In one of his messages, James Gilliland of ECETI.org, said he's been deluged with emails from people asking....what is going on? He writes, "People are having trouble sleeping, waking up at four in the morning on a regular basis, feeling major mood swings along with compressed time having trouble keeping up with the accelerated energies or learning process." He writes that many are experiencing a restless conscience.

Gilliland says we're being put on notice, to get right with our soul's integrity. With Saturn in Libra, there's an imperative toward justice, fairness, balance. And because it's squaring Pluto (in Capricorn), that intensifies the areas in our lives where we've compromised our morals. Pluto reaches deep into psychological terrain, and the square to Saturn forces what's hidden to the light.

What makes this aspect so challenging, is that the wrestling with the soul, is forcing us to confront institutionalized corruption. And each of us wrestles with the role we're playing in a corrupt system. For example, war can only happen when we create an enemy and de-humanize the 'other.' Saturn in Libra forces us to look in the mirror, instead of projecting evils onto others.

It's a transit that asks us if we've sold our soul, and what we can do about it. We allow injustice to prevail, when wars are waged to get another region's resources. This long aspect forces us to look at what we're doing, since the conscience is rattling the cage from deep within. For Americans, this aspect may bring the wars home in a way that pierces collective denial. That happens with Pluto transits. The medicine may be bitter and harsh, but it wakes us up to what's poisoning our souls.

Some themes now may be:

• Re-humanizing your work life.
• Shifting investments to companies that do no harm.
• Recovering your sensitivity.
• Healing from toxic beliefs.
• Voting with your dollars.
• Speaking up against the culture of war even though its become taboo (Pluto).

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Watching the dancing fire last night, I got to thinking about how air and fire signs whip each other up into a frenzy. Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) live to be inspired, which means to breath in. They become animated when an idea springs them to action. When air signs (Libra, Aquarius, Gemini) let fly a steady current of ideas, these become visions for fire signs to act on. Like the fire's flames, the result can be a relationship that's always changing shape. It's kept alive with the infusion of shared fascinations.

But like the fire needs wood, the air-fire relationship needs something substantial to feed on. A shared focus that helps anchor the connection in a sea of infinite possibilities. In her relationship with Brad Pitt (Sagittarius), Angelina Jolie (Gemini, Aries Moon) has talked about the need for a shared purpose. They found it in raising a family. A shared goal could be a business venture, a creative collaboration, or the supporting each other to reach higher.

Alighting on a shared goal can create some momentum if you've hit a stagnant patch with your mate. My husband and I have lots of fire-air in our charts, including Gemini Moons at 11 degrees, a Venus-Mars in Leo and Venus-Mars in Libra two-way conjunction, and matching Saturn in Aries. We've found it fun to have something novel, that we've never tried, on the calendar. Maybe it'll be slightly "dangerous" seeming. Early in November, we walked a wildlife refuge and counted eight gators within a few feet. Two weeks ago we tried kayaking, which we both decided was not our thing, but still, we did it.

It's the thrill of hatching ideas, then doing them, that keeps fanning the flames. That satisfies the need to conceptualize (air) and take action (fire) to keep things fresh. The little goals are like the kindling, and the bigger ones are the slow-burning logs on the pile.

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Sometimes it's just for the Sun shining on your face. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! For Wordless Wednesday.

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If you follow luna, you'll see we're at the waxing half Moon in Pisces today. It's the point when the Moon comes into a square with the Sun. It's the time of dealing with inner resistance, or external obstacles. But it's also a time to hold your intentions strong, which is not easy in a world of so many distractions! Some themes for today are:

• Not judging yourself for strange or ugly emotions that come up, just letting them pass by like clouds.
• Not absorbing the problems of others.
• Looking at habits of emotional self-sabotage, like letting someone "steal" your energy.
• Protecting yourself from the bad vibes of a crowd or mass hysteria.
• Being productive with your imagination.
• Giving yourself enough solitude, to work through the emotional situations in your life.

