Common Dreams Highlights | Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Featured… US Climate Plan ‘Treats the Wound But Does Not Stop the Bleeding’ by Lauren McCauley As the White House unveils blueprint for emission reductions ahead of UN climate talks, groups warn that unless US moves beyond fossil fuels it will not avert climate catastrophe. News… Revulsion and Revolt: Backlash Against Indiana’s Pro-Discrimination Law Grows by Jon Queally ‘To see folks actively speaking out and taking a stand, people you never thought would say something about it, it says a lot.’ With New Abortion Bill, Arizona Writes Medical Malpractice into Law by Deirdre Fulton ‘This is unacceptable and not how safe medical care of any kind is provided,’ says women’s health advocate. Seattle City Council Unanimously Declares Opposition to Fast Track, TPP by Deirdre Fulton ‘Few things counterpose the interests of multinational corporations to the interests of workers, the environment, and democracy’ like the TPP, says councilmember Kshama Sawant. From Original 15 to More Than 80, Student Loan Strike Numbers Grow by Jon Queally ‘It’s been a month since 15 former students of the failing for-profit giant Corinthian Colleges said they would not pay a dime of their student loans because the school broke the law.’ ‘Still Struggling’: Study of Gulf Species Contradicts BP’s Slick Corporate Spin by Deirdre Fulton ‘It may take years or even decades before the full impacts are known, and more research is clearly needed,’ reads National Wildlife Federation report. President Obama Grants Clemency to 22 Drug Offenders by Lauren McCauley Executive Orders issued to correct ‘outdated’ and overblown sentencing for non-violent drug offenders swept up in War on Drugs. more news… Views… Trans-Pacific Partnership Proves Rules Are Rigged in Favor of the 1 Percent by Katrina vanden Heuvel Our global trade and tax policies have been and still are controlled by corporate and financial interests. They, not workers or consumers, write the rules. The Real Way to Judge the US Climate Pledge by Jamie Henn If we don’t see global emissions peak and rapidly decline in the next few years, the world will be on track for disaster. Honoring Cesar Chavez’s Birthday by Supporting the Farm Workers for Whom He Gave His Life by Arturo Rodriguez The United Farm Workers carries on Cesar’s legacy every day by aggressively helping farm workers organize, negotiate union contracts and win new legal protections. Menendez Downfall Could Be Diplomacy’s Windfall by Medea Benjamin & Katie Powers Menendez plays loose with issues of war and peace. Indiana Just Sentenced a Woman Convicted of Feticide to 20 Years in Prison by Michelle Goldberg Indiana’s law allowing discrimination against gay people is not the only reason that the state deserves our opprobrium. It’s also about to become the first state to imprison a woman for what it says is the death of a baby born after an attempted abortion. When Being Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli Is the Same Thing by Robert Shetterly On why I painted physician, author, and peace activist Alice Rothchild. more views… Newswire… Center for Biological Diversity: Obama Administration Announces Weak Carbon Pollution Cuts Ahead of Paris Climate Talks Brennan Center for Justice: NYPD Inspector General to Tackle Surveillance, Excessive Force in Coming Year Freedom to Marry: Mary Bonauto & Douglas Hallward-Driemeier to Argue Marriage Cases at SCOTUS Friends of the Earth: US Announces Weak Contribution to Paris Agreement ACLU: Federal Court Rules for Indian Families in ACLU Lawsuit more newswire…

