Mars and Pluto – Starting in.

I wrote this back on May 28th. Iraq sadly is the point for this action now – and I am afraid more is to come.

———-

On June 14, Mars will make a square, a disharmonious contact, with Pluto. If one of these planets are in either retrograde or badly aspected in your chart – expect to be out of sorts for a few days. You might even be itching for a fight. Watch out for road rage and people acting out.

June 19 sees Uranus coming into the act. This Mars, Uranus Pluto T-Square – or three planet square – represent the tail end of the much spoken of Grand Cross that has been in play since April. If anyone has been planning some big disaster since the Cross started I fear they will make it happen now. (Not that missing plane and 300 missing little girls are not horror enough.) I hope all security systems are on guard during this time.

May Newsletter! Journaling, History and Mother’s Day

GIVE THE MOST UNIQUE MOTHER’S DAY GIFT UNDER THE SUN!

My astrological cookbook, “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook,” makes a unique and fun gift. If you want me to sign it for Mom, order a copy at www.signsofthetines.com – and shoot me an email telling me how you want it signed. joansastrology@gmail.com. It is also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

If you want an Astrological Gift Basket for Mom visit http://www.candcgiftbaskets.com/category_23.asp.

DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL IN MAY- AND DINE OUT FOR HEALWELL!

I am on the Board of wonderful nonprofit, Integrative Health Therapies, Healwell, www.healwell, org. Healwell combines education, research, and service to improve quality of life for people living with acute, chronic, and terminal illness. We touch humans to reduce their pain, ease their anxiety, and introduce comfort into the experience of illness. If you are in the Washington, D.C. area come to the Curious Grape during the month of May, tell them you are eating for Healwell and they will donate 15 percent of the check to Healwell. The Curious Grape is at 2900 S Quincy Street, Arlington in Shirlington

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY INTERVIEW with Meredith McDonough,hypnotist and past life regressionist, owner of Operation Higher Vibrations ! Subscribe to my free podcasts and don’t miss any!

http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2014/04/28/astrological-cook-access-the-portal-to-the-past-and-your-subconscious-through-the-12th-house-with-meredith-mcdonough/

Are you a History freak like me? Then check out my blog entries on two historical figures who had May birthdays. President John Kennedy is featured here:
https://joanporte.com/president-kennedy/

If you are an admirer of Dolley Madison see why I call her a total Taurus. https://joanporte.com/dolley-madison-a-total-taurus/
=================================================

Journaling Your Past Lives Awake

We made it through the Cardinal Grand Cross of April. I know it was a rough time for many – and while I never bought into the doom and gloom that some astrologers predicted for this time, we did see the most mysterious loss of an airplane. I also believe Russia or North Korea are simmering something they will reveal later. People who are negative energetic creatures react unfavorably to that kind of difficult cosmic energy and there was just enough to kick them into high gear.

On the positive side, many of my clients reported a feeling of being reborn. They used that vibrating energy to make massive changes in their lives and outlooks. I have the perfect way for you to continue your growth. As an evolutionary astrologer, I work as a cosmic GPS system reading where my clients’ souls are coming from karmically and what lessons are in store for them this time around. However, I recently learned how much more powerful this tool can be when coupled with journaling, especially when at the hands of the “master” Mari L. McCarthy. http://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog.

Once you have digested the information from my evolutionary reading of your birth chart, take the opportunity to work with Mari, Examine the past life blockages that are still make your path rocky and learn how journaling can bring forth a better understanding of their roots and impact. Conversely, you will also be able to learn how to utilize the karmic benefits granted this time around.

It is May! The time of growth – take advantage of these journaling “seeds.”

You can order your evolutionary birth chart at https://joanporte.com/p/get-your-chart.html.

The Good and Bad of Taurus Presidents

This week saw the birthday of a President most historians repeatedly rank on the bottom of the list of most effective leaders. James Buchanan (April 23, 1791), 15^th President of the United States and the man who preceded Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, was a rather doddering old man who might have been a serviceable leader in peaceful times when he could play entertainer in chief. He was incapable of holding a splitting country together and his relief was over the top when he was able to hand over the reins to Lincoln.

Buchanan was born under a Taurus Sun and his refusal to embrace change and try to fix what was a rapidly disintegrating country are some examples of shadow Taurus traits. Taurus, depicted by the Bull, is solid, sturdy, and unmovable. Buchanan wanted to enjoy the beauty of the White House and play the diplomat. He did not want to face the grim reality facing his country.

