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Category Archives: Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings

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

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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!

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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–

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}}

‘No Fear of Perfection’ An Astro Portrait of Salvador Dalí

07 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Inferior Conjunction, Mercury retrograde, Natal Delineation, Sun/Mercury Inferior Conjunction

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By Carl Van Vechten – Van Vechten Collection at Library of Congress, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1316978

Another re-print from ECLIPSE, this time on the wildly original Spanish artist:

Born with Mercury retro, just after an Inferior Conjunction, Salvador Dalí (11 May 1904 8:45 AM Figueras Spain) spent his life as an innovative artist, so we might expect a prominent Neptune and Uranus, but the Merc retro natal point, at 23 Taurus 28 Rx, plays a big part as well. If Merc is our ability to communicate, Dali’s ability was shaped as a sense of anticipation. This is what we have in the post-Inferior Conjunction phase of the retrograde: a subliminal excitement, a shadowy coalescence of ideas and concepts, and we are willing to try things that are new and perhaps considered unusual for us—and somehow Dalí was able to translate this into his creative life, probably through the 29 degree Uranus in Sagittarius, a placement requiring expression of the individuality (and creating tension with the individuality!) perpetually.

Neptune is in the Whole Sign 1st, above the Ascendant, sextile Venus, trine Black Moon Lilith, and squared by the natal Aries Moon and Midheaven. He may have identified with being creative, but not entirely consciously. A great deal of his creative ‘fuel’ may have been women, relationships (he had many with both men and women, and met his wife Gala, 9 years older than he, when she and her husband, a poet, and daughter came to visit him—she remained when they went home). Dalí excels at delving into the material others avoided—as seen in his penchant for eyeballs, melting clocks, and the disturbing dreamscapes of his Art. The contact to Moon-MC is puzzling, until we consider that though the social sphere (Jupiter in the 10th in Aries) found him disruptive and odd (10th, ruler Mars conjunct Mercury—he was communicating), his parents, especially his mother (10th, Moon) encouraged his Self-indulgence and unusual creativity. This undoubtedly affected the emotional perceptions, with the Aries Moon emphasizing Self-Will as the way to feel emotionally nourished—and coupled with the MC, probably made him equate emotional satisfaction with fame and professional accomplishment.

Interesting to note that he was born 9 months and 10 days after the death of his older brother; given the same name and told he could never replace him, Dalí came to believe he literally was his brother’s replacement, his reincarnation. Mercury, the natural representative of siblings, is conjoined his Sun (in this case perhaps both suggesting the melding of identities and, as Merc is moving away from conjunction, the effort toward individuality and freedom). Merc rules his 3rd, representing his siblings, with Virgo there; it may have been the childhood criticism that made him who he was in a significant way—it certainly figured in his thinking.

His wife Gala may be key to so much here, in particular the extreme sexual nature, represented by Pluto opposed Ceres. This suggests his deepest sexual energy may have been at odds with what he considered ‘natural’, and yet Gala, an incredibly strong Mother Earth figure, came along and negotiated his own sexual nature with him—she was his Ceres, adjusting his sense of Self (Ceres quincunx the Sun) as well as becoming a foil for his passion (Ceres opp Pluto). Also interesting, this amazingly original and unique artist died in the period of his Uranus Return at the age of 84, at the point of a symbolic, and very real, completion of a cycle.

By Promomonster – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45094742

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”– Salvador Dalí  This from a man who wielded the most perfect brush strokes in his oil paintings I’ve ever seen.

Click here for this week’s outlook

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!

Aspect Expectations, What You’re Asking, and Chiron Bites Back

20 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Chiron, T-Square, What You're Asking

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‘Pythagoreans Celebrate Sunrise’ Presumably, they’ve already done the math. By Fyodor Bronnikov {{PD}}

We have a print in our house by the artist Julie Dillon. It’s called ‘Sleeping Giant’, and depicts an enormous ‘robot’, long ‘dead’, being worshiped as if it were a god, robed supplicants in attendance, votives and offerings placed before it. I love the way the picture tells a story, all at once: stripped of its original beingness, its purpose and point, the human mind sees this incomprehensible entity and fills in a scenario of what it must’ve been. The reverence is supplied by the observer; the thing itself is just what it is, and holds no sense of the sacred beyond what it’s given.