Common Dreams Highlights | Monday, 30 March 2015

Featured… Taking Aim at Clinton, Former Maryland Governor Says Presidency ‘Not a Crown’ by Lauren McCauley Testing the waters for potential nomination bid, Martin O’Malley calls for a president willing to take on ‘wealthy, special interests.’ News… TPP Opponents Mobilize as Powerful Forces Seek to Ram Through ‘Fast Track’ Trade Authority by Deirdre Fulton Lawmakers in favor of the pro-corporate trade deals hope to vote on Fast Track legislation in mid-April. Syria’s President Assad: US Airstrikes a Recruiting Bonanza for ISIS by Jon Queally Americans would like to ‘sugar coat’ the situation, says Bashar al-Assad, but the situation in his country is only being made worse by airstrikes. ‘Heart Over Hard’: Thousands Protest Austerity in Brussels by Deirdre Fulton Demonstrators call for Belgian government to tackle fraud and enact higher taxes on the rich. GMO Seed Theft Equals National Security Threat, Argues Government by Lauren McCauley Defense attorneys say spying on alleged Chinese seed plotters in trade dispute signifies ‘breathtaking’ overreach. After Talking to Washington Post About Low Wages, Hotel Worker Fired by Common Dreams staff In original profile, journalist wrote that Shanna Tippen’s experience ‘reflects a more realistic picture’ of life on minimum wage. As Chaos in Yemen Continues, Air Strike Kills Dozens at Refugee Camp by Deirdre Fulton Roughly 500 new families arrived in the camp over the last two days, escaping bombings in other parts of the country. more news… Views… There’s a Reason the Big Banks Aren’t Mad with Hillary by John Atcheson And Why Those Emails Matter Why the NCAA Should Move the Final Four Out of Indiana by Dave Zirin “Here is a time to say that despite the branding, the swooshes and the ads everywhere, money is really not the most important part of college athletics.” Report: Big Education Firms Spend Millions Lobbying for Pro-Testing Policies by Valerie Strauss Four top testing companies collectively spent more than $20 million lobbying in states and on Capitol Hill from 2009 to 2014. Balancing the Tensions of Afghanistan’s Ashraf Ghani by Ralph Nader “Above all, President Ghani wants to neutralize anybody or anything that undermines or distracts from his focus on building trust in government.” You Owe Us, Corporations: Four Reasons Why, and One Way to Pay by Paul Buchheit Corporate profits are at their highest level in 85 years, growing by 171 percent in the first half of the Obama presidency. Black America’s State of Surveillance by Malkia Cyril “Black people and other people of color have lived for centuries with surveillance practices aimed at maintaining a racial hierarchy.” more views… Newswire… National Lawyers Guild Student Chapters to Hold Country-Wide “Black Lives Matter” Day of Action 4/2/15 U.S. Right to Know Calls for Investigation of Monsanto Cover Up, Harassment of USDA Scientists 350.org: Paris Makes Strides Towards Ditching Investments in Fossil Fuels Reprieve: UK Government ‘Trying to Prevent Justice’ for Rendition Victims Public Citizen: As Dark Money Monsters Torment Investors, Shareholders Need SEC Chair to Be Superhero; They Ask: “Where Is Mary Jo White?” more newswire…

Truthout Daily Digest | Saturday, 21 March 2015

As Gentrification Persists in San Francisco, Evictions Take New Forms

Adam Hudson, Truthout: As San Francisco rents continue to rise and gentrification spreads, unscrupulous landlords are using new tactics to evict tenants from affordable housing, including bullying residents, going “out of business” and misusing zoning laws.

Read the Article

The Increasing Concentration of Capital Precludes Democracy

Tariq Ali, Verso Books: The contradiction between the dense concentration of capital and the needs of a majority of the population is becoming explosive. But the hollowing out of democracy is not a process that can be reversed by parliamentary decree alone.

Read the Excerpt

UN Security Council: Right Venue for Iran Deal, Right Venue for Israel-Palestine

Robert Naiman, Truthout: The Netanyahu lobby has too much power in Washington for DC to be the center of a resolution to the conflict. That is precisely why the Netanyahu lobby has insisted that Washington must be the center of Israel-Palestine diplomacy.

Read the Article

Women Up in Arms: Zapatistas and Rojava Kurds Embrace a New Gender Politics

Charlotte María Sáenz, Other Worlds: Women are increasingly represented on governing councils and active in the armed ranks of resistance groups, but the real revolution is seen within the domestic sphere, where caring for children, health and home are shared labor between men and women.

Read the Article

Richard Falk on ISIS and Islamic “Essentialism”

Dan Falcone, Truthout: The international law and foreign relations scholar deconstructs “essentialism”: right-wing political commentators’ attribution of recent events in the Middle East, such as the ISIS beheadings or the destruction of Assyrian artifacts in the Mosul Museum in Iraq, to the essential character of Islam.

Read the Interview

Joseph Stiglitz on the Trans-Pacific Partnership: “This Is A Big Deal”

Alexandros Orphanides, In These Times: Proponents of the TPP argue that the agreement will encourage global economic integration, increase US competitiveness in a “dynamic Asia region” and stimulate political reform leading to more open markets. All this, they claim, will result in better jobs, wages and products.

