Category Archives: astrology

Full Moon in Aries 5 October 2017 Judged

02 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by in astrology, Finger of God, forecast, Full Moon, Horoscope, Sun/Mercury Superior Conjunction

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , ,

By Craig Deakin from Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom – #bluemoon #moon #nature #landscape #evening #sunset #summer #sky #eavig #photooftheday #iphoneography #iphonesia #picoftheday #instadaily #bestoftheday #jj #nofilter #instagood #igaddict #popular #ignation #statigram #webstagram #all_shots #followme #follUploaded by ComputerHotline, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21015674

The Full Moon in Aries occurs at 11:39 AM Pacific time of the 5th at 12 Aries 43, and falls at the midpoint of Neptune-Pallas, and opposed Mercury (which, along with the Sun, is apex to a Finger with base consisting of Neptune-Pallas). The fact that the Full Moon falls in a sign known for its singular viewpoint suggests we’ll have an especially ‘alone’ feeling with this event, even more so because of the build-up in Libra, as if others are ‘facing’ us and considering (even judging) our choices, actions, and ‘fitness to lead’, even if that applies only to leading our own lives. Our thoughts will be the result of combining our spiritual ideals and our inner wisdom, practicality, and skills, and this means that we can learn the most from stepping back and observing our own minds, seeing how well (or poorly) we are able to make our ideals an active part of our lives–and this all occurs in the context of a culmination of emotional and intuitive energy that is Self-oriented, as it faces feedback from ‘the Other’, the audience, even from those who specifically dislike us (the build-up in Libra, which includes the source of all energy, the Sun). The natural outcome of this may be that we are experiencing inner revelations even as we are dealing with less-than-pleasant externals–and all of it meant to show us what within us and within our lives that is Aries-natured is at an end, or has gone as far as it can go.

Not in aspect to the Full Moon, but significant, together with only three minutes variation at the time of Lunar culmination, Venus and Mars sit at 19 Virgo, watching and evaluating it all. In my mind they represent a secondary faction relative to the FM event: they are those not engulfed in FM action, but off to the side, critiquing and commenting. They are an audience, a very Libran thing–and so drawing attention to the line-up there, which includes, between 8 and 28 degrees Libra, Vesta, Mercury (current ruler of Venus and Mars, with Merc-Venus in mutual reception, and Merc involved in the FM picture), the Sun, Zeus, and Jupiter.

This places a lot of ‘weight’ on our relationships and particularly on the way we function as an individual within them; that is, we’ll see ourselves as both separate from and entangled with others, with emphasis on our aloneness, our choices, and our potential for being ‘the leader’ within the interaction. If you are lonely, this Full Moon may highlight that, and if you feel regarded, judged, observed and assessed by others, this too may be highlighted, with the Full Moon assisting you in drawing conclusions, especially concerning how much you will or will not engage in partnership, acceptance, or intimacy in the future. This Lunar event offers the chance to establish a Self-image harmonious to the emotional reality, and it’s only natural that this involves at least some decisions made in the context of current relationships.

How much change can we expect from this? Little to none, it seems, at least that will show on the surface; the Sabian is, ‘An Unexploded Bomb Reveals An Unsuccessful Social Protest’, suggesting that we may try to ‘blow it all up’ in protest of our social role, responsibilities, or treatment, only to find it doesn’t work! This may be a very good thing, as our actions could reveal the true feelings of others: do they care how we feel? do they respond to our distress? do they agree with what we feel are injustices, or do they just look away, and hope we’ll continue in our role? Or, we could be the recipient of ‘a bomb’ that startles but has little effect on the social landscape. The idea is one of energy that is not successfully deployed–and that this potentially explosive scenario is justified by social conditions–and that may or may not be valid reasoning for attempting to ‘explode’ the current reality picture.