When we stop knowing what something is, we inevitably forget what it’s for; that seems obvious, but really isn’t. It’s easy to overlay our ability to perceive with expectations, judgments, assumptions, and beliefs, to the point where we not only don’t see what’s before us, we forget the original intent or purpose behind both the thing we’re observing and our decision to observe.

In astrology we transgress in this way when we see an aspect and think we know its meaning, devoid of context or other contacts; it’s why I’m so loathe to talk about aspects outside the landscape of a chart. Without House placement, rulerships, and other bodies or points aspected as part of the picture, what we see may be highly skewed, our own judgments and suppositions superimposed on the aspect; in reality, that aspect is a framework that gains full and nuanced meaning only when seen as part of a whole.

A brief example: if I say to you, assuming this is found in a natal chart, “Moon conjoined North Node in Aquarius”, and the conjunction is close, with only a seven minute differential, what characteristics spring to mind? Someone forward-thinking, intuitively inventive or innovative, a ‘free feeler’ with an emotional nature that embraces the intellect, and intellectual methods–and so may be a tad disconnected from the feeling nature–but we can’t be sure how this presents itself with so little info. To draw many conclusions about someone from this alone could be highly misleading–so what if we add more info?

“Ascendant conjoined Pallas in Taurus, only seven minutes past perfection, with this combo square that Moon-NN in Aquarius”. Now what might you think? Pallas rising suggests the individual meets the world in a practical or smart way, and that that’s what others see, someone wise beyond their years, especially when it comes to material matters, worldly things, survival and comfort. The square introduces the idea of conflict, and describes a smart personality at odds with an intellectual approach to feeling–which definitely doesn’t mesh with the Taurean predisposition to soothe through the senses. So, we have someone who presents much differently than they feel.

Now we add this to the picture: “Fixed T-square, NN-Moon as the arm (placing this combo at the top of the chart, in the individual’s 10th) to an opposition of ASC-Pallas to Jupiter and a stationary Mercury in Scorpio, roughly four degrees apart”. A T-square alerts us to the fact that all those seeming positives (wise presentation, progressive attitudes, keeping an eye on the future, strong connection among emotions, intuition, and intellect) might be part of a tense dynamic, one that could bring out their less positive sides. Jupiter-Merc in Scorpio suggests a deep, intense, almost cutting mental emphasis on knowledge, but whether that’s based in belief or actual facts we can’t determine outright, and exaggeration may be both a communication style and a way of thinking/ perceiving. But we do know that Mercury is stationary in a Fixed Water sign, which implies, just like the Moon in Aquarius, a mixing of feeling and thought, and possibly the emotions and mentality stubbornly ‘stuck’ at a particular phase, outlook, or level of development, and we get a glimpse of this through that ASC-Pallas picture: this individual is keyed to comfort and survival in whatever way the childhood environment dictated as practical or smart.

So what do we think now? Since our first aspect description, we may have decided this individual is much more emotional than we first suspected, and that they may be prone to use the mentality to justify what they feel–and that may be accompanied by the danger of presenting as very wise to others, which can be persuasive to those who may accept hyperbole as facts (as may the individual). We might think that spiritual or religious beliefs could permeate the mental faculties (and that beliefs, feelings, what’s smart, and the mental faculties could be in constant conflict or under tension), and that part of what this individual may do is bring these beliefs to others through the effectiveness of the personality. There’s also that cutting edge to Merc, Jupiter, Sun, and Venus all in Scorpio, that urge to destroy as much as to re-make, and the tension presented by the personal emotional make-up, that could clash and cry out for expression.

Two more factoids: Sun and Venus are closely conjoined in Scorpio (but not conj Jup-Merc), and Mars and Neptune are only 35 minutes apart in Virgo. How do these bolster either positive or negative impressions for you? What profession would you imagine this individual would choose–and what do you think life might choose, for them? Check back in a day or three, when I’ll present the chart these aspects come from, and you can decide how much or how little you really can glean from the one-aspect-at-a-time game.

Just to let you know: there’s a Russian language (scratch that, I think it’s actually Ukrainian) page offering Eclipse subscriptions–when Eclipse is no longer being published! So don’t give them your money, okay?

