Skanda-Neptune and the BP Oil Spill

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a picture inspires a thousand words -- as in the case of this post. The above video still of an oil plume rushing out of the ocean floor not only captures the source of our current oilapocalype, but also may suggest an energetic source based on astrological aspects. When I saw the name of the deep sea equipment monitoring the BP oil spill, I couldn't believe my eyes: MSV Skandi-Neptune.



Skanda is one of the many names of the deity associated with the planet Mars. It is described as having six heads, like the MSV Skandi-Neptune that offers multiple feeds and views of the leaking oil. In Sanskrit "skanda" means "that which is spilled or oozed," primarily referring to semen, but as Mars also rules tools, weapons, machines and their usage oil does seem related as well. Another name for Mars is Kuja, or Bhumija, "the one born from the Earth." Representing the hidden flame in matter, substances like coal, gas, and oil are seen as his energy manifested in Earth form.



As I indicated in previous posts the malefic red planet was been aspecting Neptune, the modern indicator of oil, since Neptune re-entered Aquarius on December 8, 2009. Mars will continue to cast a furtive glance at the gas giant until it enters Libra on September 6, 2010. On the day of the initial explosion on the Deepsea Horizon Oil rig, Neptune was in an exact exchange with the planet of sudden shifts, Uranus and a debilitated Mars in Cancer aspected the parvartana pair in an 8th aspect. In Vedic astrology Mars is said to make aspects to the houses that are 6, 7, and 8 from it, thus a 150 degree angle (or quincunx in Western astrology) , a 180 degree angle of opposition, and 210 degree waning quinqunx. A direct Mars will make aspects to first to the 8th house creating a tranforming event, then it aspects the 7th house revealing the reaction of the other, and then and finally it aspects the 6th house giving a healing solution. The 6,7,8 aspects of Mars are very similar to David Icke's problem-reaction-solution scenarios or Hegelian Dialectic. Its eight aspect to Neptune triggered a transforming event and catastrophe on a generational scale.

In late May Mars completed its intense eight-month journey through its sign of debilitation revealing among many things our own disabling addiction to oil energy. It entered the sign of Leo opposite the ruler of oil, Neptune in Aquarius, in a 7th aspect. The 7th aspect effects relationship and partnership. Since this time the world has been focused on who is responsible for this mess, and leaders such as President Obama and the CEOs of BP have been feeling the heat. President Obama has natal Mars in Leo at 29 degrees. This gandanta Mars is associated with three explosive malefics in his natal 8th house: Uranus, Rahu, and Pluto and as transiting Mars has hit those planets at 1, 3, and 13 degrees the heat has increased. Mars will make a return to his natal Mars on July 19, 2010, a week after the full Solar Eclipse on July 11, 2010. This will not be an easy week for the President, and we can expect fireworks at this time.

Mars enters Virgo on July 20, 2010 aspecting Neptune from a 6 position. The 6th aspect is related to health and service, so we start to see new stories about the toxic effect of oil on our health. Already stories are surfacing warning pregnant women to avoid the gulf, plans for evacuation of large numbers of gulf residents, and oil-soaked rains. Mars will conjoin Saturn in Virgo on July 31, 2010 at 6 degrees Virgo in exact opposition to Uranus at 6 degrees Pisces conjoined Jupiter and the Moon. The public (moon) will demand new and perhaps revolutionary (Uranus) answers to heal (Jupiter) the earth.

My guess is there will not be any real solution until Mars enters Libra on September 6, 2010 as it will no longer be aspecting Neptune. However it will be aspecting Uranus which is in exchange with Neptune, so its negative and exasperating effects may still be felt until Mars enters Scorpio on October 19, 2010. But as the rising sign in the event chart for the BP oil spill occurs in Scorpio in the 17th nakshatra Anuradha, and President Obama's inaugural chart has an 8th house Scorpio moon also in the 17th nakshatra within 3 degrees of the BP Oil spill ascendant, Mars in Scorpio may not be great either. It seem Mars could trigger more difficulty for the US, its leader, and the Gulf. Mars shifts into Sagittarius on November 30, 2010 and begins to line up with the next eclipse period. Thus Mars will be a key astrological player in this cosmic drama until the end of the year.

