A Balinese Barong Dancer. Pic by me.

I was actually going to have a little rant this week about Twitter wars and the perception of safety in cyber numbers, but I thought better of it. Maybe it is the influence of Venus moving into Scorpio reminding me of the cruelty and cowardice of anonymity, versus the effectiveness of direct and private action, maybe it is just that stuff like that played out in a public space causes more hurt in the name of retribution than can be warranted.

And no, this has nothing to do with anything personal, but rather an unsavoury battle played out on Twitter between two (non astro) bloggers that I used to follow. But to provide any more details, would simply attach myself to the dispute- and I am so not going there.

In fact I probably wouldn’t even mention it, other than it allows me a neat segue into a blog I read recently by a Facebook friend Melsinka. She related a Venus/Pluto story she had recently experienced at work.  She likened the “enemy” (in this case an emotionally draining customer) to being little pieces of ourselves, sort of like Voldemorts’ horcruxes Harry Potter was chasing down and sort of like Medusa’s head of writhing snakes- where as one is killed another grows.

She wrote:

“But to do so (attack the enemy- my words, not Melsinkas’) is to have lost the battle, because the enemy is not embodied in another, it is actually within our very self, is part of our shadow, and the very reason it effects us so much is that it reflects or mirrors this part of our own being. Just like Harry Potter, who had a piece of  Lord Voldemort in him, representing his shadow and over which he had to triumph as part of his quest for true freedom.  If we give in to it, the power is so great that it becomes impossible to control – myths warn over and over again how addictive this kind of power can be – and also how it ultimately will consume us, because we are working with the energy of hate, anger and fear. Moreover, to kill off the thing that is attacking us will only give temporary relief, but is bound to re-emerge in another form later. It is the kind of energy that just finds a body to work through, but is not actually inherent in that being. Our lesson is to learn how to deal with it, to use our tools or abilities to handle it without emotionally succumbing.”

Reading this brought so much into perspective, and is a very timely reminder of Venus/Pluto, Venus in Scorpio and the temptation of wasting emotional energy in obsessing over things that we can neither control nor should attempt to control… Although having said that, being a Venus/Pluto type myself, this lesson is easier to read than it is to put into action.

Speaking of which, here is this years’ Venus in Scorpio post: Bad Romance. Readers, at least of my blog, seem to be fascinated by Scorpio. It is one sign that you can’t be ambivalent over- you either love it or hate it, there is no in between. I happen to love it- possibly why my stats go skyhigh whenever I post anything mentioning Scorpio or Pluto.

Also on the blogs:

Saturn in Scorpio: the Missing Piece. Feel free to write to me, but yes, the Saturn in Scorpio descriptive paragraph didn’t make it into my Wellbeing article. Here it is in all of its glory, plus a little more besides. Of all the signs to miss…

This week also saw the return of the semi occasional Daily Planets rundown. Don’t get too attached to these- they will remain semi occasional as I have the time and creativity to post. Just scroll through the home page to find them.

Oh, and there is some Libra workplace stuff over on astrology.com. Follow the links from the Work etc tab at the top of the page.

The big event of this week is Wednesday mornings (Sydney time) Full Moon in Aries. More on this annual struggle between me and we as we get closer to it.

Anyways I have a full ironing basket that needs tackling and decisions to make around hunter gathering, so will leave you with another song for Venus in Scorpio, Jealousy by the Pet Shop Boys, but sung by one of the hottest Scorpio Moons (and I do have a particular fondness for a Scorpio Moon) in the business- Robbie Williams. The lyrics get me everytime:

I wish I’d never met you more than I could dare to let you go… haven’t we all been there? What about Where’ve you been? Who’ve you seen? You didn’t phone when you said you would… Yep, Venus in Scorpio to music. Enjoy the week!

I write this on a lazy holiday Monday here in Sydney where Spring visited early and has retreated again…as has my voice- retreated, that is.

After two days with barely a squeak, I can now at least make myself heard (albeit in a very husky 1800 type of way)…and am making up for the break in transmission. I feel like this cold has been hanging around for ever and it has been over 2 weeks since I was able to train effectively. Never the most patient of people, I am now officially Over It. Naturally, according to Scorpio hubby, it is my own fault because I didn’t stop properly when I first got it and persisted with training for the race I had entered. Whatever.

Anyways, I think the worst is past and all should all be back to normal soon.

For now, a run down of the week that was and a brief look ahead at the week to be.

