AUTHOR'S NOTE:
If there was any doubt about the direction the Great Alignment of May 2000 (please read the article at my website) was sending our society, the recent State of the Union address and follow-up budget proposal should have made it painfully clear. Mr. Bush was quite literal and direct in his statements. We are heading to the right without as much as a stop off for coffee on the way. There is no room in America anymore for entitlement programs, education, police, Medicare, health care reform or protective social programs of any sort; not if we are going to increase tax breaks to the rich, protect large corporations at the cost of the little guy, and build a culture where anyone with a dollar and a dream can get disgustingly wealthy as long as he or she is willing to ignore the poor. The Republican agenda was heralded by that massive astrological aspect.

An estimated 45 million Americans are without health insurance. According to the census bureau, there are an estimated 35 million Americans now living below the so-called poverty line, which in itself is a joke. And most of these depend upon the programs, now on the chopping block, for sustenance. What will happen to these people if Bush has his way with the budget?

America is heading for a class war, and the Republican leadership is either too selfish or too short sighted to realize it. In any society suffering such a struggle, it is the middle class that pays the ultimate price. They will foot the bill for the permanent tax cuts to the rich, the loss of educational advantages, the coming health care crisis, etc. By the time we realize what Bush's policies have done he will be out of office and it may be too late to do anything to correct the mistakes.

A nation as rich as ours shouldn't even have a poverty class; when there is a weak underbelly a culture eventually collapses. What makes this situation all the more tenuous is the fact that the lower classes in America have more weapons than most nation's armed forces. What do you think happens when millions of people can't earn a living or take care of their basic needs; when there is no chance for a decent education, and healthcare comes at a cost out of their reach? Even the downtrodden peasants of 18th century France finally rose up against their society, and they had nothing but a few picks and shovels. Of course they had Robespierre, a fair and gallant figure, to lead them in their struggle. Well, at least he was a good dancer.

The problem is simple: Greed. Sports figures are paid tens of millions of dollars, movie stars get the same. CEOs get hundreds of millions. More often than not they can't run, act or manage worth a dime. But a contract is a contract. There are over a million multi-millionaires in America today! That's a lot of money in the hands of a very few. The rest of us see this and say: Why not me? Why shouldn't I have a piece of the dream?

I love this country and what we believe its inception stood for. But let us not forget that America was begun as a series of corporations backed by the various crowns of Europe, and they all expected a profit. Democracy grew out of the minds of a small number of brilliant statesmen and writers all incarnated at the same time and place to forge this union. Where could we find such minds today? And, if the education system of this country continues its decline, where will we find the minds necessary to even continue this great experiment? The answer is: we won't. So we'd better fix things soon or the decay will continue.

Putting Dean in charge of the Democratic Party pretty much insures the continuation of a Republican White House for years to come. He is one of the instruments for the Great Alignment and the resulting effects. To continue to pull to the right, he simply couldn't have what it would take to rebuild the party of the people. Bush and his group are only the beginning. If the GOP continues to reign, as I believe it will, the America of my youth will be just a memory. And if the Democrats are somehow able to win the presidency as a result of our economic collapse, it will be a hollow and temporary victory similar to Carter's election, unless they can find a nominee strong enough to turn things around. FDR was such a man. He inherited a nation on the verge of destruction from Hoover, a man considered the savior of this land when elected, and a buffoon when his term was over. Now virtually everything FDR put into place to protect the poor, Bush wants to toss out. In a nation of such wealth and such promise, to have to step over homeless people on the way to the subway or your SUV is disgusting. Shame on you, America; your children will suffer the shortages and indignation of your greed.

Have you read "Yurtle The Turtle" by Dr. Suess lately?

NEW MOON:
On Tuesday February 8th at 5:28 P.M. EST the New Moon falls at 20 degrees Aquarius 16 minutes. As with all things Aquarian we can expect the unexpected this month. Be wary of erratic behavior in yourself or in others. The need for something new and exciting is extremely prominent. Anything that has been feeling worn out or unproductive you will seek to replace. This is a month for growth and experimentation, not the status quo. This is a good time to purchase computers, TVs, digital cameras or any other technological toy ruled by this sign.