By Basile Morin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62520604

The Sabian for the Sun may give us the final piece to this puzzle: ‘Children Blowing Soap Bubbles’. So, are we seeing ineffectual expression, in the sense that it is perhaps disguised as someone declaring they are care-free, presented as a cry for freedom or creativity, even an elaborate ‘game’ designed to make us jump or distract us? Or are we alerted to this within ourselves? In any case, the situation presented will not be a situation to take too seriously–although if it’s an attempt on our part to express a sense of injustice or a desire for change in our role, what we need to see is that the approach that might seem smart at the time of the Full Moon may not be effective, and/ or may not be taken seriously by others.

Whether we are lobbing the firecrackers, or they’re being lobbed at us, the reality is that this will be a period of communication centered on needs and power—and this may explain why things are addressed obliquely, perhaps dressed up as something else, or that actions are meant as a cry for attention or to address a state of emotional need and want. We’ll need to listen for the unspoken message, look at the symbolism, observe what’s done and what’s not done, what’s said and what’s never uttered–and then choose who we are, and how we will communicate our needs, from there.

Also of note: we’re on the verge of the Superior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury (the 8th); that will help thoughts coalesce, make messaging clear, and will show us what, inevitably, will be changing, after all (T-square Sun-Merc opp Earth all square Pluto).

A RePrint on Eros and Hugh Hefner

01 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in astrology

≈ Comments Off on A RePrint on Eros and Hugh Hefner

Tags

, , ,

Aphrodite, Pan, Eros, Photo By Jebulon – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44154701

Since Mr. Hefner has been in the news with his passing, I’ve seen mostly sentimentalized ideas of what he did and how he affected things–here’s my take, from March of 2008:

Eros as an energy that carries one away on a wave of passion outside the individual’s judgment and control is an idea I keep seeing put forward, and I feel compelled to poke some holes in such a Self-serving definition–it brings to mind those who say, when confronted with their highly un-loving choices, “But we’re in love!” Disloyalty, betrayal, or lacking respect for existing relationships is not a foundation of love, but of Self-indulgence, and it seems that these same people are the ones who want to point the finger and say, “Eros made me do it!” Well, all I can say is, that excuse doesn’t fly. (And in case you’re wondering, my vehemence doesn’t come from my own experience, as, even with a Venus/ Pluto natal square, it’s never happened to me; it comes from watching others feel that they are good, honest people who wouldn’t ever do anything to harm another, justifying causing others hurt in the name of love–and not seeing that what they are doing can’t be love when it’s perpetrated before extrication from existing relationships, causing pain based in duplicity.)

I thought a good way to show this is to illustrate an Eros that is being sold (literally!) as a combination of lust fulfillment, objectification, and the ‘appropriate’ expression of sexuality, defined as within a heterosexual Universe where the male is the aggressor and the female is a two-dimensional supplicant. You may recall from previous articles that in my view Eros is more of a projection than anything else, an eroticization of someone or something; as such, you choose the object; keep that in mind as we look at the chart of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner (9 April 1926, 4:20 PM, Chicago IL USA). Eros is involved in what could be considered a definitive complex for this man, with Eros at 18 Capricorn in the 4th, conjoined the South Node–already we have an indication that his concept of the erotic is at the least drawn from a past era or experience, as this was as true upon the founding of his magazine in the ’50s as it is today–already upon his publication’s inception the objectification of women as passive sexual objects was on the way out as an acceptable idea within the Collective. Here’s the real heart of things, though: his Venus sits at 3 Pisces in the 6th (“Women are my job!” is perhaps the perception?) at the midpoint of Eros/ Sun. We can say that his Soul intent and his erotic nature meet in his ‘ideal woman,’ who, ruled by Neptune, is either malleable, illusory, or whatever his imagination says she is! His Eros is also opposed Pluto, putting an almost mythic spin on things–he may strongly feel that he is in actuality defeating thanatos by expressing his idea of eroticism, and he may feel it was imperative this express materially (sextile to Saturn)–certainly his lifestyle choices, unchanged through the decades, supports this.

