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Category Archives: Aspect Delineation

Finding Joy in the Horoscope

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Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, Consciousness Explored, Something For You, Spiritual Considerations, Transit Effects Explored

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‘Circle Dancing’ By Franz Stuck 1910 {{PD}}

I thought instead of a forecast for the weekend (because I anticipate we’ll all be sorting through the Lunar energies of the Full Moon for a bit), I’m offering a re-print from ECLIPSE, modified and edited slightly. Have a wonderful weekend!

Do you ever have a moment with a stranger? One where your eyes meet and you feel this kind of Soul blending and for a heartbeat of time you completely lose awareness of your surroundings? The moment stretches, and then you fall out of it, as abruptly as it began, usually at the moment you realize how odd it is for you to have locked eyes with a total stranger. It’s funny to think that some of the best moments I’ve ever experienced were brought about by this kind of wordless, ultra-fleeting encounter; what made it pleasant were two conditions that gurus are constantly telling us we need to cultivate: losing awareness of the Self, and losing spiritual boundaries, in the sense that you lose not just the consciousness of yourself as separate, but feel a distinctly boundary-less connectedness, a Oneness with All That Is, because in truth, when you are having this kind of experience, you are not just one with the stranger, you are one with everything.

Neither of these, the loss of Self-awareness or the sense of connection, can be commanded consciously. We may well ask, why do we not share many, or any, of these moments with people we already know? It doesn’t happen for a very simple reason: because we have imposed a thick lens of expectations, anticipations, imaginings, and the past onto the individuals we know, and it keeps us from connecting on that pure level. Sometimes, of course, spirit manages to leak through the illusions each has imposed upon the other, and we do have that moment of perfect harmony, perfect awareness—but not often, and certainly not as often as we’d like with our most intimate relationships.

Of course, there are ways to encourage such experiences, as through meditation (an attempt to set Self-consciousness aside), in sleep (through dreams, where the unconscious, and so our connections to the Cosmos, become prominent), and in the practice of seeing without that imposed lens, which can only be dealt with consciously, moment-to-moment—something the Seeker strives for continually. We can note the propensity for such experiences, as well as the likely venues or circumstances during which we may experience them, through the House placement of related energies; more on that in a moment.

‘Young Man and Woman’ By Charles W. Hawthorne 1915 {{PD}}

There is another kind of communion with a stranger, one where the connection sparks from observing or being involved in a mutually shared experience, usually starting in a shared remark, an answer, and an understanding. This typically leads to the temporary loss of boundaries between the two spirits involved; we share the experience through a common event, a shared observation or connection that is like an acknowledgment: “Yes, we have shared the same thing, at the same time, we understand each other”. This does not often have the purity of the Soul-to-Soul encounter, but does include the feeling of connectedness; in this instance, we don’t lose the sense of separateness, but do feel the link to others. These often have the character of Jupiter (the social scene), Uranus (a group experience), or Neptune (the ‘mass’ experience, shared with a very large group).

The more intimate, Soul-to-Soul, boundary-less moments can be characterized by transiting bodies making contact to natal bodies, with the area of experience delineated either by the House transited and/ or by the House matters ruled by the contacted body. For instance, Ceres transiting the 4th square Uranus in the 1st in Virgo, ruling the 6th, can bring a harsh experience or surprise from Nature (the square) that reflects the health, or comes from or affects the job or duties (6th) but that could result in a transcendent moment that illuminates one’s connection to Nature, that even shows one how much a seamless part of Nature we truly are as human Beings. It’s the real-life Circle of Life, and during our brief experience we are at One with it. Or, this same contact could bring forward a deep inner sense of natural authority (Ceres) that is expressed as higher knowledge or through taking an academic or innovative (Uranus) approach on the job or toward health (6th).

I think of these moments, even when instigated by less-than-pleasant happenings or triggers, as points of Joy in the chart, potential times of learning and transcendence. Here are a few of the possible associations that will help you find the potentials in your own chart. Whether the contacts are transiting, Solar Arc, Secondary Progression, or natal, they all carry the ability to offer those fleeting times of perfection in relating to All That Is.

The inner planets offer some obvious entrance points to joy when contacted by transit, though as transiting elements themselves they typically must aspect one of the ‘heavier’ energies (Jupiter out) in order to have the potential for this specific kind of impact—and of course, those contacts are most fleeting. The Moon speaks of joy gained through emotional experience or intuited in purest form, the Sun through expression of the identity or Soul Purpose, Mercury through communicating something we consider important, Venus through Love or the experience of reward or expression of values, and Mars through taking action or a statement of ‘I Am’.

The asteroids act as more narrow conduits, and in the case of Sedna the body moves very slowly, prolonging the contact to a natal body. Sedna aspecting a natal body brings long-term experiences of the depths of the contacted energy that takes us close to life-death-life, probably repeatedly and in many forms.

Ceres signals joy gained through expression of authority, power, connection to Nature, nurture of what ‘belongs’ to you, or negotiation, Vesta through gestures involving those energies to which we are dedicated, the home and mate, through what we regard as sacred, Pallas through use of practical skills or innate wisdom, Juno through circumstances of empowerment or status, and Zeus through realization of ambitions and desires.

Jupiter offers the joy of expanding one’s world or experience, as well as the joy gained from acceptance on the social scene. It also signifies the joy of knowledge, the desire to ‘know just to know’ and the association of this energy with ancestry and the past, as Jupiter carries the kind of information that relies on the accumulated knowledge of those who came before.

Saturn offers the joy of reality, as well as the intangible joy of accomplishment. Sometimes we denigrate the material world, mistakenly believing that it’s inferior to the spiritual. In such an instance our definition of spiritual is lacking: the material world is the spiritual world, as much as the unseen factors are. When we look at our material surroundings and physical manifestations and happenings as indeed spiritual, we open up an entirely new way of relating to the material—and we begin to see the infinite in the finite, in what can be held in the hand.

Uranus offers the joy of surprise, the joy of the new, the joy of awakening, intellectually or otherwise, and has the unique ability to give us the experience of leadership and individuality at the same time as it can blend us perfectly with the group.

Neptune offers the joy of creation, with the manifestation of what one has only dreamed or imagined, the potential of living one’s ideals, and holds the most promise for the boundary-less experience, as does anything related to the matters of the House that contains Pisces.

Pluto offers the joy of renewal, of change, of the end of something painful or arduous, and the joy of phoenix-like transformation, with re-birth as the ultimate expression of pure hope, with a sense of hope bringing the greatest joy of all.

Catch Friday night’s Full Moon report here–

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The Cinderella Point Part 2 Some Examples

01 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, astrology, Astrology and Identity, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Consciousness Explored

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‘Cinderella’ By Valentine Cameron Prinsep c1880 {{PD}}

Refresh yourself here if you’re unclear on the Cinderella Point and the correspondences it draws from. See the forecast here–

The Cinderella Point is really nothing more than finding a course, role, or identity in life that both fulfills the main needs of the Soul and allows the individual expression to soar—and as we know from previous descriptions, there’s no set formula by which to delineate this. To make it even tougher, it’s nearly impossible to describe much in a definitive way before the life is in progress; there are so many potentials for any given combination of placements, and so much added through experience that shapes personal tastes and inclinations, not to mention the variety of possible preferences (for instance, choosing to see oneself through the Sun, and so possibly more directly aligned with the Soul’s intents, perhaps, than one who chooses a primary identification through the role and experiences as a woman—Venus, or man–Mars). In real life we have to be satisfied with potentials, with seeing possibilities—so it’s almost cheating to use someone as an example whose life has already been lived, laid before us with outcomes already available—but it’s what we must do, just so we can see how it works.

