Category Archives: T-Square

New Moon in Aries 11 April 2021 Turns in the Road

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‘The Arrival of Spring; Two Roads’ By Maria Yakunchikova 1896 {{PD}}

Even though the New Moon of the 11th, 7:30 PM PDT at 22 Aries 24 is still conjoined Venus, that’s actually a separating aspect; whatever the Superior conjunction of the Sun and Venus was meant to convey around relationships or assets, it’s already come to us, though our emotional reaction to it is still in the future, delivered about 8 hours after this Lunar event (and maybe spurred by what happens at the NM). The same can be said about issues around personal power and authority, boundaries, a sense of autonomy, and even health matters, as the Sun and Moon have each both recently conjoined and are now moving away from Ceres. This suggests we’ve hashed out quite a bit recently, and likely believe we know where we stand–so why does it feel like we’ve made no progress, like we remain rudderless and confused, like we’re yearning for something and reaching come up with a handful of water, lost before we can get a sip?

A New Moon in Aries should spark confidence, a feeling that we can do ‘it’, the courage to take the next step, a sureness about taking the lead in our own lives, and when this NM perfects we may want to make a clear ‘I Am’ statement, not for those around us, but for ourselves, to try and ground us in something firm. We have the fire (Aries) to do (Cardinal sign) something to propel us forward–and this NM in particular we’re buoyed by imagination and a wave of creative energy (semi-sextile to Neptune), and we have big ideas (sextile to Jupiter) for change (square to Pluto) with empowerment as the goal (trine to Juno)–but there’s something about our desires or ambitions (opposition to Zeus) that makes us reluctant, or that maybe even outright prevents, that change we’re dreaming of–the potential for action could dissipate into nothing but talk (sextile to Mars in Gemini).

There’s a (brilliant) way out, and there’s also an issue to be dealt with, before the feeling and action impasse can be broken. One is the novile to Pallas in Pisces. This speaks of the wisdom of the imagination and the creative outlet, of the practical benefits of using our skills to do–and so serve both the Arian New Moon impulse and and the need to circumvent issues that have brought us up short, confused us, or distracted us from what we want and need to sort out. The Sabian symbol for the New Moon says it all: ‘A Pregnant Woman In Light Summer Dress’. The image is one of creative potential. Giving our creativity free rein right now is the smart thing to do; we may ‘birth’ our answer, or we may in the process of expressing make other contacts, or take other turns in the road, that will get us past what’s been holding us at bay. The ‘Summer Dress’ of the image implies the creative urge itself is at its peak of productive potential, just as a garden is at that point in the seasonal cycle. We don’t know how far along that ‘pregnancy’ is; we only know that the creation itself definitely exists, and will, sooner or later, be brought forth.

The thing to be dealt with is described by the New Moon’s sesquiquadrate to Vesta in Virgo. A sesquiquadrate is an aspect that promises difficulty, suggesting both trouble within the psyche (problems with accepting and processing what we’re confronted with, for example) and external factors that contribute pressures or force awareness and/ or force us to stop forward progress, at least in terms of the goal we thought we were working toward. There’s usually a measure of upset or outrage, a ‘This is ruining all my plans!’ plaintive cry as we see we’re given no choice but to halt and re-group.

With this being the New Moon’s contact to Vesta, what we’re likely to be faced with is some form of criticism or critique, internal or from others, that assesses our commitments, our values, or what we’re dedicated to as less-than-sacred. This might come in the form of our own internal monologue that recognizes we don’t care as we think we did, or in internal recognition or external feedback that points to some facet of hypocrisy in what we claim to hold in highest regard. Maybe our actions haven’t been supporting our highest standards, or our choices point to an entire other set of values by which we’re in reality living. No matter what, the Aries New Moon offers us a chance to re-dedicate ourselves to choices and actions that reflect our true values; it gives us a chance to align our walk with our talk, and prove what and who we genuinely care about.

