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BAHIA KINO, SONORA, MEXICO

We arrived in Kino Bay, our second visit here, on a balsamic moon, just before a solar eclipse. Balsamic moons tend to be quiet times. I think there is no quieter place on the planet than this small little fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, which was just what we were looking for. It was early evening, the Sun had just set with the new Venus Star in Capricorn. Though we wouldn’t be able to see Venus in the evening sky for some weeks now, we knew it was there, marking a significant passage from morning star to evening star. Then Jose says: “there’s a very bright planet just getting ready to set, within an hour or two. What’s that?” I excitedly replied, “if it’s bright and it’s not Venus, it’s got to be Jupiter.” Sure enough, it was. So, even though we would not get to enjoy the dazzling brilliance of Venus on our trip, Jupiter would be there in her place.

  Kino Sunset

We have an unobstructed view of sky and sea. The little island straight across the water from where we are camped (called Alcatraz) is where the pelicans and many other species of birds and fish that inhabit this place hang out, and Jupiter is setting just above and behind it.

From our vantage point, just south of Alcatraz island, the bright orange ball of winter sun is setting, now fully visible just to the north of the island. Had we been here a week or two ago, or at solstice, the sunset would not have been visible, still remaining at its most southerly point. Daily now, we are able to see the sun creep north, bit by bit, and are simply amazed to see just how fast it is making its way back north toward Tiburon Island, the larger of the two islands facing Kino Bay.

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Wednesday morning I spent whiling away the hours observing the flight pattern of pelicans and the throat and neck motions of egrets passing by. Everything moves so slow here – time is not an issue. And that’s how it is on this little slice of heaven on the Sea of Cortez, facing Alcatraz Island.

There is nothing but silence here all day, truly one of the quietest places I’ve ever been.

  Kino Pelicans

Although twice a day there is a whirlwind of activity with Chevy pick-up trucks loading and unloading the fishing boats into the bay. A risky enterprise with the kind of trucks they have. No fancy 4-wheel drives, these trucks are old and weathered and their tires spin out and burn tons of rubber, making it up the steep, rocky pier that is just adjacent to our campsite here at Islandia Marine Park. To the south of us is the town’s fishing pier. The boats come in, clean the loads of fish, and deliver them to the local fish market, just behind us a block or two. The wives and children all come down to the pier and watch the fishing boats come back in each night. It’s a small, simple and traditional life, something these men have been doing since they first arrived. It is not what you would call a gigantic industry, but it is the town’s main livelihood.

  Shells from the beach in Kino

That, and tourism. But in the last two years, the turistas have stayed away, partly due to the economy and partly due to the drug cartels in Mexico. Robberies have become more of an issue in recent times, but the locals take these thefts very seriously. Today, the local gendarmes arrived to scope out the place. The kids who steal risk a lot to rip someone off. They get two to three years imprisonment for robbery, with no chance of early parole. The locals are hurt when tourists are robbed, so they show no lenience.

There are two Kinos – Kino Viejo and Kino Nuevo. Viejo is where we’re staying – the old Kino where the locals live and work. The new Kino, a couple of miles north of here is where most of the gringos hang out in their million dollar RVs or homes they’ve built along the waterfront. That part of town rocks all winter long. But like every city which has a twin, there is the kind of rivalry between the two that helps reinforce for people why they’ve chosen the one they’re part of. Here in Old Kino, it’s more authentic and much more laid-back. This is true. I haven’t been this laid back in a long time. In the new Kino, things are brighter and shinier, and more expensive and trendy. We are camped between two fairly long-time frequenters of Kino, and they are filling us in on all the local gossip. You get to know the locals pretty well at this end of town.

  Birds on the beach in Kino

Tiburon Island, just across from Kino Bay, is the largest island in Mexico. The Seri Indians, the original inhabitants of Kino, have been given stewardship of the island.

Most of the days we were here the weather was perfect – sunny, warm, windless, in the 70 degree range. Not bad for January. But for two days, when a storm dumped tons of rain on California and rain and snow in Arizona, we got hit with 50 mph winds (which felt more like 100 mph) but if you can trust the internet weather, it said 50mph. It felt like we were actually in a hurricane. Our camper was rocking all day and night.