Read the Article

Consumers Getting “Skinned” by Health Insurers

Wendell Potter, Center for Public Integrity: Conventional wisdom holds that consumer-driven health care has contributed to a slowing in the rate of medical inflation. It also undoubtedly has contributed to a very troubling phenomenon: people with health insurance who are no longer getting the care they need.

Read the Article

Why Did Miriam Carey Die After Wrong Car Move at White House Checkpoint?

Amy Goodman and Aaron Maté, Democracy Now!: As new details have emerged about two Secret Service agents accused of drunk driving into a White House security barricade, we look back to another Secret Service scandal – the shooting of Miriam Carey on October 3, 2013.

Watch the Video and Read the Transcript

Guiding Obama Into Global Make-Believe

Ray McGovern, Consortium News: This US pattern of exaggeration – making scary claims about Ukraine without releasing supporting evidence – has even begun to erode the unity of the NATO alliance, where Germany is openly criticizing the Obama administration’s heavy-handed use of propaganda against Russia.

Read the Article

Edison’s Bright Idea

Emily Schwartz Greco, OtherWords: It could take years to restore the equilibrium Big Oil banked on just a year ago. In the meantime, disruptive energy innovations will keep reducing and displacing demand for fossil fuels, and governments will step up green-energy mandates.

Read the Article

Science Denier Ted Cruz Doesn’t Understand NASA’s Core Mission at All

Steve Williams, Care2: Putting science-denier Senator Ted Cruz in charge of NASA’s funding oversight was never going to go well. Last week the Republican lawmaker really began flexing his muscles, claiming that NASA should focus only on space exploration and stop looking at more earthly matters.

Read the Article

The Brutal Winter That Wasn’t

The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: People like Senator Jim Inhofe, America’s climate change-denier-in-chief, would tell you that this winter was proof that climate change and global warming are a big joke. But here’s the thing: In most of United States, this winter was not cold.

Read the Article

Fitness Devices Make it Harder to Lie to Ourselves

Paul Krugman, Krugman & Co.: You might say that the truth will show up on the scale and your waistline eventually. Yes, but that’s too future-oriented. You need to guilt-trip yourself in the here and now.

Read the Article

BuzzFlash

Rick Scott’s Ban on State Officials Acknowledging Global Warming Imperils Florida

Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: Although Florida’s coast is in danger of permanent flooding due to global warming, Governor Rick Scott has reportedly issued a gag order on state officials, prohibiting them from even mentioning climate change.

Read the BuzzFlash Commentary

Community Rights vs. Corporate Rights: Citizens Fight for Home Rule Against Fracking and Pipelines

Read the Article at BuzzFlash

UN Panel to Consider US “Failure” to Clear Up Racial Murders of Civil Rights Era

Read the Article at The Guardian

Charles P. Pierce: There Is No Republican Middle

Read the Article at Esquire

Black Women’s Lives Matter: A Chant Less Often Heard

Read the Article at Ravishly

We’re Pumping So Much Groundwater That It’s Causing the Oceans to Rise

Read the Article at Mother Jones

Obama Proposes Mandatory Voting, Says it Would Be “Transformative”

Read the Article at ABC News

The Unbearable Cruelty of the GOP Budget

Read the Article at Reverb Press

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YES! Magazine Weekly Digest | Friday 6 March 2015

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FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE

Can the Left and Right Unite to End Corporate Rule? An Interview with Ralph Nader and Daniel McCarthy

Partisan gridlock keeps the focus on the fight—but we might have some radical ideas in common.

“The Internet Is My Lifeline”: Hip-Hop Artist Jasiri X on the FCC’s Net Neutrality Vote

Women Over 65 Own Nearly a Third of Iowa’s Farmland—Can They Prevent the Next Dust Bowl?

Craigslist Saved 5M Tons of Stuff From Landfills—And 4 Other New Stats on Local Economies

What’s the True Impact of the Alternative Economy? Researchers Decide It’s Time to Find Out

When the Grandmothers Awoke

These Neighbors Got Together to Buy Vacant Buildings. Now They’re Renting to Bakers and Brewers

Though the model is new and small, it holds outsize potential for the many neighborhoods whose downtowns are controlled by faraway landlords or retail chains.

