The last two weeks of March stirred up contention on many fronts. Perhaps you noticed increased tension in communications and decision-making in your personal life. The push of force was stronger than the willingness to come to consensus. Leadership is taking the upper hand now as an energetic of spring. This will be an advantage in business and in politics.

For a few weeks of late March into April, the power of leadership and strong intention will outweigh the struggle between the old ways of political negotiation versus the urge for radical change to get something done. Since Obama took office, the dueling forces in Washington have made it almost impossible to make real improvements for the nation. As a result, dissatisfaction and anxiety are mounting as a general state of the people. We might be surprised to see the President act powerfully in April.

This is a good time for gearing up to make personal changes. Physical energy in general is high. You might notice the urge to take a walk, get some exercise and be active. Take this in to account in your business planning. Use the energy as initiative to start new routines. It is a good period for sorting, recycling, and reviewing what you have learned in the winter.

April 18 to May 11 is that regular review phase we see three times a year. This time the focus will be around what we need to be more secure. In that, we find what we are willing to release. Social connections are a positive way to renew friendships and build alliances. Swap parties can be a way to find new homes for the “stuff” you don’t need anymore, while getting together with people you haven’t seen for a long time.

It is good to feel the energy in forward motion again after such a sluggish winter. There is potential for creative activities in the spring season that is exciting to watch unfold. The current of energy has brilliant and inspired ideas. There is a quality of achievements possible in this time that can bridge giant gaps of need and desire. If YOU have a great idea, pursue it. This can be a time of breakthrough and discovery. Just look at the level of genius some of our young people are displaying, like the winner of this year’s Intel Science Talent Search.

“Erika Alden DeBenedictis, 18, of Albuquerque, developed a software navigation system that would allow spacecraft to exploit low-energy orbits for the physics & space sciences project she submitted to the Intel Science Talent Search. According to the NASA-approved Interplanetary Superhighway concept, the gravity and movement of planets create a network of low-energy opportunities that allow for more efficient transit routes through the solar system.” (http://apps.societyforscience.org/sts/69sts/DeBenedictis.asp)

The spring of 2010 is the early bursting through of new social concepts, new answers to solving some of our community and national problems. While we still face a few dynamic hurtles in the way of big planet transits this month, they are a part of the ripening process of a changing world.

Blessings, S. West

Spring brings action

If it has felt like slogging through a bog in trying to move life forward these recent winter months, you can soon look forward to a change of energy. Mid-March will find us ready to put plans in action and take up new causes. This slack time is useful for review. From this, we learn what needs changing. In a time when the economy is so uncertain, we become more creative and inventive.

The first half of the month will work better if you tune in to your gut instincts and be attentive to the subtle things going on around you. Socially, it is a great time for connections, networking, and sharing insights on how to get by in tough times. In fact, this is a great time to collaborate with others. Be sure to keep your communications as clear and too the point as possible. This is a time when there can be confusion because we don’t articulate precisely what we mean. Watch out for vague commitments. Substance may be lacking. This will improve after the New Moon on March 15. Real promises can be taken seriously from the 17^th to 20^th.

Spring arrives on March 20, setting the stage for releasing the growing pulse in the undercurrent of society. Government is becoming increasingly a stupid game among the governing crowd to see who can create the biggest mess and not take responsibility for a country in distress. I might even suggest some potentially sinister activities being planned behind the scenes. Heaven forbid.

On the national level, there is a powerful force working to contain and control. President Obama is using Executive Orders to move presidential powers beyond the logjam of Congress. We do not hear about these things on the evening news. (You can learn about it on the internet, however.) There is a very slow transit coming on to the USA Moon, which represents the people of the nation that is likely to contribute to increased disillusionment, increased anxiety and fear, as well as an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. How do we combat massive collective depression? By working to support each other within the community and sharing information on ways to work together for our own security at the local level.

This time last year, I was expecting something like the Tea Party movement. I am surprised at who actually became the key players. Sarah Palin is becoming a major flag bearer for the movement. She is serving as an icon authority for the creation of delusion, disinformation, and inflammation of negative feelings. She speaks the language of fear and anger. There is a growing faction of opposition building up toward a crescendo in August. The energy of revolution is rising.

