Todays Sky

The exact Full Moon is tomorrow (Aug. 1) at 8:27 pm (PDT) shortly after sunset. This lunation is relatively favorable given the soft aspects with benefic Jupiter. Enjoy.

Mercury is still retrograde until Aug. 8, so take an in-breath and consider things thoroughly before then. Mythic Mercury was the only god capable of traveling from heaven to the underworld and back. This is a meaningful metaphor.

When did modern culture begin?

This story is not astrological, but interesting nevertheless. ;-)

Researchers have found new evidence of modern culture's beginnings in a cave in South Africa. These findings may indicate that 'modern behavior as we know it' has existed for longer than previously thought.

"Poisoned-tipped arrows and jewelry made of ostrich egg beads found in South Africa show modern culture may have emerged about 30,000 years earlier in the area than previously thought, according to two articles published on Monday.

The findings published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" show that the 44,000-year-old artifacts are characteristic of the San hunter-gatherers. The descendants of San people live today in southern Africa, so the items can clearly be traced forward to modern culture, unlike other archaeological finds, researchers said.

South African researcher Lucinda Backwell said the findings are the earliest known instances of "modern behavior as we know it." Backwell said the discovery reinforces the theory that modern man came from southern Africa."
Read More-> The Christian Science Monitor

Icelandic Volcano

From Images 108

Why did the picturesque 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland create so much ash? Although the large ash plume was not unparalleled in its abundance, its location was particularly noticeable because it drifted across such well-populated areas. The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland began erupting on 2010 March 20, with a second eruption starting under the center of a small glacier on 2010 April 14. Neither eruption was unusually powerful. The second eruption, however, melted a large amount of glacial ice which then cooled and fragmented lava into gritty glass particles that were carried up with the rising volcanic plume. Pictured above during the second eruption, lightning bolts illuminate ash pouring out of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. (APOD)

Star Cluster Bursts Out

From Images 108

In the center of star-forming region 30 Doradus lies a huge cluster of the largest, hottest, most massive stars known. These stars, known collectively as star cluster R136, were captured above in visible light by the Wide Field Camera peering through the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope. Gas and dust clouds in 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula, have been sculpted into elongated shapes by powerful winds and ultraviolet radiation from these hot cluster stars. The 30 Doradus Nebula lies within a neighboring galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud and is located a mere 170,000 light-years away. (APOD)

Massive Conflict in Aleppo

(CNN)- Rebels and regime fighters girded for a decisive battle in Aleppo as world powers issued dire warnings of a government onslaught in the sprawling and densely populated Syrian city.

Fighting flared in parts of the metropolis Friday. But Malik Kurdi, deputy commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army, said both sides are preparing for a bigger confrontation the regime is calling "the mother of all battles."
Read More

A foreshadowing of radical destruction and upheaval in Aleppo, could be seen at the June 4, 2012 partial lunar eclipse that featured the epic Uranus-Pluto square on the local angles. Eclipse Midheaven = 8 Cancer = Pluto 9 Capricorn = Uranus 8 Aries = Ascendant 7 Libra. This is a dramatic example of how eclipses work in world events, by bringing the major planetary alignments into focus at a particular location.

From Asia & Mideast

Todays Sky

Inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun at 6 Leo today.

Trails in the Morning Sky

From Images 108

Brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter still rise together before dawn. The peaceful waters by a small lakeside house near Stuttgart, Germany reflect their graceful arcing trails in this composited series of exposures, recorded on the morning of July 26. A reflection of planet Earth's rotation on its axis, the concentric trails of these celestial beacons along with trails of stars are punctuated at their ends by a separate final frame in the morning skyview. Easy to pick out, Venus is brightest and near the trees close to the horizon. Jupiter arcs above it, toward the center of the image along with the compact Pleiades star cluster and V-shaped Hyades anchored by bright star Aldebaran. One trail looks wrong, though. Not concentric with the others and so not a reflection of Earth's rotation, the International Space Station streaks off the right side of this scene, glinting in sunlight as it orbits planet Earth. (APOD)

The Tulip in the Swan

From Images 108

Framing a bright emission region this telescopic view looks out along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy toward the nebula rich constellation Cygnus the Swan. Popularly called the Tulip Nebula the glowing cloud of interstellar gas and dust is also found in the 1959 catalog by astronomer Stewart Sharpless as Sh2-101. About 8,000 light-years distant the nebula is understandably not the only cosmic cloud to evoke the imagery of flowers. The complex and beautiful nebula is shown here in a composite image that maps emission from ionized sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms into red, green, and blue colors. Ultraviolet radiation from young, energetic O star HDE 227018 ionizes the atoms and powers the emission from the Tulip Nebula. HDE 227018, is the bright star very near the blue arc at image center. (APOD)

