While we are between two eclipses, it is perhaps a good idea to reflect on the more popular eclipse, the one at the box office.

Eclipse is the latest installment of the Twilight Saga, a series of stories about vampires. I don’t really know much about it, but the posters and trailers give off a vibe that reminds me more of 90210 than
Dracula.

Ever since Tom Cruise starred in Ann Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (and maybe before that), the undead have become a strangely sexy symbol in popular culture. Teen books are full of vampire stories. Buffy was hot. But why?

Dracula, back in the day, was scary stuff. The novel by Bram Stoker is a winner, and very cleverly written. The classic film starring Bela Lugosi debuted in 1931, right around the discovery of the planet Pluto. No one thought Bela was sexy, just scary.

Dracula was one of the classic horror monsters for years, together with Frankenstein’s monster, The Mummy, and The Wolfman. All but the last made it to the big screen within two years of the discovery of Pluto.

The planet Pluto is closely associated with death and rebirth. Pluto, after all, was the Roman god of the underworld, the equivalent of the Greek’s Hades. On a good day, Pluto is all about dying and being reborn, as in the story of Persephone, who spends half of each year in the underworld (causing winter) and half in our world (summer).

But if things go awry, there can be problems. Pluto is associated with some fearful transits, largely because unprocessed emotional experiences can resurface years after they were buried. In this way, they become the “undead,” just like the Count. There is indeed something creepy about repressed emotional material when it resurfaces, especially if it isn’t processed as it emerges from the grave.

The tendency is for that energy to go amuck, wreaking havoc all over the landscape of our lives, at least until we acknowledge it and work to incorporate it back into ourselves. Like Dracula, it can sap our life’s energy. Like Frankenstein’s monster, it can do harm equally when in the midst of anger or while trying to be gentle.

With anger bubbling up within the collective like the oil in the Gulf (see the post about the protests at the G20 summit for an example) it is no wonder our attention turns to vampires. The oil spill itself is an example of the undead, a grisly reminder that we power our light-filled world with the corpses of beings that were around millions of years ago. And like Frankenstein’s monster or the mummy or Dracula, we can’t stop the 100,000 barrels of oil that are spilling forth each day. It is so much a time of feeling out of control.

So why would the undead become sexy? For one thing, the Pluto-in-Scorpio generation is now in their twenties, and they have a decidedly goth outlook on life (and death). A group which was born back in the day when sex and death were equated so strongly in the public’s mind (via AIDS) is sure to be comfortable with the dark side.

But if we’re feeling that things are out of control and the undead cannot be stopped... I guess we might be tempted to join ‘em...

Tags: eclipse, dracula, astrology

In the wake of the eclipse and an earthquake, the G20 summit is off and running... into trouble. The meeting of the world’s most powerful leaders is beset by violent protests - and in Canada, no less. Imagine if they had held the thing in Greece!



Problems are heating up, as this G20 meeting occurs between the two eclipses. Saturday morning’s lunar eclipse helped “bring to light” the anger and doubt that is simmering. But the upcoming solar eclipse is preceded by Uranus stationing on the World Axis at 0 degrees of Aries. independence and a distrust for authority are all but guaranteed with a picture like that.

Still, I doubt the G20 folks really know what’s going on, and doubt further still that they are in much of position to do anything about it. Sure, Pluto in Capricorn challenges existing institutional structures, but a big part of what we will be learning is that no one is really in charge... as hopeful and scary as that may be.

As we approach tomorrow morning’s eclipse at 7:30 a.m. EDT, we can see that the world news is already heating up. Remember that this is a lunar eclipse, occurring on a full moon, so things tend to come to light. It is an active time, as opposed to the more powerful but less over solar eclipse we’ll be having in two weeks.

The resignation of General McChrystal is one example of things coming to a head. So is the release of poll number showing President Obama’s popularity at an all-time low. Anger seems to be spewing out of everyone, from the French World Cup team to hotel workers in Toronto.

Speaking of Toronto, the 5.0 magnitude earthquake there - a somewhat uncharacteristic spot for one - comes just in advance of the G20 summit there. Can it be hard to miss the symbolism? The shakiness of the planet’s leadership “system” and the degree of uncertainty we are all feeling is indeed like the tremors of an earthquake.

