Category Archives: T-Square

Good Day To . . . 9 September 2020 Mars Retrograde: Inside the Vehicle

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Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Mars Retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, T-Square, Voids

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Alexandre Louis – Album de photo de Marcel Louis 1910 {{PD}}

The 9th Is A Good Day To . . . keep your limbs and head inside the car! Were you ever driving along on a road trip that seemed to last forever, driving, driving, and idly put your hand out the window to watch it caught and buffeted by the wind, and had an adult (for you were only a child, just trying to stay occupied) yell at you, ‘Get your arms inside this car! Do you want them cut off as we pass that truck?!’ That’s this Mars retro in a nutshell: the perpetual threat of sudden limb (or is it head?) loss, over re-visiting recent issues surrounding temper, aggression, assertion, recent choices or actions, or Will. The vehicle is ourselves, and Mars is the fuel, deploying it the issue. And of course, losing your Aries-ruled noggin can have two forms: one is if others come at us and ‘take our heads off’ over something, and the other is if we lose control of ourselves. Both are distinct possibilities.

I like to look at the point when a body officially turns retrograde, as it seems to give us a snapshot of what the course of the retro promises (particularly what the early part holds in store). This happens at 3:23 PM PDT of the 9th at 28 Aries 08, but we’ve probably already gotten a preview as Mars slowed to a crawl then standstill in recent days. Late in Aries, his own sign, Mars is likely already beginning to chafe without the anticipated retro; the stress of reaching the end of the window for perfect personal expression, the kind that recognizes no boundaries and no need for cooperation or thought of others, and having that window shut (sending Mars into Taurus, a realm where Will matters not nearly so much as material reality and security) would have in any case have been causing excessive unrest, especially if one is feeling that the ‘I Am’ statements or expression of the Will hasn’t been as complete or successful as hoped. So, there would be a bit of an issue anyway, and along comes apparent retro status to offer the dissatisfied and over-anxious a chance to re-visit choices and efforts–which situation inevitably adds its own stress, as individuals feel the pressure of just one more chance to get ‘it’ right.

Mars is itself Void at this point, as it would make no other aspects (though we do observe that the Moon would soon sextile it, it matters not, as the Moon, too, would be Void by then). Void status adds a huge amount of stress as it signals energy in stasis, a status doubly difficult for a Self-starter like Mars. The implication is that while traversing the sign a Void body did all it could in that sign–and now must wait for a new ‘style’ (the next sign) to once again find expression. Mars, then, begins his retro highly frustrated–and looking for outlets.

The first aspect made by the retrograde body seems to ‘set the tone’ for the retro period. Here it’s an opposition to Juno in Libra that suggests empowerment within partnership or cooperative arrangements will face a climax or crisis point, when who has the ‘right’ (a very Aries word!) to do what within the situation is sorted out. Straightforward enough, yes? Then we see a quincunx to the Sun on the 19th, suggesting what’s been revealed so far during the retro requires adjustment to what we pay attention to, matters of identity, or both. Right after the Sun moves into Libra (relationships are great! isn’t everything pretty? don’t we all get along wonderfully!?) and less than a week after the quincunx Mars conjoins the Black Moon Lilith point, suggesting that our optimism about working it all out with others may have been overly rosy, premature, or just plain wishful thinking.

But it’s the next thing, a Cardinal T-square with Mars-BML opposed Mercury and all square Saturn in Capricorn, that brings it all home. Those things about our choices or actions that we’ve ignored, been in denial about, or that have been perpetrated out of suppressed rage (or that have stirred rage in others) is communicated from without (probably directly from others with whom we are in relationships or cooperative arrangements–Merc in Libra), and it makes for real-world conflict (especially with authorities or established entities that are seen as ‘legitimate’ or supported by the status quo), crises over boundaries, restrictions, or rules, or bottom-line practicalities we can’t get around that may generate ‘next steps’ and/ or arise from our actions and others’ reactions to them.

By Nasjonalbiblioteket from Norway – Livet paa Mars / Life on Mars, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60741535

So, hands, arms, and especially heads inside the car; know that your ‘drive’, whether literal or figurative, needs special care and attention, particularly when it comes to interaction and responsibilities shared with others. Being honest with ourselves about our own and others’ prerogatives, territory, and motivations will go a long way toward keeping us safely on the road, avoiding any fiery, temper-induced upsets.