We start with scientist Marie Curie (7 November 1867 12 PM LMT Warsaw Poland—her daughter Eve is quoted as giving her mother’s birth time as “soon after sunrise”, but noon is on the baptismal certificate—and since angles and Houses aren’t crucial to this process—because we are talking about an inner view, the orientation of the individual toward the energies, rather than an external view (as seen by others) or externals that act upon the individual to prompt–or force–choices–we won’t worry about angles or Houses—on their own, the planets speak loudly!) Ms. Curie had a Scorpio Sun, suggesting a Soul-deep interest in research, what isn’t readily apparent on the surface, on the way things change at a fundamental level. Her Venus is in Scorpio as well, implying that her identity as a woman may have been inextricably bound with the Soul purpose, likely to find the same things exciting, attractive, and worthy. And then we reach an interesting directional signal: her 29 degree Mars in Scorpio, considered a secondary ruler of the sign and indicator of the individual ‘I Am’, the impetus forward, the Will, the assertive energies. At such a late and very tense degree, this placement may indicate drive that permeates the Beingness—and through connection to Scorpio’s rulership, pushed that drive out through actions expressive of the Soul needs. This all suits her work, the painstaking discovery of radium and polonium, achieved by sifting through mounds of pitchblende, a uranium ore, to distill small quantities of the highly radioactive substance.

Her Pisces Moon is trine her Sun, is loosely conjoined her South Node, and is part of a Water Grand Trine, the third leg of which is her Uranus-Vesta conjunction in Cancer. This suggests her past supports her identity—she wasn’t just allowed to study as a girl, she was encouraged—that the emotional perceptions are in harmony with the Soul’s needs, and that Uranus, as the individuality, the uniqueness and inventive/ innovative spirit, is aligned with her God-concept or those things she finds sacred, that she honors (Vesta). All together this implies a highly focused outlook, one that has emotional impetus behind the drive to express the Soul’s intents, and by so doing to honor life itself (Sun-Moon-Vesta).

Do we find this in Curie’s chart using the (very loose) ‘Cinderella formula’? Yes, as the entire Cinderella concept is about the Soul (Sun) finding optimal expression, with all the other placements helping or hindering—and in this case, that Scorpio Sun is very much aided by the other energies, even when they might have less positive applications in other areas, such as the Self-generated stress, tension, and compulsion that likely accompanies the 29 degree Mars that as well drives efforts such as research (Scorpio) forward—and that may also speak of a close but sometimes strained spousal relationship with Pierre (as the Mars/ man in her life), as she had to juggle family and societal expectations while he did what men have always done, putting himself and his work first. It also may point to the stress of a later affair, the impact of which I’ll explain in a moment.

A look at those societal expectations: Jupiter sits in Aquarius, suggesting a forward-thinking, group-oriented, intellectual, and Higher Mind approach to the social scene on her part (also suggesting that she may see the social sphere as one of intellectual testing, or a test of one’s ability to invent or engineer, or where one’s ability to fit in or lead the group or be original is assessed), but this is also square her Mars. This pairing to me suggests the struggle against a male establishment that Curie underwent at the Sorbonne (only receiving her husband’s chair after his death, almost as a consolation prize for her loss rather than recognition of her accomplishments), and in her application to the French Academy of Sciences—where she was turned down, in 1911, and this even after winning her first of two Nobel prizes in 1903, with the second, in Chemistry, coming in the same year she was rebuffed by the Academy. Transits at the time around awarding of the second prize include transiting Neptune (chemistry) trine natal Chiron in Pisces, with a Water Grand Trine filled in by her natal Venus-Saturn conjunction=suppression of herself as a woman (that is, presenting as a scientist first) has led to status and rewards (Venus-Saturn) but also injury by the Collective (Chiron in Pisces). Despite her accomplishments, Curie was suffering, as she was not only refused by the French Academy, but was asked not to attend the Nobel ceremony, as her affair with a married scientist, Paul Langevin (recall that 29 degree Mars and its squares), had become fodder for the gossip mill—and, likely as not, this was also instrumental in nixing her Academy bid, though accolades weren’t withheld from male scientists who engaged in similar behaviors.

In fact, the square of Mars to Jupiter is base to a Fist of God with Uranus in Cancer as apex, describing efforts (Mars) involving fact (Jupiter, with an emphasis on Higher Mind, Aquarius) resulting (the apex) in discovery and experimentation within the sciences (Uranus). And, Uranus seems to me to be the natural ruler of radiation itself, the bottom line to the discoveries all her efforts were pointed toward. But this configuration can also describe the conflict Curie’s action and choices (Mars) caused with society (Jupiter), resulting in the choice of rebellion (Uranus).

Eve Curie quotes her mother in a 1937 biography: “It isn’t necessary to lead such an anti-natural existence as mine. I have given a great deal of time to science because I wanted to, because I loved research. What I want for women and young girls is a simple family life and some work that will interest them.” Spoken like a true Venus-Saturn-Mars conjunction in Scorpio plus Scorpio Sun (and Juno, at 11 Scorpio, hinting at a need in this lifetime to find the limits of both status and empowerment, what’s possible through association and what must be earned and exercised by the Self)—and this statement is especially applicable to one who also has Ceres square Chiron, perpetually pitting personal power as a woman and an authority in her field against the wounding attitude she feels from the Collective (Chiron in Pisces).

We see a worst-case scenario for the Cinderella Point in the chart of miraculous cancer survivor and now disgraced cycling phenom Lance Armstrong (18 September 1971 ntk—I used a noon chart–Plano Texas USA). Once again we have no angles, but the planets speak eloquently. Armstrong has Sun in Virgo, conjoined both Hygeia and Pluto, suggesting a Soul-centered desire to be an example of both disciplined, healthful expression and Power with a capital ‘P’—and it’s likely that Power drive that allowed him to overcome an extreme and extended bout with cancer and that drove him to common athletic doping practices year after year—always denying any malfeasance, in fact indignant and insulted when his integrity was questioned—and yet eventually the evidence proved that for all his holding himself up as an example of ‘purity’ (a prime symbol of Virgo ‘the Virgin’) he was discovered to be highly flawed, indeed. Pluto-Sun is a crucible within which the individual must live up to the sign’s highest forms, or plunge to their lowest; it’s easy to see the course Armstrong took. Pluto-Sun might also suggest that the extremely tough cancer scenario was also Soul-testing, perhaps meant to shape him in that same crucible as one who could rise like a phoenix from the devastation of the disease—and so be an example for others. This also places his Earth in Pisces, suggesting a potential for escapism from the material plane, drugs being a prime facilitator for that, a need to excel within the Collective, a desire for the material reality to reflect the ideal—no matter the Self’s actual make-up.

Armstrong also definitely has a Virgo Moon—so the emotional nature supports (and justifies) actions and choices inspired by the Sun, and ‘doubles up’ on primary energies in the sign, making it that much more prominent in the Beingness (and that much more likely to help rationalize the negative expressions, as well as the positive ones). The compulsion toward Self-justification also shows with his Black Moon Lilith and Uranus closely conjoined in Libra, opposed Chiron. This suggests that every unacknowledged anger, resentment, or sense of injustice is indistinguishable from the sense of the Self as unique, and so likely powers radical, rebellious, or outside-the-norm behaviors—and all of it justified by a sense of a wounded ‘I Am” (Chiron in Aries), as if he alone has been martyred—and now we look to Neptune, for information on both potential actual martyrdom in some form, and drugs, fulfillment of dreams and the capacity to lie (which, remember, can also be the capacity to tell a story or spin a vision, not just deceive).

Sounds, in fact, like Neptune may play the role of Fairy Godmother in this chart, not necessarily a helpful one, but one that equips the individual to fully meet their fate, with their response purely up to them. We find Lance’s Jupiter-Neptune very closely (only 18 minutes apart) conjoined, and opposed Pallas and Saturn, the latter body stationary direct at the chosen noon birth time but poised to retrograde at the same degree and minute—but, not having a birth time brings the status of Saturn as technically direct or retrograde into question, though here I should point out, it really doesn’t matter, as the planet’s actual status in either case is ‘stationary’—so imparting a ‘most stubborn, most grounded’ status to Saturn.

Back to Neptune: closely wed Jupiter, both in 00 degrees in Sagittarius, suggests that conventional establishments (such as the sport world) embraced Armstrong because he was able to project exactly the image they found ideal. In a way it’s a bit of a trap, this ability to appear in ways the social order admires or finds worthy of words like ‘miraculous’ or ‘perfect’: does the expectation for the ideal come first from the individual, or does the individual quickly realize (and then exploit) the fact that he is a screen upon which the social order projects its expectations? This is the scenario that Armstrong’s Fairy Godmother, in the form of Neptune, offered.

