Our weekly audio is back after I took a one week break — thanks for that. Today’s podcast covers how the cardinal cross has dissolved into something new: many moves by Venus, Mars and Vesta in the relationship-oriented signs Libra and Scorpio. We go from the sense of large, sweeping changes in society to deeply personal influences, but which are no less meaningful as the ripple through our emotions, into our households, circles of friends and the wider community.

I look at the chart of Ken Mehlman, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, who presided over the 2006 elections — Ken came out of the closet as gay last week, despite his long track record of making life extremely difficult for lesbian and gay people. We have an example of how the personal is indeed political, and a great example of what not to be.

I also take up last night’s episode on the Rachel Maddow program where her mic goes out in the middle of a tirade on how the Cheney-Bush administration lied us in to the Iraq war. I look at the chart for the Rachel Maddow Show, which is approaching its second anniversary, and also the ways in which the current Mercury retrograde aspected the natal Saturn of the program’s chart, giving the feeling that Big Brother was watching. Clearly, he is, though I don’t think that her mic going out was anything more than a technical glitch. But it definitely spooked her — a truly human moment along the razor’s edge of telling the truth with love. That’s Rachel.

Hello Cousins,

This week’s audio covers Mercury stationing retrograde in Virgo. We are now in the Mercury storm phase — with the little planet closest to the Sun moving at its slowest, about to turn around and give us the illusion of moving backwards for 22 days. This time near the station — a few days before and after can be challenging, confusing days, when it’s possible for a lot of things to go wrong that don’t need to go wrong. So do your best to keep your focus, harness the winds of change in a productive way.

I also cover the conjunction of Venus and Mars in Libra (that carries through to Scorpio, where Venus goes retrograde in October), and I look at the Sun opposing Neptune and Chiron this week before it ingresses Virgo over the weekend.

Assisting me with a programming project for the Mercury retrograde audio report, Tracy Delaney @Serennu created this mini-ephemeris that looks at Mercury aspects from late July through early October, while Mercury is in Virgo. Mercury’s aspects to many minor planets and points in Sagittarius helps explain why this retrograde is so psychologically hot, as in intense, as in a bit overwhelming — with breakthroughs.

Please send your friends to Planet Waves, and if you’re undecided about subscribing to our email service, don’t think too hard — it’s an awesome, entirely unique, excellent service that will teach you about astrology, yourself and current events. And these subscriptions make all this great stuff we do at Planet Waves possible.

Thanks and — comments/questions on the audio are welcome.

Good morning — your weekly audio is done. I take a look at the repercussions of Monday’s New Moon in Leo (opposite Nessus and Damocles), as well as Mercury warming up to its retrograde.

In the mix, I offer a review of the Aug. 11, 1999 (yes, 1999) total solar eclipse and grand cross in Leo/fixed signs (of which today is the anniversary) — and I reference the Burning Man series of articles, which you can find at this link. In case you’re interested — this is a long read, but a fun one — it’s a glimpse into the world before the Sept. 11 false flag terrorist attacks, before the year 2000, before Bush and Cheney — a look at the direction things were going. Clue — there was some violence in the air.

In this audio I look at the Saturn-Pluto square coming a little later in the month — which happens at the same time (as in the same day) as the Sun opposite the Chiron/Neptune conjunction. The exact date of that is Aug. 21 and we are very much under its influence right now. Thankfully this is the last of Saturn making stressful aspects to outer planets for a while — we have had enough the past 10 years, as Saturn has opposed Pluto (three events), Neptune (three events) and Uranus (five events) in that order, and is now square Pluto for the third and last time. That’s a lot of Saturn aspects in a short time.

Later today, if all goes well, or mostly well, I plan to do the Leo birthday audio and will send out an announcement tomorrow. If there is any call for the Capricorn birthday report, which would be a bit retro but right on time for the Saturn-Pluto square, please say so and I will do that as well.

Also note, we’ve updated the footer to each blog post on the Planet Waves main blog and it now includes three monthly horoscopes for those who aren’t current subscribers or who haven’t read my horoscopes in the past. I write a different kind of horoscope than you may be accustomed to. You’re invited to see for yourself…

Editor’s note: with such amazing astrology this weekend, I decided that the chart Eric posted to the Planet Waves main blog deserved to be posted here, too.

Good afternoon. Planet Waves weekly audio/podcast is done.

This edition covers the current aspects — particularly Mars, Venus and Vesta getting mixed up in the cardinal T-square. I then look at the coming New Moon on Aug. 9, which has the Sun and Moon conjunct Nemesis and Atlantis, opposite two minor planets — Damocles and Nessus. This is about how we address or don’t address our psychological abuse patterns, and how that in turn influences our lives.

In the third segment, I offer some opening thoughts on the forthcoming Mercury retrograde in Virgo (Aug. 20 to Sept. 12). These ideas include working with unfinished healing projects, as well as looking at how our self-criticism detrimentally influences our lives.

Below is the chart for the Venus ingress into Libra on Friday. I’ve removed the points that don’t describe the T-square, with some exceptions — I’ve left in the Sun, the Moon and Eris, as well as the Chiron-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius that I mention. A glyph key has been added at the top of every post. I suggest that you open this in a new window, or print it and put it up near your desk till you at least recognize all the planets and signs.

Venus ingresses Libra.