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The picture you see is of my two children taken in late May when my daughter graduated from high school. 

This story is about my son Evan and transiting Saturn.   Evan has childhood asthma and has been taking steroids since he was 2 years old.  He was a very thin child until he was about 8 years old at which time is face started filling out.  When I look back at the pictures of him he looks like he was sick because he was so skinny and he had the classic dark circles under his eyes that so many asthmatics have.  Although at the time all I could see was my precious little boy.  He walked early and was very active, another reason he didn’t have any baby fat.  When he did start gaining weight I remember taking him to visit my Mom who was very ill at the time.  She looked over at him and said, “Every time I see you, you get prettier and prettier.”  I knew she meant that his cheeks were getting round.  My mom was German so round cheeks meant a healthy child in her eyes.   

Evan was born with one kidney in his abdomen and has been unable to participate in sports programs and he has to be careful of any falls or blows to the abdominal area.  We had our share of emergency room visits early on, which is how we discovered the kidney problem in the first place at around the age of two.  By the time he reached adolescence he was overweight.  Some of the weight gain may have been the result of taking steroids… so the doctor suggested.  We moved long distance from family and childhood friends when he was 11, so most of the weight came from emotional eating and an inactive lifestyle over the last 3 years.  Then there was the bullying in the school, not only did they have a new kid to pick on, but he was also overweight which gave these bullies more ammunition for name calling.  I promise you this issue was addressed at school and with Evan often.  It got so bad that I wrote Dr. Phil and he called and invited us on the show.  This is another long story so I will stop here.  No kid that finds comfort in food is going to loose weight under the kind of pressure he had to endure.   This all happened his first year in school here when transiting Saturn was conjunct his sun. 

This past May Evan had his annual check-up and had gained more weight over the last year.  He will start high school soon and while I have been told by his sister (Ashton) that the hitting may stop due to increased security, the name calling only gets worse.  One evening shortly after Evan’s physical I expressed concern to Ashton about his weight.  We talked about how loosing weight would help his self esteem and might just help him hold his head higher this year.  It hurt me to see him walk into school holding his head down as though it would shield him from the terrible things the kids would say, or perhaps no one would notice him because he wouldn’t look them in the eyes.    Ashton suggested that I send him to a weight loss camp for kids which totally freaked me out!  After getting over my initial shock of her suggestion, thinking she was referring to some type of boot camp for kids, she told me that there are fun camps for kids that also address health and weight issues.  We did an online search and found one close to our area.  I did some research and had Evan look over the website.  He said he would like to go as long as it didn’t interfere with a trip he had planned in June, so we signed him up for the July session which would last for a full month. 

School was out the last week of May in our area.  He spent a couple of weeks home and took a trip to visit his dad and spend time in our old neighborhood with friends.  I’ve always said that you can’t go back to where you’ve already been, but Evan has been able to maintain friendships from his early childhood regardless of the 600 miles that separates them.  He loves going back because they still do the things they always did together even though they have grown up so much in the last few years.  And he stays active the entire time swimming, jumping on the trampoline, playing Dance Dance Revolution and spending hours on roller skates at the all night skate center.   He came home from his trip having only 3 days for last minute shopping and packing for the month long camp.  The director told me not to worry about him getting homesick because most of the kids that miss home are the same kids that don’t want to leave.  He seemed very excited to go and thought it was ridiculous that I would send him with stationary and stamps to write home during their no call periods.  Once he was unpacked and his bunk was made I could see that he was ready to meet the new kids in his cabin and it was time for me to leave.   The first week was no call week and to my surprise I did receive a letter which I have copied below.

Hi Mom  The camp is alright, but a couple of the kids are assholes.  I wanted to know if my skates came in.  How is Ashton, Allen, the animals and you?  I would be a lot happier in my own room.  I miss you all.  There wasn’t enough time in between Alabama and camp.  Love Evan 

I cried!  By the time I received the letter the kids were given their cell phones in the evening to make calls.  He said he had a boy in his cabin that was picking on him.  When I told him to tell his counselor he told me that he did, but the counselor told him to handle his own problems.  My husband and daughter told me not to worry about it, that Evan needs to learn to get along with everyone and he needs to learn to stand up for himself.  I assure you that although I worry I don’t baby him nor do I interfere or try to fix his problems for him.  I am his mother; I do talk to him about finding a solution to his problems.  I sure didn’t expect him to have to live with boys that were going to be a pick on him; especially since I was reassured that such behavior wasn’t tolerated at all.  There were many more phone calls, some days were better than others, but the one thing that stayed constant was his telling me that I didn’t know what it was like living with a bunch of strangers.  He was right, I didn’t know and I wouldn’t want to know because I like my own space, I always have.    Three days before graduation he called crying, almost begging me to come get him.  He said he just wanted to come home.  I tried to console him, but he wouldn’t have it.  I even mentioned that he just had a full moon which was why he was so emotional.  He told me to “knock it off.”    The full moon fell in his 12th house of isolation and opposed his natal sun.  I finally told him to talk to the camp director and tell her he wanted to leave.  Once he did this she could call me to come pick him up…I figured she was better at handling the situation from her end.  As soon as we hung up the phone Ashton and Allen quickly told me that I better not go get him, that he can stick it out 3 more days.  They were telling me that this experience was good for Evan, how much he was going to learn and how this was going to make something out of him.  I snapped back defending my child of course, reminding them about how many young men think they are ready for the military until they get there and they call home crying for someone to come get them!  I’ve known several in my life.  Why does a 14 year old have to be as strong?  He turned 14 just a week before at camp, the first birthday he was ever away from home.  I knew that he must have felt so alone in the world when I hung up the phone that day, it really hurt me deeply.  I knew that full moon had a lot to do with his emotions and I just wanted those last three days to fly by so he could come home.  I never heard from the camp director and the next 2 days were no call dates because they were preparing for graduation.   

