current astro-weather

Hello! December seems to be racing by very quickly! It is hard to believe that in a few weeks we will be in the year 2010. On December 1, Uranus turned direct after being in retrograde motion since July 1. Those born under the sign of Aquarius should start seeing some results in any areas where there may have been delays or unclarity. December 20-21, we have the Solstice and welcome the season of winter here in the northern hemisphere. The days may be short, but will soon grow longer and longer. Mars in Leo turns retrograde, and it will remain in this sign until June 2010. This should give energy to some projects that you may have in mind? Jupiter and Neptune shake hands in the sign of Aquarius for the last time this year. These two planets have been having a close and intimate discussion for most of 2009, but will soon part company. Pay attention to your dreams.

New Year's eve will see a full moon eclipse at 10' Cancer, squaring Saturn in Libra and opposing Pluto in Capricorn. This feels like a wonderful opportunity for prayer and visualization for the coming year. Search your heart and being for what you truly yearn for....and write it down...as if it already exists.

Blessings to you all at this wondrous time of the year. May your blessings be many and your worries few.

Grand fixed cross with Full Moon in Taurus

Well, as if the Full Moon weren't enough to stir us to alertness! Today begins our full moon, in the sign of Taurus - loyal, earthy, in tune with the sensual pleasures of being alive - a good massage, fine wine, art and so forth. Taurus knows how to live. Full moon will likely illuminate whatever area in your chart contains your "taurus' house.

The full moon is part of a grand fixed cross forming in the sky: this involves squares and oppositions of planets labeled as 'fixed.' For the layperson, this may better be described as conversations that can be uncomfortable, but are very necessary, and do lead somewhere. If you think about the fixed signs - Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius - they tend to get where they need to be, but not through politeness or hanging back. It's not about being mean or dominating - simply standing for the truth in whatever is your realm.

Planets involved include Sun in Scorpio, Jupiter/Neptune in Aquarius, Full Moon in Taurus, and Mars in Leo. It would be hard not to take action under this influence, but please do remember to slow down first, pray to be aligned to the Highest Good.

My gut feeling on this alignment is that it is magical; the time-space between now and the end of the month portends for great change for those who are willing to risk revealing, loving, taking a chance, doing the work. The Mayan calendar changes over mid-month; when this happened last year, I observed many powerful and dynamic changes just in the meditation group I was involved with - I do not even know how far reaching this window of opportunity was, I can only speak for my corner of the world. Great change is upon us again. Are you with me?

Major Astrological Movement this week

We have major astrological movement this week that is certainly worth noting! Saturn, the planet related to discipline, hard work, teaching, and sometimes restriction, is moving from detail-oriented Virgo into relational Libra. Saturn has traveled through Virgo from September 2007 to the present, instituting order and discipline in whatever house in your natal chart may contain Virgo. Saturn is very picky and particular when mixed with exacting Virgo; in some ways this can be very good, if there is an area where you really need to focus, perservere, apply hard work and discipline, you can certainly see your hard work pay off!

Saturn and Jupiter are planets that move in opposite ways, but are both needed in order to keep life in balance. Saturn without Jupiter is bland and tedious; Jupiter without Saturn is sometimes out of control.

As Saturn spends time in Libra, look for relationships and attention to the people around you to take priority. Truly, in this world, we do belong to each other, whether we can consciously realize this or not. Opportunities to increase relationship and decrease the sense of separation that has plagued the human race are all around us at this critical time in earth's history.

Libra/Saturn themes for the next two years include equality, justice, progress, negotiations, stepping away from victim energies and more into personal responsibility. Libra rules civil rights and equal rights. The last time Saturn moved through Libra was September 1980-August 1983. Where were you then?

I hope and pray that humanity feel its interconnectedness to one another, to the Earth, and to What Lives Us as well.

Transits this week....

I thought it may be worth mentioning that Jupiter goes direct this week at 17' Aquarius, after being in retrograde motion since June. If you are unsure how this may affect your personal 'chart', check out astrolabe for a free birth chart at http://www.alabe.com/. click on the left where it says 'free chart' and follow the directions. you'll get a nice 2-3 page printout as well!

