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Celebrity Karma 101:
Revelations from Carrie Fisher, Mackenzie Phillips & Victoria Gotti
Mercury Stations Direct on Day of AtOneMent
Mean What You Pray and Pray What You Mean!
SHELLEY ACKERMAN
Photo: Rich Press
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else”
~ Judy Garland
Greetings From Midtown Manhattan A/K/A “Bunker Hill”
P.S. Have Your I.D. on you at ALL Times!
I live on the same street as the United Nations (one block west) and the annual gathering of heads of state and dignitaries from all over the world and the swarm of amped up security on my block which accompanies it all, will soon wind down and disperse.
As you can imagine, this yearly invasion (between 80-100 cops and secret service on my block alone) is a huge inconvenience (needing to show identification each time you go off and on the block, difficulty letting guests on the street to visit, etc.) and their departure never comes soon enough. And though most of my neighbors are happier about having to deal with this 10 day period of disruption for President Obama than we did for the previous inhabitant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it is still quite an uncomfortable ordeal. This year the traffic nightmare was compounded by Mercury Retrograde.
Mercury stations direct on Sept 28th/29th, and will slowly begin to move forward before picking up speed by the second week in October. Planetary stations (standstills) are very powerful. It’s as if the planet is taking a stand at a particular degree. Monday is YOM KIPPUR, the highest holy day of the Jewish year, the day that Jews the world over pray for inclusion in the book of life for one more year. The Mercury station underscores the power of prayer on Monday and the bolding of what you request (of the universe) for yourself, your loved ones and the world for the year ahead.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, has a very Saturnian flavor to it: The implied ‘Judgment by God’ and praying for forgiveness for our sins have both Piscean and Capricornian themes intertwined.
On a personal note, my nearly 81 year old father will (along with many Jews) fast (no food, no water) and conduct services all day in the Lower East Side temple that he has served for 40 years. He will blow the shofar at sundown to end the New Year 5770 High Holidays. And though my upbringing left me with many wounds and much to compensate for, I do love him and I’m so grateful he’s still with us. My father is a humble, simple, and devoted man who lives for his children, his religion and his congregants. In contrast, my family's disfuntion is nothing compared to this weeks big father story:
In addition to the news generated by the visits of Libya’s Qaddafi and Iran’s Ahmadinejad, and our fears confirmed about the building of nuclear weapons in Iran, the bomb dropped by Mackenzie Phillips on the Oprah Winfrey Show outdid them all. Phillips, who was there to promote her new book, High on Arrival, shared her shocking sordid story of the incestuous sexual relationship she had with her father, rocker John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. She’s a Scorpio with Cancer rising and the Moon in Aries. As sickening and as unbelievable as it seems, I do think it could be true, there’s enough in the chart to suggest it. Here is the link to Mackenzie’s natal horoscope.
Carrie Fisher
They Don’t Wear Underwear in Outer Space
Probably the best line in Carrie Fisher’s new one woman show “Wishful Drinking” was when George Lucas told her she couldn’t wear a bra under her white dress in “Star Wars”. When Fisher asked why, he told her that they don’t wear underwear in space.
Not only is Fisher a film star, she is the daughter of Hollywood royalty(Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher), and an accomplished and prolific writer. The brilliant Fisher is now almost 53 years old. Her story and her likeness as Princess Leia is featured as textbook case of bi-polar disorder.
The show, which began previews on September 22 on Broadway at Studio 54, opens on October 4th. It is scheduled to run through January 3, 2010. Wishful Drinking is a two hour entertaining, clever, but overly self-indulgent review of Fisher’s painful and public dysfunctional existence. After Postcards From the Edge, Delusions of Grandma and The Best Awful, “Wishful Drinking” is more of the same. It never gets better for Fisher. She seems miserably stuck in a cosmic holding pattern.
Carrie Fisher was born on October 21, 1956 at 12:49 PM in Burbank. She’s a Libra with Capricorn rising and the Moon in Taurus. Her Libra Sun is closely conjunct Neptune in Scorpio in the philosophical 9th house, hence the title, “Wishful Drinking”. True, her chart invokes images of Anna Christie but there's enough grounding, strength, spiritual awareness and collection of successes for Fisher to get beyond playing the victim again and again. She is an extremely intelligent woman, and like many Libra’s has struggled intensely to find peace and a way to integrate the dark and the light. She also battles weight (what Libra doesn’t?), after all, the constellation is ‘the scales’.