Forget Dystopian Fiction: This New Novel Explores Being a Modern Teenager Waiting for the End Times

We’re Young, Passionate, and Bent on Justice: Why #BlackLivesMatter Is Irresistible

Students for Economic Pluralism, Unite! How College Kids Are Taking on the “High Priests” of Money

These Cities Built Cheap, Fast, Community-Owned Broadband. Here’s What Net Neutrality Means For Them

Publicly owned broadband lets local communities from Iowa to Louisiana control a vital economic resource—rather than leaving it in the hands of a few monopolistic corporations. The outcome of this week’s FCC vote could either help or hinder the path forward.

From Warrior Cops to Community Police: A Former Chief on How We Can Turn Back the Tide of Militarization

The Largest Chinese Bike Share Program Is 12 Times the Size of NYC’s

“We’ve Known What Police Brutality Feels Like”: Pussy Riot’s Tribute Song to Eric Garner

FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE

Replace the Gospel of Money: An Interview With David Korten

What if we measured wealth in terms of life, and how well we serve it.

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Common Dreams Highlights | Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Featured… Netanyahu Threatens War In Speech to Congress by Phyllis Bennis Realizing he has insufficient clout to stop the negotiations, Netanyahu demanded a back-up position: If not “no” deal, then we can have a better deal. His vision of a “better” deal, however, is grounded in Iranian surrender. News… Bank of England Issues Warning Over Looming ‘Carbon Bubble’ Threat by Deirdre Fulton ‘As the world increasingly limits carbon emissions, and moves to alternative energy sources, investments in fossil fuels…may take a huge hit,’ predicts one of Europe’s oldest banks. Nearly 60 Lawmakers Boycott Netanyahu Speech by Lauren McCauley Condemning Netanyahu’s efforts to “sabotage diplomacy,” grassroots groups also rallied around the boycott and called on lawmakers ahead of time to skip the speech. As Bibi Marches on Congress, Obama Says If Iran Talks Fail ‘Military Actions’ Await by Jon Queally “I don’t think it’s permanently destructive,” Obama told Reuters in reference to Netanyahu’s visit, “but I think it’s a distraction from what should be our focus. And our focus should be: how do we stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon?” New Study Shows California Droughts Driven by Climate Change and Here to Stay by Sarah Lazare The researchers concluded that human-driven global warming is exacerbating and increasing the confluent warm and dry conditions that have produced the state’s most severe droughts. Body-Cam Company Has Financial Ties to Police Chiefs by Nadia Prupis While the demand for body cameras among law enforcement has risen in the wake of the high-profile police killings of unarmed citizens, critics are noting the potential for biased dealings when police chiefs profit off of private companies. Clinton Skirted Public Disclosure Laws While Heading State Department by Lauren McCauley “It is very difficult to conceive of a scenario — short of nuclear winter — where an agency would be justified in allowing its cabinet-level head officer to solely use a private email communications channel for the conduct of government business,” Baron said. more news… Views… For Peace, We Must Defeat Netanyahu on Iran Diplomacy by Robert Naiman If we want to have a serious conversation about how to beat Netanyahu on settlements, the fight over Iran diplomacy should be required reading, because we’re facing the same adversaries, with the key difference right now being that on the second front, we have far fewer friends. Eight Lessons for Progressives Inspired by Syriza by Ted Fertik & Dan Cantor Syriza is standing up to the powers-that-be in European capitalism in a way that seems almost impossible to imagine in places like Canada and the United States. Playing Chicken with Nuclear War by Robert Parry A swaggering goofiness has come to dominate how the United States reacts to Russia, with American politicians and journalists dashing off tweets and op-eds, rushing to judgment about the perfidy of Moscow’s leaders, blaming them for almost anything and everything. David Petraeus Gets Hand-Slap for Leaking, Two Point Enhancement for Obstruction of Justice by Marcy Wheeler The Department of Justice basically completely wiped away the crime of covering up his crime of leaking some of the country’s most sensitive secrets to his mistress. What Climate Crisis? Sales of SUVs Booming in Europe by Andy Rowell The so-called eco-consciousness of the industry – where fuel efficient and alternative fuel vehicles were pushed – has gone. Arctic Nightmare: Obama, Shell, and the Fate of the Far North by Subhankar Banerjee Think of drilling in the Arctic as a future catastrophe in a single enticing package. more views… Newswire… ACLU: DHS Funding Bill Passes With Harmful Immigration Family Detention Provisions Brennan Center for Justice: BRIEF: Legal Ethicists Urge Wisconsin Justices to Consider Recusal in Gov. Scott Walker Campaign Finance Case Institute for Public Accuracy: Netanyahu Speech: Nuclear Threat CAIR Asks Tennessee Legislature to Drop Anti-Muslim ‘No-Go Zone’ Bill Western Environmental Law Center: Conservationists Challenge Wildlife Services’ Authority to Kill Wolves in Washington Violence Policy Center: ATF Proposal to Restrict Certain Types of AR-15 Ammo Direct Result of Gun Industry’s Design and Marketing of Armor-Piercing Assault Pistols, VPC Report Shows more newswire…