And, aside from the oppositions to Pallas and Saturn, Jupiter-Neptune is also sextile Venus, forming the base to a Finger of God with apex Sedna. The scenario suggests resistance to what’s wise, to the boundaries and restrictions the real world requires/ asks for, with money and Love (Venus) taking what otherwise might’ve been minor transgressions or moral impasses and turning the Saturn-Pallas avoidance toward blind spot material (Sedna)—in effect, completely hiding his own pandering (and so Truth-avoiding) behaviors and reasoning (Jupiter-Neptune) from himself! He was so convincing for so many years with his avowals of never-transgressing precisely because he hid it so well from himself.

Juno-Mercury, closely conjoined and also in Virgo=status is a big thing in the mind, and to admit one’s status was not as claimed could’ve felt like disempowerment—so, to tell the Truth may have been highly threatening, while hiding the Truth may have seemed justified, after reality had been so hard on him (the experience of such a virulent cancer so young). Thinking may have always been employed to empower the Self, with the Virgoan critical faculties deployed to examine and pick apart what he doesn’t agree with or want to admit—again, we see a trigger for adamant denial, and an inability (or maybe just unwillingness) to confront his own darkest corners of the psyche. A sextile between Mars and Chiron acts as base to a Finger with apex Zeus=ambition and desire fulfillment, driven by a combination of hurt and skills, were the goals

As in any case, we could go on, but we see the essence of the Cinderella Point here. It’s merely a way of classifying the particular combinations in the chart that either facilitate one’s highest expression, or that lead one toward one’s weaknesses. They seem to set up circumstances and reactions within the individual that entirely leave expression up to the individual; one must choose one’s frequency, so to speak, and pour the Soul/ identity out from there. When seeking the complex of Cinderella energies, always start with the Sun or other major identity energies.

Remember too, one’s internal response is vital in pinpointing (or at least finding the neighborhood of) your Cinderella point. Be careful to distinguish this gut feeling, this flutter of recognition or knowing, from the lens through which we may be tempted to look: that’s a mental image we would like to fit, and is itself a response to that inner ‘not good enough as we are’ belief. If we’re not looking for the genuine, Soul-oriented information the chart can disclose, it won’t matter what picture we cobble together from placements—they’ll be hollow, likely prompting a string of failures as we doggedly pursue something, an image or role, that doesn’t ‘belong’ to us.

‘Be Yourself–Unless You Can Be Batman–Then Be Batman’

12 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings

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‘Children dressed as Batman & Robin’ 1966, Courtesy of the Father of JGKlein CC0

This is a re-print from a November 2013 ECLIPSE. Please note that I was still using the Placidus House system at the time; the attached chart is the chart used to write the piece. This article has undergone slight editing, and has some added material.

Here in the US, it’s the time of year for costumes, and I remember in Germany frequently seeing them from mid-November through Lent for the extended Fasching holiday (the equivalent of Carnival in other parts of the world), and I’m sure there are other customary dress-up times–it all brings to mind the matter of identity. I always liked Batman because he was just a brave man who’d come up with some clever gadgets, rather than a superhero due to mutation, ingestion of poison, a trip to space gone wrong, or a nasty encounter with Gamma rays. The internet meme about Batman (‘Be Yourself–Unless You Can Be Batman–Then Be Batman’) revived this line of thinking for me; it brought forward the idea that it’s always best to be ourselves–unless we are in the position to be something extraordinary, something more.

Those would be fleeting times, to be sure; even Bruce Wayne was himself, most days. In that sense, to be a superhero in your own life is to temporarily don the guise of an Archetype. Perhaps we need the Self-possession of Juno to defend our status or our partnership, or maybe we need to become Ceres, to defend our child or our planet. We could need to wear Jupiter, to convey an All-the-Answers persona at a sales presentation, or we might seduce with the pure pleasure afforded by ‘being Venus’. In any case, there are plenty of times we slip into that Archetypal energy (as represented by sign and House in the natal chart that contains that environment/ subject) in order to accomplish something, to gain a sense of authority or mastery of particular elements that will show our competence to others. In essence, the donning of an energy that’s bigger than ourselves is a signal of what we’re capable of, a promise to those around us: for the moment, I AM this larger-than-life Being, with all the positives and negatives that implies.

This may make us ask two questions: one, are individuals especially inclined toward some energies more than others? and two, can this be seen in the horoscope? The answer to both questions is, Yes. We see in the natal chart affinities for certain energies, sometimes as they are carried by the person themselves (such as when an asteroid or planet is conjunct the Sun) and sometimes as they are seen by others, from the outside looking in (through, for example, the 10th House of reputation).

Florence Nightingale
c1860 Photographer Unknown {{PD}}

We find an excellent example of this in the chart of nurse Florence Nightingale, in spite of some uncertainty about the birth data, chiefly the time (Astrodatabank lists her as born on 12 May 1820 at 2 PM in Florence, Italy).  She’s an example of someone for whom ‘being herself’ entailed carrying a larger-than-life image and reputation. Her very name entered the vernacular as the Selfless Nurse Archetype; using just our usual natal markers (not even looking into the available canon of exotic asteroids) we find plenty to spell out Nightingale’s mission, and her fate.

Ms. N has a Virgo Ascendant; she comes across as practical, efficient, detail-oriented–we might as well call this ‘the Nurse Ascendant’. Her first contains the South Node in Libra, implying she gained her demeanor, and probably her skills, through past interaction with others. The 2nd shows Libra on the cusp=a diplomatic, Other-focused Self-image, with a talent for co-operation. Her 3rd holds a conjunction of Earth and Juno, suggesting she may have had access to status and authority through material circumstances–and this is true, as she came from a wealthy, upper-class British family. With Scorpio on the cusp, this House speaks of her extensive writings, many of which were intended to empower the masses (through education on medical matters–removing the Scorpionic mystery) and she also wrote of her philosophy of life and her vocation, to which she felt called by God (immersion in the Scorpionic mystery).

Her 4th shows a conjunction of Uranus (rebelling against family custom–4th–and societal custom–Sagittarius on the cusp and holding Uranus) and Neptune (‘new’ utilitarian ideals, sitting at 00 Capricorn). 5th ruler Saturn sits in the 7th, trine Mars; though she had several intense and long-lasting romantic attachments, there was no marriage or partnership; Florence repeatedly shed from her life anything that interfered with her calling. That’s a very Scorpionic thing to do, echoing back to the Earth-Juno conjunction in Scorpio, essentially describing the need to purge the material/ physical environment (including relationships) in order to contact her power. Aquarius on the cusp of the 6th shows the intellect emphasized in the everyday, and the House holds Jupiter, Sedna, and the Vertex=instinctive knowledge and response to her role as a woman (Sedna) brings forward her fate (Vertex) in service (6th) to the social order (Jupiter). The 7th holds Pluto, the North Node, Chiron, and Saturn, suggesting her life direction and reality were focused on healing others, and transforming the practice of nursing; as well, Pisces on the cusp suggests she may have appeared ungraspable/ unknowable, or even unreliable, in partnership.

Ms. N’s 8th House of others’ shared resources and support is ruled by that Mars in the 11th, and contains Mercury and Zeus. Others facilitated her expression of the talents she had to give the world (11th), helped her communicate, and fulfilled her ambitions–a pretty useful package, especially in those days, when women had fewer options. The 9th has Taurus on the cusp, holds the Sun, Moon (she was born just after a New Moon), and Vesta, with cusp ruler Venus in the 10th in mutual reception with the Moon=this speaks of making her name and becoming known for ‘comfort’ activities (Taurus) in a foreign land (9th), and says that this was what she honored in life and in herself (Vesta). With Venus in the 10th in Cancer, caring was the career, and fits perfectly with the Soul’s mission, and the Gemini Midheaven tells us that she was known for her thinking and writing–and she was an avid book and pamphlet writer, especially focused on the educational opportunities for print.