The night before graduation I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited to see him.  I also wanted to find some dates to share with my husband and my daughter so they could better understand that Evan didn’t bring what was happening on himself, but that this was part of an astrological aspect that we all go through.    You may already know how difficult a Saturn return can be when it conjuncts your sun at around the age of 29 - 30, but how many of us remember transiting Saturn square natal Saturn at age 7 and the opposition to our natal Saturn at age 14?  It’s easy to forget those years by the time you reach adulthood. These years do vary a little because of Saturn’s retrograde motion, but they always carry the theme of having to grow up.   

Evan had transiting Saturn square his natal Saturn in the spring of 2001, just before he turned 8 years old.  My mother, his nearest and closest grandparent died from cancer at that time.   As Saturn was approaching the square my Mom spent a lot of time in our home as my sister and I tried to share in the responsibility of taking care of her.  Mom stayed in Evan’s room and he was very worried that she would die in his bed.  She was very sick at the time.  Saturn rules over our fears too as well as his 12th house of hospitals and confinement.  It’s easy to see how hard this first square would have been so frightening to a 7 year old.  I was scared too!  I was very close to my mother. I never imagined having to watch her decline, nor did I ever imagine having to live my life without her in it and I was an adult. 

 It was just over a week ago that Evan called from camp wanting to come home.  I gathered that the kids were really stressed by some of what Evan told me.  After all they were nearing the end of their session and some of those children had been away from home for 8 weeks as they were there for 2 sessions.  They did participate in several fun activities, but there was the mile runs uphill in the heat everyday.  They were all trying to beat their record time and their successes were recorded on a daily bases.  And there were the exercise and nutrition classes.  Their friends back home were sleeping late and not having to follow a strict regime.  They were all there for the same reason…to loose weight and learn to make better choices in their life.   I was certain the newness and excitement had worn off and the pressure was building.  It was pretty clear when Evan said that I don’t understand how some of the kids make it so hard for other kids to go on. 

Transiting Saturn in Evans 7th house of relationships with other people was opposing his natal Saturn in his 1st house of identity.  This is the “me verses you” aspect, the “I am verses you are” aspect and in Evans case, the “you are reflecting what I am not, so stop and be like me.”  The novice astrologer can interpret this however they wish.  Transiting Saturn in the 7th house always brings lessons about cooperation with others no matter what the age. 

Remember those dates I found for my husband and my daughter?  The dates were when they each had the last transiting Saturn opposition to their natal Saturn.  I gave them these dates to think on as we made the drive to graduation.  I knew that my family didn’t have to understand any astrology whatsoever as long as I had those dates and they would see what Evan was going through in a whole new light.  You should have seen their faces!   For my husband it was when he divorced after 27 years of marriage and he went through what he calls a “dark period”.  For my daughter it was the month that we announced we were getting married and moving 600 miles away from her friends.  The months that followed were a time of packing her belongings, relocating and starting a new school in her 10th grade year. 

Great news!  He lost 16 pounds and is doing fantastic at home!  I’m watching fat and counting calories too!  If I ever needed a reason to eat right, I have one now!  I had hoped that my progressed moon in the 5th house would help my creativity, but it became clear while Evan was away that this will be a time of greater responsibility to my children.  Graduation day hosted a grand trine in fire signs so Evan was in his element that day.  Nevertheless he didn’t waste anytime saying his good byes and putting his stuff in the car!    

The picture was taken with his sister at graduation August 4.   

I have had so little time to visit this blog, but I decided to post the most asked question that I have received in July.  Now I can just send a link as a reply!

First you should know what house in your birth chart the New moon will fall in.  You should know the issues governed by each house in your chart.  Just a few keywords will help tremendously.  If there are any planets in your chart that will conjunct the new moon you should make a note of them.  The conjunct is when planets are very close, or almost sitting on top of one another.  If you have Venus at 18 degrees Cancer, the new moon at 21 degrees Cancer will conjunct your natal Venus.  The conjunct is a powerful aspect where both planets become sensitized.  If the new of full moon conjuncts a natal planet, you should know what house that planet governs in your natal chart.  There are other aspects that should be considered, but we are looking at possible influences.   

After emailing a reader as to what type of issues relate to a new moon in the 4th house, they mentioned that I stated the issue of the new moon may have been around a while.  They wanted to know how long the issue had been around.  Since the last new moon about a month ago or, since the last full moon 2 weeks ago?  

Sometimes the issue has been around since the last new moon; sometimes the issue at the new moon relates to the last full moon.  Many times you will have the new and full moon at work together. 

I have found that the best way to study the effects of any new and full moon is to take notes.  I have been doing this for years.  You know yourself better than anyone.  Once you get the hang of this you can do it for the people you are close to in your life.  I see the moon at work in my children’s lives too.  As you will see by my example below, there may be so many things come up that it will be harder to remember them down the road if I didn’t take notes. 

Example:

April 17 new moon Aries - conjunct my Midheaven, 10th house. 

I had a list of things I wanted to add to the site, but hadn’t found the time. Within 10 days (April 27th) I had my list together and was emailing my web designer.

May 2nd full moon Scorpio - my 4th house conjunct natal Neptune.

Receive a note from web designer of cost for work and that she was ready to start.
Work begins on site with 4 days of full moon – ending to my wait. 
No hot water at home – the gas lines were out in our area (Neptune/water/gas)
AC went out in the house same day – discovered water on the floor (4th house property/water) 
A customer kept me busy looking for a purchase she made through the site.  After extensive searching and contacting paypal, she sent me a note that she made a mistake. (career/10th)

As you can see, I had home and career issues.  The home issues concerned the full moon, the career issues were the opposite house where the sun highlights matters in my birth chart. 