If it’s any consolation, on the 9th the Sun also trines Jupiter=reach out, take opportunities, be optimistic, learn from what comes at you, and enjoy the day. We’ll have plenty of others that will be not-so-smooth, so rest and celebrate while and what you can.

A Good Day To . . . is based on the aspects perfecting on each day, Pacific time.

22 December 2018 Full Moon in Cancer: Beacon in the Dark

21 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by in astrology, Configurations, current events in the sky, Fist of God, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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‘Vuurtoren in de branding’ By Hendrik Willem Mesdag c1885 {{PD}}

This Full Moon in Cancer (22 December 9:48 AM PST at 00 Cancer 49) follows on the heels of the solstice (21 December 2:23 PM Pacific time–winter in the Northern hemisphere/ summer in the Southern hemisphere). For we northerners, the closeness of the two events makes the revelations and conclusions of the Full Moon a kind of beacon in the dark, both literally and figuratively, as Luna lights the way out of the longest night of the year, at least here in North America.

The Full Moon is apex to a Fist of God with base of Venus-Ceres square Black Moon Lilith, out-of-element sextile Uranus, T-square with close Chiron-Hygeia conjunction, novile to Juno. Always, a Full Moon brings an ending, a culmination, a conclusion, and this can signal a definite end or can usher in a new stage, or an entirely new beginning. In Cancer these endings carry a heavier-than-usual emotional component, a sensitivity to the import of what’s concluding, and intimations through the feeling nature as to what’s beginning. Emotional conclusions are reached and intuitive information received; that is, we realize with surety how our feelings resolve on some subject related to the House (or across the axis) in the natal chart in which the FM occurs. This resolution may come consciously (more likely if the FM falls above the horizon in the natal chart) or through the unconscious ‘assembly’ of information learned and intuited, presented to the conscious mind as it coheres into a relevant picture under the Full Moon’s light. It’s a ‘just dawning on us’ event, so to speak, represented by the very early sign degree in which the culmination occurs.

The aspects for this Lunar event suggest that what arises is conflict, stress, or tension that once expressed creates a more healthy atmosphere, leading to a new, unanticipated level of empowerment or a rise in or change of status. The challenge will be to stay true to our best Self even as we deal with what may be a messy situation; with Black Moon Lilith involved we may have to face what we’d rather ignore or suppress, what we may feel ashamed of or guilty about (though as we know, those are distortions, re-directions of anger as we avoid sending it to the appropriate target), and we may be required to deal with matters that enrage us, making things even more difficult.

There is also a matter of conflict among authorities, with authorities, or over who holds authority and so who holds the reins to assets. We may only observe this authority-centered upset, or we may find it angers us in the way it threatens to wrest agency from us or those we love. Know that misdirection of energy is a real possibility, and that inappropriate anger and overstepping of boundaries are the avenues of least resistance–and knowing that you can take a step back from the fray, receiving or causing no harm.

But, there’s a promise of healing, once we’ve located what or whom we care about, what needs our nurture, or what may offer nurture to us (Cancer), and caring mobilizes skills, especially the ones that only we can wield in just that particular, individual way we have. The key is twofold: pinpoint our feelings, and see where they can and should be ‘applied’, and be fearless in meeting, dealing with, and then letting go of whatever conflict transpires. Take care not to confuse the order of this–it doesn’t do anyone any good to fight first, then figure out what they want! This scenario probably won’t unfold in an easily palatable way, but will serve the cause of necessary emotional processing that supports both our health and our unique expression and empowerment.

The Sabian Symbol for this Full Moon is, ‘On A Ship The Sailors Lower An Old Flag And Raise A New One’. This may be a change of signal flag–letting others know changes in our intents or destination–or a complete change of authority, the new flag showing who is now ‘running the ship’. In any case, it’s a symbol of communicating identity, which is something we do quite naturally when we set priorities (identify what we care about) and then speak up in defense of or in dealing with what comes before us (with our Self-image shaping the forms and character of our assertions).

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian, as it’s the source of the light play that gives us the Full Moon event in the first place: ‘An Indian Chief Claims Power From The Assembled Tribe’. In this Full Moon’s aspects we have seen a recurring thread concerning individual authority; this symbol suggests that what generates the conflict, the expression, and the eventual healing, all stem from issues surrounding who holds the reins, who should hold the reins, and these may be best determined by who is supported by the group–but then again, the upheaval may come from the fact that this is tribal thinking–and if there’s anything we know at this point, it’s that blind tribalism is positively the most destructive way of organizing our priorities and our lives.

