Merriman on the 2008 election

Posted 26 April 2008

I have never met astrologer and market analyst, Raymond Merriman, but I have been reading his weekly columns for a couple of months now, and I really like his approach. It’s the astrology I know and love— with focus on patterns rather than predictions. He never says the market will move up today, or down today (which can kill you if you bet on it and it turns out wrong), but he does call potential turning points, market peaks and troughs. And most of his calls are right on.

He also wrote a pretty good book on Solar Returns, and several books on market cycles.

Anyway, he just posted his commentary for next week, and I really like what he said about the upcoming presidential election. I’m posting an excerpt here, and I encourage you to go to his website and read the entire post. You’ll find the election commentary under “Longer-Term Thoughts.”

“Fear Sells.” It’s a mantra that I have written about for the past 7 years that would dominate public consciousness throughout this decade, and into the next. It is the mantra politicians will exhort more and more in their quest to get voters to vote against their opponent (and for them). It is the mantra of negativity that doesn’t really win elections, but rather defeats the other side by placing doubts into voter’s minds about the electability – or the ability to govern fairly in regards to the needs of all the people – by the opponent….

I bring this up because we are in the beginning stages of one of the most heated presidential races in the history of the United States. And the first passage if the Saturn-Uranus opposition – November 4, 2008 – is on the day of that Presidential Election. On Friday, April 25, the “What’s News” section on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, posted two pertinent snippets. The first stated that “The U.S. said it found Iranian arms caches in Iraq…. The charges mark a hardening of U.S. rhetoric on Iran, which it now calls the greatest long-term threat to Iraq.” Does it sound like the trumpet roll to… “Fear Sells,” as we approach the campaign season?…

Why is it that major elections – and leaders of political parties – seem to no longer inspire confidence and hope? Maybe, just maybe, with Saturn in opposition to Uranus, one candidate can emerge who will break this depressing pattern of 21st century America. After all, Saturn represents patterns, and Uranus represents change and the breaking of old ways. Saturn also represents the old guard, and Uranus represents youth. This election will likely be about those two opposite ends of the spectrum. There should be a real clear distinction between the candidates this time – about as clear as black and white, young and old, and maybe hope and fear.

Thank you, Mr. Merriman. From your keyboard to God’s ears.

 

Headlines

Posted 26 April 2008

I haven’t written a blog, personal or otherwise, for a while, so I’ll give you the Cliffs notes, keeping it short and sweet:

Mom has two herniated disks in her back. Ouch! But she has been undergoing treatments with a chiropractor, and she says that’s helping a lot.

I had a bad bunch of migraines in March and early April. I’m feeling much better now. Probiotics help. That may sound odd, but I think Edgar Cayce would say it makes perfect sense. Saturn square my Saturn.. it’s good for the soul, but oh, how it drags on.

John and his family opened Beer Run. Saturn conjunct his Venus— it’s a great restaurant and they are doing well, but he’s having to work so hard. He disappears in the morning, usually before I’m awake, and returns 12-14 hours later, 6 days a week.

John is going to become an uncle for the first time. His new nephew is due to arrive in May. I think this merits a little time off, don’t you?

The garden is coming along.

I am learning how to trade stocks. The market is an interesting place to be this year. I never thought I would like the world of business and financial markets— it does seem so tiresome and boring from the outside, but now that I’m in it, there is never a dull moment. It’s an incredible challenge, and I actually do enjoy it.

I knitted a bunch of stuff. If you have an account on Ravelry, check it out, and add me to your friends. Friends are always good. Also check out the “Music of the Spheres” group to connect with me & other knitting astrologers.

 

Molly & Melissa on the Nodes

Posted 12 February 2008

This article has a podcast! Right here!

Melissa invited me to speak in a conference call about the Moon’s nodes. So we gathered a few dozen folks on the phone around the time of the Solar Eclipse on Wednesday, and I talked my little head off about how I see and use the Nodes. I was nervous! You can download and listen if you would like.

tags: eclipses, north node, south node

 

Lance on the Radio

Posted 17 January 2008

My teacher Lance was on the radio in New York City. He talked about what’s to come in 2008, and took some calls. You can find the show in the archives at wbai.org. The show is called Walden’s Pond, and Lance was on the Sunday, January 13 show. This link may work too— cross your fingers. You may need Real Audio to play it. I was able to listen to it with iTunes.

Lance is a fabulous astrologer and public speaker with powerful mojo and a wonderful way with words. I am proud to have him as my first and most important mentor. Lance’s website is www.skywatchastrology.com.

It’s snowing today in Charlottesville. Stevie thinks it’s an excellent excuse to take a nap.

tags: 2008

 

Holiday cheer

Posted 22 December 2007

This, my friends, is a heel. The heel of the second in a pair of hand knitted socks. I completed the first sock in June, and subsequently, the project lost all momentum and went in to hibernation. But winter weather does much to inspire visions of warm woolies & the creation thereof.

Ravelry inspires as well. It’s kind of like a Myspace for knitters. If you knit, and you don’t know the joys of Ravelry yet, click thy mouse, and get thy virtual rear-end to Ravelry without delay. You won’t be sorry. There’s a wait list for membership (the site is still in beta testing), but it doesn’t take long.

Now that winter’s officially here, my Yule tree is now a Christmas tree. Even though I’m partial to the old path, I’m an equal opportunity kind of celebrator. I do lots of traditions, even the mainstream. Aren’t we all referencing the same thing anyway? The rebirth of light and hope in the darkness, yes? Does it really matter what name we call it? I don’t think it does.

Zoe and I met up for some yuletide revelry at Beer Run yesterday, where she presented me with one of the beaded snowflakes she made with her daughter Tashi. If you look closely at the picture, you can see it.