MERCURY TRINES JUPITER:
On Thursday February 10th at 5:43 A.M. EST this exuberant trine occurs, creating a day or so of enthusiastic and expansive conversation. This is a good time to advance any project that requires a great deal of mental energy. Just don't let this go to waste. Laziness is one of Jupiter's pitfalls.

THE SUN SEXTILES PLUTO:
MERCURY SEXTILES PLUTO:
On Saturday February 12th at 10:28 A.M. EST The Sun sextiles Pluto, and Mercury sextiles Pluto the following day, Sunday February 13th at 5:36 A.M. EST. These positive aspects will give off a lot of energy over this weekend. Any dealings involving other people's resources or a partnership of some sort should go smoothly. Use this energy to clear up any misunderstandings that may have recently occurred. The potential depth of understanding one can reach with a Pluto Mercury contact is quite remarkable. Add the Sun for fuel and who knows?

THE SUN CONJUNCTS MERCURY:
On Monday February 14th, Valentine's Day, at 5:50 A.M. EST Mercury becomes combust (swallowed by the Sun, so to speak), and people will have a lot to say. This is primarily a positive aspect but you must allow others the space to say what's on their minds or there could be arguments. The Sun is pure will, and as such does not understand limits or boundaries. Be careful that you do. With Venus conjunct Neptune (see below) on the same day, for some, this could be a day of disappointment due to poor judgment in love.

VENUS CONJUNCTS NEPTUNE:
Also on Valentine's Day at 7:48 P.M. EST, smack dab in the middle of your romantic evening, this dandy of an aspect hits. Venus and Neptune are of a kind, being the lower and higher octave of the love instinct. But there the similarity ends. Where Venus seeks romantic and passionate love, with hearts and flowers, sex and brunch; Neptune looks for empathy, compassion and self denial. There couldn't be a more inappropriate aspect for this holiday. Confusion and illusion in love relationships is the result when these two get together. Heart and flowers can often lead to tears of disappointment once this aspect passes and you see your paramour for what he or she truly is. Give a new love a few days to prove itself before shopping for matching towels.

MERCURY ENTERS PISCES:
On Wednesday February 16th at 12:46 P.M. EST until March 4th when Mercury enters Aries you will find many people displaying a gentler voice. Use your intuition rather than your intellect. There is an ethereal quality to our thoughts when Mercury travels through this water sign. Those with psychic abilities may find them heightened for a few weeks. Because Pisces is ruled by Neptune, planets transiting there will display that spacey ethereal quality. Make sure you are understood, and be extremely careful with all documents. The fog created in this sign can cloud one's judgment, just like The Shadow.

THE SUN ENTERS PISCES:
On Friday February 18th at 8:32 A.M. EST we enter the mutable water sign. This will generate more of the same energy defined above with Mercury's transit. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac. It is a time for completions and endings. Use this time of year to prepare for a new beginning at the New Year, March 20th the day the Sun enters the 1st sign, Aries. People may seem a bit distracted these next few weeks so use caution, especially while driving or operating machinery.

MERCURY CONJUNCTS URANUS:
On Sunday February 20th at 12:43 A.M. EST the higher and lower octaves of the mind conjunct in the Wonderful World of Disney; for if any of the 12 signs rules that man's empire it is Pisces, ruler of illusions. Have you ever seen a mouse piloting a steamboat?
This aspect can create a day or so of tension and underlying nervousness. If you are prone to this you should be careful for a day or so, as it may set off a reaction. Accidents are quite possible if this aspect sets off a sensitive part of your chart. Most will involve confusion or distraction. Thoughts and ideas will come quickly but in an undisciplined manner. Take a moment before you act and you can avoid any problems.

