Astrological Forecasts

June 5, 2012  *   The Transit of Venus

by Kathy Watts

When you stargaze in the daytime, you can see only one star — the Sun.  On June 5, 2012, though, you can see something extra special.  You can watch the planet Venus move between the Earth and the Sun as it drifts right across the face of our star.

Transits of Venus only happen when the orbits of the Earth and Venus are lined up exactly right. The orbit of Venus has to cross the ecliptic (the Sun’s path in the sky) and Venus must be exactly between the Sun and Earth (astronomers call this an inferior conjunction) at exactly the same time.

Since the disk of Venus is only 1/30th the size of the disk of the Sun, the planet doesn’t cover much. It looks like a large perfectly round sunspot drifting from one side of the Sun to the other. Basically, Venus is creating an annular eclipse of the Sun. It’s still exciting to actually see it happen.

These transits occur very rarely. Two transits will happen within eight years, then the next two transits won’t happen for another 100-plus years.  After this 2012 transit, it won’t happen again until December 11, 2117.

In 1769, Captain James Cook sailed to Tahiti in the HMS Endeavour to observe the transit of Venus.  People all over the world observed and carefully timed this transit. From their observations, the distance from the Sun to the Earth was first accurately calculated, giving us the real scale of the whole solar system. The distance from Sun to Earth is a very important number, with its own name, the astronomical unit (AU).

Only the inner planets Mercury and Venus can transit the Sun, as seen from Earth.  If we were on Saturn, then Earth, Mars, and Jupiter would be able to transit the Sun, too.

Here in the East Bay, Venus will first touch the limb of the Sun at 3:06 pm. The Sun will set before Venus comes out the other side. Of all the United States, only Alaska and Hawaii will get to see the entire event.

To watch the transit of Venus, you need a safe way to look directly at the Sun. Filtered glasses (not ordinary sunglasses) or a projection screen can work.  Check out Sunearthday.nasa.gov, or Transitofvenus.org, or even SkyandTelescope.com for observing tips on what you need to protect your eyes.

Easier maybe, you can go to UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. In the plaza they will have a full display and you can watch the whole thing.

Or, easier still, there’s going to be live webcast from the Mauna Kea Observatory atop the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii. Aloha, Venus!*

*We wish to thank Ella Levine, and the very generous people at http://firecrackerweekly.com for allowing us to reproduce Kathy Watts’ brilliant work on this very, rare astronomical event! Thank you!!

Heads Up!

The Writer’s Astrological Almanac

by Kathy Watts

June 2012

Spring is turning into Summer! We start June on Friday (the day of the week for Venus) with the Moon entering the sign of Scorpio. Take people seriously, especially friends and loved ones,  this month. Work on relationships, and then let them help you. Midday, Mercury conjuncts Venus retrograde at 17Gem. Let your words (written, spoken or even just thought) come from the heart.  (continue reading…)

Sign Aphorisms by Nicholas Culpepper 1647

Under Aries are born men of thick hair, white or yellowish, curling long visage, crooked nose, hazel eyes, little ears, short legs, little feet, the first 15 degrees gives a more gross body then the later.

Under Taurus are men of a short and thick stature, big broad men, high forehead, wide nose, great mouth, fat short neck, dark ruddy colour, short arms and thick black hair, big buttocks, short legs slow to move but once angered never pleased again.

Gemini gives a delicate, straight, well composed and well set body, good colour, bright clear eyes, good sight, and piercing; long arms and long hands and feet, large brest, brown hair, good wit, fluent tongue, and apt discourse, yet a man of no great fidelity.

Cancer gives but a short stature; yet the later 15 degrees gives a more full body than the former: you know one sprat may be something bigger than another: the upper parts of the body more thick than the lower: disorder in the teeth, little eyes, blackish hair, a low whinning voice.

Leo a rising gives great head and eyes quick sight, a large lusty strong body; full of metal, courageous, stouthearted, thick broad shoulders; yellowish or flaxen hair; a big great voice, resolute spirit, aspiring brain, of generous, free hearted and courteous disposition.

Virgo arising at a nativity, gives a spare body, yet well composed; a mean stature, lovely brown complexion, great eyes, thick black hair, subtle wit, no great fidelity, aiming at self ends.

Scorpio gives but a short stature, yet a big limbed, full and well set body, strong and active; willful, malicious, false, and deceitful; sad brown hair, dark sallow complexion, short neck; quick in motion of body, but reserved thoughts

Twere pity to have missed Libra, the comeliest of person, and uprightest in condition of all the zodiack.

Libra gives a delicate, comely, straight body; a round, fair and well favored face, hair for the most part flaxen or light brown, but sometimes black; a cheerful well sp ken creature: red lips, cherry cheeks, a tall slender body, courteous, impartial, just and upright in all their dealings.

Under Sagittarius are born strait, well proportioned bodies, strong and well set; of a loving cheerful contenance, high color, oval visage, good horsemen, and great shooters; stout hearted brown hair, and quickly bald.

Capricorn gives a very slender, weakly, many dry and [?] in the face and thin black hair and exceeding thick [?] Oblique or pale of beard [?] [?] [?] middle about the brests; long necked, and disproported body, witty, cholerick, and abdiad ?