Mahala | Planet Alert March 2014

Planet Alert Newsletter March 2014 I woke up the morning of February 11 with the words of a song running through my head called ‘Let It Go’. It kept running through my head and I didn’t know where it came from until I saw the movie a few days later called Frozen. I realized ‘Let It Go’ must be a popular song when I heard many people singing along with that song in the movie. I looked up the words to that song because it left such an impression on me. That song also won an Oscar in the Academy Awards last night. Check out this link: (search youtube for “Frozen let it go” or click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk&feature=player_detailpage) Here are a couple of verses to that song. “It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small and the fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all. It’s time to see what I can do to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free. Let it go, let it go I am one with the wind and sky. Let it go, let it go. My power flurries through the air into the ground, my soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around, and one thought crystalizes like an icy blast. I’m never going back; the past is in the past. Let it go, let it go, let it go”. Isn’t that what we are all doing right now? The past is gone; it is no more-let it go. The new is here and all we have to do is connect to the new energy, which is the energy of love and unity consciousness. I know that sometimes that is hard to do. We are all human Beings doing the best we can, although with the energy that is coming in right now we need to let go of our past. Live in the now and become an observer to everything that is going on around you. Don’t get caught in the drama. There needs to be a lot of people holding the energy right now and living in joy and happiness. Life is supposed to be happy. Did anyone say that life had to be so serious and painful? Now let’s go on to more thoughts about events that are going on in the world right now. Welcome to the emotional water energy of the new moon in Pisces that happened on March 1, 2014. One of the results of that energy was the rain southern California just received. I hope they get more rain to help with the drought they are experiencing. They produce a large amount of food that is needed all over the United States. If they can’t produce the food, the price of food will go up. Besides that, it is nice to have enough water to take a bath every now and then. Along with the storms in California, we have major storms going on in the Midwest and East Coast. The water energy can be either rain, snow, or ice. Remember I have been saying that Jupiter is in Cancer (water sign) and is activating the area from the Mississippi River to the East Coast which includes the Southeastern part of the USA. This energy will continue in those areas until the end of July. Then Jupiter will move into the fire sign Leo where it will stay for one year. Along with the water energy of Pisces, we have the fiery, angry energy of the Sun conjunct Mars (by declination) for the first week of March. This means it is a good idea to control your temper. Mars also rules sports, and was over the area of Sochi when the Olympics were taking place. However there was also a revolution going on in Kiev at the same time. Mars energy is still over the Ukraine and Crimea, which was just taken over by the Russians. This is a pretty major event. We will see how it all works out. I had a dream about the bear (Russia) getting aggressive on February 25, 2013. Then I had two other dreams on April 7 and 10, 2013 about the bear. Mars was just conjunct the North Node in Libra a few days ago. This means the node is activating Mars. The lower frequency Earth still seems to vibrate to the war energy of Mars. Other people are working toward the peace energy of Libra. Libra rules justice and people will tend to want their own way if they think things are unjust. Valdimir Putin has four planets in Libra, with Scorpio rising and his moon is in Gemini. His Sun is on 13 degrees Libra and that is being activated by the cardinal cross right now. Mars is conjunct his Mercury, and Mars turned retrograde right on top of his Mercury. This gives him the energy to think that what he is doing is right. Pluto is exactly square his Sun right now which gives him the desire for power, or to become involved in power struggles and aggressive behavior. With the high frequency energy that is happening right now things can get a little chaotic. This was a very interesting new moon because we had the Sun and Moon on 10 degrees Pisces, Jupiter 10 degrees Cancer, Uranus 10 degrees Aries, and Pluto 13 degrees Capricorn. This means the fast-acting cardinal cross is being activated and we can look for surprising and unexpected events to happen. These events can be either positive or negative, depending on what we have created. Right now it looks like Russia is creating a negative event. Russian troops took over Crimea as the parliament in Moscow gave Valdimir Putin a green light to use the military to protect Russian interests in the Ukraine. Russia has a lot of natural gas which Putin sells to other countries, including Europe. Russia sells 25 percent of their gas to the European market, and 80 percent of that gas passes through the Ukraine. It sounds to me like there is a dispute about gas right now. Russia also has a Navy Base in Crimea on the Black Sea and Russia now controls that base. March will be a very interesting month. Mars and Saturn turned retrograde at about the same time at the beginning of March. Those two planets in aspect rule police or military action. Mars is very dominant in its retrograde aspect. With Mars activating the Ukraine right now, it’s not surprising what is occurring there. I also just heard there is an Ultra-Orthodox Jews mass-protest going on in Jerusalem right now (March 3, 2014) over the Army Service Draft Law. They are saying-No More War… The North Node just finished moving over Jerusalem. Other parts of the world are also being activated as the Sun moves through the sign of Pisces. We will also probably hear news about Japan or the South Sea Islands. When the Sun moves into the fire sign Aries on the Spring Equinox at 9:57 AM PST on March 20, we will start experiencing the energy of fire. Mars rules Aries. With the Sun and Uranus conjunct on April 2, we will be in the time of many unexpected changes. Then the cardinal cross will be exact on 13 degrees Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn on April 20-21-22. Easter just happens to be on April 20 this year. Palm Sunday is April 13 and the beginning of Passover is on April 15th. Easter is the celebration of the risen Christ consciousness that is within everyone. The best thing we can do to help the Earth transition into the New Earth is to be happy, enjoy life, be grateful for everything we have, count your blessings, and develop an Attitude of Gratitude. And don’t forget to let go of the past and stand in your power of love. So Be It! Blessings to everyone! ***** Mahala Gayle ***** I can be reached at planetalert If you wish to donate you can go to Paypal and look forplanetalert. Donations are always appreciated. Thank you!

