December 8, 2014
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NorthPoint Astrology Journal December 8 to 14, 2014 | Pam Younghans

Posted Sunday, December 7, 2014

NorthPoint
Astrology Journal
Your Guide to Planetary Energies for
December 8 to 14, 2014

By Pam Younghans

Photo: Auroras over Fairbanks, Alaska onNovember 28, 2014 (credit: Hisayuki Uto, posted on SpaceWeather.com)

PLUTO AND URANUS have been leaving their deep imprint on our lives for about three years now. The two planets have been in square aspect (90 degrees apart) throughout this time, dancing in and out of exact aspect as first one, then the other, has gone retrograde (backward) and then forward again.

Each time the square aspect is exact, another wave of change is activated. We may experience an intensification of issues that have already been in our awareness, or we may become aware of new challenges to the status quo. Either way, the Pluto-Uranus square is determined to pry us free from old ways of perceiving and managing our reality.

THIS WEEK, Pluto and Uranus are exactly square each other for the sixth time since this cycle began. While the aspect is exact next Sunday, its influence is by no means confined to a single day. Instead, we can consider the entire month of December as a time for important developments in the longer-term process of change we are currently navigating.

This square aspect is challenging all of us to become more conscious, more empowered, and more liberated. Some of us are dealing with the challenges on more personal levels, if Pluto and Uranus are transiting (interacting with) specific planets or points in our natal astrology charts. These folks are more likely to be experiencing the full effects of the square, with old life structures being completely torn down so that new forms can be built.

But all of us, even those without direct transits, are experiencing the effects Pluto and Uranus moving through two houses of our charts. These houses represent the areas of our lives that are being renovated at this time.

AS PLUTO AND URANUS come into exact square aspect this week, they are setting up the wave of change that will crescendo now through March of 2015, when the seventh and final exact square occurs. This means that situations and events that arise this week are a part of the cycle of change, but are not the first step in the process — nor the last.

It may help us through the challenges of this square to focus on the ways that Pluto and Uranus are trying to help us grow. Pluto’s ultimate goal is to help us gain personal empowerment and a sense of our greater purpose and mission in life. As one of the steps to realizing that goal, Pluto brings forward the patterning from our unconscious that has been keeping us feeling disempowered, and therefore unable to become all that we can be.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE astrology books is The Astrology of Self-Discovery by Tracy Marks. This book is excellent for describing how the outer planets work with us and what their influence may bring forward in our lives.

Ms. Marks explains that when we are working with Pluto, we may:

Experience other people dominating us, preventing us from having what we want
Be confronted by seemingly insurmountable obstacles or limitations
Feel blocked by our own fear: fear of the unknown, fear of humiliation, fear of pain, fear of loss, or a disbelief in our own capabilities
Be influenced by habit patterns, unconscious motives and resistances that keep us from seeing clearly and acting effectively

AT THE SAME TIME that Pluto is manifesting these types of challenges, we are working with equally strong energies from Uranus. Ms. Marks writes that Uranus requires that we ask ourselves:

Which behaviors or structures in my life need to be liberated, reawakened, or renovated, and which need to be discarded?
In what ways do I need to operate more independently, and what must I do to experience the freedom I need?
How may I become more attuned to my intuition and more aware of the universal laws that are at work?
How may I prepare for sudden and unexpected circumstances to arise — those which I deliberately create, or which occur without my conscious choice? How do I cope with the unexpected, and how do I live with instability?

It’s pretty clear that working with just one of these planets would be a major undertaking — but we, as individuals and as a global society, are working with both at once! Of course we feel overwhelmed from time to time, especially after nearly three years of working with these strong energies — even if we can acknowledge that the ultimate goals of this work are the positive ideals of empowerment (Pluto) and liberation (Uranus).

IN OTHER planetary news, we start off the week with an alignment between the Sun, Mercury and Ceres in Sagittarius. This three-way conjunction emphasizes themes of communication and empathy, and can put us in touch with a deeper need to share meaningful information that will be helpful to others.

We’ll need to watch any tendency to go overboard in that regard, however. A Mars-Mercury semisquare on Tuesday reminds us that there’s sometimes a fine line between being helpful and being smothering. We always need to allow others the freedom to express their lives according to their own inner urgings — even if we can clearly see the folly of their ways from our lofty perch.

THIS IS ACTUALLY a very good opportunity for us to review our own beliefs and biases, and our need to have others understand us. Jupiter is going retrograde on Monday, marking the beginning of a four-month period in which we are meant to search inward to gain deeper insights into our own life philosophies and world view.

So, if our well-meaning advice falls on deaf ears, we may want to reconsider our motivations for sharing our words of wisdom. First, we must always pay close attention to timing and to the readiness of the soil when we want to plant seeds. And, even if everything looks primed for sowing, we still must wait until we are invited into another’s garden, rather than tossing seeds over the fence in the hope that they’ll land in receptive soil.

