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Category Archives: Consciousness Explored

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!

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The Viewpoint From the 12th House

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Posted by in 12th House, astrology, Consciousness Explored

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The 12th can be a shadowed place, and we can be less than conscious of energies that reside there. ‘The Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, Connecticut’ By Willard Leroy Metcalf 1905 {{PD}}

If you’re a chart energy, and you’re sitting in the 12th House, how do you express? If there’s one word that describes the 12th, it’s ‘indirect’—and that makes energy expression sometimes tricky, sometimes cumbersome, and always challenging. This energy can shine out through other outlets, such as when Saturn in the 12th brings discipline, order, and perhaps rigidity to the affairs of the House it rules, and all of it applied unconsciously on the part of the individual; it just seems natural to them, somehow, and there’s typically an assumption that everyone sees the affairs of the House Saturn rules in this same way—and as well that others carry these same energies in that same, ‘hidden’ place. An assumption is a good way to describe an energy placed in the 12th that doesn’t have a deliberately chosen outlet; we tend to see it as ‘just the way things are’ and sometimes it shows as a very prominent characteristic that others see right away and the individual is totally unaware of. The obvious outlets of aspects made and Houses ruled is of course a possibility—but we shouldn’t forget the potential for expression through the functions of the House for the individual: the 12th is just as active as any other House, it’s just that the individual who ‘owns’ the chart can’t observe the effects directly.

Some possibilities for 12th House expression include:

Unconsciously  With this outlet contents of the 12th, including energies of the sign in the 12th, may leak into everything. With this the most important thing one can do is become very familiar with those energies represented by items in one’s 12th, and then watch for these to crop up day-to-day. Spotting them in real life will help attune consciousness to their presence, and so make them that much more manageable. When we have the ruler of other major chart energies here (as in Winslet’s case, see the ‘Moon in the 1st’ article) a huge component of expression of these energies will be influenced by the unconscious; that can make 12th House connections much more important than we may realize on the surface. In Winslet’s case, for instance, ruler of 1st House Sun, Moon, and Ascendant, Venus, sits in 12 in Virgo, suggesting that an unconscious critical attitude toward standards of Being, identity, feeling, and of beauty, worth, and presentation are all inflicted on the 1st House assortment of core identity energies.

Through the Collective  We may experience our 12th House qualities through projection of these qualities onto the Collective (a 12th House Mars individual may see society as angry and aggressive, but not see those same qualities in themselves), or 12th House energies may be the way the individual connects the Self to everyone else. For instance, a 12th House Venus could see her fashion sense and taste as the way she is a part of and in shared experience with the larger social order, with a sense of inspiration running both to her from society, and from her, as she channels the Cosmic, spiritual, or Collective.

Through involvement with Causes and Concepts bigger than the Self  This can include institutions, spiritual movements, mass experiences like disasters or events like Woodstock or the Million Man March. A larger thing creates a common touchstone for many. Here the Self gets lost under the larger label—and so may mistake the cause or idea or concept itself for the personal identity; Chiron in the 12th may be especially prone to this, as the placement draws out the Chirotic inclination to giving up the Self for others—or in less flattering terms, martyrdom.

‘Le Reve’ (The Dream) By Puvis de Chavannes-Orsay 1882 {{PD}}

In Dreams  A 12th House concept may express only through the imagination (a daydream) or in the real-life nocturnal activity; what’s in the 12th may be seen as something unattainable in the form the individual longs for. Someone with Venus conjunct Pluto in Libra here, for instance, may long to be overwhelmed by a romantic relationship; anything less than devastating may not seem to the individual as truly a Love experience.

Overall we have the tendency to either see 12th House factors as ‘very much who we are’ through assuming they are like that for everyone, or we may disown them, exemplifying that 12th House ‘hidden’ quality. That’s a large part of why the old definition of the 12th was the ‘House of Self-Undoing’—if we didn’t discover and own those qualities found in the 12th, we would end up, as another common descriptive phrase put it, needing to ‘serve or suffer’ to make it all right.

