The Planet Mars - The Warrior - Turns Direct

By Sam Geppi

Mars turned retrograde November 15th, 2007 and will begin moving direct Wednesday, January 30 at about 330 Pacific Time. This retrograde cycle of Mars have provided a time of reflection on certain mental concepts - how things should or shouldn't be - in your life. This process may have been quite frustrating and something very important may have been destroyed and suddenly taken away from you in order to release you from certain physical constraints and mental ideas.

Mars is the planet of strength. He tries to strengthen us. This destruction has tempted you to react with anger and to bring about a new path of destruction as a way to feel vindicated perhaps. But the larger purpose of Mars is to make us disciplined and courageous enough to face our self truthfully - to face these mental concepts and narrowing opinions with greater courage, rather than lash out at those on the outside who in our narrowmindedness have "victimized" us in some way.

The black-and-white approach of Mars is really only good for one thing, action, and that's the way it should be. Every planet does one thing really well, and everything else rather badly. Yet this retrograde cycle has taken place in Gemini, a sign of ideas, flexibility, freedom from black and white, narrow thinking. To use an analogy, Mars is like the rebellious, wild and uncontrollable child within us. As this energy grows up, it may becomes like a rebellious, punk energy that is misdirected, or it can be that independence that rebels against convention, courageously becoming a positive reformer, even a great spiritual being like a yogi. Mars is a principled action. And don't we always argue because of "the principle of the thing". When you put this hot, action oriented energy in the sign of Gemini, there could be a lot of overstimulation and misdirected mental energy. Gemini is symbolized by a game room, a casino, or in our more modern terms, a video game parlor or a 24 hour Internet connection. Have you been a bit of an Internet junkie since last fall - Craving more and more types of information, yet integrating very little of it? Welcome to Mars in Gemini.

At least he will start moving forward again. But he will be in Gemini until the end of April so we still have the possibility of being the punky kid run amok in the casino or smoking from the crack pipe of violent video games. Yet, there is also the possibility of directing and focusing all the information we've been gathering lately toward the higher purpose we are trying to manifest right now. And as I've been indicating, the Jupiter/Saturn trine has us all thinking big, dreaming big and wondering how to put it into place.

Sam Geppi has over 20 years of Vedic Study and experience. He is a Hatha Yoga instructor and certified Vedic Astrologer and Teacher through the ACVA (level 2) as well as author of "The Ascendant". Visit His Astrology Forum and Community at Todays Astrology.net - Also Get Free Daily horoscopes at his website Free Daily Horoscope.org

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Is There Anything New Under The Sun?

By Vivian Gordon

With the perplexities going on in my own life, I was directed to the book of Habakkuk. I gained spiritual insight for my life but I want to talk about the prophetic message for all of us. In this short little book, contains a lot of truth that is coming to pass in the near future. The Bible is full of prophecy, which means it was foretold long ago that nothing new under the sun would ever occur. We can read God's Word almost like a newspaper of today's events. It should make one sit up and take notice. I know I do.

In the book of Habakkuk, this prophet was perplexed as to why God would allow the wicked to prosper. Today we see this happening in the middle East. The Iranian president Ahmadinejad was granted a visa to speak from New York. He has made it clear from an interview on 60 Minutes that he is waging psychological warfare. The president of Israel said that 90% of the war on terror is in fact a media war. Ahmadinejad understands how to manipulate the media to fight the war on terror and win. This is exactly what he is doing. This terrorist presides over a fascist state known for its blatant support of terror. He arrests men whose hair is too long, and even supports the death penalty for gays. His purpose was not to show his sympathy for Americans who suffered great loss on 9-11, but rather to exploit this hallowed place as an arena to wage his psychological warfare. He used it as a platform to build his case on why he believed we were attacked. As with the denial of the Holocaust, he also denies that America was attacked by al-Qaeda. This man is gaining political strength depending on his ability to manipulate the media of the West for idealogical purposes. Now I have to ask, "God...why would you allow these people to prosper?"