Venus is sesquiquadrate Earth and semi-square Sun and Eros–this suggests that he felt compelled to deal with his Venus issues (and to make money from it, as they’re intertwined here), in order to succeed in both material and Soul purposes–and yet the aspects themselves say that the challenge was in doing this in a positive way–I think the Collective jury’s out on whether what he’s done has any worth beyond the exploitative. Venus also trines a Vesta/ Pallas conjunction, adding points for truly admiring women as wise and a part of the sacred–but a Jupiter/ Juno conjunction in the 5th implies he thinks women have far too much power, in romance and likely through the ability to bear children (wow, that’s an ancient concept–and we’re idea-wise back to the South Node/ Eros conjunction).

How does he see himself? His Mars is in Aquarius, so his idealized Self is likely an intellectual–this has certainly always been one of the most grating of the Playboy pretensions–and it is quincunx Pluto (see thanatos, above), semi-sextile the Moon in Pisces in the 6th (remember, the 6th is also the House of those who serve us, and his Venus is there, too–I’ll let you parse that out on your own!), and lastly, his Mars opposes Ceres, perhaps implying that he sees Mother Nature and the inherent authority of the female as ‘against’ him somehow. What little we’ve talked about draws a relatively unflattering portrait of a man who in many ways created his empire more out of fear than a true ‘philosophy’–but is this really surprising? More on Eros is available in my book, THE ASTROLOGY OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP, at Dog and Sunflower Press, and if you’d like to look up your Eros http://www.astro.com/swisseph/eros.htm

I’ll be posting for the Full Moon of the 5th in a day or two. Have a great week!

 

Just a Wee Bit of AstroEssence 30 September-1 October 2017 Smart Love

29 Friday Sep 2017

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

Just had to let you know about Saturday: sticking religiously to values and commitments might actually cause harm (so, be flexible in responses), and anything that embodies or expresses Love is Smart.

And then on Sunday the 1st: Action may be transformative or destructive, and we may not be able to tell the difference (Mars trine Pluto)–this time, align thinking with Nature and a sense of personal authority, especially moral authority, to handle choices successfully (Mercury sxt Ceres and nov NN).

And for a word image, recall the weirdest movie or scene you’ve witnessed in real life of late–and think about it as if it were a dream–what does it say about the way you’re facing things, right now?

That is all! Have a great one!

Just a Little AstroEssence 29 September 2017 Give Yourself Credit

28 Thursday Sep 2017

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

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , ,

You’ve tamed a dragon or two in your time–give yourself credit. Illustration from “The Russian Story Book” by Richard Wilson, illustrated by Frank C. Papé, 1916 {{PD}}

It feels like we can’t count on anybody–and what’s worse, it seems as if those others hold all the power! What’s making us feel so much at others’ mercy? We are too divorced from our own creative powers, and that makes us hyper-aware of our perceived inadequacies and injuries (especially those we believe have been inflicted by significant others–Mercury enters Libra)–and who could be expected to feel powerful under those conditions?

We’re looking to the wrong place for support; our attention must go to our status and what it affords us, our natural power position (that is, the energies of personal authority we all hold as autonomous Beings), and we must give ourselves credit for being who we are, where we are. It’s not an accident that we have arrived at this particular point in our lives, holding this particular set of abilities, interests, and connections. Glory in your most unique and original characteristics, and put clear and honest Self-expression ahead of the welfare or maintenance of any relationship.

‘Bo’ By Carl Larsson 1905 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is the color orange. It’s suddenly everywhere–fall has arrived! What shift have you noticed lately, something attention-grabbing, even shocking (that orange!) that you may have been ignoring or putting off dealing with? Change is inevitable, and all the better dealt with when acknowledged.