‘What she has to give the world’ (the 11th) shows Cancer on the cusp–caring, mothering, nurture–but holds three bodies in Leo, all conjunct: Pallas, Ceres, and Mars. The need for a strong ego shows here, as does the ability to act, wisely and in concert, in a sense, with Nature herself. This House describes the qualities Ms. N needed to support her mission–and the connection to both Saturn in the 7th and its rulership of the 5th suggests that she could’ve found a partner who would’ve supported her work–but she instead went the Saturn=suppression route–perhaps it felt tidier to her Virgo personality.

What was hidden in the 12th? That strength of ego, that ability to go forward in fiery pursuit of what she wanted (Leo cusp)–not to mention Black Moon Lilith in Virgo, what we deny, ignore, or what enrages us. She may have unconsciously looked away, then, from from her own accountability, while showing a seriously accountable face to the world (the Virgo Ascendant); this may suggest a case of one who addresses problems on a Collective scale (12th) while failing to handle more personal energies, especially in relationships, in need of attention. She was described as a gentle, quiet, and retiring girl and woman, except for following this singular dream to serve–and serve she did.

Florence Nightingale. Coloured lithograph by R. J. Lane, 1854 Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

The Wikipedia entry on Florence Nightingale is rather good; see it here

And for Checking your own Natal Chart: a few Guidelines

Conjunctions to the Sun or Earth and to the Moon, and to Mars for men and Venus for women, may hint at easily and often donned Archetypal energies at your disposal (this doesn’t mean others aren’t available to you, it only means that those adjacent these placements are strongly a part of your identity, and so easily accessed). These are also likely highly visible to others, sometimes even when you are just ‘being yourself’; you probably vibe so strongly to the qualities of the Archetype that you see at least some of them as ‘just the way you are’.

Energies on the cusp of and posited in the 10th can also be very visible to others; these are things even those who don’t know us may observe, conclude, or assume about us, so it’s always good to be aware of what resides here. Direct contact (conjunctions) to the North Node or Vertex also carry weight. Placements conjunct the Ascendant are often mistaken for who we are in our entirety, or used as shorthand to describe character–but energies found here can be camouflage as much as they may reveal–good luck to others, sorting out the difference!

21 September 2018 Eye On The Prize

20 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, current events in the sky, forecast

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Beautiful rendering of a human eye. Essia dkhili Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Today Mercury enters Libra and burrows briefly (and is joined by the Sun shortly thereafter, with Merc’s stay in the config lasting through the 23rd) into a T-square by opposing Chiron-Hygeia and squaring Vesta-Saturn. Our focus may move to what others are doing and how unhealthy that is, especially if we feel they are wounding us. We tell ourselves we’re just trying to be good partners, but the reality is we’re upset because they’re not doing ‘it’ our way–and we may pull indignation, righteousness, and tradition out of our bag, hoping to force their cooperation (or, of course, others may do that to us). But, our salvation comes in applying our effort and attention on attaining our own goals, on fulfilling ambitions, rather than in changing others. This approach grounds us, and asks us to concentrate on manifesting our skills, doing what we’re here to do (whether we are consciously aware of this role/ mission, or not). This is our best response as Merc contra-parallels Pallas, which may have the effect of thoroughly separating reasoning from what we know to be wise or practical–and yet, a trine to Juno from Merc and the Sun means we can see how to get control of the situation, how to make it work for us: eye on the prize, that’s how.

To D.M., who wrote to me privately: no worries, I don’t mind the questions, and I’m happy to explain: I take into account the overall picture in my analysis; in my view it’s unnecessary to list everything in effect, in part because my focus is on what will change for us, and in part because lists of aspects can be misleading, inviting people to over-interpret (that is, look for aspects to directly describe everything, a focus that encourages people to sort and see things separately, discouraging a holistic view and so discouraging comprehensive understanding), or inviting readers to think the answers lie in the aspects–technically they lie in the interpretation and synthesis of the aspects, which is why my time and energy go there, and is presumably why readers come here. That’s the Art of Astrology, and why being armed with a list of aspects doesn’t make someone an astrologer, or even aware of how those aspects are affecting their lives.

(Also perfecting today: Pallas nov Zeus, Sun trine Juno)

Receptivity and Desire: The Great Attractors in the Natal Chart Venus, Chiron, and the Moon

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, relationship astrology

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Attraction is not just a relaxing of our out-thrusting energies, it’s a state of receptivity. By Joseph-Désiré Court 1828 {{PD}}

A reprint from a January 2013 issue of ECLIPSE:

We typically think that we must, in some form, assert ourselves in order to get what we want out of life: we set ourselves on a Path, think of ourselves as seekers, and actively look for those things we imagine will bring us satisfaction. Rarely do we sit back and allow the Universe to handle the timing; letting what we want come to us is in many ways a foreign concept, especially to the Western-educated mind. But, it’s one I’d like you to entertain, at least temporarily, as we pinpoint some components of the natal chart that promise the possibility of having the Universe serve up our desires, rather than of us having to pursue them–I’m calling them ‘The Great Attractors’.

We have a literal astronomical example in the area of 14 degrees 2 minutes Sagittarius, termed ‘The Great Attractor’. This area is described by astrophysicists as a mass concentration of what is assumed to be dark matter that exerts a gravitational pull on all objects in our region, creating a ‘flow’ in the direction of the constellation Centaurus. The Milky Way (our home) and other nearby galaxies (like Andromeda) are being inexorably pulled in this direction, yet we can’t see what’s pulling us, because the Attractor is hidden by the plane of our galaxy; in other words, our own stardust and matter obscures our view of what’s causing our movement through the Universe. The physical world acts this way in relation to the spirit: the issues we encounter with the material often obscure our spiritual Beingness, our intent. The pull of the Great Attractor is very much how the energies described by the horoscope act within us: they pull us, unseen, in particular directions, the inclinations, talents, and preferences they detail giving us our impetus in specific areas of life and setting us on a unique trajectory, one on which no one has ever traveled in quite this way before. (And just in case there’s any confusion, no, I don’t think the planets actually exert an influence on us–but I do think the planets reflect energies within us, and so act as a kind of ‘shadow play’ we are able to interpret with astrology).

Though we are always attracting things and people and events into our lives, to shift to a conscious mode of engagement with the Universe is to take an enormous step forward in consciousness; the more aware we become of unconscious material, the more ‘in control’ (if there is such a thing) we can be of the manifestations, outcomes, and developments in our lives. Of course, becoming highly conscious doesn’t mean we ‘out’ all unconscious material (after all, we have a 12th House, and it doesn’t disappear upon enlightenment!)–it simply means that we have the best chance of understanding our own energies, and our own intentions, and so in producing and/ or attracting circumstances that we actually want, at least most of the time.

Venus shows us our desire nature, not so much in that lusty, material world way of Zeus (though there is an element of this to Venus, with her concentration on assets and beauty, and her propensity for envy, jealousy, and even greed), but in a way that describes what makes us feel loved, what makes us feel worthy. She by House, aspects, and sign placement tells us what we enjoy, what we want in relationship, what we see as worth earning, what we see as valuable, and what we find seductive. Venus, in a very real sense, describes what attracts us, but also tells what is attracted to us, and so serves to describe our primary attractive energy. The element in which our Venus plays natally gives us a big clue as to what we must initiate in order to prompt the attractive energy: in Earth, material things aligned with our Venus nature (described by the sign) are involved in attracting; with Fire it’s actions or events; with Water, memorable emotional ‘occasions’, feelings, or intuitions; and in Air ideas, thoughts, and communications given and received are energized. This doesn’t mean, for instance, that if we have Venus in Leo (Fire) we can’t gain materially (Earth); it means instead that a great attraction begins with a Fire event. With Venus in a Fire sign, we must act, in order to initiate our attractive ability. It’s true that the attractive energy happens no matter what we do, it’s just that to make the most of it, we should be receptive in the way it describes, in the case of Venus in Leo, opening ourselves to receive by acting.

And what are we pulling in, should we be operating unconsciously? We will attract element-related happenings in the life that are meant to trigger our Venus into conscious use. We may have the experience with a Venus in Libra, for instance, of hearing talk (Libra is an Air sign) that we find unflattering, which prompts us to change our relationship interactions (Venus in Libra) to be more pleasant, more balanced, or perhaps more loving to ‘the Other’–we become conscious of the need for change, so that the energies we’re attracting are harmonious to our natal energies.

Using our Venus consciously means we open to the entire spectrum of what Venus indicates; we open to accepting/ attracting money, love, relationships, assets, the appropriate aesthetic environment, companions, a harmonious material environment within which to express, and to living our values when we utilize our Venus attractive properties as they are keyed to us in the natal chart. We must be relaxed, aware of, and especially accepting of our Venusian components as accurate representations of what we desire. This can be challenging for some, who may de-value their Venus (those who eschew money or whatever ‘currency’ is in use in their world as unspiritual, for example, or those who believe that aesthetics are extraneous–“As long as it works, what’s the difference?”–or those who “Go it alone”, finding relationships draining or bothersome, to cite a few possibilities). We must be comfortable with our own Venus energy; in this case, we must be accepting of and even, in a sense, immersed in our Venus, in order to exert that attractive ‘force’.

We have another Great Attractor in the chart in the form of Chiron. The asteroid of the primal wound, healing, and the skills unique to the individual (skills that I believe were unavailable to personal use until last year; that’s the 2012 ‘shift’, in my opinion, as outlined in the supplement ‘The Elevation of Chiron 2012’) acts very much like the astronomical Great Attractor: it pulls things in, but we don’t have the perspective to recognize what is causing the gravitational force! In Chiron’s case, the wound acts as a psychological ‘black hole’, until we excavate and both uncover our hurt and begin to heal it. Our Chiron, then, will attract to us situations that irritate and stimulate the wound–until we make it conscious. Once we do, it’s like gaining a Super Power: we become impervious to the previous wound, as we can look back on our hurt, understand it, but no longer react to it. As well, we carry a special empathy for those suffering similar wounds; we can in fact recognize these individuals immediately. Once healed, our Chiron still functions as an Attractor, through use of our Chirotic skills; we use them, and send a wave out into the Universe that says: I have this to offer, I’m ready to employ it, and the Universe answers with opportunities, often taken to a Transpersonal level (discussed in ‘Chiron in the Natal Chart’). Often contact from something in someone else’s chart will cause us to either cast them as Wounder (no matter what the reality) or as Healer–and of course, that puts a lot of pressure on any relationship.

We have one other major receptive/ attractive energy in the natal chart, the Moon. Luna represents the ultimate receptive energy; this is the part of us that’s made to absorb, receive, and take in–and so is incredibly vulnerable. It seems to me that the Moon bounces its reflected light out into the Universe indiscriminately, and for the individual this translates as a kind of emotional ‘light’, an aura, of emotional and psychic energy that acts like a beacon, reaching out and meeting the reflected emotional light of others–I think in large part this is how we recognize those who are like us, who welcome us, through a combination of the Moon’s emotional light and the vibratory rate at which this exists. We’ve all had the experience of meeting people who live at a different emotional rate than we do–we don’t feel at home with them, and they don’t feel at home with us. We seek those with whom we feel comfortable, who will offer us comfort by their mere presence–and this is the Moon.

The Moon describes our emotional outlook, our means of processing via feeling, and our intuitive ‘feelers’, with the sign telling us in what form the intuition is likely to be picked up. For the Moon in Taurus, for example, material situations and environments will convey unspoken, intangible information; for a Moon in Scorpio, emotional undercurrents in situations and with individuals will be the most likely conveyor of info; while for a Moon in Aquarius it comes by ‘reading between the lines’, and by processing what is heard and observed in unusual ways. With any Moon sign openness to the energies and perceptive ways of the opposing sign will also figure in; for instance, the Aries Moon, which typically sense through the Self in relationship to others and through action (acting and then, often simultaneously sensing relevant data), may receive intuitive ‘bursts’ in the manner of Moon in Libra, which come through sensing relationships, through aesthetic considerations, and through putting out strong ‘feelers’ into the world. In this example, Aries senses through attunement to the Self while Libra senses by attunement to the Other; all signs can work in this fashion, utilizing the complementary energies of the opposing sign. For instance, Taurus senses through the material and the environment, while Scorpio senses through all that’s unseen or hidden, through what’s purely felt. This sensing mechanism is the conduit by which we not only understand through emotion/ feeling, but attract things, largely by ‘matching’ vibrational levels of the Self to vibrational levels of objects, persons, and places.

Beethoven in 1815, By Joseph Willibrord Mähler {{PD}}

Attractor Interplay: Beethoven and Therese Malfatti

Though composer Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 3:40 AM Bonn, Germany) never married, there was a point when he thought he’d found ‘the One’ in one of his students, Therese Malfatti (1 January 1792 ntk Vienna Austria). At the time of their meeting Beethoven was 40 and Therese 18. Beethoven had many previous romantic relationships, and none of them resulted in marriage, most likely because Beethoven liked to date the noblewomen who took music lessons with him, whose male relatives were often patrons of Beethoven, or who were music patrons themselves–and though he was an acknowledged genius in his field within his lifetime, no one from the upper classes wanted to marry someone with financial troubles and no connections. With Therese, Beethoven was so sure of his own feelings, and sure that she reciprocated, that he wrote a friend in Bonn to obtain his birth certificate, which was needed to marry. In actuality, Therese was an accomplished musician in her own right, but she didn’t confuse admiration for her mentor/ teacher with love. Beethoven misunderstood her affection and wanted the relationship to go forward–with interesting results.

Therese Malfatti, from an anonymous pastel painting in the Beethoven house, Bonn {{PD}}

In 1810, Beethoven was invited to a party at the Malfatti home, where he intended to play a song he’d written just for Therese (Bagatelle Wo059) and then propose marriage, but he became so drunk he didn’t play and didn’t propose; all he was able to do was scrawl across the top of the music manuscript ‘Für Therese’. If Beethoven did ever propose to Therese, he was turned down; she married a Hungarian Count in 1816. The bagatelle was unearthed upon Therese’s death in 1851, and published, but Beethoven’s drunken scrawl was nearly illegible. The title was mis-read as ‘Für Elise’ and this piece, which may be one of the most famous compositions in the world, is still called by its misinterpreted label.

When we look at the cross-chart interplay involving the Attractor/ Receptors of Venus, Chiron, and the Moon in the charts of Beethoven and Therese, we may note that other contacts had a strong role in the proceedings, including her Uranus conjunct his Midheaven-Saturn and her Pluto opposed it (he felt exceptionally unique around her, saw her as modern and inventive, intelligent, and sexy! and that all of this reflected well on his career and public reputation); her Sun sits at the rough midpoint of his Jupiter-Pluto conjunction (again with the sexy! and her ability to ‘shine’ on his public role); and her Ceres conjuncts his Mars and opposes his Pallas-Mercury-Ceres (she may have felt like a force of nature to him, stirring up his manhood! and perhaps making him feel that her presence enhanced his ability to communicate wisely); and some strong Saturn contacts probably made it feel to him that this was a permanent thing (their Saturns are trine, though his makes more contact to her planets that hers to his).

Beethoven’s Sagittarius Moon is conjunct his Ceres and trine her Saturn and possibly her Aries Moon–her Saturn (respect for authority and experience, need for security) responded to his emotional overtures, though on his part it may have felt like she was suppressing his intuitive pull toward her. His Moon-Ceres also opposes her Ceres, suggesting a compelling dynamic involving talk/ communion/ and knowledge exchange (Gemini/ Sagittarius) which may have been stimulating for him (Fire on his side) but draining for her (with Ceres in Gemini Air).

The composer’s Capricorn Venus is in an out-of-sign conjunction with her Aquarian Mercury –this suggests to me that there may have been a feeling of appreciating the same things, when in fact they did not–and his Venus snuggles in to her Grand Square/ Cross which involves her Merc-his Venus, her Jupiter-Neptune (plus his Vesta) opposed her Pallas, plus her Vesta in Leo as final point in the configuration. This may have felt to her as if his Venusian need, his appetites, were intruding on her ideal social role, her highest values, her communications, and what she considers wise–he may have felt to her just a wee bit like a social climber–and we’ve already seen how much he thought his social standing would benefit from an alliance.

Her Venus sextiles his Venus and semi-sextiles his Sun while also quincunxing his Mars-Earth. This set of contacts may have felt to her rewarding, in that she could feel his appreciation of her, yet the quincunx likely felt like she just couldn’t be attracted to him–not without him being more ‘manly’ and perhaps having more assets. Her Mars trines his Venus–uh-oh. This is one of the most consistent indicators in my experience for a relationship that will not last; the gender switch of basic energies always seems to create unease in both parties, and inevitably, she is too assertive, and he too soft in some way, for the two to stay together.

Her Chiron sits at the midpoint of his trine of Juno-Neptune to Uranus; this may have signaled her that to be his wife (Juno) would have meant being surpassed in importance by both his uniqueness as an individual and by his creativity, his music–and surely this would wound. Her Chiron also opposed his Pluto, suggesting his sexuality, as well as his well-documented temper, may have made her uncomfortable and perhaps even repelled her, and his Chiron, conjunct his 29 degree Zeus, doesn’t require contact to her chart to draw a picture of how passionate and ambition-obsessed Beethoven may have been, though it does exactly trine her Venus, implying she would very likely have been sacrificed on the altar of his desires–in the end, not a pretty picture, a scenario of something other than a lasting, equitable relationship.

See the forecast through the 9th of September here–

Appetite for Life: Zeus in Aspect

03 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, Asteroids, astrology, Zeus

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God, by Vasnetsov c1890 {{PD-Art}}

In thinking about our unicorns, I also started to think about where in the chart we might look for a truly direct line to our most characteristic desires, because it’s in recognizing and acknowledging our real wants that we begin to align our life so that dream becomes reality–and Zeus seemed the obvious choice. As the god who reigned over all the other gods on Olympus, Zeus is a mythic embodiment of male privilege and authority who clearly placed himself above considerations of the wants, needs, and even rights of others. He took what he wanted, made no apologies (not even to his long-suffering goddess sister/ wife, Hera/ Juno), and answered to no one–which strikes me as the ‘rugged individualism’ Western society has granted as a right to males (especially white males)–to everyone’s detriment. I think we’d all agree that the unfettered appetites of Zeus, his crass and uncaring behavior, and his obliviousness to the hurt and suffering he caused are undesirable–but the way in which he was able to not just pinpoint his appetites, but to act on them, is very desirable, with the proviso that we are able to identify ways in which these can be fulfilled that do not violate our highest values (Vesta), our relationships (Venus), or our Soul’s intents (the Sun), and certainly, that do not violate the rights of others. Easy natal aspects of Zeus to other bodies or points (some conjunctions, sextiles, trines) may show us the way toward our desires (or, point to what impulses we can trust in discovering and fulfilling these desires):

·         Zeus to the Sun: ambitions and desires serve the Soul’s intents and so the Life Purpose. This is no doubt a sweet aspect to have, as it makes for smooth alignment among impulses, desires, and goals; they all mesh successfully with identity and expression. In hard aspect can indicate conflicts between the appetites and the goals.

·         Zeus to the Moon: here the intuition and emotional perceptions aid (or hinder) fulfillment of the desires. The sign in which the Moon sits will profoundly affect the meaning of this Zeus–and may dictate the forms and/ or style used to express ambitions and desires. Nurture and/ or pronounced sensitivity will definitely be involved, and ‘receptivity’ may be a keyword in ambition manifestation; it may be a matter of attraction, as much as anything else.

·         Zeus to Mercury: communication is vital to ambition attainment, so much so that some form of communication may actually be the ambition itself. No matter what the desire, this individual will be saying something with every choice–it’s just in the nature.

·          Zeus to Venus: this brings relationships front and center with the desire nature, and with worldly and material ambition. This is not necessarily as $$ or thing-oriented as it sounds; this can apply Love (with a big ‘L’) to ambitions and desire expression, making for goals that are beauty or caring-infused. Again, a very attractive quality to the ambitions, so that fulfillment seems to come to the individual with little effort (or is denied inexplicably, with hard aspects), often through relationships.

·         Zeus to Mars: contact between these two can set up a scenario where the individual only discovers (or achieves) her or his ambitions because she or he must fight for them (or in struggling for autonomy of expression they find their desire/ ambition), or where they find desires stimulated by the need to best rivals, or to state the ‘I am’ loud and clear. Choice and action are extra important with this contact, having an impact on reaching goals even when one would think the choice or action is irrelevant to achievement.

·         Zeus to Jupiter: the individual may find opportunity in or through the social sphere, or must bow to educational needs or a religious hierarchy in order to meet ambitions. Or, the whole world is their oyster, and the life an oyster banquet! This person’s desires seem to get broadcast whether she or he wants it or not, and others may see them as excessively ambitious, competitive, worldly, or grasping, even when they are not.

·         Zeus to Saturn: opportunities are met through established structures and organizations; mentors and authorities may need to ‘grant’ one’s desires or goals. May have achievement delayed until he or she thoroughly embraces Self-discipline. Can get stuck in a loop of ‘poor me’ and lack of achievement until he or she completely accepts responsibility for the life; then others come out of the woodwork to offer support.

·         Zeus to Uranus: again, opportunities through the group–or one must be highly original in order to fulfill goals. Erratic behavior or ever-changing desires could de-rail achievement. Spontaneity must either be central to or completely eschewed in the life, dependent on which is missing from behavior, in order to meet and fulfill ambitions and goals. Uniqueness may make one a standout–though that’s not always good.

·         Zeus to Neptune: staying on track can be a problem, as this contact can indicate shifting ambition targets and a propensity to follow delusion and accept unreality as legitimate. Imagination and creativity can take one straight to the top, as long as one is careful not to be solely Self-focused along the way.

·         Zeus to Pluto: Opportunity may consistently come into the life via endings or the destruction of systems  or entities–which the individual then resurrects in a new, improved form. Must watch the Self in interaction–showing one’s power may come too easily, and can come across as overbearing.

Interestingly, contact of Zeus to other asteroids seems to emphasize pitfalls found within the ambitions. For instance, with Vesta one may see oneself as having an aggressive prerogative to force others to do what one wants (the Will as sacred), while to Juno and Ceres we see power struggles featured, to Chiron says we may use wounds as an excuse not to achieve (or as fuel to achieve, making the most of the Chirotic wound or skills) & with Pallas a need to learn to follow the inner wisdom or wise counsel, and avoid the impractical, tempting as it may be.

This article previously appeared in ECLIPSE Astrological Journal.

What’s Your Unicorn? Finding Energy Wasters in the Chart and the Life

18 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Consciousness Explored, Dreams

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Moretto da Brescia – ‘St. Justina, Venerated by a Patron’ c1530 {{PD}}

This is an ECLIPSE re-print, slightly modified and edited.

Everybody has one: a vision, idea, or image that we hold as a shining ideal–but that’s not a unicorn. We may have goals or desires that are treated as a holy grail, perfect, revered, and not immediately (or possibly ever) attainable, but those aren’t unicorns, either. Unicorn status isn’t for those things we can work toward and achieve; we reserve this fantastical designation for those things that we are more invested in idealizing and identifying through than actually attaining. What’s distinctive about a unicorn is the way in which we don’t, in any significant sense, try to make this ideal a reality, and yet we may spend a great deal of time talking and thinking about it, fantasizing about it, and letting others know that we have a personal connection to it, and so using it as a personal identifier. We may tell everyone that we hope to catch our unicorn one day–but what makes it a unicorn is the way we make sure we will never make significant steps to capture it and ‘make it real’.

Luca Longhi {{PD}}

It’s one thing, too, if we are pursuing our unicorn, even if we have no intention of catching it; at least we are in motion, in real life, putting out energy that may bring us all kind of surprising results, and even rewards–but just the fact that we would pursue it brings it too much into the practical world to continue its classification as the mythical creature. A true personal unicorn is an idea or goal or ideal we feel almost breathlessly close to, that we feel speaks of who we are at the deepest level–and yet, we have no intention of testing this notion of fit, no intention at all of doing anything that would draw us one whit closer to its presence or achievement in real life. Our Unicorn typically gives us a big chunk of a potential identity, a chunk that reflects what we would or could be, under other circumstances, even in another life–but we are still presenting ourselves, speaking of, and claiming the unicorn goal as if it were a current, living one that is just out of reach.

The problem with this isn’t that we have a dream, but that we may be dishonest in the way we are trying to live within it without actualizing it. That means that we are fooling ourselves into devoting a great deal of mental time, energy, and even spiritual energy (like hope) to something we never intend to have as a part of our lives; and what’s more, much of the energy is spent in trying to ‘sell’ this image to others–and so we waste a goodly amount of time and development potential in the process.

Typically the dream denied that spurs the unicorn is one we cannot accept into our life, for one reason or another. If we believe our own press, we may be priming ourselves to be not just disappointed, but to perhaps regard ourselves as unworthy of true happiness, through failing to rope and ride the single-horned beast of our imagination. I call a unicorn an “energy waster” but it’s really more of a spirit destroyer: when the spirit is engaged in the Kabuki theater of presenting illusion (for that’s what a unicorn is) as a strived-for reality, what we have is a show, not a life.

Signals That Our Unicorn Is Present

St. Margaret of Antioch {{PD}}

We experience myriad daydreams unconnected to our real-life goals (unconnected to the ones we are actively working toward, and specifically those daydreams where we ‘star’ in a way, and featuring a personality often very much different than our everyday persona–the personality of the daydream emphasizes some element of our make-up that is usually muted or even hidden); we fill our conversation with talk of what ‘will be’, even as we are unable to connect the dots from here to there;  we may feel intense jealousy, envy, or anger when we witness someone else living our ‘unicorn life’; we may turn down opportunities with the idea we must stay available for our unicorn; we may buy the ‘trappings’ of our unicorn (but do nothing else toward realization); and we may take up hobbies that have some relation to our unicorn (but that can’t possibly lead to it), that effectively persuade us we are on this track after all.

Possible Chart Clues to Our Unicorn

I don’t mean to demonize Neptune in regard to the concept of unicorns, but it is the most logical starting place, and it is often involved, as Saturn can be, through the mechanism of suppression (in Neptune’s case, it’s a kind of anti-suppression that appears to deal with things, but which in reality is lost in illusion or subterfuge). It’s not unreasonable to see unicorns as a response to denial of a dream–but typically the dream denied that spurs the unicorn is one we cannot allow in our lives–its arrival would disrupt other factors, or call upon us in ways we don’t want to be tested.

Linen warp showing two scenes from Der Busant, a Medieval poem {{PD}}

What we should be looking at, then, are the ways our Neptune has been denied, and our Saturn (which can be internal or external–in the form of authority–or sometimes Uranus or Jupiter–society–when the group overwhelms the individuality urge) has participated in a kind of suppression that leaves the only acceptable outlet an intangible one (at least as far as we are concerned). Ceres may also be involved in suppression, again through an external authority or the real-life maternal figure(s) or in the guise of the ‘internalized mother’. Even Pluto may figure in, as a destructive force or Other that has managed to convince us by its own, powerful assertion that our dream is unattainable, at least for little ol’ us.

We may have hit the aspect jackpot if we find a third body touched by both Neptune and Saturn (or with some combination of these and/ or Pisces or Capricorn, Ceres, or Jupiter, as ancient ruler of Pisces). This will designate the contacted energy as the locus of our unicorn–and so give us a place to start in defining and implementing our denied desires related to that energy. And of course, keep in mind, not all contacts to these energies imply there’s a unicorn trotting behind them.

And if Black Moon Lilith is involved in any way in our dream or goal recipe, we may be dealing either with a goal born of rage (in which case, we can’t attain the dream because we must then let go of our anger, which if this intense likely forms a big chunk of the identity), or with a dream certain aspects of which we are in denial about, with BML’s presence signaling we’ll likely avoid progress at all costs.

Good Hunting, Readers!

We shouldn’t be down on ourselves if we discover a unicorn frolicking on our life’s horizon; instead we should be happy to have located such a distinct and telling signpost of needs denied and desires unexplored. Unicorns can point us toward more realistic elements we can, should, and completely want to incorporate into our lives–and in that way, I guess unicorns really are magical.

Like the blog? Please consider a book purchase, donation, future services purchase, or book review on GoodReads–and a Big Thank You to All who do! And PS: I’ve added a vital little something for the 20th here–

Southern Hemisphere {{PD}}

The Squares Have It 7-8 May 2018

07 Monday May 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Horoscope, The Daily Word Image

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Franz Marc – ‘The Bewitched Mill’ 1912 {{PD}}

With Venus square Neptune, and Mercury square Pluto, we may be hard pressed not just to see where all this is going, but to form a complete thought; every time we think we have a concept firmly in mind, or an idea with a discernible shape, we find on its heels an immediate, ‘No! That’s not the way it is!’ that tears down the thought and starts fresh. Values may contradict visions, relationship demands may jam up creativity, and finances may put the brakes on what we are imagining–meanwhile, communications may be inadvertently destructive, or could transform us in the hearing/ receiving–and so leave us seeing things much differently than the viewpoint we started with.

Luckily we have two helpful aspects, a trine from Mars to Sedna, and a sextile of Mercury to Pallas. These make us able to trust ‘muscle memory’, to act and choose based on instinct and what we ‘know but don’t know’, and to find steady ground by thinking about and utilizing the practical option. So, there is a way through the fog, if we keep our wits about us.

The 8th sees these circumstances continue, with a couple of twists. We have an issue with our own empowerment and our values and commitments (Vesta sq Juno), with today’s influences even more rooted in what to trust, what not to trust. Today the mind is clear of deceptive or illusory input, but that also means we have a hard time seeing the potentials of things or visualizing how we want it all to turn out–which means heading successfully toward a goal may be tricky (Mercury contra-parallel Neptune)–and optimism or a realistically based effort could be in short supply (Sun opp Jupiter). Again, it may come down to the ability to sort areas where we’d best not move from those where we can rely on input and influences–not easy at all!

Today’s word image is a dream where you have no socks or shoes. Symbolically, what does that suggest? (Asking for a friend–seriously, it’s not my dream, but I have a few ideas)

Looking for more? Stuff here and here are possibilities–and have a great week!

Uranus Into Taurus

25 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, astrology, Uranus

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The bull relief fresco – original – in the archaeological museum of Heraklion. From Knossos palace (West bastion of the North Entrance Passage where one can see a copy nowadays, Neopalatial period (1600 – 1450 BCE) Photo By the wonderful Jebulon, who releases all his excellent photos of antiquities under CC0. Thanks, Jebulon!

Uranus enters Taurus in the AM on 15 May 2018 Pacific time, and it may feel like the world slips, just a little; we had our footing with Uranus in Aries, we’d even managed to grit our teeth and show off a little: ‘Look at me! I’m not afraid of going it alone, doing it all myself (no choice)!’ We came to feel that the only way to deal with the presence of Uranus in Aries overall (when it wasn’t bouncing off another transiting body or surprising one of our natal ones) was to exhibit the tenacity of a bighorn ram, persisting even when the climb was dizzying or the cliff falling away beneath us. It was a lonely period, no matter how much support we enjoyed from the group, and no matter how sound our theories and reasoning, with every ‘earthquake’ Uranus presented a challenge: hold on! And we did, even as the Universe seemed to split and split again into infinite and uniquely individual forms of aggression, ‘accident’ (though we know there are none, right?) and Self-promotion (because if we didn’t innovate, invent, and then promote our unique contribution, who would?)

