Planet		Sign		Position	House		House Cusps

Sun 		Capricorn 	23°Cp46' 	02nd 		01  27°Sc11'
Moon		Gemini		05°Ge35'	07th		02  27°Sg11'
Mercury		Capricorn	17°Cp52' R	02nd		03  27°Cp11'
Venus		Sagittarius	06°Sg57'	01st		04  27°Aq11'
Mars		Scorpio		28°Sc12'	01st		05  27°Pi11'
Jupiter		Leo		15°Le32' R	09th		06  27°Ar11'
Saturn		Gemini		23°Ge29' R	07th		07  27°Ta11'
Uranus		Aquarius	26°Aq54'	03rd		08  27°Ge11'
Neptune		Aquarius	10°Aq02'	03rd		09  27°Ca11'
Pluto		Sagittarius	18°Sg44'	01st		10  27°Le11'
Midheaven	Virgo		12°Vi42'	10th		11  27°Vi11'
Ascendant	Scorpio		27°Sc11'	01st		12  27°Li11'

Sky Log
Steven Forest

Question mark.

And the question mark is the most important part of the whole inquiry, because that's where the uncertainty -- and your freedom -- lies. But the planets do even more. They offer advice. In a sense, they recommend certain choices over others. They seem biased toward your evolution. They often suggest that you take the less familiar path, the one that moves you into richer fields of your own potentiality. The planets express this rather philosophical bias in a very concrete way. Typically, when you make a less energetic response to a planetary question, the results, while initially comfortable, rapidly turn painful. Sometimes the pain is immediate and dramatic, as in the collapse of an important relationship. Other times, it's more subtle, as in the degeneration of life into deadening boredom and ritual. Either way, sooner or later we know you made a wrong turn somewhere.

In the pages that follow, we will be exploring the coming months of your life from this planetary perspective. There are three parts to the report, and any or all of them may be included here, depending on which have been requested. First, the big questions. In the part of the report called THE INVITATION, we try to get that "mountain-top" perspective that enables us to make sense of the details.

In THE MEANS, we turn our attention to some secondary factors that offer suggestions, help, and support in responding to those big questions. And finally, we'll look at the report period month-by-month, day-by-day, to get some ground-level insight into THE DETAILS.

Your report may be for three, six, or twelve months and may include any or all three sections just described. For this reason, and because some years in your life are astrologically more active than others, report length can vary quite a bit.

Throughout the following text, I'll be endeavoring to write in plain English, but if you're unfamiliar with the jargon of astrology, you'll encounter a few words that may require definition. A "transiting" planet, for example, refers to the actual, current position of that planet in the sky. Sometimes the transiting planets form critical geometric angles with the "natal" planets in the birthchart, triggering developmental questions in your life. These critical angles are called "aspects."

The "progressed" planets function in much the same way as the transiting planets, but we approach them a little differently. They're like a script that's been built into your birthchart. Just as we know that an oak tree will emerge from an acorn and bring forth its leaves in season, similarly each person's birthchart contains within it the seeds of certain predictable developmental stages. Progressions spell out those stages. So sit back, open your mind, and engage your heart. It's time to consider...

The Invitation

Tr. Saturn is Conjunct Saturn
In effect: in progress - Apr 14, 2003
Peak date(s): Apr 1, 2003

Decisions you are making now will shape the tone of your life for the next three decades. The astrological event illuminating this critical passage is called a Saturn Return. Physically, it's an easy thing to understand: Saturn takes just under thirty years to circle the Sun. Thus, when you're looking down the barrel of turning thirty, Saturn has "returned" to where it was when you were born.

But what does that mean? All your life, you've been like a balloon of awareness expanding inside an irregularly-shaped chamber. The chamber represents your full-blown adult identity...something of which none of us are fully aware at birth; and whenever Saturn touches a sensitive point in your birthchart, the balloon contacts one of the walls of that chamber -- and you become aware of some defining limitation in your character. For example, almost three decades ago you became conscious of your gender...and thereby eliminated about half of human experience from your repertoire in one fell swoop. That's a "limitation," to be sure, but it actually felt good to you.

Without limitation, we can have no sense of who we are. With Saturn returning to its natal position, what is happening is that your balloon has now completely expanded. Your awareness has grown to occupy your mature identity. In a word, you've "grown up." All the mythology our society applies so arbitrarily to turning twenty-one applies organically to this event. The time has come to shift gears. During the first Saturn cycle -- the first thirty years or so of your life -- the mind/brain system is optimized for the gathering of Vision. You are developing a sense of who you are and what you believe. This is the fabled "idealism of youth."

During the second cycle, which will carry you from now to your sixtieth year, the invitation is to take that vision and make it real. Now, at this moment, you are being asked to create a fundamental repolarization in your identity. The time has come to take your stand, to make your best deal with that old taskmaster, Reality. It's delicate. You'll need to compromise, but not too much. Basically, you've been preparing for this critical crossroads since you took your first breath. You've been gathering your vision, dreaming your dreams. They've been unrealistic sometimes, and that's fine: youth is a time for big dreams. That's why kids love heroes.

But now you're invited to turn those heroic visions into something real and concrete. Reality is hard on dreams, but dreams are tough too. So again, make your best deal. The girl who dreamed of dancing at Carnegie Hall may, at her Saturn Return, choose to open a little dance studio in southern Alabama. The boy who hoped to Save the Whales may volunteer to write news releases for a local environmental group. The dream descends into reality. And here's the mystery: there's tremendous joy in the process.

