2007 Writings


December 2007

Don't Let That Retrograde Mars Fool You (12.30.07)
An irony in these physical Mars-retrograde annoyances? They're not really the big deal. (Don't overlook Jupiter and Pluto.)

Jupiter conjunct Pluto: No Going Back from Here (12.8.07)
Prepare for epic gestures at every turn… for putting it all out there, telling 'em what you really think, drawing lines in the sand and daring 'em to cross.


November 2007

Meditations on Grand Water Trine Queasiness (11.19.07)
Sure, there's distress… fallout… maybe even vomit. However, things will never be the same. And isn't that delightful?

Mars Retrograde Flips the Switch (11.15.07)
For the next 2½ months, our physical energies will flow according to a different logic. Don't think 'blocked'. Think, 'If one thing's not flowing, I'll simply try another.'

Walking Along the Ocean's Edge (11.12.07)
By the illogical and inconsistent rules of animal nature, energies either synch up or clash.

Smoothing Rough Edges with Venus (11.7.07)
Venus in Libra helps us keep our best face forward, no matter what's really going on inside.

Still Squirming for Breath (11.4.07)
Still operating without a computer, and still struggling to recover my groove.


October 2007

Mercury Retrograde's Swallowed My Head (10.28.07)
I haven't abandoned you. I'm just in a bit of deep doo-doo.

Sharing My Good News (10.16.07)
I'm proud to introduce my latest venture: The Sacred Well, a retail store in Oakland, CA, where magic happens every day.

Mercury Retrograde Harmony? (10.15.07)
Mercury may be retrograde, but with only gentle trines and sextiles ruling the week, things flow fairly smoothly (if not more slowly or with less directness).

Venus's Final Act (10.11.07)
Venus finally makes her very last moves that'd qualify as part of her crazy last-few-months' retrograde-etc. performance.

Still Contrary (10.8.07)
Jupiter and Uranus return for their their third-and-final square of '07, reinvigorating our appetite for the unpredictable, the eccentric and the outrageous. But just because we can doesn't mean we should.


September 2007

Releasing Logic and Directness (9.30.07)
With both Mercury and Mars in water signs and preparing to retrograde, we should forget about rushing anything. But why get grumpy and curse? There's promise here, too.

Making Nice (9.23.07)
Allowing Mercury in Libra to smooth the residual rough edges from last week's Mars-Pluto opposition, before moving into Scorpio. Plus, Mars moves into Cancer, for even more water.

From Venus to Mars (9.17.07)
As Venus moves through the end of her retrograde shadow and opposes Neptune, she passes the torch onto Mars, who enters his retrograde shadow and opposes Pluto.

Venus Direct (9.12.07)
Who did you love… and who do you love now? How exactly do you love?

Establishing (and/or Ending) Patterns with the Solar Eclipse (9.7.07)
The Sep 11 solar eclipse in Virgo asks us to examine our habitual practices, if we want to become healthier and more productive.

Saturn in Virgo: Tackling the Nitty-Gritty (9.2.07)
For the next two years, Saturn directs serious attention to our personal relationship with work and health... and the ways we look out for maintaining and improving upon it in our day-to-day lives. Up for the challenge?


August 2007

Eclipse Passages: Toward Work (8.23.07)
As we enter this eclipse period, we start thinking about the work we must set into new habits... but first, with Tue Aug 28's lunar eclipse in Pisces, we grieve for what passed (or passing) away.

Slicing Through the Flip-Flop (8.20.07)
A Mars-Jupiter opposition opens so very many possibilities, but a T-square to Mercury-in-Virgo gets in the way with those pesky pragmatic questions.

Notes on an Astro-Dynamic Week (8.6.07)
Mars and Venus change signs and square each other, Saturn and Pluto trine, Jupiter stations, and we prepare for more eclipses. Did I miss anything?


July 2007

Pocketbooks in Retrograde (7.31.07)
What Venus's current retrograde means for our money management.

