The Week of April 30-May 7, 2007 - Full Moon Wesak Festival, Mars square Jupiter, Venus trine Neptune opposition Pluto, Mercury sextile Uranus square Saturn and Neptune, Jupiter trine Saturn, and Cinco de Mayo

by Robert Wilkinson

This week the Full Moon of Taurus-Scorpio, a.k.a. the Wesak Festival, is on! Allow the higher wisdom of your "Buddha nature" to come forth and you'll have a resource to draw on for the rest of the year. We also are in the midst of the Mutable squares and oppositions feeding off sextiles and trines, helping us make progress despite lots of interruptions, even as the pressure and intensity continue to build through Mercury's Fixed T-square throwing the void into Scorpio. This is like the appearance of a Spiritual Teacher who shows us how to be productive as a storm swirls.

This week follow your intuition as you shift gears in your relationships, dropping the ones that are hindering your ability to achieve the results you need to get. Innovation should be very high and able to be released in ways that break up any logjams going on in your thinking or ability to coordinate the details of your life or work. Things can still spin out of control fairly quickly with the Mars square Jupiter, so avoid quarrels that aren't yours to deal with, refuse everything that is petty or petulant, and do whatever you have to do in grand style.

Though the Mars-Uranus conjunction is past, Jupiter is still square Uranus around 18-19 Mutable requiring us to pay attention to details and be able to multi-task by ordering things into their appropriate place in the larger scheme of things. You can find out more about the Jupiter square Uranus and Saturn opposed Neptune by going to this link. The Saturn opposition Neptune, as noted for many months, is behind the tension of the gap between the ideal and the reality, the theoretical and the practical.

We still are dealing with the long term effects of the multiple eclipses of last September and this past March which you can find more about by consulting the forecast for two weeks ago. Since these are long range indicators of major change in collective consciousness and challenges to confront, I'll be reworking these articles in the near future in ways that make the information more accessible.

We're now on the other side of the intense fracturing energies of the Mutable squares and Grand Cross active in late April which induced major changes in the Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Pisces life sectors. We now are challenged not to allow nerves, temperament, or unexpected diversions to cause us to explode sideways and mess up perfectly good opportunities. We still must get oriented and get our drive in gear, open our vision and understanding, and be compassionate as we bring closure to old life movies.

As with last week, Venus is fairly important in heralding things to come right now, since it is closing the gap between Saturn and the other planets, creating a Locomotive pattern where all the planets are now in 2/3 of the signs.  With Venus opposition Pluto, watch out for bizarre types, who could be geniuses but also have some extremely strange ideas and values. With the Moon transiting Libra through Capricorn this week, the Locomotive will temporarily be replaced by Seesaw and Splay patterns until the Moon enters Sagittarius and conjuncts Jupiter then Pluto at the Galactic Center. More on the GC a few paragraphs down.

Saturn is no longer the nozzle for the other planetary energies as it has been for months, but it will be one of the brackets, along with Pluto, framing the Locomotive pattern that will predominate for many months to come. I'll explain the difference between the Bucket and Seesaw patterns we've been living with for awhile and the coming Locomotive pattern and its lunar variances in the near future.

While Mars is still in Pisces, we're "floating on a sea of Pisces," since we've had a Mars-Uranus-NN conjunction there. Please go to the forecast of two weeks ago linked three paragraphs up to read more about the Mars in Pisces effect relative to the eclipses I've mentioned. This week Mars finishes its square to Jupiter, ending the Pisces factor in the previous Mutable squares.

The Mutable squares we've just experienced challenged our ability to demonstrate those energies productively. Given the quantity of these dynamic aspects, we have now weathered some major changes and turned corners. We've been learning to adapt through flowing through, beyond, and around obstacles into a more precise larger way of relating or doing productive activities.