Aurora over Crater Lake

From Images 108

Why is this aurora strikingly pink? When photographing picturesque Crater Lake in Oregon, USA last month, the background sky lit up with auroras of unusual colors. Although much is known about the physical mechanisms that create auroras, accurately predicting the occurrence and colors of auroras remains a topic of investigation. Typically, it is known, the lowest auroras appear green. These occur at about 100 kilometers high and involve atmospheric oxygen atoms excited by fast moving plasma from space. The next highest auroras -- at about 200 kilometers up -- appear red, and are also emitted by resettling atmospheric oxygen. Some of the highest auroras visible -- as high as 500 kilometers up -- appear blue, and are caused by sunlight-scattering nitrogen ions. When looking from the ground through different layers of distant auroras, their colors can combine to produce unique and spectacular hues, in this case rare pink hues seen above. As Solar Maximum nears over the next two years, particle explosions from the Sun are sure to continue and likely to create even more memorable nighttime displays. (APOD)

South Polar Vortex Discovered on Titan

From Images 108

What's happening over the south pole of Titan? A vortex of haze appears to be forming, although no one is sure why. The above natural-color image shows the light-colored feature. The vortex was found on images taken last month when the robotic Cassini spacecraft flew by the unusual atmosphere-shrouded moon of Saturn. Cassini was only able to see the southern vortex because its orbit around Saturn was recently boosted out of the plane where the rings and moons move. Clues as to what created the enigmatic feature are accumulating, including that Titan's air appears to be sinking in the center and rising around the edges. Winter, however, is slowly descending on the south of Titan, so that the vortex, if it survives, will be plunged into darkness over the next few years. (APOD)

Astrology and Cosmology in the World’s Religions

From Astrology News Service:

Dr. Nicholas Campion’s Latest Book is First to Consider Astrology’s Role in Global Cultures

Dr. Nicholas Campion’s latest book, Astrology and Cosmology in the World’s Religions is the first book to consider astrology’s role in global cultures. Taking issue with some narrow academic perspectives of astrology as peculiarly western or Greek in origin , he argues that, broadly defined as the search for meaning in the sky, it occurs in all human cultures. In some forms it may be highly organized and codified, in others more spontaneous.

Adapting theories of origin of the universe proposed by the historian of religion Mircea Eliade, Campion identifies such astrologies as ‘cosmic’ or ‘chaotic’ respectively.

There is no established definition of what a religion is in modern academia, and notions such as religion and secularity are actually surprisingly difficult to separate. Campion therefore concludes that some forms of astrology can be described as religion in some circumstances, but to talk of all astrology as religion as some commentators (and astrologers) have done, is misleading. Instead he takes as his cue the use of astrology in the world’s religions, religion loosely understood as engagement with divinity, or some concept of super-natural power.

While Campion understands that the definition of religions is problematic, the word still has to be used. In sixteen chapters ranging from Australia to Mesoamerica and from Chinese cosmology to Christianity and Judaism, Campion explores the source material, deals with uncertain evidence, and examines the meanings people have attributed to the sky and their uses. Along with astrology, Campion is concerned with cosmology, seen as the ways in which people describe their place within the cosmos. Astrology, he claims, is then a kind of practical, vernacular, cosmology. There is much more research to be done by historians and anthropologists, but Campion has made a valuable start.

Dr Campion is Senior Lecturer in the School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, and Director of the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK. He is course director of the University’s MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. His books include the two-volume History of Western Astrology (Continum 2009), and Astrology and Cosmology in the World’s Religions (New York University Press 2011).

The Sun in Leo

The Sun just entered the sign of Leo, where it's most happy.

By Deborah Houlding @ Skyscript

Personality Traits

"Leo is the sign of the Sun, the central heart of the solar system, majestic ruler of the heavens. In ancient times the Sun came to its full glory and reached the height of its annual ascent as it joined the stars in the constellation of the Lion. Ever since, lions have been portrayed in art, myth and iconography as powerful symbols of solar strength, supremacy, glory, light and brilliance."
Leo the Lion

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A podcast on topics related to astrology hosted by Chris Brennan
The Astrology Podcast

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Day by day the Moon sign way for August 2012

Beijing Hit by Heavy Rains

"The heaviest rain to hit Beijing in six decades killed at least 10 people and left cars and buses submerged, and 10 other storm deaths were reported elsewhere as China braced Sunday for more downpours." Read More @ BBC News

The mundane horoscope that sets the tone for major 2012 events in China is the Aries ingress (Spring Equinox) cast for Beijing. The 29th degree of Cancer, a water sign, marks the ingress Ascendant, which is tightly square a 4th house (weather) Saturn (28 Libra). And the July 19 New Moon at 27 Cancer conjoined the Aries ingress Ascendant, with Saturn exactly rising in Beijing. Cancer is watery, and Saturn is potentially malefic. (The mundane Ascendant reflects the health and well-being of the state. Under stress, it shows stressful conditions for local residents.)