Last weekend I attended a Vedic astrology conference in which the world-famous astrologer Gayatri Devi Vasudev spoke about world and US predictions. She was concerned about the full lunar eclipse occurring on the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2010. Although I use a different US chart (Scorpionic America chart), I share her concern about the eclipse which also involves Mars in Sagittarius. Mars in the nakshatra of Purva Ashada conjoins Pluto, Rahu, Sun, and Mercury all in Mula during this eclipse. Mula is one of the most violent nakshatras as it is ruled by the goddess of destruction and calamities, Nirriti. In the Scorpionic America chart Mars is natally placed in the 11th house at 21 degrees Sagittarius with the south node Ketu at 20 degrees Sagittarius; and on the day of this lunar eclipse Mars will be at 16 degrees Sagittarius as it approaches the US natal Mars at 21 degrees. This could indicate a highly charged event that may effect the leader (Sun), business and group organizations (11th house) and institutes of learning (Mercury).

In addition Venus will be rising over Washington DC in the sign of Libra and constellation of Swati at the moment of the eclipse. Usually Venus in its own sign in the 1st house is considered very benefic, but it will be in the morningstar position. As I have discussed in previous posts Venus morningstar was viewed by many ancient cultures as harbinger of illness and death. Even modern research suggests a link between pandemics and her morningstar position combined with sunspot activity, which is likely to be high this fall. Swati is ruled by the deity Vayu, the god of wind, air, breath, and prana. It gives the power to scatter like the wind, pradhvamsa shakti. Thus the main elements involved with this eclipse are wind and fire, perhaps solar winds. We may have to take a deep breath to deal with the winds of change that may occur at the Winter solstice. Practice your wind-pacifying techniques like pranayama and mantra, and protect your lungs and immune system from scattered wind that can bring febrile disease with Vitamin D and other immune builders.

Namaste!

Astro Weather - June 2010

Mars in Leo May 26 - July 19, 2009
June begins in the wake of May's intense astrological events and under the influence of many significant planetary, environmental, and political changes.

In late May Mars completed an intense eight month journey through its sign of debilitation pointing to our own disabling addiction to oil energy. It entered the sign of Leo opposite the ruler of oil, Neptune in Aquarius, which promises to keep our attention on this life-threatening disaster through mid-July.

On June 3, 2010 the opposition was exact and the next day the headlines revealed the possibility that there may have been prior knowledge that the oil spill was imminent: Goldman Sachs sold 44% of its BP stock three weeks before the spill, and the notoriously opportunistic and greedy Halliburton bought a oil spill clean up company, Boots and Coots, 8 days before the oil spill. Oh and did I mention Halliburton was responsible for the cementing work on the Deepsea Horizon, which was completed 20 hours before the explosion. They are now under investigation. Mars in Leo may give some energy and aggressiveness to our leaders to keep the corporate players in line.

Mars in Leo may also have played a role in the politically charged Gaza incident in which commandos from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) boarded the relief ship MV Mavi Marmara in international waters after communicating warnings that a naval blockade of the Gaza area was in force. In the violent clashes that followed, nine activists were killed.


And, as reader Paradise points out, Mar-Mar-a contains a double Mars. Mars is associated with the number 9, and the death of 9 activists is another symbolic layer of its increasing strength in Leo. Mars rules war and we may witness an escalation in hostilities around the world this summer as it heats up in the sign of the Sun.

The month of May ended under a debilitated, though enlightening full moon in Mar's sign Scorpio. As I indicated in my previous post, this full moon occurred within four degrees of the rising sign in the event chart for the BP Oil Spill. The bright light of this full moon illuminated some of the hidden causes and factors that may have triggered this unprecedented environmental disaster, as well as the responsible parties and failed plans to plug the hole. Notice the Scandi Neptune description on this video still -- Skanda, the son of Shiva, is another name for Mars.




