Here is a chart for the full Moon on Sunday, 29 July 2007, 12:49AM (GMT).

Lisa Dale Miller at Astrowisdom.com tells us

This is the Full Moon of the Guru: Guru Purnima. A night dedicated to thanking all our teachers, in every walk of life. An Aquarius Full Moon asks us to especially honor unique and revolutionary teachers: those who vision far out beyond the rest of us. Those dedicated to upliftment, freedom, utopianism and humanitarianism.

Aquarius rules the global community and also the global nervous system. Our global community has become pathological in its need to cling to aggression as the only tool to get, maintain, or defend power. It seems we have condoned losing touch with our basic humanity in name of security. This is Saturn winding up its last month in Leo; diligently making it clear that power in the hands of those with little compassion, narrow vision, and a mindless attachment to hatred and victimology, brings only massive death and destruction. I am beyond disbelief at this point with the senseless violence on all sides of every conflict.

Molly Nagy at about.com: astrology has observations similar to Lisa's concerning this full Moon:

The coming full Moon in Aquarius (exact on Sunday, July 29th, 8:48 p.m. EDT) brings to light the importance of the collective, all of humanity. And this full Moon may remind you of how you can connect to what's happening globally, reach for something higher than yourself. Ask to know what your special role to play is, and then listen during the full Moon to see if spirit gives you an answer.

There's a strange reality today with the gap growing between rich and poor, almost creating a parallel universe that one author calls "Richistan," of the growing number of million and billionaires walking the earth. Leo in its extremes is a show off, reveling in over-the-top luxuries and unchecked power, while its polarity Aquarius always puts the common good first. With the full Moon, the Leo-Aquarius wavepath is being lit up, with the full Moon providing a chance for balancing. There are stirrings of a shift toward collective thinking with Live Earth and the announcement of the Global Elders, but Leonine delusions of grandeur flourish, aided by our obsession with "how the other half lives."

This full Moon encourages you to become engaged in the bigger picture, and if you're inspired, to push for things you believe in. Aquarius is the rebel, the one that defies the usual structures, and has the stubborn nature to go against what's popular or accepted. As a sign of freedom, it activates a restless energy that can cause you to bust out of the things that seem fixed in your life.

Aquarian energy can be a catalyst for changing ways of thinking. From the look of things, we need lots of people to stand up for a better world -- and fast. This full Moon lights up that part of our minds that knows we're all in this together, no matter how many walls or gated communities are created. It promotes ideas that cast a wide net, and don't leave anyone out.

Alan Oken in his Soul Centered Astrology Newsletter says about this full Moon:

Full Moon: July 30 at 12.49AM (GMT) at 06 Aquarius 31: The Sun is in Leo and the Moon in Aquarius. The challenge of this opposition of the luminaries is how to integrate our personal urge to be creatively self-expressive within the context of a larger social whole. This polarization will take place in the pair of houses where this Full Moon takes place in your natal chart. If this were the Sun in the Ninth House and the Moon consequently in the Third for example, then you might find yourself in a position where you were having to express your belief system to a group of people, adjusting yourself so that what you seek to represent philosophically may be well received and integrated into the lives of others.

Mr. Oken also discusses the current T-square between Saturn in Leo, Mars in Taurus, and Neptune in Aquarius, saying:

The international chaos and havoc in the world (and for many, personally as well!) during these past 18 months is certainly symbolized in part by this very challenging energy pattern. Fortunately, Saturn and Neptune are finally moving out of their very tight and long-lasting opposition, but here comes Mars in Taurus again for one last (sic!) go/gasp/gash.

Relating this T-square to the U.S. natal chart (See page 2 of the PDF file), we can see that Neptune is and has been for some time conjunct the U.S. natal Moon. This conjunct ties the energy of the pattern to home and property, and all the things denoted by the 4th house. It's of interest that this full Moon, while not in aspect with the U.S.'s natal Moon, is in the same sign. So all of the Aquarian descriptions you read above apply particularly to the U.S. and us Americans.

Journal entry dated 28 July 2007
Category: Whatis Aquarian, Astrology

Here is a selection of quotes from current issues of TIME magazine:

• June 4 issue: "How Not to Treat the Guests" (Nathan Thornburgh/Vass) -- an article on guest workers entering the U.S. to work in North Carolina on temporary work visas.