Mars Hasn't Been Much Help (7.29.07)
Mars's two squares to Neptune and Saturn toss in a couple more snafus, for more apparent blocks. Don't worry, though; it's a passing frustration.

Venus Retrograde Stirs the Heart (7.23.07)
A chance to tie up unfinished romantic business? A love that's too good to be true? Is it time to recommit, or is the writing on the wall? Venus asks the tricky questions as she turns the other way…

Overvaluing the Small Shit (7.22.07)
If we're not careful, Venus in Virgo can lead us to become too critical… and miss out on chances to relate.

Looking Ahead to Saturn in Virgo (7.16.07)
An advance glance at Saturn's upcoming sign shift in September, its first in more than two years.

Launching Messages in Bottles on Oceans (7.9.07)
What to do with the recently released emotional wisdom, now that Mercury's turning direct in Cancer.

Prediction: Why Do We Want to Know? (7.2.07)
Examining the intentions of astrologers who seek to definitively predict the future.


June 2007

Follow Your Heart Wisely This Weekend (6.28.07)
When Venus gets wrapped up with Saturn and Neptune, we're under pressure to follow our heart's sense of what's right to the letter… despite fantastical temptations to the contrary.

Mars in Taurus: Like a Rock (6.27.07)
The current placement of Mars slows us down, helping to ground us into swallowing the real-world actuality of emotional truths recently come to light. (Plus, he makes a mean stroganoff!)

Venus in Leo (for a Suspiciously Long Time?) (6.17.07)
The usual dramatic pleasures of Venus in Leo get all twisted up in the shadow of Venus's upcoming retrograde, three conjunctions to Saturn, and a broader 'changing of the guard'.

Mercury Retrograde in Cancer: Wisdom on the Water (6.10.07)
We'd better be okay with honoring the emotional intelligence that underscores our mental processes (whether we are conscious of it or not), or this Merc-retro will be a doozy.

Saturn-Neptune Opposition IV: Disheartened? Now What? (6.5.07)
As we approach the final peak of the year's big transit, we review what's at the core of our broader disappointments.

Fireball Deluxe… With Extra Heat (6.3.07)
Hot-as-hell Mars in Aries forms a grand fire trine with Jupiter and Saturn. Here's hoping we've got somewhere productive to aim our artillery.


May 2007

28 More Reasons We Can't Be Alone (5.30.07)
In light of so many new planets being found all the time, we are humbled by the ontological chaos.

Bless This Mess: Our Ms. Spears & Jupiter (5.21.07)
Is Britney's public breakdown also her comeback? Ask the 'lucky' planet.

My Retreat (From...?) (5.19.07)
Sometimes you've got to put down the personal-development pen, and say, Screw growth.

Mars in Aries: Starting Fires, Picking Fights (5.14.07)
With Mars heading home to Aries, we have a formidable competitor who plays to win. Keep him on your side, and you'll be glad you did.

Finishing Off What Was Started Last Week (5.11.07)
Unmade decisions, unanswered responses or unresolved 'ick' left from last week's Venus-Pluto opposition? Mars is here to finish 'em off.

My Personal Travails with Pluto (5.7.07)
Can't I just lie on the couch, watching crap TV and devouring carbs? You mean I have to exercise, too?

Venus oppose Pluto: Pleasures in Picking Sides (5.3.07)
Sometimes, you've got to choose a victory for yourself, or the waffling will just lead to a larger-scale loss.


April 2007

Up for Grabs with Mars conjunct Uranus (4.25.07)
This weekend's Mars-Uranus conjunction means all bets are off. Your guess is as good as mine.

Saturn-Neptune Opposition III: 'Reality' as Entertainment, and the Deflation of Stars (4.23.07)
Remember when stars were larger-than-life, rather than 'just like us'?

Wishing Astrology Didn't Work (4.17.07)
Mars and Uranus vs. Microsoft, Round II: Barry loses again (but not as badly).