From Asia & Mideast

(The Libra Mars ingress for Denver, CO. has Ascendant at 22 Cancer square Saturn 22 Libra, with Uranus and Pluto on the local angles.)

The Moon & Jupiter

From Images 108

Skygazers around planet Earth enjoyed the close encounter of planets and Moon in July 15's predawn skies. And while many saw bright Jupiter next to the slender, waning crescent, Europeans also had the opportunity to watch the ruling gas giant pass behind the lunar disk, occulted by the Moon as it slid through the night. Clouds threaten in this telescopic view from Montecassiano, Italy, but the frame still captures Jupiter after it emerged from the occultation along with all four of its large Galilean moons. The sunlit crescent is overexposed with the Moon's night side faintly illuminated by Earthshine. Lined up left to right beyond the dark lunar limb are Callisto, Ganymede, Jupiter, Io, and Europa. In fact, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io are larger than Earth's Moon, while Europa is only slightly smaller. (APOD)

Mars in Libra and Denver, CO.

"At least 12 people have been killed and 38 injured in a shooting at a midnight cinema showing of the new Batman film near the US city of Denver, Colorado." Read
More-> BBC News

The planet Mars is considered to be in it's detriment in Libra, as Mars rules Aries (& Scorpio), the sign opposite Libra. So Mars is out of it's element, so to speak, and somewhat predisposed to cause problems when placed in Libra.

The actual chart for the ingress of Mars into Libra cast for Denver, CO. reflects the potential for explosive violence and hardship. Uranus (in Aries) was conjunct the Midheaven (most public point) and square a partile (in same degree) Moon-Pluto conjunction (8 Capricorn). As the Moon rules the Ascendant (Cancer), it's contact with Pluto and Uranus is particularly relevant to this location (Denver).

From United States

The Ascendant = 22.16 Cancer = Saturn 22.49 Libra. In other words, Saturn was in a partile square to the local Ascendant as Mars entered Libra. This tight and heavy aspect suggests possible hardship and separation, sometime during the transit of Mars through the sign of Libra.

Ancient Mayan 'night sun' temple found in Guatemala

From Yahoo!News:

"Archeologists have uncovered a 1,600-year-old Mayan temple dedicated to the "night sun" atop a pyramid tomb in the northern Guatemalan forest near the border with Mexico.

"The sun was a key element of Maya rulership," lead archeologist Stephen Houston explained in announcing the discovery by the joint Guatemalan and American team that has been excavating the El Zotz site since 2006.

"It's something that rises every day and penetrates into all nooks and crannies, just as royal power presumably would," said Houston, a professor at Brown University, Rhode Island.

"This building is one that celebrates this close linkage between the king and this most powerful and dominant of celestial presences."

Archeologists say the temple was likely built to honor the leader buried under the Diablo Pyramid tomb, the governor and founder of the first El Zotz dynasty called Pa'Chan, or "fortified sky."

Mayan civilization, which spread through southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize, was at its height between 250 and 900 AD.

Carbon dating places construction of the temple at the early part of that era, somewhere between 350 and 400 AD, the archeologists said.

It is ornately decorated with massive stucco masks, 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall, each depicting the phases of the sun as it moves east to west, and a painted stucco frieze that the team described as "incredible."

More than half the temple is still to be excavated, co-project leader Thomas Garrison of the University of Southern California told a press conference Wednesday at Guatemala City's National Palace of Culture.

"The temple probably had 14 masks at the height of the frieze, but only eight of them have been documented" so far, which is why excavations must continue, added University of Austin archeologist Edwin Roman.

Excavations by the Guatemalan and American team began at the El Zotz dig in 2006, but the temple wasn't uncovered until three years ago."

12 Easy Lessons for Beginners

If you are interested in learning the fundamentals of traditional astrology like I am, you may enjoy the first in a series of posts from Anthony at Seven Stars Astrology.