People are wondering . . .

. . . why so many astrologers got the US election ‘wrong’:

I think this is due to faulty assumptions underlying their interpretations. It seems to me they saw more positive/ ‘easier’ aspects in Hillary Clinton’s chart, and more challenging ones in Trump’s, and so assumed that meant a Hillary win; the problem with that is the belief that positive aspects imply winning a contest–but what they really imply is that what occurs is positive for the individual, from the individual’s point of view.

Centaur of Lefkandi, 1050 – 900 BCE, identified as Chiron, found in two pieces in two different tombs at the site of Toumba. It’s the first 3-D sculpture of a centaur ever. Archaeological Museum of Eretria. Photo By Jebulon CC0

. . . about an unaspected Chiron

Like any chart energy, an unaspected Chiron will generally function in one of two ways: either the wounded nature takes over the chart (and so the individual) becoming the most prominent thing within the psyche, or it floats around, disconnected from the individual psyche, so that when that wound is ‘touched’ the person reacts and doesn’t know they’re reacting. In both cases, the Chirotic nature has not been integrated with the other energies, impulses, and traits, and so either consumes the processing and perceptive functions or is completely denied by them–that is, the individual claims to carry no wound at all, or to have processed and dealt with wounds so completely that no psychic injuries remain–and that’s just not possible, for a human. It’s like an unaspected energy takes a bite out of our ability to comprehend the world and our place in it–Chiron (along with Mars and Pluto, and possibly others) is the kind that, as we try to reclaim it by consciously incorporating its energy and intents, just may bite us back, discouraging our efforts and making acceptance and absorption that much more difficult.

Check back in a bit for a new post that will give the answers to our aspect-reading example, along with more ‘What You’re Asking’, and have a lovely weekend!

22 April 2016 We All Cry

21 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by in Art, Aspect Delineation, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Current Events, current events in the sky, health, Natal Delineation, Spiritual Considerations, The Daily Word Image

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'White Doves at the Blue Mosque' by Peretz Partensky from San Francisco, USA Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

‘White Doves at the Blue Mosque’ by
Peretz Partensky from San Francisco, USA Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Aspects Friday the 22nd look like a tribute to musical artist Prince, who died early on the 21st in his Minnesota studio at the age of 57 (and we may note, the 21st was also the date of death of one of the founders of the band Negativland, Richard Lyons, who was also 57; and, Prince’s protege and collaborator Vanity, died 15 February this year, also aged 57–I’m starting to wonder if 57 is the new 27 in the music world, the age when we lost Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, Cobain, Winehouse, et al). Venus (beauty, Art) conjoins Uranus (the original, the unusual, style) and both novile Neptune (the creative, music), framing the way forward (Venus-Uranus quincunx the North Node), putting our attention on our wounds and clever ways to heal them (Sun novile Chiron).

This combination hands us an awareness of the need for the creative, for Art, for Beauty, for the unique, the original, strange, and fantastical, as we move forward; we see there is no future without an intensely inventive spirit, without a love of both beauty and others (the relationship function of Venus), and both the desire to create (which really drives all life) and the desire to express that creativity in terms that are very particularly our own (Uranus). To me that sounds exactly like Prince’s life mission, one that in the eyes of many he fulfilled exceptionally well.

If we look at Prince’s chart (7 June 1958 6:19 PM Minneapolis MN USA) we see both the natal strains that were lifelong (for instance, a Whole Sign 8th House Gemini Sun, the position emphasizing the individual commitment to others, as well as the inevitable toll that commitment can take, and a 29 degree Pluto conjoined the Midheaven and ruling the 1st of the Self, suggesting serious strain through the career and public image to the personality and so too to the body itself).

Data via Astrodatabank

Data via Astrodatabank

When we look at the transits for the 21st, we note the transiting Sun just past contact to the natal South Node (bringing the individual attention to the past, perhaps to that point of what we are before birth–so, returning to one’s origins), and the way the current Sun-Earth axis is aligned his natal 1st House Neptune to the degree (conjoined by Earth, opposed by the Sun). According to The Atlantic, in a 1985 interview Prince stated, “There’s not a person around who can stay awake as long as I can. Music is what keeps me awake,” which is an interesting statement coming from one whose North Node and Neptune were fused in the 1st, a symbol of the creative, forward-looking consciousness he lived.

