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Category Archives: astrology

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

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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!

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Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: ‘Down Deep’ Scorpio + Saturn Retrograde

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Posted by in astrology, Retrogrades + Directions, Saturn Retrograde, Scorpio, The Ascendant

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‘Deep Art Photo of Etno Histria violins’ 2009,
By Ekke from Durham, United Kingdom Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Scorpio is so often misunderstood, especially when it sits on the Ascendant. Others are just naturally afraid of someone who’s dark, deep, powerful, mysterious, and who feels inaccessible, no matter how open and transparent they try to be. When others receive you with vague suspicion, no matter your behavior or motivations, you’re bound to get involved in a feedback loop that more often ends up supporting observers assessments (from their point of view) than refuting them, under the same principle wherein even sane utterings from a sane person sound crazy once you’re labeled that way. This is the burden Scorpio bears—along with a reputation for vindictiveness—but is that deserved?

Not at all; I think what happens is that Scorpio is so deeply, almost violently, emotionally perceptive and receptive, and yet prone to bury those feelings, that when they do let them show they have an overwhelming power of expression that impresses onlookers—and imprints these tempestuous feelings on observers as ‘the way Scorpio is’. Others feel and behave with the same ideas of passion, revenge, love, remorse, and so on that Scorpio does, but they do it sneakily or unconsciously or passive-aggressively or manage to manipulate others to do it for them, and so avoid the kind of reputation Scorpio has—so their reputation is much more about appearances than reality, in this regard.

Scorpio is also known for wanting to destroy or change what they encounter—but this is simply a mechanism for getting to the Truth, which is the Scorpion’s Holy Grail. Scorpio on the Ascendant suggests the individual is on a quest of sorts, something that compels them to restlessly research and dig and uncover until they reach what they’re longing for (and this is often described by what aspects to personal energies Pluto makes in the natal chart: Sun, who they truly are or what they’re here for, Moon, how they feel or developing trust in their own intuition, Merc, connection or communication or the feeling of ‘brotherhood’, Venus, love or reward as determined by their own values, Mars, a leader or protector or a role as leader themselves, Jupiter, knowledge or a philosophy of life that has ‘the answers’). The intensity of their quest and the laser-like focus that just comes naturally to the Scorpion can give others the impression that they are withdrawn, not interested in human contact, or angry all the time—but they’re not—it’s just Scorpionic concentration!

From the inside looking out, Scorpio may be overly responsive to the environment, but learned to hide it—it just didn’t feel safe having others know how Scorpio felt. In early life, Scorpio was probably in a highly reactive, threatening, or even dangerous milieu and/ or around such persons—but we must remember, from the viewpoint of a child, there’s much that we take for granted or even find amusing as adults that could be traumatizing for the inexperienced. This is why it’s important to remember that the Ascendant viewpoint is a reaction that feels to the individual like it’s a necessity; it doesn’t reflect reality so much as the individual’s idea of reality. What we can state with certainty is that Scorpio found the environs intense (and for Scorpio on the Ascendant this could be doubly so, and is also true for any individual no matter the Moon or Ascendant’s sign, who is also born with a Void-of-Course Moon). Just keep in mind that with Scorpio on the Ascendant you’re dealing with someone who just wants the Truth—and though there’s no guarantee that you and Scorpio will see the truth in exactly the same way, it will establish trust—and once this Ascendant trusts you, you have an ally for life.

Saturn’s that guy at the party who stands in the corner and whispers about how he just knows the cops will be there any minute. Photo By Yamen – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56401192

See a little on the atmosphere created by Merc’s direction, and take a peek at the recent New Moon. See more of my work here, donate to your favorite astrologers, and chin up! The retro of Saturn this evening (the 17th Pacific time) happens at 9 Capricorn 08, with first contact (other than Lunar contact) a race between Merc and Ceres moving toward the retrograding Saturn, with Ceres winning by a nose, forming a quincunx that requires real-world adjustment to our ideas of what constitutes our territory, to our personal authority expression and sense of empowerment, within negotiations, or in any maternal or nurturing roles we fulfill. See, we just have to be more realistic in our interactions–and really, that’s a good thing, as we can’t get ‘there’ without knowing where we’re coming from ‘here’. And have a great week!

