Fire and Flowers from the Dark Hours and into the Light with Ground Hogs, St. Brigid and Moveable Feasts

Today is 40 days after Christmas, or half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Today is Ground Hog Day, St Brigid's Day, Candlemas, and Imbolc, one of the four main festivals in the Celtic calender.

Regarding Ground Hog Day, I am not sure this weather prognostication works here in Hamburg because it is so dark and the winter long. However, if there are ground hogs here, they did not see their shadows in this classic Northern German flat grey weather. Yet the days are in fact getting longer, and there are some early signs of Spring in the sounds of birds I hear.

According to Gaelic folklore, it is time to gather firewood for the rest of the winter. The symbology behind St. Brigid is that she brings us light and power to carry us from the dark of Winter and into Spring. Also symbolic of this time is lighting fires or candles in our homes to bring in extra warmth as well as the image of flowers rising through snow representing the half way point between Winter snow and Spring flowers.

This year the exact moment of this celebration happens when Moon is in Libra, the sign of symmetry and balance. I made this image combining candles, flowers and the symbol from the Haitian flag with prayers that the energy of St Brigid helps carry the Haitian people out of a darkest hour into the light.

About Getting There after the Full Moon Shines the Light on our Issues

When the Full Moon may have just lit up our "issues" (Saturn square Pluto) over the weekend (and for the last little while), then being motivated, as we are, may feel like the way a clothing hanger does (Moon in closet-organizing, all-hangers-face-north Virgo) riding a bike (mutable) on tomato wheels (exposed issues in Aquarius season) and going there anyway (Mars in Leo retrograde). Just a feeling.

Even shy ones are tooting their horns at the Full Moon in Leo.

Its snowing in Hamburg, and although there are no Cardinals here, I still always look for them anyway, those nice red birds that fly away if you whisper. So, what if those good looking birds would just toot their own horns while the snow comes down?

Earlier a song was playing on TV, Coldplay, "I will try to fix you" and I had to fight back the tears, I was involved. A certain cardinal in the room had the pepper-changer in his hand and wanted to change the channel and I wigged out grabbed the pepper-megaphone from my maternal soapbox. Then my old chum from college in another context told me I was maternal. so there you have it. Sun 'n Venus vs. Moon 'n Pepper-Mars, while Saturn insists on squaring Pluto just a little more, just a little more, just say WHEN.

Seven Creative Blogs

Once upon a time, when Pluto was in Sagittarius and blogs were new, I found Diane's site, which at that time was taglined a "knitting circle". As I sat alone in my kitchen in Germany reading her astrology posted from the West Coast of the U.S., I thought how true, this is our community. I marked Diane's site in my favorites and continue to read her evolving site still today. I have followed her life through the seasons of her Libra eyes, reading her posts on synastry, seeing snippets of her parter, her grandchild, her haircut or a new shawl. Yesterday was especially meaningful when Diane passed on one of her seven Kreativ Blogger awards to me. Thanks Diane, I am happy about our connection over the thousands of miles.

I did a little research on this award and have found it passing from blog to blog over months. One blogger, Simon Leong who writes about food, got the Kreativ Blogger in August of 2009. He blogged about the award when he received it, and it is from him I learned you can redesign the award if you want, so I did.

The next part that happens is to pass the award on to seven bloggers. So now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have been waiting for, presenting, the next seven Kreativ Blogger awards which go to:

1. Astrofix, This astrologer, Michelle, seems to write in a series of in-depth concepts. Sometimes she writes general astrology and sometimes very personal. The way she writes, shows her passion for the subject and how astrology runs through her whole life. This blog is fun, interesting, very organized and mysterious, too. Plus, I have never seen a blog look and almost feel like tactile paper, like an artists portfolio or scrap book, but this one does.

2. Serennu, There is really nothing like this blog and I recommend all astrologers to figure out this blog and this site. The author, Tracy, has programmed hundreds of minor planets so we can all cast our charts including the asteroids Child, Photographica, House and hundreds more. It's incredible, really. Just by casting your own chart, you can learn A LOT about all the other bodies besides the classical planets. Intuitive and original, Tracy comes up with striking insights with an unassuming voice, making super way-out information seem normal.