Just after the new moon solar eclipse, the crescent moon and Jupiter were in such close proximity in the evening sky, hanging out and setting just over Alcatraz. What a sight. Of course, Orion and the Pleiades were straight overhead each night as well. It makes you really appreciate having a clear and unobstructed view of the sky, watching this night action. I’d trade this in for city lights any time.

Signing off in Kino Bay – January 25, 2010 – Arielle & Jose

  Kino Sunset

We saw the movie Avatar on Dec. 30 to put us in a great great space for the Dec 31 lunar eclipse, the theme of which was to send love around the planet.  The movie not only helped for the lunar eclipse, but lingered for many days. It’s the first time EVER that my husband said about a movie, “I want to see it again.  Soon.”  Watching congress spit and spew and barf and release their toxic dump on our president, with the media right there reporting every gross and indecent act, certainly doesn’t help keep us in a loving space.  My work prevents me from totally disconnecting from mainstream news, to keep up with planets phases, etc.  But I seriously question what the purpose of all this hyperactive reporting of all things nasty has done to our society and young ones also.  At least some of us remember times in life when it wasn’t always like that.  Avatar is the perfect pre-2012 movie to counteract the nonsense of the real 2012 movie that Hollywood churned out in their formulaic disaster genre.   (Really, Hollywood, if you want to focus on disaster, there’s so many real live ones happening daily that you could report about.)  For instance, there was just a huge disaster in Haiti — a real one.  It’s good to see the media shift gears and get behind that and also view the hundreds, perhaps thousands of healing and love stories that are right now pouring forth from that land.   2012, as I see it,  requires a radical shift in the way business is conducted and people interact when careful consideration is given to every thought, word and deed.  I’m thrilled for James Cameron that he put together the right message in such a way that young people can totally get behind and that it is outgrossing just about everything else that’s ever been filmed.  To this I say — James, you deserve every Oscar and every other award that’s possible. Keep them coming.
Arielle
January 28, 2010

Traditionally, the oath of office is administered by a new president just after 12:00 noon, EST in Washington, DC, every four years on January 20, following an election year. This is written in the U.S. Constitution. Be that as it may, and though the tradition has been faithfully executed over many a presidency, astrologers around the world were praying that Obama delay the delivery of his oath of office as 44^th president of the United States to some time after 12:30 EST that day. Why? Because at the 12:00 hour, the Moon would be located at 29° Scorpio—and remain there until 12:30, when it would then enter the sign of Sagittarius. The Moon at 29° Scorpio, Void of Course and in a sign of its weakness, would seemingly have two possible outcomes: 1) when the Moon is V/C, it is said that “nothing comes of the event” or in simpler terms, what is begun does not come to fruition or completion, 2) With the Moon (the all-giving mother and nurturer) in a sign of its detriment (Scorpio) and in the 7^th House, partnership alliances and relationships in general would be severely tested. In my talks around the country about this subject, I also asked audiences to visualize or meditate upon a later time for the oath, feeling much better about our new president saying those important words that would officially begin his term with the Moon in Sagittarius, a high-minded, lively spirited sign with a friendly and optimistic approach to relationships both domestic and foreign.

And so, while witnessing the misspoken words uttered at 12:05 by the new president, who seemingly stumbled at the recital, we all reacted with shock. I’m thinking, this is a man (Obama) who eloquently spoke for over a year to audiences, with such great oratory, without looking at a single note, with such confidence and clarity—how can it be that he would stumble over these 35 little words? Only later did I (and apparently the rest of the world) learn that Obama did indeed recite the words in proper sequence. It was his prompter, Supreme Court Justice Roberts, who was clearly in error. So, Obama took it upon himself to repeat the Presidential Oath once again, approximately 31.5 hours later, so that there could be no question that he was indeed the President of the United States. What kind of cosmic joke was this? We have to look to the cosmic trickster, Mercury, who was retrograde on the day of Inauguration, for the answer to that. You know, Mercury, the planet that when retrograde, we’re all warned about signing documents and making legally binding statements, as they have a tendency to go haywire and the message does not reach its destination or gets railroaded along the way.