I won’t be doing Daily posts for a while–I’m taking time in a combination of birthday celebration and attending to medical issues. I anticipate returning to the Dailies no later than 20 October. In between, I will be posting occasionally, the Press will be monitored so there’ll be no interruption in order fulfillment, and those who have standing orders (such as pre-paid Horaries) may still send their queries whenever they need to–I’ll be checking my mail regularly, with a few short periods completely away–but you’ll get your answers as soon as I see and can address them. Thank you all!

Just a Little AstroEssence 28 September 2017 Focus On: Pluto Direct

27 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Horoscope, Pluto, Retrogrades + Directions, The Daily Word Image

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, ‘The Umbrellas’, c1881-86 {{PD}}

Pluto stations direct today at 16 Capricorn 51, in a planetary pantomime similar to a car that was backing up that stops moving, switches into drive from reverse, but hasn’t yet begun perceptible motion forward: things have changed, but we may not be able to see that, yet. Typically Pluto is background noise, a lot like this measure of Cosmic radiation, persistently there, but not especially distinct; the shape of the Plutonian influence is a wave, not a singular, isolated event, something that washes over, permeates everything, but has a source it’s impossible to pinpoint. You know those times you’re walking around frowning, until you become aware of a kind of pressure on your brow? That’s the Pluto retrograde, exerting its influence, and it’s a lifting of that pressure, equivalent to realizing you don’t need to be so tense, that constitutes the direction. The heaviness that’s lingered for so long dissipates, likely felt either in the House Pluto rules in the natal chart, or where it’s currently transiting; those subjects can suddenly seem less maddening, less compelling, less urgent, with transformation of the energies coming almost unbidden–not necessarily ‘cured’, but certainly less serious. All the gloom may not be wiped away, but there may be the barest frisson as we realize it’s definitely getting lighter.

This Plutonian shift occurs in the midst of two contradictory pulls, one toward erratic, unwise, unthinking behavior, likely blamed on externals, one toward thinking that we’re honoring what we care about–but it’s in the disparity between thought and reality where our problems lie. We can bridge the chasm by acknowledging that we don’t need to be all-powerful in order to have an impact, and for once thinking may not be our best option–instead we need to concentrate on what’s right in front of us, and deal with things one at a time, rather than retreating to ruminate, ponder, and disconnect.

Not quite the kind of crown we’re talking about. By Pia Ranslet (original painting and photo thereof) – Pia Ranslet, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17530407

Today’s word image is the phrase, ‘Heavy lies the head that wears the crown’, which is actually a misquote of this, from Henry the IV, Pt. 2: ‘Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’. Is there any real difference between them? Yes, there is. The misquoted version suggests a Plutonian sense of responsibility, that a ruler is burdened by the very fact of being ruler; the actual quote suggests something otherwise, that the one who wears the crown can never rest, with the implication being that their position can never be secure. Why has the saying morphed in popular culture? There may be a tendency to believe that those in charge have great privilege and power, so mustn’t complain of responsibilities–which ignores the original meaning of a ruler actually being a target, the position a precarious one. Maybe this is about an assumption that those who have owe us, or about us forgetting those in charge have problems, too. Is there a place in your world where you see someone as having, and therefore owing you? Do you feel others see you that way? How uneasy are you with your own ‘power position’? And do you, or do you not, want to ‘wear a crown’, based on your beliefs about what that entails?

Just a Little AstroEssence 27 September 2017 Focus On: Brawling Heavies

26 Tuesday Sep 2017

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

≈ Comments Off on Just a Little AstroEssence 27 September 2017 Focus On: Brawling Heavies

Tags

, , , ,

We’re going to concentrate on one set of aspects perfecting today: Jupiter opposed Uranus and sesquiquadrate Neptune. These are three big guns, heavy hitters throwing weighted punches–and these fisticuffs are going on as our attention is fixed solidly on what matters to us, on fulfilling our commitments to those things we honor, find sacred, and value, and on living our ‘Best Self’ (Sun conj Vesta). Unless the involved bodies are directly linked to the natal picture, these energies are likely to be experienced as persistent cross-currents that try to pull us off our feet, efforts and incentives to expand the world view or the reach, to learn, to believe, buffeted by rebellious and erratic tendencies, a deep desire to be original, or pressure from the group, and this stand-off is exacerbated by our own imaginative powers, creative needs, and delusions, misperceptions all the way to full-blown fantasy.