Just as you couldn't really begin to comprehend sexuality until you passed through puberty, a passage of similar magnitude is happening in your life right now. Your brain, your character, your consciousness -- all will begin to feel differently. You'll feel older, more mature. "Mr. Johnson" and "Ms. Pereira" will become "Bill" and "Suzanne" to you, easily, and naturally. You'll begin to notice that there are lots of adults in the world who are many years younger than you...and you'll be disconcerted to hear them calling you "Sir" or Ma'am," as the case may be.

You'll find yourself content with smaller victories, moved by subtler emotions, and appreciative of more delicate pleasures. You'll spend less time looking into the mirror, too. As is always the case with life, there are no guarantees that you'll do a good job of responding to your Saturn Return. To get it right, you need to engineer a Rite of Passage.

For some of us, it may have to do with committing to a particular career or to a certain relationship. For others, it often involves quite the opposite: leaving a career or relationship. Why? Because under the pressure of your maturing vision, you may come to accept that a given career or relationship is an artifact of your youth, and that if you cling to it, you'll be stranded in a kind of eternal childhood. In essence, there is one way to make a success of your Saturn Return, and two ways to foul it up.

Success lies in a self-disciplined, sober commitment to some Great Work in your life, accepting the inevitability of compromise and the certainty of human imperfection. Always, that Great Work is ultimately rooted in the philosophical searching of your youth, which is now complete: what you learned in your twenties you must begin to make real in your thirties. The first possibility of failure lies in denying this profound psychic reorientation, clinging to youthful "when-I-grow-up..." attitudes, becoming eventually the sort of pitiable person in midlife who's still looking for the perfect job, still dating, still looking for that perfect person, still planning yet another geographical "cure."

The second possibility of failure lies in succumbing utterly and totally to "reality," giving up one's capacity to dream at all, dismissing youth's idealism as "immaturity," and accepting a completely drab and spiritless middle life. The mantra here, never stated out loud, is "I used to dream. Now I cope." So: time to focus, to commit, to choose. Get your teeth into something. Make your stand. And don't worry if you feel like you're "losing your religion" or "getting old and boring." Do it right, and those feelings will pass. And what replaces them will be better than anything else you've never known. Everything we've said about your Saturn Return applies throughout the period we are investigating, but it peaks when the alignment is precise. For you, that occurs Apr 1, 2003.

Tr. Uranus is Square Ascendant
In effect: in progress - Feb 6, 2003
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.
The planet Uranus is presently stirring the pot of your life, and that always promises a tumultuous passage, peppered with unexpected developments and encounters. Outwardly, Uranus is the wild card, bringing unpredictable and unforeseen events into the picture. Inwardly, it signals a time of accelerated individuation...that is, a time in which who you really are and what you truly want are rapidly emerging and defining themselves. A portion of what you imagined to be your identity has, in fact, little to do with you; it is a side-effect of your social training, nothing more. And, like training wheels on a kid's bike, you are now ready to dump it. This has an unsettling effect upon not only yourself, but also those around you.

Often during Uranian periods there is a distinct "changing of the guard" in our social circles; old relationships end, new ones appear. Claim your right to be yourself -- that's the essence of the transiting Uranus. Whatever it touches, changes. Trust the changes! Like a hard wind blowing the sand off a buried city, they are revealing who you actually have been all along. That's Uranus in general. Specifically, Uranus is square your natal Ascendant: sometime before the report period.. First we must recognize that the action and the developmental pressures are rooted in the Fourth House, for that's the region of your birthchart through which Uranus is currently passing. Immediately that realization places our attention on two fundamental areas: The first is your home and family, which may well be making their needs felt now in the "key" of Uranus. And the second, often confused by the first, is your own happiness and that deep soul-feeling inside yourself to which you must be true if your life is to stay on course.

Under this kind of stimulation, a person often benefits from considering his or her deepest beliefs and attitudes from a conventional psycho-therapeutic perspective -- which in essence is to say, "Figure out what mom and dad taught you," and drop what is no longer consistent with your own course. But what's the issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to the Ascendant, which is being invited into development by these familial and emotional pressures. Like the rest of us, you are a complicated, paradoxical individual, full of contradictions and undercurrents. That's human. But another part of being human is that, like the rest of us, you need to get out of bed in the morning and put on a streamlined, simplified social mask that allows you to function in the social beehive. There's no way that you can have a truly intimate relationship with every face you see in your daily life, nor would you likely want such connections. So we all keep much of what we really are behind our astrological Ascendant, which symbolizes that mask.

Physically, it is simply the sign that was dawning in the east at the instant of your birth...and symbolically it represents how you "dawn" on people who don't know you very well. When triggered by a passing transit or progression, the Ascendant signals the need to make some adjustments in the way you present yourself in the social world, so that your outer appearance remains reasonably aligned with who you have become inwardly. The work is superficial; which is not to say unimportant. Often it has to do with changing how you hold your body, the way you speak, and the clothes you wear. The aspect connected with the astrological process we're investigating here is the square, as we have seen.

The square, traditionally characterized as an unfortunate aspect, describes a geometric angle of 90 degrees between the natal planet and the moving trigger. To call squares "bad" is misleading. More accurately, they are compelling. In the area of your life we're considering, a terrific friction has arisen. It's not comfortable, but it is an extremely effective motivator. The trick in using the energy creatively lies in moving decisively -- determining precisely what you want, claiming it, and letting the rest go.