  Garland Fulcher's [of Garland Fulcher Seafood Company] experience proves guest-worker programs don't necessarily keep Mexicans from settling here illegally. More than 10% of the company's 2006 workforce took off to live in the U.S. without returning home to Mexico. "If you want to talk about illegals," says Michelle Noevere, who worked in Garland Fulcher's front office last year, "there's the border, and then there's this foot in the door called a guest-worker program."

  So what's the solution? One clue can be found in the failed amnesty of 1986, widely viewed as the genesis of the current crisis. The moment newly legalized farmworkers realized they had better options, they left for the cities instead of staying in low-paying agriculture jobs. Their exodus from the fields opened the door to an even larger wave of illegal immigration. And that raises the question, Will American agriculture ever pay enough to attract American citizens rather than just illegals? If it did, the newly legalized millions who are currently working in the fields might be inclined to stay there. But paying living wages for farmwork would, of course, require the rest of us to pay a lot more for food, become much more protectionist or both. If the country isn't ready to take those steps, here's an apostasy being whispered by some economists: get rid of large-scale agriculture altogether. England did it and is content to buy the bulk of its food from foreign producers. Less food security, perhaps, but also less need for guest workers. It's a difficult discussion in the U.S., a country that has become addicted to cheap labor. But one thing is certain in North Carolina: the immigration solution of the future isn't even working today.

• June 18 issue: "Corn-powered in Yuma" (Bob Diddlebock/Yuma) -- an article about a small Colorado town preparing to be an alternative-fuel production center. The article closes with this:

  Trent Bushner, a Yuma farmer and county commissioner who grows 1,200 acres of corn on his 3,500-acre spread, says $4 corn brings its own set of problems--higher planting costs, for one, as he busts more sod. But Bushner allows that he can live with that: "Every time we put a gallon of ethanol in our car, that's a gallon of gasoline we're not putting in it that we got from the Middle East." Seems that the view on alternative fuels from down on the farm goes much farther than just over the next ridge.

• June 18 issue: Why Pixar is Better (Richard Corliss/Emeryville) -- an article about Pixar's new release, "Ratatouille" [pronounced rat-a-tooey]

  When he starts work on a movie, Bird [the director] looks for core thoughts. The core here: "Cooks are givers, and rats are takers. In the larger world there are people who are givers and people who are takers. Cooking, feeding people, is a giving act. All art at its best is a giving act that continues to give as long as the art is consumed. As with a cook, you're handing it over to someone to enjoy."

  Toward the end of the movie, Remy whips up his specialty for Anton Ego (voiced by Peter O'Toole), a food critic so severe he is known to trembling chefs throughout Paris as the Grim Eater. Ego puts a forkful in his mouth, and in a flash, fond memories--of a loving mother giving him delicious food--play across his face. As Bird describes the moment, "His eyes drift down toward the dish, like, 'Is it this? It is this. I love food again. This is what I was missing.'" A taste of something wonderful can humanize almost any misanthrope, even a critic.

All of these articles can be found at TIME's archives -- www.time.com. Use the title of the article to search.

Journal entry dated 24 July 2007
Category: Eye on a world becoming

Here is a chart for the new Moon on Saturday, 14 July 2007, 12:05PM (GMT).

Jeffrey Kishner on his Lunar Tunes page talks about this new Moon (and the Sun) in Cancer being exactly inconjunct (150-degree angle) Neptune in Aquarius and the deception this indicates:

What forms of deception were part of your family? Many of us grew up with a gut sense -- way below conscious awareness -- that our parents were hiding something from us. Family secrets -- a gay uncle, an alcoholic father, a sexually abused step-sister, a pedophilic great-grandfather, take your pick! -- were hidden supposedly to "protect" us, but the withdrawal of this vital information ("intelligence") left us feeling incomplete, that there was something missing, if we could only identify what that was. Once we learn about our family's past, the missing pieces come together, and we finally understand why we felt off-center.

Even though the secret was about something that didn't directly impact you, it affected you anyway. You are a part of your family, and a family is an organism, a unit by itself, of which you are a part. You cannot separate yourself from what your great-grandfather did to your grand-aunt, because these patterns are inherited. Mistakes are often passed along the generations, and it takes both consciousness and will to not repeat the "sins of the fathers." Thus, it is imperative that the veils of our family's past are pulled aside, so that, with awareness, we can choose to stop the dysfunction.