This Full Moon offers a beacon in the darkness of tribalism, help in sorting out the competition for authority, and shines a light on both our duty to use our skills and the ways in which we can access healing and enhance overall health.

19 December 2018 The Power of Self-Determination

18 Tuesday Dec 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Fist of God, forecast, Grand Cross/Grand Square, T-Square, The Daily Word Image

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‘Niños en la Playa, Valencia’ (Children at the Beach, Valencia), By Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida 1914 {{PD}}

We may start out rejecting authority or our own agency, but in any case it spurs us toward a kind of empowerment centered in Self-responsibility–even in wanting to avoid making our own choices, we end up wanting to! Or maybe we have to. We can’t resist the power of Self-determination–nor should we. For each of us, the vital factor on which so much hinges right now is either the health situation or the skill situation–and we must face where we actually stand with each, in order to see where we truly are empowered, where we can go with all this, and where we might’ve been fooling ourselves, just a tad.

There’s also the matter of a Fist of God formed by the square between Hygeia-Chiron and Earth, with all sesquiquadrate Venus. This emphasizes the material factors, the physical needs as well as the atmosphere/ environment, and implies that handling these in a realistic manner (that is, by addressing what we have the power to address) we create reward, a pay-off, or better a relationship–somehow we benefit, even though the situation the benefit arises from may be difficult or may be one of outright conflict.

Bonus: if you have natal placements at 26-29 of Virgo, this fills in a Grand Cross with the Sun-Earth axis and Hygeia-Chiron, suggesting a tense situation where health takes a big role in life direction and the plan for material accomplishment or manifestation of the Soul’s purpose, with the influence defined by the function (that is, the verb version) of the natal placement (for instance, Mars would be about doing or choosing or possibly aggressing, while Venus might be about valuing or receiving). Health (or possibly skill levels, that ‘gift’ that is unique to you, Chiron’s other broad meaning) temporarily has an out-sized impact on where you’re headed, and this is weighed through the natal planet or point and its action possibilities (the verbs associated with the energy). If the fill-in planet happens to be Pluto (which it may be for many), this could be more about the tension caused when one knows something must be eliminated or transformed, for one’s own good and/ or so that the life direction can continue as desired–so could bring a kind of crisis that may, initially, seem unsolvable.

(Uranus contra-parallel Ceres, Mars parallel Juno, apex Venus sesq Hygeia-Chiron and Earth forming a Fist of God, Sun-Earth sq Hygeia-Chiron conjoined forming T-square)

Also By Sorolla y Bastida 1915 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is picturing yourself walking out into a body of cold salt water on a brightly sunny summer day. What does this say to you? Are you frolicking at the beach, taking a dip to cool off from extreme temps, staying in the shallows because you can’t swim or don’t really want to be wet, planning to swim to an opposite shore, are you plunging in to rescue someone or something (a dog in a rip current, a washed-away purse), are you walking out with rocks in your pockets, Virginia Woolf-style? If the water symbolizes your spiritual essence, what does the interaction you imagined say about your current relationship to spirit and spiritual practice (this latter of which, I argue, is simply another phrase for life)?

25-26 September 2018 Looking for Hope

25 Tuesday Sep 2018

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‘Les Poètes au bois sacré’ (Poets of the Sacred Woods) By Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin {{PD}}

We’re post equinox, post Full Moon, and that means the light is waning. What do we tend to do when things dim before us? We look back to the past, and with Mars conjoined and Sun trine the South Node in Aquarius, we may comb our memories for Higher Mind moments, looking for those things and people and thoughts that elevated us, and may hold the key to rising above, again. We’re looking for hope, and the very act shows us just how down we’ve been of late; the re-entry of Chiron to Pisces possibly spurs this creative quest, this turning toward the Cosmos for answers. The world seems tough, unsupportive of our values, our commitments, and disrespectful of our boundaries (Vesta and Saturn squared by the Sun, forming a T-sq with Chiron-Hygeia-Earth, exaggerating any associated hurt), but current conditions suggest our minds really do hold the answers; we can not only see opportunities and horizon-expanding scenarios, we see the difficulties of getting where we want to go, which is the most useful of combinations (Merc semi-sq Jupiter and parallel Pallas). With the Full Moon we’ve seen the consequences of our choices, we’ve seen where we are–now we take the time to mull it over, to consider what it means, to mine the past for what’s useful in our future.