VENUS SEXTILES PLUTO:
On Monday February 21st at 6:57 P.M. EST this very positive aspect completes, and if used properly this can help us in our relationships as well as our finances. Sextiles and trines must be actively used or they will pass with little notice. Use this one by combining your energies with that or others. Anything done as a group activity will have a greater chance of success. Any relationship begun under this energy will have the power to rejuvenate and continue to grow for years. Make a financial plan or open your I.R.A.

MERCURY SEXTILES MARS:
On Tuesday February 22nd at 4:25 P.M. EST these two energetic gods create the same aspect as above, and a similar concept applies. If you make use of this aspect along with the one mentioned above you can get a great deal of work accomplished in a few days. The mental activity this aspect creates can be channeled into arduous intellectual tasks. As with all trines and sextiles, use it or lose it.

FULL MOON:
This month's lunar peak hits on Wednesday February 23rd at 11:54 P.M. EST at 5 degrees Virgo 41 minutes. The critical evaluation of any new project, direction or relationship begun under the Aquarian New Moon will be intense during this aspect. You may find fault with the tiniest of imperfections. Try to avoid the tendency to over-criticize; it serves no purpose and can be quite counter-productive. Instead, use this energy to carefully examine your plans and create a structured, detail oriented scheme to carry it to fruition.

SUN CONJUNCTS URANUS:
On Friday February 25th at 1:33 A.M. EST this erratic and electric aspect completes. Caution is always advised where Uranus is concerned, and when it is combust its revolutionary force is amplified. Freedom is the underlying theme today, and anything that restrains that autonomy will feel repressive. Accidents are possible if this aspect hits a sensitive point in your chart. People will tend to be more nervous than usual and act from sudden impulse. Look before you leap.

VENUS ENTERS PISCES:
On Saturday February 26th at 10:07 A.M. EST the general feeling in the area of love will be less passion and more compassion. Venus is very much a material planet; ruling as it does our love affairs and our possession. Pisces is an ethereal, spiritual sign; not that interested in physical pleasures, but very interested in the concept of love. While Venus is transiting here many of us will find the spiritual side of the personality stimulated, while the actual will temporarily fade into the background. In some ways this is a testing of our values. But don't worry, it only lasts a few weeks and then things will become aggressive and flippant when Venus enters Aries.

MERCURY TRINES SATURN:
On Sunday February 27th at 4:51 P.M. EST this productive aspect hits. Use this time for any arduous mental tasks that need completion, as your thoughts will be focused and centered for a day or so. If you have been unwilling to face certain responsibilities you may find it easier to do so now.

MERCURY SQUARES PLUTO:
On Tuesday March 1st at 2:37 P.M. EST the truth will be heard at any cost. The squares are seen as an internalized conflict. When the conflict is worked through there is growth and a new point of view based upon the planets involved in the square. Since Mercury rules the lower brain functions and the day to day workings of our minds, its square to Pluto would imply the need to delve deeper into our thoughts. One result of this is the necessity to release these new found truths. If you are caught in the path of someone's self discovery you could misunderstand the intensity behind the revelations. If you are the one going through this change, try to recognize that others will not see things as you do. You should try to tone down your verbal affronts. It is self awareness you really seek, not other's awareness.

MARS SQUARES JUPITER:
On Thursday March 3rd at 5:14 A.M. EST the ego confronts the desire for expansion and there will be a tendency to overdo everything. For a day or so leading up to this aspect you should be careful not to overreact to minor incidences. There will be a great deal of energy in the air and if used properly you could get a great deal done today. Just make sure you direct it somewhere or it will direct itself in an undisciplined way.

VENUS CONJUNCTS URANUS:
On Friday March 4th at 3:44 A.M. EST the goddess of love meets up with the ruler of all things explosive. Sudden infatuations, compulsive shopping, inspirational creativity, instant affairs, accidents; these are some of the possibilities when these two conjoin. It is up to the individual which of the many possible reactions to the unpredictable powers of Uranus they will adhere to. Certainly you can expect something unusual and exciting. Just remember that anything begun under this aspect including relationships may have a spark but will more likely than not burn out rather quickly. Still, life can get boring sometimes and maybe a little bit of fun is just what's called for. Just be especially careful about overindulging or ingesting something you did not expect. And be careful while traveling.