Since the Moon is in Pisces, we're vulnerable to losing our focus for the day. We might easily check out through distractions, daydreaming, watching tv, hanging on the computer, etc. I took special note when the author Starhawk -- someone I've studied with -- said she's been trying to stay off Facebook, because she's writing a book. She didn't want to dissipate her energy. This is especially good advice (though hard to do!) when the Moon is in Pisces, and we're more apt to be enveloped in the moods and thoughts of others.

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Many have the sense that we're facing a huge societal shift, and astrology is one way to forecast ahead. Even so, says futurist and astrologer Michael St. Clair, "Get ready for what you cannot even imagine." With such rare dramatic planetary alignments ahead, we're not able to know just how things will change. It's humbling to live with such uncertainty, but St. Clair says we can't discern the unknown with known means. A former investment banker who says, "buy gold" if you can, he also says it's time to form small, self-sufficient communities -- radiant zones -- to weather the storm ahead. You can read more at Michael St. Clair's Vision for the Future.

I'm fascinated by visionaries that include "extraterrestrials" in their worldview. St. Clair says, we are extraterrestrials, that we all come from outer space. But that doesn't mean "they," possibly our ancestors, are going to save us. Michael St. Clair says he gets guidance from "the Nordics," an E.T. group, that encourage us to figure it out. In the interview I've summarized at the link above, he talks about changes in magnetics of the Earth, earth changes, people short-circuiting and the need to stay focused on the here and now.

There's a buzz about "disclosure" of E.T.'s for this year, and it's got a bright beam on it with Jupiter-Neptune in Aquarius. In a message called "Lessons I've Learned Upon Coming to Earth" James Gilliland of ECETI.org, also stresses that it's a critical time to find our own self-authority. ECETI stands for Enlightened Contact with Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Lately, Gilliland's messages have been urging truthtellers to stand up and be heard, and that fits with Saturn's move into justice-loving Libra. These are two visionaries that communicate with other worlds, but their message is about being firmly rooted in this one.

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I saw the movie 2012 yesterday, and noticed a protest scene for year 2009 with signs saying, "drop the debt." It's taboo to talk about, but debt kills. It causes indebted people and nations to lose everything. Scorpio is associated with debt, and the hold it has on our life force. Debt brings us to our knees. It makes us beholden to another, which brings on loss of power and dignity.

This weekend, Saturday Night Live mashed up sex and debt (Scorpio) in a mock press conference between President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. It was all about sex and power, as Jintao implied he should be romanced before "you do sex to me!" The elephant in the room is debt to China, and it's an awkward contrast to Obama's eloquent promises. It also points out how debt puts a nation in a subservient position to the debtor. The lecturing on human rights and so on is no longer tolerated.

Today's Venus (Scorpio) square to Jupiter (Aquarius) will spotlight debt, and how it leads us to compromise our integrity. There may be public actions that seek to liberate humanity from this web of debt. I found out that my tax preparer (another Scorpio theme) is part of an emerging American Open Currency Standard. The participating businesses (over 26,000) accept a currency of silver coins, and/or barter of equal value goods and services

It's likely a sign of things to come, as America tries to free itself from an economic model that inherently creates debt. As the economy grows, so does the interest, since printing money has been "outsourced" to the private Federal Reserve. It's exciting to see the People rebel in this way, since as the AOCS itself says, "America's Founding Fathers regarded economic independence as the root cause of the revolutionary war." It's a step toward restoring real value to the currencies we use to exchange the fruit of our labors.

Brendan Smialowski/Protest at World Bank, 2005

In the darkest time of the year, the Sun is in the sparking sign of Sagittarius. It's a month of looking for the light within, as the solar light wanes through to Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st). When that warms us up from within, we re-discover our own natural optimism. It's a time for finding faith in the darkness....

Sun in Sagittarius brings:

• The rhythm of being in-motion that gets you moving!
• A social curiosity that makes it easier to mingle at the holidays.
• The impulse to learn, travel, experience....a time to dream of future plans.
• Startling, bold communication that wakes you up!
• The restless desire to experience life, firsthand.
• The awareness of "signs" like serendipity, that show you you're where you're meant to be.