TWELVE EASY LESSONS FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS | 1. INTRODUCTION, THE PLANETS

"This series of posts for beginners is dedicated to my friend, Wren.
Since the incep­tion of this blog in the autumn of last year, I haven’t been very kind to begin­ners. I’ve tend to just plow into apply­ing tech­niques from the early strata of the tra­di­tion with­out much hand-holding. In my own defense, there are astrologers out there who are doing a good job of pre­sent­ing intro­duc­tory and ref­er­ence mate­r­ial, and I’ve referred peo­ple to them. I highly rec­om­mend Ben Dykes’ Intro­duc­tions to Tra­di­tional Astrol­ogy as a ref­er­ence work and Chris Brennan’s afford­able Intro­duc­tion to Hel­lenis­tic Astrol­ogy Course for gain­ing a good thor­ough under­stand­ing of the foun­da­tional tech­niques, their his­tory, and the philo­soph­i­cal ques­tions they pose.

Appar­ently there is still a strong need for a quick and dirty intro­duc­tion to pre-Medieval ancient astrol­ogy. In this series of posts, I hope to present things in such a way that even some­one with no prior expe­ri­ence with astrol­ogy will be able to very quickly start read­ing charts from a Hel­lenis­tic per­spec­tive, under­stand any arti­cle on this site, and start explor­ing pri­mary source material."
Read More

2. Charting, Angles, Advancement

New Moon in Cancer

Luna is dignified in it's own sign at the July 18 New Moon (27 Cancer) that's square Saturn (23 Libra, conjunct the benefic star Spica). Cancer the Crab is most concerned with personal affairs regarding home, family, and emotional connections. The challenging aspect from Saturn suggests new beginnings in the personal arena are best seeded with focus and a healthy sense of responsibility now.

From Asia & Mideast

The astrological environment is actually more complex and multi-layered because Mars is translating the Uranus-Pluto world transit. Positively, this t-square alignment reflects energetic action to build on the ruins of the old, and face crisis with courage and creative will. Negatively, those predisposed to extremes and fanaticism may act out the collective impulses through violence or destructive mania.

The trine between Mars and Jupiter could be the mitigating factor that turns things in a somewhat favorable direction, as this combination reflects the spirit of enterprise and enthusiastic energy. Again, the fundamentalists might go overboard, but thats the tendency of those who think they know better then everyone else.

About 3 days after the Cancer New Moon, the Sun enters it's home sign of Leo the Lion where it can shine in all it's glory. The energetic shift from yin (Cancer) to yang (Leo), from inwardly emotional (Cancer) to outwardly affectionate (Leo), will be palpable. It's time to play, create, and have fun- so enjoy the Summer.

Mercury retrograde in Leo until Aug. 7/8 is still a factor to consider, but a relatively benign one, given the soft aspects it forms to other planets during it's back-and-forth dance.

Planetary Phases and Motion

Venus is currently rising before the Sun at dawn.

By Ian Ridpath

"The phases of the Moon are very familiar to us, but the inner planets, Mercury and Venus, can also show phases as they move around their orbits. In fact, it was Galileo's discovery of the phases of Venus in the early seventeenth century that confirmed the planets orbit the Sun and not the Earth.

With one exception, the outer planets do not show appreciable phases because, as seen from Earth, they always appear fully illuminated by the Sun. The exception is Mars, which can appear slightly gibbous (i.e. not quite circular) at certain positions in its orbit, when it lies at an angle of about 90 degrees from the Sun, relative to the Earth.

As seen through a telescope, both Mercury and Venus display a full range of phases, but Venus is much the easier of the two planets to see since it is brighter and farther away from the Sun.

When Venus is at crescent phase, in the morning or evening sky, it is close to Earth and appears large enough for the phase to be visible through binoculars.

As Venus moves away from the Sun in the morning sky, the phase increases from a crescent, reaching half phase at the time of greatest elongation. The distance between Venus and Earth is increasing, so its disc is becoming smaller. Continuing on around its orbit, Venus increases in phase until, at superior conjunction, it is fully illuminated - but then it is on the far side of the Sun and cannot be seen.

After superior conjunction, Venus emerges into the evening sky and begins to decrease in phase as it approaches Earth, becoming a slim crescent again as it moves towards inferior conjunction. Venus is at its brightest about five weeks before and after inferior conjunction, when its phase is about 27%, i.e. a thick crescent."
Read More

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7/15 Tweet~ Normally it takes less then 10 min to drive over the Bay Bridge, but because of an accident last night, it took an hour and a half- Mercury retrograde.

Orion Nebula

From Images 108

Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like the Orion Nebula. Also known as M42, the nebula's glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away. The Orion Nebula offers one of the best opportunities to study how stars are born partly because it is the nearest large star-forming region, but also because the nebula's energetic stars have blown away obscuring gas and dust clouds that would otherwise block our view - providing an intimate look at a range of ongoing stages of starbirth and evolution. This detailed image of the Orion Nebula is the sharpest ever, constructed using data from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys and the European Southern Observatory's La Silla 2.2 meter telescope. The mosaic contains a billion pixels at full resolution and reveals about 3,000 stars. (APOD)

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Did God Discover the God Particle?