On the blogs

Banishing the Banishable- a post for the New Moon in Libra

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps…and a little buyers remorse- all about Venus in Libra

Shameless Self Promotion- this years Wellbeing Astrology & where to get your copy

I’m Too Sexy For This Post- Mars in Leo…of course…and I’m pretty proud of the peacock pic

Chains- Saturn opposite Venus transits- ouchy do

And yes, there are no links to astrology.com because…well, because I have been too busy at work to actually write about work.

Looking ahead?

The big aspects today are Mars squaring off against a retrograde Jupiter and the Moon squaring Uranus. Given that it is Labour Day here in parts of Australia, perhaps the best spot is on the lounge catching up on telly (personally, I have the day set aside for last seasons East West 101 and the ironing board). Mars in Leo, though, wants to shine and wants to move. With pressure between the Moon and Uranus and then the monthly standoff against Pluto, anything can happen.

The squares continue from la Luna into Tuesday with battles against the Sun, Saturn and Venus all marking her progress through Capricorn.

The big event will be next weekend with Venus moving into the sign of her fall- deepest, darkest, kinkiest Scorpio. Bring. It. On!

Anyways, I have a Chilli Caramel Pork Belly that is demanding my attention….exotically Asian enough for the tail end Sagittarius Moon with the chilli heat just right (I hope) to get this throat and this voice happening again- a big week ahead at work.

To make this dish work well, the pork belly needs to simmer in a master stock for 3 hours, before cooling in the stock and then being refrigerated until it is firm enough to slice- preferably overnight, but I don’t plan that far in advance.

Master stock is one of those things like mother yeasts- it just keeps getting better. I keep one in the freezer for chicken and one for pork, and as long as you skim and strain it through muslin before re-freezing, topping up with water as required, the flavour continues to intensify.

The recipe, if you are interested, is below. It comes from Neil Perry’s Simply Asian, but as I am not great with following instructions, we deviate a little from the original. This sauce works well with chicken too and, I would imagine, with prawns…in fact, I am thinking a bowl of king prawns tossed in this sauce and some cold beer…next weekend maybe.

Ingredients:

500g belly pork

master stock (I keep some always in the freezer, but essentially it is 6 cups water, 1 cup light soy sauce, 1 cup shao xing, ½ cup yellow rock sugar, 1 large knob sliced ginger, 3 cloves sliced garlic, 4 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 pieces dried tangerine peel. Boil it up and strain it out, then store in the freezer. It just keeps getting better)

vegetable oil for frying the pork

For the sauce:

1 cup palm sugar

½ cup water

8 green birds eye chillis & 4 long red chillis (both de-seeded & julienned)

2 tablespoons of ginger, julienned (that’s a posh word for slicing super fine)

¼ cup fish sauce

¼ cup lime juice

How to make it:

Simmer the pork belly in the master stock for 3 hours, skimming as required. Allow it to cool in the broth & then refrigerate overnight (if you can). Drain the pork & cut into thin strips.

For the sauce, pop the sugar and ¼ cup of water into a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves and it turns to caramel. This should take about 10mins, but watch it as once it turns it goes from sugary to caramel to burned mess in the bottom of the pan super quick.

Take it off the heat and add the remaining water (1/4 cup), the julienned chilli and ginger and stir like crazy to stop it catching. Now you can add the remaining ingredients. Bring it back to the boil and then just keep warm while you deal with the pork.

The original recipe calls for the pork to be deep fried & the sauce poured over at the end. We usually stir fry it with some other veg eg capsicum, snow peas, carrot, shallots and toss in some cashews and then the sauce. This adds a lovely caramel chilli glaze to the dish. Serve with rice, beer and (depending on the heat of your chillis) tissues!

Boats in Noumea Harbour, Pic by me.

This week has been a mixed bag.

At my paid partition job, we are at the pointy end of some pretty mega changes and I am rapidly losing sight of priorities under a wad of post it notes. At home TTM (Taller Than Me) has a wad of assignments due over the next week and we are in New Zealand next weekend- which mean they all need to be completed over the next few days.

On the health front I am feeling incredibly manky (and going further downhill by the hour), which isn’t helping the “running” training at all, and on the blog front those pillock spamsters are still bringing my site down with their incessant offers that I am still well and truly able to refuse.

On the up side, I can’t wait for Wellington next weekend and the WOW show, and TTM now appreciates the importance of music as a cultural guide after using a Goanna song in her assignment on Aboriginal Australia & the Invasion….which led me to reminisce on some other classic Aussie protest songs…But it might be best not to dwell on stuff like “Let the Franklin Flow” which hasn’t stood the strength of time quite as well, but was definitely something worth fighting for at the time.