Have an important step you want to take, project to launch, or creative effort to make in the near future? Barring negative contacts or larger cycles happening in your personal astro scenario, Thursday the 27th is probably a good day to go forward.

Full Moon 27 June 2018 Holding Back, Holding Court

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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By Ronnie Robertson – Compass Head moon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56612161

The Full Moon perfects at 9:53 PM PDT of the 27th at 6 Capricorn 28, just after both Earth and then Luna have swept past retrograde Saturn, which should be considered conjoined the event. The energy for this FM is withdrawn, passive, spurring reticence and uncertainty, as it falls directly after Mars’ stationary retrograde pause and in cautious Capricorn. The atmosphere is charged with suppressed, misdirected, short-circuited, stunted, repressed, rule-bound influences, and yet we are invited to survey our handiwork, to examine what we’ve built, and to assess how we need to modify our approach to create what we want in the future, and specifically, how we might want to ‘hold court’ , positioning ourselves to make the most of our individuality, to ‘shine’ (quincunx North Node in Leo).

We may meet the results of our own, Self-imposed discipline, our hard work, or conversely, we see where we should have applied effort. The Full Moon puts the reality picture under a spotlight, one that tells us, quite literally in some cases, the lay of the land. The event axis also forms a T-square with asteroid Hygeia; this dynamic promises either/ or choices presented by the Lunar culmination, neither of which will be truly supportive of us! (the squares–I’m defining health in its broadest context.) So where does that leave us? Knowing where we stand, which is invaluable, with the ability to assess how effective we’ve been, and to see how to modify our efforts for future success (that ‘place’ where we can ‘shine’). Not glamorous, but plenty useful.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Veiled Prophet Speaks, Seized By The Power Of A God’. Wow! We might not expect such an elevated meaning from these modest Full Moon aspects, but that’s the essence of a veil, isn’t it? We have to make an effort, however slight, to see what’s behind it, and to be willing to reveal our own prophetic nature (that is, pure intuitive nature).

Saturn is ‘the Old Man’, certainly a stand-in for a serious, old world kind of god, and the image itself casts us, the individuals basking in the Full Moon glow, as channels for revelation. Do we see that in the chart? We do, if we look at the conjunction of Earth, Moon, and Saturn. That suggests that both material matters, the actual physical surroundings as well as the reality picture overall, will speak to us of divine (that is, spiritual) information, and we’ll have another channel for this via the emotions and intuition (the Moon).

For a Full Moon we also look at the Sabian symbol for the Sun: ‘ Two Nature Spirits Dancing Under the Moonlight’. This suggests that our own celebration of the natural world is what instigates the emotional culmination of the Full Moon. We connect to the Cosmos (consciously or not) and receive our message (the information channeled through us in the Full Moon symbol).

So, listen to your feelings, listen to those interior whispers, and look around you; the world will surround you with symbols, with messages, with meaning, and your own inner wisdom and feeling can translate that into language that makes your situation and state apparent, and the potentials for your future crystal clear.

See the general outlook for the day here, and the chart for the Full Moon, below.

 

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

20 Friday Apr 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People are wondering . . .

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

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

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

. . . about an unaspected Chiron

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

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

Just a Little AstroEssence 15 August 2017 To A ‘T’

14 Monday Aug 2017

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

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Not this kind of ‘T’! ‘Tea Service’ by Albert Anker 1910 {{PD}}

Today, the 15th, there’s a perfect T-square with Venus opposed Pluto and both squared by Zeus–perfect in that it tells us precisely how we might act, as Mars quincunxes Pluto and sextiles Zeus. Those latter aspects suggest that actions and choice may be prompted by the need to accommodate change, the Powers-that-be, or loss (Pluto), and that these in some way help bring us what we aim for or desire (Zeus). The T pits the infinite energy of Love against the relentless energy of change, with which wins determined by the state of ambitions and desires. In other words, a Love or Financial situation lasts or falls away, dependent on how sufficiently we’ve addressed both the need to accept change (to grow and adapt to new faces of Love or new sources of support) and how well these fit into the desire and ambition picture. If our Love isn’t a living thing, changing and growing with us, then it is unlikely to fit into the evolving reality of what we want, and so may, quite naturally, be shed at this time.