Jupiter is all about abundance, expansion, opportunity. Together with it's polar opposite, Saturn, it's part of a team of opposites that cycle together to hold balance in the Universe and in our lives.

Venus is at home this week as it slides into Libra; this is a great time for tending to your relationships with favorable result. Any movements toward joining together with others gets the green light; even a small gesture, such as cranking up some marvin gaye in the office and letting everyone sing along, can be powerful. Opportunities for oneness are just as plentiful as the opportunities that increase separation: which will you choose?

Venus tries to make the peace whereever it goes; today it shakes hands with Saturn, which as been teaching us about the details in life that need discipline and alignment. It's as if Venus is trying to shake Saturn out of its militaristic style of relating and whisper sweetly to just let go of the burden for awhile...Later in the week, Venus tries to work her moves on Pluto in Capricorn, hoping to bring forth a little levity and deeper relationship within the deeper cleansing trend that Pluto has been bringing to us.

on Friday Mars steps into Leo and will remain there for most of 2010....that is a subject for another day!

Namaste, friends.

reflections on a spiritual path....or, Damn! I thought this would be easier!

Reflections on a Spiritual Path….or, Damn, I thought this would be easier!


I’ve been on a spiritual path for a very long time….perhaps many lifetimes. And while I am very glad for all of it, there are times when it just doesn’t make sense. Times when I wonder what I got myself into. Times when I curse loudly, “what the hell is this sh*t?” I guess I just thought it would be easier.

I am beginning to realize that I am a spiritual snob. I carry with me a sense of entitlement that, since I am on a ‘spiritual path’, I should therefore have immunity to certain so-called negative events on the earth plane. For goodness sakes, I’ve had my chakras balanced here! Been rolfed and had my chart transits studied! Sent reiki to starving people in other countries and prayed for world peace! You would think the karma credits would fall to the good side of the scale for a change!

So why the flat tire? I’m on a spiritual quest, here, should I not be immune to getting the common cold? Am I the only one having ‘that talk’ with God? You know, the one where you shake your fist at the sky, saying, hey, aren’t you watching? why me?? Why is (fill in the blank) _x_ happening to me/my loved one? Why don’t I have more _X_ (fill in the blank again).

Why is this? I say I am on a spiritual path, which is all about Surrender, and yet clearly, in my mind, I am keeping tally of positive this and negative that. doesn’t God know that if you are on a spiritual path you should never have a flat tire or lose a job? Perhaps I should have negotiated a better contract before incarnating. I claim to want to be in deeper relationship to What Lives Me yet I also ‘want’ stuff. I mean, yeah, I want world peace and an end to hunger and to be in the 12th stage of existence to help humanity, but I also really want those sketchers I saw in the window at the shoe store last year. I want them so bad there is a picture on my cell phone reminding me whenever I check my messages….they’re pretty jazzy sneakers, I forfeit their purchase in honor of paying my car insurance instead. These are times of one or the other, not both.

So here is the age-old question….why do ‘bad’ things happen to ‘good’ people? Why IS it so hard? Is someone upstairs not carefully tallying up our rights and wrongs? Is it, like, a math problem? Cuz I’m pretty sure I’m tipping toward the good side. I think. Although there was that day last week when I wouldn’t let that man into traffic. He was nasty.

All I can say is that I am working on absorbing what my teachers have shared with me….that these difficulties can be a blessing….that despite the so-called negative events, there is, always available to me, a Relationship with the Divine. I can always choose Happiness. Some days it may not be so easy. Some days I may curse a lot before remembering to meditate, commune, let go. But that option is always there. And through the ups and downs, there are nurturing friendships, a creative aliveness in my daily life that I can access if I put my attention on it. Through these storms I gain gifts and skills, which I then pass on to others. There is always just enough crunchy stuff poking me into Surrender to the Divine. There is no way to control the car issues, financial issues, and so forth. But I can cooperate with Grace. I can make that important to me, on a daily basis.

Now, about those sketchers....