And it works for your sun sign too…

As a Cancer sun sign, the moon was in Scorpio…Cancers 5th house of children and opposes the sun in Taurus, bringing issues to “light” concerning the 11th house of friends and associates. 

A short time after the customer issue was resolved I received a call from a friend that another dear friend of mine had passed away.  She was like a grandmother to me, we shared flowers and gardened together…my kids loved her; she was kind and generous with them growing up. 

Transiting Venus (female) was conjunct Transiting Mercury (news), both were conjunct my natal Mercury in the 11th house of friends.   Mercury rules my 11th house of friendship. 

I also spent time with my daughters (5th) boyfriends mother (11th) explaining how I was against my daughter driving to Florida (18hrs) for a vacation (5th) on the beach after a recent back injury.   The issue was a long car ride and Mercury rules over transportation issues and cars.

I was very sad to hear that Madalon had died and called my husband at work.  He reminded me that just the night before I said if anything ever happened to Madalon that I hope Ruth would call.  It was Ruth that called. 

This was an exceptional psychic week for me too and the moon was conjunct my natal Neptune.  Neptune rules the psychic, in opposition to my moon it had an impact on my intuition as well.  I was receiving energy that week that made my hair stand on end all over my body.  If you are psychic, you know what I’m talking about.  

In addition, this full moon opposed my natal Mars, ruler of my 9th house of long distance concerns.  The call came from 600 miles away.  The issue with my daughter driving to Florida was also 9th house.   It was too far. 

This was a powerful full moon for me in many respects. 

May 11th, 9 days after the full moon, the work for website is complete.  I’m thinking the website concerns are behind me know.

May 16th New Moon conjunct my natal Mars in the 10th. 
More career issues!  These are related to the 9th house as the new moon conjuncts my natal Mars ruler of my 9th.  So now I am communicating with people at a distance trying to resolve an internet issue.

I start getting red in the face (Mars) with my hosting provider and seriously consider moving the site.  The website is down every 20 minutes for several days.  I contact support, the answer I was given for the trouble I was experiencing wasn’t sufficient!  More Mars, it’s my site!  I want the 99.9 % uptime I have been promised!   I buy a dedicated ip thinking it could help, nothing changes.   I shop for a new hosting service.  Merideth was going out of town for the weekend, but agreed to move the site the following week.  I’m anxious to do so!

May 22nd - I receive a notice from my hosting provider that they are going to move my site to another server because the one I was on was “performing below quality standards”.  Within a few days the website was transferred and the entire career/10th house issue was finally over.  The work was complete and the site was running smoothly again.  It took just over a month to complete a 10th house new moon that began in April and my life was also colored by the full moon in between. 

I hope something here helps you to pinpoint the effects of a new or full moon.

Many happy moons to you! Cornelia

Click on the image for full view

The heavenly bodies will form a grand trine between the fire signs in April.  This powerful and harmonious astrological influence brings you inspiration, the courage to move stumbling blocks, and the ambition to carry out your goals.  It began in March with Venus in Aries, the Suns transit of Aries in April, followed by Mercury, and finally transiting Mars in Aries through June.  The Fire Grand Trine is self expressive, creative, spontaneous and inspiring.  You won’t be held back by fear or insecurities for your faith in yourself will be strong and your belief in your abilities will be unshakable.  You’ll be willing to seek adventure and take risks because your confidence and enthusiasm will be high. 

In addition, a more powerful aspect that the heavenly bodies will form is called a Kite. Three planets are in trine aspect and two planets sextile - all are harmonious, two planets in opposition, normally difficult, however when part of the Kite, the planets in trine and sextile assist and bring ease to the normally difficult opposition.  In doing so they help to direct and drive you to take hold of an important opportunity. 

People with a Kite in their charts are called “High Flyers.”  Each of us will have the opportunity to find a successful outcome to the area of our charts where the Kite will influence.   Stability, ability, transformation, expansion, courage, and accomplishment are keywords related to this heavenly configuration.  The planets will move in and out of this aspect until the first part of June.  Maintain a positive outlook on any difficulties that may arise and always look for the best possible outcome as opposed to the worst case scenario.   

I wish you all a wonderful month of progress! Cornelia

 Hello All, I thought you might enjoy reading this article that Mary sent me. Her link is in the Blog Roll.

HOW TO PREDICT WITH YOUR PERSONAL CHART

By Mary MacLean 

The completion of Saturn’s last retrograde thru the constellation of Leo is the signal for re-examining our recent course of action and also preparing for Saturn’s forward motion nearing the end of cycle thru Leo.  This last six months of Saturn’s transit thru Leo brings about the promise from the beginning of the transit back in August of 2005.   The rule is that the last six months of the Saturn transit brings in the fulfillment of your desires from Saturn’s initial intro into Leo. Think back, what were you trying to accomplish at that time?  Did you want a new house? Boyfriend?  Promotion?  Change your career?  These are just some of the everyday things that some people look to change in their lives.  Your choice can be more intense depending on Saturn’s promise in your birth chart.    In the months leading up to our current transits, you may have noticed repeating a situation or two.  This is due to the retrograde motion of Saturn. Retrograde means to go backwards, while the planets never really go backwards they seem to appear like they do from our stand point. Saturn is now retrograde and in the throws of the last six months transit thru Leo.  How far you have you come since August of 2005.  Saturn’s customary transit has the effect of testing the structures you have built in some area of your chart. 

As I look forward to the next six months, three things stand out.  First, the Full Moon Eclipse on March 3, 2007 takes place at 13 degrees of Virgo and second, the New Moon Eclipse on March 18, 2007 at 28 degrees of Pisces will take us through to the end of July. Third, Saturn goes direct in April at 18 degrees of Leo.  If you keep a day timer or journal, it will be easy to see the goals you set for yourself.  This is where it all starts to happen.  It will start with the unexpected changes that come with the Full Moon Eclipse and end with the goals you set with the New Moon Eclipse.   This is followed by the direct motion of Saturn in April and finalizes your intentions to further your aspirations. It seems as though we are ready to again take a step forward in our lives.   In the past twenty-four months we have slowly but surely moved forward in redefining a particular area in our chart.  For all of you who know what the houses are and where they are in your chart, this next paragraph may be a little redundant for you.  