In contrast Dale Miller at Astrowisdom.com talks about using this "the New Moon to build a bridge from the mind to the feeling side of life:"

If your life has been characterized by disconnection and alienation, this is the New Moon to honestly appraise the usefulness of defending against deeply felt emotional interactions with others. This is the time to look with real compassion at the insecurities and co-dependencies that arise from refusing to recognize and deal with inner emptiness.

Thanks to all the retrograde planets-Chiron in Aquarius (wounding from emotional disconnection), Uranus in Pisces/Neptune in Aquarius (awakening into oneness), and Pluto/Jupiter in Sagittarius-we may all be palpably experiencing the inner conflict of existential meaninglessness and spiritual interconnectedness. The beauty of the human heart lies is its ability to feel a full range of emotion that arises when faced with the fundamental paradox of the human condition: we are essentially alone and ultimately one with all other existent life. Humans seek love and relationship in order to feel whole; yet real wholeness arises from self-realization. If we listen to the longings of a lonely heart, we can find tools to help us surrender into the ocean of love that is always all around us; always accessible to us.

As for me, I'm still working with the U.S. natal chart and how this new Moon may be interpreted in relation to it. (See page 2 of the PDF file.)

• The new Moon, i.e. Sun-Moon conjunct, is conjunct natal Mercury in the 9th house and in opposition to Pluto in Capricorn, 3rd house. Since Mercury rules the 3rd and is elevated and has just turned direct, it is strong. Any attempts at subterfuge by criminal types and shady politicians, or intellectual power plays, should be revealed for what they are. Furthermore, individually we should be able to apply knowledge more successfully. Long-range plans, higher education and religion/philosophy are highlighted.

• Uranus (in Pisces) is on the cusp of the fifth house and trine the new Moon. This refers to one's own children, creativity, and pleasurable pastimes. There may be unexpected developments in any of these areas, but nothing earth-shaking. To me Uranus in Pisces is an uncomfortable placement. Uranus relates to higher thought, Pisces to dreams and emotions.

• Mars in Taurus in the seventh house is a bull seeing red. Don't wave any red flags, if you don't have to, and be agile in your relationships.

Journal entry dated 9 July 2007
Category: Whatis Aquarian, Astrology

Here is a PDF document with the U.S. natal chart (Scorpio ascendant), progressed to 4 July 2007. An aspect grid and a 360° midpoint sort are included.

This has been a difficult chart to write about. What do you include? I personally don't think that prediction is a strong suit in astrology -- too often events don't occur as predicted. Which is good. If they did, it would imply that events are predestined. If so, why grow, learn, experience and develop skills to make reasonable choices? Granted, some things are beyond control, but not all or even most.

On the other hand, this is a chart for a country, a large collection of people. Does a country have free will? Even in a democratic election, the peoples' choice can be overridden. Who has final responsibility in a system of checks and balances?

Some things we know for sure (quotes are from the Declaration of Independence):

• This country was created by a group of representatives from 13 colonies, who wanted freedom from tyranny, felt that all persons are created equal, and that each has the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Sun in the ninth house)

• ..."mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security"... (Moon in Aquarius)

• "Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends." (Saturn in Libra, 11th house)

I weighed whether to include a solar return or a progressed chart. The solar return just didn't feel right. In a progression things don't change much from year to year. As in life, they just sneak up on you. The thing that changes most is the Moon's position. Also of note is a planet changing signs.

This progression shows the Moon in Leo conjunct the Midheaven. That's pretty important, but I'll be damned if I can get a fix on it. My handy midpoints reference states:

The involvement of the common people with politics; women and their movements having influence on policies; production of basic materials or commodities raised as an issue of emotional concern ('good' outcome) —VS.— The opinion of a minority of concerned people influencing policy; food production curtailed due to poor long-range planning; natural disasters which cause much concern and interrupt long-range policies or goals. ('bad' outcome)

(Midpoints: Unleashing the Power of the Planets by Michael Munkasey; ACS Publications, 1991)

Looking at this progressed chart I see 5 retrograde planets: Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, Mars and Saturn. Retrograde planets are discussed here.

In mid-December, 2004, the progressed Sun entered Pisces and was posited in the 4th house. To get an idea of how this might effect us, I searched on attributes of the 4th house (real estate, mines, buildings, crops, democracy, opposition to the chief executive) in the news:

• Bush inauguration and its expense
• Fannie Mae shakeup in Dec, 2004. The article is dated Dec 2006, but the shakeup was in 2004.
• U.S. corn, dated 2005, but about an occurrence in 2004.