Just a day after Uranus moves into Taurus, Mars enters Aquarius and squares the planet of anarchy, shocks, and the intellect–and we may find that our actions, choices, and sense of autonomy through individual rights may act to stabilize the Uranian influence, in spite of the way Uranus in Taurus has the upper hand (through its rulership of Aquarius). Things steady as the ancient ruler of Aquarius, Saturn, funnels those choices and actions into real-world, or at least blatantly apparent, manifestations, likely initially presented as conflict, a ‘problem’, or a delay or denial. Once we get over the shock of what comes, we see how to think of it in the most effective way; it’s a true case of changing our way of thinking, and so changing what lies before us, and eliminating, or at least seeing in a new light, the problem.

By agracier – NO VIEWS, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57157533

Though this square of Mars to Uranus usually creates a bit of mayhem, this time because of sign placements it offers a new way of acting and reacting, via the intellect, to material ‘surprises’ that, when we think about them, aren’t really surprises at all; once they show themselves, we can easily draw the line from what occurs to the unique circumstances under which it originated–and that means our reactions can be grounded in (Taurean) reality, rather than forcing Self-reliance and a ‘fight it with your mind’ Arian stance.

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Next up: Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: Sagittarius, and then the Scorpio Full Moon.

Aspect Expectations Part 2 + What You’re Asking

23 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by in 11th House, Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Eros, Grand Cross/Grand Square, What You're Asking

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Józef Chełmoński – ‘Noc gwiaździsta’ {{PD}}

In our ‘you can’t tell all you need to know from just one aspect’ article, we discussed how an aspect that might seem straightforward when presented alone morphs and changes meaning, gaining shadow and perspective, when seen in relation to other chart placements. To review: we talked about a natal T-square with Moon-North Node in Aquarius as the arm and an opposition of Jupiter-Mercury to Ascendant-Pallas (you can review the aspect discussion here). We also noted that Merc, Jupiter, Sun, and Venus are all in Scorpio, suggesting a focus on, valuing of, and identification with the energies of regeneration, re-birth, destruction, and transformation, and that the Sun is conjoined Venus (suggesting a ‘beautiful person’ in some context) and that Mars and Neptune are conjoined in Virgo in the 5th, implying ideals and imagination acted upon in creative or risk-taking ways, or one who can appear to act in such ways–or whose actions imply criticism or assessment through spiritual or creative acts–and with Pisces on the 11th and Aries on the 12th, we may be talking about the individual as group leader, driven by the unconscious. There also may be identification with the Arts or the spiritual, through both the individual ‘I Am’ and through the fact that this chart belongs to a male.

Did your ideas of what kind of person this might be change as you learned more? Did you make a guess as to what this person is known for, what their accomplishments might be, or how this individual may interact with others? Let’s add one more placement, turning that T-square (and the dynamic of that aspect is still valid, in case you’re wondering) into a Fixed Grand Cross with South Node-Ceres in Leo at the bottom of the chart. I’ll let a small excerpt from my forthcoming Moon book take it from here:

Mr. X, as we know, has “a 10th House Aquarius Moon that is only 7 minutes off exact conjunction to his North Node, part of a Grand Cross involving Ceres-South Node, Mercury-Jupiter, and Pallas-Ascendant. Emotions certainly have driven his life direction—as has a deep need to prove his power and authority (Ceres—he loved to present himself to followers as a force of Nature, even as Love itself, easy to persuade susceptible others of this with the Sun-Venus conjunction in the 7th); too, his communications had a ‘larger than life’ quality (Merc-Jupiter—certainly, he claimed more than once he was the Messiah, speaking as Jupiter, that is, as a god), with a persona that persuaded others he was intelligent and skilled (Pallas-ASC)—presenting someone wise, to be listened to, served, even worshiped.”

There we see something of the life reflected in the chart. And we go on: “The problem with a Grand Cross, as we know, is that when one arm is activated, the whole thing ‘lights up’—in this case, emotion and the desire to dictate the future (Moon-NN) prompted conflicts within, ones that likely pointed out to Mr. X just how powerless he’d been in the past (as a neglected and mistreated child—Ceres conj SN), and how his desire to communicate within the social order (Merc-Jup) was denied; with this latter, as an aspiring musician Mr. X had met (famous musician) who introduced Mr. X to his producer—who turned down the potential for future projects with the soon-to-be cult leader (Mars-Neptune conjunct in the 5th, suggesting the ego/ ‘I Am’ expression through both music and the creative imagination—and what’s more creatively ego-filled than starting your own cult?)

We also know that an Aquarius Moon can confuse emotions with thoughts, and vice versa; add that inclination to a loose Finger of God with base of Sun-Venus and Mars-Neptune, apex Sedna in the 12th, and we get a description of someone who is at once totally aware of the nonsense he proclaims (he knows he’s not God, nor Love Incarnate), as well as at the same time being significantly deluded about who he is and what he does, particularly about what his actions mean—and it all feeds out into the Cosmos, through his ‘blind spot’ behaviors (Sedna in 12th).”

I imagine by now you’ve got a much more dimensional picture of someone than you had on reading that first, single aspect description. There’s a brief quiz at the end of the post; that’s where the answer to our example is–or have you already figured it out?

‘Julie Demboski’s ASTROLOGY’ has almost reached 1.5 million views–thanks, everyone!

And now, a little ‘What You’re Asking’

NN and MC synastry

Contact between the North Node of one individual’s natal chart and the Midheaven of another’s can exert quite a pull, and this is so whether there are other compelling contacts cross-chart or not. The MC person may feel the life direction of the NN person is instrumental in his own achievement in career or within public view, or that the NN person will give him, one way or another, status. The NN person may feel the MC person’s image, role, or status will make or break her future or the trajectory the life will take. There’s a caveat here, though, in the form of this: the compulsive feeling this contact generates may or may not be accurate. And there’s a problem: each person may feel irrationally that the other person needs to provide something to them–the perceptions, then, are not about the real-life other–all the individual’s attention is trained on themselves, leaving the other person to some extent unseen. It could be a case of believing the other person is important completely out of proportion to the actual relationship and independent of what one can do for the other–and that’s the most important thing, to determine if these are just wacky connections that feel vital but in the end lead nowhere, or if they’re an impetus to playing truly pivotal roles in each other’s lives (so once again, we can’t really tell from just one aspect!)

‘What natal sign is friendship?’

This is one of those questions that reveals a lack of clarity (or perhaps a lack of knowledge) on the part of the questioner. There’s no one astrological sign that stands for friendship; the subjects and areas of life are divided up among the Houses, not the signs, and friendship resides in the 11th of the natal chart. It’s important when looking for answers to our questions using astrology that we understand where and how those answers are available–because if you think the answer to your question will be found one way (by locating a sign) rather than the ‘right’ way (by knowing that life subjects are indicated by Houses) then you’ll waste your time and never find out what you really want to know. It’s not just a matter of looking in the wrong place; it’s as if you’ve misplaced your keys and then try to use a sandwich to open the door. No, just no.

Aphrodite, Pan, Eros Photo By Jebulon {{PD}}

Transits of Eros

. . . can stir temporary erotic feelings toward matters ruled by or people symbolized by the contacted natal energy. What we need to remember is, Eros is, first and foremost, an energy of projection. A sense of desire, sexual energy, and a mesmerizing attraction don’t emanate from any individual or object, but exist within our own minds–which means that we are the instruments of erotic perception, rather than that anything is erotic within its own nature.

So what can we expect from a transit? First, relax–nothing suddenly becomes erotically stimulating out of the blue! During a transit of Eros we may find something more acceptable or understand its attractiveness to others, if it’s something outside our normal appetites–it doesn’t automatically become of sexual interest, but may only allow us to see its appeal. Say we see Eros conjoin our Mars. The Warrior already carries sexual energy and describes something of our sexual ‘style’, as well as what we find appealing in a man (and that’s aside from our sexual orientation–it applies to anyone). Our Mars is in Virgo, and Eros comes along to make those individuals who reflect our tastes suddenly very appealing. Maybe we like outdoor-sy men, those who farm, who like to work with their hands, or do our Mars in Virgo tastes run more toward sexy accountants or writers? You get the picture.

Next up, Uranus into Taurus and Chiron into Aries. Enjoy your week!