However, two other Taurus Presidents were steadfast warriors who, when committed to a goal, saw it through to the end despite the odds. A hero of the soon to explode Civil War, Ulysses S Grant (April 27, 1822), came to the White House thanks to his war exploits. He knew that he had to take the idea of “total war” to the enemy and executed his plans with ruthless but remarkable Taurus stubbornness. He kept one goal in mind – victory – and no one could dissuade him from it.

Another Taurus President who followed his Taurus instincts for stubbornly pursuing a goal and never looking back was Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884). (What is it with these Taurus’ and the use of S as a middle name?) He had some horrific decisions to make when from the moment he became President, made them, and never looked back. That is Taurus in action!

The Cardinal Grand Cross – Yes, Again!

Let me offer a little review of the concept of a grand cross since we are at the height of one right now. When four planets are 90 degrees apart in the sky, we have a Grand Cross. Basically, it is two oppositions and four squares. We are calling this a cardinal Grand Cross because the planets in question are in cardinal signs – they are the movers – the doers – the action signs. The planets in place now deal with very intimate changes – Aries – who we are; Libra – how we related to others; Cancer – our home and roots: and, Capricorn – work and duty

Right now – until April 24 the planets will be at their tightest – the Cross will be at it most distinct. A solar eclipse follows on April 29 in Taurus – the sign of stability and grounding.

I have railed before against astrologers who predicted the end of the world, our economy, and pretty much everything else during the Cross. No doubt, this is a challenging situation and but it does not have to be “doom.” Change is always painful. I personally had a very painful emotional issue – come up just as the Cross activated – a family matter than came to a head. As painful as it was – it was also cathartic and finalized so many things for me that has allowed me to move upwards and onward.

We have seen the negative of the Cross – I firmly believe Malaysia 370 was the result of latent anger turned negative and destructive – someone with a hidden anger against some faction – and this is how they lashed out. There may be a big political shift in the ruling party in Malaysia coming out of this horror and I believe that is what the perpetrators wanted. Anger turned inward – the only change we can make is to lash out.

Since these planets are in cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, anyone with “personal planets’ natal planets in those signs, will be more likely to feel the pull of this grand cross more. For me, I have Libra rising.

Again, I urge everyone not to stick on the concept of the “bad possibilities.” Remember instead the kind of change that can boost us further to make major internal changes that reflect outward — positive changes. What old patterns do you need to stop and what helpful patterns do you need to reinforce in your life? Use it – don’t complain about it and don’t fear it.

Moon Saturn April 16

By now you know to look for the lunar eclipse on the night of April 14 – into the 15th, however, the “Moon Show” continues for the rest of the week. On the night of April 16, the waning gibbous moon will be in conjunction with Saturn. Astrologically all I can say is Oye – hang onto your emotions. Saturn has a depressing effect on us and, of course, the Moon is the controller of the emotions.

Toward the end of the week, Jupiter and Mars will be making a square – yes, start signing that ’60’s song they aren’t aligned but we need a sign a bit during this! Oh but I failed to mention that Mars will be in retrograde until May 20. So we have inverted aggression aligning with the planet of expansion a week before the Grand Cross comes to full power. In my case, someone who inflicted past hurts on me in the pass reared their ugly head and brought it all up again. Anger, aggression turned inward – and expanding forward. As I said Oye.

The chart below shows how that Grand Cross – Pluto, Jupiter Mars and Uranus are almost at a complete square to one another.

Just being aware of these sky movements and looking at how these planets are instigating your chart will help get through the next few weeks.

April Lunar Eclipse – One of Many

There will be four almost total eclipses of the Moon in 2014- 2015 and all will be visible from almost every place in the Northern Hemisphere. That is an amazing occurrence. The first will be on April 15, 2014, another on Oct. 8, 2014, the third on April 4, 2015, and finally on Sept. 28 2015.

In Astrology and eclipse is a wonderfully energetic time – it is a time to use that energy in the sky to start something new. Think of the movement of the eclipse – the Moon disappears and then returns anew. A Lunar Eclipse can only happen when the Moon is “full.” The Moon passes behind the Earth thus allowing the Earth to block the Sun’s rays. All three bodies, Earth, Sun, and Moon are in close alignment. It is a time to question alignments – and balance in your life.