MERCURY ENTERS ARIES:
Also on Friday March 4th at 8:34 P.M. EST Mercury hits the "Aries Point" at 0 degrees of that sign and begins its journey anew. People will tend to be a bit more aggressive in speech, especially after three weeks of Mercury in Pisces. Now whatever has been on their minds will be on their tongues. Coupled with the Venus-Uranus aspect mentioned directly above this could prove to be an explosive weekend. Certainly things will be overt and out front. You should find it easier to hear people's true feelings. Just be prepared for what you hear.

MARS OPPOSES SATURN:
On Monday March 7th at 11:15 A.M. EST this difficult and frustrating aspect hits. If it sets off a spot in your chart you could experience this as a rather exasperating day. Certainly it will set off many people's charts, so act cautiously. Mars is the ego, the power behind the personality. When it gets in position with Saturn it is repressed. We often respond to this repression aggressively as an attempt to control and work through it. All it really does is come out sounding angry and inappropriately assertive. If you or someone you know is being afflicted by this just wait a day until this passes, then you can get back to the matters at hand. If you try to work things out during this aspect you will argue and accomplish little.

DARK OF THE MOON:
Because the New Moons have been late in each sign the past few months, the period before has been rather extended and more intense than usual. From Tuesday March 8th at 7:32 P.M. EST until the New Moon Thursday March 10th at 4:10 A.M. EST will be a particularly low energy period. Spend this time finishing up anything that is incomplete, don't try to initiate new projects on a waning moon, it just won't work out. Once the New Moon hits you begin new projects or attempt a new approach to an existing problem.

People often misunderstand this time of the month. If you have been living in a situation or involved in a relationship that is intolerable or has outlived its usefulness this would be the proper time to move on with your life. If you have been working on a project that is almost complete but you seem to lack the energy for the finality, you must push during these low energy days to end the matter once and for all. If you don't, when the New Moon arrives it will bring this "dead" energy along with it and conflict with the newer force being presented. Often people, ideas or situations remain long after they have outlived their usefulness in our lives. Each month we are offered a chance to clean house, so to speak. Take advantage of it by finalizing anything in your life that needs completion.

Below is a list of times this month when the Moon is Void of Course and neither important decisions nor purchases should be made during these periods. The Void of Course Moon is a time when we should try to center ourselves and deal with spiritual matters not materialistic ones. Any decisions made on the VC Moon will not turn out the way we had expected.

The Moon is Void of Course from the time it makes its last major aspect in a sign until it enters the next sign. For example, if the Moon squares Mars at 27 degrees Aries and then has no more aspects until it enters Taurus it will be Void of Course for three degrees or about 6 hours. The aspects used are the conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition.

All times are Eastern Daylight:

February 8th 11:18 P.M. - February 9th 8:59 A.M.
February 11th 12:13 A.M. - 10:21 A.M.
February 13th 5:53 A.M. - 3:18 P.M. *** moon is void all day
February 15th 10:07 P.M. - February 16th 12:18 A.M.
February 18th 12:23 A.M. - 12:13 P.M.
February 20th 7:06 A.M. - February 21st 12:54 A.M.
February 23rd 4:47 A.M. - 12:44 P.M.
February 25th 12:00 P.M. - 10:59 P.M. *** moon is void all day
February 27th 8:49 P.M. - February 28th 7:21 A.M.
March 2nd 5:25 A.M. - 1:29 P.M.
March 4th 4:45 P.M. - 5:12 P.M.
March 6th 3:29 A.M. - 6:49 P.M. *** moon is void all day
March 8th 10:28 A.M. - 7:32 P.M. *** moon is void all day

Mitchell Scott Lewis
February 2005
New York City
(212) 726-3814
Copyright 2005
All Rights Reserved