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In May, Come Help Healwell While Enjoying Wonderful food at the Curious Grape!

During the month of May have lunch or dinner at the Curious Grape in Shirlington Village and help support Healwell.

Enjoy a terrific meal and when your bill comes just tell your server that you are there to support Healwell and they will donate 15 percent of your bill to help us continue our work!  This isn’t automatic so don’t forget to tell them you are eating for Healwell.

Healwell provides massage therapy to adult and pediatric inpatients in area hospitals focusing on decreasing pain, managing symptoms and bringing greater comfort to people living with advanced disease and those at the end of life.
The Curious Grape is open for dinner daily from 5:00 pm to closing, for lunch from 11:30 am – 2:00 PM and for Sunday brunch at 10:30 am – 2:00 pm.

It is located in Shirlington Village at 2900 South Quincy Street, Arlington.

For more information on Healwell visit www.healwell.org.

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), 15th 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.

The Gettysburg Address – Another Lincoln Mystic Cord

“The Address” a Ken Burns special on the Gettysburg Address will air tonight, April 15 on PBS. Why they are presenting this in April when the Lincoln delivered the address in mid-November is an answer only the television gods can answer. Regardless, it made me think about that wonderful piece of American literature the astrological happenings at the time of delivery.
How wild that Pluto was sitting right on President Lincoln’s South Node when he wrote and delivered the address! He had his South Node, or past life indicator in Taurus in the fifth house. I wrote a blog entry on Lincoln and his magnificent ability to write despite his lack of education. This came from past lives spent in Taurus, ruled by Venus, the creative goddess of love and beauty, in his house of creativity and self-expression.
On the day of the Gettysburg Address, Pluto which was in Taurus then, was sitting on his Node. It was screaming at him to leave some transformational, beautiful work to history. We have not had a more mystical President than Lincoln and he was heading his instincts to create this masterpiece.
It like he belongs to the ages. 

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. 




The Blood Moon – April 15!!

The pink or “blood” full Moon* will take place during the lunar eclipse (you have to have a full moon to have an eclipse) on April 15. There is no doubt this is a very active astrological time (see my blog entry on the Grand Cross.) If you are one inclined to be spooked, the fact that this full Moon will occur when it is entering the constellation of Scorpio, coupled with the Grand Cross can make you a wee bit nervous.  A blood Moon in Scorpio during the Grand Cross – lions and tigers and bears…
Fear not my stargazers. Think of the energy of an eclipse – bringing new energy. Combine that with the energy of Scorpio – the sign of personal change and transformation and you have all of that cardinal energy of the Grand Cross. Don’t bury your head in the sand in fear – use this time to make huge changes in your life. Come on!
In addition, if you are one who can contact the “other side” with some ease you will find that talent enhanced at this time.  Scorpio is all about contact with those who have gone on before us. Even if you do not think you have this talent – sit quietly and concentrate on those who are no longer here. You might be seeing signs or hearing their voices.

*A blood Moon often happens during a lunar eclipse because the eclipse action scatters a lot of colors but not the red.  That is a really shorthanded explanation but you get my drift. 

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.

TIME FOR THE EQUINOX

March 20, 2014
12: 57 PM EDT
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 both Juno and Uranus in Aries are shadowing the Sun. This is great deal of volatile energy. Uranus in Aries is sending out energy that is almost daring us to be different. Juno, the goddess of loyalty, is conjuncting both Uranus and the Sun so we have no excuse – no excuse at all — not to make important changes now.
Aries is Cardinal energy (leadership energy). We have the Sun, Juno, and Uranus all giving us the ability to initiate change in our life. Of course, someone still living in shadow and not working to become the best but looking to be negative can use this erratic energy to cause harm. I have spoken a lot about the Grand Cross and the negative energy that can come from it. However, if we are looking to harness the goodness of the universe to elevate ourselves – use the energy of these three powerhouses today.

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.
President of the Month – James Madison

Reticent, bookish, small, James Madison was born to wealth in the Virginia Tidewater region. Like man “great people,” he has a birth chart that is so easy to read. First, his South Node in Gemini in the 7th house shows that he came from lives where he was a master at gathering and disseminating information. That is what Gemini does – keep communication, information flowing. Being in the 7th house – the house of the other person- he was someone who could mediate, communicate, and keep the knowledge moving.

What I love so much about his chart is how he “got into” his North Node – Sagittarius in the first house. Those of us (I too am a Gemini South Node) who are going to Sagittarius have to make an effort to stop gathering and moving information but honing in on our truth, our beliefs. It isn’t about quantity of information but quality. It is about focusing on information.

James Madison, using the discipline of Saturn that sits on his North Node, spent an entire summer – studying the great ancient civilizations –the Romans, the Greeks, etc. and learning what worked and what didn’t work. How Sagittarius North Node is that? He used this information in service to the United States Constitution and is one of the reasons he we call him the father of that document.



The ruler of his South Node, Gemini, is in Aquarius in the third house (the house of Gemini and communication.) It is also conjuncting the ruler of Aquarius, Uranus. His mind was like an electric bolt – oh, how I wish I could see it in action!
On a more fun note, with his Moon buried in the 12th house in the reticent sign of Scorpio but his Venus in fiery Aries we can see how he was both socially shy but attracted to the vivacious Dolley Madison.
Madison used the deck dealt him magnificently. Not bad for a little creature who looked like a strong wind could knock him over. Of course, all of his power was in his head!

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