Back in the days of Habakkuk, he asked this same thing concerning Israel's enemies the Chaldeans. They were a fierce and ruthless bunch of people. They prided themselves on wicked behavior. They treated other societies like the fish of the sea and creeping things with no ruler.
In other words, they gathered these people up for their selfish pleasure. The Chaldeans credited themselves for all their gain and military might. Habakkuk wanted to know why God would allow these ruthless people to pursue injustice and engage in such wickedness. "How long God, will you allow them to destroy Your people?" was the repeated question of Habakkuk. He just didn't understand, can we?

If anything, I understand now that God did not use the Chaldeans to destroy Israel, but to chastise them. Is there a lesson for us today as well? What can God be telling us as Iran and Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be rising up against the free world? The most important thing to consider is the outcome. God had a plan then as He does today. There is nothing new under the sun.

The prophecy of Habakkuk is fulfilled in our generation. In the first chapter of this book, Yahweh informs Habakkuk that He Himself has raised up these ruthless people. Well, just who are they? They are modern day Iraq, Iran, part of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria. Do these countries sound at all familiar?
God finally responds to Habakkuk's complaint in the second chapter. He announced that He would judge the wickedness of the Chaldeans. He told Habakkuk to write the vision down as a reminder that it would surely occur. He gave Habakkuk a description of the wicked in a comparison to the righteous.

"Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous shall live by faith." Habakkuk 2:4

Being proud means to trust in one's self, not God. Who does the Iranian people trust in? It certainly isn't God. But the righteous man shall continually live by his faith. A true believer which is declared righteous by God, will persevere in his faith as a pattern of his life. Then the Lord continues to give five "woes" of warning in His coming judgment. God teaches us in this book that the lesson of sowing and reaping is a serious matter for everyone. That saying that says, "What goes around comes around" eventually will.

These five woes are directed to 5 different classes of evil doers. It is applied to nations as well as individuals. Found in the second chapter, God explains the woes which will result in the Chaldean's demise. If God did this once, I believe He will do it again.

First God charged exhortation against the Chaldeans, such as plundering weaker nations in order to gain more. Sound like anyone in the news media today? The result to this was God would make them plunder for those nations who remained. I wonder how they will like it!

Secondly, God charged premeditated exploitation which was due to covetousness. These people wouldn't stop until they had it all! Who does this remind you of? The result was the Chaldean leaders would shame themselves for their actions. They harmed their own souls in the end. Anyone who will not recognize Christ their Savior will be judged.

Thirdly God accused them of being ruthless despots. They lived in the lap of luxury with money gained from bloodshed and forced labor. Don't these leaders live in palaces while their people suffer? The result for this was all their efforts were futile. Nothing lasted. Can you begin to see the bigger picture here?

Fourthly, God accused the Chaldeans of debauchery. These people were drunkards and forced others to become intoxicated as well. They made innocent people behave shamefully, making them easy prey. God's response to this charge was to force them to drink His cup of wrath and expose them to public shame. This charge alone would be enough to turn me around!

And lastly, God accused them of idolatry. These countries are polytheistic. They serve many gods. They want to force their religion on the world, which does not include the Supreme Being and Creator of the universe. God destroyed them and demonstrated His superiority over all other gods. He didn't stand for it then, and He won't stand for it now.

"The thing that has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which shall be. So there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

Take it from Solomon, a man who knew firsthand. After all he wrote it because God inspired it. Solomon takes a look at the effect of repetitious, enduring activity in God's creation over many generations as compared to the brief and comparatively profitless activity of one man which fails to produce and enduring satisfaction. He concludes that it is wearisome and futile. He also comes to the hard fact that nothing is new and nothing will be remembered. In other words, written records which serve as reminders of events, people, places and things will all be short lived. I suppose the Iranian president considers himself an exception to God's rules. In the end, it doesn't really matter what any one thinks about God. The truth is, God is still God!