Mercury’s Post-Direction Journey: 10 Days in April 2018

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Posted by in astrology, Astrology and Communication, Consciousness Explored, Dreams, Mercury Direction, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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By © 2017 Jee & Rani Nature Photography (License: CC BY-SA 4.0), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58519377

Though Mercury has already stationed for turnaround, it hasn’t happened yet; we have to wait until 2:21 AM Pacific time of the 15th for a technical shift in direction. Merc’s direct motion starts at 4 Aries 46, with Mercury’s first post-direction contacts (other than ones received from Luna) coming on the 25th-26th close together: a square to Saturn in Capricorn and a trine to Ceres in Leo. That leaves a relatively long stretch when Merc is picking up speed and unimpeded (as well as not imposing its own agenda) on anything else. Merc in Aries is about communicating who we are, and what we want, as individuals–so expect a spate of realizing just what it is we want or think, then speaking up, speaking out, followed after ten days or so by giving those ideas solid form, or stopping something we’ve found objectionable (Saturn) in a perfect (that is, balanced) expression of our identity, essence, and authority (Ceres, in all her glory in Leo).

Just hours after technical direction, we see the New Moon in Aries, and in the run up to Merc’s first contacts we see Chiron enter Aries, Sun conjoin Uranus then enter Taurus, and Venus sweep over Sedna and then enter Gemini, from which it sextiles Chiron, both still in 00 degrees–and at that point we see Mercury poised to make his statement. This should bring a kind of progression, a building of energies, that starts with a re-focusing on the sense of woundedness from a Universal one to a personal and individual one. This may prompt unusual revelations about the Self and the identity; things we’ve not seen as wounds before suddenly are, while other hurts we’ve assumed may be exposed as nothing at all. Attention shifts, then, to the material, to nurture, to tending those wounds (and in worst-case scenarios, to feeding them!) Meanwhile, relationships, finances, and our values all take it deep, dipping into instincts, things we ‘know but don’t know’, and into our own ‘blind spot’, in order to reveal the wounds, the ‘true’ state of the identity, and to organize and make sense of what transpired during the retrograde phase. Only then, just before Mercury makes its first aspects post-direction, will we know with any certainty what we should do, and how we should proceed. And that’s the essence of my advice at this time: in spite of the direction, wait–you’ll learn a great deal in those ten days that will have a significant impact on your perspective.

Albrecht Dürer – ‘Wing of a Roller’ 1511 {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the direction point perhaps offers a formula: ‘A Triangle With Wings’=elevated balance–not a bad goal, at all.

And now for an update on my dream life. I was in what seemed to be the lobby of an old department store, and as people came through the revolving doors I took it upon myself to decide who could come in and who was turned back. Even in the dream I thought I might be overstepping, but everyone supported me in this role and there were no arguments–everything was decided with my intuition, and everyone seemed to see this as valid. Then I toured the building, which was immense, filled with innumerable rooms, and as I moved through the corridors more and more people came along with me. I returned to the lobby as it seemed that’s where I was ‘needed’. A man sat on an elevated platform; he was in intense pain. I knew him from ‘before’ (which I took to be earlier in the dream). He was Indian, had been a soldier, and had been tortured in the Middle East; he was now severely deformed, with part of his spine sticking out of his back, his entire mid-section twisted. I sat before him and cupped my hands around one of his knees. Between my palms appeared a flow of what looked like deep golden marigold petals, and these somehow took away the man’s pain. Then I woke up (or as they say, did I go to sleep to dream my ‘real’ life?) This seemed to be along the same lines as that last dream I shared, so thought it might be of interest to some.

