NO - Mercury Is Not in Retrograde But.................

it might feel like it. I have gotten several calls from people complaining about blown circuits and miscommunications and computers getting Biblical on them. The repeated refrain is, "Is Mercury in retrograde again?" Nope. Actually the answer is just the reverse, we have too much Gemini energy roaming around and it is overloading the circuits.

Right now we have Mercury in it's natural ruler of Gemini as well as Lilith, Jupiter, Venus and, of course, the Sun. That is a lot of quick, verbal energy flying through the air in very close in, personal planets. If ever the adage, "Think before you speak" is beneficial it is now. Slow down, calm down and remember Mercury is fast and will be moving out of most of these signs by the end of June.

What Would Marilyn Monroe Eat?

Well I read that she loved steak and I believe that from looking at her chart.

Her 6th house, the house of food and the body is opened by Capricorn, the sign of goat. Normally Capricorns like good, hearty food that is no nonsense and no frills. Good old steak would appeal to that. Frankly, with her retrograded Saturn in the 4th house (Saturn rules Capricorn), I could see where she might have enjoyed the steak even more knowing that she couldn't afford it as a child. The fourth house vibrates to ones home, childhood, roots or mother. Carrying a retrograded Saturn there tells us just how much negative karma she had to carry with her in this life in that area.

Steak too appeals to her Leo rising. It is no wonder she drank only Dom Perignon champagne. That is very Leo because the Lion, the King must have only the best. And while this has nothing to do with food - wow no wonder she had charisma to spare - the ruler of her rising sign, the Sun is up in the 10th house conjuncting with Mercury. Any Sun Mercury conjunction even not holding up the rising sign is charisma - in her case there is a double dose.

The other thing I would have advised her to eat were calming foods - Moon in Aquarius people are high strung and and her ruler of Aquarius is in Pisces - another "jumpy sign." I wonder if anyone cooked for her nerves - I doubt it.

For more food/astrology information check out my new cookbook, "Signs of the Tines", www.signsofthetines.com

May 16 - Time For.....

action? Possibly.  On May 16th, Mars moves to 19 degrees Taurus which was the exact spot of the recent solar eclipse. For those of us in the D.C. area Mars will be in the 8th house - the house of personal power and transformation.With the power of the eclipse, the tenacity of Taurus and the amazing power of the 8th house this is a perfect time to initiate a project that you want to undertake or make some personal change. Areas of creativity and money are the best places to work in when Taurus is at her best.

So mark it on your calendar and get ready to go - no excuses now!

The Mother of Mother's Day

The woman responsible for making Mother's Day and institution never had her own children but started the day as a memorial to her own mother.  Anna Jarvis was not only a crusader to recognize the day she later became angry that it became too commercialized. She was reportedly upset with people who gave mom a printed card and candy that they would then share. She thought the gift should be something written from the heart just for your mom. (Boy would she be freaked out now!)

We don't have Anna's birth time but know that she was born May 1, 1864 in Webster, West Virginia. Even without the time we know a few things. One her south node, where she was coming from karmicaly was in Taurus so she had the karmic identity of being someone who wanted to around beautiful things and had a creative sense. (No wonder she wanted everyone to write a personal note to mom.)  She also had Sun in Taurus.

With her Moon in Pisces, she was compassionate, emotional and carried a bit of a martyr complex. Now I might get in trouble here but with her Chiron, the deep wound, next to her Moon I think she was overcompensating for  her own feelings of not being a "perfect daughter." I could never live up to you mom - never do enough for you mom so I will make my life's work to show everyone that I really, really did love you.

She also had Mars and Pallas Athena in Pisces - these are the warrior god and goddess - so her cause - her battle is going to be to make everyone back to Mom (whether they want to or not.)  She just had a ton of Pisces - that need to sacrifice and wear the emotionalism on her sleeve.

So as you shop for mom, make those florists and restaurants rich, all this Pisces/Taurus wanted was for you write her a note!

Pluto Retrograde - Take Time to Think About Change

A couple of people have told me that they feel "low energy" or a bit confused of late. One person said to me that she just can't "get her gears in the right speed." OK you can blame it on Pluto. Pluto, the planet of transformative inner power is in retrograde and will be until September 2013. In fact, it will finally move out of retrograde on Sept. 20th - very close to the autumnal equinox.

Instead of bemoaning the low energy of a Pluto retrograde use it. Pluto is the planet of death, transformation, money, sex and power - all of those light-hearted, fun topics! Where Pluto is in your chart is where these issues are churning right now.  If you don't know where Pluto is - ask me - I will do a chart. And then think about those issues - what do you want to change, how can you change? Go deep inside and ask the tough questions - that is what a retrograde demands.

When Pluto goes direct and that power of the equinox kicks in you will be ready to make those necessary changes!

Reviews for "Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook

If you have a review blog or are active on Goodreads and the like, and you’d like a review copy of "Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook," please contact me either through my website, www.signsofthetines.com or via email at joansastrology@gmail.com. 

You would be agreeing to review the book. That means you’d have to read the book and give your honest opinion.

Eating With and For Alignment With the Body

courtesy arlenew.com

My cookbook, "Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook" pairs food with astrological signs. However, Chinese Medicine has been informing people how to eat for health for centuries. I recently met with my friend, Eva DeCourcey, who is not only an acupuncturist but a teacher of medical Qigong. She was "eating for her spleen that night." That, of course, was a sentence that sparked my imagination. How do you eat for your spleen?

She explained to me that the spleen works with the stomach to break down and utilize the foods that we eat.It craves warm foods, comfort foods that can be easily incorporated into the system. Raw foods or foods that are ice cold are not conducive to the optimum working of the spleen.

According to Chinese medicine the spleen works overtime when we study or concentrate and it is during those times that we need to give it warming foods. Because she had been doing a lot of "mind work" lately, the spleen needed an extra boost. She feed it with a warm fish stew and hot tea. She was indeed eating for her spleen.

To order "Signs of the Tines" visit www.signsofthetines.com.

For more information on her acupuncture services or medical Qi Gong contact Eva at 

edecourcey@gmail.com.