Jonathan Pearl - Star Pearls Column

Star Pearls 7*10*06

Women and Men
Star*Watch
Straight to the Moon
Wandering Stars

Dear friends,

Are women from Venus and men from Mars? As cliché as this may sound, in my experience this has proven to be true. We all have a Sun, our essential identity. Yet this identity is informed in different ways. For women, Venus plays a more important role in determining who we are; and for men, Mars. What does this mean?

Venus is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure. Whatever is going on with relationships affects the life of women dramatically. Duh, tell us something we don't know, you may be thinking. OK. Men, pay attention! We don't have this perspective. Men are more informed by Mars, the planet of assertion and action. Both planets are important to everyone, but we're talking on a general level here. What does Venus want? To feel wanted, valued, desired, appreciated, loved. When women have these positive experiences in their life their identity and fundamental self of themselves is dramatically affected. And the converse is also true. A female astrologer acquaintance from South Africa summed it up this way: "Love for men is just a part of life, yet for women it is their very existence!"

Of course all this love stuff is important for men, but just not in the same way. Identity for a man is informed by warrior Mars. Mars wants to act, succeed, conquer. So when a man feels like he hasn't accomplished what he has set out to do, it is distressing as a bad breakup to a woman. When a man has work stress or difficulties with the boss, it is as hard as romance woes for women. Ladies, are you hearing me here?

Of course there will be exceptions. Some men can be very Venus influenced by the placement of the love goddess in their charts or by a strong emphasis on Taurus or Libra. And I've read charts of some women who have Aries rising and a potent Mars. And yet still I will say that on a general level, Venus influences women more than men, and Mars influences men more than women.

With this understanding, anyone interested in the dance of the sexes pays attention to Venus and Mars in the sky. Venus in Gemini wants to talk about love and experiences pleasure in learning and communicating. But the ruler of Gemini is Mercury who is currently retrograde! So women are more easily thinking of past loves, or may be experiencing changes of mind about affections, or the communication about love isn't happening quite the way they'd like.

Mars is in Leo, and in the last week many men may be feeling more confident than in quite a while. This is after 7 weeks of Mars in sensitive Cancer, then 2 weeks of Mars dealing with restrictive Saturn. Finally free from all that, Mars can begin to act the way he knows how, with gusto; but with ruler Sun in Cancer feelings are still coloring our assertion.

This Friday Venus and Mars meet up in the sky - the celestial hot date that steams up the air for all of us below. And with their getting on, Venus in Gemini rubs off on Mars in Leo and vice versa. You may notice men becoming more talkative and women dressing with more flair. Men may share in romance reminiscing, and women are getting more bold. Both, though, deal with Pluto the very same day. A breakup and a hookup the same night; a fight and makeup; some going all out for love, others willing to ditch it.

Now going deeper for the astrology literate. Most modern astrology will analyze aspects to the nth degree, but rulers are considered secondary. The more I watch the Moon transiting through the signs, the more I have realized that rulerships are where it's at. Case in point to those who know what Moon in Scorpio tends to feels like, and how that differs from Moon in Sag. Last week Wednesday and Thursday we had Moon in Scorpio, and certainly some Scorpio themes were there, but was it as deeply penetrating and emotional as we'd expect? Not to me - and this is because ruler Mars is in Leo, sign of forget about problems & let's just go have some fun. Compare this to the weekend with Moon in Sag - not quite as uplifting as we'd like, because ruler in Jupiter in Scorpio insists we find some value in our depths. If this rings true (or not) to any readers out there, please let me know! My own Venus in Gemini wants to know ;)

I'm a full time astrologer dedicated towards passing on the wisdom of this venerable tradition to help you live your life. For information on a life or update reading, please visit the Services page. Contact me for an appointment.

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Sun * in Cancer. Our essential life force is all about deep emotion. Thoughts and chatter don't matter as much - what are we feeling inside? And what are we sensing from outside? With Sun in Cancer we are more perceptive of both inner realms and outer environment. We want genuine bonds or none at all. We eat well, enjoy nature's bounty and are entertained by flowers and birds. The trap of the crab - too many grouchy feelings! The Sun also has a special influence on Sundays, Wednesday nights and all Sun hours. For planetary days and hours at your location (highly recommended!), download freeware from ChronosXP.

Moon * Full in Capricorn on Monday 7/10, heading towards Last Quarter on Monday 7/17.

Monday 7/10 * Full Moon in Capricorn, Mercury back into Cancer. Sun in Cancer orients us towards needs; Moon in Capricorn makes us aware of responsibilities. How the two meet is the theme for the day. After about 1 week in Leo, messenger Mercury returns to Cancer thanks to retrograde motion. Any retrograde can bring changes of mind and mental confusion, but this traveling backwards into a previous sign will throw us for a serious spin.

