Somewhere in here is the martyrdom of St. Ursula of Cologne 1411, by Master of the Small Passion

While my colleagues are all over what’s going on right now (UPDATE 19 March–the Blog-a-thon is NOW! http://skywriter.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/pluto-problems-got-you-perplexed-heres-what-helps/), and I encourage you to seek out the 50 + highly talented astrologers who’ll address the Cardinal event, I’d like to talk a little about the other T-squares going on right now (and even the flash-in-the-pan Grand Cross that the Moon’s transit supplies on the 23rd). We’ve got all these components: Sun/ Uranus/ Mercury on one side, Saturn/ Earth on the other, T-d by Ceres and Pluto; then separately, we see Venus opposed Zeus and involved in a Cardinal Grand Cross with the Nodes.

If we read the T energy of all the parts as one big lump (possible right now) we see uniqueness, individuality, and rebellion from the status quo melded with communication (and possibly even quick-change, and deception–more and more I’m noticing the Trickster at work during Direct motion), and all with a big light shone on it–and this in some way ‘faces’ reality, especially material realities–and these are T-d by Power, and that’s with a BIG ‘P.’  The suggestion is that in some form we’ll all deal with a challenging power situation that affects our reality–but I’ll leave that to my able cohorts–while I look at the Grand Cross of Venus/ Zeus/ Nodes.

In this GC we see life direction tested by opposing forces; on one side we see love, values, money, assets, jealousy, or talents, while on the other we see Will, ambition, desire, lust, and the idea of no constraints, doing and having what we want with no cost and no consequences, some of this driven by Daddy issues. The trick is not to become caught on the cross, a martyr to the Venus/ Zeus cross-fire. Will we be Venus, Zeus, or a bystander whose Path is changed in some way by the clash? Or will the whole thing be internal, signalled through the matters of the Houses occupied by transiting Venus and Zeus in the natal chart? Contact of the Cross components to natal factors will be key to knowing how this will play out for you. For me, it seems to be internal, with the Venus/ Zeus opposition across my 2nd/8th and Zeus conjunct my Sun and Jupiter (and with a wee orb, my Mars); lately life direction has definitely been affected by my own assessment of talents and affections, especially as they impact my ego, identity, ambitions and desire to ‘shine.’ Of late it’s been a balancing act that’s challenged me to stay aware of my intentions and conscious of desires–and to avoid any sense of being a victim, a tempting trap with Neptune transiting my 1st. If you’d like, share how the GC is affecting you in ‘Comments’; tell us how you’re playing the Cross, so it doesn’t play you!

Today’s Link: Here’s a little something from one of my faves, to lighten the day http://ravenesque.me/?p=2568

And have a great one!