‘Marigolds and Tangerines’ By Félix Vallotton {{PD}}

Now the astrology. Last night around the time of the dream, the Moon and Mercury were conjoined in Aries in my communication 3rd=intuited information on my role or the actions I should take–communication through emotion (or perhaps empathy). Neptune and Hygeia were closely conjoined in Pisces and smack on my Black Moon Lilith=through dreams what has been ignored or denied is explored, the healthy way shown. t Jupiter trine natal Moon and natal Ceres, forming a Water Grand Trine=a glimpse of my ‘natural’ role/ authority, at expressing a personal, nurturing role, or was it a wee peek at the afterlife (Jupiter is now so strongly associated with death). And t NN is sextile my natal Jupiter, and Ceres sextile and Pallas trine my natal Mars, with t Saturn still within orb of a square to that Mars=addressing the Will, Self-actualization, the life direction; it’s the smart thing to do, though difficult to bring into the reality. t Vesta is square my natal Mercury, and this catches natal Neptune at the midpoint=I must face how I think about what I honor–this message is delivered through the dream life. t Sedna closely opposed my natal Venus=time to treasure what I ‘know but don’t know’, what the instincts reveal, and perhaps to find the value in what has, possibly just until the present, been hidden in my ‘blind spot’. And or all of these interpretations could be followed by a great, big question mark 🙂

Of course, these are just guesses, but it’s fun to look at the astrology and see what it might reveal (or, more often, obscure!) Have a wonderful week!

New Moon in Aries 15 April 2018 Wild Card

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We may not be allowed a glimpse of what the New Moon brings ahead of time. By Paul Spangenberg 1911 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 6:57 PM Pacific time on the 15th at 26 Aries 02, just over two degrees short of conjunction to Uranus. The New Moon is also in close semi-sextile to Sedna, and is novile both Neptune and Hygeia (the latter exact), but is outside acceptable range to anything else. This makes the interesting scenario where we will have the NM event, then an emotional reaction (as the Moon reaches Uranus just a few hours later), then enlightenment (when the Sun arrives in a couple of days).

What can we expect at the New Moon, then? Sudden revelation, possibly via the Higher Mind, or caused by our action (Aries) within the group (Uranus), showing us the health of one or more ‘systems’, material, physical, financial, spiritual, and the challenge is to see the state of these systems for their true status and standing, and if possible, to envision and potentially realize their ideal state (the obscuring and elevating influence of Neptune).

With this New Moon falling in Aries, we should expect new starts to our own methods, choices, actions, and to expression of our Will; its proximity to Uranus late in the sign suggests the consequences of our actions and choices play out in relation to or within the group, or through spontaneous events or ‘accidents’. All these will likely bring ‘healthy’ changes or results (Hygeia), born either from spiritual or creative ideals, or from the depths of the imagination (Neptune–and with that latter may be seen as positive or not-so).

In any case, our instincts, our ‘blind spot’, and/ or what we ‘know but don’t know’ (all Sedna) will be the ‘Wild Card’ of what we’re dealt (or perhaps it’s more accurate to say, What We Deal to Ourselves!) Sedna will be the driving or molding force that informs all other developments, and that means the shape of New Moon events will reflect our own inner landscape, as captured and projected outward by Sedna’s energies. The good news is that the creative and the inclination toward health (Neptune, Hygeia) come with a touch of genius (the novile); what happens offers some brilliant material, it’s just up to us to sort through what may seem more like the capriciousness of the Universe than the revelation of the truly remarkable, in order to find it. The Sabian for the New Moon says it all: ‘Through Imagination A Lost Opportunity Is Regained’. Yes, it is.

Week 9-14 April 2018 Keep Your Eye On . . .

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‘The Queen in Hamlet’ (BTW, that’s Gertrude) By Edwin Austin Abbey 1894 {{PD}}

. . . three big things this week: Love, Money, and Power. All the forces shaping what comes will be driven by one or more of these. If your response to this is, “Duh!” I don’t blame you; these are obvious drivers at any time, but this week they’ll be especially potent, focused, and may manifest as often materially or physically as they do symbolically or as a ‘blanket effect’ (that is, being the ultimate broad category into which ‘smaller’ events fall). For each day I’ll list the L, M, or P influence, and the potential energy or form with which to most successfully meet it.