We've seen what we should not take for granted, and had to be alert to shifting developments that could turn a different direction on a moment's notice. The recent squares and oppositions also helped us reorient and understand how to find the balance where needed and turn the corner in crucial areas, since squares are either the emergence of something (waxing square) or the fulfillment and culmination of a process (waning square).

The week begins with the Moon in Libra. As I noted last week about this weekend leading up to the coming week:

The Moon enters Libra 2:45 pm April 28, a volatile day due to the Moon square Pluto and Venus opposition Jupiter at the same time Mars conjuncts Uranus. Things could get waaay out of control in a heartbeat, so take no chances. When in doubt, follow your intuition and retreat. Look at April 29-30 as a "dues paying" time, when we shall see what must be expiated, or what we have expiated.

Some fairly great aspects dominate that time with the Moon harmonious to Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Neptune. April 30 features an exact Grand Air Trine, harmonizing the Moon, Venus, and Neptune, showing a great interactive atmosphere, so enjoy, reach out, make phone calls and/or get out and socialize. Ideals and friendships can become very clear, and many progressive and harmonious initiatives are favored.

A look into the week after shows the Moon entering Scorpio 3:41 am May 1, and about 24 hours later we'll have the Full Moon of Taurus-Scorpio, also known as the Wesak Festival, commemorating the Buddha's birthday, enlightenment day, and death day. Aum Mani Padme Hum!

The Moon in Libra is great for gardening and beauty treatments, as well as finding the just balance through the Grand Air Trine which should help all not to go overboard due to the Mars square Jupiter. Try to do "repair work," and be joyous in joining your energies with others to do whatever reconstruction is needed as a result of recent "storms." Of note is when the Moon sextiles Saturn April 29-30, as then it forms a "Yod," or "Finger of God," with Uranus as the nozzle.

The Yods will be activated in May and June when the Moon transits 18-19 degrees of Libra or Capricorn. This configuration involves multiple sacrifices leading to spiritual expansions through a narrowing of focus. This can help us understand the larger sacrifices and adjustments required by the on-going Saturn quincunx Uranus. When the Moon is in Libra, go for relationships that are pleasant and free up your heart and creativity, as they will express in some unique, innovative ways.

The Moon in Scorpio triggers a major (if somewhat wide) Fixed T-square with the Sun, Mercury, and Saturn at the Full Moon throwing the void into mid-Aquarius. As it squares Saturn it also squares Neptune, making another Fixed T-square throwing the void into Taurus.

As I've noted, any time the Moon goes through a Fixed sign (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) we have major effects related to the ongoing Saturn opposition Neptune challenging "right action" on our part. The opposition was exact from mid-February through mid-March 2007, persists through the next few weeks, and will be exact from late May through mid-July 2007. Every time the Moon triggers this effect, it reminds us of the strength we've received as a result of breaking up old patterns the past 18 months.

This T-square is highly active May 2-3, and exercises a major influence on the Full Moon. This is creating reverberations related to past Fixed squares and crosses from 2005 and 2006. I've explained in prior articles that these squares and crosses:

... for the most part 1) broke some things up forever, 2) challenged us see what to clear out, 3) made us evaluate what to "put on the shelf for the future," and 4) opened up solid paths of personal, social, and spiritual development associated with things, heart, magnetism, ambition, and idealism. We were all challenged to one or more of the following: persevere despite difficulties, cut our losses when blocked by intransigent obstructionists, stabilize what which was unstable, or break apart that which was stuck in the mud.

Any square to the Saturn opposition Neptune shows us how to release important Fire energies through Saturn, offering us a chance to transcend old limitations and generate new heart power and brought important questions to the forefront for all of us. What is our message? Where is our heart's interest? Where is our play, our creativity, our enthusiasm, our spontaneity, our pleasure? These can show us the way to our higher purpose.