A season of tough choices is upon you. Regarding the process we described in the previous paragraphs, there are costs involved in all the courses available to you...the most costly, for all concerned, being the course of indecision.

What we've considered above is the underpinning of this phase of your life. It's truly elemental material -- the stuff of which milestones are made. There's no guarantee that astrological forces of such magnitude will be activated for everyone all the time. What follows is an analysis of some slightly less portentous dimensions of your astrological picture...less portentous, but still powerful enough to qualify as part of this year's "Invitation." Try to see what follows in the light of all that's gone before...

Tr. Uranus is Conjunct Uranus
In effect: in progress - Feb 1, 2003
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.
Uranus came up earlier in this report. Now we encounter it again. As you may recall, this planet represents the "wild card" in life, and often correlates with unexpected events. Behind the roller-coaster ride, the real issue is your ability to claim your true individuality, even if that involves destabilizing certain aspects of your existing circumstances. Uranus currently is conjunct your natal Uranus. The action peaks sometime before the report period.

First let's note that the action and the developmental pressures are rooted in the Fourth House, a dimension of your birthchart we've encountered before, for that's the house through which Uranus is currently passing. Two areas are immediately focalized: your domestic or familial environment (which is now likely to make its presence felt in the spirit and mood of Uranus) and that deep soul-feeling inside yourself to which you must be true if your life is to stay on course. We could call it your personal myth, or more simply your bliss. And again, in staying true to those levels of your being, you must now stay true to Uranus.

But what are the core questions? What area of your life is most affected by these domestic or psychological developments? The answer lies with Uranus, which is being invited into development during this long talk with yourself and the resultant sorting out of your real essence from your family training. There's a wild card in everyone, a rebellious, independent, free-spirited force that hates neckties and phony courtesies and all the slick moves that keep corporations and families from splitting apart. Astrologers call it Uranus.

Stripped to its essence, this part of your astrological psyche is concerned primarily with the process of individuation, which boils down to whittling away all the parts of yourself which have arisen almost accidentally as side effects of your social background. When stimulated by transits or progressions, Uranus triggers your rebellions. It asks you to shed something unauthentic, unreal, or limiting in your life. Often it brings lightning-quick developments and unexpected circumstances. Almost always, there is a confrontation between you and some figure of authority, past or present. Maintaining a healthy relationship with the force of Uranus is particularly central to your well-being in one key area: the Fourth House, which is where Uranus happened to be located when you took your first breath in Jenison Park, Michig.

There, in the domain of home and hearth and also of emotional and psychological processes, a strong response to this planet forges in you a clear sense of who you are and what you want. Happiness has different sources for different people. For you, much of it comes from experiences connected to Uranus, as we just portrayed it. Claim them! Always sound advice -- but how you go about claiming them is currently evolving, partly as a result of changing external circumstances.

When Uranus relates to its own natal position, an invitation to individuate arises. Listen, and you'll detect a voice inside you that's tired of trying to keep everybody else happy, a voice that wants to tell the truth and then sit back and watch everybody blush, bluster, and burn. Trust it, and enjoy the show. As we mentioned, the aspect involved in the event we just described is the conjunction, which refers to a precise alignment between the natal planet and the moving trigger. Thus, the process emphasizes fusion, integration, and synthesis.

Of all the possible aspects, the conjunction is the most intense. The explosion rattles your outward circumstances; but it originates inside you, and puts you in the driver's seat. It is appropriate for you to claim some new level of power, of self-expression, and of autonomy. If you don't, no one will do it for you; and the opportunity will evaporate.

Tr. Uranus is Square Mars
In effect: in progress - Feb 24, 2003
Peak Date(s): Feb 7, 2003
Uranus came up earlier in this report. Now we encounter it again. As you may recall, this planet represents the "wild card" in life, and often correlates with unexpected events. Behind the roller-coaster ride, the real issue is your ability to claim your true individuality, even if that involves destabilizing certain aspects of your existing circumstances. Uranus currently is square your natal Mars. The action peaks Feb 7, 2003.

First let's note that the action and the developmental pressures are rooted in the Fourth House, a dimension of your birthchart we've encountered before, for that's the house through which Uranus is currently passing. Two areas are immediately focalized: your domestic or familial environment (which is now likely to make its presence felt in the spirit and mood of Uranus) and that deep soul-feeling inside yourself to which you must be true if your life is to stay on course.

We could call it your personal myth, or more simply your bliss. And again, in staying true to those levels of your being, you must now stay true to Uranus. But what are the core questions? What area of your life is most affected by these domestic or psychological developments? The answer lies with Mars, which is being invited into development during this long talk with yourself and the resultant sorting out of your real essence from your family training. Sheer animal vitality -- that's Mars.

In your natal chart, it represents your boldness and your pluckiness: what gets your blood flowing. Or boiling. All passions are linked to Mars. Anger and your ability to defend your boundaries are part of the picture. So is your inner fire -- your enthusiasm, your intensity, your sexual desire. When triggered by a passing transit or progression, Mars often signals a "go for it" situation developing in your life, but to make the best of it, you'll need to be brave and assertive. Such transits or progressions can also warn you of upcoming battles, and in general it's wiser to seize the initiative rather than surrender your power to the whimsies of circumstance.