Today’s word image is: Trolls. When you see or hear that word, what comes to mind? The kind that live under a bridge and pester travelers, the kind that make nasty comments for the fun of it, or those squat, big-bellied, wild hair, pop-eyed dolls? Let’s define it, in the loosest sense, as something that wants to bedevil others. If you have this element in your life right now, label it for what it is–don’t make excuses for someone who’s just trying to irritate or trip up others, and in calling it out, realize you don’t need to accept this irritation yourself.

Thank you, and have a great week!

Just a Little AstroEssence 9 July 2017: The Lion’s Share

08 Saturday Jul 2017

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Briton Rivière – ‘Phoebus Apollo’, 1895 {{PD}}

On the 9th there’s a Cardinal T-square involving Sun opposed Pluto with both square asteroid Zeus that probably grabs the lion’s share of our attention: we see the naked power picture, and how that doesn’t serve our ambitions and desires. This sounds like a harsh formula, until we see that by illuminating who enjoys what prerogatives, this circumstance shows us exactly what we need to do to remove obstacles, access our own power, and get what we want. Be prepared: we get blow-back from our own minds and ego, both of which may argue that problems are fixed and to think otherwise is unhealthy–but that’s not so. Take action, make plans, and do so with courage–it’s a time of unusual clarity of vision, so take advantage of that.

Today’s word image is myriad bubbles escaping from the sea bed. This image might suggest surprise, for who expects oxygen to burble right up out of the ocean floor? Look for something very necessary in an unexpected place, and believe it when you see it.

Your Week 19-24 May 2017 The Big Kahuna

18 Thursday May 2017

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‘Shaman’ 1930 Arman Manookian {{PD}}

I’ve added the answer to the Horary chart in the Horary article (scroll down or click here), in case you’re interested.

Friday the 19th there may be massive, literal finger-pointing over beliefs, facts, and disclosures, and though it gets ‘it’ out in the open, it’s not particularly healthy, in terms of the debilitating effects it has on everyone. We have a pounding Fist of God (Hygeia square Jupiter, apex the Sun) that suggests enlightenment will be brutal, and a tense T-square (Venus opp Jupiter, square Hygeia) that pits values, assets, and relationships against beliefs or facts–but which of the latter? In a best-case scenario, beliefs will be replaced by facts–that, at least, will make the discord worth going through, as it puts everyone on the same page, and removes a ‘wishful thinking’ element that’s contaminated Venusian areas for too long. Here’s the kicker, the key, the big kahuna, the whole enchilada: Mercury parallel Uranus tells us Higher Mind understanding, revolutions in thinking and reasoning, and revelatory information, is the result–truly a worthy and desirable outcome.

Today’s word image is a joke: cat walks into a bar, sits down, and orders a drink. The bartender puts a shot down in front of the cat, who reaches his paw out and swipes the glass off the bar and onto the floor. Then the cat says, ‘Gimme another’. Is there something we approach with a bit of swagger, certain in our actions, that appears confident and yet ends up being wasteful or silly? Are we even in the right place, placing the right ‘orders’, in the first place? Questions to ask ourselves today.

The 20th brings those with wisdom and those with empowered status into conflict. Are those qualities, wisdom and empowerment, necessarily always mutually exclusive? Of course not, but in this case, those seem to be the lines along which this particular confrontation will divide. Illusions about what’s healthy, or in how to achieve a functional state, abound, so it’s unlikely that, as the Sun enters Gemini, we will reach any workable conclusions–but we’ll sure think about things a lot.

Today’s word image is something red. Though things that are red will be noticed, there’ll be one thing in particular that stands out. What it is, and what it says, represents, or means to you, is what’s important.

The 21st brings unexpected harmony between the senses and the instincts–and so can lead to excellent responses and choices, when the mind doesn’t interfere and gum it all up. Our responses to relationships and financial situations will be right on; don’t forget tomorrow what you thought about someone, or some asset or money-related situation, today.

Today’s word image is a haircut. In symbolic terms, I see hair as representing thoughts. So, what does your choice of hair style say about you? Do you change the natural tendencies of your hair by adding product? Is your hair (and so your thinking) stiff and inflexible, does it curl tightly around on itself, is it limp or have you changed it by artificial means (dye or perming, perhaps)? What do you see being ‘shouted’ by the hair of those close to you? You may notice a surprising correlation between thinking ‘style’ and the way the hair is kept.

