Athena's Web Daily Planets

Ôªø Athena's Web Daily Planets

Athena's Web Weekly Column

Week of June 6th, - June 12th, 2008

Elemental, my dear Watson

Fire

Everyone has their own way of looking at life, and astrology is no exception. Rather than the periodic table with its ever-expanding number of elements and gases, in western astrology all Creation is divided into one of four compartments. These are called the elements, Fire, Earth, Air and Water.

These elemental beings have personalities, characteristics, and tend to interact with each other in distinctive ways.

Fire (Aries, Leo, Sag) is the element of action. It runs hot, likes challenges, seeks adventure and finds it difficult to pass up a dare. On the high side these people are spontaneous, stimulating, warm and are generally on the move. The flame as it leaps for the sky is a good example.

Earth

Earth sign folk (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) are practical and efficient. They are hard workers who get up early and get to it. They look to enhance their securities and will build long in an effort to see their financial plans come to fruition. Like the Earth they provide nourishment, shelter and food, are dependable and loyal.

Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) are your intellectuals. These are the people that talk, compare and gather information. Who knows which way the wind blows? Education, communications, media and which side of the fence you are on, what you have to say, is of greatest importance. Social commentary is also important.

Air

Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) are emotional, sensitive and intuitive. These are our deeper roots, connections and attachments and how we feel about them. Like a lake, some will fold you into their bosom. Like a great sea, some can't get far enough away, even though they're still connected.

Two weeks ago three planets pivoted together. Chiron, Neptune and Mercury all started to slow down, station (stop), and then slip backwards against the backdrop of the stars.

Water
Water

When planets go 'retrograde', they don't just walk up to the point in time where they stop, bang it into reverse, and then take off again like some bumper car, at the same speed but in the opposite direction. If one were to trace planetary paths across the sky, when they are about to go retrograde they slow down, start to turn, and with a little loop bend back on the direction from which they have just come. They tarry longer in the area of the sky where they're making the turn.

These three planets have been trining each other, which is a playful, creative alignment. Because they have been slowing down for the pivot, they have been holding in this 'trine' alignment for over the last three weeks, and it's been great.

Mercury in Gemini is trining Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius. These are 'Air' signs. There has been a steady stream of fairly positive information that has been coming in over the last few weeks. Facts have been coming to light, people are more willing to help, the Internet has been working like it should. There has been a steady stream of cooperation. There are fresh ideas and a new perspective.

Because these planets are retrograde, this remains a time to go back over your outlines and re-think them. With all this celestial juice, we have an opportunity to pack them full of some really neat new ideas. Be willing to take the time to accommodate those ideas. They're elemental to our solving the case.