If your rising sign is Aries, Saturn has been transiting your 5th house of Creativity and love affairs.  Has the relationship with your children, love affairs and entertainment have been put to the test lately.  One thing is for sure and that is that Saturn never leaves an area of the chart weakened.  By the time it is done, you will have a solid foundation to build on for the future. 

Taurus rising has Saturn transiting the 4th house of home and core issues.  This position of Saturn emphasizes your inner foundations as well as your physical home. You will find yourself trying to reaffirm belief structures that you have built your life on.  This can be a little testy.

Gemini rising finds Saturn transiting the 3rd house of Communication and community.  I find that this transit of the third house redefines how you cover your butt.  I have to snicker at that because during this transit it’s possible for your job to move, you may need to commute, and brothers and sisters need more attention.

Cancer rising finds Saturn coursing thru the 2nd house of personal finances and love. This is where you decide what you want.  This will solidify your personal finances and values.  After Saturn is done here you will have a great idea of who you really are and what you desire and/or need.

Leo rising with Saturn transiting the 1st house is probably the most important transit I can think of.  Initially it is all about the new 28 year you are about to enter.  The 1st house is the beginning of this great cycle.  You will leave all your old emotional and psychological baggage at the door or take it with you for the next 28 years.  The choice will be yours.  Your personality and how others see you will change as you grow into this next cycle.  This is where you start anew.  

Virgo rising finds Saturn going thru the 12th house of the past and subconscious.  You may think this might be a soulful but quiet period but alas, this is where you are so fed up with the emotional baggage that you have been sporting around for so long that you review and relinquish it to the past.  This is a time of letting go, it’s easier to write than to do but those are the facts. 

Libra, Saturn has been transiting the 11th house for you and redefining friendships, goals and group affiliations.  You will find yourself pushing forward with new goals.  The possibility of you making new friends or enlisting old friends in your current quest is par for your course.

Scorpio, with Saturn in your 10th house making a 90 degree angle to your 1st house this has not been your easiest couple of years.  Career is the center of your life at this time and working hard has been part of it all.  You have made some decisions on your current career status and what you want for yourself in the future.  The path is clear all you have to do is do it….

Sag, Saturn has been mulling around in your 9th house of legal matters, publishing, foreign affairs and philosophy.  I like this house because it is a mental house and requires that you engage in your thoughts.  Whatever the subject is you will be engaged mentally and emotionally.   This is you do what you say and not procrastinate.  Since this is the prelude to Saturn in the 10th house you will notice you are climbing to the top of career matters. It is no mistake that you are on a course to achieve a pinnacle.

Capricorn, Saturn is your ruling planet and when it is found in the 8th house of partnership finances and other people’s money, you can be sure your money will be affected. This can be taxes, inherititance, and mortgage money or partnership funds.  Mainly it’s all about money.  This transit solidify’s your income from others. 

Aquarius, with Saturn transiting your 7th house of partnership you may find yourself redefining your needs in your partnerships.  This can be a difficult time for some people as it involves another person or persons.  During this transit you are apt to rewrite your agreements with others.  This is a time of self discovery, where you see your needs change.

Pisces you will find Saturn transiting your 6th house of everyday work and health.  This transit develops a work schedule, or health schedule that works well for you.  It may take a while to figure it out but nothing happens overnight.  We all have 6th house needs and this is where you find out what they are.  Next it’s just a small leap to make it happen.  

For all of you who are not familiar with the houses and meanings I will give you a shortened view of where the eclipses will fall in your chart.  You will need your natal chart in front of you for this.  The other instruction I would give you is to take note of any natal planets that are conjunct or in opposition to the eclipse, by at the most 3 degrees on either side.  These will be very important in understanding the changes. 

The Eclipse will take on the energy of the conjunct planet.

Identifying the house that the Full Moon Eclipse takes place in will give you the area to look at for changes.   If the Full Moon Eclipse is conjunct, or in opposition to a natal planet, your interest will be more personal and effects are more direct.  If the area is without a natal planet, just that area of the chart will be affected.  In this case, the Full Moon Eclipse is in opposition to the transiting planet of Uranus, giving this eclipse an unexpected change in circumstances.  If conjunct the Sun or Moon, you can rest assured that this will need all of your attention.   I may have oversimplified finding the Eclipse on your chart as not too many people have 0 degrees of a sign on the cusp.   You will have to look at the degrees on the house cusps to accurately find your area of interest.

 The first thing to identify is The Full Moon Eclipse and the New Moon Eclipse.  Find 13 degrees of Virgo in your chart. For instance, if you have an Aries rising, 13 degrees of Virgo will land in your sixth house of health and everyday work.  This will bring an issue to the forefront of your life that needs a careful examination.  Full Moon Eclipses are extremely emotional changes that show up and alter the area of your life where they land.   In the 6th house this is the area of everyday work and health.  You may encounter an unexpected change in these areas. 

Taurus rising and the Full Moon Eclipse will land in your 5th house of creativity and a produce a spontaneous creative insight…

Gemini rising-The Full Moon Eclipse is found in your 4th house of home and core issues promise unexpected changes in the home.  This is important as it is one of the primary houses and can be very personal to you.  Home, naturally is where you live, but it is also the place deep inside you where your deepest issues and resolves reside.  Also remember if you make a change to your home, you are also making changes to your core issues.

Cancer rising-The Full Moon Eclipse is found in your 3rd house of communications engaging your mind and your close environment. 

Leo rising finds the Full Moon Eclipse in the 2nd house of personal finances and love giving rise to changes in love and money.

