Joan Porte – Page 15

America’s April Fools Chart

For some reason this year I have a strong desire to study the chart of the United States on April fool’s Day and believe I do not do it with any glee. I have written extensively about this countries Pluto return – which demands that we reevaluate the negative aspects of our relationships to money and values. Now Juno is joining the “party.”

Juno is the mythological royal consort whose domain was hearth, home and marriage. Known to the Greeks as Hera, she rules the area of one on one relationships, rituals, women’s rights and empowering the downtrodden.

She is now in a five degree conjunction with Pluto and when these two get together the energy is of deep personal and social transformation. This transformation takes place in partnership. Even if one person undergoes a change, it is change that another instigates.

This can be a time revealing dictatorial, power-hungry, or destructive forces. Combined with the coming retrograde of Saturn and Mercury we can be in for a year of startling even cataclysmic revelations. However, if Pluto is to do his work of ferreting out secrets and muck we need this type of catharsis.

That is no joke.

Happy Spring!

Happy Equinox all! This is the time when the Sun moves into the sign of Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac. It is no wonder that all of the major organized religions celebrate this time as a time of rebirth and renewal. Aries is the Baby of the Zodiac. It vibrates to the energy of the first house – the house of personality where we burst out and say hey world look at me. The Equinox brings forth the newness of spring – where we plant new seeds for change.

Plant the seeds now to burst forth with the person you want to be when the summer solstice comes around!

This year we have a stellium (five or more bodies) together in Pisces. They include a tight conjunction of the Sun, Mercury and Venus. On the positive aspect of this – these instill creativity, compassion and concern which I believe we are seeing in reaction to the draconian elements of Trump world. In shadow, all of this Pisces energy can give us the desire to escape harsh reality and live in fantasy. I hope we remain on the side of compassion.

Spring is a time for renewal – let’s hope we all understand the value and need for continuing emergence of spirit.

Happy Spring.

Venus Retrograde and the Trump Tax Return

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow presented with a bit too much hype our first glimpse at some of Donald Trump’s tax returns. It is no accident that this fleeting glimpse occurred during a rare Venus retrograde into the masculine sign of Aries. It is amusing that a woman (Maddow) revealed the tax returns of someone who fancies himself ultra-masculine and strong (Trump) during such a retrograde. It is very possible, in fact likely, that Trump leaked a tiny portion of his returns during a year that he actually paid some taxes as another distraction technique. Still it all happened during the retrograde of the planet ruling money.

Venus holds the purse strings of the Zodiac. Her domain is money, creativity and sexuality. During a retrograde period we should go inside ourselves and find where we need to correct areas that planet rules, with which we are unhappy or are causing you issues in your life.

If people are not shall we say enlightened, a retrograde can be a bad time, because secrets that we don’t want to face come to the surface. If Trump did release those returns he may have done it to distract from a larger issues but it did come back to bite him later.

During retrogrades, we need to take stock, review what is no longer working and plan new routes of action. On the other hand, secrets that we don’t want know can come out and make us face the music. It is up to us how we use and work the retrograded action. It can be a time or renewal or fear – as usual, it is all up to us.

Jupiter in Retrograde

Jupiter turns retrograde for a period of about four months every thirteen months. It is a long transit “backwards” for this planet deep in the solar system. The current Jupiter retrograde began on February 6 in the socially-oriented sign of Libra.

Libra goes to extremes and bring you to the point of co-dependence. Always seeking balance and peace among all people, Libra often loses herself to the demands of those closest to her.

Jupiter, so expansive in nature, also has a hard time in containment and can push us to do everything in excess and take unnecessary risks.

All retrogrades are a time rip for introspection and since both Libra and Jupiter deal with outward energy, it is a good time to pull in. Are other people influencing you too much, are you spending too much time and/or money entertaining or competing with them? Are you socializing and not working on your inner peace? Overeating, drinking and gambling are also areas that Jupiter can lead us to go overboard.

This is a time to pull in, reassess and scale down excess. Living with the lines and our means are not bad things. Use this time to learn how to do pull back and relax.

How Do Planets Get Their Names

Let’s take a moment away from universal problems and look at the way planets and their moons get their names.