That isn’t an easy influence for the individual to handle, just because these are exerted by astrological heavyweights, the turbulence like the confluence of two mighty rivers, with a third, unpredictable and impossible-to-source influence adding to the tumult. It can be exhausting if we try to deal with it head-on, and only slightly less debilitating if we allow the currents to carry us, then try to deal with whatever shores we’re washed up on.

If this does hook into the natal chart in some way (approximately 12 degrees of anything other than Aquarius and Aries, and approximately 27 degrees of anything), then according to the nature and province of the contacted energy in your chart, you may have to deal with being pulled into one or more brawls, and it may be difficult to know why, or to discern the reality of circumstances, not to mention the potential for being surprised by what occurs (but that can include being offered unexpected opportunities, and/ or receiving sudden new creative ideas).

Advanced Info: Watch for interaction among the Houses ruled by the heavies in the natal chart. This is where you may meet some impossible conflicts or circumstances, and again, it may feel like a no-win situation whether you resist or go along with it. Best just to realize this is all temporary, that this may present opportunity, challenge beliefs, rule you through accident or ‘group think’, and/ or offer creative impetus or delusion/ deception.

Lago del desierto, Patagonia Photo By Adroar – Propio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4104264

Today’s word image is a place: Patagonia. For me this represents a kind of ‘gateway’ to the South Pole–and my astro-brain insists we’re really talking about a way to access the South Node, landscape or territory that in some way ‘takes me back there’–and maybe that’s so for you, too. There’s also a well-known clothing brand specializing in outdoor gear–and if we consider both those possibilities, we may see an invitation to ‘rough it’ and re-acquaint ourselves with something from out past, with the implication that revisiting it will be of benefit now.

Just a Little AstroEssence 26 September 2017 Dream A Little

25 Monday Sep 2017

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

≈ Comments Off on Just a Little AstroEssence 26 September 2017 Dream A Little

Tags

, , ,

‘Joseph’s Dream’ By Georges de La Tour 1628 {{PD}}

What we do is smart–whether we do it consciously and with intent, or stumble into it, actually meaning to create another effect, is really beside the point. Choices made and actions taken will be wise and practical, in spite of our intentions! The secrets to success? Don’t dwell on the past; be willing instead to modify your view of it. Nurture relationships and financial situations that support goals and ambitions–but one key to this is not insisting on going big, overdoing, or exaggerating your current position or needs. Attention easily goes to the future–and that’s where it should be. Dream a little–it will help align the unseen with what you most want.

Today’s word image is a hard-boiled egg. ‘Hard-boiled’ has the connotation of something one can’t change or influence–and an egg is a beginning, its hard-boiled status suggesting it will not change, and neither will it ‘grow’. What thing just started is in reality already finished? The sooner you see it, the sooner you can accept it as it is, perhaps let it go, but in any case, move on.

Just a Little AstroEssence 25 September 2017 Runaway Imagination

24 Sunday Sep 2017

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

≈ Comments Off on Just a Little AstroEssence 25 September 2017 Runaway Imagination

Tags

, , ,

There’s an influence running through our lives, just out of sight, and we need to identify it and its potential effects. ‘Apollo and Daphne’ By Benedetto Luti 18th century {{PD}}

Our imagination runs away with us; it’s as if we so dislike reality (or is it that What Is is so at odds with our wants?) that we act erratically, off-the-cuff, and this affects relationships and finances, possibly clearing the air and setting things in a good direction. Wow, I didn’t expect that to come out like that, did you? Enjoy your week!

