FULL MOON DANCE
Feb. 26, 2002 – "It is as if the Milky Way entered upon some cosmic dance. Swiftly the brain becomes an enchanted loom where millions of flashing shuttles weave a dissolving pattern, always a meaningful pattern though never an abiding one; a shifting harmony of subpatterns." –Sir Charles Sherrington
The Full Moon of February 27 highlights the opposing signs of Pisces and Virgo. In honor of these two signs, I offer equal parts myth and mystery for Pisces along with practical scientific information Virgo finds useful.
Pisces is a water sign of feeling, fantasy, music and dreams. Pisces is a particularly sensitive sign, like a tuning fork vibrating to its surroundings. Pisceans often need extra time to withdraw, to sleep and dream, to commune with their inner source, and sort through all the impressions of the day.
Virgo is a pragmatic, earthy sign, attuned to the rhythms, cycles and textures of nature. Sensual, health-conscious Virgo is most in tune with the body as one's earthly vehicle. Analytical and experimental, Virgo is interested in the details of life and how they work.
When in synch, these two signs complement each other: Virgo finds practical means to bring the dreams of Pisces into being. Most people born in the 1960's have a strong interplay of these two signs in their charts. They are being challenged by current planetary patterns to rearrange their lives to a danceable rhythm. This Full Moon highlights this necessity.
AGE OF THE PISCES, THE MERMAID
We are in the last lap of the Age of Pisces, the sign of the Fish. The two fish swim through the night sky along two sides of the Great Square of Pegasus, the Flying Horse, sending us on winged flights of imagination. The two fish are connected by a long, knotted cord. One story tells of Venus, the goddess of love, and her son, Cupid, being chased by the monster Typhon. Mother and son dove into the sea and shape-shifted into fish, tied together with a cord, the bond of love, so they would not lose each other. This story is especially appropriate as Venus is now conjunct the Sun in Pisces. Venus is said to be exalted in Pisces, infusing personal love with universal compassion.
Older images of Pisces suggest a single fish, perhaps even a mermaid, representing a Syrian goddess. One of the fish of Pisces is very near the midsection of the constellation Andromeda, the Chained Princess. In this day and age, it is time to free the Lady. She is, after all, giving birth to a galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy is our closest sister galaxy, amazingly visible even with the naked eye at 2.7 million light-years away. A light-year is how far light travels in a year; at 186,000 miles per second, that is far. It boggles the mind. It wasn't until the 1920's that astronomers recognized it as a galaxy. There is some new Einsteinian consideration of light traveling at different speeds, related to our conception of space and time – which can vary. Have you noticed the changing passage of time recently?
THE EYE OF LILITH
During this Full Moon, Venus is conjunct Black Moon Lilith. This esoteric point marks the second focal center of the Moon's elliptical orbit around Earth, representing deep, mysterious and compelling urges that strip away normal conceptions. One of the most ancient of goddesses, Lilith pushes us off the cliff into unknown territory. Implacable, this goddess looks you in the eye that perceives
"with an objectivity like that of nature itself and our dreams, boring into the soul to find the naked truth, to see reality beneath all its myriad forms and the illusions and defenses it displays." –Sylvia Pereira,
"Descent to the Goddess"
Black Moon/Venus dives into the sea, an ancient mermaid goddess staring at us through our deepest dreams of love. This is not the Little Mermaid Disney movie. This image includes the dark penetrating eyes of Muslim women peering from behind their burkas. How free are they in Andromeda's sky?
A REAL LITTLE MERMAID
The Disney movie did touch the lives of many young mermaids. A news report some years ago on CNN, documented the story of a little girl named Desiree, whose father had died suddenly the previous year. He always used to read her the tale of "The Little Mermaid," so on his birthday, she sent him a note tied to a Little Mermaid balloon to carry it up to heaven. The balloon sailed from Live Oak, California, across the entire United States and landed on Prince Edward Island, Canada in a community named Mermaid, where it was found by a hunter. He and his family responded to little girl's note with a letter and a storybook of the Hans Christian Andersen version "The Little Sea-Maid." The little girl had never read this version, in which the little seamaid dies and flies up to heaven with her sister angels into the light, and it helped her greatly to accept her father's death, knowing that the little mermaid was up there in heaven with him.
THE SOUL OF THE WORLD
In such a universal sign as Pisces, soul-seeking is not just a personal matter. Anima Mundi, the World Soul, is present in our daily experience, calling us into a deeper participation with life force, as witnessed in the above true story. For a fruitful conclusion to the Age of Pisces, we need to fully incorporate the essence of Virgo, the World Angel, who lives through All Our Relations, as the Native Americans say.
"Through understanding this world more deeply, we have the experience of being in contact with that source of it all in the sense that it tells us something about itself; it tells us something about ourselves."
— Brother David Steindl-Rast, in dialogue with physicist Fritjof Capra (see
"Belonging to the Universe")
The new disciplines of ecology and living systems are on the leading edge of today's science as much as astrophysics and brain research, all contributing to the new emerging paradigm of consciousness. Chilean neuroscientist Humberto Muturana, a pioneer in systems theory, concludes that "living as a process is a process of cognition." Cognition and perception – how we think defines our reality, as Saturn in Gemini continues to remind us. This light of Sun and Full Moon spotlight Saturn, caught between them. We have an opportunity to integrate more fully into our daily living the inspiration of love and compassion – or become more cemented in our fears. Keep your ear to the ground. Earth speaks more truly than TV news.
M. Kelley Hunter, Astro-consultant and mythologist
PO Box 37, St. John, USVI 00831
1-888-7ALTAIR