A New Moon in Aries is about choice; the issue for this New Moon may be that we’ve convinced ourselves either we don’t have any, or that our options aren’t ideal. Events at this time are meant to show us that the true circumstances are otherwise–we just need to be brave enough to see that the ideal is possible, and that indeed, we always have options.

Pluto Grinds Into Gear

05 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by in astrology, Cardinal Activity, current events in the sky, Finger of God, Retrogrades + Directions, T-Square

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Pluto spends so much time retrograde each and every year (roughly six months) that it tends, in whatever direction it’s exhibiting apparent movement, to become like background noise, a steady, grating grind, often convincing us that the conditions it offers are unavoidable, inevitable, ‘just the way it is’, simply because they take shape and then, because of Pluto’s snail-quick movement, stay that way. This is especially true at points of retrograde and direction; the circumstances around both Power and Change seem cemented in place, even as deep and scary changes well beyond our control appear unavoidable. So, simultaneous feelings of being stuck, accompanied by a sense that all will soon be flung into chaos from massive change.

At this point in time, ‘America’s Laxative’ might be exactly what Pluto is! Antique bottle of “Pluto Water” from French Lick Springs. From a display of memorabilia and antiques at the West Baden Springs hotel, French Lick Indiana.
Photo by Geoffrey A. Landis CC BY-SA 3.0

This time, the first aspect it makes after direction will almost be inadvertent; as Pluto shifts its apparent direction (while still at the same 22 Capricorn 29 position), Mars in retrograde motion in its own sign of Aries slips toward a square, perfecting on the 9th of October–and what do we get from Cardinal squares? Action! Change! And no small amount of conflict, fiery pushes to express, and temper. It’s almost as if these two don’t mean to meet, as neither is in actual forward motion–and that can imply that the conflicts engendered aren’t ones we look for, but stem instead from more compartmentalized energies that happen to find themselves at odds. BUT, Mars will be moving retro, and Pluto will still be at the station position–and that could signal regressive upsets (that is, ones springing up, re-ignited, from the past), old territory of resentments, grievances, and Will thwarted, clashing with an entrenched power position or entity that is both immovable and seemingly permanent–yet here is the lesson of a square: that the particulars, the specific circumstances of each body, speak of the actual situation from which the conflict will arise–so that the anger may have a difficult time knowing where to go, that actions may be timid or find us ‘holding back’, and that the stock-still and apparently impenetrable nature of power matters at present is not at all the reality–things are on the brink of changing.

We may get some of the story, of both the square repercussions and the overall disposition of energies, if we examine a few other contacts on and around the 9th. At that point we actually see Zeus in Libra step in opposed Mars, forming a tight T-square with our heroes just as their contact reaches perfection. That implies that what we see aflame will be fueled by frustrations or denials around ambitions and desires. We also see that Pluto will be quincunx, Mars sextile, and Zeus trine the North Node=creation of our future comes directly from pursuing those ambitions, with success dependent on how well we adjust to and are able to modify the power situation, or to create change or even to change ourselves.

But perhaps most telling about the atmosphere may be a Finger of God with base of Venus-Juno, apex Chiron. This suggests that for each of us the power situation may feel very personal, but that with some effort, we can actually heal some significant facet of things (and this is so no matter the frustrations of the square/ T-square, though we should note, these matters aren’t necessarily the same–they could exist in two completely separate situations). We use our talents, our assets, what we care about, our relationships, or our values, applying them to the power we currently hold, even if that power seems inadequate to address a larger situation. (This is one of those times when doing what we can ends up multiplying its effect, being far more potent than we imagine possible). Putting into action what we have, doing what we can, opens the door to healing a personal wound (Chiron in Aries) around the Self, the identity, the ability to act as an individual, and around expression of the Will. Sound familiar? This may be a further expression of what occurred at the recent Full Moon, building (Pluto in Capricorn) on new, different, necessary changes to the power landscape, ones that will in time reveal Truth, and in doing so offer transformation of one kind or another to each individual.

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

07 Monday Sep 2020

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

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

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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.