By Deepak Chopra, Rudolph Tanzi, Menas Kafatos

"The possible discovery of the Higgs boson would not have been splashed across every major media if the tag "God particle" weren't attached to it. Physicists hate the term, but they love the publicity. There are huge government grants at stake as well as the prestige of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. After you read the headline, however, there's little doubt that a general reader cannot actually grasp what a Higgs boson is (or a large hadron accelerator, either).

If you watch enough PBS programs and listen to a few physicists, some clarity emerges that a non-physicist can understand. The Higgs boson discovery adds validation to a mathematical model of force fields in the universe. It attaches a real particle to an expectation, the expectation that buried inside force fields was the key to why subatomic particles have mass. Mass would be acquired as a particle meets with resistance when it moves through the vacuum of space, a kind of "molasses" that slows it down.

This molasses is very elusive. It took many billions of colliding protons in the huge CERN accelerator, backed up by 100,000 computers around the world to analyze the data, before the discovery seemed real. Even then, most physicists are guarded about whether this new particle actually is a Higgs boson. They are equally guarded about whether its properties will uphold the Standard Model of force fields or in fact create more problems.

But behind all the hoopla and uncertainty, the news flew around the world that a basic building block of the universe has been uncovered, bringing quantum physics closer to its triumphant goal of explaining creation - hence the inflated and rather silly label of God particle. Yet from another perspective, nothing like an explanation of the universe is emerging at all. Physics may be getting closer to the day, in fact, when the way it views the universe classically reaches a dead end."
Read More-> SFGate

Did You Hear the Northern Lights?

From National Geographic:

"Next time you are lucky enough to witness an aurora borealis, you may want to also listen carefully for some faint applause. According to a new study announced this week, colorful displays of northern lights may actually produce audible clapping sounds. Finnish researcher Unto K. Laine from Aalto University has been studying the phenomenon for over a decade and believes that he has captured a distinct sound associated with intense episodes of northern lights.

Auroras occur when charged particles are thrown off the Sun as solar wind, then travel across interplanetary space, eventually interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. This sets off the colorful displays.

There have been stories about an eerie noise associated with auroras for over a century at least, centered around the Arctic region where displays are more frequent and powerful. Most of these stories, however, have been considered just folklore and hearsay.

Many describe what they heard as being comparable to that of a radio left on a station that has gone off the air. Sort of a faint crackling or a hissing sound.

“In history there are thousands of relevant observations, but recordings also exist that consists of many different type sounds described by observers around the world such as crackling, clapping, popping, booms and low frequency noise,” says Laine.
Read More

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Major Solar Flare Erupts From Giant Sunspot

"The sun unleashed a huge flare Thursday (July 12), the second major solar storm to erupt from our star in less than a week.

The solar flare peaked at 12:52 p.m. EDT (1652 GMT) as an X-class sun storm, the most powerful type of flare the sun can have."
Read More-> SPACE.com

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If you are up early tomorrow(Saturday), you can see the Moon near the Pleaides star cluster (Seven Sisters), Venus, and Jupiter, before dawn. See-> EarthSky

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The July 14/15 Mercury station may feel a bit heavier then usual, with the Sun tightly square Saturn. But perhaps the Gemini Moon will help lighten the social mood. Uranus (heightened change, revolution, and liberation) is stationary-retrograde today, which suggests some excitement in the air.

Teimareh Petroglyphs and Star Trails

From Images 108

Engraved in rock, these ancient petroglyphs are abundant in the Teimareh valley, located in the Zagros Mountains of central Iran. They likely tell a tale of hunters and animals found in the middle eastern valley 6,000 years ago or more, etched by artists in a prehistoric age. In the night sky above are star trails etched by the rotation of planet Earth during the long composite exposure made with a modern digital camera. On the left, the center of the star trail arcs is the North Celestial Pole (NCP), the extension of Earth's axis into space, with Polaris, the North Star, leaving the bright, short, stubby trail closest to the NCP. But when these petroglyphs were carved, Polaris would have made a long arc through the night. Since the Earth's rotation axis precesses like a wobbling top, 6,000 years ago the NCP was near the border of the constellations Draco and Ursa Major, some 30 degrees from its current location in planet Earth's sky.