The last days of March are the turning point relative to the eclipses of December. The energies will support completion of projects and final tweaks before presentation. The Full Moon, March 29, will feel like a release of pressure. Solutions to problems will surface as we move into April. In the tradition of spring-cleaning, the first week of April will be a perfect time for things to come to the surface, whether that’s information or lost items.

My dear friends Robert Simmons and Kathy Warner, owners of Heaven and Earth Jewelry are regulars at the Tucson Gem Show. I had the opportunity to work with them a few years in Tucson. This little bit about the astrological influences at the start of the show this year is dedicated to them and all the great people who make the show a Cadillac experience.

The official opening of the show was 9:00 am on January 30. The Tucson Gem Show is a long running event that brings together many of the same people year after year. The bonding and camaraderie is the thing most people look forward to in this annual celebration of rocks.

The astrology of the shows opening gives a good picture of the group energy behind the scenes. The public is important to the overall prosperity of the show. Yet, the vendors and their staff have a great scene that makes all the hard work of the three-week show worth doing every year.

While the economy is down, it may seem that everyone is looking harder for that great deal. People are going to spend their money on things that have unique qualities and lasting value. Jewelry with powers to protect, energize or heal will get special attention.

In the atmosphere of multitudes of people in an almost continuous movement, small moments of connectivity will be connecting people in a most magical way this year. The reason is that we are more sensitive to the emanations we receive from crossing paths with people of like vibration. New alliances are another theme of this show. People are intuitively responding to the urge to come together as a conscious force.

There is joyousness in the commingling of so many people from diverse places. The excitement is growing for the empowerment of conscious people to be awake against power forces at the collective level. Conversations will connect many people who will work together bridging diversity and bonding for the common good.

The Tucson Gem Show 2010 is a great social experience. While wandering and looking, be alert to those around you. Communities are blooming and this is a wonderful opportunity to further positive connections of people who participate in the strengthening the new vibration.

]]> http://www.astrologyhawaii.com/sirius-star-talk/2010-tucson-gem-show-stars/feed/ 1 http://www.astrologyhawaii.com/sirius-star-talk/mercurys-retrograde-connections/ http://www.astrologyhawaii.com/sirius-star-talk/mercurys-retrograde-connections/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:20:35 +0000 normajean http://www.astrologyhawaii.com/?p=974

My December article on my blog, Sirius Star Talk, addressed the issue that even though the White House is talking about creating jobs, there is not going to be a surge of people returning to the regular workforce any time soon.

In an article titled “Brace for a Jobless Decade”, appearing December 28 on www.CommonDreams.org Mary Bottari, Director of Center for Media and Democracy, wrote:

“While the stimulus package passed by Congress was big and slowed the pace of job loss, the problem was even bigger. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the Obama stimulus bill has created or saved between 170,000 and 235,000 jobs per month starting in the second quarter of 2009. Yet, Princeton economist Paul Krugman says that the country would have to produce an additional 300,000 jobs per month for five years to achieve full employment.

Unfortunately, the economy is weak and far from producing such spectacular numbers.  Economist David Levy, says the country faces a new era of chronically high unemployment, averaging 8 percent or more over the next decade. He calls it the “New Abnormal.”"

The astrological factors we face going into the next decade are the dynamic phases of several long cycles that historically show theses periods to be about great social and civil changes. For most people who do not track the process of political and economic shifts, this may seem like just a slow down and there is no reference to cycles, or phases of cycles. Yet, the clockwork of the universe operates on links between the faster and slower planets.

The planet with the shortest cycle is Mercury, which is most relative to mental processes, communication factors, and commerce. As Mercury orbits the Sun, it appears to backup in the zodiac periodically. In fact, every three months it retrogrades for about 3 weeks. Over the course of a year, Mercury will travel around the zodiac and link up with the zodiac sign it turned direct in 3 retrograde periods before. It is overlapping its retrograde place from a year before and near the same time. Thus, we can track issues and topics that take time to resolve.

I will use the bank bailout scenario as an example. Just going back to July 2007, right before the housing bubble burst, Mercury retrograded over the USA Sun, Jupiter, and Venus in the sign Cancer. These planets represent our national status, expansive power, and values/resources. The economic risk factors, nationally and globally, were already causing an increase in mortgage foreclosures and bank failures. On August 10, 2007, President Bush declared, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong. … Job creation is strong. Real after-tax wages are on the rise. Inflation is low.”