Journal entry dated 4 July 2007
Category: Whatis Aquarian, Astrology

It occurred to me that relating new and full Moon events to the U.S. natal chart would make it possible to talk about earth-related matters and to present information that we Americans, and maybe others, are interested in. (BTW, hello to my Russian and German visitors.) The limiting factor here is my skill as an interpreter of things astrological.

I'd forgotten how many different interpretations there are of when the U.S. was 'born'. This page at Lois Rodden's Astrodatabank presents seven of them. The Gemini chart is one of the most popular ones.

But I selected the chart with Scorpio ascending for a number of reasons:

• The originator, Michael Wolfstar O'Reilly, in his justification is particularly persuasive, i.e., on the mark (at least in my estimation):

  On the United States national seal, the Bald Eagle is shown with its wings spread, holding an olive branch in one claw, and thirteen arrows in the other, representing the united thirteen original colonies. The nation's symbol, the Bald Eagle, is one of Scorpio's symbols. The most prominent national characteristics are symbolized by the Ascendant, so in a country known worldwide as the only remaining superpower, it makes sense that the United States should have Scorpio Rising, the sign directly associated with the eagle.

  When the Scorpio Rising chart of 2:21 PM is progressed to April 12, 1861 Mars is at 16°06 Leo, exactly conjunct the MC! The beginning of the Civil War occurred 84 years after the Declaration was signed, and points directly to Uranus as the major significator by transit. Again, 84 years later, the United States was launching D-Day and fighting for the liberation of France during World War II. The prominence of Uranus in the natal horoscope is thus amply demonstrated. The Gemini Rising chart with Uranus on the Ascendant and the Sagittarius Rising chart with Uranus on the Descendant make good sense when considering this factor in isolation. In the Scorpio Rising chart, Uranus is exactly inconjunct (150°) the 8° Scorpio Ascendant. All three of these charts make sense when considering the importance of Uranus to America's cyclical war patterns.

  With Scorpio Rising, the emphasis in the United States is on the accumulation of power itself, whether its financial, military, or ideological power. America's never-ending quest to be the world's richest, strongest, most righteous nation is its globally recognized signature. Scorpio, linked to the eighth house, is naturally associated with capitalism. When Scorpio was rising on July 4, 1776, there were four planets in the eighth house of capitalism, and of course Scorpio itself is intensely aware of where the finances are accumulating, and the natural power that these resources bring. Scorpio is naturally attuned to the cycles of death and rebirth, and through the process of democratic elections, the national political identity is transformed. Elections are usually held the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, a date which puts the transiting Sun, and often Mercury and Venus, very near the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant. Following the attributes of Scorpio, the United States projects an image of unyielding power, and will use whatever means necessary to further its geopolitical agenda. Russia, born with the Sun in Scorpio, represents the other military superpower after World War II. These two Scorpionic nations were locked in a Cold War, very much resonating with the silent, deadly force embodied in the scorpion. The rest of the world was held hostage by Russia's and America's intense willingness to annihilate all humanity for the sake of national domination, much like the battle of two scorpions in a bottle.

  Scorpio Rising defines the American national identity in many different ways. Scorpio is about power, about self control, and the control of the surrounding environment as much as possible. How could the United States become the world's reigning superpower without the driving intensity conferred with a Scorpio Ascendant? Scorpio is most interested in financial power, and America's identity is strongly connected to its capitalist system, an ideology which is now encompassing the entire global village. The emphasized eighth house is about power gained from pooling assets, and the financial clout that comes from corporate enterprises.

  The United States government has been issuing official certificates for many years showing that the U.S. horoscope actually has Scorpio Rising. The certificates are in the form of the one hundred dollar bill, with founding father Benjamin Franklin on the face side, and the historic scene of Independence Hall, the location where the Declaration was signed, on the reverse side. The clock on the Independence Hall bell tower shows very clearly a time of 2:21 PM. Is this just a coincidence? Or is this acceptable evidence that the historic moment is being commemorated on the one hundred dollar bill?

• Who can argue with a time specified on the back of the US $100 dollar bill? (I checked; it's there.)
• The Moon in the Fourth house is at home and explains why America is/was called the 'breadbasket of the world.'