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Todays Quote: There is no absolute point of view from which real and ideal can be finally separated and labelled. ~T. S. Eliot

Volcano and Aurora in Iceland

From Images 108

Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. In Iceland in 1991, the volcano Hekla erupted at the same time that auroras were visible overhead. Hekla, one of the most famous volcanoes in the world, has erupted at least 20 times over the past millennium, sometimes causing great destruction. The last eruption occurred only twelve years ago but caused only minor damage. The green auroral band occurred fortuitously about 100 kilometers above the erupting lava. Is Earth the Solar System's only planet with both auroras and volcanos? (APOD)

Who determined that the Mayan Calendar ends on December 21, 2012?

July 2, 2012~ Cosmic Convergence Research Group

From Images 108

Where did the “Long Count” End Date really come from?

Who would deny that there is a LOT of conflicting and confusing information regarding the end of the Mayan Calendar? Complex, complicated and convoluted is the only way to describe the overwhelming number of narratives surrounding the date December 21, 2012.

How do we decide which of these different stories is close to the real narrative as predicted by many of the world’s scriptures, sacred calendars and ancient prophesies?

There is only one context in which to properly evaluate the Mayan Calendar Long Count and its many weighty implications and far-reaching ramifications for humankind. And that is the macrocosmic context.

In order to properly understand the macrocosmic context, there must be some acknowledgement about the relationship between different schools of cosmology, ancient calendars and spiritual traditions. The following set of equations illustrates the true relationship between some of the major pieces of the End-Time puzzle.

End of the Mayan Calendar = Closing of the Iron Age = Twilight of the Kali Yuga = Grand Finale of the Book of Revelation = Appearance of the Blue Star Kachina = Omega Point = Ending of the Current World Order
Read More-> Cosmic Convergence 2012

Venus and Jupiter

Venus and Jupiter – the two brightest planets – are near each other before dawn in July of 2012. Remember to look in mid-month, when the moon passes by.
More-> EarthSky

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Astrology Articles by Julene Packer-Louis: Yogic Astrology

Finding Meaning in the Stars

By Nick Campion

"It's a shocking fact that there has never been a human culture which has not related its myths, institutions and identity to the stars. This is as true of the modern West as it was of our stone-age ancestors, and is as relevant to the last, surviving, indigenous inhabitants of Amazonia, as it is of today's American astronomers. After all, no scientist spends cold nights scanning the sky in search of new stars, or long hours decoding data from deep space, if the exercise is completely meaningless. Actually, it is profoundly meaningful and the last hundred years' worth of discoveries of the immense, incomprehensible size of our universe, combined with the sheer wonder of recent color-enhanced images of distance galaxies has proved as enchanting as any ancient story of star gods and goddesses, or of saviors descending to earth from the sky."
Read More-> HuffPost Religion

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Todays Quote~ A famous aphorism of Rob Hand's is: 'Pretium arbitrii liberi est nullam destinationem habere' which means: 'the price of free will is having no destiny'.

Higgs boson-like particle discovered

BBC News:
"Cern scientists reporting from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have claimed the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson, aka 'God particle'.

The particle has been the subject of a 45-year hunt to explain how matter attains its mass.

Both of the Higgs boson-hunting experiments at the LHC see a level of certainty in their data worthy of a "discovery".

More work will be needed to be certain that what they see is a Higgs, however.

The results announced at Cern (European Organization for Nuclear Research), home of the LHC in Geneva, were met with loud applause and cheering.

Prof Peter Higgs, after whom the particle is named, wiped a tear from his eye as the teams finished their presentations in the Cern auditorium.

"I would like to add my congratulations to everyone involved in this achievement," he added later.

"It's really an incredible thing that it's happened in my lifetime."
Read More

CMS spokesman Prof Joe Incandela evoked the archetypal expression of the current Uranus-Pluto square when he said, "We're reaching into the fabric of the Universe at a level we've never done before.”

From Mundane Charts 2

The July 3, 2012 Full Moon conjoined Pluto (empowering) which is now square Uranus (technological innovation), and Pluto rose in Geneva less then 5 minutes before the exact Full Moon. The last time Uranus and Pluto were square was the early 1930's and the atom was first split in Cambridge, UK, April 1932. The April 6, 1932 New Moon at 16 Aries was conjunct Uranus at 19-20 Aries square Pluto at 19-20 Cancer. Uranus and Pluto were exactly square April 21, 1932. Of course, Uranus = uranium, and Pluto = plutonium.

Discovered in 1930, astrological Pluto is linked with the Depression, the rise of Fascism, and development of nuclear energy. Pluto has an affinity with the process of revealing something that was hereto hidden- also with upheavals, volcanoes and earthquakes. It pertains to power and the abuses of power. While Uranus in astrology reflects all kinds of revolutions and awakenings, that open human consciousness to the infinite field of new possibilities. And the revelations associated with Uranus often occur suddenly or unexpectedly.