The first real shock of the housing collapse came in September 2007. On October 26, 2007, Congress passed The Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007. Mercury was retrograde in Scorpio going back into Libra, and the USA 10^th house of government business.

One year later, Mercury was retrograde in the same area September 23 to October 15, 2008. Congress created the bailout of the “too big” banks, resulting in the Troubled Asset Relief Plan of $700 billion. Most recently, Mercury was again retrograde through September 2009 in Libra, backing into Virgo and making contact with the slow planets that will become the ‘hot topic’ of 2010. During this phase, Congress again reviewed the TARP plan and its results. When asked by Congress whether the Treasury planned to end TARP at the end of the year, Secretary of Treasury, Tim Geithner replied that it was “important that we not declare victory too soon.” Neil Barofsky, TARP Special Inspector General, said that commercial real estate “might be the next proverbial shoe to drop, threatening to increase the pressure on banks and small business alike yet again.”

On December 26, Mercury turned retrograde in Capricorn and the 2^nd house of the USA chart. The 2^nd is the house of finances and resources. Mercury will turn direct on January 15, 2010 at 5 degrees Capricorn. This is important because this is the degree where powerful Pluto will also turn retrograde on April 6. This is the degree opposite of the USA Jupiter, the planet of expansion, growth, and opportunity. Pluto brings major dramas. It is known for the power struggles that affect the masses, for causing upheaval and devastation. As an example of Pluto’s influence in creating major changes, it was on the Ascendant of the USA chart when the 9/11 attack occurred. It has since made the word “terror” a common word used by governments to employ control over the masses.

Mercury is relative to the minor things like travel, standing in lines, and having proper documentation. This phase of Mercury’s retrograde travel has already shown us heightened security measures, delaying travel and slowing down progress through lines. This may seem minor to some people. We do take it in stride. However, as we move into 2010 we will see more evidence of tighter controls, increased “security”, and more reasons to be detained.

We can keep our focus on the little things the Mercury retrograde gives us, lost items, miscommunication, and poor decisions. We can make the most of the retrograde period by reviewing things before we put them in the mail, reorganizing the office to regain productivity, and cleaning out clutter in general.

Let us also keep a focus on government policies and pay attention to our shrinking personal freedom. We are in the closing phase of Pluto’s large cycle of 248 years in relation to our government. If you review pre-Constitutional history, you will find that much of the struggle for independence was the result of the financial debt created by war and taxation without representation. The current financial crisis of the United States and the rest of the world could be just the beginning of a new revolution.

Some days it might be easier to stay focused on one’s personal daily business than try to get a clear perspective of the larger world happenings. December 2009 is one month that is easy to keep life more personal with traditions and celebrations. This may not be the year of our biggest and best celebrations, but it will help to remember those we care about and to hold ‘love’ as a dear thing.

The year of 2009 had a series of outer planet contacts that is only partially complete as the combinations become more powerful and complicated. When the slow-moving planets make alignments that exert a powerful combined stress on the earth due to their tensions in the electromagnetic field, there are corresponding tensions that arise in world events. The alignments that are forming for 2010-2014 are historically the most dramatic combinations that relate to factors of power, governments, social and civil developments, and all things that are the parts and pieces of economy and commerce.

It would be a real pleasure to report that the coming seasonal chart that represents the trends of the year ahead is all about stability, comfort, and ease. But, not this year. If you thought 2009 was stressful, that was just the warm-up. What we have ahead of us is a challenge that will make us all pay more attention to the larger picture.

Corporate power is at a stage of morphing into a stronger, tighter core. Mergers will be very common between December and April. This is not likely to reflect job openings, rather more job loses and companies tightening up. Where are the new jobs? What are the new jobs? If small companies are not growing and big companies are monopolizing, who is stimulated to move in a new direction? Where is the innovation of new business? It is going to take a revolution of thinking to bring around real changes. Right now, people are still lulled into thinking that something is “going to open up.”

The power of the people is truly in the small community and local networks. In many respects, we will be starting over in 2010. Creatively, there is energy for projects that benefit the community. When people draw together socially, we feel the heart and look into the eyes of our neighbors. It is timely to be brainstorming for new ways to help each other survive and to maintain our small local community power. One thing that can make a difference in our survival is participating in community associations, school-parent groups, and all of the various ways that people work together. Staying connected and being a contributing member of a group or community is an opportunity to share ideas and bring social issues to a place of solving problems.