But I have to comment on the restaurant in Arizona which is serving meat made from real lions as part of a World Cup promotion (they watch soccer in Arizona? It seems so... ethnic...). The restaurant owner pointed out that lions are protected, but not endangered, and said that since Africans eat lion meat, it should be okay for Americans, as well.

Whoo-hooo! The Wild West rides again. With ethical thinking like that, who knows who we’ll be modeling our behavior on next.

Monday morning at 7:28 a.m., EDT, the sun reaches his solstice point, marking the peak of his northward climb in the skies.

So, happy solstice! and a Merry Summer to All!

The astrological intensity is already building towards the powerful eclipse on the 26th, and our collective edginess is growing. Still, this is a time to appreciate the warm rays and long days, and all those we share them with.

I’ll be back to the snappy astrological analysis and pithy comments in a day or two...

Coming out of the new moon, we’ve had a series of nice Venusian aspects which offer the possibility of tempering the strong drive for independence which began around the 8th with a little recognition of the other’s perspective. With so much energy pulling us to go our own way, it is helpful to at least look out the window and wave others as we race past them on our way to wherever it is we feel we need to go.

Still, the “rogue” energy of Uranus-in-Aries is strong. The recent arrest of an American in Afghanistan is a case in point. The Voice of America reports that Gary Faulkner was hunting Osama bin Laden with a handgun, a sword, a dagger, and night vision goggles. Most significantly from an astrological perspective is that the press has dubbed Faulkner the “American Ninja,” suggesting yet another image that we can add to the list of rogues, pirates, and other off-the-grid personalities.

Remember that one difference between going your own way and going rogue is intention. We’re all gonna take matters into our own hands a bit, but there’s a difference between singing “I gotta be me” and deciding to become an assassin. In public matters, expressing oneself is one thing, grabbing your night vision goggles and dagger is another...

I’ve spoken to enough clients and friends to know that our experience here wasn’t exactly typical, but then again the Jupiter-Uranus-Aries energy seems to have been both strong and explosive this week.

My own experience of getting stuck in traffic was a nightmare on Tuesday, as time pressure mounted for me to get where I was going. But then again, I was on Long Island, so no big surprise there.

But what a week for 201st street! We had two deaths on our block (both after long illnesses), and two major traffic accidents. The number of near-misses was pretty high, too, and all seemed to involve people blowing through lights or stop signs. Uranian impulsiveness pushes us to break the rules - even the rules that make sense.

And my nephew’s school bus got hit by a car... necessitating a trip to the hospital for the elementary schoolers...

This week has seen a great deal of activity, with Jupiter entering Aries on Sunday and meeting up with Uranus on Tuesday. The results have been somewhat clouded by the Mercury-Neptune square on Wednesday, but it does seem like the energy has been leaning towards reversals and rogue groups.

That things have been tending in favor of the right end of the political spectrum does present something of an anomaly to the usually progressive (if revolutionary) Jupiter-Uranus energy. But in Aries, things tend not to be progressive so much as forceful, and the meeting of these two planets is square to Jupiter in traditional Capricorn. And I guess it all depends on what your idea of “progress” is, too.

The usually tolerant Dutch voters have - through a split in the vote - given the far-right a real boost. Everyone, the Dutch included, is kind of shocked that the anti-immigrant party won so many seats. Click here for a story on this.

Women also won a number of primaries in the United States, which might seem quite progressive, but once again, it is the Uranus-in-Aries rogue Tea Party spirit which seems to be infusing things.

The Gaza Flotilla is back in the news, with the story breaking that Israel will allow soda and snack food into the area.


And Helen Thomas, a quirky Uranus-in-Aries character (heck, she was born before the last time Uranus was in Aries), has retired after making inflammatory remarks about Israel. Thomas is approaching her Pluto opposition (which says something, given the 246 year orbit of the planet), but most significantly she was born at the Uranus-Jupiter opposition of 1921, so she really resonates with this aspect. Or, I suppose, we could say she doesn’t resonate well with it at all...

One story referred to Thomas as a “tarnished icon” but most of her colleagues seemed to think she was just a bit weird. She was, however, one of the few reporters to question the invasion of Iraq back in the flag-waving early days of the decade. No wonder Ari Fleischer was quick to lead the call for her to retire.