The key lesson to be learned from all this is, no matter what happens in life...trust God! After all was said and done, Habakkuk just praised his Lord thus causing him to relax in the midst of the storms of life. We can't alter what has already been predestined in heaven, but we can pray that God would touch the ruthless hearts of these people who devise wickedness in the world. Be thankful that your salvation in Christ will not be judged.

When facing a crisis, trust Jesus and move forward!

All scripture taken from the MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard version.
Vivian Gordon is led by the Holy Spirit to reach out and give the Christian and non Christian alike something to think about in their own lives. These articles are meant to edify the reader and bring them deeper. They are based on spirituality, inspiration, and today's morals and how we need to get back to basics.
Supporting Christian Communication Online

http://www.churchwebsitedesign.org.uk A Christian based organization that seeks to encourage clergy and church leaders to identify the potential in developing an online church community.
This project provides support and advise on ways that the internet can enhance the work of your church and also provides the tools to meet your needs. and how we need to get back to basics.

Uranus - The Farthest Planet That Can be Seen Without a Telescope

By Niel Hudgens

Uranus is the ancient Greek deity of the Heavens, the earliest supreme god. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest (by diameter). Uranus, the first planet discovered in modern times, was discovered by William Herschel while systematically searching the sky with his telescope on March 13, 1781. Uranus is composed primarily of rock and various ices, with only about 15% hydrogen and a little helium (in contrast to Jupiter and Saturn which are mostly hydrogen). Uranus' atmosphere is about 83% hydrogen,15% helium and 2% methane. Uranus' blue color is the result of absorption of red light by methane in the upper atmosphere. Uranus is a large, plain, blue-green planet which can only be seen from the Earth with the unaided eye on a clear, dark night. Uranus has 15 satellites orbiting in nearly circular orbits in the planet's equatorial plane, hence they are also "tilted" about 90 to the ecliptic.

Uranus' core is in many ways similar to the cores of Jupiter and Saturn minus the massive liquid metallic hydrogen surrounding the cores. Uranus's diameter is four times larger than Earth's and its mass is 14. Uranus is best remembered as the "tilted planet," or the "planet that rotates on its side," because of the inclination of its rotation axis with respect to its orbital plane.

Rings
The rings of Uranus were discovered from ground-based observations in 1977. Rings of Uranus has a faint planetary ring system, composed of dark particulate matter up to ten meters in diameter. There are 11 known rings, all very faint; the brightest is known as the Epsilon ring.
This was of considerable importance since we now know that rings are a common feature of planets, not a peculiarity of Saturn alone. These rings are very dark and narrow, unlike Saturn's, which are bright. Uranus has 21 known natural satellites (and may have at least 27), both within the rings and outside of the rings.

Orbit
Orbit around the Sun: Uranus goes around the Sun once every 84 Earth years. Most have nearly circular orbits in the plane of Uranus' equator (and hence at a large angle to the plane of the ecliptic); the outer 4 are much more elliptical.

Uranus is nevertheless hotter at its equator than at its poles. Uranus is no longer the bland boring planet that Voyager saw. Uranus is unique in our solar system because it is tilted 98 degrees. Uranus is the farthest planet that can be seen without a telescope. Uranus has a mass (quantity of matter) 14 1/2 times larger than that of Earth. Uranus seems to radiate as much heat into space as it gets from the sun. Uranus is composed mostly of liquid water, methane and ammonia, surrounded by a thick gas atmosphere of mostly hydrogen and helium. Uranus, like Venus, has a rotation axis that is greatly tilted and sometimes points near the Sun. Uranus is composed mostly of rock and ices, but with a thick hydrogen and helium atmosphere.

Niel Hudgens is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.AstronomistsUnlimited.com. He provides more information about astronomy and astronomy issues that you can research in your pajamas on his website.