Of course, the oath being administered twice has never happened. But, how ironic that so many astrologers were putting out the word in advance that the oath be delayed until after 12:30. So, at 7:35 pm EST on January 21, a second swearing in occurred, giving us the Sagittarius Moon we were all so hopeful of. So, the question that’s been posed to me for several weeks now, is:

“Arielle, which chart are you using for the Presidency? The first oath or the second oath?” As it turns out, the astrologers have been weighing in on this matter for several weeks now. The consensus which has been agreed upon and the one that I am prepared to accept, is that the U.S. Constitution states that the Presidency occurs at 12 noon EST, no matter when the oath is actually taken. So I go with 12 noon, understanding that there was a perfect solution to redeeming the pre-ordained ill-fated moment of the first swearing-in, by getting a chance to do it again, correctly.

So, what’s the deal with the Void of Course Moon anyway? Does it really matter? Conventional astrological wisdom or tradition states this about the Void of Course (v/c) Moon:[1]

“When the Moon is v/c, actions that are taken somehow always fail of their intended or planned results.” Though events may not turn out as anticipated, the end result need not be unfortunate. The last aspect made by the moon to a planet before it went v/c is what seems more relevant. The last aspect made by the moon on Obama’s day of inauguration was a square to Neptune on the eve of the important event. This speaks to the sweeping wave of humanity, ‘round the world, and the nearly 2 million joyously tearful people present at the swearing in who were riding that mystical, magical, Neptunian wave.

I’ve been playing with the actual time the oath of “I Do” is stated for the past several presidencies, but since they are usually within moments of 12 noon, there hasn’t been enough difference to matter between the two times, usually a mere few moments. But, if we are to assume that Oath #2 is as significant for the Obama presidency as was Oath #1, then there are some points to consider from that moment that differ greatly from the first one.

OBAMA OATH OF OFFICE #1

In Chart #1 the Sun is at the zenith, a position basically associated with royalty, leadership and the sovereign of the nation, the most likely reason that hour was chosen to begin with for Presidents to use. This puts Obama, himself a Sun ruled Leo, squarely in the seat of executive power, no mistake. This same Sun is flanked by Mercury and Jupiter. Mercury is retrograde, so close to the Sun, it is referred to as combust. This is the day of the “Mercury Star,” a pattern created by Mercury and Earth in their orbits around the Sun, which occurs approximately three times a year, and is quite auspicious. Jupiter, the planet associated with high rank, the justice system, expansion and opportunity, in such close relationship to the Sun, also bodes well for the new leader.

OBAMA OATH OF OFFICE #2

In Chart #2, the Sun, planet of light and consciousness, has long since set below the western horizon of Washington, placed in the 6^th House of service, duty and a strong work ethic. These are all issues which Obama is committed to, by and large, anyway. But it does render his executive authority somewhat more diminished than the clearly visible radiance of the Solar light that is contained in Chart #1. It also changes the rising sign from Taurus to Virgo, making the chart ruler of the Virgo-ruled Ascendant, that afore-mentioned trickster the retrograde Mercury, a considerable handicap for a chief executive to step into. No surprise there, however, as the country and its leaders are well aware of the handicapped position the country is in at this time. But it also raises questions about the new president’s ability to get the support he needs in order to get the job done properly. Furthermore, although the Moon’s position has changed to the more favorable sign of Sagittarius, it is now squaring Venus, Saturn and Uranus, from the get-go. Once the celebrations are over, there are many important issues to tackle and the squares seem to show us, early on, that in terms of getting a working cabinet going, it’s going to be an uphill climb for Obama, with many sudden stops and starts.

How the planets play out their roles across the landscape of our lives is expertly shown by the Astro*Carto*Graphy map of a person’s birth. In this case, the birth is of the presidency and I’ve been using this technique to chart the locational ups and downs of past presidencies for many terms now. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

• - The war-god Mars, sitting less than 100 miles from New York City in the George W. Bush 2001 Inaugural Chart, where the world witnessed the collapse of the twin towers on September 11 that year.
• - The war-god Mars (geodetic zodiac) locked in over Iraq, squaring volatile Uranus in the 2001 GWB Inaugural Chart.
• - A large incident (Jupiter) square volatile and angry (Mars) opposite temperamentally sensitive (Moon) and explosive (Uranus) for the 1993 inauguration of Bill Clinton converged over Oklahoma City, OK, Waco, TX, and in nearby Arkansas, where the administration was haunted by former dubious Whitewater dealings.
• - A Jupiter/Saturn conjunction residing over the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, in the 1961 JFK Inauguration chart, where swift decision-making and executive authority were put to the test.
• - In the 1981 Reagan Inauguration, a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction residing over Nicaragua (appearing in both the tropical and the geodetic zodiacs).