With Jupiter newly in Aries and the conjunction with Aries today, we are seeing a strong pull towards rebellion... and also clearing up some old business...

A great example of the rebelliousness and rogue activity of Uranus in Aries can be seen in the case of Army Specialist Bradford Manning, who leaked information to Wikileaks, including videos of US helicopter strikes that killed civilians (including a Reuters employee... Click here for the full story).

The combination of going off the grid (by leaking information) and doing so with technology (Wikileaks) is perfect symbolism for Uranus/Jupiter, which often has to do with new technological innovations (the iphone 4 is due out, but I’m not sure this is on par with the moon landing). That it is happening in Aries shows the go-your-own-way mentality at its strongest.

If the system isn’t working, we’ll have to find a way around it. Rules matter less at times like these, for better or worse. We can see the stubborn refusal of the system to change in the ordeal of Armando Gallaraga’s almost no-hitter and Bud Selig’s refusal to reverse the call. The guardians of the system are scared in such times...

Television gives us an instant replay on the umpire’s decision -whether or not Major League Baseball wants to admit it. Specialist Manning gave us an instant replay on an action in Iraq, whether or not the Army wants to admit it. In both cases, the system ain’t moving... at least not yet, and not under it’s own steam.

Sometimes we’re gonna cheer those who break the rules and take matters into their own hands, and sometimes we’re gonna be upset. Here’s a clue - are they giving us information, or blowing us up to get their message across?

In an almost-related story, Union Carbide employees were sentenced for negligence in the 1984 Bhopal disaster, which killed thousands. At the time of the accident, Neptune (which rules gasses) was on the “World Axis” at 0 degrees of Capricorn (which rules business and institutions). Now, Jupiter and Uranus are square to that position of Neptune at 0 degrees of Aries. Predictably, it is the reaction to the light sentences which have been the center of attention. Justice delayed is justice denied.... so what do you do when the system isn’t working....

Neptune, a planet associated with a foggy, dream-like energy, was especially powerful this week, with a “station” (appearing to stop in the sky) last Monday and an opposition from Mars on Friday. The week certainly seemed Neptunian...

Of course, the ongoing BP oil spill (Neptune rules oil) still continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Seafood prices are rising, and President Obama is starting to take the heat.

The new Shrek movie seems to have stumbled into an oil slick of its own. First, some theatres announced they would charge $20 per ticket for the movie, but reversed themselves when public reaction was less-than-enthusiastic. Then later this week McDonalds announced a recall of millions of Shrek glasses which are tainted with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. Incredibly, it turns out the glasses were not made in China!

But the most Neptunian moment of the week came on the baseball diamond, as umpire Jim Joyce blew a call on the last out of what would have been Armando Galaragga’s perfect game. A “perfect game” is an extreme rarity in baseball, with only 20 having been pitched in the entire history of major league baseball, going back to the 1800s. Oddly, it would have been the third perfect game this season (which is nowhere near half over), with the most recent one occurring just a few days before, on May 29th.

Galaragga will probably not see the umpire’s ruling overturned, and he will become the Neptunian martyr who sacrifices himself... in this case, most probably for a good cause - instant replay reviews of umpire calls.

The weekend’s dual Saturn/Neptune station had me fogged out enough that I avoided even checking the news... but this morning it appears that Saturn - and particularly Neptune - were very busy.

Remember that Neptune rules the seas, oils, drugs, martyrs, scapegoats, and things which just disappear... Here’s the Neptunian news roundup...

It seems that Tropical Storm Agatha was implicated in a massive sink hole that swallowed an entire building in downtown Guatemala City...

President Obama’s Memorial Day speech in Illinois was rained out...

Former ABC anchorman Ted Koppel’s son was found dead, apparently after a drinking binge...

One person died and seven were hospitalized, probably as the result of tainted drugs at a San Francisco rave... which was named “POP 2010: The Dream.”

And as if they knew it was Neptunian weekend, the New York Times wrote a piece entitled, “States Create Flood of Education Bills,” in response to Colorado’s recent law, which has been called The Teacher Scapegoat Bill.

I won’t even mention the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico...