April Rewinds: Astro Report

Lots of retrogrades (and introspection) affecting us this month, giving us the chance to review our growth since the start of the year. We are slowing down, making sure we have solid foundations.

April 5th at 10:06pm (pacific): Saturn Retrograde in Sagittarius.
April 9th at 4:14pm: Mercury Retrograde at 4° Taurus.
April 10th at 11:08pm: Full Moon at 21° Libra.
April 15th at 3:18am: Venus (currently R) goes Direct in Pisces – exalted!
…and Jupiter Retrograde in Libra until June 8th!

And TODAY, Sunday, retrograde Venus in Pisces is squaring retrograde Saturn in Sag at exactly 27°.

Partnerships are being seriously reevaluated this week. Relationships regarding love and business are tested to see if they can withstand the pressures of long term commitment. Saturn doesn’t fool around. Are you willing to do the hard work necessary to keep your pledge to another person? If yes, the relationship has a strong center and will probably be a lasting one. But if they are castles built of sand, they will diminish.

This is an important time to take inventory of what’s working and what’s not working, and to gauge the commitment level of each person. This tension will be accented by the Full Moon in Libra tomorrow, and Venus’s’ stationing at the end of the week.
There are four planets retrograding together this week. That’s pretty amazing! I can’t remember the last time this happened. In general, all of us need to:

1. Re-evaluate things you’re committed to.
2. Re-examine your VALUES and adjust if necessary. What’s most important?
3. Start with getting grounded; take each day as it comes.
4. Don’t expand into future worries – but deal with what’s in front of you right now.
5. Be in the present.

The great RE-VALUE is here.

Sex Addiction goes mainstream

First there was "Sex Rehab" on VH1, and now today we have Rehab (and Dr. Drew) appearing on Oprah! Really amazing stuff. "Sex Rehab" is a fascinating show and I'm glad to see it receiving mainstream attention.

I can relate to it. I've struggled with dysfunctional relationships in my own life, and I've seen the ravages of addiction in our society, on the news, in advertising and in my community. I hope this new exposure will open the door of healing and transformation for addicts that aren't aware of their addiction, or aware that there is a different way to live.

As I watched I decided to take some notes on Oprah's show to share with you here. Most of these facts and perspectives come from Dr. Drew and the guests on the show:


Sex Addiction:

Sex addiction is harder to deal with than drug addiction.
One orgasm releases as much dopamine in a person's brain as one alcoholic drink.
At it's core, it's about your sense of value and how you relate to yourself.
Sometimes it's a way to feel power over others.
Sex addicts often feel unlovable.
When children become sexual at a young age, Dr. Drew says it's from chaos in the home.
Most addicts seek recovery when suffering with consequences and feeling a loss of control
About 80% of partners of sex addicts will stay with the addict.
It takes 3 to 5 years to treat sex and love addiction

Love Addiction:

...is more common in women
It's an intimacy disorder
The people that terrorized us in our childhood become our fixation in our adulthood.
A love addict can't tolerate intimacy
The person becomes addicted to the feeling of being in love.
One of the symptoms is obsessing over a love interest - making the guy or girl your everything.
If rejected, the addict becomes suicidal or severly depressed; can't work or function.
If you're in a relationship with someone who doesn't respect you, there is an element of addiction involved.
Addiction requires interpersonal and spiritual experiences to heal.
Humans need intimacy; it's a basic need.
There are so many social networking sites (like this one:), and everyone's talking.. but there's no REAL intimacy (I thought this was an interesting observation!)

So that's it. For more info check out Dr. Drew's site!