Power All The Way: Today, the 9th, Juno sesquiquadrates Ceres and Pluto sextiles Juno=power struggles threaten personal autonomy and one’s effectiveness, especially in terms of getting others to follow our direction. In spite of the retro, we are still able to think wisely concerning Power and its exercise and abuse (Merc trine Ceres and sxt Pallas). Assets we can muster include using those beliefs of ours that represent our highest values (Jupiter nov Vesta), being willing to adjust our actions and choices to better take us in the direction we want to go (Mars qnx NN), and awareness that we have a direct line from psyche to instincts (Sun parallel Sedna).

Power Issues Addressed Through Love or Money (and a Big Dash of Hope): The 10th we find everyone’s attention is drawn to what isn’t working in the Power arena, which can act as an invitation to those with more power to commandeer it from those with less–that, however, would be unwise (Sun sq Pluto, Pluto sesq Pallas). What saves us? True awareness of our own wounds (uncovered, they lose much of their power over us) (Merc parallel Chiron–and beware: those who seek to grab your power will definitely try to get it by wounding you with words). Muster optimism and exercise that power that’s truly your own, and accept the support offered by partners (Jupiter trine Juno), and put assets (talents or other resources) behind actions (Venus trine Mars)–you may worry you won’t have ‘enough’, but trying to hold supplies in a static state just won’t work (Venus sq Nodal axis).

The Atmosphere Cools: By the 11th the scene may have cooled down, just a tad, while adjustments to expenditures and to beliefs continues. Seek counsel from trusted others (particularly those with similar beliefs) when in doubt (Venus semi-sq Chiron and sxt Hygeia, Sun qnx Jupiter and semi-sq Pallas).

‘The Magician’ By Nicholas Roerich Before 1943 {{PD}}

Creative Magic: The 12th the environment seems to hold magic–and so do we, if we can embrace the idea of ‘long memory’, taking into account everything we know, no matter how far back the knowledge was acquired, if we can focus our thoughts and perceptions on beauty and/ or profit, and if we are willing to dedicate resources to create/ manifest our ideals (Juno and Vesta nov SN, Venus sxt Neptune, Merc nov Venus).

Innovate: On the 13th it’s an ‘either/ or’ day: either we use the power of imagination to create perfect health (in our body or in some system or circumstance), or we just can’t get a handle on what makes for health, or what it looks like (Neptune conj Hygeia); we either embrace chaos (because we see some wisdom in it) or we innovate, invent, or turn to the group, because that’s where the smart move takes us (Uranus nov Pallas); and we divorce relationships or financial matters from optimism or the belief system, in order to protect them, or we sacrifice Love or Money in a (probably fruitless) attempt to expand (Venus contra-parallel Jupiter).

The Power Curve: By Saturn’s day, the 14th, we’ll likely see where our Love, Money, and Power plays have taken us–and we see possibilities open up in our world because of it (Jupiter sxt Pluto). Belief follows the Power Curve, and serves to support action taken to make dreams a reality (Mars sxt Neptune). How do we profit today? By adjusting our everyday values to mesh with our most sacred ones, by accepting and acknowledging what we’ve been denying or ignoring, and by refusing to repeat Love or Money patterns from the past–keep your eye on the future (Venus trine Black Moon Lilith, sesq Vesta, parallel NN).

‘Egyptian’ By Henriette Browne 1866 {{PD}}

Daily Word Image for the whole week is: anything Egypt

Have a wonderful week!

Orpheus, Or A Voyage to the Underworld

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Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot – ‘Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld’ 1860 {{PD}}

Like everyone else, it seems, I’ve been having some highly unusual dreams of late, so I decided to run down some of the associated asteroids and other bodies, just to see what this might spell out by contacts to my own natal chart. I’ll offer my interpretations, and invite you to see where these might fit in your own chart–I’ll keep details of my nighttime adventures to a minimum; as author John Green (and a lot of other people) have said, “Nothing is as boring as other people’s dreams.”