Transiting Saturn was just beginning to move off (in retrograde) Prince’s natal 2nd House Earth, and with the symbol of both time and ‘The End’ opposing his Sun, he was probably experiencing excessive debilitation; the weakness and exhaustion we feel when the transiting Sun-Earth is flipped from our natal one was likely mimicked and exaggerated a thousand times by Saturn’s contact to the material (Earth) and ‘draining’ of the opposing Sun.

Transiting Jupiter, showing his credentials as the harbinger of life’s longest journey, had already squared Prince’s Sun twice and is scheduled to square it again; once more, the sense is one of strain, and t Jupiter is opposed t Neptune, placing Prince’s natal Sun and Vesta as the arm of a T-square. What’s most vital to him (the Sun) and sacred to him (Vesta) is being strained and pressured by a temporary situation that pits the creative, music, against the social order, the need to reach out and share the creation. It’s no secret Prince fought long battles with record companies, a situation that lasted for years and made for the most frustrating environment imaginable for an artist.

And, the transiting Moon hours before Prince’s death passed over his 12th House Jupiter, possibly triggering that longest journey, in one form leaving the Collective but joining it in another.

Wybrand de Geest {{PD}}

Wybrand de Geest {{PD}}

The word image is a bright yellow canary, sitting on one’s hand, that flutters out through an open window. The music’s not lost, it just went somewhere else.

Show support to your favorite writers and Artists–donate, buy their work, tell them you love them!

 

The Astrology of ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’

05 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, ECLIPSE magazine, Natal Delineation

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Rudolf Ernst 'The Perfume Maker' 19th century or 20th century, but before 1932 {{PD}}

Rudolf Ernst ‘The Perfume Maker’
19th century or 20th century, but before 1932 {{PD}}

This is from the current issue of ECLIPSE.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2007)  I initially thought this was based on a true story when I started the movie, though it became clear somewhere along the way that it was, even if based in reality, a kind of fairy-tale. The main character is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (created by the writer Patrick Süskind in his 2001 novel of the same name as the movie), and we follow him from birth to death—or re-absorption by the Universe, as it were—with the presentation of his birth data and the date of his leaving this plane, the latter including the time. So, I thought it would be fun to look at his chart, and see if it really described a man who had a tremendously heightened sense of smell—but no ability to feel—and who goes on a ruthless quest to capture the odor of ‘beautiful woman’ in a bottle. The movie is gorgeously made, and has many striking moments, the best of which is when Grenouille, taken to be hanged in the town square, unleashes his intoxicating creation, to amazing results.

The story begins with Grenouille’s birth in the early morning at the Paris fish market on 17 July 1738. I chose 9 AM as the time, in part because it gives him a Void 29 degree Moon in Cancer in the 11th House=extreme sensitivity without the usual emotional protection afforded the individual (the Void status, which can make the environment seem like it’s assaulting the person, 24/7), located in the House of goals, wishes, dreams, making this sensitivity central to his existence. The Void Moon is square Pluto=emotions, under stress, burnt out, destroyed. He also has Mercury in Cancer conjunct Saturn-Neptune and only 4 minutes off an exact sextile to his Mars in Taurus=what a perfect portrait of a man driven by acute senses (Merc in Cancer) with the creative compulsion (Neptune—which by the way also rules perfumes, along with Venus) to bring what he imagines into reality (Saturn), via actions (Mars) that are focused on sensation and the sensory experience (Taurus)! Then when we see Venus in Leo conjunct the North Node=the Self-confidence (Leo) to bring one’s values, even the essence of Love (Venus) into the life as a kind of destiny (NN), and 00 degree Pluto in his own sign (the essence of death, and the power of regeneration, just being discovered) in a Water Grand Trine with Neptune and Zeus (when the ambition to create the ultimate scent is realized, he returns, ashes to ashes, dust to dust), we have to wonder, Did Herr Süskind have knowledge of astrology, or consult someone in choosing that date? It’s hard to believe he didn’t.