Always, it's advantageous for you to incorporate the force of Mars positively in all parts of your life. But one area has always stood out in that regard -- the First House, which is where Mars lies in your natal chart. There, in the area of assertiveness and personal power, the right use of that energy is most critical. In many situations you must react, respond, and play the cards you're dealt. But not in the First House. Here, you're in the driver's seat...and there are certain experiences you must claim for yourself, experiences of the nature of Mars, even if the people about whom you care call you selfish for doing so.

When Mars colludes with Uranus, a kind of personal revolution is in the air. Emotionally, an atmosphere of tension and annoyance often arises. Behind the smokescreen, a ragged but positive developmental process is unfolding: over the years, you have surrendered far too much of your autonomy and individuality. That's hurt you, and you're justifiably angry about it, even though it's at least partly your own "fault." So: don't just get mad...Get free! Express yourself. Claim what is yours. And let the chips fall where they may.

The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a square -- traditionally seen as a "bad" aspect, but more accurately seen as simply frictional. Squares generally suggest tough choices, external pressures, and at least some stress.

Tr. Neptune is Conjunct Neptune
In effect: in progress - Feb 9, 2003
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.
The planet Neptune is presently tinting and shading your biography, adding its dreamlike quality to the existential stew. Close your eyes; there's a world in there. That's Neptune, the planet of consciousness itself. Now open your eyes. There's a world out there too, and it's hard to ignore it. In fact, the outer world has become so pressing in its demands that you've partly lost contact with the inner one. But Neptune, transiting through sensitive territories for you now, is fixing that.

Your inner world is so full it's brimming over, overflowing its banks into your daily life. If you resist the process, you'll find a host of Neptune problems plaguing you: losing the car keys, forgetting to pay the electric bill, having the attention span of a three-year-old on a sugar jag. But there's an alternative: trust the process. Slow down. Meditate. Let the images come. Moult opinions. Breathe in, breathe out. Why? Because your unconscious mind has a message for you. It has to do with the possibility of happiness for you over the next few years, about how old sources of joy are drying up and -- critically -- about new ones you must learn to recognize.

How do you receive the message? You stop resisting. You simply let it in. That's Neptune in the broad sense. How is it effecting you specifically? Neptune is conjunct your natal Neptune: sometime before the report period.. Let's first consider that the action and the developmental pressures are rooted in the Third House, for that's where Neptune is currently located in your chart. And what does that mean? That new information is coming your way, and that it may be somewhat shocking, unexpected, or at least fresh. It will modify your plans and make you aware of new possibilities.

The news may come to you through any of the media or through a messenger, either of which may possess the tone of Neptune, as we just described it. But what's the issue? What part of your own life is scheduled to be impacted most strongly by this new data? To answer that, we turn our attention to Neptune, which is being invited into development by this flood of input. Close your eyes. Don't think of anything at all. Just be aware of all that infinite, dark space. Welcome to Neptune. In your natal chart, it represents the part of you that knows how to enter trance, to meditate, or to "space out." Everybody's got one, and everybody experiences that part of their consciousness from time to time.

When triggered by transits or progressions, Neptune asks you to let go, to allow material to enter your mind uncensored and unstructured. It's more akin to feeling than thinking, but neither word captures it perfectly. Dreaming is the closest analogy...a sort of free-associative state in which your own mind works like an unpredictable movie theater. Why bother? Because such an astrological event signals that your unconscious mind or, if you prefer, your soul has an important message and is trying to get in touch with you. It's helpful, of course, for you to embrace the power of Neptune positively in all departments of your life. But ever since you were born, one area has always stood out in that regard -- the Third House, which is where Neptune was located when you took your first breath in Jenison Park, Michigan. There, in the area of communication, that energy is most critical.

What you say, how clearly you express it, and how well you are heard are the issues currently experiencing developmental pressure. Finding your voice and using it are basic spiritual concerns for you; now they are being invited to take a quantum leap. When Neptune forms an aspect with own natal position in your chart, a season of spiritual renewal is unfolding. "Man," as the Bible tells us, "shall not live by bread alone." And that of course applies to the ladies as well. Each person's path is different, but for all of us it is equally essential that we follow it. Whether you go on a Lakota vision quest, a yogic fast, a Presbyterian retreat, or off for a quiet weekend of contemplative fishing is your own business. But whatever your inclinations along those lines, now is the time to follow them. You need an emotional lift, and that's how to get it. The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a conjunction -- the most powerful of the geometric aspects and one that suggests convergence, intensification, and often a new beginning.

Tr. Pluto is Conjunct Pluto
In effect: in progress - Feb 23, 2003
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.
The planet Pluto is shading the spirit of your life nowadays, and in a nutshell that means that you are being challenged to heal. Pluto, as you probably know, is the lord of the underworld...or to put it more succinctly, the God of Hell. And it is disquieting, to say the least, to imagine that this deity is currently dining at your table. But take heart! The "hell" inside you needs airing out, and that is essentially what this transit is about.

You've been hurt. You've been used, abused, rejected, exploited, lied to...the whole sad litany. And, like the rest of us, you've sometimes had to keep the proverbial stiff upper lip and simply get on with your life. But where does all that hurt go? Down deep into the unconscious mind, where it stays until you're clear enough and strong enough to handle resurrecting it and really going beyond it.

Pluto's action is to bring up buried emotions. Its tone is intense. It often feels moody and confrontative. It can destabilize and disrupt the areas of your life that it's touching. The best course is to resolve to go deeper and deeper, truth above kindness and resolution over comfort. It's not easy, but in the end the energizing and empowering of the psyche make the process worthwhile.