On the 22nd temper is a factor, at least in part because, consciously or not, we recognize that our reasoning at this time is clashing with our values. Don’t ignore this; have the courage to admit that what we want may actually violate our most important personal standards–and then let go of the desire. Nothing’s worth getting if it compromises our integrity.

There’s even a comic set on the Pacific trash heap itself. Image Comics, Joe Harris and Martin Marazzo (Fair Use)

Today’s word image is the great Pacific garbage mass, an accretion of discarded trash, junk, plastics, things sucked out to sea by tsunamis, and anything else that found its way to the water and doesn’t break down fairly quickly. We’ve been hearing about this for some time, the warnings dire and downright frightening, and there’s no disputing that this is a bad thing for the planet. But NOAA tells us the situation isn’t quite what we’ve been led to think. Consider that you may be viewing something in your world as hopelessly ‘polluted’, when in reality you can still change the course of things, still ‘clean it up’ and revitalize some vital component of your life. You can save it, if you really care; it’s not hopeless, after all.

The 23rd the sh*t hits the fan, as they say, with another Fist (Zeus-Juno, apex Sun) and another T-square (Venus opp Zeus, both square Juno) taking aim at our tender bits–and perhaps destroying our idea of what’s wise or practical in one fell swoop, or maybe re-shaping our inner wisdom or practical stance to be much more applicable in our current world (Pluto square Pallas). This Fist of God forces our attention to the way our ambitions and desires are at odds with our present empowerment scenario. We’ll see exactly how our status fails to bring us what we want–and presumably, we’ll see how to correct this. At the same time, though, we’ll be faced with the stress of the T-square, which pits ambitions against assets, or maybe relationships, and requires us, via Juno, to use what power we hold to work out a detente between two factors with each clearly seeing the other as a threat. The saving grace here, aside from the transformative power of Pluto that we will undergo, want it or not, is found in Mercury novile Chiron. This promises we will find a way to think about things that will ultimately be healing. When we look back, then, we’ll likely see today as rough but beneficial, possibly making one or more life areas much, much better.

Today’s word image is a husky, stranded on the median of a busy road. In this image the fact that this isn’t just a dog, but one that is most at home in the northern wilderness, and yet is found under stark, man-made circumstances, speaks of something close to Nature that is in a ‘foreign’ environment. What part of you is ‘made’ for something much more natural, for a more open or isolated setting, that has been forced into an unpleasant, even dangerous, situation?

The 24th we’re still wrestling with our own power situation and our ability to implement our wishes, but we see a few other factors become prominent: we’re stirred by both fear of being hurt in the future and a certain discord between reality and our instincts; we see that in some way getting what we want is out-of-step with our values, or endangers our relationships, or will cost, possibly more than we can bear; and we see highlighted those areas where we lack power, or the ways in which the current power structure denies us access or effectiveness. Today is simply a day to note what comes at us, to consider, formulate or fine-tune plans or approaches, and not to stress too much about where it’s all headed–we’re not nearly ‘there’ yet.

First known depiction of a Snowman from a Book of Hours, 1380, found in Koninklijke Bibliotheek, in The Hague {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a snowman! Who in your world is frozen, and is this keeping you from connecting, or does he use his frosty outsides to willingly isolate himself? Not all who are troubled need your help; sometimes they want barriers, want things to be this way.

The New Moon and general forecast for Thursday the 25th will follow in a separate post. Expect my explanation of the Horary chart tomorrow, the 19th. Many thanks to my readers! You are a lovely lot 🙂

15 October 2016 Full Moon, Full Plate

14 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by in astrology, Born Today, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Horoscope, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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By Émile Friant - {{PD}}

‘The Boating Party’ or ‘Reunion of the Meurthe Boating Party’, by Émile Friant – {{PD}}

The Lunar Essence: With the Full Moon in Aries at 23 Aries 14 occurring at 9:23 PM Pacific daylight time, we see the threesome of Earth-Moon-Uranus in a less than one degree span opposed the Libra Sun, which is sesquiquadrate Neptune. The Full Moon itself of course forms a semi-square to Neptune, and is as stated conjoined Uranus and widely conjoined Ceres, the latter of which sits at 29 degrees of the Moon’s sign, adding stress through the actions of Nature or authorities. The Full Moon is also quincunx Juno, and makes a wide square to Vesta, which we should count as the swift-moving Moon races toward, rather than away from, aspect completion, with this square creating a T-square with the Sun/ Earth-Moon-Uranus axis (but even more closely aspecting Ceres, as both Vesta and Ceres sit at 29 degrees), adding even more stress. It’s notable, too, that this Sun is also parallel both Juno and Neptune, suggesting that just observing, just seeing (the light of the Sun) can empower and make the dream, whatever that may be for the individual, a very realistic possibility.

