ASTRAL REFLECTIONS
BY TIM STEPHENS
SEPTEMBER 20 -  26, 2009 

	All times/dates are PDT.
	The 1960’s remain unique. If troubadours, slackers and wanderers could ever be heroes, it was a generation of heroes. We still don’t know what our actions meant, but we know they were heroic. We stepped forward into a world unknown, a true brink. I don’t think there have been explorations of such importance since the fifteenth century. Columbus discovered America in 1492; in the 1960s, Americans landed on the Moon and society discovered consciousness. Has there been a greater act of exploration between those dates, or since? To access a comparable period of such stark “awareness intensity” as the sixties,  we’d have to go back to the old testament prophets who saw wheels and burning bushes or who, like Moses, bore the full brunt of God’s powerful breath – or to the pre-literate peoples who saw monster-gods in all nature.
	Anyway, the sixties. Uranus in Libra. The planet of freedom in the sign of partnership, hence “free love.” And Neptune in Scorpio. The planet of drugs in the sign of rebirth and mystery. Pluto in Virgo. The planet of death in the sign of reality, practicality, of the earth, wheat and trees and tangibility – all lost, all “died,” as hallucinogens supplanted solid reality and true sensuality with a stark, fascinating new unreality, with a perception that “solid earth” was not only an illusion, but that there was no reality at all, only multiple experiences as intangible as thoughts. 
	The real heroes, though, were the beatniks, the pre-hippie generation who came of age in the 1950’s, not the ‘60’s. These were the first drug-takers, wanderers, and the first to throw themselves against the cold, blank glass wall of consciousness. The beatniks were few, maybe  a few hundred in a nation (the U.S.) of a hundred million. They were the prototypes, the fathers and ancestors of the hippies. And Ginsberg’s wail, “I have seen the best minds of my generation,” was a precursor to the dark side of free love and hippiedom, the suicides, the plunges into psychosis that haunted our drug-swallowing ranks. Consciousness is not easy. And the ones who came through well, healthy, and went on to successful lives, marriages and careers? They were, overall, the pretenders and the admirable, human, but pedestrian, the Alice Munroes and the Meryl Streeps, the ones who kept their feet well grounded in a sense of social position and hierarchy, who disdained (and feared) the incautious explorers, who were more concerned with their personal welfare (and even more, their image and position within the group) than with unanchored knowledge. But it has always been so. It isn’t that prophets aren’t honoured in their own country; they’re disdained. 
	Now, what was that  rant about? Not sure. Just felt like praising the poor hippies.  

Start Nothing: 11:44 a.m. to 9:52 p.m. Sun., 8:32 p.m. Tues. to 4:43 a.m. Wed., and 7:15 a.m. to 3:19 p.m. Fri.

Aries   March 21-April 19
A month of relationships starts soon (Tuesday). This can bring exciting attractions, both emotionally and in business. You’ll be intrigued by relocation possibilities. But it can also bring competition, challenges, even enmity. Tread softly. Remember, start nothing before September 29. (Especially not Sunday – the results will be empty.) Secrets and  mysteries (and sexual attractions, but not the right ones) arise Monday/Tuesday. Avoid two things: deception, and going against the law. Expect surprises in legal, reputational, career, relationship and work/health areas Wednesday-Friday.

Taurus   April 20-May 20
Your month of pleasure is over. Weeks of work and health concerns start Tuesday. – But don’t you start anything before September 29! (And despite the looming chores, the weeks ahead will be pleasantly mild and sweet – somebody’s sweet on you! Or vice-versa.) Sunday brings you news or hints of the work to come; it’s also an excellent day to dig in and get things accomplished. Agreements are good, firm; somehow, the “backtracking” of present influences won’t apply here. Exciting meetings loom Monday/Tuesday. But a change looms too, Wednesday/Thursday. Wisdom comes late, Friday.

Gemini   May 21-June 20
A month of relative loneliness and frustration (at the fact that nothing’s moving along) is replaced, Tuesday, by a month of creativity, enthusiasm, beauty, romance – nothing will move along (before September 29), but you’ll be happy nevertheless. A Libra might open your eyes to a world of love. You also get your “first break” Sunday – perhaps a property, domestic or child-related problem takes the first step toward a solution. Still, changes and opposition aren’t over in this arena, as mid-week demonstrates. That’s okay – keep cool, be patient. Yes, do delay. Secrets revealed, Saturday morn.

Cancer   June 21-July 22
Nostalgia, restfulness and a feeling of security come over you for the weeks ahead. Study situations well for the ten days ahead. Think about what circumstances, projects, involvements and relationships have grown stale, which are fertile and vibrant. Get ready to abandon the former, but don’t do it before September 29th.  A conversation or unstated understanding Sunday tells you things are good with someone, or that you two can relate on deep levels. But it’s the opposite midweek, especially Wednesday – a real disagreement can bubble under the surface this day, even emerge as a sudden “walk away.””