12th House Personal Placements in Brief—elaborating on just a potential or two for each of the major personal chart energies:

Mercury here could mean the person’s communications are like a stream-of-unconsciousness delivered directly to the listener, making very clear what the real, underlying thoughts and motivations are. This person may have a direct line to the Cosmic, but may not be especially good at consciously translating what they know so that it’s sharable with others.

Venus in the 12th can suggest someone who doesn’t really know their own beauty or attractive qualities (they may never feel beautiful, no matter their physical state or the feedback they receive, or conversely may assume they are beautiful or easily lovable), who has Love as the motivating foundation behind all action, or who believes they may never know personal love (or who may see the Universe/ God as Love, and so dedicate the life to service). This person may also attract money from hidden or unexpected sources and could be the ‘money man’ behind someone else’s business or efforts.

Mars here can be the classic individual who is exceptionally angry and yet unaware of it—‘butter won’t melt in their mouths’ and yet they always point out (and condemn) the anger in others—no one is allowed to be angry on their watch! This can also be the person who can be highly effective at translating inspiration into action, and who may be unafraid to act on received messages, dreams, or intuitions; they may act bravely without even thinking about it.

The Moon in this spot can mark an excruciatingly sensitive individual, an intuitive or spiritual ‘genius’, or someone who escapes to emotionalism every time they want to hide from the unpleasant. (See my upcoming book on the Moon in the Natal Chart for more details and potentials).

‘Midnight Sun’ By Frants Bøe 1891 {{PD}}

The Sun in this House may make for a natural modesty, an extremely creative individual, a natural Priest or Priestess, or someone who can exert great control and offer great support in a ‘behind the scenes’ position.

Scroll down or click for the latest installment of ‘The Ascendant Zodiapedia’, donate to your favorite astrologers or those who aid you, read, and have a great day!

 

The Responsive Universe

13 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Consciousness Explored, Neptune, Planetary stations

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Something I noticed in my time away that I just had to share with you; maybe you’ve noticed it, too. It seems there’s been a kind of synchronous acceleration–that is, there’s no lapse between becoming conscious of something and experiencing something, sometimes literally, that bears the essence of the thought or concept. A couple of examples will suffice, though it’s been happening over and over again, for days now. I smelled smoke at the exact moment someone on television said the word, ‘Smoke’. I realized we were rushing, and just as I did I saw a man walking toward me with ‘Rush’ in huge letters on his T-shirt.

Those things are not monumental on their own, but they do suggest a remarkable immediacy to life right now, an immersive and responsive Zeitgeist that offers instantaneous manifestation of thought–or perhaps it’s thoughts that occur in perfect harmony with manifestations.

I’ve always thought that those occasions when we experience a synchronicity, a deja vu, or when we realized we’ve dreampt this, and know how it will go, are little assurances from the Universe: you are ‘tuned in’, so be confident in your understanding. It’s almost like an invisible hand is patting us, pointing us in the ‘right’ direction, and I believe it’s meant to show us that we are the stuff of the Universe, and it is us, responsive to who we are, right down to our thoughts.

Maybe this reflects stationary Neptune in Pisces: holding still, midway through his own sign, making a sort of fixed point, an energy fulcrum that connects the seen and unseen, linking spirit and imagination and the forces of materialization and dematerialization, with no barriers, no ability to look away and not notice, to miss something disguised or ungraspable. It’s all right there, in your head and out in the world at the same time, a glimpse at the limitless power of creativity, in its most primal and natural sense. Be aware–it’s a great power you hold.

I hope your week is going smoothly. Scroll down to previous posts for the recent Full Moon and the daily forecast and word image. Next week’s outlook, including the retrograde of Neptune, will be available on Thursday, the 15th. Donate to your favorite bloggers, support what matters to you, read, and enjoy all that life has to offer!