Moreover, new oil leaks located 6 miles away from the original site were discovered and raised the question whether earth changes beneath the ocean floor may be contributing to this unending mess.

Saturn Stationary Direct at 3 degrees Virgo, May 31, 2010
This lunation was soon followed by Saturn's station opposite the conjunction of expansive Jupiter and unpredictable Uranus both in the water sign of Pisces. During this time the first massive hurricane of the season hit Guatemala and triggered a massive sink hole that sucked a three-story building from the face of the earth.


Three days later China began reporting sinkholes as well. Saturn rules structure and foundation which seem to be dissolving under the Piscean influence of Jupiter. The expansive energy of Jupiter will be opposite the contracting energy of Saturn for most of the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if more earth shifts occur when Mars joins Saturn in Virgo in conjunction at the end of July.

Jupiter in Pisces May 1, 2010 - October 31,2010
The month of June not only began with intense weather and earth anomalies, but also yielded some intriguing space activity. An amateur photographer caught an object hitting Jupiter on June 3, 2010 reminding us that this gas giant captures many space objects in its huge gravitational field that could in fact wipe out life on earth if they were to get past its protective pull.



And don't forget that Jupiter made the news on May 17, 2010 when it was discovered that it lost one of its stripes.



In Sanskrit Jupiter is called Guru meaning "the spiritual teacher" or "guide", so what happens to this planet astronomically may present a cosmic lesson for us to unravel astrologically.

Jupiter has been traveling in its own sign of Pisces since the beginning of May and conjoined the planet of unpredictable and sudden changes, Uranus exactly on June 8, 2010. Jupiter conjunct Uranus is seen by Western astrologers as a transit of surprises and sudden opportunities. The consciousness expanding quality of Jupiter can bring new insight from a totally radical Uranian viewpoint. As Uranus is also in a mutual exchange with Neptune, the effects are like a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction as well. When the great teacher transits the planet of the sublime, we might expect to witness an increase of mystical and spiritual experiences, or a great teacher may appear, or a unexplainable phenomenon may occur such as the Australian spiral.



As with the December 9, 2009 Norway spiral, conventional scientists proposed an explanation of a missile of space junk for the June 5, 2010 UFO spiral. According to Australian media reports, the lollipop light that spiraled over Australia early Saturday and prompted a flood of UFO reports to local news stations was likely the remnants of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket that launched earlier that day.

Still others researchers such as Colin Andrews suggest that HAARP or some similar human electromagnetic technology is another plausible explanation for the spiral that was large enough to be seen over three Australian states. In addition, Andrews has been following a series of anomalous weather effects over southeastern Australia which he attributes to HAARP emissions coming from a secret HAARP facility in Australia.



Perhaps my favorite explanation is that the Australia spiral was a genuine interdimensional wormhole, or stargate, caused by a hyperdimensional or multi-dimensional intelligence. That same night I dreamed of UFOs over Seattle skies that only certain people could see. Some UFO researchers such as David Wilcock speculated that the Norway spiral was caused by a hyperdimensional intelligence, and the Australia spiral may also be "a man-made phenomenon that shows Disclosure [of the existence and presence of extraterrestrials on earth] is getting closer and closer all the time!"



When you compare the event charts for the Norway and Australia spiral the main similarity is found in the chart ruler: Venus, both placed in the second house of family, value, speech, right eye, scriptural knowledge, and TRUTH. According to David Frawley, "Venus represents the higher astral and is the star of our astra light. She is the light of inspiration and our devotion to truth and beauty."

The Norway Spiral had a Libra ascendant, and the Australia Spiral appeared under a Taurus ascendant with the Pleiades rising. As I discussed in a previous post, the Norway Venus was placed in the highly symbolic 17th nakshatra Anuradha, ruled by the Sun God Mitra, who is related to Mithra, Christ, the future Buddha, and the Maitreya. The Australia Venus was located in Gemini in the 7th nakshatra Punarvasu ruled by Aditi the Mother of the Sun Gods called the Adityas. The Adityas are a group of sun gods. Originally, there were seven or eight of them, but their number was expanded to twelve in the Vedic period. As the twelve sun gods they represent the twelve months of the year. The Adityas protect against various diseases, and belong to the Devas, a generic term for divine beings. They are: Ansa, Aryman, Bhaga, Daksha, Dhatri, Indra, Mitra, Ravi, Savitri, Surya, Varuna, and Yama.
Moreover the words "Punar" means repeat, and "Vasu" translates as ray of light. Thus Punarvasu means the return of the light, or repeating light. Could this phenomenon be a signal that the Sun gods are returning? Punarvasu is also known as "the star of renewal" and marks the return of the light after the storm.