If we look to history to see the resilience of humanity, new growth appears after devastation. New systems replace what has failed. The pioneering spirit erupts into action and innovation takes hold. I expect there will be some shocking events in 2010 that will stimulate social changes. I am looking for the awakening of goodness and compassion within the small community to counter the stark contrast of global economic struggle and personal suffering.

Blessings of the season to all.

The turning of the season brings us around to the close of some cyclic combinations of energies that began this time last year and had dramatic affects on the economy around the world. There is also the introduction to a shifting of energies that will take on the new relevance in the drama of the world at large in the coming year.

If you recall, it was the second week of September last year when the banks began to fail, followed by the automakers. In mid-October with Mercury retrograde, congress pushed through a rushed “bail-out” and started the practice of national economic support for big corporations. This year will continue the panicky decision-making by lawmakers who are trying to maintain “business as usual.” However, the end of the favoritism of big corporations is coming. The trickle-down of aid to Main Street has not yet been dispersed, and jobs are continuing to be eliminated.

There is growing tension and polarity at all levels, from international relationships, political ideologies, business management versus labor, and down to the personal “self-other” relationships. Dissatisfaction and frustration have discussions blown out of proportion. The month of September is dotted every few days with some factor that will keep things stewing. The key factor at the root is the third contact of the important 45-year cyclic opposition between Saturn (order, structure, and status quo) and Uranus (freedom, revolution and unexpected sudden changes.) These two important planets have a long history of relevance to major social and political events. They met in opposition last in 1965-67. They came together in joining in 1988. This is again the full moon phase of their cycle. They are moving toward their final contact in August 2010, when they will also make a major challenging contact with Pluto (power, transformation, and the masses.) This important time is called the Cardinal Climax, because these slow outer planets will be connecting at the beginning of Cardinal signs, the signs of the Equinoxes and Solstices. Historically, this axis brings major changes that affect all people. This Autumn Equinox is the amping up of these energies as the faster moving planets energize the Cardinal axis and trigger the heavier energies.

In our most recent history, 1931 was the year these planets created a similar powerful interaction in Cardinal signs. There was the depression, when people were in extremely hard circumstances and the world was shifting in ideologies. Life over the next ten years was full of examples of the breakdown of security and prosperity for the masses. This led to the Saturn-Uranus joining in 1942 and World War II. The opposition in the mid-60’s included Pluto joined with Uranus, and this is our most recent striking period of social, political, and economic change in the modern era.

What do we see starting to emerge in this current pattern? Well, we are quickly seeing the divide between the corporate wealthy and the general labor force. The heated falsified drama drummed up by the Pharmaceutical corps and the Oil corps are two good examples of the polarity between those who resist change (and loss of their hold on wealth) and the obvious need for change to benefit the larger masses of everyday people.

We may see the renewed discussion of “bail outs” and with Mercury retrograde from September 7 to 29; the issues are likely to give attention to last year’s decisions by congress. Power struggles and more back room trash are due to come out during the middle of the month. The new moon on the 18^th is especially dramatic. The days surrounding the lunation have several strong planetary patterns taking us right into the Equinox on the 22^nd that has Saturn and Mercury joined with the Sun and Moon, all opposing Uranus. There could be revolution in the air when we overlay this pattern on the USA chart. Things are going to become more dramatic through the end of 2009.

As individuals, we need to try to stabilize our lives as much as we can. This may be difficult for some as the energies are quite a lot about upheaval and change. Yet, we may need change to find stability. We might have to let go of long held ideas about how our lives work, if things are not working. Each generational group will be feeling this collective process differently. Those people born in the ‘60’s are experiencing the midlife crisis, while the Baby Boomers are facing choices of retirement or career change. A very large segment of the population is feeling challenged by the shifts that are initiating in this month of September.

We do live each day, one at a time. This month will bring attention to reviewing and reorganizing our lives. The larger cycles are already pushing the edges of every decision we make. The high side of Mercury retrograde is the potential to finish old business, reconnect with family and friends, and clear out clutter to recycle. This will help us make the best of changing times.

