Circa 1964

My brother, sister, and me, circa 1964. (I'm the shortest one.) Cool frocks, huh? A sentimental doff of the cap to my bro, who passed away eleven years ago today. I should have scanned this photo years ago, before it began to fade... it's one of my favorites. But in a way, I like it like this; it has the same soft, blurry, Neptunian quality that memories have.

Roadblocks and detours

The Sun will oppose Saturn in a few days, and it's interesting to watch how things are grinding...to...a...halt. Emails - even spam - have slowed to a trickle. Projects are on hold. It's hard for me to focus on work.

I'm pampering my back; as a Leo, it's my weak spot, and it often gives out during Sun/Saturn transits. I'm also fighting a rising, Saturnine sense of futility - over politics, my work, all kinds of things.

A Sun/Saturn transit is quick, only felt for a few days either side of the exact aspect. A short-term street repair project that blocks your normal transit route and detours you for a few days. In short, no biggie. What's worrying me a little, though, is an impending conjunction of Saturn to my natal Sun, a much lengthier and more serious proposition. The other day, craving hope, I took a sneak-peek at my next solar return chart in August. What I found was the molecular opposite of hope: Sun conjunct Saturn, Moon conjunct Pluto. Yikes!

So I'm observing the next few days with great interest, as a microcosm of what the near future might bring. I'm reminding myself of all the things I tell clients during Saturn transits: do the work and make the sacrifices, and Saturn will ultimately reward you for being a good child. And I'm shoring up my spine: I'm going to need it.

Dancing as fast as I can.

If you're one of the many people to whom I owe an email, a report, a reading, or some variation of the same, bear with me, please. 2006 is getting off to a galloping start, and I'm dancing as fast as I can. (And mixing metaphors even faster.)

Mars is Direct, all right, and stomping across my natal Sun - which is in enough trouble as it is, what with Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune stampeding across it. I'm trying like hell to be gentle and patient and compassionate with the whole world, but really, I need one of these, and I need it yesterday.

But I'm feeling pretty positive, actually, and a lot of people I've talked to in the last week are upbeat as well. It seems that November brought a lot of us to our knees, but now we're bouncing back. Which again, this.

Full Moon article coming in a few days. And remember, my eclipse reports and readings are on sale through February 3. Might as well get something good out of this Venus retrograde!