With retrograde Jupiter in expressive Leo, we also may want to remind ourselves that true communication is a two-way street. This will be especially important when Jupiter trines Mercury (Friday) and the Sun (Sunday), since our need to share our thoughts and beliefs will be amplified.

These will be good days to do a self-assessment, to ask ourselves: Am I as interested in hearing what the other person has to say, as I am in expressing my own truth? When was the last time I fully listened, instead of spending a conversation inwardly preparing for what I would say next? In other words, how openminded am I, really?

OUR 2015 TELECLASS is just four weeks away! As mentioned last week, when you register for the class, you’ll receive a pdf of the monthly calendars with planetary aspects. This makes it easy for you to print them out ahead of time, so that you can write your notes directly on the calendars during the class, or when listen to the replay later.

If you’re ready to sign up for the class, here’s the link:

http://pam2015.eventbrite.com

And, here’s the full description if you’d like to learn more:

At the Door of a New Age
Your astrology guide for January to June 2015

A 90-minute teleclass with Astrologer Pam Younghans and Wellness Educator Elsie Kerns

Thursday, January 8, 2015
Live broadcast: 4pm PST | 5pm MST | 6pm CST | 7pm EST

Also available by download after class airs | Fee: $25

THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF 2015 hold enormous potential for spiritual growth and creative change, as the planets challenge each of us to make a quantum leap in some area of our lives.

We’ve been working with the transformational energies of the ongoing Pluto-Uranus square for 3 years now. By the end of 2014, we will have experienced the exact aspect 6 times. But in each of those exact aspects, either Pluto or Uranus has been retrograde, leaving us to balance the need to resolve issues from the past with a strong desire to leap into the future.

March 16, 2015 is the date of the 7th and final exact square between Pluto and Uranus – and on that date, both planets will be in forward motion. In other words, it’s all systems go, full speed ahead!

In this 90-minute teleclass, I’ll explain more about what this final Pluto-Uranus square means, and how it relates to the title of the class, “At the Door of a New Age.” I’ll also talk about other exciting and potentially life-changing events in the first 6 months of 2015:

The highly-energized line-up of planets in mid-March, which sees Mars aligning with Uranus and both planets trine Jupiter, right before the final Pluto-Uranus square – and just days before an eclipse and the solstice
The Total Solar Eclipse on March 20 in the very last degree of the zodiac (29 degrees of Pisces), indicating a time of completion and the need to release old definitions of spirituality
The Total Lunar Eclipse on April 4 that activates more events related to the Pluto-Uranus-Mars-Jupiter line-up in March
The first months of Saturn’s transit through Sagittarius, and its return to Scorpio on June 14

I’ll also cover the significance of the New and Full Moons for each month, as well as Mercury’s retrograde phases, and other highlights of the first half of 2015. As before, the slideshow will include monthly calendars showing the most important planetary aspects.

I hope you can join us, either “live” as the class airs, or by download afterward!

To register: http://pam2015.eventbrite.com

Blessings,
Pam

NorthPoint Astrology Blog: To read occasional posts and add your comments, please visithttp://northpointastrology.blogspot.com/. See you there!

To Subscribe to the NorthPoint Journal: If you have been forwarded this issue of the NorthPoint Astrology Journal and would like to receive it directly every week, please click hereto access the “Journal” page of Pam’s website. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the webpage, fill out the subscription form, and click on Submit.

Highlighted Aspects for This Week .
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MON: Sun conjunct Mercury, Jupiter goes retrograde, Mercury conjunct Ceres; TUE: Sun conjunct Ceres, Mars semisquare Mercury; WED:Venus enters Capricorn; FRI: Jupiter trine Mercury ; SUN: Sun semisquare Mars, Jupiter trine Sun, Neptune sextile Venus, Pluto square Uranus

About the Journal

Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this NorthPoint Astrology Journal based on planetary influences and guidance received. Her hope is to offer perspectives and insights that will assist you in utilizing current energies to enhance your life experience and accelerate your spiritual and personal growth.

Astrology Readings

To schedule your personal astrology reading with Pam, please e-mail pam.

Or, see the “Readings” page atwww.northpointastrology.com
to learn more about personal astrology readings.

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Give the gift of Astrology this holiday season!

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Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2014. All Rights Reserved.

December 8, 2014
by ohnwentsya Leave a comment

Truthout Daily Digest Sunday, 7 December 2014

The Partitioning of Brazil’s Ocean and Rivers Threatens Small-Scale Fishing Families

Santiago Navarro F. and Renata Bessi: The Blue Revolution, a model for large-scale fish production, is advancing rapidly in Brazil, leading to the parceling of rivers and the ocean. This model requires the use of huge quantities of chemicals and has resulted in the displacement of small-scale fishing families.