International Flags in Unity

Ancient traditional astrology was primarily for the benefit of a nation or land and the king was representative of the nation. Today we recognize that the President is the representative of the nation and his personal horoscope has a direct bearing on the events of the collective members of the nation. President Obama will have his 48^th birthday on August 4. His natal horoscope has prominent statements of leadership and influence. The Solar Eclipse on July 22 made contact to Obama’s horoscope that will emphasize his magnanimous spirit and his orientation to peace making. Eclipse influences generally show marked evidence for 3 to 6 months. Eclipses can bring unpredictable events that expose something. Sometimes it is exciting and positive and sometimes it is disturbing and challenging. Other times nothing really comes of it.

President Obama’s personal horoscope has some potent contacts to the USA horoscope that give a focus to the tasks that he takes on in his Presidency. He has the sense of right action that is taking on the restructuring of the proper boundaries of the Presidential power. He is challenged to bring out the hidden aspects of abuse of power and bring things into right alignment. As no other President before him, Obama is addressing the subtle social beliefs that are embedded in the legal system from Police to Lawmakers. The eclipse was near Obama’s natal Jupiter, planet of judgment and expansiveness. It was also near the planet Pluto in the USA chart. This brings attention to Obama’s pressing attention on the economy and the power figures of commerce in the United States that are also affecting international relationships.

Obama has been out in the world traveling and meeting with important heads of state from all over the world. The most important issues are global warming, nuclear weapons, and balancing the economy. President Obama is going far forward in taking the lead in addressing major world issues and trying very hard to improve international relationships and the world’s attitude towards our country. He has taken historic steps to begin to work with China, who happens to be carrying much of the USA debt at this time.

President Obama has some positive contacts to the horoscope of China that helps him mediate with Chinese leaders and is likely to improve connections over former relations with our country. China has just had a major planetary return, a cycle point of readjustment. It influences generational groups and this may give way to better communications and collaboration between nations. With Obama’s influence, China may be primed for joining the movement to stop global warming and improve the atmosphere by participating in new manufacturing and transportation practices.

On the personal level, the month of August is a time of taking account of where we stand and where we want to be. This last month of summer is when we see the greatest returns on our efforts for the year. The strongest theme for this month seems to be analysis and review. We will see early evidence of the change of seasons and inwardly, we begin to assess what we need to make it through the winter. By midmonth, there will be tension over the dynamic between self-desire and the needs of the group. For many people, across generational groups, the urge for change, for a new way is rattling around inside. It is timely to do more letting go than acquisition. It is timely to review goals and to let go of unrealistic dreams. It is important to make realignments that are cooperative, workable, and mutually beneficial for all that are connected and impacted by your decisions. One of the most optimistic energies of this year focuses on cooperative groups and a larger pool of shared resources. We have the opportunity to expand this idea from home, to neighborhood, to greater community. The last surge of summer energy will be the most powerful if used for social activities that bring larger communities together.

Total Eclipse 1995

As the Sun reaches its highest point in the northern hemisphere, the Summer Solstice, we witness many events that are reaching a breaking point, or have gone as far as they can go. This season has some unusual astrological events that contribute to the growing awareness that the global community is more connected than it has ever been.

One of the most intense situations is the Iranian election, which has sparked major demonstrations and outrage from the Iranian people who feel that their votes did not count. Iran is currently a religious regime that has many stringent laws against women. At this time, astrologically we have strong representation of female archetypes mixed with the prominent outer planets. Symbolically, this brings issues of women and the dynamics of relationships to the forefront. In Iran, the women are courageously showing themselves to be a powerful force for change.

Venus, the planet representing the feminine archetype, along with the Moon, is traveling closely with Mars, the masculine archetype. Their cycles do not generally intersect more than once in a year. This year we will see them conjunct twice, which is a strong emphasis of their archetypal relationship. Venus and Mars also represent desire and the impetus to go after what we desire. Their conjunctions support the welfare of women by their additional interactions with the Moon in both contacts. This emphasizes situations that effect home and family. Their first contact was April 22 conjunct the Moon in Pisces. Their second contact was on June 22, the day of the New Moon in Cancer.

The additional feminine representations are from the asteroids named for Greek Goddesses. Ceres, the mother, who represents parental bonding and healthy relationships, is traveling with Saturn in Virgo. This combination is bringing forth the issues of health care and a woman’s right to her own body.