From Mundane Charts 2

The lunations- New Moons, Full Moons, and eclipses, seem to time, trigger, and activate the major planetary alignments, and bring them to a focus in the world.
Yesterdays Capricorn Full Moon was conjunct Pluto (-90-Uranus) by longitude and declination- i.e. parallel. A conjunction by longitude and declination is the most powerful type of conjunction possible- and it was sharply focused in Geneva, where CERN's Large Hadron Collider is located. The Full Moon was exact in Geneva at 8:51:52 pm, CEDT. Pluto rose there at 8:47 pm.

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Peter Burns~ Astrology and the God Particle

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July 5 ~ Dark matter filament found, scientists say

Astrophysicists say they have discovered one strand of the long-elusive dark matter filaments, thought to connect galaxies and help shape the universe.
LA Times

In the Shadow of Saturn's Rings

From Images 108

Humanity's robot orbiting Saturn has recorded yet another amazing view. That robot, of course, is the spacecraft Cassini, while the new amazing view includes a bright moon, thin rings, oddly broken clouds, and warped shadows. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, appears above as a featureless tan as it is continually shrouded in thick clouds. The rings of Saturn are seen as a thin line because they are so flat and imaged nearly edge on. Details of Saturn's rings are therefore best visible in the dark ring shadows seen across the giant planet's cloud tops. Since the ring particles orbit in the same plane as Titan, they appear to skewer the foreground moon. In the upper hemisphere of Saturn, the clouds show many details, including dips in long bright bands indicating disturbances in a high altitude jet stream. Recent precise measurements of how much Titan flexes as it orbits Saturn hint that vast oceans of water might exist deep underground. (APOD)

The Beginning is Near

Click to enlarge.

From Images 108

Capricorn Full Moon July 3

I like astrologer Barbara Goldsmith, she's always chipper.
YouTube

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Todays Quote: “The major force in your emotional pain is a fear-based belief you have about yourself. It is always an idea that is in conflict with your true spiritual nature.” ~Layne & Paul Cutright

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How did you spend your leap second?
SPACE.com

See All 5 Visible Planets

"You can see five visible planets in early July 2012. By visible planet, we are talking about any planet that can be seen by the eyes alone and that has been known to our ancestors since time immemorial. In their outward order form the sun, the five visible planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Mercury and Venus go around the sun inside of Earth’s orbit, while Mars, Jupiter and Saturn circle the sun outside of Earth’s orbit. You can see them all – tonight!

Three of the five visible planets – Mercury, Mars and Saturn – pop out into the western part of the sky as dusk ebbs into darkness. The other two – Jupiter and Venus – beam in the east during the wee hours before sunrise."
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Heads Up! The Writer's Astrological Almanac

By Kathy Watts ~ July 2012

Welcome to summer at its highest. July starts on Sunday, the Sun's day, with the Moon in fiery Sagittarius. As a bonus, we also start with a Moon Mercury trine. Make this a month to set your world on fire, in a good way!

Tue Jul 03 the Moon in Capricorn has a busy day. In the early morning, the Moon conjuncts Pluto. Be more sensitive if you must, but don't get tweaked. Twenty-one minutes later, the planet Mars enters Libra. This can mean more energy for beautiful things. Six hours later is the Full Moon at 12 Cap. See how productive you can be all month long.

Wed Jul 04 the Moon enters independent liberty-loving Aquarius in the afternoon. Let your thoughts tend towards the big picture rather than the small. Morning, we have a genteel Mercury Venus sextile when flattery may come almost too easily. Then four hours later is a Mercury Uranus trine. Here's the creative antidote to any patriotic overload. It's Independence Day in the US, also the death day of both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Write with sincerity and heart, and let freedom ring!

Sat Jul 07 the Moon conjuncts Neptune in Pisces. This has to be good for dream work. Dreams are always rich in creative material.

Mon Jul 09 the Moon conjuncts Uranus in Aries. This day can spur you on to pursue some personal project. (Remember, Mars the ruler of Aries is in Libra now, so you can do this in a more mannerly way than Uranus might usually permit.)

Wed Jul 11 the Moon is void of course in Aries until afternoon when it finally enters Taurus. Settle down and get some solid work done, if only in the closing hours. This month we have Wednesdays with the Moon void of course in cardinal signs, moving into fixed signs (except for next week, Wed Jul 18). Void of course times don't have to be unproductive. They can be settling and reflective. Settle into making good use of the day.

