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Dear Friend and Leader:

Lately I am hearing the discussion about 2012 happen just about every day. The concept of this being an important year was introduced to popular culture by Jose Arguelles at the time of the Harmonic Convergence in 1987. His work is inspired by Mayan astrology, and in that system we experience a turnover in the calendar, which -- so far as I have been able to discern, from the best source I have -- reaches the date 13.0.0.0.0 on Dec. 21, 2012.

That 13 at the front tells us that on the winter solstice of 2012, the 13th baktun will have ended. A baktun is 5,125 years and five of them represent a "great cycle" -- the precessional cycle of about 26,000 years. (Our scientists still cannot calculate an exact length of one precessional cycle.) This is one full wobble of the Earth's axis, which makes the backdrop of the cosmos seem to slide along and which causes the astrological ages to change.

When you hear about the "Age of Aquarius" that is a reference to precessional movement. There are no exact dates when the astrological ages begin and end (though it's pretty clear from the early Christian iconography that we were in the Age of Pisces at the time of the presumed birth of Jesus/Joshua). Generally when people talk about an astrological age, they are making reference to the position of the Sun on the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This will come about one day earlier every 70 years. However, a Mayan scholar and philosopher named John Major Jenkins has proposed that what we need to be looking at if we want to understand the Mayan system is not the first day of spring but rather the first day of winter -- the position of the Sun at the Winter Solstice. That would be the position of the Sun on the first day of Capricorn, which incidentally is where Pluto is hanging out lately.

When you look at that, you find that it aligns closely with the center of our galaxy, and this, he says, is where we need to be getting our information. Because of the Earth's wobble, that position is retrograding towards the Galactic Center and in particular the dark band at the center of the galaxy, which is known to some modern-day Mayan thinkers as the Road to Xibalba. It is the mythical opening to another dimension, the Mayan underworld; and the symbolism is distinctly yonic in nature. Cave systems in Belize and Guatemala have also been referred to as the entrance to Xibalba, though one physical expression referred to by K'iche' peoples is the dark rift which is visible in the Milky Way.

This article covers several of the key transits between now and 2012, including the Saturn square Pluto sequence that happens starting in November. Here is an example of one:

Chiron and Neptune enter Pisces (2010-2012).

Both planets are now at the end of long passages through Aquarius, in a conjunction. As this conjunction separates, Chiron will lead the way into Pisces, beginning in 2010. Neptune will follow over the next two years (slow planets take a while to go into a new sign, usually retrograding back into the prior sign once.) In effect this is one transit and represents the full activation of Pisces energy.

We are accustomed to all the toxic forms of Pisces, from violent films to television advertising to wanton consumption of alcohol to every mood-altering pharmaceutical to spill out of corporate laboratories by the train carload. We obsess with status, fashion, appearance, glamour and living fantasy lives. Then to this we try to add a little sprinkling of 'spiritual' as if that would magically open the way to God.

Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces. Its presence there will refresh the spiritual waters, flooding through both society and consciousness with revitalizing life. Chiron will make us aware of how toxic our ways of living and thinking are, and introduce -- often poignantly -- awareness of how we need to feel our emotions, our bodies and our souls.

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Coming Up in Daily Astrology and Adventure

Wheel slippage during attempts to extricate NASA's Mars Rover Spirit from a patch of soft ground during the preceding two weeks had partially buried the wheels by the 1,899th Martian day, or sol, of the Spirit's mission on Mars (May 6, 2009). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

When you're stuck in a rut, that's usually a good time for some introspection.

That's exactly what NASA had its Mars Rover Spirit do this week. The six-wheeled robot ran into soft soil back on May 1 and got stuck. The space agency has been trying to figure out a way to get it moving again since then, and this week they had an epiphany: Use Spirit's microscopic imaging camera to take pictures of its underside, so engineers can better see what they're working against.

The result is a patchwork of images stitched together into a panoramic view. It's a little fuzzy -- that camera is designed to take pictures from only about 2.4 inches away -- but "the mosaic is still very useful for helping to assess the rover's state," according to the website for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Frankly, few would blame NASA if it decided to let Spirit rest where it lies. The robotic explorer has exponentially exceeded expectations. Designed to operate for 90 sols, or Martian days, after landing on the red planet January 4, 2004, Spirit has now seen more than 1,800 sols of duty. However, NASA is still looking for a way to free Spirit from the sandy soil in the region now known as "Troy" so it can continue its mission.

So far, Spirit has encountered evidence of water ice on Mars, but no signs of life -- and certainly nothing like the mission's mascot.

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Weekly Horoscope for Friday, June 5, 2009, #769 - BY PRIYA KALE

Today Priya Kale is standing in for Eric Francis on the weekly horoscope. For more daily astrology, horoscopes and information on consultations please visit www.cosmicdiaries.com

Gemini (May 20- June 21)
Events this week bring you a moment of truth asking you to be honest with yourself how you feel about an important business or personal relationship. But more importantly this is asking you to be honest about who you truly are and what you identify with on the deepest, most core subconscious level. You are recognizing deeper desires that you haven't dared acknowledge before, but what is awakening now within you is so real that it is impossible to deny. It may be scary to let go of your inhibitions to the extent of having to deal with heavy emotions when your natural tendency is to keep things light. But I suggest now the deeper you are willing to go, the higher the peak [of ecstasy or success] you are likely to reach. Be true to yourself and all else will be revealed in the light of that.

Read your 2008 annual for Gemini. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Gemini and Gemini rising here.

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)
After months of learning yourself in the light of your relationships, you are being called upon to take a bold move into the unknown. Surprisingly or not so surprisingly this is actually about to show you just how much you have allowed past demons to control your current reality, which is nowhere near as shaky as you may feel. As scary as it seems, if you can let go of your emotional fear and be honest with yourself about a great hope you carry, you can gain the higher perspective you need regarding a deeply intimate or financial partnership. Recognize your core values and be willing to use your imagination. A partner is leading the way but if you can trust, this is leading to a meeting place of equals in the most real sense of the word.

Read your 2008 annual for Libra. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Libra and Libra rising here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
A creative or sexual partnership reaches a crucial turning point this week. You may feel two ways about a situation that seems risky to begin with, without the added pressure of someone else's critical thinking, so don't fall into that trap. But remember you are known as the revolutionary of the zodiac because you have the rare combination of optimism and luck that allows you to take a risk on a dream and have it pay off. In an important conversation surrounding your security and your inner well-being, be honest and bold. You have not yet reached the bottom of the barrel and you are about to find out its real depth is as limitless as your soul. There is more comfort and security making its way to you if you are willing to speak up for what you know is true in your heart.

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