The Divinity of Our Astrological ‘Face’

27 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored

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"Bird of god 1861" by Joanna Mary Boyce - http://www.mystudios.com, 2009-08-07. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

“Bird of god 1861” by Joanna Mary Boyce – http://www.mystudios.com, 2009-08-07. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Though we often speak of the Ascendant as representing our ‘face,’ that personality with which we meet the world, this is only partially true; even as we put our Ascendant characteristics forward on first meeting (and as a byproduct insist that others respect and respond to this ‘face’), we must remember that the Ascendant is a result of the interaction of the innate, Soul expressive characteristics and the environment in which we find ourselves as we are developing, and so does not exist when we are born, but comes to be with a combination of time and influences (both in the sense of timing, of entering the Earthly existence at a precise moment and place, and in the sense of the passing of time and how it changes things). It helps to think of the Ascendant as the result of a chemical reaction, the combining of two distinct elements to create a third that is itself distinct. All this is by way of saying that the concept of our ‘face’ in astrology is much more complex than just the Ascendant; let’s look at exactly what the concept of ‘the face’ signifies, and how we might pinpoint this astrologically.

The one thing about our own physical face that is uniformly true for each of us is that we will never be able to observe our own face directly, and this is true of the astrological ‘face’ as well. We need a mirror or reflective surface to observe our face in the physical world, and we need the reactions of others to us, and the reactions of the Universe (seen in events and situations) in order to derive an idea of what it is that we are presenting. Our entire reality is reflecting back to us our own essence, which is embodied in the spiritual equivalent of the face, the Soul.

In many traditions, the essence of God is equated to His face, which is consistently described as something that we cannot look upon directly. We see this in the Bible, where in Exodus God is reported to have said, “Thou canst not see my face: for no man shall see my face and live,” and this same concept is repeated in many writings, such as when St. John declares that “no man hath seen God at any time,” and Jewish tradition describes the face only in plural, punim, signifying the ‘greater than’ concept of Being. Since we are considered in multiple traditions to have been made in the image of God, then it’s reasonable to believe that directly observing our own face would be akin to directly observing God’s, which we cannot do in life. We even see this idea in the practice of not looking directly into the face of those who are considered chosen by God (such as the emperors of China); to gaze into the face of a divine Being was to show disrespect and to do that, we are told repeatedly in many traditions, is not possible while we live.

But, different facets of our own reality that reveal our ‘face’ will be reflected back to us in different ways, symbolized by certain astrological bodies, points, and interactions. For instance, our Moon, and any aspects it makes, will be reflecting our emotional reality as it is ‘thrown out’ into the World, and by studying these aspects, we can learn something about our emotional face, something which we cannot know without this interaction. So, we may indeed relate to our Pisces Moon, feeling emotionally imaginative, connected to the Universe, and open; but it’s in our Moon’s opposition to Saturn that we see bits of our emotional ‘face’ as it really exists, as we may find emotional security is gained with a sturdy or rule-centered world, that we are threatened by the idea of putting down roots, that we find physical labor untenable emotionally, or that we respond to those who offer us boundaries for our free-floating emotional nature. These are just some of the possibilities, and each allows us a glimpse of our own ‘face’ that we cannot see by direct observation.

Celtic culture has the concept of ‘face-price,’ which can have various applications, from a dowry to the price paid by the family of a murderer to his or her victim’s family, and this definition introduces the idea of value or cost (Venus) to the concept of ‘face.’ Venus and its aspects can tell us in what way we will engage in exchanges of one kind or another, what these will bring us, and what they will cost. Caroline Myss speaks of the ‘inner prostitute,’ and Venus in this sense is akin to the idea of the ways we will bargain for our survival.

For instance, a woman with Venus in Virgo might value her literal virginity quite highly (or might carry very high standards in some related area); but, we see by this Venus’ trine to Mars in Capricorn that the partner she would accept (as well as the nature of the actions she requires of herself) is serious, stable, and offers security–this is the price one must pay to be with her, and these standards may cost her someone she finds attractive but who cannot or will not provide the essential thing for which she will exchange her Venus (love). If, on the other hand, this woman had Mars in Gemini square her Venus, she might both idealize a glib, social, quick-thinking man and at the same time find she is unwilling to be with him (the square)–we see this typically with a ‘can’t live with him, can’t live without him’ scenario–and of course she would be at odds in a very real sense with her own way of acting in the world. Of course, there are many possible manifestations–the important thing is that all of them will reveal a little something more about our very personal essence, our own divine ‘face.’

This is a re-print of a piece that originally appeared on my blog at Yahoo360 pre-2008

The forecast for Thursday and Friday August 27th and 28th is here and my books are here

Between the Eclipses

11 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored, current events in the sky, eclipse, Lunar Eclipse, Solar Eclipse, Transit Effects Explored

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Rudolf Koller 1856 {{PD}}

Rudolf Koller 1856 {{PD}}

I think of the two weeks between eclipses as a kind of valley; we can’t see clearly over the mountain behind us, to where we’ve just been, and we can’t see what’s over the mountain ahead of us, either. In the human animal this builds tension, as we fear being trapped in this situation indefinitely; anything could surprise us, and we are very aware of that! In traversing the current valley between the eclipses, we scan the horizon for aid and opportunity (Sun sextile Jupiter) and we look intently for what we should do, how we should act (Sun sextile Mars), and we do all of it with our fate, the direction we’re traveling in life (Sun conjunct North Node), front and center in our (confused–Merc retro) thoughts.

There is nothing unusual in this tension between eclipses; it’s one of the reasons we anticipate their arrival with such dread. We know in our bones, remember in our nerve endings and muscles and psyche, how very stressful the last round was. And yet, there isn’t much we can do about this feeling. In the current situation we’ve just been through an ending, or had the inevitable ending of something signaled loud and clear (the Lunar eclipse of the 8th), and even if we knew this was coming, it was hard; we likely had to admit something about ourselves and what we want (Aries placement) that we had been avoiding up ’til now. This was an area (signified by the House where the eclipse fell) that we may have been controlling, trying to control, or telling ourselves we were controlling–and suddenly we must face that our Will controls absolutely nothing outside our own skin (and not even all inside of that!)

The new start we get on the 23rd (the Solar eclipse) can be summed up as offering a beginning that is ‘wise and valuable’–and that’s so whether we see it as such or not! That doesn’t make our anticipation any less tense, though; it’s like the stress of bringing home a new baby, getting engaged, winning the lottery. In spite of the fact that it’s one of the best things that can happen to us, we still experience a great deal of upset, pressure, unforeseen effects, and our responsibility–our need to respond–is tested and stretched and drains us of energy and initiative right at the point when we need it most. Knowing that something like this is coming can grate on us terribly–but knowing that’s the case, and knowing there’s nothing to be done about it, should free us. We can safely ignore much of what’s troubling us now–whatever needs facing will come to us, with the eclipse in Scorpio, representing a raw kind of truth at 00 of the sign–and it will open the way to a new beginning–and most of us would really welcome one of those right about now.

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Want vs. Need in the Natal Chart

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored, Moon, Venus

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Birthdays do seem to be a time when we think about what we want and need. 'The Birthday Party' John Singer Sargent 1887 {{PD}}

Birthdays do seem to be a time when we think about what we want and need. ‘The Birthday Party’ John Singer Sargent 1887 {{PD}}A Re

This is a reprint from 2009; Bon Appétit!

It’s really important to distinguish between what we want and what we need; often, we see them as one and the same or, much worse, confuse the two, or just plain misunderstand, thinking that what we need is only a desire, and denying it to ourselves out of misplaced frugality. We all have both wants and needs, and they’re shown principally by the Moon (needs) and Venus (wants) in the natal chart.

Noting that Venus has been tagged as representing wants, you may protest with, ‘But don’t we all need love?’ And you’d be right, of course we all need love, it’s just that the love we need must be delivered in the form of the Moon–the love we talk about with Venus carries other baggage: lust, jealousy, envy, greed, carnality, and the trappings of romance and courtship–all are forms of ‘Venus love,’ and not truly love at all, but desire. Love that is pure and untouched by these concepts is Amor, while Venus love that is other-directed and objectified is Eros. It remains to the Moon to show us true need, and the form of love that will nurture, comfort, and fulfill emotionally.

Does this mean we shouldn’t call Venus the planet of Love anymore? No, it just means that when we speak of Venus as representing love, we must remain aware that the love Venus represents is that which is typically found in relationship, shown by its rulership of Libra (with the singular exception of the Moon as it carries the maternal love). Venus can also show something about love of the Self (as indicated by Taurus and natural rulership of the 2nd of Self-worth and assets/ talents)–and yet, again, this suggests an outward component to the love, as this focuses on our perceptions of ourselves via the physical, the abilities, and the possessions, including our relationship to the personal finances. Because we live in a material world (sorry, Madonna) there exists a material level at which we will inevitably assess ourselves–and so we take this into account when thinking of Venus, as well.