The Moon enters Sagittarius on May 3 at 3:46 pm PDT. It makes some powerful minor aspects in early Sag, including a biseptile to Uranus, a tredecile to Saturn, a quintile to Neptune, and quincunxes to the Sun and Mercury. Expect intuition to be high even if sometimes it makes no sense why you know what you know, and open to unique circumstances allowing your gifts to come forth, or gifts perfect for your circumstances. Sacrifices and adjustments help develop sensitivity, knowing how to nurture what needs it, and finding a new way to view the proportion of the various factors involved in your ideals.

Just don't allow Mercury square Saturn on May 4-6 to create narrow, rigid, or pessimistic thinking based in a lack of clarity or discouragement at the slow pace of coaxing your ideals into reality. Also, since Mercury is also square Neptune until May 7, try to be clear about the role you're playing, don't allow yourself to be put down, underestimated, or taken for granted, and indulge in NO self-deprecation.

Give voice to vague or unclear things while staying clear about the various stages of development in what calls your attention. The sextile to Uranus should help us express our genius or originality in grounded ways, so be inventive in your outlook and interpretations, since this is the time to break free of unhelpful mental patterns.

Over May 4-6, the Moon in Sagittarius squares Uranus and conjuncts Jupiter and then Pluto triggering The Grand Irrationality, showing major forks in the road for all. When the Moon conjuncts Pluto at the Galactic Center it nurtures the seeds of major large scale change indicated by this 250-year cycle affecting everyone on Earth. Jupiter is helping the growth of these seeds throughout 2007, so every time the Moon goes through Sag we should see these positive seeds get larger and stronger in our lives.

As noted in other articles, The Grand Irrationality is why everything feels much weirder than it used to, with hard edges and widespread irrational and/or compulsive behaviors more and more evident. Sometimes these energies grow stronger than at other times, depending on where the planets are. The link to The Grand Irrationality will explain more about this widespread long term influence in depth, along with internal links in that article that explain more about the larger field and what we can do to maneuver it successfully.

Right now the hot zones of The Grand Irrationality fall at approximately 27 Sagittarius-1 Capricorn, 20-25 Aquarius, 11-14 Aries, 2-7 Gemini, 24-27 Cancer, 15-19 Virgo, and 6-10 Scorpio at this time in history. This pattern is setting up the generally strange atmosphere, a lot of compulsions coming to surface as well as forks in the road of our destiny in several areas of life, and overall one long hard edge of choices, changes, and a future that never is quite as logical as we may like.

In dealing with the generic weirdness, remember that even if things get very bizarre or irrational, we are not powerless. Even if destiny is "on the move," we still can steer the process to some degree, if we don't lose our cool in the midst of the great weirdness. We’re learning in these strange times not to lean too heavily on "things making sense," and how to fly by the seat of our pants, not going funky places we shouldn't, and making choices that will propel us into an evolving future that may not make much sense but is perfect for the uniqueness we are.

Every time the Moon triggers the Grand Irrationality we experience a form of a turning point of sorts, where the seeds of the future will stand revealed. Besides May 5-6 when it moves through the Sag zone, it will activate the Grand Irrationality on May 9-10 when it conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius.

A longer range look shows Mercury in the Gemini zone the 2nd week of May, the Sun there mid-to-late May, followed by Venus in the Cancer zone and Mars in the Aries zone. This will create full 7 pointed Star patterns when the Moon is in Scorpio, as the transiting Angles will occupy the Gemini and Virgo zones four times a day, with the aspects exact in some places on Earth. I'll write more about this very important configuration in the near future.

The Moon enters Capricorn on May 6 at 2:21 am PDT and makes some very favorable lunar aspects through May 8, when it enters Aquarius 10:48 am PDT. As noted in a previous paragraph, when it sextiles Uranus on May 7-8, it makes a very important Yod, or Finger of God, with Saturn as the nozzle (rather than Uranus, which occurs when the Moon transits Libra.) Express your individuality in ways that help you and others let go of old "social rigidities," and make whatever adjustments you need to create joyous interactions to make life freer and happier.

However, the larger picture during this week into next is determined by the major aspects. Jupiter finishes its last fire trine to Saturn on May 6, just before Venus opposes Pluto. This period also shows Mercury squaring Neptune until May 7. Mercury's aspects between May 4-7 are heralding the Sun's identical aspects to follow between May 8, when it trines Uranus, through its squares to Saturn and Neptune between May 8-13. This will illuminate the information we're getting through next weekend.

All in all, take advantage of the favorable aspects this week to get oriented, since there will be lots of activity the following week due to the Solar T-square and Jupiter exactly square Uranus culminating May 10-11, though of course it's very volatile for at least a week or so to either side of the exact point. This week continue to break up resistances, adapt as needed, and keep things moving forward simply, steadily, and enjoyably. We're finishing up many things while opening to other more exciting activities that will accelerate once Mars enters Aries in a couple of weeks.

Open to your "Buddha nature," find ways to practice forms of discernment, dispassion, and detachment appropriate to your circumstances, and focus on enjoying yourself and generating good will in your world. You'll find this is the time to see things from many points of view, preparing for major decisions that will reorient important life sectors after Venus enters Cancer May 8. And of course, as an ex-pat Texan, I wish you all a Happy Cinco de Mayo!

© Copyright 2007 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Sara]

Dear Robert,

Your posts have been a tremendous anchor for me in recent months - although I must admit, there are many moments when that anchor also operates like a lightning rod.

Since the eclipses last fall, my life has been one wild rollercoaster, for sure. Never have I received so many messages about the spiritual depth of the struggles I am grappling with, some absolutely uncanny experiences of prescience and empathic communication. Never have I been asked to exercise greater patience to acchieve what I want in my life - and yet, by the same token, I have never been so clear as to what it is that I want. For the first time, I feel committed for life to a profession. For the first time, I am in love with someone I want to spend my life with. And yet, bringing those two things into my life in a material way seems alternately the simple, inevitable truth and a very dangerous, unstable and impossible proposition. I feel that I am on the cusp of the greatest risks in my life - and just possibly the greatest personal outcomes.

Thank you for guiding me through this work.

Sara
4/24/1979
Providence, RI
6:33 pm

[another sara]

Robert,

Why does this website require email addresses? I created one to post here and it became swamped with fraudulent phish-emails. I had to shut it down.

Thank you,

Sara

[Robert]

Hi Sara - Well, I figure people who make it here are in dynamic change and ready to embrace dharma. And isn't life a series of uncertainties? I know "up close and personal" the sensation you're describing, as I'm at the far end of that, after many years of moving through the storm with no guarantee of the outcome. Still, the struggle was worth it a dozen times over, and while I'm glad it's over, the rewards make it all the more fulfilling.

Hi another sara - You probably got spammed because you didn't set your spam filters on the new email address. I require emails to post here so we don't attract random spammers who used to dump a hundred or more comments at a time into the stream, usually advertising online gambling or porn. No one else posting here has complained about getting overloaded with spam, and I'm sorry such things happen. Set up another email address, put your spam filters on high, and see if it helps.

[kathy]

Goodness gracious, Robert - yet another thing we have in common, the Texan thing! Cinco de Mayo is the MOST fun independence celebration. Years in San Antonio caused me to think that everyone was blessed with confetti eggs, paper flowers, and riots of color. oops!

This is great input. Yesterday i thought i was going to slide down a sinkhole or move out of my apartment. Today, i read this and think, no, better to take a deep breath and keep your eye on the ball. Thanks for yet another lesson in the cosmic glide step. xoxo, kathy

[Tamara]