Once the dominance of the Arabic era over Science ended, stars received the names of classical gods. Asteroids, initially thought to be stars, received feminized names of gods when the distinctions between the two became clear.

Moons of most planets have the names of the Greek counterparts to the Roman gods. The exception? Anyone versed in Astrology knows it has to be quirky Uranus. Only Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, have the names of Shakespearean characters. John Herschel, son of Uranus’ discoverer William Herschel is responsible for this diversion. We know how rebellious Uranus can be!

We name comets after their discoverer or a person the discoverer designates. However, they always receive names of a person.

Speaking of Lunar Eclipses…Trump was born on Lunar Eclipse

We just experienced a lunar eclipse on Friday. Astrologically, eclipses galvanize energy. During a lunar eclipse the Sun is on one Node and the Moon conjunct the other making the spiritual and emotional karmic energy in the chart extremely intense. The North Node indicates the soul lessons we should be learning in this lifetime. The South Node shows our past life or karmic indicators.

A person born on a lunar eclipse should study the balance between the rational element of their personality and that which is emotional. Born with the Moon conjunct the South Node, a person faces the necessity to balance the emotion nature they used with great ease in the past. Are those emotional energies stuck in the past or are they moving forward?

Since the eclipse is Lunar, the Moon takes a prominent role. Either the person will be rocketed out of the past emotional patterns or embrace them more deeply. It is better to use the energy of the eclipse during your lifetime to learn new emotional responses to boost you into new awareness.

That brings me to Donald Trump who was born during a lunar eclipse with the Moon just one degree away from his south Node. Raised with privilege and advantages, he had the opportunity to explore, learn and reevaluate his base emotional responses. Coming from lifetimes of Sagittarius he is used to telling people close to him that he knows how to take care of their needs. In fact, his entire campaign mantra of “I alone know” how to do any number of things was a testimony to his past lives.

Of course, the universe wants us to move forward. There is evidence that at one point Trump was much more progressive. However, he knew that he could only gain his ultimate prize, the presidency, by becoming the authoritarian leader so beloved by the evangelical Republican base. By reverting to that emotional safety of his South Node, Sagittarius and repeating past life patterns of being the one who has all of the knowledge, he did succeed.

Was his decision beneficial for his soul progression? Hardly. Reverting to our South Node, stops all lessons and growth. Was his decision beneficial for this incarnation? It depends on your measure of success. He won what he sought. However, at what cost and ramifications? Sadly, we are about to find out.

Friday – Lunar Eclipse – Time of Action:

This Friday February 10, the Earth will position directly between the Sun and Moon causing a lunar eclipse. This is a penumbral eclipse meaning the Moon will go through the outer band of the shadow of Earth caused by the eclipse. An umbral eclipse is deeper but all lunar eclipses are a time to initiation action.

Astrologically, an eclipse is a time of activation. We need to go inside – to the dark side, if you will – and understand where we are stuck. Whatever mechanism you use to get in touch with your inner fears and knowledge work to help you understand where the stagnant energy resides.

For this eclipse the Moon is in Leo, the sign of creative emergence. Leo wants attention and asks you to express your creative, productive and sexual energy in a way that makes an impact. Whatever house your Moon transits during the eclipse illustrates where you can improve. For me the Moon will be the tenth house, the house that pushes us into the government and social arena. With all of the protesting I have been doing, this surprised me but obviously, I need to hone that energy even more – and I believe it is being less scattershot in my protest. I need that Leo energy of the Sun to direct my approach as sharply and direct as one of its rays.

Knowing the house placement of your transiting Moon during this eclipse will help bring you to a place of positive action.

People in Eastern North America, and all of Central and South America, will have the best view of the eclipse. The Moon will “rise” at 5:33 PM Eastern time. You should be able to see it dim and turn gray as the full eclipse occurs.

Ready for a Little Good News for a Change?

If so, then the universe is bringing us a ray of hope in the miasma of living in Trump world. We have Venus, the Moon, Neptune and Pallas Athena all in Pisces right now. Since Neptune rules Pisces, it is infusing us with a double dosage of the compassion and universality which is the specialty of sign. When we overlay the current chart over that of the United States we see that those Pisces-infused planets are in our third house, that of community and friendship. Venus is the energy of the goddess of love and creativity and the Moon also is a very feminine sign. Pallas Athena is the warrior goddess, ready to take up the cause of the underdog. You can see these energies play out in both the Women’s March on Washington and the impromptu rage against the Muslim travel ban. It is also no irony that the Federal judges acting against the ban were all women!