What is Pluto actually doing? Currently it is conjunct your natal Pluto. Although Pluto is a slow-moving planet and usually unfolds its story over a period of two or three years, during the period of this report the action peaks sometime before the report period...

Let's first understand that the action is in the First House, for that's where Pluto is currently located in your chart. And what does that tell you? That the circumstances driving your development, at least in terms of this particular configuration, have to do with the choices you make and how you present yourself. Be assertive; take responsibility. You have considerable power in this situation. To use it well, act in the spirit of Pluto, as we just described it.

But what's the issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that question, we turn our attention to Pluto, which is being invited into development during this new beginning in your life. Everyone has fears. Everyone has shames and wounded places. In you and me and everyone else, there are marks left by the times we've been lied to, abandoned, used, or exploited. It's not the world's cheeriest subject, but turning away only empowers those Plutonian hurts, gives them more latitude to influence your life.

When your natal Pluto is triggered by a passing transit or progression, dark shadows are stirred within you. It's a signal that forgotten, unprocessed, or repressed elements of your personal history are asking to be investigated. The procedure requires intensity, honesty, and emotional courage. The results are worth the effort. If you work well with these energies, you emerge stronger, clearer, and often with renewed inspiration.

If you hesitate, it's not unusual for the old wounding dramas to be re-enacted in your life. Your First House came up earlier; now we see it stimulated again, once more suggesting that the deepest, most central factors in the situation we're considering all hinge upon the choices you make and the stands you take. "Who are you?" -- that's the essential question. And, at least for now, a big chunk of the answer lies with Pluto, a planet whose needs, interests, and predilections always figure prominently in your smartest, most self-aware moves.

When Pluto forms an aspect with its own natal position in your chart, a crisis in perspective arises. There is something old and tired about the values by which you've been living, and a kind of reconsideration and renewal is necessary if the feeling of meaningfulness in your daily life is not to be lost. In what do you really believe? Be careful not to answer reflexively. Think, reflect, and make it the sort of truth you could say looking God in the eye five seconds after you've died. The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a conjunction -- the most powerful of the geometric aspects and one that suggests convergence, intensification, and often a new beginning.

The Means

. "The Means"

As you'll see, each of these events stands as significant in its own right. But their deepest meanings lie in the way they interact with what we've considered in the pages above, enhancing and sometimes complicating the broader developmental patterns. Cards on the table: you can skim the next several pages and, I think, learn some things about the coming months that will prove prophetic...and more importantly, helpful. But the real magic lies in putting all the pieces together, synthesizing them in your heart into an emotional whole -- just like you've done with, say, memories of a special summer long ago. No computer can do that for you. Your own creativity, your own reflections on the material we're covering, your own translations, additions, corrections, amendments, and meditations -- these are what make the difference.

Let's continue.

Pr. Moon is Conjunct Moon
In effect: in progress - Feb 12, 2003
Peak Date(s): sometime before the report period.
You don't need to be an astrologer to know what the Moon means. Just engage your imagination. Immediately, the mind free-associates. Moon: night...feelings...falling in love...seeing a ghost... And that's pretty much what astrologers throughout history have said: the Moon represents your interior life, your "heart."

Like all astrological factors, the Moon progresses, taking a little over a quarter of a century to make one circuit around the chart. It typically spends a couple of years in each sign or house, and eventually forms aspects with all the planets. How do we read it?

Simple: at any given moment the progressed Moon tells us where your heart is. Or, to be a little less schmaltzy about it, the Moon says where your attention is. What is concerning you. Where your growth experiences are unfolding -- which is often to say where you're experiencing challenges, upsets, or opportunities to regroup and express yourself in new ways.

Being an emotional factor, the progressed Moon always refers to areas of heightened sensitivity. Intuition comes to the forefront. Instincts must be followed. Somehow the unconscious mind has gotten ahead of conscious awareness, and now conscious awareness is catching up, following the trail of intuitive clues and impulses laid down by the wise, dark interior of your spirit. Our initial step is to realize that the action and the developmental invitation are manifesting in the Seventh House, for that's the region of your birthchart through which the Moon is currently passing. This informs us that you have come to a turning point in your biography, but one whose successful navigation depends upon your receptivity to counsel, or more simply, your willingness to let another person influence you.

"Soulmates" will appear at critical junctions. Recognize them through their resemblance to the Moon, which we just described. But what's the core issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to the Moon, which is being invited into development by the advent of these pivotal people. How is the progressed Moon currently impacting on you? It is conjunct your natal Moon: sometime before the report period...

In thinking about this, remember that progressions are slow-motion events, and that this event simply peaks then; it will be affecting your mood for a period of two or three months on either side of that date. The natal Sun -- that, as we have seen, refers to the very core of your being: your identity. Maintaining a healthy flow of the energies of the Moon, always good for you, is especially crucial to your closest human relationships: marriage, profound friendship, long-term sexual bonds.

Why? Because in Jenison Park, Michig at the moment of your birth the Moon occupied your Seventh House, the traditional "House of Marriage." Two lines of reasoning emerge here. The first is that by bringing the flavor of the Moon into your intimate bonds, you shape love in a lasting, more meaningful way for yourself. The second is that your natural partners are themselves people with the spirit of the Moon.

Relating deeply to those whose natures are too far removed from that tone and style is simply not your path. However we look at your situation, intimate connections are clearly a front-burner issue right now. When the Moon interacts with its own natal position, as is the case here, emotional energies are turned on. There is a general heightening of mood-swings, and often a heightening of dream activity.