Neither the Moon nor Venus promises fulfillment of the spirit, though the functions of each can lead to this (the propensity largely indicated in the natal chart by a relationship of either to Neptune, Chiron, the Sun, and sometimes Jupiter). Spiritual love and ideals are the province of Neptune and the Sun (this latter as it represents the Soul itself), but again, these are not separate so much as facets of the concept of love we all carry.

So when we seek love, talk about love, speak of needing to find another to assuage our loneliness, to give our love to, in my estimation we really need to be looking, not at our Venus, but at our Moon, first. This idea was encapsulated in the pop psychology axiom, ‘You can’t love another until you love yourself,’ and indeed, if we have not found the emotional fulfillment demanded by our Moon, we are, in a psychic sense, unable to look away from our own needs, and thus unable to really see and commune with another.

What about desire? After all, we’re in a way programmed to go after what we desire and there’s nothing wrong with that, except that we go after our desires with the expectation that having them fulfilled will fulfill us, when our desires are more about possession than about completion. Our Moon needs, however, are about completion, in the sense that our psyches cannot function as a healthy whole without the sense of having been nurtured, and emotionally ‘filled up’–and we are back to the idea that we cannot give away what we don’t possess–in this case, the sense of completeness, comfort, and nurture that make up the essence of the love we think of sharing with another person.

See my book on The Astrology of Intimate Relationship for how to read a natal chart, and to compare natal charts, for relationship success and potential compatibility

The Daily Word Image from ECLIPSE 20 February 2014

20 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by in Consciousness Explored, ECLIPSE magazine, The Daily Word Image

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'A Windy Day on the Pont des Arts' Jean Beraud c1881 {{PD}}

‘A Windy Day on the Pont des Arts’ Jean Beraud c1881 {{PD}}

Today’s image is you, out walking on a windy day; a crumpled piece of paper blows toward you and plasters itself against your leg. You reach down, pick it up, and see a single word written on it–what is that word? Even if it seems to be nonsense, a jumble of letters or a word that seems to have no relation to what’s happening in your life now, take note: the thing itself or what the word signifies/ symbolizes/ spells unscrambled will arrive in your consciousness over the next week–this will play a significant role in revealing something to you that’s already underway but of which you’re not yet aware.

This is the Daily Word Image, part of the ECLIPSE subscription package–order here, or just check out what’s in the current issue

Comparison of Knox and Kercher Natal Charts from October 2013 ECLIPSE

01 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, Consciousness Explored, Crime, Current Affairs, Current Events, relationship astrology

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Knox-Kercher Natal ComparisonThis is a re-print of an article that appeared exclusively in ECLIPSE last October; it may be of interest to those following Knox’s case now.

The Crying Game: the Amanda Knox Re-Trial The phrase ‘murder will out’ has two meanings: in the first it implies that a murder will always become a public event, and the second is the more general idea that secret or hidden crimes will not remain secret forever. The phrase apparently appears in the English language as far back as the work of Chaucer, and it carries an old superstitious implication, as well: that if the murderer comes near the corpse of the murdered, the corpse will begin to bleed once again. How convenient if this were true! But alas, all we have is the court system, and all we can do is inspect, again and again if need be, the evidence.

The Amanda Knox murder re-trial is in the news once more; a new appeal. brought by the prosecution, began in Perugia, Italy, on 30 September. I thought it might be appropriate to look at the victim, Meredith Kercher, in relation to Knox, via the natal charts. Up to now I’d only looked at Amanda’s natal horoscope and transits at the time of the murder, hoping for some idea if she was really involved–now I think an examination of the relationship between the two women at an elemental level is in order, if only to shed some light on what kind of interaction may have laid the basis for the death of one, which so thoroughly affected the life of the other.