Virgo rising finds The Full Moon Eclipse in the 1st house of initiation, action and personality; generally how you would appear to the outside world.  Manifesting mega personal movement is a possibility or maybe the time of change in terms of personality or hair color, which ever you decide.

Libra rising examines The Full Moon Eclipse in the 12th house of the past and subconscious.  Usually, this is the house of hidden matters; however, with a Full Moon Eclipse, maybe not hidden for long. The opposition from Uranus in the 6th can bring health issues to the forefront.

Scorpio rising finds the Full Moon Eclipse in the 11th house of goals, hopes and dreams.  There is also a creative instinct that is part of this equation.

Sag rising finds the Full Moon Eclipse in the 10th house of career.  When I say career, I mean the many hats we wear, or labels we have.  When the Full Moon Eclipse lands in the 10th house, it can mean an unexpected change in career, in labeling, or just being known by a different label.

Capricorn rising has the Full Moon Eclipse in the 9th house of philosophy, legal matters, education and foreign affairs. This is a mental house as well as a spiritual house; therefore, issues in response to this Eclipse can show up as unexpected changes to any one of the above subjects. This house usually requires some mental gymnastics.

Aquarius rising finds the Full Moon Eclipse in the 8th house of partnerships resources and other people’s money.  This is also the house of sex, death and taxes.  Mainly, this has to do with others- Usually, this is referring to finances from another person or company. IRS, mortgages and money owed to you for a service or situation. Any changes in these areas are unexpected.

Pisces rising finds the Full Moon Eclipse in the 7th house of partnerships- business or personal.  This can be important as it refers to our emotional relationships as well as business.  Partnerships, especially personal partnerships are an important area for all of us and unexpected changes in this area can translate into a decision making festival.

The end result of any aspect depends on the natal promise in the birth chart. The promise in your birth chart is your natal chart and aspect to your natal planets. The aspects, they make at your birth, will tell you how a situation unfolds.  If one of the planets in your natal chart is being aspect by an Eclipse point or transit, the result will be the same as the natal energy.  If it is part of a trine then there will be an ease in the change.  If it is part of a square or opposition, it can be stressful.

Next, you will have to find the New Moon Eclipse in your chart as that will tell you where the current challenges of this eclipse will be experienced.  The New Moon Eclipse gives us the area we will be working in for the next six months.  When the Eclipse is conjunct or in opposition to a natal planet, the change will be quite personal for you.  The New Moon Eclipse the Sun conjunct denotes a big change in your personal life. The conjunction to the Moon often denotes home or career changes. Mercury’s conjunction to the Eclipse point delivers a constant stream of challenging communication that needs to be either spoken or learned or communicated in some way. Venus’s conjunction or opposition to the Eclipse brings about challenges concerning love affairs and/or money matters. Mars conjunct or in opposition to the Eclipse point signals action, assertiveness and challenges that deal with personal energy. Jupiter always deals with expansion unless it couples with Saturn. Jupiter involves challenges that deal with expansion in what ever area it resides. Money and travel are also in Jupiter realm.  Saturn’s conjunction or opposition are challenges that deal with responsibility.  (Taking responsibility with the conjunction and giving up responsibility with the opposition.) Uranus conjunction and opposition is always about eccentricity, freedom and unexpected desires.  You will always be surprised with Uranus in aspect to the eclipse.  Neptune’s conjunction or opposition is always about illusion, or more, exactly confusion.  Confusion and illusion are two sides of the same coin. This eclipse produces a generous amount of confusion or illusion.  Pluto conjunction or opposition to the eclipse demands change almost immediately, also, it can be challenging for just that reason alone. Pluto always seems to bring with it an intense time and in some cases passionate experience.

Now that you have seen the coming challenges, the next point to find is where Saturn will go direct.  You must locate 18 degrees of Leo in your natal chart. The house that this is located in is where you are currently redefining yourself. Saturn went retrograde at 25 degrees of Leo and will return to 18 degrees before it will go direct on April 17th, 2007 and pass the point at which it went retrograde. Think back to late August and early September of 2006.  Imagine that when Saturn goes direct we will be reliving that time, only now there will not be a retrograde and everything that we have learned in the retrograde period will enable us to make a knowledgeable decision about the future. 

Actually, all the degrees past 25 degrees of Leo are outcome degrees.  What do I mean by that?  When Saturn passes the point where it went retrograde, situations that began at that time now resolve. This is double duty time.  Not only does this direct motion conclude the previous Saturn retrograde but it also finalizes the total transit of Saturn in Leo completing a cycle that began 2 ½ years ago.

Now I know this is asking a lot if you are a novice at Astrology, so get close to someone who knows a little more and work together on this. Find a star study pal.

If you track these three points, you will know where you are going and when you will get there. There is definitely more to it than this but these are the high points.  Good Luck

Mary MacLean FEB, 2007
MARYMACLEAN@MARYMACLEAN.NET

It has been a long time since I added a post.  It seems that most of my sites readers write me directly, which makes it easier to stay away.  Maybe I should just backtrack to October when I quit writing horoscopes for a while. 

On Friday, Oct. 13th of all days, I woke up feeling a little better after having had a virus.  I went to the bathroom and as I passed the mirror I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.  Now, I’m not as cute as I use to be, but that particular morning, all I could say to myself was, “You look like hell.”  So, I continued on with my usual routine of letting my dogs outside and pouring myself a cup of coffee.  Most mornings I wouldn’t take a sip until I went downstairs to check my email.  As I put the cup to my mouth something didn’t seem right.  I went to take my first drink and the coffee seemed to run off of the side of my mouth and down my chin.  I knew that it was not clumsiness, but my mouth!  I headed for the bathroom mirror and understood immediately why I looked so bad; the entire right side of my face was paralyzed!  Ok…now I’m wondering what the heck is going on?  I headed for the bedroom, sat down on the side of my bed and thought about calling my husband at work.  No!  I couldn’t do that yet, not until I call my doctor.  So, now I’m really worried. What if I had a stroke?  People of all ages have strokes.  What if I had one in the night?  Why didn’t I wake up?  Should I have woken up if I had a stroke?  Two minutes later I’m on the phone trying to get in to see my doctor.  The nurse asked what was wrong, and I replied, “I don’t know, my face is paralyzed.”  Needless to say, they saw me right away.