What's happening is that the unconscious mind is attempting to adjust the trajectory of your outer life. It has a slightly different perspective on your current prospects than does your everyday awareness, and it is communicating that notion to you in the form of a mood. The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a conjunction -- the most powerful of the geometric aspects and one that suggests convergence, intensification, and often a new beginning.

Tr. Jupiter is Opposite Neptune
In effect: Feb 18, 2003 - Mar 9, 2003
Peak Date(s): Feb 26, 2003
The planet Jupiter is currently coloring your circumstances. Before we say exactly how, let's attempt to understand the more general significance of any Jupiter event. Essentially, this is a call to recognize an opportunity. Traditional astrologers view it more starkly -- to them, it is simply the planet of luck. And that is often the case: the toast does tend to land butter-side up when Jupiter is crossing sensitive territories. But the real, evolutionary meaning lies deeper. One key is that Jupiter is future-oriented...it is concerned with bright, unexplored possibilities.

Stripped to its bones, Jupiter always asks one primary question: how have you been underestimating yourself? Its transits signal a time when new opportunities come into existence, but to seize them you must recognize that you deserve them, that you are capable of rising to them, and that old deals and compromises are finished. Trust yourself, have faith in life, and go for it: that's the spirit of Jupiter. How is it affecting you?

Jupiter is opposite your natal Neptune: Feb 26, 2003. Let's begin deciphering this configuration with the understanding that the action driving these existential developments is showing up in the part of your life we call the Ninth House. That's where Jupiter is currently making its influence felt, thus bringing events to bear upon you. Typically, when the "House of Long Journeys" is stimulated, life is eventful and expansive in tone. You are challenged to stretch out toward new experiential horizons through travel and educational efforts -- to toss hand grenades into the well-oiled machinery of your life.

Why? Because deep down inside, you are starting to get bored with yourself! The key question with which you must wrestle is this: which adventure is the right one? Astrology cannot answer precisely, but here's one helpful hint -- to travel the right new road and thus refresh your spirit, you will need every ounce of the energy of Jupiter that you can muster. It's that kind of adventure, that kind of stretching, that is appropriate for you now. But what's the core issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to Neptune, which is being invited into development by the invigorating, exhilarating impact of these new perceptions.

The natal Neptune -- that, as we have seen, symbolizes pure consciousness. It is the mystical planet, the part of your being that receives inspiration and, depending on your metaphysical tastes, either inner guidance or divine direction. Your Third House figured previously in this report. Now we see it being triggered again, which tells us that one vitally important concern for you at present involves simple communication -- and that means listening as well as expressing yourself.

Expect messages, perhaps even disconcerting ones, which embody the tone and nature of Neptune. When Jupiter consorts with Neptune, there's a cliché that should never be too far from your mind: all that glitters is not gold. Don't be tempted by "extraordinary possibilities" now, at least not without a careful look at the fine print, a consultation with a sober friend, and a painstaking effort to consider worst-case scenarios. What is really going on here is that a bright new vision is slowly forming inside you. It's real -- or more accurately, it's going to be real. Don't mistake its glowing emotional aura for something that is actually, physically, available in the present context.

The geometric angle or "aspect" involved in the process we are studying is, as we said, the opposition. Not surprisingly, this suggests that the natal planet and the moving one are 180 degrees apart. Tension is thus woven into the spirit of this period of your life. The two forces we described are polarized, which often translates emotionally into a feeling of being damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

How can you break the logjam? Recognize that any impossibilities you are experiencing in this area probably arise from an incomplete or biased perspective. The opposition aspect always calls for a leap into a new, more accepting level of consciousness. Something is missing in your view of the problem -- and that missing link (here's the corker...) lies in the wisdom embodied by those people or situations that are now antagonizing you. It's not that they're right and you're wrong; only that the truth that can carry you beyond this impasse lies somewhere between the two positions.

Pr. Moon is Opposite Venus
In effect: in progress - Mar 25, 2003
Peak Date(s): Feb 23, 2003
The progressed Moon figures in our thinking again. As you may recall, the Moon shows what you are feeling. It gives us insight into your mood, concerns, and general attitude...into "where your heart is," in other words. Our first step is to recognize that the events and the deeper developmental invitation are manifesting in your Seventh House -- a familiar territory, since it figured earlier in our analysis.

Again the "House of Marriage" comes up, for the Moon is currently passing through it. Receptivity to other people is the centerpiece here. But to whom exactly? Recognize your "soulmates" through their resemblance to the Moon, which we just described. But what is being triggered most deeply inside you? What part of you is being called into the service of love? The answer lies with Venus, which is being stimulated during this season of connection, encounters, and partnerships.

How is the progressed Moon currently impacting on you? It is opposite your natal Venus: Feb 23, 2003. In thinking about this, remember that progressions are slow-motion events, and that this event simply peaks then; it will be affecting your mood for a period of two or three months on either side of that date. Venus is the goddess of love, of peace, and of the arts. In each domain, balance is the ideal. Deep in your psyche, there is a place that seeks the comfort of balance and equilibrium, whether through shared fondness with another human being, an hour's peace in the garden, or the rapture that sometimes arises as we immerse our hearts and minds in something beautiful. That inner circuit is your natal Venus. When it is stimulated, we often see experiences arising which prophesy a change in your relationships, in what gives you serenity, or in your aesthetic experiences.