Lunar Eclipse

We are approaching a Full Moon in Aquarius as well as a lunar eclipse August 5th at about 8:30 pm east coast time. The eclipse is to be at 13' Aquarius, so it is a good idea to keep an eye on any planets that revisit this degree in the next six months. It is also good to look at your natal chart to see where the eclipse will fall.

Planetary aspects highlight a renewed interest in recycling in various ways - consignment, salvage, second hand shops, as well as folks that know how to network within these realms. I hear and see people questioning their buying habits and seeking creative ways to obtain what is needed. I also feel that people that have good networking skills will do very well in this so-called recession. I am excited to see how things change and evolve....

The next 24-48 hours is good for clearing, cleaning, meditating and releasing that which is no longer needed.

I hope this blog finds you all happy and healthy....God Bless this wondrous planet that we share!

Solar Eclipse 29' Cancer

Hello stargazers! On July 21 at about 1030 pm EST there will be a solar eclipse at 29' Cancer. This eclipse promises to be potent, with the before/after effects felt 3 days before and 3 days after the event. This eclipse is of the longest duration that we will see in our lifetime - more than six minutes at totality!

An eclipse such as this always brings forth in my a deeper sense of awe, it feels almost as if the earth stands still and all creatures upon it hold their breath until it passes. I feel a kinship to my ancestors, who stood and watched this same amazing event since the beginning of time. We are able to predict these astronomical events to the exact degree, location, date and time with stunning accuracy....how does that happen? how does such synchronicity arise? what creates all of the magic before us? whatever it is, my heart yearns to Feel it....to Be it....to live in and as this Great Mystery.

Astrologically speaking, this eclipse feels like it helps with emotions, set in the watery, nurturing, emotional sign of Cancer. A planet at 29' is said to be at the end of it's rope. I speak to so many people that are feeling a keen sense of something ending, but not quite connecting yet to what is beginning. May the eclipse help to catalzye parts of your life that may be stale or in need of recharing or perhaps even a moving on!

God Bless and love to everyone...

Eclipse July 7th

Hello friends....this Tuesday July 7th we will have a lunar eclipse at 15' Capricorn at 4:21 am EST. The eclipse occurs during a full moon, while the sun is opposite at 15' Cancer. The eclipse will help to expose the shadow side of government, finance, politics. It is potentized by Jupiter and Neptune in Aquarius.

I feel much change in the air, beginning with the time around the passing of Michael Jackson and a few other celebrities with the Pluto square shaking things up. Changes continue and are inevitable; the question is, how will you handle change when it comes upon you? We seem to have a lot of events in the news that reveal what has been happening under the surface, ie politicians cheating, financiers taking our money. We are beginning to see more clearly what is really going on; secrets can no longer be kept. We can thank Pluto in Capricorn for helping government to come more into alignment with what is right and good. It will take time, but the effort will be worth it.

So this brings up the question, where in your life are you less than honest? not accurate? wishing to hide? and more importantly, why?

True existence begins when we are clear, honest and share what is happening within and without. This is one of the reasons that I love the tv show called "Weeds." Secrets come out. The ways people hide are revealed. Life goes on. We can be who we truly are, without wasting energy with hiding. Truly, we can only meet our fellow humans when we share from a space that is real, vulnerable, honest.

I will be writing again as we approach the solar eclipse of 7/22/09....namaste, friends.

Solstice and New Moon

Hello, friends! Today we experience what is known as the dark moon, the time period when the sight of the moon escapes us, until its reappearance tomorrow, at the solstice. This is span of time that is supportive of inner growth and journaling, self reflection, in preparation of what is to come.

Folks have been asking me what I think of the economy. While I have no definite answers, I would like to share that I feel very good about Pluto being in Capricorn: it is clearing things out from our governmental structures, allowing things to be seen so they can be clarified. I do not believe that things 'have to get worse before they get better." I feel that the key is not to avoid hard times or challenges, but to examine the way you confront them, work with them, move through them. I also feel that the news is not a nurturing, accurate, or positive way to 'feed' the self on a daily basis, and suggest that you exercise caution about what you believe. I just finished watching Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine", where he addresses this issue quite well!