See the chart here–

Just a Little Mercury Retrograde 6 February 2014: Upset or Ecstasy

06 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by in Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, current events in the sky, ECLIPSE magazine, Mercury retrograde

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'The Sense of Sight' Annie Louisa Swynnerton 1895 {{PD}}

‘The Sense of Sight’ Annie Louisa Swynnerton 1895 {{PD}}

A little something from ECLIPSE:

Mercury Retrograde The Messenger retrograded on the 6th at 1:43 PM Pacific time at 3 Pisces 20, and during his backward trip re-enters Aquarius; in the Whole Sign chart, this means a definite change of Houses occurs, emphasizing the shift in atmosphere with a shift in area of expression, as well. Starting the Mercurial journey in Water suggests the first issues that surface will be emotional ones, likely seeming to intrude on the mind either from the larger Collective or from one’s own overactive imagination. At the point of turnaround Merc is in close aspect to nothing else (the conjunction to Neptune isn’t technically perfected, and so lacks oomph or relevancy, yet). This implies the possibility that we may enter the retrograde receiving emotional messages or info that we are completely unable to process mentally—and this suggests, upset or ecstasy, that we will be hard pressed to understand or communicate our feelings, leading to unavoidable frustration. Then Merc retreats to Aquarius, and the mind may suddenly unscramble the earlier emotional reactions, with the current danger that we will go too far toward intellectualizing—and so distance ourselves from feelings we really need to deal with. When Merc turns, just let the emotions happen—it’s normal for a Merc retro period to make understanding difficult, so don’t try—and when the mind is suddenly up and running again upon Merc’s entry into Aquarius (albeit with lots of short circuits, thanks to the retro!) you will (almost without any effort) get a handle on the preceding emotions—then the trick is to not talk yourself out of your feelings—which will be the most likely temptation as Merc moves backward through Aquarius

And from the Search Terms grab-bag:

“getting laid off in Mercury retrograde”

Since this term showed up before the actual start of the retro this afternoon, I’m wondering if this individual is anticipating bad news–and that means, you knew something, even if it was only through your spidey-sense, that told you it’s coming. The real focus, then, might need to be on what happened during Venus retrograde (21 December 2013-31 January 2014). Since this clearly affects the income, I think detective work on matters that manifested during the Venus turnaround is called for, as that will likely reveal the true issue. If you’re wondering if a layoff during Merc retro has particular consequences, the answer is yes; as an employer, making a hiring or firing decision during such a cycle means that you may be drawing conclusions from incomplete information, that you may not be assessing individuals correctly, and that you almost certainly will change your opinion of your choice after direction. For the person who receives such news, you can bet that you don’t know the real reasons behind it, and you may receive some satisfaction in the idea that your employer will probably regret moving on it at this time–though of course, you may never know that for sure. There is also the possibility that, if you did receive signals of a potential job loss before the retrograde, the actual commencement of the retro period may bring a change of mind, a re-consideration, that could nix previous decisions. So, don’t despair yet–and if it does come to pass, embrace the idea that something not so great is being removed from your life (albeit forcibly) to make room for something much better.

A Look Back: Egypt’s Morsi

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Current Events, ECLIPSE magazine, Transit Effects Explored

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'An Arab Caravan Outside a Fortified Town in Egypt' Jean-Leon Gerome c1900 {{PD-Art}}

‘An Arab Caravan Outside a Fortified Town in Egypt’ Jean-Leon Gerome c1900 {{PD-Art}}

This originally appeared in ECLIPSE just after Morsi’s election on 30 June 2012–thought it was worth another look now:

The new president of Egypt, Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Isa al‐Ayat, was born 20 August 1951, ntk, in the Sharqia Governorate, in northern Egypt‐‐since the birthplace is not pinpointed, and the province itself rather small, I chose the capital city, Zagazig Az‐zaq. Morsi’s rise is meteoric only in the sense of his arrival on the world stage; he was a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but gained the globe’s attention when, in the wake of the Egyptian Revolution, he became the candidate of the newly formed political arm of the Brotherhood, the Freedom and Justice Party. Now, with his election to president, Morsi brings unquestioned loyalty to the Brotherhood and their beliefs to a previously secular post‐‐and, having seen other instances where religious figures rose to political power within the Arab world, the West watches and waits to know the direction its one‐time ally (Egypt) will take.