full-moon-in-aries-october-2016So what do we get from this Full Moon? Why stress, of course! But from what source? We reach a peak of involvement with, rejection of, rebellion from, or original and innovative cooperation with ‘the group’, and this brings us to a point of ‘energy crisis’ in terms of our own power and authority, our priorities and those things we honor, and with how closely the results align with what we imagine is ideal, as well as how we feel about this resulting real-world arrangement. It’s a point of radical enlightenment, as we see quite clearly the personal power situation and the role we can play in the larger scenario, and these are revealed within the microcosm of a single interactive situation; we assess this real-life situation, and see beyond it (into the Uranian future, if you will) to what larger role we can play, title we can claim, or area where we can accomplish.

There are both stresses that are not under our conscious control, such as Mother Nature, exerting herself through things like weather and our own biology, and stresses within areas where we have exerted ourselves, tried to gain empowerment or authority, tried to commit to those matters that are most important to us. The Vestal energies of dedication, commitment, and the sacred must resolve against those Ceres energies of power expression, authority, and knowing and controlling our ‘domain’, and this is done through Ceres’ own mechanism of negotiation, an internal discussion that happens within the individual psyche that is acted out in real-world arenas. We see what adjustments, compromises, and alterations are required for ‘the dream’ to become reality, with the light of the Full Moon showing us exactly where and how we are empowered to make it happen.

Wiosna w Gościeradzu (Spring in Gościeradz) by Leon Wyczółkowski {{PD}}

Wiosna w Gościeradzu (Spring in Gościeradz) by Leon Wyczółkowski {{PD}}

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘Blown Inward By The Wind, The Curtains Of An Open Window Take The Shape Of A Cornucopia’. The FM event ‘opens a window’ that is either a time period of opportunity, or an ability to both see our goals clearly, and to know what the ‘fruits’ of our current direction will actually be, the latter allowing us to make needed adjustments to our actions and choices. The FM offers either feedback that illuminates our own effectiveness and true course, or the chance to make things happen, if we’ll only take the steps, or modify our path, a chance to affect things that didn’t exist until now.

'Butterflies', Wilhelm von Kaulbach, c1860 {{PD}}

‘Butterflies’, Wilhelm von Kaulbach, c1860 {{PD}}

We always look at the Sun for a Full Moon, as the source of the Full Moon’s light. ‘A Butterfly With A Third Wing On Its Left Side’ suggests nothing so much as fulfillment; that is, the result of what has incubated and emerged, now fully ready, developed, that holds all the promise invested in its preparation–and a third wing simply implies a resource, a kind of existential aid, akin to the Third Eye: there is something extra, unplanned but propitious, that offers information or assistance specifically useful to our goals. Lucky us, right?

The AstroEssence: There are only a few other influences at play for the 15th, and these may have us spending the time leading up to the Full Moon with our attention in places other than those that will be illuminated with the Lunar culmination. One is the way we might be weighing methods of healing against our own wounds, judging physical as well as mental and emotional situations for how healthy they might be; it’s an attempt to concentrate on hurts, to deal with them, but perhaps not to totally embrace what we know to be the healthy option. We’re trying to justify holding on to our wounds. It’s our thinking that’s encouraging the problem: we are obsessed with the dark, with how we’ve been wronged, with how others hold power over us, and in continuing to nurse our hurts it’s taking a (Self) destructive turn. Fortunately, though, what we’ll actually choose to do will be done with an eye to building the future–it’s just that we may not see how much better the future could be, if we could forgive, heal, let go (Chiron sesq Hygeia, Mercury sq Pluto, Mars trine NN)

For those born with the Sun at 23 Libra: It’s all about taking what’s new, modern, original in your world and making the most of it. The sudden, the surprising, the heartfelt facilitates accomplishment, and the smart move is to embrace them. The only thing we can count on is change, right? Oh, and death and taxes. But, this coming year should be more than a little positive and profitable for you, Libra, just as long as you conquer that crisis in confidence, and realize you can’t rule unless you’re willing to claim your territory. Good luck, and Happy Birthday!