Also present are the hand blown glass ornament I bought last week at Sunspots Studios in Staunton, and several ornaments I inherited from my Granny’s tree. My Taurean Granny always made sure we were properly decked out, and now my first holiday tree sparkles with sweetness and charm, thanks to her.

And here’s my first holiday tree in all its dazzling glory. You’ll notice the dearth of ornaments on the lower limbs. If you have a cat (or know someone who does), no explanation is necessary.

 

The Shortest Day

Posted 20 December 2007

So, the shortest day came
and the year died.
And everywhere down the centuries
of the snow, white, world
came people, singing, dancing,
to drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees
They hung their homes with evergreens.
They burned beseeching fires all night long
to keep the year alive.
And when the new day sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all across the ages you can hear them
echoing behind us. Listen.
All the long echoes sing the same delight
This shortest day.
As promise wakens in the sleeping land
They carol, feast, give thanks, and dearly love their friends.
And hope for peace. And so do we here now this year.

Susan Cooper

Picture from Winter Solstice Tree

 

C is for Cookie

Posted 28 November 2007

Just for fun..

I found this on Facebook… if you don’t know Facebook, it’s a complete time waster and I am hooked— you should totally join, and look me up.

For those of you who grew up with Sesame Street in the good old days, did you know that the “new” Cookie Monster considers cookies a “sometimes food?” Not MY Cookie Monster. C is for Cookie!! That’s good enough for me. Enjoy.

 

From the mailbag: Conjunctions

Posted 27 November 2007

K wrote:

Hi Molly,

I have my chart but do not understand at all what “conjunct” looks like. I mean visually, what does it look like? How do I know visually if planets are conjunct?

Thank you so much!

Hi K,

That’s a hard question to answer, because visually there are many different ways of representing a planet’s location in a chart.

Sometimes you’ll have a lot of planets in the same house. The glyphs used to represent them are very large, so one will sometimes bump the other over, and it’s hard to tell visually what’s going on. Sometimes two glyphs will appear to be close together, but in reality the planets are not conjunct.

So how do you know? You have to pay attention to the numbers. Don’t let this freak you out— it is very simple math. Most charts give you a number next to the symbol for the planet. This number tells you how far into the sign each planet is.

Each sign has 30 degrees, numbered 00 through 29. The number of degrees is often followed by the number of minutes, which aren’t really important unless you want to be very very precise.

If two planets are within the allowed orb (number of degrees between the planets), then they are conjunct. The allowed orb is debatable. I use 15 degrees for the Sun and Moon, 10 for planets. That works best for me. Other astrologers use wider or narrower orbs. The tighter the orb, the stronger the conjunction.

For my example, I’ll post my chart from astro.com. This is the best, most accurate chart calculation site on the web. It has lots of tools to help you learn to read your chart (check out Astro Click Portrait). And it’s free, so there’s absolutely no reason not to use it.

(Click the thumbnail to see the full size chart.)

I have the Sun at 5 Aries and Chiron at 12 Aries. That’s a 7 degree orb, in other words, only 7 degrees distance between the two— conjunction.

I have Venus at 20 Taurus and Mars at 29 Taurus. 9 degree difference— conjunction.

Here’s a tricky one— I have Mars at 29 Taurus and Saturn at 2 Gemini. What comes right after 29 Taurus? 00 Gemini of course. then 01, 02 Gemini… That’s a 3 degree orb— it crosses signs, but it’s still a conjunction.

Any questions? Just leave a comment.

tags: aspects, conjunction

 

From the mailbag: Mars retrograde and gadgets

Posted 27 November 2007

LD writes:

About Mars retro…
Are there similar precautions to implement as during a Mercury retro?
I’ve not heard astrologers mention this.. but buying an MP3 player just after Mars turned recently (Nov. 2007) well….!!
It’s been a nightmare to get it to work, changes problems with every hour or day, exchanged it, same thing continues… and the companies are absolutely no help.

Interesting coincidence? Or is there something about MARS retro as well as MERCURY? :-) aaargh!!

LD, usually if you look, you’ll find something underlying your gadget problems. It could be Mars retro, or it could be a transit to your chart. I would look at Uranus (gadgets) and Neptune (music) as well as Mercury and Mars.

I do think Mars retro has a bearing on machines, especially cars (Mars rules metal). My boyfriend is in the process of opening a new business, and that has been dragging on. The workers run into snags, sometimes they don’t even show up. But the computer and gadget world hasn’t been too bad for me. My internet connection has been pretty good, slow at times but nothing has broken down (knock on wood). Then again, I haven’t bought any new electronics lately.

What about the rest of you? Do you think Mars retrograde has a bearing on high tech gadgets? Have you noticed any problems?

 

Dog on the Full Moon

Posted 24 October 2007

“Two more ice heads (drug addicts) down tonight.

“You know, you see that full Moon right there? I swear every time there’s a full Moon, we catch at least two a day. That’s a minimum. I think they got a clock with the Moon or something.”

- “Dog” Chapman, in Dog the Bounty Hunter

I found a birth time and place for my favorite reality TV bounty hunter on IMDB. (Feb 2 1953 in Denver, CO) If this info is correct, “Dog” has Sun in Aquarius, and (most likely) Moon in Virgo. When I watched the show, I thought there might be some Aquarius in there— his likeable, outgoing personality and unique style give it away. If you watch the show, you know vacuuming is his stress reliever— hello, Virgo Moon. His wife Beth reveals on camera that he is particular about the clothes he wears too. Being so family oriented, I suspect he either has Cancer rising or the Moon on an angle. If he had Virgo rising, he’d have a first house Moon and Sun, Mercury and the Node in the 5th house (he has 12 children). Cancer rising puts Uranus in the 1st house and Moon in the 4th, which fits well too.

 

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