Pisces cares about the underdog and wants us to live in a world of peace and brotherhood. We need that energy more than ever right now. However, the negative aspect of this sign is escapism. Pisces wants to live in the world of peace and togetherness and has a very hard time handling all of the nitty gritty and nasty details of life. It is easy for Pisces to escape into a world of unreality- of puppies and bunnies – when hit too hard. We can’t afford to do that.

Fortunately, we have structured and authoritarian Saturn in the first house, that of personality and persona. While this can have a depressive effective – (one we can all feel right now) it also forces us to make plans and follow through.

Saturn and Pisces together will help us through.

The “March” of Uranus and Jupiter

A few months ago I did an early 2017 outlook report for my clients and saw a good deal of unrest. I was hoping against hope that my instincts were wrong – that we would never elect a fool like Trump – and that Hillary would somehow prevail but that her election would spark great unrest on the right. I saw the signs but was too horrified to think of him winning.

Now that the nightmare has become reality, it is clear to see that one of the manifestations of troubling planetary placements is the Women’s March on Washington. Uranus, the revolutionary, remains in the masculine, aggressive fire sign of Mars while another titan, Jupiter, is in Venus-ruled, feminine Libra. Both are now facing off, opposed to each other in the sky. An opposition causes friction, a disturbance in the force field, if you will. This is an archetypical clash of male vs. female – Venus vs. Mars. Jupiter encourages growth, expansion and hates boundaries while Uranus just likes to cause disruption and fast change.

Jupiter is the Women’s March on Washington, the large and inclusive force of female energy – facing down the angry white man – the aggressive Mars energy. Oppositions are always difficult but like the process of making a pearl, nothing happens unless the sand irritates the oyster. Beauty can come of opposition if we face them head on.

What is in the middle of the duel? It is Pluto, the instigator of this world upheaval. If you have been following my blog you will see many installments discussing this planet that forces secrets to the surface now in the sign that rules authority. Pluto brings the gunk to the surface – and demands that we clear it lest it destroys us. Trump has brought our racism, homophobia and religious fundamentalism to the surface – and now we must respond or die.

Who will win this battle – Jupiter or Uranus? I don’t know – it all depends on the side we embrace. If you think January is disturbing, however, wait until February, as these placements only tightening and become further influenced by Mars.

On Inauguration Week – What Are Our Values?

As our Pluto return bears down on America’s second house, demanding that we deeply reexamine our values, it is exposing centuries of our monetary and value-based “sins.” We are clearly suffering the penalties of not responding to the banking crises in a way that punished the perpetrators: we are punished with the election of Trump. The oligarchy, the rich ruling class, is now ostentatiously in command. Pluto brings the dark to light.

However, the disease is much deeper and longer simmering. Despite all of our high ideals, slave holding men created us, we executed generations of Native Americans gave some rights to women only grudgingly. In fairness, many of us have strived to become better, to live up to the ideals. Yet, even with those efforts, as a people, we have a school-to-privatized prison system, several classes of citizenship, Sandy Hook, and the ongoing horror at Standing Rock. Literacy and science are under siege. Pluto has laid bare our sinful past and hypocrisies and thrown the consequences in our collective faces. They are on display to a world we believe we lead physically and morally. Now that “leadership” will be through the vehicle of a president karmically installed by a foreign power in a CIA like coup. Pluto exposed the filth kept hidden under the cloak of patriotism. What is true patriotism, if not a demand that expose what is wrong and push to make it right?

How we respond to this administration will set the course for America for generations to come. Will this be a cleansing era, a turning point to a brighter future closer to those professed ideals of two hundred years ago? Will we descend into the darkness suppressed for years? Will there be an earthquake forever separating the red from the blue elements into new nation-states? (Pluto rules Scorpio, the sign of death and transformation.)

What are our values? Who are we? Pluto has no desired outcome. He completed his task.