Public life may be a challenging road, one that fills personal ambitions for Morsi, if he can continue in creating the illusion that he has so far‐you’ll see why I call it an illusion in a moment. He has Jupiter, his relationship to and attitude toward the social sphere, in aggressive and independent Aries‐‐right away he may have problems in the social arena, if he doesn’t get to be the leader! With the exception of one aspect, Jupiter is harshly contacted‐‐but oh that one aspect: it’s a trine to Pluto, suggesting that a powerful leadership position is just the thing for him, and easily attained.

The other Jupiter aspects, though, tell the rest of the story, with the most startling perhaps being the sesquiquadrates to the Sun and Juno, which create a Fist of God with Jupiter apex=if he can mesh the identity‐Soul needs with his empowerment options (which are in some way at odds with the Soul, my guess being that his Leo Sun would simply prefer to be dictator!) then he will actualize the potential leadership role‐‐done and done. Sun, hZeus, and Pluto are all conjunct in Leo, in fact, painting a portrait of someone power‐hungry and focused on acquiring that power for the Self‐‐the Fist, and so the public, simply becomes a way of fulfilling personal goals. Jupiter also is quincunx Mercury (adjustment to speech and writing is necessary for harmony with the public) and square Uranus (the individuality and urge to uniqueness and rebellion were easily channeled against the previous regime, but really want to express as total independence from having to answer to those who put him in place‐‐we must remember that Jupiter is also religion and religious hierarchy). Jupiter also opposes Neptune, placing it firmly (and possibly literally) in opposition to ideals, and we note that Neptune rules both the North Node and Ceres, suggesting a fundamental rejection of both what is ’natural’, and of the future; this is a ‘live in the moment’ guy.

Saturn, which would logically make a significant appearance in the chart of someone strongly involved with a religious hierarchy, barely shows up, here sitting at 00 Libra, so that the idea of hierarchy, discipline, rules are all ’new’ to him; and in Libra, the philosophy presented was likely one of co‐operation, where following the rules and Self‐discipline are not just sacred, they define one as a man (sextile to Mars‐Vesta conjunction). Morsi recognizes the wisdom of this (Saturn trine Pallas), yet justifies his own use of sincere religious principle to further his own wants as required payback for past injury (Saturn square Chiron).

Astrologically speaking, Morsi appears to be an individual who has fooled (or maybe just used) the Muslim Brotherhood for his own, power‐hungry ends; but will this marriage last? Without House cusps, it’s very hard to say, though from the transits, I’m thinking the honeymoon might last awhile, though not indefinitely; Jupiter is in Gemini, soon to square his Nodal axis, signaling that ’people talk’, and though not enough to bring him down, information or gossip propagated now may sow the seeds of his eventual fate. t Chiron is conjunct the natal NN right now, suggesting that his use of very personal and specific skills have led him in his destined direction. t Pluto is moving to oppose natal Uranus, and t Chiron to trine it, suggesting that, as long as he can downplay the individuality urge, the rebelliousness within him to the Brotherhood (because for him it’s all about him, not any kind of religious ideal), and promise healing to the masses, he’ll remain in place. Having attained a pinnacle with the presidency, the vaunted Self‐regard and insistence on doing as he pleases shown by his Sun‐hZeus‐Pluto conjunction will not allow him to ever back down or let go.

t Neptune’s upcoming contact to natal Saturn by quincunx says that Morsi may successfully obscure his own goals or create an illusion that satisfies others, but it will take effort on his part; however, t Pluto trines the natal SN once again in January 2013, possibly stirring those old power urges and prompting a grab, and around August of next year (2013), t Jupiter conjuncts natal Uranus‐‐with this meeting we may watch as his individuality is ’seen’, by religious leaders, or by the masses, and considering that t Saturn will have recently squared natal Mars, reality ’threatening’ his manhood, we may see some fireworks, rebellious behavior, radical responses, or a ’beginning of the end’, as it seems to me a violent finale may be inevitable for this ambitious, would‐be dictator (that Sun‐hZeus‐Pluto natal conjunction in Leo, a human powder keg to which someone, probably himself, will eventually set a match).