Clean Picking ~ 08 March 2006

Let us all remember, especially under Mercury retrograde, that Mars in Gemini squares Uranus in Pisces. Let us also note that “Crash” was the best picture at the Academy Awards three days ago. Those who hurry in half minded, overly compressed, emotionally squeezed vehicles, crash. Now a crash does not imply a physical, vehicular crisis of collision. But it does imply that at some point too much rush, scrambled priorities and people pushing to get their agenda completed through the tools of coercion, panic and crisis, collapse into a sobbing heap of frustration. It’s like the flu. It’s going around. The flu remedy ironically comes at the center point of Mercury retrograde.

Depending upon where in the world you are, Mercury conjoins the Sun on 11^th or 12^th of March. But what this really means is that Mercury simultaneously forms a conjunction with the Earth. “Cool!” Mars in Gemini gleefully observes, “Does that mean it’s okay to do two things at once?” Not really. That’s a bit diffuse for this alignment running between the ordered needs of Virgo to the large bowl of cosmic soup Pisces. Focus first. Keeping tasks simple and doing one all the way to completion before splitting off onto something else works a tad better as a modality. Consider, though, that despite signs every Mercury retrograde the fleet footed one goes toe to toe with Terra Firma, Earth in direct alignment as seen from either the Earth or Sun. Since the Earth suggests dealing with the real world (duh) and Mercury addresses the paperwork and communications surrounding any matter, is it any wonder that the collective push to get stuff written, filed, submitted and hopefully understood rises to premium stock levels? Not at all. So how do we appease the energy greedy Mars during this trend? Think like a parent. After you get this done, then you get to do the next thing. Toss a reward on top for good measure. After you finish your report, you can go for a coffee, tea, smoke, nicotine gum chew or whatever. After you clear the table, I’ll sit with you and watch a DVD. After you take a shower... well, you get the idea.

The big cosmic news of the week comes with the tight opposition between the base of beliefs, Jupiter, and the make a good choice, Sedna. How does one make a clear, conscious choice? Choices get made all the time. How many are clear and conscious? Even selecting an entree option is a choice. By the way, Sedna, shamanic goddess of the depths of the seas, forbade the mixing of land creatures and sea creatures during the same meal. While pushing around major decisions, skip the surf and turf combo platters. Calamari just can’t precede beef tournedos stuffed with crab. I suspect the same principle may apply for meals combing tofu and Nori.

Sedna wants to make clear conscious decisions about major matters in life. Yet, when presented with hyped up promises and bombastic boasting, she went for it. What in the underworld was she thinking? Given that a person wants to save herself/himself from such a Sedna fate, what shall one do? Use Jupiter. With Jupiter in Scorpio how about dredging up what really motivates you to do what you do? Be honest about it - to yourself that is. That way you don’t have to give up embarrassing emotional preference details that others can use against you later. Figure out what you really, honesty, verily want. Decide what would look like. Not exactly, mind you. You don’t want to get overly attached to the image given that expectation driven Neptune contests both these bodies in the moment. Get the general feeling. Memorize that feeling in the base of your being and align your perceptions with recognizing the reaction. That way, when an opportunity comes up you can pounce if you have clarity of motive, intent and desired outcome - or can you? Maybe Sedna felt she knew that, too. Maybe extracting wisdom from both worlds would be the criteria for deciding - include that which supports real world life and honors the full domain of spiritual requirements. There you go. Tell Mars here’s a place where you get the two for one special.

And as all the masters say, “Good luck with that.”