Fri Jul 13 the Moon is in Taurus when Uranus goes stationary retrograde.This happens a lot, tones down our natural artistic rebelliousness, and good thing. It's also the day before Mercury goes stationary retrograde for the second time this year. Heads Up. All the standard Mercury retrograde cautionaries apply. Charge phone batteries, be good to your car, back up files on the computer, but mostly establish a calm and steady frame of mind so no matter what happens (and probably nothing will) you won't be knocked sideways. In addition, it's Friday the 13th and some of us consider this to be a lucky day. You can, too.

Sat Jul 14 the Moon enters Gemini in the early morning.We get to indulge in manic mercurial creativity from now till mid Monday. Mercury stationary won't stop us; in fact it might help with our focus. Two hours later, Mercury goes stationary retrograde. Heads Up. Forty whole minutes later the Moon conjuncts Jupiter in Gemini. Have a day of abundant happy summer, perhaps a social outing. Happy Bastille Day!

Sun Jul 15 the Moon conjuncts Venus in Gemini. Being gregarious and clever is rarely this much fun. Take a breather, though, if it's only a glass of wine and a sparkling chat with a friend.

Mon Jul 16 the Moon in Gemini trines Saturn in Libra, then goes void of course in Gemini until late afternoon when the Moon finally enters Cancer. This is a good time to write with care and see how your accuracy and precision increase. The Saturn in Libra part might refer to your audience, who wants to like your work. Do your best for them as well as for yourself.

Tue Jul 17 the Moon is in Cancer all day. Mars trines Jupiter in the morning. There's abundant energy to cheerfully solve minor problems (perhaps ones generated by Mercury retrograde). Afternoon, Mars squares Pluto. Stay calm, collected, and let the Mercury retrograde keep the lid on. This won't last forever. Mars moves fast. It's also the day before the New Moon. Heads Up. Heads Up. Heads Up. Don't do anything rash, if you can help it.

Wed Jul 18 a very dark waning Moon is in Cancer when Mars opposes Uranus. Dissatisfaction may be high, but don't let it get to you. One and a half hour later is the New Moon at 26Can. Shine light on your feelings, desires, and loves, but don't abandon being thoughtful. You can make this a powerful and productive day. Keep your focus.

Fri Jul 20 the Moon conjuncts Mercury in Leo in the very early morning. Thoughts, conversation, and social interactions can be grander and more luxurious than usual all day long. Be smart, as ever, but smile and enjoy.

Sat Jul 21 the Moon is in Virgo for most of the day. Use this level-headed (and only apparently sedate) sign to make the most of the last day of the year for the Sun to be in the sign Cancer. Feelings may run deep, but you can channel them into your work and not into your dealings with people. Tomorrow the world may be much more dramatic and energetic. Heads Up.

Sun Jul 22 the Moon is in Virgo (Mercury's nocturnal home sign) when the Sun moves on and enters the sign of Leo the Lion. The Sun rules Leo, you know, so this is the Sun's annual homecoming month. Be prepared to shine and enjoy the brightness of others. Also today, Mercury sextiles Mars. This can add a few more flickering flames to your mental processes today. Mercury retrograde won't dampen this much. Have a warm rich end to the weekend.

Tue Jul 24 the Moon conjuncts Mars in Libra. Think resolutions, compromises, and maybe the finalizing of a plot complication. Think happy endings.

Wed Jul 25 the Moon conjuncts Saturn in Libra, then goes void of course until the evening when the Moon slips into Scorpio. Try to work well with people (including fictional ones), be forgiving and patient with yourself, and save those super-serious thoughts and concerns for later.

Sat Jul 28 the Moon is in Sagittarius when the Sun conjuncts Mercury retrograde. This might be a great time to veg out at someone else's party, a drink in hand, and do some constructive listening, or even eavesdropping. Speak sparingly. Relax. Some nights, it's enough just to be seen.

Mon Jul 30 the Moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn. Not unlike how the month began. At least this time it is not also the day of a full Moon. July begins and ends with intensity. Put it into some big work effort, if only for a short time. The Moon doesn't stay anywhere for long.

This can be a month of amazing accomplishments, even if you wait a while and don't release your work out into the world. Creativity and productivity are not the same as finished and matured. Timing and luck also play a big role (like anyone into astrology doesn't already know this), so the time to create often isn't the same as the time to go out into the world. Be good to yourself all month long and remember to smile and shine. Let your work shine. Do and be your best. Expect others (and their work, too) to shine, although when it doesn't, don't put them down for it. We all have struggles and demons to contend with, and you know, fighting those private battles is a way of shining, too.

Have a month that's golden in all ways! Heads up!