The April 15, 2014 eclipse will be a part of this much talked about grand cross happening in the sky. It will be a cardinal eclipse, in the cardinal signs of Libra and Aries. Cardinal signs are energetic –they want to take action. The Aries Libra axis is known as the me to we axis. The question to be asked during this alignment is, am I in balance – am I giving enough to myself and to others – am I giving too much in either of these areas?

This is a general graph of the eclipse over the Washington, D.C. area. Notice the cross made to the opposing Pluto – Jupiter. This is a time of tension between old and new spiritual beliefs. However, it is more important to look to the house the eclipse falls in your natal chart… Does the eclipse fall on a planet in your natal chart? This is the best way to use the energy of the eclipse.

Some people fear eclipses but I have to tell you I am so tired of fear driven Astrology. Yes, the grand cross will bring issues (Malaysia 370 for one.) Yes, eclipses are a time of shift and change – but we need change or we become stuck. Take the benefits of all of that cardinal energy to make real changes in your life.

Worm Moon and Updates on the Grand Cross.

On March 7, I wrote about the grand cross that will peak on April 20 -21:

Of course, there are elements who are prone to anger and attack. I personally think that these retrogrades will cause someone or some faction we are not expecting, to cause the biggest problem. Saturn and Mars retrograde are anger and aggression turned inward.

The next day the sad and still unfinished saga of Malaysia flight 370 began. The grand cross makes the buried anger out in sad ways. Now we watch the Ukraine but with this we must always expect the totally unexpected.

On a more uplifting topic, enjoy the Worm Moon today. No really, that is one of the names of this phase – the Worm Moon. It is a time in spring when the robins are to start pulling worms from the thawing ground. Of course, we are expecting six inches of snow in Washington, DC tonight. Hey – the unexpected!

This Moon is “full” when it is the furthest it can be from the Sun – and this one happens when the Sun is in Pisces and the Moon in Virgo. Pisces/Virgo is the victim – martyr axis. These signs are classic at being self-defeatist and self-deprecating to a fault. So take this time to find out where you are playing the “don’t worry about me” grandma in your life and find a little balance.

Saturn and Mars in Retrograde and the Grand Cross of April

It is all over the “Astrology world” that April – is going to be a terrible month. April does have a bad rap because of the ingress of the Sun into Aries, ruled by Mars, the warrior at the Vernal Equinox. Hitler was born in April, the Civil War started in April, there was Columbine, and the list goes on. Adding fuel to the fire is the Grand Cross that will be at its height during the week of April 20.

A grand cross is when four planets are in opposition to each other. In this case, we will have retrograded Pluto in Capricorn opposing Jupiter in Cancer and Uranus in Aries opposing a retrograded Mars in Libra. These planets will be in cardinal signs. There are three kinds of signs, mutable, cardinal, and fixed. The mutable signs are easy going – go along and get along, the fixed signs have more stubborn in nature, and cardinals are the movers the shakers, the doers. Hence, the doom and gloom – the god of War, the god of expansion, the god of quick change and the god of slow change all pulling against each other and in cardinal signs – each grasping for their piece of the pie! Two of them in retrograde, meaning their energy is going inward – looking for an escape.

Saturn is not included in the cross but is sitting on the side and is in retrograde in Scorpio, a fixed and intense sign. Both Mars and Saturn have gone retrograde this week…just as Putin crossed into the Ukraine. Do you see why people are wary of the Cross?

I don’t buy into the total destruction scenarios. I mean there are people who are saying the EU will collapse, we will be in total war, and oh, here comes the bomb! Doom and gloom sells. This will be a difficult time but come on.

OK let’s do the bright side thing. You have Pluto and Jupiter together – that is a sign for spiritual growth. Yes, it is better when they are in conjunction and not in opposition but even in difficult times, we can have spiritual growth. Uranus and Mars exhibit the most erratic energy and frankly the most frightening of this whole configuration. If there is violence, if there are wars it will be because of them. However, we can make the conscious decision to eliminate tensions – smooth over issues that could cause the spark – assess what is making us angry. We can overcome the grand cross.

Of course, there are elements who are prone to anger and attack. I personally think that these retrogrades will cause someone or some faction we are not expecting, to cause the biggest problem. Saturn and Mars retrograde are anger and aggression turned inward.

So yes, Putin can go crazy in the Ukraine – that is a very Mars-Saturn aspect. However, that retrograde could bring up someone feeling marginalized to go on the fritz. I would look out for some radical who is unhappy with the way his world is going – right wing terrorism.