I’ve put Amanda’s chart on the inside as she has a reliable birth time and so angles (9 July 1987 2:47 AM PDT Seattle Washington USA), while we have no birth time for Meredith (28 December 1985 ntk Southwark United Kingdom). The first thing that grabs my attention is the way M’s Chiron is conjunct A’s Ascendant=this may have felt to A like M ‘played the wounded one’ in relation to A’s attempts to ‘meet the world’ (one of the functions of the Ascendant); M’s Chiron is also semi-square A’s Sun, this suggesting both an interaction that may have felt like a minor affront to A’s Soul and identity, as well as M feeling to A like someone who carried the continual threat of injury–and this threatened injury likely echoed injuries A herself saw as her own (both natal Chirons fall in A’s 1st). Strangely, sometimes when we encounter someone who carries the same wounds we do we feel almost offended, as if something that is ours has been overrun and claimed by an interloper (and this attitude likely shows an over-identification with the wound, so that we are possessive of it). M’s Pallas is conjunct A’s Vesta and opposed A’s Ceres, and sextile A’s Jupiter=this suggests M took an ‘I know better than you’ stance of superior wisdom (consciously or not), especially regarding both education and social matters, that violated A’s highest values; this may have felt to A like M took a disparaging view of the attitudes most important to A–and if A was running any kind of ‘social game’ (which I am convinced is an integral part of her personality), then this could’ve felt highly invasive, even as if M were challenging her ‘power’ as a woman at an elemental level.

Meredith’s Capricorn Sun lands exactly on Amanda’s Neptune (M sought solid, real-world contact at a Soul level, but found she received only A’s projections about herself and what she has to give the world–Neptune rules A’s 11th–so that M may have felt continually frustrated and/ or bamboozled!) Further, that places M’s Earth at the midpoint of A’s Venus-Mercury in Cancer (and these of course opposed M’s Sun)=M may have looked for A’s ‘message’ of warmth and caring to be reflected in material matters–and though M probably continued to seek that message with the Sun’s energy and through interaction, she may have felt perpetually mislead or that A came up short. And with M’s Moon undoubtedly in Cancer, she may have been open to that message and highly vulnerable to those prone to withhold those qualities, and so repeatedly disappointed.

This also places M’s Earth as part of A’s Water Grand Trine, consisting of A’s Pluto, Juno, and Merc-Venus, and also sites M’s Sun-Earth axis square A’s Nodes. The feeling for A may have been that M was trying to draw off A’s personal power by making material demands, and certainly, with the Nodes involved, M’s very presence may have felt life-altering to A–and with M’s Earth trine A’s Pluto, the desire to destroy M’s material circumstances, or to see them as an outlet for rage, could’ve been second nature to A.

Meredith’s Ceres, Vesta, and Jupiter all hook in to Amanda’s Sun-Earth axis, and all three challenge the personal power, material security, and the social role of the younger girl (Amanda)–not the easiest subjects to handle in personal relationship during the college years. M’s Mercury also aspects this axis, suggesting that what she thought of Amanda as a person she was quick to communicate–and with that Merc conjunct A’s Saturn, those communications may have felt extraordinarily judgmental, and perhaps spurred the natural desire on A’s part to suppress both M’s words and thoughts.

And a tidbit for past life proponents: Meredith’s Venus is quincunx Amanda’s Mars (and A’s Sun potentially conjuncts M’s Moon), suggesting a relationship (with M the female and A the male) where one or the other had to adjust or sacrifice in some way (the quincunx), in what was at least potentially a sexual relationship (or, also likely, a relationship where A, as the male, held all the power)–which may be its own ‘pre-echo’ (see a later article in this issue) of this current life, as sexual games have been cited as the circumstance leading into Meredith’s murder, and such a need to once again exert her power could’ve played on Amanda’s perceptions, leading her to such an extreme response. But, considering these two young women have opposing Venus placements, we may just be looking at an outright contest, female against female, which can certainly be just as serious.

With M’s Pluto-South Node-Mars conjunct A’s Pluto, sextile A’s Neptune and trine A’s Venus-Merc, Meredith may have had a strong urge to destroy Amanda, just as Amanda seemed to have natural urges to aggress against Meredith. On Meredith’s side, the feeling may have been that she wanted to knock Knox off the ‘image throne’ she spun around herself with the view of an older, wiser woman–and Amanda was having none of it, feeling her personal power threatened and her Neptunian image seen through. When I look at the contacts between the two charts, I see a contentious relationship where each side was aggressive in its own way, where Meredith felt what she saw as her superior knowledge and wisdom should be appreciated, and where Amanda not only resented the judgments but felt threatened by Meredith’s attempts to see through the Neptunian fog–and exposure is just about the worst thing you can do to someone like Knox.

