Image by Ellen Rixford In the news today: Not only is the mid-life crisis a bona-fide affliction but 40-somethings from Canada to Uzbekistan grapple with it every day, a groundbreaking new study has found. Researchers examined the life satisfaction of two million people in 72 countries through several decades of survey results and found that happiness universally dips when people hit mid-life. “The 40s, roughly speaking, are the low decade,” says co-author Andrew Oswald, an economics professor at the University... Read more

Heather Walden has posted this down-to-earth guide for managing Mercury retrograde. Look to see where Mercury in Aquarius falls in your chart, and follow her sage advice: 1st house – personal identity Follow the bouncing fire ball. Remember those old battles, imagined and real. Where do you still have armor that may be dragging you down? Does the mind have the tape player on permanent repeat. Listen closely and erase the parts that don’t serve you or your colleagues. You’ll... Read more

Mercury is just about to go retrograde as I write this. Mercury is in Aquarius where it rules technology, innovation and electricity, and it will remain in Aquarius throughout the retrograde period. Mercury retrograding back through Aquarius could make it difficult to move forward with implementing new technologies, so keep that in mind as you begin new projects. Make sure that you and all parties involve are clear and understand all aspects of what is needed! Obviously we can’t put... Read more

I have just discovered Tina Malia and listened to her most of the day yesterday. Her voice and music is expansive and opens the heart and soul to the yearning for awakening and the hope that transformation is truly possible, for the planet and for all people. This video is to a snippet of the beautiful song Heal this Land. Today, after the tremendous win for Barack Obama in South Carolina, I feel that hope really is alive and change... Read more

Beth Owl’s Daughter has a wonderful article on the experience of the Kundalini awakening: [T]he unplanned, or explosive kundalini awakening can be life-shattering and may result in years of difficulty, as we try to integrate and stabilize our changed sense of identity. This is why most yoga practices that work with this soul fire attempt to teach the seeker to gently raise the energy through meditation and awareness of the subtle energetic body. Still, these awakenings may result in profoundly... Read more

As befits the waning days of Pluto’s reign in Sagittarius, optimism on Wall Street prevailed over the facts. “What has happened is the Fed is flooding the system with liquidity and eventually we should see some traction in the economy,” said Steve Goldman, chief market strategist at Weeden & Co. “And stocks tend to respond first.” This strategy, which worked well while Pluto was in Sag and optimism drove the markets, will not work so well with the more pragmatic... Read more

This is one I wasn’t expecting. Heath Ledger was found dead today in an apartment in the Soho district of Manhattan with an empty bottle of prescription sleeping pills by his bedside and pills strewn over his body and the bed. Heath Ledger was determined to win fame through serious acting and not by capitalizing on his “pretty boy” looks. He won an Oscar nomination for his breakthrough performance in Brokeback Mountain, and won critical acclaim in his character performances... Read more

As I write this, the US markets are gearing up for the opening bell and doom and gloom are all over the airwaves. “Panic of 2008” shrieks Drudge. “Profits Plunge.” The Fed has lowered interest rates by 3/4 of a percentage point in the hope of staving off a stock market panic. Asian and European markets continued their downward slide as well. Today we have Mercury conjunct Neptune in Aquarius, where our most visionary (Aquarian) ideas can become fuzzy and... Read more

The Sun entered Aquarius yesterday, beginning a new solar cycle of innovation, humanitarian interest and technological brilliance. Today we have new opportunities for long-range planning and vision work with the alignment of Jupiter trine to Saturn, allowing us to harness Jupiter’s faith and optimism with Saturn’s discipline, offering the potential for success in any venture. What a terrific segue into the Full Moon on January 22nd that takes place in confluence with a conjunction of Mercury (mental function) to Neptune... Read more

April Elliott Kent is the go-to astrologer for setting wedding dates and has now published her trade secrets online. She begins with a tale of a bad marriage that may have had its expiration date extended with good astrology, and I like what she has to say about it: Perhaps, if left to our own devices, we instinctively gravitate to the moments that are right for us to do things – marry, start a business, plant a rose bush –... Read more