Let’s keep in mind that there are positive aspects that we can use this time to feel what is irritating and correct it – take positive steps to stop anger from cropping up and to find what is blocking our spiritual growth.

The choice is always ours.

Grand Cross – Drama or Just Awakening?

I am feeling annoyed…not terribly annoyed because I am in Maine taking in the breezes, the lobster and ocean air – but as annoyed as one can be in this situation.The reason for my consternation is the talk about the coming of the April 23 grand cross. As you might recall I went heard two speakers weave a tale of horror and destruction that will occur when this grand cross occurs; i.e., the EU will fail, our dollar will be gone, mass economic and political upheaval will occur and a new world order will arise from the gloom!

A grand cross is when four planets are in opposition to each other. In this case we will have retrograded Pluto in Capricorn opposing Jupiter in Cancer and Uranus in Aries opposing Mars in Libra. These planets will be in cardinal signs. There are three kinds of signs, mutable, cardinal and fixed. The mutable signs are easy going – go along and get along, The fixed signs have more stubborn in nature and cardinals are the movers the shakers, the doers. Hence, the doom and gloom – the god of War, the god of expansion, the god of quick change and the god of slow change all pulling against each other and in cardinal signs – each grasping for their piece of the pie!

Any type of cross, square or opposition is a difficult time but not always horrible – without them we would not have change – not have awakenings. Someone with a birth chart overloaded with “positive” aspects can have a rather boring and unfulfilled life because they have no mountains to climb. I keep thinking what are these gloomy astrologers going to tell people born on April 23, 2014 – OH you will have a terrible life? Instead of seeing this time as a nightmare I am hoping that people will throw off the old ways and say we are tired of waiting around – we want to move forward! Cardinal signs want action. Perhaps people will be tired of stalemates and do-nothing politicians and those who want to bring our country back into the Stone Age.

I am not saying there won’t be some violence – there could be an aspect of “taking it to the street.” Bad things could happen at that time but I am not comfortable with saying the only result will be total destruction of the social order.

Change is not always easy but let’s use it as a time to break bonds, break stalemates and demand the end to inertia. Energy release is energy release – it is up to us to make it constructive and not destructive. Let’s not paint an ending before we have even started and let’s encourage people to use a rough time to yield a positive outcome!

Grand Cross 2014 – Doomsday???

I recently attended a seminar on the astrology and the chart of the United States. As I mentioned before, the US is coming into its first Pluto Return as a nation and Pluto is a planet that “makes you an offer you can’t refuse – change or else!” With Pluto in our 2nd house of wealth, resources and financial stability it is no wonder that we are experience in great trauma around the banking industry, jobs and savings. When Pluto finally reaches the closest point with our natal Pluto around 2021 we will have undergone a major change in these areas. However, the question that begs is, what kind of change will that be?

Two of the speakers at this seminar, spent their entire segments painting a dire picture of effects of the April 23, 2014 grand cross. A grand cross is when four planets are in opposition to each other. In this case we will have retrograded Pluto in Capricorn opposing Jupiter in Cancer and Uranus in Aries opposing Mars in Libra. These planets will be in cardinal signs. There are three kinds of signs, mutable, cardinal and fixed. The mutable signs are easy going – go along and get along, The fixed signs have more stubborn in nature and cardinals are the movers the shakers, the doers. Hence, the doom and gloom – the god of War, the god of expansion, the god of quick change and the god of slow change all pulling against each other and in cardinal signs – each grasping for their piece of the pie!

Among the predictions are the collapse of the EU, the fall of the dollar, massive rioting in Spain, Greece and Syria and a new social order rising out of the economic disaster this cross will bring.

I don’t know I am a bit skeptical. I mean Y2K, the Mayans – haven’t we been doomed and gloomed before? I will say that with Mars in the 2nd and Uranus in the 8th we can see some big movement by the 99 percent against the power of the 1 percent and some major economic upheaval..but is that always a bad thing? Yes, there could be some riots, there could be some economic issues but do I see the total collapse of the Western economic system? I don’t think so.

We have been in a Uranus Pluto square for months and that will continue – which is why nothing has gotten done anywhere for a long time. Jupiter’s expansion will break that energy. So something will happen – and it could be something big but they will have to go a little further to convince me to start hiding my pennies in the mattress.