Hi Robert,
Thanks for the postings on Wesak. This year is the first in years that I haven't been in deep meditative retreat for this moon. (In 2004 I had the immense good fortune to attend the Kalachakra with the Dalai Lama in Toronto, where he made sure that the initiation was timed to the exact time of the full moon of Wesak, this was definetely a turning point for me!) This year I am in finals week, having gone back to school to further my opportunities to be of service to the world. The full moon at 12 degrees Taurus/Scorpio, how does this affect me, with Mercury at 12 of Sagg? I also have many planets at 15 degrees, is that close enough to effect them as well?
I am also wondering about the grand irrationality being triggered this coming week, in Sagg, as my Saturn is at 28 Sagg and being transited by Pluto? (in my 4th house)
My spiritual life is central to the meaning of my life, and has been for the past 9 years, since Pluto transited my mercury, and uranus transited my 6th house and chiron (when I had cancer).
I will take the whole day of the full moon off to meditate. Any astrological input that could lend focus would be appreciated.
Tamara

[Robert]

Hi Kathy - Yes, I'm a Texan by adoption. Got to Austin from Florida via the Black Forest and Carnaby Street in the Summer of 69, and learned that 3 alarm (or higher) hot sauce is good as an appetizer AND dessert! ;-) Sinkholes are a drag, worse if you're driving fast than if you're on a stroll. Deep breath is good after a Mutable Fixed Cross! And yes, we are dancing through the intersections of fate and free will!

Hi Tamara - Great that you got to be in the magnetic field of the Circle of Time with the Timeless One! Also good that you're getting more training for whatever you will be doing - definitely "thinking in the future."

Mostly your planets in mid-decans are affected by Uranus at present, though of course this Full Moon is being sextile-trined by Uranus. The primary Mercury influence in your chart is via Jupiter for some months to come. You're preparing for a future state yet to come, though it should start moving forward in a big way this August. Pluto/Sat contact in your chart shows you need to expunge EVERY negative memory from your conscious and subconscious mind to become mentally free. This can result in a generous and compassionate view completely free of perceptual traps allowing you to establish yourself in the world on your own terms freed from ancient karmas.

The Grand Irrationality affecting your Saturn indicates "transformational forces beyond your control" are showing you how to live your Saturn in ways that serve your world arising from your ability to respond out of your experience. This shows "forks in the road of destiny" that are propelling you toward your dharma. And of course, please re-read what I've written the past two days to get a better sense of what specialized form of compassionate self-expression to self and others you can draw on that will be shaped as idea over the next few weeks.

[Tamara]

Thank you Robert,
I do hope to be able to take advantage of these cosmic forces. I feel like what you wrote about the influences in my chart, are like the heavens assisting me in my bodhisatva vows. it would be wonderful to be free of the perceptual traps, and mental conditioning that create suffering. Expunge every negative memory? I wonder what that looks like? Is that something like compassion toward the self? Unconditional acceptance of what is? That what seemed "negative" had a purpose and that karma shapes your dharma, your service to others? This seems to be the case, and I am getting glimpses of how it could be, but the habit of self pity is strong.
I am happy to surrender to these "transformational forces beyond my control". I think I prayed for them, asked for them. Wish me luck.
Blessing to you all.
Tamara

[chickie]

Your Highness,

First I must ask. Do you ever sleep? Do you ever take your wife out for dinner? Do you ever time for a walk around the block?

Next, as a 23 scorpio moon goddessa, coupled with the fact that it has progressed to the 26 sag galatic center, do you think I might disinigrate next week? I've had a brutal head/neck ache for 4 months now.

chickie

[chickie]

Oh and I forgot the YOD is on my libra mars exact. Maybe I will find a partner that will drop a substantial piece of change in my lap. Mother always says, "You chose 2 for the love, why not go for the dough for a change?" It's ok. You can answer next month!

Congrats on your anniversary, brother!

chickie

[Robert]

Hi Tamara - Sure. You ARE "taking advantage" of the energies each time you become the NOW and steer them toward "an altruistic intention" as per HHDL. Sometimes we're one form of bodhisattva, other times another form. I believe as long as we're present in the moment, it's pretty much all good. Expunging negative memories leaves you with a generous compassion toward all who participated in engraving that memory on your consciousness. So yewbetcha, it's radical compassion toward the separate self which forgot its eternal state of loving-kindness and got distracted by an unfortunate perception. Negatives may or may not have any purpose other than to prod us toward positives. And of course, we can generate that without negatives. With your intention, you probably don't need much "luck," but I will affirm that you're on your way to a life of compassionate, loving, wise generation of bodhichitta. Aum Mani Padme Hum!