First we look at asteroid Orpheus, named for the poet, musician, and prophet (that last not until after death, when his still-singing head was thrown into the sea, landing at Lesbos where an Orphic oracle was established). He was known to enthrall and charm (in an almost magical sense) others with his creations and performances; even the animals, trees, and rocks were said to have moved when Orpheus played. He learned his Arts from Calliope, the patron of epic poetry and likely his mother, while his father is said to have been either the King of Thrace or the god Apollo.

Orpheus voyaged with the Argonauts and saved them by blasting his boom box (or however they did it in those days!), drowning out the Sirens’ seductive call. Upon their return, Orpheus married Eurydice; the honeymoon had scarcely begun when she was bitten by a snake and died. Naturally, her husband mourned her with song. He charmed all who heard him, including Charon, the boatman who transports Souls across the river Styx, as well as Hell’s guard dog, Cerberus. His grief was so affecting that Hades chose to grant the disconsolate musician an exception: you can lead your bride out of the Underworld, Orpheus, on one condition, that you will not look back at her until you’re both completely above ground–and Orpheus readily agreed.

We all know what happened: Orpheus had almost reached the surface, and had managed not to look behind him, when he suddenly turned; some versions claim he heard a noise, some that he saw the Sun and wanted to share the moment with his wife, but in any case, she vanished, his mission ending in failure. So what does this have to do with a dream of mine? I was told that I was an Orpheus-like individual in a dream world that was supposed to be the 1920s. There were a number of people in a large, gold-walled room, and I was to round them up and lead them out–and that’s all I remember.

On the day of the dream, the asteroid Orpheus (3361) was at 19 Capricorn 53–within orb to both Pluto 21 Capricorn 11 (another version of Hades, which asteroid was at 5 Cancer 53) and Charon, the boatman, which is a moon of Pluto and travels with it, and asteroid Cerberus at 27 Aquarius 9, with Eurydice (also spelled Eurydike) at 9 Libra 28. The agent of dreams, Neptune, was at 15 Pisces 01.

Orpheus, Pluto, and Charon are all passing through my 12th, sextile my Moon and opposed my Ceres=this suggests an Underworld journey, in the spiritual or emotional sense, one that is meant to re-make the individual, or to be seen as part of a larger, life-death-life cycle–a winter experience, one of loss as part of a larger pattern, or of death or what’s beyond this life, perhaps? Hades is square my Mars=again, the trip to the Underworld, the result of my actions, or because of them?! Hades is the one who offered Orpheus the deal, that O couldn’t see through out of impatience, folly, impulsivity? The dog that guards the Underworld, Cerberus, is square my Venus and sextile my Sedna–maybe being ‘guarded’ keeps out love, or money, but allows the instincts and deep knowing to function without distraction–necessary for such a journey. Eurydice, a stand-in for what’s rescued from the darkness, sits conjoined my Mars=is passage through the Underworld a kind of retreat, necessary to save the Self, or perhaps to save the ability to act autonomously? Maybe. And finally there’s Neptune, in wide quincunx to my Sun=dreams that may disturb, just a bit, in order to reveal something of the Soul. And I’ll throw in one more, Hekate, the way-shower, which is at 23 Cancer, conjoined my Ceres=Mother Nature as guide–I hope she’ll show me more.