The Sun in Sagittarius gives us a solar dose of real optimism. Not from being in denial, but from knowing that despite how bad things look, things always evolve. You never know who you're going to meet, or how an experience will change you. It's knowing that there's some kind of divine hand, guiding you forward on the path.

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Since it appears that something wicked this way comes that could affect our health, it's wise to boost the immune system as much as possible. Some countries, like Serbia are turning to garlic as a tried and true "folk remedy," and Moldova is giving out extra cloves to their soldiers. In his article on Star IQ called Your Health and Neptune, herbalist and astrologer Jonathan Keyes has other natural remedies to try.

Neptune in medical astrology is linked to the immune system, which is the lymph glands and vessels that help us fight off disease. And there's a guide in that, says Jonathan, that faith (Neptune) and healing go together. Besides immune boosting herbs like echinachea, astralgus and reishi mushroom, Keyes recommends things like:

• meditation and prayer
• taking a break from the mundane...and escape to the sublime (watch the clouds?)
• essential oils or just comforting kitchen aromas
• rediscover the wonder found in nature

Keyes says that Neptunian types, being more sensitive to toxins in the environment, need to take special care. You're strongly influenced by Neptune, he says, if you've got planets in Pisces, many planets in the Twelfth House, Neptune on one of the angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th or 10th), or if Neptune is part of a planetary aspect in your chart.

For sensitive Neptunian types, writes Keyes, "When our immune system is strong, we feel healthy and vibrant and can live in the world without being overwhelmed and overpowered. When our immune system is low, we feel run down and wilted like an old flower." In the second part of Your Health and Neptune, he has excellent nutritional and lifestyle suggestions, like drinking lots of the purest water available. Having a Berkey Water Filter has made me want to drink more water, because it doesn't taste all chemical-ly.

Many of Keyes suggestions are back-to-basics. They're a reminder that if our bodies get nutrients (in real food) and sleep, that our immune system can do the rest. And that as Keyes says, "faith can move mountains" when we're trying to stay healthy.

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There was a joyful flashmob in Cork, Ireland last weekend to the happy Aquarian tune of "Mr. Blue Sky." The idea of the flashmob is very Aquarian to me. It's coordinated via texting and emails, and involves a spontaneous-feeling outburst in a public place. Sometimes, it's for a cause, but mostly, it's to dance en masse for the sheer fun and randomness of it.

"Hey you with the pretty face....welcome to the human race," sings the Electric Light Orchestra. The Cork flashmob chose this 70s techno-style song, from a band that first peaked when Jupiter was in Aquarius in 1974. The flashmob transforms the usual anonymity of the crowd into smiling, excited people doing something unusual together. You could see Jupiter and Neptune in Aquarius here, in a joyful shared act that dissolves the usual social barriers. And that's a good thing!

Click here to watch the flashmob in Cork, which was a benefit for the arts.

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What holds you back from Doing What You Love? Mars in Leo through the year is stirring passions, including buried ones. It's inciting us to be big and step into the spotlight. Today Mars in Leo is in a tense square to Venus in Scorpio.

This square can lead to outbursts of frustration that come from a burning desire to live our creative dreams. Venus in Scorpio keeps us close to the roots of the psyche. So when it's triggered with the square, there's raw emotion released that can free us up.

This cosmic weather may lead to:

• Looking at how debts keep you from following your heart.
• The purging of toxic patterns in relationships that make you feel a loss of self-respect.
• Releasing yourself from the bondage of adult stress, to get back to a healthy playful attitude.
• Purging negativity so you can shine in your unique way.

Today's tensions may lead to edgy encounters, where people feel rage at being disrespected. If it's in a relationship, that anger can be a red flag that you're not living up to your own standards. The anger can be a motivator that propels you out of your personal swamps, and gets you moving. Seen in that way, the Venus square Mars aspect today can be an antidote to apathy. It may open old wounds that have yet to be transformed into your personal masterpiece.

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