Summer Solstice June 21, 2010
The upcoming summer solstice occurs on June 21, 2010 and I would expect solar symbols such as the spiral, representing the path of the sun and structure of galaxies, to make headlines as the Sun marks its northern most declination.



In Seattle, where we obsess about the fickle Sun, The Fremont Fair and Summer Solstice Parade herald the beginning of summer. This year's symbolically appropriate theme is Love the Earth.

Astrologically the summer solstice Sun always occurs in the nakshatra Ardra. Ardra translates as "moist one" is depicted as a tear or rain drop. Like the tears of the Phoenix, another solar symbol, it is a healing nakshatra and is associated with the clarity that arises after a calamity, or the the clearing after a spring thunderstorm. Ardra is located in the sign of Gemini in the constellation of Orion and contains the fixed stars Betelgeuse and Sirius.

During the week of the summer solstice, there will also be an intense alignment involving all the outer planets squaring or opposing the Sun in Ardra in a Grand Mutable Cross.



Essentially, a Grand Cross consists of four planets in the same mode or quality -- cardinal, fixed, or mutable, which form the four squares and two oppositions. A true Grand Cross includes a planetary placement in each element: Fire, Earth, Air or Water. Because the Grand Cross involves a combination of squares and oppositions, it is an aspect pattern that affects action and drive (squares) as well as perspective and balance with others (oppositions). The Outer Planets also known as the Transpersonal Planets and symbolize collective or subconscious awareness beyond our routine or regular concerns. They symbolize the need to integrate spiritual and group concerns into the demands of our ego ideas, affections and impulses. When they interact in a grand cross the collective issues are pushed into full consciousness and effect us globally.



The mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces are adaptable, adjustable, changeable and flexible. Planets in these signs tend to be more interested in the journey than in the destination. They also tend to avoid conflict at all costs, because it is not in the nature of the mutable signs to engage in conflict, except as mediators or go-betweens. They will find a way around things.

6/26/2010 Full Moon 10 degrees Sagittarius, Mula nakshatra, a partial Lunar eclipse.
The next full moon will occur under a partial lunar eclipse that also involves this grand mutable cross. The Moon will be under the shadow of Rahu and the potentially explosive influence of Pluto. Pluto is all about power and Rahu is about expansion of this power.

Both the Moon and Pluto will be in exact conjunction at 10 Sagittarius, in the tikshna, or dreadful, nakshatra Mula. This asterism is located near the serpent holder of Ophiuchus and marks the galactic center. Mula is called the "root" star and marks the place where stellar life emerged in our galaxy. The deity of this nakshatra is Nirriti, the goddess of destruction who lives in the kingdom of the dead. As the goddess of destruction, Nirriti has the power to break things apart, barhana shakti. In Western astrology Pluto also rules over the kingdom of the dead. So what will happen when these two meet under the moon light of an eclipse? There will certainly be some rumbling.



Thus the newest bizarre installation of a 7 ton replica of Anubis, the Egyptian guardian of the afterlife, at the Denver Airport is symbolically very intriguing. According to airport officials this 26 foot stature is part of a promotion for the King Tut exhibit which that opens at the Denver Art Museum on June 26, 2010 -- the very day of the lunar eclipse. Many are already questioning why on earth a huge monument to the underworld would be erected at a place like an airport, especially with Anubis being the one responsible for helping out the newly dead on their final journey; but this is no ordinary airport. It is an airport filled with apocalyptic art projects as well as legends of intrigue such as extra-long runways for future space brothers, underground tunnels, and unexplained deaths. Perhaps Anubis is appropriate after all for this lunar eclipse.