Your Weekend 6-8 April 2018 Prep Time

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Pierre-Auguste Renoir – ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’ c1880 {{PD}}

Today (the 6th) there’s a lot of ‘stuff’ going on; can you feel it, pushing at the edges of your brain, but unable to crystallize? Darn you, Mercury retrograde! Though to be fair, it’s just as likely that Merc is making us aware of facts from the past, as it is obscuring them (Jupiter parallel SN)–the danger in either case is that we won’t see where that’s leading us (contraparallel NN). What we ruminate on, and where our attention goes, is decidedly ‘unhealthy’ in some way, either by making us overly-aware of our illusions/ delusions, or by bringing forward questions we must no longer ignore but find ourselves doing anything to avoid answering (Merc contra-parallel Hygeia, Sun sq Black Moon Lilith, contra-parallel Pallas and Neptune). At times like these we often find that instincts and taking action can bypass those sticky reasoning issues and free up our energy, but not so today, as our choices and actions cause conflict with our instincts and deep inner knowing, leaving us in the exhausting position of shadow-boxing with ourselves (Mars sesq Sedna). What can help, then? Maybe a dash of spontaneity, or turning to the group when we are usually prone to go it alone (or vice versa, to go it alone when we typically rely on the group), or maybe taking a disciplined, academic approach when our usual modus operandi is chaotic or random (Uranus semi-sq Hygeia). Not a particularly difficult day, if we can just let it all roll off our backs; the truly useful thing about today is that it prepares us (by sharpening both senses and reactions) in some unique ways for what comes over the weekend.

Saturday the 7th sees us easily and naturally accessing our creativity and inspired by and so using our skills and wisdom, able to create in ways both smart and highly particular to who we are (Artists, take note!–Neptune parallel Pallas)–and this can be both profitable and healing (Venus trine Saturn and nov Chiron). We gain, materially and in relationships, from recognizing reality, from exercising restraint, and from hard work–and all of it makes the world a better place.

By Sunday the 8th, though, we might run into a few difficulties, namely that thoughts, beliefs, and facts may present a dissonant picture (Merc sesq Jupiter) and that who we are may seem totally unrelated to our ambitions and what we desire (Sun opp and contra-parallel Zeus). With this latter, we need to recognize that this isn’t a call to change what we aim for so much as it’s a marker of the disparity between the Self-image we carry in our own mind and what we truly want in the world. We’ll never fulfill those ambitions unless we acknowledge that we’re the kind of person who would want those things in the first place. Use today’s feedback to reconcile the identity with the appetites.

And have a great week!

Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: ‘In The Balance’ Libra

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Johannes Vermeer ‘Woman Holding a Balance’ c1664 {{PD}}

Relationship is everything to Libra, not just with other people, but with everything in her world, including pets, inanimate objects, and the unseen forces of the Universe. This may sound unusually scattered, if we assume each person, object, or factor is given equal weight by Libra’s attention–but of course, it isn’t. What’s important to Libra is the stance of the Self in relation to all else, with the sense of a relationship to an Other, a kind of sonar that places Libra in time and space, and so knowing where she stands, in all senses, with her world.

Initially, her viewpoint focus is on what others do. Then Libra looks at the way she relates to others–that is, she looks closely at her role in the interaction–and finally she takes a broader look at how individuals balance interaction, responsibility, and reward. This is what ultimately becomes Libra’s point of attention, where she becomes one among equals. This is all in service to fairness, which could be Libra’s rallying cry; maturity sees the viewpoint move Libra’s focus from ‘others’ to ‘me plus others’ to ‘we’re partners’. The ultimate Libran responsibility brings it home via incorporation of the Aries Self-responsibility, so that ‘I’ becomes the master of Libra’s own fate, replacing the early dependency on ‘we’.

From the outside, Libra on the Ascendant looks hesitant, as if he can’t make up his mind. That’s not what’s happening, though (and with Venus as ruler, it’s sure that Libra has a very strong opinion on wants and aesthetics!) Instead, one is observing the Libra compulsion to weigh and measure, to make sure that the choice is fair and right. Libra wants to be right so that equality is achieved according to his yardstick—but it can seem to others that Libby is wishy-washy, lacking an opinion, or (if they don’t like him) trying to manipulate. Libra is one of the more easily misunderstood Ascendant signs, simply because the fixation on fairness can make for an introspective nature, while the Venus rulership and like for good manners can make him loathe to speak up and let others know what’s what. Libra never forgets others are in the room, involved, that they matter; but until he matures, a lot of his time may be spent in these kind of awkward weighing sessions, stymied by worry about how his choices will affect his relationship to others. Those who would manipulate this Ascendant do so by accusing Libra of being unfair—nothing strikes more closely at their secret heart, and their secret fear, unless it’s being accused of being unloving, or even unlovable–then Libra feels shame, which is a direct product of accepting another’s opinion as more valid than their own.