Carl Boudreau’s Astrology Blog: The Astrology of March 2014 – Realignment

Saturday, March 01, 2014

The Astrology of March 2014 – Realignment

The Astrology of March 2014

February Recap

February’s analysis focused on a triangle, an exact, potent, powerfully placed influence, acting on the individual and community levels. It transformed personal and community values and then gave these values transformative force.

As members of a community, we were powerfully motivated to rethink our values and their effects in the community and then to project our new, more idealistic expectations into our community and out into the wider world.

In the US, on February 10th, the NAACP kicked off Moral Mondays for 2014 in Raleigh, NC. It was joined by reform groups from around the country. Moral Monday protests were established to protest the extreme right wing agenda being advanced by North Carolina’s GOP dominated government.
With 80-100,000 people present, it was the largest such gathering since the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Created to protest the extreme right wing agenda being advanced by NC’s GOP government.
There was a general, broad-based outcry against a blatantly discriminatory, anti-gay bill awaiting the signature of Governor of Arizona, which she vetoed.
Prolonged and violent confrontation between the grassroots and the government in the Ukraine, Venezuela and Thailand gave more intense, violent expression of this energy.

March 2014

March’s chart is a reflection of February’s in important respects. It is also especially intense; for the third month in a row, three Moons occur within 30 days.

New Moon – March 01

Full Moon – March 16

New Moon – March 30
In February, the focus of the transformative energies was on the individual acting as a member of the community. In March, the focus of transformative energies is the patterns that govern our relationships, at home, in the community, at work and in just about every area of our lives.

We live in an ocean of mental and emotional patterns, stereotypes, biases, habits and fixed attitudes, and so on. These are created by our minds and shape our culture. Culture, in turn shapes our personal, professional, political and economic relationships.

In March, these mental and emotional patterns are in rapid flux and so are the patterns in society.

The Moon governs the structure and continuity of our personality; it integrates present and past experiences and coordinates conscious and unconscious thought processes. With three Moons in a short space of time for the third month in a row, our psyches will, again, work unusually hard to sustain the processes that maintain our personality. Our personalities will, again, evolve at an even faster rate.

Many of us will continue to feel the strain, succumbing to periods of disorientation and confusion. We might have to step in consciously to keep normally unconscious, smooth-running cognitive processes on track.

We might, for example, have to consciously choose between competing, conflicting responses to events, each derived from a different points in our psychological development or drawn from conflicts and contradictions in our attitudes.

All the World’s a Stage
This month’s analysis focuses on several placements that complement the Moon’s transformative work. Each acts in its own way to disrupt and transform existing patterns of thought and behavior.