My next post will include a PDF file with the U.S. natal chart, a chart progressed to this year and a table of midpoints for the natal chart.

Journal entry dated 2 July 2007
Category: Astrology, Whatis Aquarian

Here is the July calendar with astrological notation.

This month's new Moon is at 21° Cancer 41′ on July 14th, 12:15 PM GMT; and the full Moon is at 6° Aquarius 31′ on July 30th, 12:45 AM GMT.

Here is the chart for this New Moon. The Sun-Moon conjunct occurred at 9:51 AM on June 30th Eastern Daylight Time. This chart is drawn for Philadelphia, PA, so it can be correlated with the U.S. natal chart.

Be sure to check out Lisa Dale Miller at Astrowisdom.com and Jeffrey Kishner at Lunar Tunes Astrology for their takes on this full Moon.

Recently I started to work on posting a progressed U.S. natal chart on the 4th of July. There are several possible charts out there. The time of inception I selected (2:21 PM) produces a Scorpio ascendant (in the next few days I will post an explanation of why this time works). It seemed a good idea to correlate this full Moon with the natal chart. What I found was transiting Neptune conjunct the U.S. natal Moon. It has been there for some time and explains why the underhanded practices of the current Administration strike so close to home. Wondering how long the Neptune-conjunct-natal- US-Moon aspect would be in effect, I set up a timetable. The answer is--a long time; longer than George W. Bush will be in office. In addition, I found there is a curious relationship between Neptune and Chiron--when one goes direct or retrograde, the other follows within a few days. Remember, retrograde and direct are not the actual motion but how the planet/asteroid is viewed from Earth's perspective.

While I was looking online for views on Neptune conjunct Chiron, I came across this jewel by Martin Bulgerin at bitstream.net

But the main news this month is when Neptune enters Aquarius for good, also on the 27th. We got a taste of this placement the first half of 1998 and it was hectic indeed. In fact, Neptune's return dip back into Capricorn last August 22nd (apparently to pack up some loose luggage left behind) has been a refreshing relief from the fast pace we experienced earlier in the year. Neptune is an "other worldly" planet. It deals with affairs that are often dream-like or illusory, that deal with the subtle levels of reality beyond what the 5 senses can tell us. It allows us to sense, work with, and master the subtle energy patterns behind material reality. The shift from Capricorn into Aquarius plants both our feet firmly in this other world. We've moved out of the material world where money talks into a more ephemeral, mental-plane existence where the higher mind and higher heart combine forces to make a more perfect world. This inner technology of the Spirit is our lesson for the next 14 years (until 2011-2012, when Neptune enters Pisces).

Of course, there are many pitfalls along the way. Neptune is the planet of illusion and addiction, you must realize. Aquarius is a very technology-oriented zodiac sign and becoming addicted to our technological tools and pasttimes is just as debilitating as drugs, alcohol and other "escapes" from reality. As much as you might want to, checking out of the material plane and moving yourself onto the Internet is not a feasible option. Aquarius can also be the manipulative technocrat, using technical means to spy on and control others. The erosion of our personal privacy is apt to increase and even be promoted as a good thing. In general, however, a big problem with Neptune is the addiction to Glamour, the attraction to all the tinsel that glitters like gold. We're more impressed by the inferior present that comes in the great wrapping paper than the gift of substance and worth in a plain wrapper. Especially in politics, style and spin are already more important than substance. As a long-term social trend, I expect the manipulation of our national psyche through the use of compelling images and deception to be heightened until a majority of us simply say "NO!" to the image-makers. We remake our consensus vision of reality all the time, but the resulting mass myth seems to be more hollow and less fulfilling each passing day. The capitalistic myth helps make capitalists rich, for instance, but it doesn't promote our growth towards being an intelligent, wise and spiritual people. If we're to survive the next 14 years, it's important for us to wake up (the literal meaning of the term "enlightenment") from the collective bad dream and start creating our world according to our own images, not someone else's. We need to realize the power that lives in each of us at our deepest core, which is the only antidote to the "powers" that wish to control us for their own purposes. We need to strengthen ourselves -- body, mind and soul -- in order to consistently live and work at this high level of being. We need to purify our relationships with others to allow our highest aspirations to take hold in the world. The 10 month transition period is coming to a close -- we're into the real game now.

Journal entry dated 29 July 2007
Category: Whatis Aquarian