Early in life Libra was likely made to feel that what he or she wanted was secondary to what others wanted; it’s also possible she was made to feel wrong if she filled her own needs first or thought of herself without deference to others, chiefly those who viewed her as existing to please them—and in an attempt to accommodate, Libra typically absorbs this idea, and spends the rest of her life trying to get back to and feel good about placing herself first (Aries complementary energy)—until she does, relationships will be more quicksand than support for the Libra Ascendant.

This Ascendant position offers charm and a pleasing manner as givens. Libra on the horizon meets the world ready to cooperate, which can make for an early spate of incidents where dear Libra is treated as gullible by harsher or more opportunistic others. Libby Ascendant may have to swing repeatedly to total selfishness, or at least a stringent Self-interest, before once again being able to partner or even love another; that temporary Self-focus isn’t a bad thing, but a necessary one, until Libra learns that to love others it’s necessary to value the Self as much as one values the relationship.

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Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: ‘It All Counts’ Virgo

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‘Dorothea and Francesca’ 1898 By Cecilia Beaux {{PD}}

Is it fair to characterize Virgo as the bean counter of the zodiac? Yes and no. Accounting for things is a vital service, instrumental in both the fair distribution of goods and the allocation of responsibility. And absolutely no one does it better than Virgo (though Cappy runs a close second!) With that sign on the Ascendant, the individual is well-suited to assess responsibilities in the world–but that very talent may make them less-than-welcome in more casual settings, where others don’t want a spiritual CPA noting their every move. And that’s unfair to Virgo on the Ascendant, as this can make for a modest, quick-witted individual who is always ready and willing to help, who can converse with anyone, and who has a generosity of personality few can match.

Discrimination among various elements, assessing their use and worth, is natural for Virgo, and extremely important from the dawn of humanity: without that ability, we wouldn’t have survived. Virgo told us which berries to eat, and which to avoid, and she still carries that ability to finely, succinctly, and purposefully judge today. But, when frustrated, this skill can turn to pointless criticism and a cutting assessment of the material picture that can be devastating for the target. Virgo always needs a materially-keyed outlet through which to express his discrimination skills, and when it’s on the Ascendant, Virgo will express this through the persona—leaving onlookers to conclude this individual is too busy counting, sorting, harvesting, judging to do much else, and feeding an incorrect idea that Virgo has little creative or imaginative ‘juice’.

That reputation goes by the wayside the moment Virgo starts to explore the nature of her opposing sign, Pisces. From the inside looking out, Virgo has been searching for the creative moment from the very start; after all, how can one imagine something new until one knows what one has on hand? To Virgo, the detailed approach is the only logical choice, and from there the mind (ruler Mercury) is inspired (Pisces) by what is encountered anywhere in the Cosmos, but especially in the world of ideas. Virgo has a facility to translate well from concept to physical substance, thanks to the Merc rulership combined with the Virgoan element of Earth; if you need it done, Virgo can draw up the plans, mobilize the troops, and provide all the receipts and a complete after-action report, with no prompting from anyone else.

Looking out from the inside, Virgo on the Ascendant likely found it prudent to meet the world not just with the mind first, but attempting to organize and account for all that is before her, because knowing the status and disposition of the bounty available allocates the responsibility, as well—and Virgo may have grown up in an environment where who owed what to whom, and who was responsible for what, were the big questions. Too, there may not have been adequate vetting of the environment for the Virgo individual; he may have been left to his own devices, or otherwise not protected sufficiently from danger, thus necessitating development of sharp discriminatory abilities early, not to mention a possible need to tiptoe around caretakers who did not allow themselves to be questioned—and so creating a fine critical ability in accommodating Virgo. On the other hand, to be critical of the Self may have allowed survival and kept Virgo from competing with those in power; and it may take some time for Virgo to shake that and come to the understanding that we’re All One—and we have to remember that’s the conclusion he’s headed toward, when we’re dealing with Virgo on the Ascendant.