Though I enjoyed the show and appreciated all that Fisher put into it, I was left with a “Why wasn’t this as great as I thought it would be?” feeling. While the show was brutally honest, it was bitter, too self-depreciating and beneath her dignity. The most absent ingredient of all was redemption. I sense that I am not alone in my observation, and that those working with Fisher might be busy with rewrites at this very moment. I hope so. And I hope she looks into astrology a little more. As serious as bi-polar disorder is and as hopeless as manic depression can be, air signs always improve their lot through deeper levels of understanding. Ironically there just may be some answers for her in the stars, and some peace. Here is Carrie Fisher’s natal chart.
Completing the trio of celebrity daughters dishing their families is none other than Victoria Gotti. Here she is breaking her silence again and hawking her new book This Family of Mine: Growing up Gotti.
Click here for Alessandra Staley’s juicy piece on political & celebrity comebacks.
Sing You Sinners
What are the biggest sins on Earth? Murder? Theft? Bearing False Witness? Cruelty? Greed? Rape? Betraying the trust of another? To a writer, plagiarism is surely up there, and to anyone creative, it’s theft of an idea or of a creation. (Rejection’s not fun either, but we can’t really label that a ‘sin’).
James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy said that theft of energy is the biggie on Earth.
Last week, I spoke at the Astrological Society of Connecticut on America’s upcoming 8th Saturn Return. My soon to be published 6,500 word Mountain Astrologer article was the basis for the lecture. I asked that the audience be mindful of not printing what they heard until it is published in November. I provided political, cultural, and many historical examples of Saturn in Libra. One of my favorites was that of the debut of Mr. Potatohead in 1952. Within four days an aggressive and ambitious blogger wrote that aspect of my lecture, posted it online, and took credit for the work.
I emailed her and asked that she please remove that particular post and that she’d be more than welcome under copyright laws to quote up to 250 words of my article after it appeared. She refused and claiming her ‘first amendment rights’. Obviously the ‘spirit of the law’ was of no interest to this fool.
In this age of instant sharing, copying and posting online, most of the astrological community is respectful of the original work of our colleagues. Thank heavens!
Ending on a sweeter note, here’s a link to my friend Arthur Schwartz’ (The Food Maven) Grandmother’s recipe for Yom Kippur Break-Fast ‘Kugel’ (noodle pudding). Happy New Year to all, may you be written in the book of life and enjoy a year of Karmic Relief.
Chart: Mercury direct
Click for larger view
The Planets This Week: Times are Eastern
Sept 24: Moon in Sagittarius
Sept 25: Moon V/C @ 10:15 am, enters Capricorn @ 6:19 pm
Sept 26: First Quarter Moon @ 12:50 am
Sept 27: Moon V/C @ 11:33 pm
Sept 28: Moon enters Aquarius @ 7:07 am
Sept 29: Mercury Stationary Direct @ 9:14 am
Sept 30: Moon V/C @ 7:35 am, enters Pisces @ 7:26 pm
*Moon v/c = ‘void of course’, Best for spiritual not earthly pursuits
Bonus: 2009 Astro Crib Sheet
Mercury begins 09 @ 0˚Aquarius07’ & ends 2009 @ 19˚Capricorn29’ Rx
Mercury Retrogrades 2009:
Jan 11-Feb 1, May 6-30, Sept 6-29, & Dec 26-Jan 15, 2010
Venus begins 2009 @ 27˚Aquarius48’ and ends 2009 @ 7˚Capricorn13’
Venus Retrograde: March 6-April 17, 2009
Mars begins 2009 @ 3˚Capricorn57’ and ends 2009 @ 18˚Leo54’ (Retro)
Mars turns retrograde on December 20th (thru March 10, 2010)
Jupiter begins 2009 @ 29˚Capricorn02’ and ends 2009 @ 26˚Aquarius15’
Jupiter enters Aquarius on January 5, 2009
Jupiter Retrograde: June 15-Oct 13, 2009
Saturn begins 2009 @ 21˚Virgo46’ Retrograde and ends 2009 @ 4˚Libra30’
Saturn Retrograde: Dec 31, 2008-May 16, 2009
Saturn enters Libra on Oct 29, 2009 (will retrograde back into Virgo in 2010)
Uranus begins 2009 @ 19˚Pisces15’ and ends @ 23˚Pisces05’
Uranus Retrograde: July 1-December 1, 2009
Neptune begins 2009 @ 22˚Aquarius27’ and ends 2009 @ 24˚Aquarius34’
Neptune Retrograde: May 28-November 4, 2009
Pluto begins 2009 @ 1˚Capricorn16’ and ends 2009 @ 3˚Capricorn17’
Pluto Retrograde: April 4-September 11, 2009
ARIES: Wrap your head around a more efficient, economical, and less taxing approach to organizing your day and start fulfilling your duties and tasks with less drama. To get things done well, your daily routine needn’t be dreary, but it must be consistent. For the time being, the fewer the phone calls, emails, and time spent on FaceBook, the better. Tend to the matters at hand and stay focused on work- your real friends will understand what your priorities are and support you in them.
