Moon in Aries shifted from neutral into 4th gear last night at 8:10PM ET, ending two full work days in wandering, amorphous void mode.

Moon in Aries can be feisty, pioneering, inspiring, courageous, speedy, and a wee bit (!) selfish and impatient. It needs to be recognized, damn it — not now, but RIGHT NOW. Given the qualities of this Moon driving the pace of the day, I anticipate you’ll find more than the usual suspects demanding your attention. The probability of shocks and awe is great in the morning hours, as rebel Uranus and ruthless Pluto challenge the need to be Number One.

Around 3:11PM ET, aggressive Mars in security-oriented Cancer may see red when it engages that aforementioned need to be Number One. You are more likely to feel this if you have a point or planet at 8-10 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn; if you do, I’ll wager you’ve noticed an uptick in the ego issues getting in your face all this week. I know I have (Sun at 8 Aries, thank you very much)! How about you, Governor Rick Perry? Have you been on a warpath this week? Why — look — you have:  “Rick Perry Attacks Ben Bernanke’s…”  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/16/rick-perry-ben-bernanke-treasonous Rick Perry has Mars at 8 degrees of Libra; it was challenged Sunday and Monday by Mars at 8 Cancer.

I share this because  a number of readers have asked me how they can apply current planetary positions to their own horoscopes. In Gov. Perry’s case, it appears  he’s using the charge suggested by Mars on Mars action to go on the offensive (not the best strategy yesterday, given the Moon void); in fact we anticipated he would be doing that when we looked at his horoscope a couple of weeks ago. In my case, with Mars challenging my Aries Sun, there is a suggested potential for issues involving “temperament, accidents, increased drive and feeling attacked”. “Increased drive?” Yes — and the workload has increased. This is a happy problem to have. “Accidents?” I tripped walking up a flight of stairs yesterday, with a cup of coffee in my hand. It was spectacular. “Feeling attacked”? Let’s just say I have a certain way of doing certain things that makes perfect sense to me, but not to certain other people. Said “other people” — note the plural — have expressed challenging viewpoints over the past two days. Isn’t that amazing?  What perfect timing! And for those who argue that anticipating an event or behavior might just be a self-fulfilling prophecy, in this case, I’m noting the planetary pattern after the events occurred. Any questions?

This is how astrology can be helpful on a very personal basis. When you see the pattern coming up in a horoscope, it helps put things in perspective. It helps one choose how to act– or react — when the pattern manifests itself, or better yet, before the pattern shows up.  Mars transits can be intense, but they don’t last long. That helps me put things in perspective, too. Do you have a planet or point at 8-10 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn? How have you been feeling over the past two days?