Under Aquarius are born men of a middle stature, well shaped, clear skin, fair heritage [?], yet more lovely than beautiful, or curious, yet a handsome comely [?] body, a whitish -bright hair, and sometimes yellow.

Pisces gives a short, ill composed body, yet a good face of clear complexion and color; thick shoulders, brown hair, fat and plump in all parts, an idle body else no way hurtful. (continue reading…)

As is fitting for a month on the crest of high spring, this May is classic in its energy, growth, vivaciousness, and colorful glory. You may prefer to work on more serious subjects or even on things nearly engulfed in shadow, and if so you’ll find plenty of help from the sky to do that, too. Take a firm grip on your dreams and plans, and bring at least a small part of one of them to brilliant life. Everything wants to live and grow. That includes you and your work. Let the sun shine on your efforts. Bask in the luxury of doing something that you love.  Heads Up!

(continue reading…)

Peter Burns has come  all the way from Australia to teach traditional astrology! Peter gave an outstanding presentation, on the Planetary Hours, as well as a tremendous workshop on the Fixed Stars, for San Francisco Astrological Association at Fort Mason, this past April. (continue reading…)

April 2012

Happy glorious April! April the First, All Fools’ Day, starts off on Sunday, the Sun’s day, with the Moon entering Leo. Let this be a month of bright golden moments, and I’m not fooling around. It’s true, we still have a few more days of Mercury being retrograde, but that can add focus as well as slow down the fast pace. The Sun is in the heart of Aries. You can make this month work for you.

Tue Apr 03 the Moon is in Virgo when Venus changes signs and enters the sign of Gemini. For all the rest of this month, Venus is a guest in Mercury’s house. May your writing (and all communications) be at their most beautiful and charming. The Moon also conjuncts Mars today. Take that as an extra dose of energy to pour into  your work. Perhaps it’s a good day to do some hardcore editing. (continue reading…)

March 2012

Happy windy month of March! We begin on a Thursday (Jupiter’s day) with the Moon in Gemini all day. Start big, or at least think and plan big. Sprouting and growing are big parts of what spring is all about.

Fri Mar 02 the Moon is still in Gemini when Mercury changes signs and enters Aries. Our words can be more fully and truly our own. (continue reading…)

Happy February!

Wed Feb 01 gives us the Moon moving into Gemini. We start the month off with a writing bash that lasts until Friday evening. Put on that extra sweater, socks, maybe turn up the heat, or cuddle closer to your laptop, and indulge your writing passion while the outside world does its chill winter thing (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere or not in the tropics, Hawaii or Key West or some other classic writer refuge). Also today, Venus exactly opposes Mars retrograde. Ah, Love on the tips of both horns. Perhaps paper (or bytes) are the best place to put passions today.

Thu Feb 02 the Moon trines Mercury, a nice touch to add when the Moon is already in Mercury’s home sign of Gemini. Ideas should be in generous supply today. Take notes. (continue reading…)

will be appearing on the radio tonight, at 7:00 PM PST (8) *don’t know what that is elsewhere* so please say a little prayer for me at 7pm okay?

Anyway, it will be live streaming so if you can find it, tune us in! I will be trying to explain traditional astrology horary on my Blake Moore’s fabulous ‘Women’s Voices’ on KZYX

Never tried to do horary on the radio before, so don’t know but here are the stats, and the links for those who might want to listen.

KXYX and KXYZ 90.7 Philo, 88.1 Ft. Bragg, 91.5 Ukiah, Mendocino County Public Broadcasting.

http://radioradio7.com/radio/KZYX-Listener-Supported-Community-Radio-for-Mendocino-County-And-Beyond.html

http://www.kzyx.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=27

I am so thrilled to have received such an excellent question from a person who has given so much to the traditional astrology movement by his digging up the many ancient books of William Lilly and other’s, John Ballantrae who asked:

Dear Dorothy:

“That chart for the ship leaving the harbor can presumably be applied to anyone or anything beginning a journey in that  location, at that moment. However, car journeys didn’t end in disaster; buses leaving the depot at that time didn’t crash. Etc. How is this chart relevant or what is it about this chart that is valid for showing the outcome of the voyage? The approach reminds me of the charts set for when JFK jr.’s fatal flight took off – but it wasn’t the only flight that took off around that time and from that location that reached its destination safely.”

A brilliant question, indeed. How do we know that this is not just a random event?

Well, as Ptolemy sayeth:

“Since, then prognotication by astronomical means is divided into two great principal parts, and since the first and more universal is that which relates to whole races, countries and cities, which is called general, and the second more specific has to do with individual men….because matters are swayed by greater and more powerful causes than are particular events And since weaker natures always yield to the stronger…”

Ptolemy also tells us we should always look to the greater charts, i.e., Ingresses, New Moons, and Eclipses, because as smaller beings we are subject to the country we live in. I think had we looked into the charts of John his wife, and her sister at the time, we would have seen that each of their charts were in perilous situation, astrologically. In addition, had we looked to the Ingress chart set for the United States, we would have probably seen the tragedy there, as well, because the entire nation was deeply affected by that crash, even though other planes took off and landed safely at their destination. Perhaps, as time allows we can put up that chart, too. (continue reading…)