So, I told my doctor about having the virus and that I had begun to feel better.  That on Wednesday I actually felt so good that I was cleaning my house like crazy.  I felt so good about what I had accomplished Wed. that Thursday I decided to clean my sons room, wash his windows, his bedding and curtains.  By Thursday afternoon I had a nagging sharp pain behind my ear.  That night I sat on the couch and tried to watch TV, but that pain turned into what felt like something sharp poking me behind the ear.  Other than that, I was fine.  I went to bed and woke up with my face paralyzed. 

She knew right away by my symptoms that I had Bells Palsy.  I had never heard of it before then.  Oh, I did call my husband on the way to the doctors office.  I told him what was going on and he said he knew what it was, but couldn’t think of the name.  He asked that I call as soon as I left the doctors office, which I did.  I was standing outside of the hospital on my cell phone telling him that she told me that I could look like that for 6 months or longer.  That she was most concerned about my right eye because it was half open…the eye can be a big problem if it starts drying out.  She offered to patch it for me!  When he and I hung up the phone he said that he had a guy from work standing in front of his desk waiting to speak with him.  He said that the first words out of that guys mouth were, “Bells Palsy?”  My husband asked how he knew and he said his wife had it for over a month at that point!  How weird! 

Like a Mercury in Gemini, I immediately started doing some research on Bells Palsy.  That virus caused trauma to the 7th cranial nerve that runs from the back of my head, up behind my ear, over the ear, and paralyzed all of the facial nerves running to the right side of my face. 
I looked like I hit a windshield at some point in my life without scars.  The eye was a big problem.  For someone that hates to put anything in her eyes, I was using eye gel because the moisture lasted longer.  It really didn’t matter what I thought about the gel, I certainly didn’t blink.  My husband picked me up an eye patch which helped to keep it from drying out.  His only request was that when I put it on that I say, “arrrrgh.”  Can you believe that? lol  My daughter, the sweet caring soul that she is, bought me one too.  Only hers was a silver chain and the eye patch was metal filled with clear rhinestones!  She said that if I had to wear a patch, it might as well be some bling. lol  Gotta love um for thinking of me.  lol

I read some articles about eliminating stress, so I opted for purchasing the reprint rights to monthly horoscopes.  I’m a little obsessive about keeping the site running smoothly.  The truth is that I have Saturn in my 6th house.  Saturn will see to it that I work relentlessly at something, God forbid I hit a barrier or I will work all night.  So, I took care of not having to worry about my forecasts.  Then I decided to add some feng shui elements to my environment.  Our current home doesn’t have the same space as we use to have, so a lot of those things are in storage.  I pulled out my amethyst geode and placed it near my desk, added a fountain and some lucky bamboo.  I also bought a 25ct amethyst ring.  I figured if I was going to wear amethyst for it’s healing properties, I might as well get the most energy out of it.  In addition, I started back on my whole food supplements.  Saturn has been conjunct my ascendant for some time and it has taken its toll on my health over the past 18 months.  First my foot, then one cold or virus after another.  I wrote about some of this in January’s horoscopes concerning the Saturn/Neptune opposition and Saturns retrograde in 2007.  Ok…so I’m listening to the Universe!  And last, but not least, I began to believe in my healing.  My friend Judie had mentioned the movie “The Secret” a few times, but I was just too busy to check it out.  Since I had time off due to health reasons, I watched it online.  There it was, my feng shui beliefs,  something I have encouraged my friends to do in their own homes.  There was also my long held belief that I deserved perfect health and blessings of abundance.  So, now I was watching a film that helped to lift my spirits because much of what I heard was what I had always believed myself.  I took all of this…the vitamins, the feng shui, the amethyst ring, the time off from work, and the movie - The Secret, put it all together and believed without a shadow of a doubt that I was healed.  Guess what?  In one month, I had no signs of ever having Bells Palsy.  I had to see my doctor every week and at my one month visit, on Nov 13th., she released me from further check-ups calling me a walking miracle.  She also told me that day, that when I first came to see her, she honestly didn’t expect a complete recovery inside of 7 months.

There are thousands of people each year stricken with Bells Palsy.  I’m nor certain of the number, but its something like one in every 5000, and there are a number of individuals that have had it more than once, or even twice.  My story is merely one person’s experience.  Just because I was healed so quickly doesn’t mean that my method will work for anyone else.  It’s very difficult for those suffering through it.  It’s hard to eat because you can’t open your mouth on one side, your eye dries out, and you can’t close your eye at night.  In my experience, I had a difficult time watching TV and spending time on the computer.  When I took a shower, I had to literally hold the lid of my eye closed so I wouldn’t get shampoo in it.  Besides all of that, I felt awful about the way I looked. 

Finally, a few friends asked, “Well, didn’t you see this in your chart?”  Uhh, no.  I wasn’t looking for it either.  I knew I had the health aspects, I figured something else could show its ugly head, but I wasn’t about to dwell on it and make it a self fulfilling prophecy.  And, considering the fact that I am looking at 100+ charts each month, I barely find the time to look at my own aspects.  Thank goodness I have my chart and current aspects memorized.  Besides the fact that transiting Saturn was conjunct my progressed sun and square my natal mars - hard on health and vitality, I knew there must be something else at work.  Well I did check my chart after I returned from my first doctors visit.  It just so happened that on Oct 13th, my progressed moon was within orb of opposing progressed Mars.  There were more factors as well, but my Sun does trine Jupiter and my Sun sextiles Pluto, giving me endurance and strength.  It’s all good now.  I still have that darn Saturn/Neptune opposition coming around once more, but I’ll take it as it comes. 