Leo  July 23-Aug.22
Remember, start nothing important before September 29. A good employment or money deal might face you Sunday – I’d bite, for this could be the exception to the “start nothing” rule. But act/react before noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT). (Okay, you Aussies, that’s before 5 a.m. Monday.) However, midweek could bring a new work or health change – it’s deep, almost unnoticeable, but the money effects will be obvious. Flow with various tides. The weeks ahead aren’t important – short trips, communications, casual friends, details. Don’t let these exhaust you, as mid-October brings the whirlwind!

Virgo   Aug. 23-Sept. 22
The month ahead features sensuality, purchases, earnings, and rote learning. Trust surface appearances – insisting on digging deeper might make you  miss a good situation/opportunity. (But remember, don’t start anything major before September 29.) In the years ahead, if single, love will emerge from communications – you’ll meet someone while travelling, or attraction could grow out of casual chatter. The first real hint of this hovers around you Sunday. Not that this day will bring a lasting relationship –  but there’s something. Careful with relationships mid-week: money and romance don’t mix!

Libra   Sept. 23-Oct. 22
You start a month of energy, charisma and good fortune Tuesday. You’ll even feel this as early as Sunday. Remember, don’t start anything until September 29 (which will be an excellent say to launch a love affair, creative project or similar – but that’s next week). Sunday carries an important hint or insight into your domestic future – seclusion, acceptance, or “retreat” (a retreat?) might be involved. Midweek, you might wonder, should I tackle and overcome these home, realty, parent-kid things, or quit the field? I’d say tackle – and expect a work, health or nutrition surprise to spring from it. 

Scorpio   Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Rest and contemplate most of Sunday. Some insights of true spiritual (though little practical) value will come into the resting mind this day. By midnight, or Monday, your energy surges upward, and you could have some intriguing moments in a romantic or creative situation! But don’t rely on its solidity, as Wednesday brings changes, and nothing now is permanent. (That’s why you should wait until September 29 onward to start anything important.) It’s either a clever, amusing friend,  or a pain in the b---, or a computer glitch, mid-week. Be careful with money Wednesday to Friday. Rest; rest.

Sagittarius   Nov. 22-Dec.21
Soon, pressures will ease; a month of gaiety, friendship, flirtations, hope and happiness will begin. We think circumstances cause mood, but it’s the other way around. Sunday contains a clue, a promise, involving money and career or status. It’s real and true, but don’t build on it yet – it’s there as an insight, not an offering. (Don’t start anything major before September 29.) Take a rest Monday/Tuesday. Wednesday brings a mild dilemma – do you chase joy or money, friends or duties/security? Burdens will dissolve in 5 weeks – the ones that have been on your shoulders for two years. Be happy!

Capricorn   Dec. 22-Jan.19
You’ve been thoughtful this past month. Now that changes: ambition and its pressures arrive swiftly over the weeks ahead. (But remember, start nothing important before September 29 –on that day, a very good money, earnings or purchase project could begin.) Sunday carries a deep, beneficial (but not “sunny”) clue about you, your ethical and cultural – and perhaps educational – future. Or your “being” even more than your future. High hopes and happiness arrive Monday/Tuesday. Wednesday hits the gong of ambition, responsibilities, the ladder of status: rest awhile, start next week.

Aquarius   Jan. 20-Feb. 18
You’ll slowly drag yourself from the depths this week, to begin a month of clean breezes and gentle thinking. Legal, far-travel or higher learning projects will be favoured. But first, mid-week brings a bump in the road, a legal block, a travel restriction, whatever. The bump hardly looks like one, but it’s solid nonetheless. It involves a secret, a vice or something you haven’t solved. Money (or sex) is involved, too. It signals a shift for many years to come: be aware, accept this, make the shift. (Embrace/cure your inner self, darker self.) Maybe paradoxically, hopes rise mid-week, too. 

Pisces   Feb. 19-March 20
This is not an ideal time to shift from one gear or focus to another, as partners are indecisive and circumstances are shifting. (Until September 29 – that’s why you shouldn’t build anything new before then.) Nevertheless, you are shifting now, from surface and openness, to secrets and depths. That’s okay, watch and listen, but don’t commit – yet. Sex, finances, research, lifestyle changes, health factors, detective work and subconscious urges fill the weeks ahead. These might run cross-grain to your new (2009-2024) social circle mid-week, causing a wee withdrawal. That’s fine. Fine hopes, Saturday!


www.astralreflections.com.  Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. 


					/30/