For the Full Moon in Libra, click here–

Full Moon in Libra March 2018 ‘Being Willing’

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Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema ‘The Bible Lesson’ {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 5:36 AM Pacific time of the 31st at 10 Libra 44 at the Sabian degree for ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. Ah-ha! This Moon will be instructive, and the Lunar energies will be responses to and responding to our own understanding and accomplishment–that is, how much we’ve learned. There’s an element of judgment, of assessment, to what occurs, that echoes ‘lessons learned’ at the Virgo Full Moon of the 1st, and takes them to a new level–be ready to receive your grades!

The FM is square Mars-Saturn, with Mars still to perfect conjunction to Saturn. The Full Moon effect both arises from our real-world actions and generates them; we see the consequences of restraint, and we may see specifically that actions or choices driven by emotion will affect the reality picture, and may have down sides or restrictive components we haven’t anticipated. The FM is also trine the South Node point, suggesting the past easily ‘flows’ into the present; connections are obvious, and allow us full rein to continue or reject their influence. Too, if we pair the FM with the North Node by sextile, we see a loose Finger of God with apex Hygeia in Pisces (though Neptune could be apex if the FM had occurred just a day or two later, at this point it’s no cigar). The current Finger tells us that emotion plus our current life direction are the fundamentals that determine our health–an obvious formula, but one worth becoming thoroughly conscious of, as we are not perceiving the state of health (mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual) and those things that affect it as clearly as we may believe (Hygeia in Pisces).

Winslow Homer ‘Kissing the Moon’ 1903 {{PD}}

With the Full Moon falling in Libra, we know that central to events will be interaction with others; behaviors, choices, relationships are all interdependent, and so inextricable, one from another. What ends or comes to completion at this time is related to our relationship to one or more entities to which or to whom we feel emotional connection; the issue then becomes what feelings or intuitions we are willing to acknowledge about those others, with FM events offering a denouement that offers at least partial answers to our questions.

This Moon is also opposed a retrograde Mercury and sesquiquadrate Sedna, suggesting that we may not have access to coherent thought around the Full Moon experience, and that access via instincts will be difficult if not impossible to accomplish. It may be that, after assessing our relationships in the light of FM events, we must look into the eyes of others in order to make contact with our own feelings. The question, ‘Is it you or is it me?’ may be vital to gaining deeper knowledge of our relationships and of our causal part in them.

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘The Ruler Of A Nation’. That implies that big events, or the choices of those far above us in influence, will factor in to Full Moon circumstances. Or, as ruler of our own ‘Nation’, we may be looking for conformity across the relationship spectrum, for an easy thread of likeness with which to bind all those who populate our world. Though the wish for this is understandable, it’s not necessarily desirable; one thing the Full Moon in Libra ought to show us is how varied the characteristics of each of our many relationships, how particular and specially-attuned they are to various parts of our own Beingness. To lose that variety by adopting a uniform attitude (symbolized by ‘The Ruler’, a kind of Archetype, in the image), or by expecting our personal ‘Nation’ to blend homogeneously to suit some idea of who we are, we lose the broad spectrum of potentials and talents that are stored within our own personalities, celebrated in our innate contradictions and pecadillos, and brought forward within a rainbow of interactions. That Aries Sun makes us feel more solitary, more separate, than we really are, but it’s only in embracing the way the individual fits, puzzle-piece like, into a relationship, that we discover the best in ourselves, as well as the many different ‘shades’ that Self comes in.

I’ll be completely unavailable starting afternoon of the 28th, through evening of the 1st, Pacific time. Have a great Full Moon!