Saturn has been moving through detail-oriented Virgo since September 2007. I feel this has offered up opportunity to examine the details of your life related to body-mind issues that get in the way of feeling Happiness: they have probably been in your face! This cycle feels like it calls us to be more self-reflective; if not, there are consequences. Saturn moves into relational Libra in October, where it will stay for about two years. I feel this cycle will focus much more on what we can share with the world, concern for others, for what is right, fair, True. It will be more about personal expression, as body mind patterns have had attention and hopefully much clearing!

The summer solstice takes place on June 21, 2009 at 10:46 pm. We slip from spring into summer, the sun shifts into Cancer. This feels like a wondrous day to do creative visualization, and to employ prayer for changes you may wish to begin in your life.

Best wishes for a good summer, friends, and God Bless you.

Mercury Retrograde May 7-May 31

Hello friends,

Yes, indeed, Mercury is now retrograde in the sign of Gemini, signaling a time period to slow down, double check communication and plans, and pause as much as possible! In the recent years, our society has begun moving so fast.....communication takes place at lightening speed with the advent of texting and IM'ing, and people share their words and ideas globally via blogs and websites on the internet. Our attention spans are shrinking from the length of a full movie to the blip of a spot on you-tube. There is nothing wrong with this, however, it is helpful to slow oneself down, to bring oneself back into the body, in order to fully Feel through this life.

There are standard defenitions of Mercury Retrograde as something to be feared, of a time when communications and technology break down. I feel that a deeper meaning may be to see this time period as a space of coming into balance, an opportunity to re-align oneself from personal will into Universal will. Some may call it Surrender.

I believe Mercury Retrograde is a gift, and one that can show us where we are 'off'' or need to come into balance in our lives. It can show us what is missing, or point out what is needed. In addition, it can bring magical moments into your life, bringing people from the past (and not necessarily this life but others!).

I urge you to take a less-personal view of Mercury Retrograde, it is not out to 'get' you. What a wonder it is, to be abe to communicate with another, thoughts words and ideas. Mercury guides these areas, and as such, has the job of pointing out where we may need to realign.

A lower use of Mercury would be to see it through fear and separation, to assume you need protection from something outside yourself. I would say....allow it to be a possibility....that Merury can be a gift, a call to Oneness through the clear sharing of oneself.....a lessening of separation through true listening to another to feel and hear their experience.

I'm Jane Robinson and thank you for joining me for this blog about Mercury Retrograde. May you enjoy the gifts of communication that is aligned to your true self, your deepest self.

Spring Equinox

Welcome to the advent of the Spring season here in the northern hemisphere! The vibe across this great land of ours is hopefull as friends and neighbors dust off patio furniture, shops for seeds, survey their yard for the upcoming season, and begin making plans for the future. This is a time of beginning, of hope, of planning, of looking forward and being present in this moment, all at once. We are taking the learnings and experiences of our winter, and finding a context in which to place those experiences as we move forward. Where I live, we had a number of snowstorm bursts this year, and the cold weather has runs its course, as many of us are more than ready for flowers and short sleeves!

Venus, the planet that calls our attention to love and relationships, beauty and fairness, the appreciation for the arts, and issues with women, has moved retrograde until mid-April. This will more deeply affect persons born under the signs of Taurus and Libra, as this is your ruling planet.

The Sun has moved into Aries, indiciating a time for beginnings, for a fresh start. Energy may be high or polarized towards certain life areas - be sure to check for balance in your life, in all areas. This week, Mercury will join the Sun in Aries, as well as the New Moon on 3/26. This buildup of planets in Aries - the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury - will square Pluto in Capricorn. It is a good time to take a risk, begin something new, clear your life/work space, begin affirmations and the like. I would like to just again mention the need for balance in all things, to remember to take pause amongst the haste, to connect with nature, look at the stars, engage your meditation practices.

My name is Jane Robinson, and I have been in love with our planetary bodies and the cycles they represent for all of my life. This is my first astrological blogspot....I look forward to connecting with you again.