It has been a busy week on the blogs- largely because of the spamsters I am having to post a lot more to try and bring readers back who haven’t been able to get through because of the instability. Extremely heavy sighs:

White is the New Black: Venus in Virgo

Its Got to be Perfect- links to last years Virgo posts

Your Career & the Cosmos: A Place for Everything- Virgo stuff

It’s all in the fine print: Cancer Moon, Virgo stuff

A recipe: Apple & Sour Cream Slice

Take my breath away: A very mini lesson in medical astrology

Are Your Planets Keeping You Fat? Virgo

Integral (to the project): Virgo in the body and other health related Virgo stuff

What About Me? New Moon in Virgo tomorrow morning- what will your New Moon wish be?

Anyways for now, I have a teapot full of witchy brew and various herbs & spices which I am hoping will bring about the miracle recovery I need in order to get through the next few days at work, the trip to Wellywood and a recommencement of training.

So, until next time…

If you are a newsletter signer upper, you will have noticed (or then again, you may not have) that I haven’t sent out a newsletter since I changed computers (once you go Mac, you never go back)…the whole trying to send this out has been a tad challenging technologically. Whatever. And I am not entirely sure that newsletters were that beneficial in any case.

So, in the interests of efficiency, I am sending a newsletter to say that I won’t be sending newsletters. Instead, I will be doing a weekly round-up on the blog, which you can, of course, subscribe to very quickly by a simple and easy to follow 2 step process. Note I said 2 step…. That is to make sure that you are a real live person and not a spambot.

Speaking of which, I have been inundated with it lately, spam that is, to the extent that I am just deleting comments in a wholesale fashion to the tune of up to 60 a day. My provider has done some fancy pants stuff in the background, but it comes and it comes. For reference, I need neither Viagra, penis extensions, oral sprays (of any type), mortgages (of any type), horse racing tips or reclining office furniture.

So, the week that was:

We Need to Talk: The Pisces Moon, believing your feelings and when to listen to your bestie…and a little Neptunitis

Your Career & the Cosmos: Watch me Roar- Leo Boss stuff.

Your Time to Shine: Leo on the cusp of houses 7-12

I Really Want You… A bit of a spiel on Neptune/Venus transits, loving like a Piscean all to the beat of a James Blunt song that happened to be in my ears as I was writing…which made a change because I have been singing Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory all week…it could have been a very different post…

I Told You So- Mercury retrograde, DDOS attacks, car problems, knights in shining armour and one helluva threesome.

JFDI, GF and other life lessons- when not to give your feelings a vote, “running” in the rain, a little bit about Michelangelo and a little bit about the Taurus Moon.

Your Career & the Cosmos: In Clear View- personal vision statements…what’s yours?

Never Ever Have I Ever Felt So Low: Saturn/Moon Transits- surviving the shitstorm.

Are Your Planets Keeping You Fat? Leo…

Next week we have both the Sun and Venus moving into Virgo, Mercury turning direct and a Virgo New Moon that will be a direct hit on Mercury in my chart…anyways…

I have just taken a spaghetti maker attachment for the Kitchenaid for a test run, so have a pasta sauce to make. Tonights will be a zesty made up one with zucchini, fetta, prosciutti and lemon…yum.

Oh, the photo at the start of this post is the flowers that arrived home with hubby on Friday night…just because…awwwww….

You know that old saying- if you can’t say anything nice, talk about the weather? Well, hasn’t the nights been lovely and cool?

Yep mars is well and truly active in my chart and I am in major bring it on baby mode…so, don’t start anything you can’t finish! In fact I have crossed the line from angry to incandescently angry… you have been warned. 

On the Blogs

Aside from the Daily Planets:

• All about Mars in Aries and Aries males in specific. Yep, they do it for me! It’s Getting Hot in Here.
• All about the Mercury retrograde in Aries- Don’t Look Back in Anger.

What’s Happening Up There?

Venus is now in Pisces, there are 6 (count them) planets in Aries today…and the energy out there is very definitely Arian. Whatever… The big news is tomorrow mornings New Moon (just after midnight Sydney time), Neptune moving into the sign she rules, Pisces for the 1^st time in like ever & Pluto will be retrograde later this week. More on that later… for now, I have an ironing basket that has been looking at me seductively for the last hour or so…

Have a great week!

Jo