by Milky Way Maid

Some weeks seem to belong to Venus, but this week belongs to Mercury.

Mercury at 27 degrees Taurus trines Saturn in Virgo at 7:14 pm on Tuesday. People with contacts to this aspect will be able to reason, concentrate, organize, and control themselves. You respect experience and can benefit from seeking advice from someone older or respected in a given field. On the other hand, Mercury is so close to Algol; don't talk yourself into jumping off a cliff with all the other lemmings.

Mercury in Taurus squares Neptune in Aquarius early Wednesday at 6:39 am. This is Mercury's last aspect before entering Gemini. Mercury is lost here, with fuzzy Neptune making him unsure of his facts, and unable to read his map. On the other hand, your sensitivity and intuition may be keen. If you feel a bit spacey, try a spritz of rosemary or peppermint to clear your head. Artists should by all means concentrate on their muse; the rest of us may have to scribble into our journals all the amazing thoughts that drift thru our heads.

Mercury enters its home sign of Gemini on Thursday at 1:41 am. Mercury here is much, much faster than in Taurus. Where before you may have had bosses hem and haw over what to do, while they consider the data, now they will snap out decisions in rapid-fire fashion. The downside of Mercury here is that there can be a whole lot of talking without any real communication, often getting bogged down in collecting trivia and rumor. But when a Gemini is able to focus, he/she can communicate with a great variety of people, and do so clearly and logically. They can also direct people to sources of information.

Jupiter enters Aries Sunday at 2:28 am. Have faith in your own path, and your leadership abilities will emerge. I once knew a first-degree Aries who rounded up neighbors for a block rummage every year; this was just one of her projects. Do you have anything in Aries that will be contacted by the Jupiter transit? If so, be prepared to get your ideas off the ground.

Mars enters Virgo Monday at 2:11 am. The downside of Mars in this sign is that Virgo always wants to be right all the time, and acknowledged as such. Virgo may also be too quick to criticize and judge; focus less on errors than on shaping students or staff to a desired quality level. The upside of Mars here is that Virgo is so good at assisting others to straighten out their lives, whether by showing them how to balance a checkbook, or resolving credit card addictions, or creating a schedule for personal progress. You'd have to check your intolerance of imperfection at the door, however.

A New Moon at 21 degrees, 24 minutes of Gemini arrives at 7:15 am Saturday. Start a newsletter, blog, or journal to capture every insight and factoid that crosses your mind. Resolve to improve personal communications with less talk and more of a personal connection.

Readers can follow not only their Sun sign horoscope but also the sign of their Ascendant for further clues to how your week will develop. Also note: some aspects are exact on a weekend but may find opportunity for expression on the Friday or Monday nearest the exact aspect. Times given are in Eastern Standard or Eastern Daylight Savings Time depending on the season.

ARIES - March 20-April 19 – The Moon is in Aries from 1:50 am Sunday till midday Tuesday. Not only does the Moon enter your sign Sunday, but so does ultra-lucky Jupiter. In addition, Moon conjunct Uranus provides inspiration. Mars enters your solar sixth house early Monday also, giving you more physical work to do, but also putting an accent on guarding your health. Squares to Pluto and Ceres in Capricorn motivate you with a challenge. How dare anyone tell you that you can't! The inconjunct from Jupiter to Mars on Monday gives you an opportunity to learn 'how-to' from a Virgo or Gemini type. A Mercury-Jupiter-Uranus sextile Thursday has you exploring exotic nooks in your own hometown.

TAURUS - April 20-May 20 – Jupiter enters your solar twelfth house on Sunday; someone close to you may be very lucky this year, or you may enjoy doing charity work at a hospital or attend retreats. The Moon is in Taurus from 11:41 am Tuesday till Thursday evening. Try not to 'lose your head' on Tuesday evening. A Mercury-Neptune square Wednesday morn makes for a fuzzy-headed commute; pay attention or miss your off-ramp. Mercury enters your second house of money on Thursday; yay, you may suddenly have two or more sources of income. Make hay while the sun shines, as they say.

GEMINI - May 21-June 20 – Mars squares your sign when it enters Virgo early Monday; there is an increased chance of arguments at home, but otherwise it just adds male energy and fire there. Fire up the grill, or add some cheery red accents in the living room, or start a family-only contest. The Moon is in Gemini from 6:11 pm Thursday till Saturday evening. Best day is probably Thursday night when a sextile to Jupiter makes you buoyant and lucky. A Mercury-Mars square on Friday morning favors debate; keep it constructive for best results. A Moon-Saturn square Saturday evening makes you feel put-upon, but use that disciplined energy to get a tough chore done.