So, there you have it.  The reason why I didn’t post my own forecasts for Nov. and Dec.  It sure was hard getting back in the swing of things, but I had a good time writing the January forecasts… even though it was like pulling teeth trying to come up with a creative way to write such a long horoscope. Actually, I don’t “try” to write a long horoscope, that’s how I write because I have Mercury – the communicator - in my social house.  I’m an astrologer, not so much a writer, but I do the best I can and hope you’ll appreciate the time and effort I put into your horoscope.  I’m still working on the creative process as well, so they may change some over time.

If you are here because of this Bells Palsy post, may you be blessed and recover quickly.  Happy navigating through January!

The picture is the statue in my front yard here in Missouri.  We had 13″ of snow which began the evening of Nov. 30, 2006.  It stayed on the ground for 13 days.  Unfortunately, a lot of people in the St. Louis and surrounding areas were without power.  Sorry, I’m not having much luck with this image plug in.

Welcome to my first post in over a month.  Life has been good; I hope that you can say the same.  Okay, I have had a terrible cold, but I am still kicking.  I’m actually happy to put September behind me as I am certain many of you are. 

October’s sky looks so much better than what we have all gone through over the last several months.  We still have Saturn and Neptune at odds for the first 3 weeks, but the tension will finally ease up for a bit as Saturn pushes forward through Leo.  Saturn will begin it’s retrograde in December and Neptune will catch right back up and lock Saturn into a tight opposition by February 07.  Not exactly what you want to hear, I’m sure.  Take time now to enjoy the planetary weather.

The planets are playing host to the 7th sign of Libra through Oct. 23rd.  The nice thing about a Libra transit is that is allows us to put our partnerships in perspective and to get out and meet people on a personal level.  The seventh house shows how we present ourselves in one on one situations.  Libra is not a selfish sign.  It is the sign that represents relationships we have with others, not just our mates.  Put your best face on this month and make a new friend. 

Libra, represented by the scales, is also the sign of balance.  It allows us to look inward and to look hard at the areas in our lives that need improvement.  During the month of October you may find that you feel more balanced and in control of most situations.  Having a good relationship with friends, neighbors, and partners also helps to balance our lives. 

Ahh Venus…lest we forget the ruler of Libra.  Venus is the planet of beauty and art.  Venus doesn’t like work or anything close to it.  So, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get your normal routines taken care of in October.  Go have some fun, get dressed up, visit a museum, pamper yourself, give your sweetheart a gift, listen to some music, and enjoy your time with Venus. 

October means sharing…

I have received numerous emails stating that my October horoscopes have been copied and posted on another web site without giving credit to myself or my web site.  I am flattered that they liked the horoscopes enough to post them on their web site…spelling errors included!  However, I do not approve of any form of plagiarism on the web.  At this time no one has permission to post my work on their site, certainly not without appropriate credit.  Horoscopes Within is not in agreement with any site to post its contents, nor has any site contacted me about referencing my work.  So, the October horoscopes on Blessed By The Stars dot com are all the original work of yours truly…word docs, html, spelling errors, and php files to prove it.  

Like a good neighbor, October means sharing. 

 Have a wonderful month!  Cornelia Jones

Update: 10/2/06 Thank you to those that wrote in with an update that my link had been added on the other site.  Best wishes, Cornelia

When Mercury transits your chart, don’t expect it to be a typical month at all. 

July was filled with day trips for me as Mercury the planet of transportation backtracked through my first house and into my 12th house.  I was busy making and keeping several appointments with my doctors.  I spent a great deal of time having my records transferred to my new doctor, getting exams and having them faxed to another hospital, having blood work and getting that faxed to the hospital where I will have a procedure on my foot. 

Between my husband and myself, we spent too much time trying to work with the insurance company and following procedure so that they would pay for my foot surgery.  At one point I had to ask if he was getting names because every time he got on the phone he got a different answer from the person on the other end.  

The results of all of our hard work during this last retrograde was that neither insurance will cover the procedure.  That call came in while I was having my pre-op exam!  When I told my family Doctor, he told me he could let me go and not charge for the appointment.  I advised him to finish the exam as I really wasn’t certain what would happen now.

Well, 30 minutes later my husband called and said he had gotten a nice bonus check and a letter from his company commending him for his work.  He also told me that the company that provides the hospital the equipment was going  to wave their fee and my podiatrist had reduced her charges by less than half because she really wants me to have it done. 

So, tomorrow I hope that this new procedure helps get my foot on a road to recovery.  It may take up to 3 months for me to start to see real results, but that shouldn’t be a problem as I have been limping around with pain for 18 months already.  BTW, looking back at my blog entry, I forecasted the right day that I would have it done…although there were a few times I wondered if something would happen to change that date. 

I read the July horoscopes that I wrote for my sun sign to my husband and the details I gave for Mars in Virgo fit my life exactly.  I also read him parts of my rising sign horoscope to him and the New Moon was right on as well.  His response was, “No fair, you cheat, you write those things”. lol

Well, I wrote his too…lol.  I’m not a psychic and I didn’t know I was going through all of this and buy a car for my daughter within a week of the new moon.  When life gets too predictable for me as an Astrologer, the Universe throws me a monkey wrench…or two! 

Further developments related to the full moon in Capricorn led me to read my Leo forecast. Honestly, it is hard to remember exactly what I have written for each sign from month to month as I write about 25,000 words each month as well as working with other clients. 

