The Daily Astro for August 29, 2012

The Moon is in Aquarius today. It’s an interesting “split” day, with two sets of aspects and a nodal shift. Early in the day, the Moon parallels Mars and Venus is contra-parallel Pluto, which can impart a jittery intensity as an undercurrent for today. The Moon’s nodes move into Scorpio (North Node) and Taurus (South Node), telling us we need to let go of some of the things we’ve been holding on to for supposed safety and security. This combination can bring up issues related to possessiveness, controlling behaviors, hoarding, envy and other bottom-feeding emotions until it’s been addressed. So there’s the first set of planetary happenings. We also have the Moon sextile Uranus, then trine Jupiter and Pluto, plus Mercury sextile Saturn at the end of the day. We can channel some great new ideas (and big ideas, at that) and muster a great deal of enthusiasm towards our projects, but we’re serious enough to focus on the tasks at hand as we feel motivated to follow though and see what develops. We can think rationally and move forward at a brisk pace (with Moon in Aquarius and the Mercury/Saturn aspect, it’s easier to detach ourselves and avoid distractions). It’s a good day to plow through that pile of work on your desk. It’s also time to purge anything that’s no longer essential (and that applies to your work as well as your personal life). We may be thrown off a bit by some of the shaky aspects today, but they’ll only be temporary hurdles if we keep an eye towards the “big picture” (the outer planets Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto are involved, so wasting time on petty issues isn’t a good way to use the energies of today.)
Sabian Symbol for today’s Sun: “A harem”.
Kozminsky Symbol for today’s Sun: “A man in ceremonial robes, with a circlet about his brow, holding the emblem of life–the Crux ansata–in the air.”
Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “Restraint”.
The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is “Philosophy.”

The Sabian Symbol is right on target for today. The harem imagery relates to isolation, giving up freedom on some level, being controlled or under control, or feeling restrained or hidden. There’s a group element to it (many women together), that relates to today’s Aquarius Moon, which tells us to forge alliances with people who are in the same situation as we are, and there’s a ‘heavy’ or serious aspect that forces us to concentrate on our immediate surroundings (see the astrological information above and the Mercury/Saturn aspect). The node switch to Scorpio/Taurus relates to the issue of “keeping” people or trying to control their actions and behavior, of isolating through jealousy and possessiveness. Obviously, it can be related to women’s rights (just look at what’s going on in the United States related to women’s reproductive rights these days –it’s a power/control/fear issue that is being activated here.) Take a look at ways in which you may be allowing yourself to be used or taken advantage of by others, and the ways you collude with others to activate or continue this situation. It also tells us to use this period of confinement to make plans for the future. The Kozminsky Symbol offers a way out of the trap, showing someone who studies ancient philosophy in order to find meaning, knowledge and guidance. There’s a calling forth of powerful forces that ties in with the Moon/Pluto aspect (this is coming from deep places), and the Taurus/Scorpio nodes always remind me of ancient Egypt, so the wisdom called forth is from an ancient place. It’s telling us we can tap into this font at any time if we have serious intent. The ideas of karma, resurrection and reincarnation are also in play here.

Born on August 29:

Henry V (King of England/France), Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Minister of Finance under Louis XIV), John Locke (empiricist/philosopher), Hieronymus Pachelbel (composer), Michael Jackson (King of Pop), Jehan Sadat (former First Lady of Egypt), Dominique Ingres (French Neoclassical painter), Ingrid Bergman (actor), Charlie “Bird” Parker (musician), Elliott Gould (actor/Barbara Streisand’s ex), Robin Leach (“Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”), Isabel Sanford (actor/”The Jeffersons”), Carla Gugino (actor), John McCain (politician/presidential candidate, US), William Friedkin (film director), Richard Attenborough (actor/director/producer/CBE), Preston Sturges (director/screenwriter), Oliver Wendell Holmes (physician/author), Maurice Maeterlinck (poet), Charles F. Kettering (inventor, auto self-starter), Hang Yon-woon (Zen teacher), George Macready (actor), Barry Sullivan (actor), Emil Schumacher (painter), Nathan Pritikin (nutritionist), Marmaduke Hussey (BBC Chairman), Dinah Washington (singer), James W. Wood (astronaut), Chet Catallo (Spyro Gyra), Betty Lynn (actress), Maria Dolores Pradera (singer), Gene Allison (R&B singer), James Brady (press secretary wounded during Ronald Reagan assassination attempt), Holmes Sterling Morrison (The Velvet Underground), Richard Hallinger (Blood, Sweat & Tears), Temple Grandin (animal welfare/autism writer), Rick Downey (Blue Oyster Cult), Diamanda Galas (composer), GG Allin (singer/performer), Christ Hadfield (astronaut), Timothy Perry Shriver (member of Kennedy/Shriver clan), Rebecca De Mornay (actor), Hiroki Kikuta (composer), Me’Shell NdegeOcello (singer), Bae Young Joon (actor), Adam Sessler (TV host), A+ (rapper), Nicholas Tse (singer/actor), Pim Kops (musician), Dan Truman (Diamond Rio), Mark Morris (choreographer/dancer), Charles David Walker (astronaut), Mohamed Arnin (photojournalist), James Florio (New York State politician), Ehm Welk (writer/journalist/Oranienburg concentration camp survivor), David Desrosiers (Simple Plan), Liam Payne (One Direction boy band), James Hunt (Formula One racer), Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), Lea Michele (actress/singer), Hurricane Katrina (2005, New Orleans), Joel Schumacher (director), Svetlana Pankratova (Guinness World Record for longest legs of any woman in the world), Ricahrd Blackwell (critic/fashion journalist-“Ten Worst Dressed Women List”), Rene Depestre (Haitian poet).

Today’s 2-Card Tarot Draw: Empress/Ace of Pentacles
“Material Girl” And no, not in the Madonna sense, exactly (though excessive materialism is the shadow side of this combination.) Here’s earth magic or being rooted and connected so closely to the earth that we instinctively know what to do–our inner compass is fine-tuned and helps us find our path. This is an incredibly creative, fecund combination, on all levels–physical, emotional, material, and psychic. Create something, or at least make a start. This combination wants to manifest something and is waiting for you to set the process in motion. As noted, the shadow side (also the shadow side of the Moon/Pluto combo and the nodal shift to Taurus/Scorpio),is stagnation, an inability to move, or overattachment to objects, attitudes, or people that hold us back. This can be seen in hoarding, addictions of all kinds, or extreme possessiveness and jealousy due to fear of loss. The key is to remember that growth is a process and the old must die and be recycled in order for the new emerge. If we hold on too tight, we strangle our possibilities.

 –Valerie Sylvester, August 29, 2012 —