CANCER - June 21-July 22 – Jupiter enters your solar tenth house of career on Sunday. Wow, and coupled with your ambition, it's 'look out, world, the Crab is on the move.' You can not only advance your own career, but also foster the development of proteges. The Moon is in Cancer from 9:50 pm Saturday through the weekend. Saturday night looks very exciting with a Moon square Jupiter-Uranus, though I can't promise you will hit a jackpot or anything.

LEO - July 23-Aug. 22 - Jupiter enters your solar ninth house of law, publishing, higher education and religion on Sunday. You may win a scholarship, get that manuscript approved or printed, win a legal decision, or embark on private study of comparative religions. On Wednesday, a Mercury-Neptune square can lead you to garble your speech in public appearances or interviews; make sure to rehearse answers.

VIRGO - Aug. 23-Sept. 22 – Jupiter enters your solar eighth house of pooled funds, etc on Sunday. The year may bring a legacy, insurance (especially if it is free or at a bargain price), or your spouse may come into some funds. Best days this week are probably with Moon in Taurus, midday Tues-Thur. evening. Your Saturn is trine the Moon Thursday afternoon, helping you plow thru work efficiently. You may also find a mentor-type among your list of lawyer or professor contacts.

LIBRA - Sept. 23-Oct. 22 - Jupiter enters your solar seventh house of partners, marriage and the public on Sunday. Singles may get married or engaged this year, and people in any walk of life may get their turn in the spotlight. Best days this week come with moon in compatible Gemini Thur-Sat. A Moon-Mercury conjunction on Thursday pm puts emotion behind your words, and you are very persuasive. The New Moon in Gemini on Sat. puts the accent on your solar ninth house of law, publishing, college and religion. A square to Saturn Sat. puts you in a serious frame of mind, possibly with an idealistic bent.

SCORPIO - Oct. 23-Nov. 21 - Jupiter enters your solar sixth house of health and work on Sunday. You may land a good-paying job which you are glad to take even if it seems to utilize a lesser talent of yours. And with Jupiter, it can mean that your health (mental health included) is very good and your powers of recuperation strong; it can also bring the attention of doctors or exhaustion from overdoing. A Mercury-Neptune square Wednesday morn makes for a fuzzy-headed commute; pay attention or miss your off-ramp.

SAGITTARIUS - Nov. 22-Dec. 21 - Jupiter enters your solar fifth house on Sunday. Oh, the luckiest place to have old Jove. Reap profits in speculations, enjoy a long list of suitors, attend the highest level of cultural events and concerts. Best days this week have Moon in compatible Aries Sun. to mid-Tues. On Monday your spouse may introduce you to sympathetic lawyer, publisher or publisher.

CAPRICORN - Dec. 22-Jan. 19 - Jupiter enters your solar fourth house on Sunday. You may enlarge your home, host foreign travelers or students, or add to your family. Best days this week likely are the ones with Moon in Taurus, midday Tues-Thur. evening. Watch your wallet when Mercury in your solar fifth house squares Neptune in your second house on Wed; money can slip through your fingers while trying to impress a date or if speculating in stocks. Virgo's Saturn is trine the Moon in Taurus on Thursday afternoon, helping you plow thru work. You may also find a mentor-type among your list of lawyer or professor contacts.

AQUARIUS - Jan. 20-Feb. 17 - Jupiter enters your solar third house on Sunday. Your circle of acquaintances grow, especially if you go back to school. Sharing knowledge and stimulating your intellect bring enjoyment and rewards. Best days this week come with moon in compatible Gemini Thur-Sat. A Moon-Mercury conjunction on Thursday pm puts emotion behind your words, and you are very persuasive especially with romantic partners. The New Moon in Gemini on Sat. puts the accent on your solar fifth house of romance, fun, the arts, and children.

PISCES - Feb. 18-March 19 - Jupiter enters your solar second house of money on Sunday. This placement favors making lots of money especially if you work in a Jupiter-ruled field like law or medicine. Sometimes Jupiter merely protects your job in the face of cutbacks, when the economy is down. Mars enters your opposite sign early Monday; your significant other is either combative, or really hot-looking. You prefer the latter. On Saturday night, a Moon-Neptune trine touches your fourth house of home, luring you to poolside with or without a pool party to host.

Is the Taurus Bull Really an Auroch?

By Milky Way Maid

Recently I picked up an old novel called Sarum, about the long overview of southern British history centered on the cathedral town of Salisbury. One of the episodes in the more ancient segment was the hunting of an auroch.

An auroch was, according to bestuff.com, "The aurochs or urus (Bos primigenius) was a very large type of cattle that was prevalent in Europe until its extinction in 1627." It stood about two meters high at the shoulder; this was the height of a rare skeleton found in a Danish bog in 1905. The last of the breed died in Poland in 1627. The closest descendants of the auroch include the gaur, the bantang, the zebu, and Spanish fighting cattle. The horns were very distinctive, sweeping forward and up.
The description of the horns matches the traditional images of a Taurus bull, doesn't it?