Editor's note: Internationally-known astrologer Kelley Hunter is a resident of St. John, US Virgin Islands, where she leads stargazing nights. For an astrology consultation or stargazing schedule, call her at 693-5849 or e-mail Kelley Hunter. Check out her new website:www.heliastar.com

Feb. 26, 2002 – The firefighters and equipment that provide first response for eastern St. Thomas are making a temporary move to another location while major renovations are made to the fire station across from Four Winds Plaza and Tillett Gardens.
The Echo Company crew and fire trucks will operate out of Foster Plaza, near Holy Family Catholic Church, while work at the George Scott Firehouse is under way. V.I. Fire Service spokesman Donald Charles said the move should take place in a few days.
Repairs to the facility are badly needed, Charles said. Every time it rains, he said, the firehouse floods, and "we have a serious drainage problem." So, the first part of the $130,000 project will be flood control.
In the second phase of the renovation, contractors will create work space for paramedics who will be permanently stationed at the Tutu fire station. The construction is expected to take six months.
Charles said Foster Plaza was chosen as the fire station's temporary home in order to keep the emergency crews in the same general area, with no change in response time to the community they serve. "Basically, the Foster location is a strategic location," he said. The fire trucks will be parked in the shopping center parking lot until the station renovation work is done.
The fire station telephone number, 775-0205, will remain in service.
Charles said the work at the Tutu station is part of the overall improvements being made to the territory's fire stations.
Repairs begun earlier at the Fort Christian firehouse are 95 percent complete, he said. That work has involved the installation of a new kitchen, shower and decontamination area, and two new offices, along with a major upgrading of the sleeping quarters.
Because the Hotel Company based there is situated in Fort Christian, a designated historic landmark, he said, it was necessary to obtain special permits to make repairs to the leaky roof that has plagued firefighters in the downtown Charlotte Amalie station for years.

Feb. 26, 2002 – At a Senate committee hearing on working conditions at Roy L. Schneider Hospital Monday night, employees painted a grim picture of deficiencies in existence for years and even decades, while administration representatives said investigations of some allegations have found no violations.
Several hospital employees told the Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee that their complaints go unheard.
Darrell Ruan, an operating room technician, said the hospital is not "up to date," the mask and gloves he uses are "inappropriate," and vapors in the operating room severely affect the employees. Under questioning by the senators, Ruan said he has voiced these same complaints to his supervisors and to union representatives "since 1982."
Hospital employees Carmen Henley and Ermine St. Clair said they have received their notices of personnel action, or NOPA's, but haven't received their negotiated salary increases. They said they were told they wouldn't receive any increases until the union goes into negotiation again. However, hospital legal counsel Amos Carty Jr. said some employees may not be eligible for salary increases.
After listening to several of the employees' complaints, Norma Pickard-Samuel, the committee chair, said it might be time for the government to consider once again taking over the hospital management. "The hospital's board of trustees and administration have the responsibility to make sure that the employees do not receive such bad treatment," she said. "The hospital management must understand that the public will not be adequately served if the concerns of its employees are not addressed."
Several years ago, the government chose to get out of the hospital management business, creating separate executive agencies with their own hospital governing boards for the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John districts.
John Sheen, executive assistant labor commissioner, read a statement to the committee from Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin stating that "several complaints were filed with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA, against [Schneider] hospital in June 2000." Benjamin's statement said that the complaints alleged a lack of personal protective equipment, employees being exposed to incinerator fumes, the absence of signs to warn workers about contaminated areas, and employees not being trained to operate the incinerator or to dispose of hazardous waste.
However, Benjamin said, an OSHA inspector found that only the incinerator fumes were a violation of safety rules. And Darrell Smalls, Schneider Hospital director of maintenance and engineering, said Planning and Natural Resources Department officials visited the site and found no violations. The statement continued, "We are unaware of any other labor issues affecting the hospital … that fall under the purview of the Department of Labor."
Attorney Archie Jennings, representing the Seafarers International Union, brought up another complaint — that Schneider Hospital security officers do not have weapons and are inadequately trained. He said these concerns have been taken to hospital management but there has been "no response."
Pickard-Samuel said she was aware of that situation and has drafted legislation mandating that the hospital security officers be designated "peace officers."
"I would like to sit back and say the hospitals in the territory are the best in the world," Pickard-Samuel said at one point. "But I cannot with these complaints … Without these employees, no matter how much money is placed in its budget, the hospital will not function properly."
Committee members attending the hearing in addition to Picard-Samuel were Sens. Lorraine Berry, Douglas Canton Jr., Donald "Ducks" Cole, Vargrave Richards and Celestino A. White Sr. Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste was absent. Sen. Carlton Dowe, a non-member, also was present.