I recently cut back on some of the examples I provide readers for the full moon in hopes that my readers would look at the houses and planets in their own charts and it also allowed me a little more time to complete my horoscopes and have them posted by the first of the month.  I read my July horoscope for my rising sign and don’t you know I talked about an ending to a health issue.  I also mentioned that the full moon could relate to the feet as the 12th house governs the feet.  Go figure…I played into the hands of the universe.  My husband said it’s eerie, although I think it just proves that the planets tell us what issues will come up and what needs work in our lives. I’m an Astrologer, so there is nothing eerie about it.

Well, the full moon in Capricorn relates not only to my 6th house of health, but also domestic pets. Today, just one day after the full moon, my dog Chloe (small American Eskimo) starts coughing.  She coughed on and off for about 5 hours. I checked her throat and couldn’t find any blockage, so I called the Vet and took her in.  He took x-rays and found that Chloe has a collapsing trachea…sometimes common in small dogs or in her case, possibly caused from something else.  Last week there was a day that Chloe acted as though she was having an asthma attack with very labored breathing.  My son has asthma and I have seen him do the same thing during an attack.  It passed as quickly as it came on with no further side effects…until today when the coughing started.

So, it appears that the full moon has not only touched me as far as my foot and a prior health issue is concerned, but also has brought a health issue that Chloe has out in the open.  She received a shot and will get 3 days worth of prednisone in hopes that this will help. I sure hope so!  My little girl is also a Leo, born on July 26th. She turns 3 years old this month and thanks to the universe, I can keep a good eye on her and hopefully she will recover quickly. 

As I sit here this morning looking at the ephemeris and my birth chart, I see once again how my life plays out in the current planetary alignments. 

I had a second opinion yesterday concerning a problem I have with my right foot.  Mercury retrograde is the time to re-evaluate your circumstances and as Mercury retrogrades through my 12th house, the house that governs the feet, walking comfortably is my greatest concern for the year ahead.  I have been dealing with Plantar Fasciitis for the past 18 months. I have worn the best shoes, had cortisone shots, used a night splint, celebrex , and had a cast last year through the Holidays…all with no results.  As Mercury began it’s retrograde through my 12th house, my husband began telling me I needed to go back to the podiatrist.  I decided to see someone new and our visit went well yesterday.  She seems to think I would be a good candidate for a non invasive procedure called ESWT (Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy). 

Yesterdays appointment found the Sun, Mercury, and Saturn in my 12th house.  The moon was in my 6th house of heath, Venus was in my 11th house of associations, and I did like the new podiatrist.  Mars is in my 1st house and I am determined to get this problem resolved. 

What about all of this in relation to my sun in Cancer?  With so many planets transiting Leo, money was also the topic of conversation as I was informed that many insurance companies do not cover the procedure.  The podiatrist said she would cut her fee by more than half and I could make payments.  She also said that the company that provides the equipment would also wave the fee if we can’t get our insurance to pay.  However, I would have to pay the hospital and the anesthesiologist. 

The podiatrist also gave me a list of dates that I could have this done.  I figured August 3rd would work out best for several reasons, although we haven’t scheduled anything until we hear about the insurance.  When looking at the ephemeris for that day, the Sun, Mercury, Venus will be in my 12th house.  Saturn will be conjunct (less than 1 degree) of my ascendant.   As far as my progressed chart…the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn will all be positioned in my 11th house of hopes and wishes and my 12th house of hospitalization.  There is more, but overall it looks like a good day for surgery and healing.  Oh, this date also falls within 2 weeks of the new moon in Leo, my 12th house.

Become familiar with your birth chart and which zodiac signs govern the different houses in your chart.  Look at the ephemeris and where the planets are active on special dates for you. You can go back in the past and look at major life transitions as well and pinpoint where the planets were and how they played a role in your circumstances at that time. Astrology really does work!  Once you understand the basics as I have described here, you will truly see important events unfold.

Wishing you the best during this Mercury retrograde! Cornelia

I’ve been meaning to share this little story with you and am a little late at getting around to it.  Hopefully, those of you that were due a tax refund have already received it. 

My husband (an Aquarian) starts getting a folder together at the end of each year with all of the paperwork our accountant will need to do our taxes.  So, we usually file pretty early.  This year time slipped by me so quickly that I didn’t realize how long it had been and we hadn’t received our refund.  My husband asked if it had come in and I told him not to worry about it, that it would arrive soon as my daughter received hers about 3 weeks before.  He thought that was strange because we filed her taxes 3 weeks to a month after our own. 

Well, he went online and it showed that the refund had been mailed out about 3 weeks before.  He contacted the IRS and they were sending him a claim form to send back stating that the check never arrived.  Later in the week he called me and asked me to pull the file… that he needed some numbers to fill out the form.  I told him that the moon was in Virgo and he usually receives money when the moon was in Virgo, so he should wait a day or two as it was probably going to come in the mail that day.  He laughed like always and agreed to wait until the moon changed signs.

That afternoon the mailman delivered a box and handed me the mail.  I noticed that there was a savings bond in the stack of envelopes, but no income tax check.  We have a savings bond come in about every 3 months, I think.  Usually I just put the savings bond away and never open the envelope.  I thought it was strange that we received another one when it had only been a few weeks since the last one came in.  Well, that set off a light bulb in my head!  I pulled the other saving bonds and wouldn’t you know… there was the income tax refund we were waiting for!  They come in the same type of envelope! 

My husband came in from work and I called out, “I told you that you always get money when the moon is in Virgo.”  He says, “your kidding”.  I laughed and told him what I had done.  And he did get the check when the moon was in Virgo! 

BTW, Virgo is his 8th house as an Aquarian.  His sun is in his 4th house in his birth chart.  That’s why I always say, “It’s all relative.”  However, Virgo is the sign that governs his 12th house and is Mercury ruled.    Something was hidden…for several weeks!

20 years ago I wouldn’t have laughed about my mistake.  I might have been dependant on that check to pay my bills!