And the list goes on, but summing it up, we could conclude that planet localities of U.S. presidencies, while not responsive to the entire globe, do seem to strike a highly unlikely correspondence or synchronicity to the regions in the world that the U.S. has a visible interest, partnership, combat or conflict and presence in.

BLOG-OY-A-VETCH a/k/a Pluto at Zenith over Illinois….

Pluto will always be a planet to astrologers, in spite of the Astronomical Union having decreed it otherwise. We know the power of Pluto. We also know we’d never be on the committee that attempts to demote Pluto to anything other than full planet status. Unless, of course, other bodies outside of Pluto’s orbit are discovered (which they have been) that can then be assigned as subjects of Pluto. This would confirm Pluto as sovereign in his little corner of the universe (which he is) and which Pluto-ruled people definitely strive to be. Still, no matter how you classify this tiny little rock, the power it exerts is very real and very consequential. So, upon locating Pluto in this Inauguration Chart (geodetic zodiac), we find it sitting over Obama’s home state of Illinois, where scheming to auction his senate seat to the highest bidder by corrupt governor Blagojevich occurred days after the election and continued right up to the Inauguration. This same Pluto, crowning the heartland of the U.S., is close enough to the troubled automobile capital of Detroit where Obama is hoping to enact some immediate legislation that will result in transforming the troubled industry. Other Pluto hot-spots? Tibet–where Obama could conceivably wrestle with China over its policy toward Tibetan occupation. What else does this map show?

Chiron, Neptune…

Compassionate, wounded and sensitive centaur planet Chiron conjunct Neptune (planet of dreams, illusions and prayers) over Baghdad, Iraq where Obama’s promise to end this endless war threw enormous support to his candidacy and electability.

Saturn, Uranus Opposition

A show-down of the two planets in face-off, which occurs five times during the course of the first two years of the Obama presidency, is situated in a few places around the world. Expect President Obama to have his hands full with the struggles of the two opposing forces of this opposition in the following places:

India/Pakistan

Texas

Morocco and western Africa, where Pluto joins the fray

The Sun, Jupiter, Mercury

Promising and fruitful relationships with all three of these dignitaries in the following places:

Central Europe

The Northwest American coast and British Columbia, Canada

South America

Taiwan, China, Korea and Japan

That Tricky Void-Of-Course Moon

Being that the Moon shows up in the 7^th House of open enemies, adversaries and partners in the Inauguration Chart, one might speculate as to where this shows up in the world? No surprise, the troubled trio of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran all play host to this Scorpio Moon. My guess is that, although all three countries could pose an initial threat to the Obama presidency, the diffusive nature of a void Moon will ultimately render the terrorists who wish to cripple the U.S helpless and void themselves.

Another place that the Moon shows up in its supremacy, over the MH, is the west coast of the U.S., affecting the great state of California. This is a mixed bag for Obama. Much support and good will emanate from that region, but the trouble the state is about to experience during this four-year term is such that the state will attempt to take matters into its own hands by enacting emergency economic measures that may collide with the philosophies and policies of the lawmakers in Washington and the financial power base of Wall Street. Well, do you expect anything different from California, who likes to set its own tone for everything?

Mars

Usually Mars points to trouble spots and open warfare for the presidency determined by the locations in which it appears on the map. The 2001 inauguration chart featured an angularly placed Mars in Scorpio in aggressive, war-like tension to the other planets. Of course, this is what we experienced during that term, and where did it show up? Right over Baghdad. This time, Obama receives one of the best possible placements of Mars that can occur—exalted in the sign of Capricorn, favorably aspected by its love-mate Venus, nicely aspected to planet of collective change and evolution Uranus, and nicely aspected to work-horse Saturn in Virgo, the dispositor of Mars. Still, Mars can and does initially bring strife and conflict to or from the regions it touches. Its towering stance atop the Midheaven over New York and New England duly noted, we can’t help but comment on the potency of the reigning don of the Democratic party. Senator Ted Kennedy’s early endorsement helped swing an enormous amount of good will and financial support Obama’s way. However, the Kennedys themselves have been wounded considerably by Mars’ presence—Senator Kennedy’s stroke on Inauguration Day and his feeble health, along with would-be Senator Caroline Kennedy’s attempt to fill New York’s vacant senate seat, a humiliating disaster for her.