• Pallas is retrograding in Leo in the 1st house.

Pallas governs the perception, creation, maintenance and destruction of patterns. While retrograde, Pallas loosens the grip and eases the pressure exerted by existing patterns. It also makes them easier to transform or destroy.

Pallas is in the playful and demonstrative sign of Leo in the 1st: individuals see and change their own patterns and patterns in the world around them. Under Leo’s influence, we will do this publicly, in very visible ways.

• Retrograde Mars, retrograde Vesta, the North Node and retrograde Ceres are all in Libra in the 3rd house. Retrograde Vesta conjoins the North Node precisely.

This mixture of influences supports an intense, proactive commitment (Mars and Vesta) to reform (Libra and the North Node) of nurturance practices (Ceres) at the community level (the 3rd house).

The retrograde motion brings a long, hard look at past practices and at plans still on the drawing board. We experience a driving need to make our community a more just, loving, nurturing place.

• Saturn is retrograde in Scorpio in the 4th house. The Arabic Lot of Accusation is in Sagittarius in the 4th.

We are motivated to take a sober look at our attitudes and let go of those that are hurting ourselves or others. Feelings of guilt about the harm our attitudes might have caused in the past rise to the surface.

Saturn retrograde in Scorpio in the 4th house is alongside the Arabic Lot of Accusation. The fourth house governs the deeper levels of our personality. This influence motivates and empowers us to clear out our psychological and attic, or basement. We change the rules we live by, making ourselves more responsive and responsible.

• Ixion, Pholus and Quaoar are closely conjunct in Sagittarius in the 5th.

Each of these bodies governs some aspect of the processes that govern social behavior. They are all trine Pallas in the sign of Leo in the 1st house.

Ixion governs our ability to overcome our own passions so that we can fairly carry out our social duties and obligations. Ixion is often associated with gross misbehavior in high places.

Pholus rules our ability to uphold the highest values of our community in the face of pressure to to do otherwise. It is frequently associated with cronyism, corruption, codependency and enabling.

Quaoar, governs transformational chaos, our willingness to modify or destroy old patterns and create new ones. It is also associated with stagnation and rigidity, the refusal to change outdated patterns.

In combination with Pallas in Leo in the 1st house, this influence empowers and motivates us to actively explore new and better ways of governing ourselves.

We are preparing ourselves to change the rules that govern society. We are already trying out new things in our day-to-day interactions with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and public officials.

Relationship Realignments

• The Part of Fortune is precisely conjunct the descendant and also conjunct Venus in Aquarius in the 7th house. Venus is strongly placed near the Descendant in its own house.

This influence brings us recognition and friendship for creating relationships that support tolerance and inclusiveness.

• Nessus in Aquarius and Mercury and Neptune in Pisces are loosely conjunct in the 7th house.

This grouping lets us transform, or idealize, our thinking about relationships (Mercury conjunct Neptune in Pisces). Meanwhile, Nessus could trigger physical and emotional discomfort if we let ourselves be pressured into intolerance and exclusiveness.

Mercury conjoins Neptune in Pisces in the 7th house near the cusp of the 8th house. Hence, this particular transformative influence not only affects relationships, but the distribution of wealth and power, also.

This 7th house stellium, like those already discussed, also foretells deep changes in the patterns that shape our lives.

Turn Ahead

This phase of transformations and, thus, decision-making will be closed out in April.

In April there are two eclipses and a Grand Cross in Cardinal signs combined with a Kite.

• On April 15, there is a total eclipse of the Full Moon in Libra.

• On April 29th, there is an annular eclipse of the Sun in Taurus.

• Mars, Jupiter, Pluto and Uranus form a Grand Cross in cardinal signs. It will be in force pretty much all month.

• The Grand Cross is imbedded in a Kite that will also be in force for much of April.

I will discuss these aspects in greater detail next month. Suffice it to say, that eclipses are cut-off points. Old options are taken off the table. New options are adopted.

A Grand Cross in cardinal signs will require hard, irreversible choices about how to move forward. But the Kite will insure that these decisions will be made carefully and with much thought and discussion. Kites do not allow snap decisions. So April will bring irreversible changes and hard but carefully made choices.

The combination of Grand Cross and Kite make it unlikely that conflicts will have a catastrophic outcome.

Carl Boudreau at 9:58 AM
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