Astrological traditions view eclipse cycles as a karmic time periods in which the obscuration of the luminaries brings out psychological disturbances, political unrest, shadow issues, and fear. As this is a Rahu eclipse of the Moon in a Ketu nakshatra, we may expect to see even more karmic patterns surface as the nodes are intertwined in their own symbolic spirals. The nakshatra Mula is ruled by Ketu, the indicator of moksha, or spiritual liberation. Ketu aspects this lunar eclipse from its position in Rahu's tearful nakshatra, Ardra. As tears of a sorrow release emotional build up, they cleanse the eyes and give clarity of perception. So while this intense eclipse period may release forces that inflict pain and suffering, it is important to remember it is a result of us being out of alignment with the divine. Mula presents opportunities to return to god-realization, but we must surrender to receive this intense galactic light, let go of what is not working, and allow new life to emerge.

Namaste!

UPDATE: Spirals are in the headlines. See Starsyncs.

UPDATE: Pre-eclipse earthquakes are beginning. 5.0 in Toronto and Buffalo NY

UPDATE: Hurricane Category 4, Celia.

Mars

Mars in Cancer Revisited in Light of Hindsight

October 5, 2009 Mars enters Cancer
December 20, 2009 Mars station retrograde at 25:42 degrees Cancer
March 10, 2010 Mars station direct at 6:17 Cancer
Mars leaves Cancer on May 26, 2010 and is gandanta until June 4, 2010

Vedic astrologers often describe the red planet as a bad guy, one of four malefics (Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu). Usually Saturn is described as the 'big bad', but according to one of my favorite classics The Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, Mars is the most malefic planet. It certainly can cause its fair share of misery. But Astrology Gary Gomes believes that Mars is misunderstood, and I agree with him. In his excellent article Mars(Mangala/Kuja/Angarika): The Spiritual Energy of the Mighty Malefic he proposes that Mars has a spiritual side:

One of the most frequently overlooked roles of Mars is its role in spiritual development, which I first encountered through the writings of the late M. Ramakrishna Bhatt--along with P. S. Sastri., one of the finest and best respected translators of Jyotish Sanskrit classics. Mars, according to Sri Bhatt, is the planet of those who avoid rebirth--certainly enough of a tantalizing hint to explore the spiritual dimensions of this planet.

Now that Mars has finally entered the fiery sign of Leo after transiting through its watery sign of debilitation for eight months, I thought I would give a parting assessment in the bright light of hindsight. What sort of spiritual lessons did it impart?

On October 5, 2009 Mars entered Cancer and remained there until May 26, 2010. Astrologically Mars is the planetary archetype for energy, desire, aggression, anger, war, and the ability to get what you want. When it is debilitated, energy doesn't flow smoothly, and it is much harder to get what you want; military victory is harder to attain; accidents and injuries increase, and unexpressed or repressed emotions suddenly flare.

Emotions are more volatile under the Moon's influence on the planet of desire. When Mars is placed in the sign of the Moon, psychological influences increase the negative effects of Mars like accidents caused by impulsive moods and illness rooted in psychological dis-ease. The Moon signifies feelings and emotions, the reflective mind, memory, and the public, and Mars represents will and courage. During the Moon's influence over Mars emotions stimulate desire and action, instead of wisdom and logic. Mars in Cancer can also give a sharp mind and the ability to heal through cutting or manipulating the body; but Mars in Cancer is also unreliable as it can also give start/stops at the wrong time, not to mention friction with the feminine principle.

When Mars entered Cancer, it did so while the Moon was in the sign of Aries creating a parvartana yoga, or mutual exchange of signs. This mutual exchange with the Moon canceled the debilitation of Mars for three days. To start this Mars cycle with this particular yoga indicates a promise of a higher purpose to this period.



