No major aspects among the planets today, and yet there’s a lot going on. How can this be? First, Moon is running wild in information junkie Gemini, possibly spreading news — or rumors — like a virus or some other infection. I say this, noting Moon in Gemini running wild, combined with Mercury’s (mind, information, communication) challenge from nebulous Neptune in Pisces. Fact check what you hear, especially if it’s on the news.  The challenge between Mercury and Neptune is exact early Friday AM. You can best apply it to exalted spiritual practices, music, fine art and healing modalities. Excesses of alcohol and other drugs may be tempting, but best avoided. Your brain may be foggy enough as it is.

But wait — there’s more! Mercury is leaving the steady sign of Taurus for the glib, multi-tasking, clever but often scattered sign of Gemini at 4:03PM EDT. That “wobble” could take a day of adjustment as our brains adapt to the quickened pace. Neptune is at a halt in the sky, about to turn retrograde early Saturday morning at zero degrees of Pisces, the sign it rules. Neptune refers to viruses and infections. Could news of a particularly potent strain of E coli spreading across Germany be a corollary to this planet pulling focus? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/world/europe/02ecoli.html?hp Another Neptune in Pisces theme:  water — and the lack thereof — this time in the Nile: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/opinion/02Brown.html?hpw

Rumor and scandal also relate to Neptune, and there seems to be all sorts of stories running amok, from media (Neptune) websites being hacked; twitter feeds belonging to a certain congressman allegedly hacked and used as a conduit for a mysterious photo; and rumors about the origin of a mysterious wildfire in Arizona raging out of control. It may take until Monday to get clarity on much of this mishegosh, and Friday is likely to be edgy, even with a bit of Neptunian fog. Take your time!

A note on the phenomenon of retrograde planets. They do not actually slow down to a halt, move backward and then forward. It just appears that they do from our point of view on spaceship Earth. Here is a groovy animation which explains it all for you: http://www.lasalle.edu/~smithsc/Astronomy/retrograd.html  Any questions?

Many thanks for the recent referrals, btw. I am glad to be of service.