3. Karmic Relief, Shelley Ackermann is a New Yorker who has her finger on the pulse of the city. Each week Shelley connects current events with the astrology of the moment making it really fun to learn more of both. She includes savvy, right on, sign-by-sign astrology at the end of her weeklies. Each post at Karmic Relief is always a treat.

4. in2light Mark Krueger writes a completely unself-conscious blog. I am always struck by what seems to me as a complete lack of needing to impress anyone. Mark is just himself writing whatever is coming out of his fingers, which is usually a comment on the zeitgeist with dashes of astrology mixed in. Mark's play-on-words style keeps all topics up for questioning no matter how silly or serious.

5. Koreanish, Alexander Chee, a novelist, blogs about literature from the perspective of producing, teaching and living language. From research to artist colonies, from anecdotes about friends to including tarot cards in certain writing processes, I learn a lot about writing and a lot about paying attention to my life when I read his blog.

6. Bruce Mau's Manifesto, I re-read this manifesto every few months and each time I do I think every point is right.

7. vvvvovvvv, This blog is a wild card. I never know what will be posted here in what language. I have no idea who is behind it or how to contact them. I especially liked the link to the Spanish astrology videos, posted last year.

There you are folks, the Kreativ Blogger awards, I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Jupiter On the Last Degree of Aquarius and I Hear Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day

Jupiter on Sabian Symbol Aquarius 30:

Moonlit fields, once Babylon, are blooming white.

Jupiter is on the last degree of Aquarius and I hear the Green Day song, "Time of Your Life" playing. The lead singer of Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, is an Aquarius and he can really rally a crowd. I saw Green Day in concert in October and we the audience were so uplifted - I would go to another Green Day concert again in a heart beat.

I set up Billie Joe Armstrong's chart with 0° Aquarius on the ascendant, because he is an Aquarius. I used to put in 12:00 noon if I didn't know the time, but I find putting the zeroeth degree of the Sun sign on the ascendant works great for me.

Some Words on Billie Joe Armstrong's Astrology.

As an Aquarius, Billie Joe Armstrong understands the group experience, maybe that's why he is so into audience interaction when he performs. Check out his voice: Venus conjunct Chiron trining both Neptune in Sagittarius and Ceres in Leo. This is music that can heal a broken heart (Venus conjunct Chiron) because he knows what a broken heart is and because his voice is beautiful.When Billie Joe performs he runs around the stage the whole time (Mars trine Jupiter - lots of energy and enthusiasm). He is a fixed sign, and he has been in the same band since since 1989 and played with his base/guitar player, Mike Dirnt, since their childhood. That's fixed staying power for you.

Transiting Jupiter Just Conjuncted Armstrong's Sun. While Jupiter (long distance travel) is on the last degree of Aquarius, and just having conjuncted Billie Joe Armstrongs's Sun, Green Day is continuing their world tour in the Far East yesterday Singapore, tomorrow Hong Kong. According to the Green Day website, it seems this part of the tour ends on January 25, and they start touring again back to Europe in the beginning of June.

Transiting Chiron Conjunct Sun in March. In March, Chiron will conjunct Billie Joe Armstrong#s Sun. Maybe he will go back home to his family and have to assimilate somehow after having been on tour for months and months. He may be feeling wounded around his role in "the group" as we tend to do when we have been away from home for a while, or if we have Sun - Chiron contacts, or Chirion in Aquarius. As he is an Aquarius, and Chiron will be conjuncting his Sun, the theme of fitting in will be important.

Transiting Neptune Conjunct Sun April - May. Green Day's show "American Idiot" moves to Broadway. Opening night will be April 20, 2010 while Neptune is slowing down to a station and to conjunct Billie Joe Armstrong's sun - twice. If I can imagine how it would be to be him and listen to his own music sung by Broadway singers with Neptune on his Sun, I'd say he could well get swept away and feel something divine listening to the new voices. There may a chance of some disappointment or disorientation, but most likely he may go with the flow and let his own music wash over him in Neptunian transcendence.

Let' s be on the lookout for a possible new body of work inspired by the triple conjunction passing over the Sun of Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day.