Read the Article

Former Halliburton Subsidiary Managing Construction of First US Tar Sands Mine

Rachael Stoeve, Truthout: The United States will soon have its own operating tar sands mine in Utah. The project is being managed by former Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root, a company with a long track record of misconduct.

Read the Article

Zinn Coeditor: That All “Voices” Make History Is a “Dangerous Idea to Those in Power”

Mark Karlin, Truthout: Since Howard Zinn’s death in 2010, his coeditor, Anthony Arnove, has helped keep Voices of a People’s History alive through readings. He talks to Truthout about his new, expanded 10th anniversary edition, with timely additional content.

Read the Interview

German Economic Policy, Neoliberalism Pose Mortal Threat to Eurozone’s Ordinary People

C.J. Polychroniou, Truthout: The majority of distinguished economists at a recent international conference agrees the austerity policies imposed on Greece and Eurozone periphery countries have been catastrophic for economic growth and ordinary citizens.

Read the Article

Science Fiction and the Post-Ferguson World: “There Are as Many Ways to Exist as We Can Imagine”

Mary Hansen, YES! Magazine: Walidah Imarisha, a writer and activist, coined the term “visionary fiction” to describe how we can use science fiction, horror and fantasy genres to envision alternatives to unjust and oppressive systems and provide remedy for the belief that there is no alternative to violence and inequality.

Read the Interview

Warren and Sanders: Missing Voices for Iran Diplomacy?

Robert Naiman, Truthout: Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are increasingly seen as leaders of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. But curiously, Warren and Sanders are not yet counted among the Senate Democrats now standing up for diplomacy with Iran.

Read the Article

Truthout Interviews Maryam Henein on Ending Industrialized Farming

Ted Asregadoo, Truthout: Truthout contributor Maryam Henein talks about a UN report that advocates an end to industrialized farming and the promotion of local and organic farming practices.

Watch the Video

Police “Reforms” You Should Always Oppose

Mariame Kaba, Prison Culture: Ultimately, the only way that we will address oppressive policing is to abolish the police. Therefore all of the “reforms” that focus on strengthening the police or “morphing” policing into something more invisible – but still as deadly – should be opposed.

Read the Article

State Department Keystone XL Contractor ERM Bribed Chinese Agency to Permit Project

Steve Horn, DeSmogBlog: Environmental Resources Management (ERM), the consultancy selected by TransCanada to conduct the environmental review for Keystone XL’s northern leg, is no stranger to scandal. Exhibit A: ERM once bribed a Chinese official to ram through major pieces of an industrial development project.

Read the Article

Woman-Made: How Rethinking Pregnancy and Childbirth Could Undermine Sexism and Honor Women’s Reproductive Rights

Jeffrey Nall, Toward Freedom: The time has come to honor the greatness and awe-inspiring character of generating and choosing to birth new life; the time has come to see through a patriarchal haze that warps human relations, and fully honor the rights of pregnant women.

Read the Article

Native Villagers in Honduras Bet on Food Security – and Win

Thelma Mejia, Inter Press Service: The town’s dynamic mayor, Sandro Martínez, assumed the commitment of turning the Honduran municipality of Victoria into a model of food and nutritional security and environmental protection by means of municipal public policies based on broad social and community participation and international development aid.

Read the Article

Why Texas Is Shutting Prison Doors

s.e. smith, Care2: Texas isn’t exactly known as a bastion of social progressivism. But Texas is instituting a huge move for prison reform, and one that could pave the way for the rest of the nation. If Texas can do it, so can other states; not only can they, but they should.

Read the Article

This week in Speakout:

Michael I. Niman adds a twist on an the old saying “there aren’t any atheists in foxholes,” employing his own linguistic device he explains why, instead, “there aren’t any libertarians in a Buffalo Blizzard”; Laura Finley excoriates use of “free speech” to justify social media harassment and abuse; David Krieger reflects on the nature of violence in a poem, writing “we are all Ayotzinapa”; Lawrence Davidson determines recent attacks on academic freedom are a result of Zionist organizations’ aggressive efforts to silence academics; Lee Camp looks at how the mainstream media ignored protests taking place outside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has been giving the green light to frack pretty much all of the US; Kathy Kelly notes the hypocrisy behind the Pentagon issuing reports which concur that the greatest threat to US national security is posed by climate change; Chris Steele delves into the battle for the media and meteorology; Marilyn Vogt-Downey looks at revolution and counterrevolution in the age of social media; Michele Swenson highlights how an Ebola-like public health crisis shows a need for an improved Medicare-for-all model; Chris Tinson says Black people cannot afford to be numb to the growing instances of police killing unarmed young Black women and men; Afghan Peace Volunteers honor International Human Rights Day December 10 with a global day of listening; Evaggelos Vallianatos reviews Carol van Strum’s just-reissued A Bitter Fog: Herbicides and Human Rights; Jack A. Smith talks about the absence of any major political party in the US that advocates for citizens’ best interests; and more.