Tuesday 7/11 * Moon in Capricorn, into Aquarius 2:45 pm. Moon aspecting Mercury midday has us feeling things we thought were done. On the plus side, a good day to communicate with people from your past. Moon into Aquarius will connect us to community, but we may feel more weighed down during the evening.

Wednesday 7/12 * Moon in Aquarius. Today we go from effort in self assertion in the morning - and for some this will come with stress and difficulty - to a more dreamy fantasy in the eve. That's Moon opposing Saturn 9:50 am to conjunct Neptune 10:15 pm for those that know the lingo. Real life examples: after a stressful day, we relax with music and wine; after experiencing difficulty, we give to others in similar straights in some way or another; after suffering, we find a spiritual path to peace.

Thursday 7/13 * Moon in Aquarius, into Pisces 4:00 pm. Have anyone else noticed that various Pisces sweets - sugar, chocolate, alcohol, art, creativity, connections - have pumped up in the last 2 weeks? If so credit the Moon's nodes, as the North node moved into Pisces about 2 weeks ago. With Pisces we need an inner sweet experience, so with the North node aka Dragon's head compulsively pulling us for the next year and half, go for best quality highs.

Friday 7/14 * Moon in Pisces. Mars trine Pluto, Venus opposite Pluto, Venus sextile Mars. The soap opera day of the year: Oh my gosh! Jen dumped Brad and ran off with Fabio. Desires are either cut off entirely or go places they typically don't.

Saturday 7/15 * Moon in Pisces, into Aries 5:40 pm. If Thursday's comments about seeming to need a high more than you used to are resonating, here are a few strategies. #1 Don't go berserk when the Moon is in Pisces. #2 If you are going to indulge, time it well and for now this means when the Moon is in late Pisces as it is today. #3 Go for whatever gets you on, up and overflowing with good vibes.

Sunday 7/16 * Moon in Aries. This past weekend it was great to see so many people watching the World Cup. Today with Moon in Aries, we'll want to go play ourselves. Get moving!

Have a stellar week!

Peace and love,
Jonathan Pearl

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Wandering Stars - the planets

Mercury * back in Cancer after a week of Leo - uh oh! This is *mental confusion!* We thought we were done with feelings and on to good times, now feelings have returned to our minds. Not a good time for final decisions of any kind. Acknowledge that our minds are again emotional and sigh, Mercury retrograde! ***Mercury retrograde July 4 to July 28.*** Mercury influences Wednesdays, Saturday nights and all Mercury hours.

Venus * in Gemini. We talk it up, love to read, and want a partner whose mind we can love. Venus in Gemini finds romance in bookstores, short trips here and there and most of all, love talk. Venus in Gemini through July 18.

Mars * in Leo. Men and other Mars folks in the sign of the lion - expect cock-sure braggadocio, self-expression, assertions of pride. Planets in Leo like to be noticed, so men will be dressing with flair. Yes we have drama, but the very best of Leo is courage. If someone crosses the lion or doesn't pay proper respects, watch out. Mars in Leo through July 22. Mars influences Tuesdays, Friday nights and all hours of Mars..

Jupiter * in Scorpio. Turning direct this week! This means we start to see more outer results of inner work done the past few months. Jupiter in Scorpio blesses therapies, healing modalities, joint finance arrangements and amplifies our sexuality. Jupiter wants to do good, but in Scorpio functions by responding to others with some kind of attack. The energy: This might hurt, but it is for your own good and my own protection! Great regeneration and power is possible if we find the positive side of our deepest emotions. Jupiter here also benefits Aquarius (by antiscion) and sister water signs of Cancer and Pisces. Jupiter in Scorpio through November 2006. Jupiter influences Thursdays, Sunday nights and all Jupiter hours.

Saturn * in Leo. Developments in some long term structures in life are moving forward, but concrete Saturn moving into an opposition with destabilizing Neptune. This is a major aspect and will set the tone for everything else later this summer and on into 2007. More in a column coming soon. Saturn in Leo through September 2007. Saturn influences Saturdays, Tuesday nights and all Saturn hours.

Dragon's Head * in Pisces. We advance towards peace, arts and spirituality, and partnerships are also a must. Without the sweet embrace of love, substitutes can be not just an occasional indulgence but a routine.

Dragon's Tail * in Virgo. As placements go, this is a bit tough. The Dragon's Tail is like the tai-chi master doing quiet movements but little else. How does this function in the sign of accomplishment through detail & perfection? We let go of ways we are unnecessarily restrictive. Hard work is a virtue, but unless guided by a Pisces wholeness will never bring us true peace.

* * * MAY ALL BE AUSPICIOUS * * *