Cutting to the Chase (4.16.07)
With Mercury in Aries trining both Jupiter and Saturn, there's no excuse to withhold what instinctively comes to you. (And if the short-and-snappy sentiments sting, it's only for a moment.)

Sign-Shifts Extraordinaire (4.9.07)
Mars into Pisces, Mercury into Aries, Venus into Gemini… all in the course of a week!

Me, The Walking Astro-Example (4.6.07)
I fill you in on my fiery forward advances, and my post-eclipse recovery.

The Aries Principle in Action (4.2.07)
A poem about a moment's moving-on.


March 2007

On Compassionate Navigation of Interpersonal Friction (3.27.07)
Poetic thoughts on remaining kind and unattached to outcomes when dealing with emotionally-charged interactions.

Saturn and Neptune… and Mars? (3.22.07)
Mars conjoins Neptune (and opposes Saturn), to spark up our idealism—if not also to muddy our straight-line path.

Saturn-Neptune Opposition II(b): More Historical Drifts (3.21.07)
We continue our historical look at the Saturn-Neptune cycle, to help us better understand our current 'halfway' point.

The Beginning of an End (3.9.07)
Mar 18 07's solar eclipse squares Pluto, not only tossing or upturning our lives… but leading directly to wilder-and-crazier times over the coming several years. (Yeah, it's that big.)

Fireball (3.5.07)
The synergy of a grand trine between Jupiter, Saturn and Venus in fire signs pumps up the the impulse to act by instinct, fast and free and forward.

Notes from the Eclipse Trenches (3.4.07)
Why these chunks of half-digested experience from the past have regurgitated themselves now.


February 2007

Turning the Page (2.26.07)
The latest eclipses, including a Virgo lunar eclipse on Mar 3 07 opposing Uranus, flip us to the next chapter.

Saturn-Neptune Opposition II(a): Historical Drifts (2.20.07)
We look at the recent history of the Saturn-Neptune cycle, including the last conjunction in 1989.

Don't Forget Saturn's Opposing Neptune (2.14.07)
Reminding ourselves about the biggest astro-event happening now, the Saturn-Neptune opposition.

Valentine Blunders? (2.12.07)
Mercury goes retrograde in Pisces, just in time to muck up the romance… or add another layer of poetic sentiments.

Barry on SHAKE! Radio—Fri Feb 9 (2.8.07)
Check me out on SHAKE!, America's LGBT radio talk show.

Venus/Uranus: 'Love Ain't What I Expected' (2.7.07)
Getting started on a wild new relationship adventure? Or just getting antsy? Venus conjunct Uranus in Pisces shakes things up.


January 2007

Happy Hour with Venus and Mars (1.30.07)
Venus in Pisces and Mars in Capricorn discuss their pleasantly-sextiling relationship.

What I've Been Doing (1.22.07)
All that Sagittarian action in my 6th house brings JoJo, the space-age dog, to my doorstep.

Jupiter square Uranus: Contrary for Contrary's Sake? (1.21.07)
Is it possible to overdose on change? That's a question the Jupiter-Uranus square of '07 begs us to ask.

Venus, Neptune, and Romance Redux (1.17.07)
A Venus-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius heightens our ability to see beauty, love… or whatever we want to see.

Barry-Approved Briefs (1.14.07)
A UFO at O'Hare, an astrology article in Vanity Fair, and 'pluto' as a verb.

Bulldozing the Remnants (1.9.07)
Mars and Pluto conjoin, granting us the power to push through to the wide open spaces on the other side… but watch for shoving and slamming and shouting.

Getting Back into the Astro-Groove (1.5.07)
Reviewing what's on: Sun & Mercury in Capricorn, Mars in Sagittarius, and Venus in Aquarius provide us some much-needed zodiac diversity.

2007: The Year Ahead (1.1.07)
A look at what the 12 sun signs have in store for themselves in '07.