Another irresistible correspondence of Mars hanging out over New York is the potently aggressive stance of the banking community and Wall Street, making demands on their terms, and threatening to bring down the entire economic infrastructure of the country if their demands are not met. Follow Mars’ path all the way down south and it comes very close to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One of the first executive decisions of President Obama’s was to close the doors of that prison, an act which has been challenged by Obama’s opposition at home.

Five exact passes of this giant celestial battle, symbolizing nothing less than the war between the Titans and the Olympians, occur in the first two years of the Obama presidency. Pass #1 occurred precisely over the earth, like a tug-of-war being pulled on Election Day 2008, when Obama celebrated victory, toppling the old party and preparing to topple many of its outdated laws. Pass #2 occurred the first week of February 2009, the very moment when Obama worked hard to get the economic stimulus package to pass. T’was not easy, but it was accomplished. Future passes of these two planets in opposition will occur in November 2009 when it will become a planetary trio, joined by Pluto. Stay posted for a run-down on this extraordinary planetary event.

No one stepping into a world leadership position at this time would have the current state of affairs any more difficult and challenging than it is right now. Obama has been waiting his entire life for this moment … to step in and take charge … and the world is watching and waiting for him to succeed.

Pluto entered the sign of Capricorn in November 2008, the same month our new President Obama was elected 44^th president of the U.S. Pluto has not been in that sign since 1778. In the 1760s and 1770s when Pluto was last in Capricorn, the nation was a fledgling group of 13 colonies, which united to birth a new nation. Simultaneously, those being born during that time were to be among the leaders of the new nation.

We are in a similar time now, with Pluto making its transit through the sign of Capricorn (government, law, policy, politic, leadership, management, business and commerce) for the next 15 years.

What was stunning about this most recent change from Pluto in Sagittarius, where it had resided from 1995-2008, to Pluto in Capricorn was that at the moment the Sagittarius era ended, its effects were felt around the world. Often times during the era of Pluto in Sagittarius, Alan Greenspan repeatedly uttered words like “the markets are showing an irrational exuberance” that seemed somehow hard to fathom. That’s a great phrase to sum up the entire period for Pluto in Sagittarius: “irrational exuberance.”

But the moment the curtain closed on Sag, it was clear that an era had ended. Wealth would no longer be a commodity that could be manufactured by and for the wealthy. Many of the systems they built their wealth upon collapsed. And in the new Pluto in Capricorn era, we turn our attention to repairing the damage that was done by the excesses that were created during the Sag period.

President Obama’s speech on February 24, 2009, 9:15 pm EST, Washington, DC, outlined many points, but the ones that rang over and over again could have well been from a speech on the shifting of the tide from Sagittarius to Capricorn. Obama began by saying that the economy is a concern that rises above all others. What a different tone than the Presidential addresses of the past eight years, where the topic of terror was the concern that rose above all others. He then mentioned that the era of surplus our nation enjoyed for so many years was simply a surplus of wealth transferred to the wealthy instead of an opportunity for investing in our future.

President Obama pointed to the obvious, that the day of reckoning has arrived. Further, he stressed that the time to take charge of our future is now. I loved the ring of his words, “The Recovery package is now law.” Maybe we can all take a hint from that – recovery is now the law. We shall not be allowed to be victimized, wallowing in past misfortunes and traumas. Instead, we shall rise up and take responsibility for the nation’s recovery and for our own personal economy. He went on to say that we (meaning the stewards who are steering the course in our present government) have an enormous responsibility to “get it right,” to be held accountable for every dollar spent in the recovery package. He even went on to demonstrate how accountable the government will be with that money by instituting a website called www.recovery.gov to track the money.

Pluto in Capricorn, indeed! We haven’t had that kind of accountability, responsibility and transparency from our leadership for quite some time. Pluto may no longer officially be a planet according to astronomers who took away that status a couple of years ago. But astrologers will continue to treat Pluto as a planet, as we know the sheer power of Pluto, and how deeply and thoroughly change happens for us when Pluto pays us a visit. President Obama’s words, “the time is now,” couldn’t be more insightful, with Pluto – ambassador of deep change, transition, and in most cases, complete transformation to whatever it touches – visiting Capricorn, the sign of government, business, economy and accountability, right here and right now.