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From astrobarry, and Into the Ethers

8.1.05

How's the Mercury retrograde treating everybody?

I adroitly endured my glitch (hopefully the only major one I'll face this go-around), waking up the other morning and heading to my computer, only to find my website had defaulted back in time to early June… and cunningly devoured everything I'd posted since then. Turns out, my web host had migrated me to another server (does that qualify me as a 'migrant'?), and done a pretty shoddy job in the process.

All I can say is: Thanking the powers that be for backups, I got my site back freshened up and running in no time (because I stayed calm and patient, people!). I apologize for any confusion experienced by those who showed up during the mix-up. But (say it with me) such things are out of our control.

Don't expect the potential for similar such jumbles to disappear this week either. Actually, scramble levels could be even higher, with retrograde Mercury in Leo making its second pass in a month across an opposition to Neptune. I visualize this as 'self-possessed communicator expressing himself to a fog-and-mirrors show'—you put it out there, but you can't quite comprehend the response you're getting. The signal's transmission is strong, but the reception gets fuzzy or evaporates into clouds. They may get excited about what they imagine they heard you say, or damn you for what you never said. The check could be applied to the outstanding balance before it's even been endorsed, or it might never make it to headquarters.

Still, Mercury is in Leo… and so is Saturn, and so is Thu Aug 4's New Moon, so you've still got to do whatever you're going to do, despite our collectively questionable ability to accurately assess audience reaction. It's Leo we're talking about—we might as well puff our chests and strut our feathers like we're the kings and queens of our roosts, and confidently grin through the intermittent gaffes bound to occur while we swagger. At least that's what I plan to do.

I happily greet this week's New Moon, as it wraps up what I've affectionately dubbed my personal 'health month', which I began on the last New Moon on Jul 6. As I've repeatedly pointed out, one of the best practical applications for astrology is to use the monthly moon cycles to structure our commitments to projects. A month is a good amount of time to devote to any effort. By beginning something on the New Moon, your intentions align themselves with nature's flow—the seeds are planted in the 'underground' lunar darkness. You gauge progress with the Moon's increased brightness, and when the Full Moon rolls around two weeks later, you can see development come to light. At month's end, you know you've accomplished a good chunk, and that high of achievement will motivate you onto something else.

So, for the past month, I've been completely diligent with monitoring my intake of consumables, in order to offer my body a prolonged chance to detox from its normal life. I've been strict with myself about what I'm eating and drinking (or not eating and drinking), and I've attained the results I was hoping for. Physically, I feel great. At the same time, I've spent the month organizing my professional workspace, constructing a new furniture setup (so I don't have to work on a $20 folding table from Staples anymore!), and am finally beginning to feel like my office is actually an office. Hooray for me! And hallelujah that, as of the New Moon, 'health month' is officially over! I'd love a coffee and a cocktail and a slice of pizza, not necessarily in that order.

While I'm tooting my own horn, I'm also pleased to make my first public announcement that this old website you're reading is about to undergo a major makeover. Consider this me generating a pre-launch buzz. The redesign of astrobarry.com has been long in the offing. I've been talking about it for over a year at least, and actively working on it since March—hey, cut me some slack, I work slowly (it's my natal Mars in Taurus… if you don't understand what that means, read about my description of the current transit of Mars through Taurus here). But the project is finally nearing completion, and I couldn't be more excited.

What you, my dear readers, have to look forward to on the new and improved astrobarry.com is… expanded content! more aesthetically pleasing design! better functionality! and a more fully authentic expression of my vision! Yay, astrobarry!

For those of you uneasy with change, let me reassure you that all the things you love about the current site—including my eye-catching photos and those bewitching weekly horoscopes you can't live without—will still be present on the new one. And once I'm up and running, you can expect more frequent updates from me (more than once a week!), so you can hang on every silly insight that pops into my mind. Look for the relaunch to happen in a matter of weeks… but most certainly not until after Mercury is well adjusted back into direct motion.

In other astrobarry news, I'm getting psyched up to attend my first-ever professional astrology jamboree, the ISAR 2005 Biennial Conference in Chicago, in a couple weeks' time. I've never gone to anything like this before, so I'm totally thrilled to surround myself with a bunch of other astro-freaks, and to attend workshops taught by many astrologers whose work I've admired for years. Hopefully, the knowledge I gain there will spark my wheels to spin in all kinds of new directions, to generate fresh ideas and perspectives to share with you over the months to come.

'So that's what's going on with me,' I address to the fog and mirrors, and wonder if anyone (1) is out there reading, (2) understands the personal significance of all this excitement for me, (3) gives a rat's ass, or (4) has any hot writing jobs to offer me because I sound so friggin' inspired right now.

Mercury retrograde in Leo: Live it… be it… but don't expect them to laugh or to clap at the appropriate times. Don't expect anything, in fact. Good thing it doesn't matter.