One of the biggest media events at this time was NASA's LCROSS mission to bomb the Moon with a Centaur rocket in search for water. It was scheduled to occur while Mars was conjunct Ketu and the Moon was be in the last degrees of Taurus, its sign of exhaltation. Ketu has a fiery nature and when combined with Mars' impulsive and explosive energy it indicates a sudden release of violent energy. However, in this situation the strength of the Moon in its sign of exhaltation won. The explosion was supposed to be viewable on the Earth, but the bomb failed to produced the promised plume. The mission was a huge flop and left NASA scrambling to come up with some mission accomplished story line. By February President Obama cancelled the American project designed to take humans back to the Moon, and then on to Mars.

During the first week of December, NASA announced it found water on Mars. Ironically this followed a November 15th release of a BBC Dr. Who special called The Waters of Mars. This fictional story is set on Mars in the year 2059, where the Doctor encounters the first human colony, Bowie Base One [Perhaps a play not only on David Bowie but his son who directed Moon (2009)]. This group is commanded by Captain Adelaide Brooke who turns out to be a pivotal character in the history of humanity. The Doctor must decide whether to use his knowledge of her fate to change history -- which he does.



Mars in Cancer certainly brought up themes of water and life on the Moon and red planet, as well as suggests that colonization may be an ill-fated idea. It also continued the extra-terrestrial meme of an earlier race waiting in a latent form to be released when humans start poking around. Jay Weidner also discusses this idea in his recent radio interview with Kerry Kennedy of Project Camelot (see Starsyncs for the link). He believes this race seeded the earth, and secretly controls the planet. They possess a knowledge of a 60,000 cataclysmic cycle in which the Sun sends a catastrophic solar flare that wipes life out on earth -- as in the apocalyptic movie Knowing. These "Martians" are currently preparing to return to Mars for safety before the next big flare supposedly in 2012, and later return to earth to regenerate their human slaves when all is clear. Interesting theory in light of our efforts to find evidence of life and water on Mars.

A month after NASA announced the discovery of water on Mars, the red planets trajectory shifted as it slowed and reversed into a three month retrograde cycle that created a reversal of debilitation called neecha banga. In my experience, the retrograde motion of a debilitated planet does not fully cancel the debilitation, but rather slows things down and softens the negative effects and in this case gives more opportunity to learn about our will and what we are will to do to get what we want.

Mars went retrograde on December 20, 2009 while in opposition to the Moon in Capricorn. This dance with the Moon at significant changes in motion is very intriguing and again points to a potential for enlightening lessons.

Astronomically Mars appears closer to the earth during its retrograde period (perhaps making it easier for interplanetary travel). In January Mars was only 99 million km (60 million miles) away and appeared bigger through a telescope than any moment between 2008 and 2014. During this time Mars rose a few hours after sunset in the eastern sky. Keep in mind that malefics have more power express negative aspects at night. At the same time of Mars full opposition to the earth on Friday, January 29, 2010, Uranus returned to the sign of Pisces in a parvartana yoga with Neptune, which as I mentioned in my previous post is connected to the initial explosion on the Deepsea Horizon Oil rig.

After three months Mars stationed and went direct on March 10, 2010, again in opposition to the Moon in Capricorn in the nakshatra of Uttara Ashada, conjunct President Obama's natal chart ruler, Saturn, and dasha lord, Jupiter. As we have seen from his election chart, Uttara Ashada has delivered him 'unchallengable victory' on previous occasions. At this time the big media story was the push for universal Health Care and it was clear that President Obama was directing his will behind the scenes. After canceling trips abroad, he put all of his energy and attention into this bill, which finally passed without the public (Moon) option. Although the President didn't get everything he wanted, it was a significant win and beginning for universal health care.



Two weeks later President Obama shocked liberal supporters with an announcement that he wanted to increase off-shore drilling off the Atlantic coast. For a president on a roll following a big health care win, the drilling declaration was called both aggressive and pragmatic by the press. He rationalized: "Even with a push for cleaner energy sources and efficient cars – and with promises of protection for ecosystems and coastal tourism – the nation still needs more oil." This decision was based on the need to start to reshaping far-reaching economic and national security policies, affecting where the U.S. gets the fuel for its cars, heating energy needs (Mars) of the people (Moon).