TAURUS: Based on and taking into consideration your current set of values (i.e. what is most important to you at this particular sequence), take some time to revisit and adjust your goals for Fall 2009, and know that this week, it’s of the utmost importance to focus on investing in your creative side. And whether or not a pet project (or a joyful foray into self-expression) will evolve into a money –making venture for you in the future - or not, it doesn’t matter now. Something good will come of it.
GEMINI: As your ruling planet, Mercury stands firm and slowly begins to inch forward, the universe would like you to be aware of how you think about and talk to family members and those you live with. Ours is an interdependent world, and Geminis contribute the gift of though, connection, and language. And when you think about, half of the time you’ve gotten into trouble, it’s been due to a communication glitch or laziness in selecting the most fitting words to use. Do not be lax in this now. You have the opportunity to shift things for the better and to make your life a hell of a lot easier.
CANCER: On this Mercury station, think about how you may have sabotaged your relationship with siblings or neighbors and how your life would improve with a few well-chosen words of kindness. Acknowledgment of past transgressions (real or imagined on their part) will open up a new level of sweetness between you and those you depend on for your emotional sustenance. A significant other or business partner begins to better understand your side of the story and a workable arrangement is close at hand.
LEO: Sometimes it seems as if there is an irreconcilable conflict between your social self and your monetary self and that you’re left with a choice to either have fun with friends or pay your bills. At the risk of stating the obvious- try this one on for size: You don’t have to pick up the tab all of the time! True, it’s a Leo thing to be generous, but know that your buddies do not expect you to be Santa Claus 24/7. And besides, the stars are insistent that this is a time for you to invest in numero uno. So set aside any spare cash and think on how to best further yourself.
VIRGO: What does the phrase “Language Arts” mean to you? Does it remind you of a boring class you were forced to endure in school or have you developed an appreciation for a good command of speech? Hoping the latter is true for you, chew on this: Your professional standing is totally intertwined with and dependent on the grace and skill with which you express yourself, especially on paper. And if you never though that what you had to say was valuable – think again. If you haven’t done so already, start keeping a journal. And if you have one, start thinking about taking your work to the next level.
LIBRA: As if you haven’t had enough on your plate (what with the pile-up of planets in your hidden, ‘I vant to be alone’ 12th house), you are now being asked to dig a little deeper and reflect upon the various ways in which you have been unwittingly sabotaging your best efforts. This annoying look in the mirror will serve you so just shut up and do it. It’s a must if you want to, once and for all, stop working harder and master the art of working smarter.
SCORPIO: Often, the person in our ‘group’ who annoys us the most, is merely reflecting back to us the piece of ourselves that we like the least. And so it is with a particular stick in the mud, slow-moving bean-counter type, that you wish you didn’t have to deal with. Won’t you be surprised in another week or so, that this thorn in your side has inadvertently done you a world of good, and that you will see that have more in common with him/her than you realized at first.
SAGITTARIUS: Though your sign is known for its speed, lately, you’ve accomplished more when being methodical and slow. How is that?....... Trust me for the next week or two, you’ll continue to get the most mileage. Practice always makes perfect, and you sure have put in the hours necessary to make the next career leap.
CAPRICORN: As always, you’re results-oriented. But be reminded, that in order for any action you take to be effective and long-lasting, it must come from a place of integrity, a spot within that is uncluttered, uncompromised, and without conflict. In the past weeks, you have revisited the philosophy that guides you and may be in the process of a slight but meaningful revision. Do not force yourself to act or to take a stand before the time is just right. At this particular moment, hesitation is not a sign of weakness, but one of wisdom.
AQUARIUS: Slowly but surely, you will start to see new movement in the financial/investment section of your life and with a little deft maneuvering, a way to make that big purchase emerges - and at a more affordable cost than you thought possible a few months back. Dotting all “i’s” and crossing all “T’s” is not how you’d like to spend your time. But your ruling planet, Saturn, and Mercury in Virgo have had you doing double and triple the detail work ad nauseum for the better part of the Summer. Soon there’ll be something tangible to show for it ϑ.
PISCES: Hang in there, as frustrating as the indecisiveness of a spouse, significant other or partner in crime has been of late, this sequence has a little further to go before it becomes a thing of the past. You can move this belabored process along by being a good listener and by using your gift of empathy to understand that the party in question has not intended to make life rougher for you, but has been struggling with getting to a new level of understanding within. It will all take a favorable turn in about a week.