The Beer and BBQ Bonanza will be held by the St. Croix Landmark Society.
For information call 772-0598.

Feb. 26, 2002 – At a Senate committee hearing on working conditions at Roy L. Schneider Hospital Monday night, employees painted a grim picture of deficiencies in existence for years and even decades, while administration representatives said investigations of some allegations have found no violations.
Several hospital employees told the Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee that their complaints go unheard.
Darrell Ruan, an operating room technician, said the hospital is not "up to date," the mask and gloves he uses are "inappropriate," and vapors in the operating room severely affect the employees. Under questioning by the senators, Ruan said he has voiced these same complaints to his supervisors and to union representatives "since 1982."
Hospital employees Carmen Henley and Ermine St. Clair said they have received their notices of personnel action, or NOPA's, but haven't received their negotiated salary increases. They said they were told they wouldn't receive any increases until the union goes into negotiation again. However, hospital legal counsel Amos Carty Jr. said some employees may not be eligible for salary increases.
After listening to several of the employees' complaints, Norma Pickard-Samuel, the committee chair, said it might be time for the government to consider once again taking over the hospital management. "The hospital's board of trustees and administration have the responsibility to make sure that the employees do not receive such bad treatment," she said. "The hospital management must understand that the public will not be adequately served if the concerns of its employees are not addressed."
Several years ago, the government chose to get out of the hospital management business, creating separate executive agencies with their own hospital governing boards for the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John districts.
John Sheen, executive assistant labor commissioner, read a statement to the committee from Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin stating that "several complaints were filed with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA, against [Schneider] hospital in June 2000." Benjamin's statement said that the complaints alleged a lack of personal protective equipment, employees being exposed to incinerator fumes, the absence of signs to warn workers about contaminated areas, and employees not being trained to operate the incinerator or to dispose of hazardous waste.
However, Benjamin said, an OSHA inspector found that only the incinerator fumes were a violation of safety rules. And Darrell Smalls, Schneider Hospital director of maintenance and engineering, said Planning and Natural Resources Department officials visited the site and found no violations. The statement continued, "We are unaware of any other labor issues affecting the hospital … that fall under the purview of the Department of Labor."
Attorney Archie Jennings, representing the Seafarers International Union, brought up another complaint — that Schneider Hospital security officers do not have weapons and are inadequately trained. He said these concerns have been taken to hospital management but there has been "no response."
Pickard-Samuel said she was aware of that situation and has drafted legislation mandating that the hospital security officers be designated "peace officers."
"I would like to sit back and say the hospitals in the territory are the best in the world," Pickard-Samuel said at one point. "But I cannot with these complaints … Without these employees, no matter how much money is placed in its budget, the hospital will not function properly."
Committee members attending the hearing in addition to Picard-Samuel were Sens. Lorraine Berry, Douglas Canton Jr., Donald "Ducks" Cole, Vargrave Richards and Celestino A. White Sr. Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste was absent. Sen. Carlton Dowe, a non-member, also was present.

The 18th Annual McDonald's Caribbean Invitational Swim Meet will be held.
For information call 778-0598.

Starfest will be held on Saturday and Sunday at Reichhold Center, St. Thomas.
For information call 693-1559.

An exhibit by photographer Greg Miller will be at Alexander's Cafe, Frenchtown Mall. The exhibit will be there until June 15.

Last day of artist Madeleine Meehan at Alexander's Cafe, Frenchtown Mall

The National Junior Society of the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School will hold a major Campus Clean Up and Food Sale from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
The clean Up begins at 9 a.m. and will end at 12 noon. The Food Sale begins immediately following and ends at 2 p.m.
This is a fundraiser, part of the Society's effort to improve the look of the campus and raise much needed funds to improve the selection of books in the school library's Caribbean section.
Volunteers are sought for the clean up and donations of supplies such as gloves, trash bags, rakes, shovels, brooms, weed eaters and lawnmowers.
For more information, to volunteer or make donations, contact Ms Carolyn Pickering at the school, 774-4540.