The auroch is believed to be the ancestor of all domesticated cattle, which are much smaller in size. Attempts to breed a new aurochs from cattle with atavistic characteristics have not been a complete success. A herd was created, but the horns pointed to the sides like with a Texas longhorn, or a water buffalo. Also the colors were not accurate. The bulls were almost always black, and the cows were a reddish color. The recreated herd had more color variety.

The aurochs have been identified as the breed depicted in cave paintings from all over the world. Aurochs ranged from Britain, across Europe and into parts of China. A somewhat different variety was found in India.

Paste the URLs below to read more about this giant breed of cattle.
http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/aurochs.htm

Jupiter Robbed of Belt in Broad Daylight; Planetary Police Have No Suspects

by Milky Way Maid, from actual news sources!

In what may have been a prank, the planet Jupiter's Southern Equatorial Belt (SEB) was 'disappeared' suddenly this week. The announcement of the missing belt was made by the British Astronomical Association's Jupiter Section on May 20.

There were no known witnesses, and no suspects are in custody. Jupiter himself, who is known as quite a jovial fellow, expressed no alarm at the loss of his belt, even though it is certain to cause untold embarrassment if his pants fall down.

“Oh, this sort of thing has happened many times before. The belt shows up again sooner or later, and no one is the worse for wear,” he said. “The last time was three years ago, and Saturn later returned it saying he needed it while his rings were invisible and he felt quite naked.”

Saturn denied taking the belt in this latest episode.
The Jupiter Section verified that the belt has had a checkered past, disappearing in 1973, 1989, 1993, and 2007. Astronomers remain mystified at the repeated disappearances.

However, it is my belief that these repeated thefts hint at a habitual kleptomaniac, and this perp may be in need of intensive therapy if apprehended.

Full story may be read at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/20may_loststripe/

Venus Can Also Mean 'Lost Money'

by Milky Way Maid

Venus, aka the lesser benefic, is often portrayed as the bestower of gifts, door prizes, compliments, flowers, sometimes cash, and other smallish 'feel-good' surprises. However, some transits of Venus can denote lost money. I am going to delineate one specific transit that can mean lost money, and that is when it contacts the critical degrees.

I was first put on the trail of this interpretation by a very experienced and locally-popular astrologer who was fond of using critical degrees for many of her forecasts. She maintained that the transit of Venus over critical degrees can denote losing money, especially if it contacted or made angles to other planets in your chart. For example, when the stock market crash began in September of 2008, both Mars and Venus were at 13 degrees Libra (a cardinal sign) and square Jupiter at 12 Capricorn (another cardinal sign). Jupiter magnified the effect of the other planets at the same degree. Neptune was also at a critical degree at 22 Aquarius, which possibly underscored the evaporation of material assets.

First, let me list the critical degrees. You may have heard of some of them before, such as zero degrees of the cardinal signs since they are world points. I list them all below.

THE CRITICAL DEGREES ARE:
Zero, 13 and 26 degrees of Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
8 and 22 degrees of Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
4 and 17 degrees of Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces)

Below is a list of dates in 2010 when Venus will contact a critical degree. Please check with your software to verify that these contacts are accurate for your locality. Eight degrees Scorpio is really gonna get hit at the end of the year because Venus goes retrograde; it will grind over 8 degrees Scorpio three times. So Scorpios, tighten your belts and keep your eyes peeled for scam artists and other slick characters.

JAN. 5, 13 degrees Capricorn. Jan. 15 at 26 degrees Capricorn. Jan. 25 at 8 Aquarius.
FEB. 5 at 22 Aquarius. Feb. 14 at 4 Pisces. Feb. 25 at 17 Pisces.
MARCH 7 at zero Aries. March 18 at 13 Aries. March 28 at 26 Aries.
APRIL 7 at 8 Taurus. April 18 at 22 Taurus. April 28 at 4 Gemini.
MAY 9 at 17 Gemini. May 20 at zero Cancer. May 31 at 13 Cancer.
JUNE 11 at 26 Cancer. June 21 at 8 Leo.
JULY 3 at 22 Leo. July 14 at 4 Virgo. July 26 at 17 Virgo.
AUG. 7 at zero Libra. Aug. 20 at 13 Libra.
SEPT. 3 at 26 Libra. Sept. 20 at 8 Scorpio.
OCT. 23-24 at 8 Scorpio (Venus is retrograde Oct. 8 to Nov. 18, 2010).
DEC 14 at 8 Scorpio. Dec. 30 at 22 Scorpio.