Your First House came up earlier; now we see it stimulated again, once more suggesting that the deepest, most central factors in the situation we're considering all hinge upon the choices you make and the stands you take. "Who are you?" -- that's the essential question. And, at least for now, a big chunk of the answer lies with Venus, a planet whose needs, interests, and predilections always figure prominently in your smartest, most self-aware moves. When the Moon blends with Venus, a mood (Moon) of affection and fondness (Venus) often fills the psyche. Creative or aesthetic concerns come to the fore; social and perhaps romantic activities intensify. The heart hungers for connection, closeness, and the sharing of tender support. Relax a little.

Take time with people about whom you care. And don't let this period pass without enjoying a slow, unfolding sunset. The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by an opposition, which suggests some kind of tension or tug-of-war between them. You are asked to adjust your position, to adapt to the demands of the world around you, and to find a middle-ground between the various opposing needs and values.

Pr. Moon is Trine Neptune
In effect: Apr 27, 2003 - continuing
Peak Date(s): sometime after the report period.
The progressed Moon figures in our thinking again. As you may recall, the Moon shows what you are feeling. It gives us insight into your mood, concerns, and general attitude...into "where your heart is," in other words. Our first step is to recognize that the events and the deeper developmental invitation are manifesting in your Seventh House -- a familiar territory, since it figured earlier in our analysis.

Again the "House of Marriage" comes up, for the Moon is currently passing through it. Receptivity to other people is the centerpiece here. But to whom exactly? Recognize your "soulmates" through their resemblance to the Moon, which we just described. But what is being triggered most deeply inside you? What part of you is being called into the service of love? The answer lies with Neptune, which is being stimulated during this season of connection, encounters, and partnerships.

How is the progressed Moon currently impacting on you? It is trine your natal Neptune: sometime after the report period.. In thinking about this, remember that progressions are slow-motion events, and that this event simply peaks then; it will be affecting your mood for a period of two or three months on either side of that date.

The natal Neptune -- that, as we have seen, symbolizes pure consciousness. It is the mystical planet, the part of your being that receives inspiration and, depending on your metaphysical tastes, either inner guidance or divine direction. Your Third House figured previously in this report. Now we see it being triggered again, which tells us that one vitally important concern for you at present involves simple communication -- and that means listening as well as expressing yourself. Expect messages, perhaps even disconcerting ones, which embody the tone and nature of Neptune.

When the Moon blurs into Neptune, a season of strong dreams is upon you. Creativity and inspiration are at a peak. Cultivate them by giving yourself quiet, meditative time. In narrowly practical terms, your efficiency is down now. You are probably experiencing some forgetfulness. Don't worry, it will pass -- but so will the positive potential of this period. Grab it before it goes! Rarely will your visionary imagination be so fertile. Dream, and make note of your dreams.

Soon enough a time will come to act on them. As we said, the aspect involved in the event we just described is the trine, which refers to a 120 degree angle between the natal planet and the moving one. Trines are traditionally viewed as positive aspects, and in fact they generally do correlate with opportunities. Additionally, their existence implies that support is available to you, if you are willing to move to claim it.

And therein lies the rub with the so-called "good" aspects. They're not very dynamic. Just as pain is a more powerful motivator than contentment, the trick with trines lies in taking advantage of them before the wheel turns and their potential vanishes. With regard to the developments we described in the previous few paragraphs: a door is now open, a red carpet rolled out...but don't count on everything remaining that way forever.

Tr. Saturn is Trine Uranus
In effect: Apr 29, 2003 - continuing
Peak Date(s): sometime after the report period.
The planet Saturn is currently casting a gray light on your circumstances -- but is it the bleak gray of sorrow or the clear, comforting gray of wisdom and digested experience? That's the choice. Saturn is classically viewed as the "bad" planet, the "Greater Malefic."

Don't believe it! Used correctly, its transits can bring dignity and self-respect. Essentially, Saturn is about maturity. The part of your life that's being touched by the Saturnian energies needs to grow up...which, despite the lies we're all told, is not a process one mysteriously completes on one's twenty-first birthday. There is an area of your life where you have simply outgrown yourself, at least inwardly.

The task now is to adjust your outward circumstances to reflect the maturity you've already attained psychically and invisibly. It is a material problem, not fundamentally a psychological one. To succeed, there is first a need to face reality squarely, even if it's unsavory. Then to make a hard choice...that is, to reach an emotional bottom line and not be crippled by your awareness of the ambiguities in your situation.

And finally, in a spirit of commitment, persistence, and self-discipline, to claim those circumstances in your life which reflect the hard inner work you've been doing over the last few years. That's Saturn in general. Specifically, Saturn is trine your natal Uranus: sometime after the report period.. Our initial step is to realize that the action and the developmental invitation are manifesting in the Seventh House, for that's the region of your birthchart through which Saturn is currently passing.

This informs us that you have come to a turning point in your biography, but one whose successful navigation depends upon your receptivity to counsel, or more simply, your willingness to let another person influence you. "Soulmates" will appear at critical junctions. Recognize them through their resemblance to Saturn, which we just described. But what's the core issue? What part of your own life is at stake? To answer that, we turn our attention to Uranus, which is being invited into development by the advent of these pivotal people.

The natal Uranus -- that, as we have seen, represents your natural, uncensored individuality and your ability to claim and defend it. Your Third House figured previously in this report. Now we see it being triggered again, which tells us that one vitally important concern for you at present involves simple communication -- and that means listening as well as expressing yourself.