Hi chickie - Sure I do. And cook, and write, and talk to people, and do chart readings, as well as a host of other stuff that keeps me busy and out of trouble. As for going out to dinner, I usually can cook better meals we both enjoy than the many fairly good but expensive restaurants here in W. LA. And yes, I often take walks, long ones even, due to the inevitable problem of getting a bit rounder by the decade and a genetic cholesterol problem not able to be modified by diet.

I suspect you'll become sensitive to Galactic things with the P Moon where it is. I've also noted many of us have had a low grade or higher headache for several weeks. I wonder what they're putting in the air/water now? Or of course it could be the generic racheting up of the tensions affecting collective consciousness, given the brutal murderous events of our times that don't seem to be going away. Gettin' pretty shrill out there! Thanks for the congrats, and try to remember that by August many things will look different for you.

[Tamara]

Robert,
Whats significant about August? You mention changes for both Chickie and myself then.
I'm curious about the Galactic Center, so I went to find articles you wrote about it last year. I'm sort of blown away, as my Saturn is essentially conjunct to it (1 degree away) and it was on my saturn return, in 1988 when Uranus was conjunct that point, that my son was born. Jan.9, 1988. It has helped me understand his rebeliousness to authority, but I am now wondering about any larger significance for him. He has been having a really really rough year, almost didn't graduate high school, didn't get into any colleges of his choice, the karmic payback of years of rebelling against homework and the resultant low GPA and the fallout from that. He's really lost right now.

[S in India]

Dear Robert,

How spot on you are with last week and this week's readings. The days progress exactly as you say they will with their respective energies being so evident they are hard to deny (and why would you). Also i find myself naturally drawn to the activities you suggest for each day before I even read the post and it's comforting.

This week really feels like coming out on the other side, after obsolete things shattered which you weren't ready to close. The decisions got made for you anyway. And if you try and prolong your attachment to them it becomes unbearable. It's amazing how the stream is forcing us all forward whether we like it or not.

I am enjoying the full moon of tarus-scorpio, it's calming, wise and not so freaky/jarring as what we've just gone through. I am contemplating a vipassana course in Dharamshala and was wondering when a good time to go was?

Also have you heard of an astrologer by the name of Bernard Fitzwalter? I find him very succint in boiling down the message for a sign for the month. he does the astrology report for the magazine i work for. Although i enjoy your in depth analyses and intuition SO much more. And also what are your views on Linda Goodman. She wrote so well, but she's so well known that ignorant people always mistake her for all fluff. But i feel she had this real enjoyment for analysing human relationships through astrology anyway...

Sorry this post is so long. My job is as a features writer for magazines and sometimes i don't know when to stop!

Here is my config as calculated by you: Your Sun is 25 degrees 57 minutes Scorpio, your Moon is 15 degrees 57 minutes Scorpio, and your Ascendant is 7 degrees 13 minutes Libra. Sometimes i'm confused whether I hv a Libra or Virgo rising.

Thanks,
Sita

[Robert]

Hi Tamara - August is important in several ways I touched on in other articles. I'll write more in the future. January 9, 1988 is a special day for me. Pluto is on his Sag and Saturn opposes his Venus. Purifying his higher vision, and realizing that he no longer values certain things. His atmosphere should turn by July, as Saturn is still making the Grand Fire Trine which will activate in June.

He needs to stop worrying so much and get organized, since he's a very smart being. 19 turns inward seeking the seed of a deeper understanding and more compassionate way of relating to the world. There's more, as vast as the ocean. As for his college, though my HS grades were fairly good, I still chose to start at a Community College, got decent grades for my freshman year core courses, and then easily transferred into a top flight school.

