ruling in favor on Comcast, which said the FCC does not have the power to regulate broadband internet services. Many fear that this threatens Net Neutrality, (click here for a story on this) the principle whereby you have the same access to the Astroblog as you do to any other site. Imagine if “preferred” websites loaded 10x faster than others.

Then, Virginia’s Governor Bob McDonnell revived Confederate History Month, which USA Today called a “noxious tradition which his predecessors had dropped” (Full USA Today Story). Predictably, the Confederate History Month agenda left out slavery, that oh-so-Confederate institution which is the shame of this country. Pluto was quick to intervene, however, and McDonnell had to admit the omission.

Thai protesters were involved in the bloodiest clashes with the government in 18 years. Although there are very deep ideological differences, and so far a different modus operandi we can see in the Thai protests an echo of our own Tea Party movement. More pirates to come, I am sure.

Not one, but two United States representative were threatened for their views and votes on Health Care Reform. Both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington Senator Patty Murray were threatened by yahoos. Murray’s predator threatened to kill her, but we were not told about the nature of the threats to Pelosi. The combination of violent threats with the issue of Health Care reform melds Pluto’s station with Saturn’s retrograde into Virgo.

Unfortunately, we may be seeing more of this type of thing, as we become ever more polarized and angry. The rogue energy of Uranus in Aries suggests individuals and groups acting on their own set of rules. This isn’t the only - and certainly not the best - expression of the Uranian energy, but at the collective level it is hard to manifest things in a very evolved way. And Pluto amps up the intensity, making things worse before they get better.

There were other Plutonian events this week... the tragedy of the West Virginia mine (Pluto rules the underworld) and the Indonesian earthquake. In fact, there was a lot of Plutonian news. Take the time coming into the new moon on the 14th to set your own personal intention for the coming month. Remember to keep your own attitude as positive as possible.

crunch time

With today’s Pluto station at 10:33 EDT, it’s no wonder that we’re getting a steady dose of power-struggles in the news...

President Obama was talking about limiting nuclear weapons (which are, of course, Plutonian).
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But the most Plutonian story, so far, has to do with Wikileaks, a sight which publishes “leaked” information. Now, leaks are Neptunian, and Neptune in the mass-media sign of Aquarius is probably the best symbol for Wikileaks overall. But Pluto brings up secret and repressed information.

Wikileaks has recently published a video which it claims shows U.S. troops killing Iraqi civilians in 2007, for example. As an additional bit of Plutonian intrigue, the U.S. intelligence has charged that Wikileaks is a threat to the U.S. military. Click here for the full story.

These Plutonian times are more intensified in the days around Pluto’s station. We will feel the same energy in our own lives. Be aware of power struggles at home and at work. Watch for deep, corroding anger. And a certain morbid fascination with death is also not too unlikely.

as if to prove my point

Just last night, I wrote here in The Astroblog that pirates would be one of the flagship symbols of Uranus in Aries (scroll down to find that post).
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Then this morning I found this picture of militia members on The New York Times website. Note the skull and crossbones on his shirt. Militia’s are a kind of pirate group. Although not out for treasure, per se, they represent the same kind of rogue group mentality.

We saw and heard a lot about militia’s during the Clinton era, as they seem to surface mostly in response to Democratic administrations. Like pirates, militias are groups which operate outside of society. Although they tend to espouse some kind of philosophy or belief system, it usually comes down to a simple us-vs.-them, survival mindset, very reminiscent of scurvy buccaneers, indeed.