Expect messages, perhaps even disconcerting ones, which embody the tone and nature of Uranus. When Saturn interacts with Uranus, avalanche is the ruling metaphor. "Stuck" situations can only stay stuck for so long; sooner or later, when enough water builds up behind the logjam, something's got to give. Expect explosive developments, and prepare for them in two ways.

The first: through dispassionate analysis you can anticipate eventualities and have some tactics for damage-control in place. The second: through imaginative forethought you can recognize some exciting emerging possibilities and be ready to seize them. The two factors, as we mentioned, are linked by a trine -- traditionally seen as a "good" aspect, but more accurately seen as simply enhancing or supportive. Generally speaking, with trines there is an opportunity...but to seize it, you must supply the initiative.

The Details

February Invitation Peaks

February Means Peaks

February The Details

Feb 01, 2003  -  Tr. Mars sextiles Neptune
Keywords: commanding swordsmanship excites your native inventive inspiration.

Feb 01, 2003  -  Tr. Venus sextiles Uranus

Keywords: assertive human connection stimulates your normal inventive individuality.

Feb 02, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury conjuncts Mercury

Keywords: self-confident conversation fuses with your natural resourceful communication.

Feb 04, 2003  -  Tr. Sun opposes Jupiter
Keywords: intelligent identity opposes your inborn adventuresome gambling.

Feb 07, 2003  -  Tr. Sun sextiles Pluto
Keywords: intelligent personality stimulates your normal forceful intensity.

Feb 07, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury conjuncts Sun
Keywords: resourceful communication combines with your characteristic financially savvy nature.

Feb 10, 2003  -  Tr. Mars trines Jupiter
Keywords: forceful courage enhances your usual intellectually hungry gambling.

Feb 11, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury sextiles Mars
Keywords: inventive conversation excites your native forceful assertiveness.

Feb 12, 2003  -  Tr. Sun trines Saturn
Keywords: open-minded nature enhances your usual caring solitude.

Feb 15, 2003  -  Tr. Mars conjuncts Pluto
Keywords: commanding assertiveness combines with your characteristic resolute investigation.

Feb 15, 2003  -  Tr. Sun conjuncts Uranus
Keywords: clever identity combines with your characteristic verbal originality.

Feb 16, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury trines Moon
Keywords: verbal communication supports your typical loving attitude.

Feb 17, 2003  -  Tr. Sun squares Mars
Keywords: cautious identity clashes with your instinctive commanding swordsmanship.

Feb 17, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury sextiles Venus
Keywords: inventive dialog stimulates your normal authoritative human connection.

Feb 19, 2003  -  Tr. Venus conjuncts Mercury
Keywords: self-confident human connection fuses with your natural financially savvy dialog.

Feb 20, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury conjuncts Neptune
Keywords: clever dialog combines with your characteristic verbal inspiration.

Feb 20, 2003 at 08:29 PM  -  Tr. Moon enters Twelfth House
The Moon in a month passes through all twelve houses of your chart. In so 
doing, it correlates with the passing whimsies of mood. One afternoon
you're bright and cheery, the following morning you're blue...but energetic 
again after lunch. It doesn't amount to much, and it's not really very important in practical terms -- 
with one exception: the passage of the Moon 
through the Twelfth House. During that time you are going through a kind of 
emotional moulting, ending one cycle and preparing to begin another. 
Your attentions and energies are turned inward. Accept that, handle it well, 
and the period -- usually a couple of days -- is quiet and contemplative. It 
may even be rather pleasant. But if you try to keep up your normal level of 
activity, you'll find yourself confused, flat, and prone to dumb accidents. 
So when the Moon enters your Twelfth House, make sure that you have some 
unstructured time. Minimize distractions. Put off any significant new 
beginnings for a couple of days. And take a few unhurried breaths. 

This month, the transiting Moon crosses into your natal Twelfth House Feb 20, 
2003 at 08:29 PM, and emerges Feb 22, 2003 at 10:56 PM, when a new emotional 
cycle begins.

Feb 22, 2003  -  Saturn goes Direct (at 22°Ge08' in your 07th House) 
Aspects: Conjunct Saturn, Trine Uranus, Opposite Pluto.

Feb 22, 2003  -  Tr. Mars opposes Saturn
Keywords: commanding assertiveness is in tension with your inherent cooperative composure.

Feb 23, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury opposes Jupiter
Keywords: verbal dialog is in tension with your inherent routine-shattering exuberance.

Feb 24, 2003  -  Tr. Sun squares Moon
Keywords: watchful nature conflicts with your instinctive cooperative awareness.

Feb 25, 2003  -  Tr. Venus conjuncts Sun
Keywords: self-respecting affection combines with your characteristic self-assured personality.

Feb 25, 2003  -  Tr. Sun squares Venus
Keywords: sensitive personality conflicts with your instinctive authoritative relating.

Feb 25, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury sextiles Pluto
Keywords: open-minded dialog excites your native commanding honesty.

Feb 27, 2003  -  Tr. Mars sextiles Uranus
Keywords: authoritative courage stimulates your normal inventive individuality.

Feb 28, 2003  -  Tr. Venus sextiles Mars
Keywords: curious relating stimulates your normal authoritative courage.

Feb 28, 2003  -  Tr. Mercury trines Saturn
Keywords: intelligent conversation supports your typical cooperative integrity.

(March and April were omitted for brevity, but follow the same format.)