Vesta, which represents sacred sexuality and commitment to work and higher ideals, is traveling closely with the Sun. This supports respect for women in the work place with honor for their special contributions to the outlook of laws and rules. Sonia Sotomayor becomes the current representative of this quality in her potential to become a Supreme Court Justice, where few women have served to give their voice to legal judgment.

Juno, who was wife of Zeus, depicts our desire for relationships that honor fidelity and commitment to marriage vows. Juno is traveling in union with Uranus, the planet of change and revolution. This combination highlights the positive qualities of marriage partnership that should be universally fair and honorable. At the same time, they are illustrating the need to change social standards that have accepted secret liaisons by powerful men.

With Saturn and Uranus in their dance of opposition, they are giving us the face off between the old status quo, versus the new and innovative in multiple arenas of life. The debate over the sanctity of marriage is getting a twist with the release of stories of politicians who have been vocally adamant against same sex marriage and extra-marital affairs by others and who have slipped into their own poor behaviors. Hypocrisy of righteousness brings out the questions of whose standards should make laws that govern relationships. The debate over these issues has a long way to go.

There will be a series of three eclipses in the next two lunar cycles. Eclipses tend to be very potent times that open the possibility of changes and bring hidden things to our attention. On July 7, there is a full moon eclipse at 11:21 pm (Hawaii time). This is likely to be visible in Hawaii. The other two will not be visible. The total Solar eclipse is on July 22 at 4:34 pm. The eclipse path runs across from Mumbai India, crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China before curving south across the Pacific Ocean. These countries will have the greatest affect, with the potential for civil unrest. The second Lunar eclipse will be on August 6 at 2:54 pm. The pattern of these eclipses makes an emphasis to the USA chart that continues the attention on repairing the economy and rebuilding the financial stability of our country.

One good thing about Mercury having its regular retrograde phases is that we get the opportunity to give further attention to issues that are difficult to solve in a short time. The economy is one example on the larger scale. Last October Congress gave out Bailout funds without taking the time to give details a thorough review. The result has been continuing review and disclosure of what lead up to the crisis. Mercury was retrograde when the problem started. It was retrograde again through February and May, bringing the need to adjust the expectations between the corporations, banks, and the government.

With Venus also retrograde for March and half of April, the money issues have been paramount. In early June, both planets move into their own signs, which will help to settle some lingering issues of resent months. It also allows us all the feeling that we can take some control over our own resources and decisions. This is also a likely time for some new solutions for the general public, who are still unemployed and financially desperate.

The Full Moon on June 7 will bring an emphasis to women’s issues. This may support the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. She is getting powerful influences from Pluto to her personal planets, which challenges her to reach for greater power and influence. Her strong lineup of planets in the sign Cancer, match up well with planets in the USA chart. She seems like an excellent candidate to address some of the social inequalities of women’s rights, a focus that is important to President Obama.

The New Moon occurs on the 22nd, two days after the Summer Solstice. Venus and Mars will meet in the value sign of Taurus. This increases cooperation and sharing. The energy is good for agreements and especially good for romantic commitments. The shift in energy will lean much more towards collaboration that supports long range planning. This is finally a time of resolutions.

There are still looming international problems that require in a manner of diplomacy to try and settle old tensions. One country to pay attention to is North Korea. Their recent show of nuclear missile testing stands out as a play of power. The country’s chart suggests that the deeper desire of the people is to participate in the global family in a positive way. However, their leadership leans toward deceptive and egocentric actions. We might equate current trends for their government to a belligerent teenager who rebuffs all forms of discipline and control. The “parent/child” relationships need to be improved. Sanctions against North Korea have been in place since 1996 but most countries have not enforced them in recent years. The United States has just raised the cry to stand up against North Korea and their increased nuclear power. It will take strong, but diplomatic confrontations to quell this drama before it exacerbates.

One hopeful theme of this period is the joining of Jupiter, the planet of optimism and expansion, with Neptune, the planet of ideals, peace, and imagination, along with the healer, Chiron. They establish a new cycle that introduces fresh concepts of working together, and working to bring a stronger blending and alliances among people of diverse cultures and ideals. They meet in Aquarius, the sign of brotherhood and equality. At the level of communities, they enhance the process of bringing groups together to make the effort toward healing old wounds and encouraging helpfulness so that everyone benefits.