Today’s word image is a mole. Do you think of the burrowing animal, a spy of some kind, a saboteur, or that thing Austin Powers couldn’t keep his eyes off of? For the most part, those have an element of the hidden about them. Is there something exerting a surreptitious influence on proceedings, something you’ve been ignoring as harmless when it could have a big effect at a later date? If something springs to mind, that suggests it’s in need of greater scrutiny for what it could bring about. And if it’s an actual mole, maybe you want to get it checked (or banned from the garden, if it’s the other kind!)

Just a Little AstroEssence 24 September 2017 Get Real

23 Saturday Sep 2017

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

≈ Comments Off on Just a Little AstroEssence 24 September 2017 Get Real

Tags

, , , ,

‘Harmonie du soir’ By Michel Simonidy 1904 {{PD}}

We’re honoring what we find sacred, what we care about and make a priority, and yet this is somehow translating into an unwise direction for the future. What are we doing wrong? We’re pitting our beliefs against our instincts–and the instincts are losing; and we’re acting (when we do act) out of fear of what we imagine might happen, rather than in response to actual circumstances, and that’s making us seem arbitrary and unreliable. The one shining light in all this is that we do know what’s healthy, we value it, in fact, so we have a guideline to follow: whatever yields love or benefit, in any of myriad forms, is the solid thing to do.

Today’s word image is hearing music at random times. This is actually happening to me; I pause in the middle of things, trying to catch some delicate tune on the breeze. It never turns out to be music, though: it’s something metal tapping against a metal tube, a cord brushing across the strings of a mandolin, the wind moving branches against the glass, freshets of air sighing through the pines, sounding almost like thin, high violins. It’s clearly not music as we normally think of it, but I still feel like I need to stop and listen, as if there’s a ‘song’ I need to hear but am largely missing. Maybe this is about listening more carefully, more intently (to what isn’t said?), and perhaps about recognizing all the many ‘songs’ there are in the world.

Just a Little AstroEssence 23 September 2017 Lion’s Roar

22 Friday Sep 2017

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

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

Circe by Wright Barker (1889) {{PD}}

Ceres enters Leo, and Venus trines Juno. That lion you hear roaring? That’s you! You reap benefits by being Self-responsible, motivated, accepting of both duties and the legitimacy of pursuing your own goals. Unless unless unless: you are a Jupiterian human, married to a certain god-sense within you that grants an assumption of might, and possibly of superiority (and this isn’t automatically a bad thing, it’s a Jupiter thing, making it right for those of a Jupiterian orientation! That kind of Self-perception can make you tackle what others might hesitate to handle, an admirable kind of courage.) If you vibe to Jupiter, you may feel left out today; the strong anima energies that express with such surety, such confidence, may feel to you anti-Jupiterian–which they are not. The lesson to you, my Jupiter friends, is that just because someone else is confident, generous, feeling their own benevolence and yes, let’s admit it, their cleverness, their knowingness bestowed by Nature, more powerful than any random facts or human-cooked-up beliefs, just because they are feeling empowered, doesn’t mean you are any less you–or any less significant to the world.

That said, if those Jupiter energies perceive themselves to be harmed, there’s the potential for some mild lashing out, à la Mr. Burns offering “the beating of your life”: the force is diluted by a serious lack of true impetus behind it–it’s just driven by hurt feelings, which soon enough pass. So, all you Jupiter people must be aware that feeling left out doesn’t mean you really are left out, so no need to react as if you are–and everyone else should tap that dynamic receptive energy, and roar.

By HumanisticRationale at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10542536

Today’s word image is an inappropriate invitation. Are you exercising the kind of discretion that recognizes ‘wrong’ when you see it, or are you prone to dress up the ‘not right’ in harmless garb–and why would you do that? Those who have an honest relationship with themselves will see that’s all it takes to spot the inappropriate or nefarious; those who disguise the inappropriate as acceptable need to realize they’re casting themselves as victim, for some larger, ‘hidden’ reason.