Am I saying Meredith brought on her own murder? Absolutely not. What I am saying is that what happens between two people in some climactic moment doesn’t just spring from the ether fully formed–instead it lurches forward from the primordial interaction of two beings, and finds its origins in those energies that are irreconcilable to each other, that will clash, and clash, until they reach the release offered by separation, no matter how achieved

 

Just a Little AstroEssence 1 November 2013: Testing the Waters

01 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by in Consciousness Explored, current events in the sky

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'By the Waters of Babylon' Arthur Hacker 1888 {{PD}}

‘By the Waters of Babylon’ Arthur Hacker 1888 {{PD}}

From ECLIPSE:

On 1 November the Veil will indeed be much thinner than it normally is; in fact, it may be thinner than it’s ever been before, considering the kinds of energies that will bleed into each other, that will push through, that will saturate the emotions and intuition, communications of all kinds, and that will have palpable effects on the environment itself.  Body of earliest degree on the 1st is Neptune, and body of latest degree is Ceres, in a crisis state of 29 degrees (that is, a ‘need to express’ state); this says we may start out fixed on our illusions, our ideals, or poised to implement the creative, but what we end the day with is Power: the kind that is seated in our natural roles, in our innate authority, in our connection to Nature. All this is a prelude to the Solar eclipse of the 3rd. Be prepared to feel, and to experience–I think that’s really the best counsel I can give

Recognizing the Absurd

06 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored, current events in the sky

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Alexandra Day's 'Good Dog, Carl'

Alexandra Day’s ‘Good Dog, Carl’

When my girls were little we discovered a series of books that featured a babysitter named Carl and his adventures with the children he was tasked with watching. That’s cool, right? Except that Carl was a Rottweiler, and the children’s parents repeatedly put them in the most absurd, precarious, and dangerous situations without a care–as Carl would make sure it all worked out.

I loved these books; I have a keen sense of and fondness for the absurd, and I delighted in introducing my children to something so unreal. I still indulge in this, often asking kids of 6 or 7 if they’re married or have their driver’s license. They are old enough to recognize I’m saying a nutty thing, and it’s always fun to watch their reaction–ends up about half will laugh and say something like, ‘No!’ while the rest actually get a little angry, as if to say, ‘Why is this grown-up not playing the social game right?’

So is it just me, or are many individuals, and even larger entities, going to great lengths to convince others to accept the absurd? I’m looking at what’s going on in the sky right now, and we have one of the most solidly realist aspects imaginable at present, the square between Mars and Saturn, that brooks no nonsense and will nail all facts to the table–and perhaps I’m sensitive to the absurd v. the real right now with Mars and Saturn forming the base of a Fist of God with my natal Moon–ouch!–so what’s behind this for everyone else?

Maybe it’s the Ceres-Neptune opposition (Authority faces off against Idealism), or maybe it’s the approaching Finger of God with base of Pluto-Chiron and apex Mars–that’s like a Universal shout out for a Band-Aid® applied with a nail gun! It’s like saying, ‘We’ll heal through destruction, by wiping out the injuries (or maybe the injured!), and we’ll bring about that healing through martial means!’ Oh sure you will.

Usually I deal with the personal, so I think that’s how I’ll approach this question, too. With Vesta as current body of latest degree, we may find people are defending what they see as sacred, whether it makes sense or not, and whether it’s truly worth defending or not. The very idea that this is possibly what’s motivating us should give us pause–and spurred by the quincunx between Ceres and Juno, we might want to adjust our thinking about our own empowerment, and how much we do or don’t need the co-operation of authorities to achieve it. Jupiter and the Sun are in sextile, and Jupiter and Zeus are square; this shines a bright light on the social order, and through conflict on the ambitions and desires of those involved. This should give anyone willing to look a clear enough picture to determine whether we must go along with the absurd, or whether we can free ourselves, with a minimum of hurt (Uranus semi-sextile Chiron).

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