Hi S in India - Glad I am in tune with what seems to be the flow of time, since it definitely can be comforting in the midst of the Grand Irrationality. The prior Eclipses are ripping some things loose whether we think one thing or another. Yes, prolonging attachments with things already gone is verrry painful until one lets go and flows with the current of larger dharma. Recent squares were fragmenting and distracting, but long term favorable if one knows how to recombine, letting go of some parts while introducing others. As for course, what is your time frame estimate?

I have not heard of Bernard. As for other astrologer's writings, I prefer not to criticize, since what one misses another catches, plus some are better astrologers than writers, or vise versa. Each has some gift of analysis, and that is the Uranian blessing to all astrologers. For all us writers, keeping a regular column interesting and relevant is often challenging! I didn't realize I computed your chart, but if I said your Asc is 7+ Libra, then you are 8 degrees of Libra Rising, except under Vedic systems when you would be about 12-15 Virgo rising.

[Tamara]

Robert, Your words really ring true about my son. He is very bright, and secretly very psychic, especially when he was young. Sensitive as heck.
Its wierd, I hardly know you, but feel strangely like I do know you. Was it that your daughter died on Jan, 9th 1988, or was that her birthday? How long was she with you? The loss of a child must be the hardest loss.
Back in '98 both my husband and I were diagnosed with very serious, potentially fatal cancers within 6 months of each other. The deepest fear, the scariest thing ever, for me, was the thought that I might leave my children, abandon them by death, and then that we might both orphan them, was more than I could bear. They were 6 and 10. Death can be the greatest wake up call, the greatest gift. Was it that your daughter gifted you, out of her love?

[Robert]

Hi Tamara - Her birth/death day are one and the same. And yes, all parents would rather go before their children. As for a gift, well, I had a true near death experience in 1984 where I was dying due to a catastrophic accident, on the other side, and then given the chance to come back into the body. So I've had a dress rehearsal, and know that we ALL draw every breath by grace. I learned that living in ways that produce no regrets when we die is the only way to live.

[S in India]

Thanks Robert...
I was thinking of attending the Vipassna course in Dharamshala during the first week of June.

[Robert]

Hi Sita - The Mars trine Jupiter while Sun squares Jupiter should be fantastic for spiritual breakthroughs and higher understanding. May your compassion become as big as the ocean and your effectiveness as powerful as Spirit brought to matter.

[S in India]

Thank you for your blessings. I will do everything i can to make that journey happen that week. It's quite intense this Vipassna meditation. You can't talk, you can't communicate, in short you can't react to anything around you. to teach you how to let thoughts flow through you instead of battling with them, to teach you that you are the centre, not the desires you seek. I can't wait. i hope i am ready. if feeling this happy and excited about it, is any indication, i think i am. Feeling the wonderful after effects of Buddh Purnima!

[Robert]

Hi Sita - As they say "rock on..." Ultimately, transparency and non-reactivity are only temporary states, but they can be useful so you have a frame of reference when one comes down off the mountain. I won't say I've attained any sense of permanence about whatever spiritual practices I've cultivated, but it's all pretty much a movie to me anyway. And I hope you already KNOW you're not the desire mind and the center is everywhere.

I got there not through a formal meditation practice, but through death, first my own journey to the other side and back, then my closest, who didn't. Not much to battle when you're already the far side of Pluto. It has a way of throwing one into a "non-ego structured state," as Rudhyar put it. Still, may you find all you seek and more. Aum and blessings on your journey, and I look forward to hearing about your self-realizations.

[Lea]

I was interested to see mention of Bernard Fitzwalter, back in the 80's I did evening classes with him. I thought he was great so spot on with all his info and going to pub after class was just as much fun. His use of William Lilly and his many charts brought astrology alive and the fact that we never took many notes alwyas helped remember more than I thought I would. I still use many of the tools he taught with my own astrology. Best time I ever had doing those classes.