As I discussed in my previous post, Mars also rules real estate, metals, and anything that is piercing or penetrating like oil drilling. The event chart showed the influence of this debiliated Mars in the rising sign of Scorpio. Moreover Mars aspected [8] the ruler of oil, Neptune which was in an exact parvartana yoga with the ruler of unpredictable and sudden change, Uranus, was placed in the fortuitous 9th house. And the repeated theme of flowers and lotus made me wonder what good could possibly come out of this environmental disaster?



And then I realized the irony that The BP logo resembled a flower. In 2000 BP changed its name from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum, and unveiled its all too familiar "green" brand image in an attempt to win over environmentally aware consumers. Like the double-cross of the Exxon logo, the so called green flower is really a disguised-in-plain view symbol of Helios, an ancient Greek Sun god, representing energy in its many forms. According to BP the company the logo and "Beyond Petroleum campaign" represents their focus on meeting the growing demand for fossil fuels, manufacturing and delivering more advanced products, and enabling the material transition to a lower carbon future.



It is clear that BP has not been forth right in dealing with this environmental disaster. Withholding crucial video, blocking media access to the site, and a failure to share complete information about efforts and failures to contain the largest oil spill in U.S. history have created the widespread impression that BP is misleading the public and the government. And the Obama administration has also been under fire for blindly accepting BP's cover story. Yesterday, as Mars passed the critical 3rd degree of its gantanta state, the Feds initiated a criminal investigation of BP. It remains to be seen what we have truly learned about our oil addiction, but it seems like the public is waking up and demanding change. I personally believe those in power fear this the most, and are terrified of losing their grip on their human slaves.

Personal Reflections on this Mars Cycle

I have never experienced or witnessed such a long period of continuous pain and suffering both in the collective and personally. My own natal chart contains Mars in Cancer, but its retrograde motion and mutual exchange with Moon in Aries has negated much of its negative potential. So this transit of Mars through Cancer was also a Mars return for me. Moreover, Mars aspects every planet in my natal chart, so I was keenly aware of its vibration in nearly all aspects of my life and witnessed its effects on my partner, family, patients, colleagues, and friends.

As Mars rules my 10th house of work from the 6th house of service and health, it is no surprise that my primary work is acupuncture. I suspected that my practice might suffer a little during this Mars cycle, or I might be a little tired. Initially my practice was busier than ever in part because so many patients were in crisis. I was fully booked through the winter holidays. However, once it went retrograde, things began to slow down. I welcomed this decline as my own health had suddenly been tested. In November I noticed a few flea bites (Mars transiting my natal Rahu which is the current dasha lord), and by the end of December I realized that my body was dealing with an exacerbation of Lyme's disease -- an infection of the blood, which is ruled by Mars.

Most of my symptoms were achy joints and muscles, and very bad headaches that I took NSAIDs to keep at bay. By February the NSAIDs had burned my stomach and esophagus and I ended up in the ER on a Tuesday (Mar's day) night (when Mars is at its most malefic) with severe stomach pain. My attending doctor was -- drum roll -- Dr. Mars -- I kid you not!! The synchronicity of the moment made realized that this was a special moment in time: an opportunity for real change. I had been addicted to NSAIDs for years, and I was in enough pain to finally stop them cold turkey and deal with the pain naturally. Mars also rules the 3rd house of my natal chart which is associated with writing, and thus part of my healing process included taking a break from writing and a fast from the internet. This break made me realize how much the media effects me on all levels; and I realized the illusion of it all. That in the present, I am safe, happy and well. I cannot express how much gratitude I have for this enlightening ordeal.

And can't help but wonder if many of the seemingly painful and intense Mars inflicted problems were all opportunities? It is still hard to tell if the new health care plan will really work, but it is a start in the right direction. It is harder to imagine anything good coming out of the rusty colored oil staining the Gulf of Mexico. Is it possible that we as a species may truly realize that we must stop polluting our world and our bodies, and actually take action to do so? Only time will tell, but I would keep my eye on Mars to see if it offering opportunities for enlightenment.

Namaste!